Mi Primera Semana en Granada | Spanish Memories, African Hopes Through Literature and Film

      As I walked through the city, the aroma of pizza and gelato playfully tickled my nose. Quaint buildings sparingly provided my classmates and me with shade as we trekked through the scorching, new terrain. The vibrato of a woman's operatic voice rang out, capturing the attention of people passing by. I listened to the conversations the locals were having, trying to pick out Spanish words and phrases that I knew. I dreamed about this moment in the nights leading up to my trip, but now, I was finally here. I was in Granada, Spain!

     Getting to Granada was a major accomplishment in and of itself. I had never traveled internationally by myself before, and understandably, I had a lot of fears and doubts. My biggest piece of advice for traveling alone internationally is not to be afraid to ask for help! Asking for help is what allowed me to find my departure gates, customs, and secure transportation from the airport to my hotel. The program offered transportation from the airport to the hostel if we arrived on a certain day; however, I arrived in Granada a day earlier than my classmates.

MOVE-IN DAY

     On the first official day of the program, everyone moved into their rooms at Hostal Meridiano. We had lunch with our professor, Dr. Cancel, and after siesta, we went to two tapas bars: Bar Poë and La Sitarilla. This was my very first time at a tapas bar, and I learned that when you order a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), you get the tapas for free. Potatoes are very common in Spanish meals, so at the first tapas bar, I ordered pineapple juice and a potato curry, and at the next bar, I ordered a Pepsi, which came with meat and potatoes. At some tapas bars, you can choose the type of tapas that you want, and at others, they choose for you. If they choose for you, be sure to let the waiters know right away of any allergies that you have. (Ex: One of my classmates and I have tree nut allergies, so we let them know before ordering anything. This is just a good rule of thumb anywhere.)

La Sitarilla

ORIENTATION

     The next day, we had an orientation led by the CEA CAPA staff. They took us on a walking tour of Granada where we familiarized ourselves with the city's river, department stores, pharmacies, and gelato shops galore. The staff were incredibly hospitable and kind to us, and they fully utilized the time to educate us on customs and social practices in Spain. We learned that physical contact in conversation and staring are normal, that it is important to be aware of your belongings, keeping your valuables safe, and to be assertive when telling people "no" if unwanted advances are made.

The River

SPANISH SURVIVAL CLASS

     Our first day of lectures was Tuesday. It was very interesting to have class in the morning (from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) and then in the afternoon (from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). I made sure to take advantage of siesta with the big break in between our classes. After our first class this morning, we had a survival Spanish lesson taught by a lovely CEA CAPA professor. It was a great way for me to practice conversations in Spanish with other students. I hadn't taken a Spanish class in a year, but thankfully, I've had a few opportunities to speak to hispanohablantes before leaving for Granada. Thank you to everyone who took the time to help me prepare!

CLASS PRESENTATION & EXPLORING

     For one of our classes, we read a book called "The Return" by Victoria Hislop. I started reading it on the plane, which made me excited to land in Granada. The book takes us on an adventure through Granada with music, flamenco, cafes, and family histories. This historical fiction allows us to explore the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War by examining the Ramírez family. If you are traveling to Granada for the first time …or returning (See what I did there?), you should give this book a read! If you do the same study abroad program that I did, it may even be required. 

     I had a group presentation on Wednesday about "The Return," and after class we went for gelato! That was something that really surprised me about Granada: there are sooooo many gelato shops and pizzerias. Of course, there's your occasional Burger King and Five Guys, which I will definitely go to if I get homesick. After getting gelato, we briefly watched an outdoor interpretive dance performance. It was really beautiful to see everyone gathered around the stage at night; the performers really gave it their all. 

ALHAMBRA

     If you visit Granada, you must visit the Alhambra! Our class visited on Thursday! It was a beautiful excursion where we got to learn about its history, the significance of the architecture, and got to view the city from the highest point of the Alhambra. One of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing the Fuente de Los Leónes. It’s a fountain with twelve lion statues. We learned that the fountain allowed people to tell time as the number of lions spitting water from their mouths would change by the hour. The Alhambra was built sometime around the 13th century by Muslim leaders during the Nasrid Dynasty, but was eventually taken over by Catholic monarchs. Almost eight hundred years later, it is still well preserved. 

View of the Albaicín from the Alhambra

Fuentes de Los Leones

     By this time next month, I'll have learned so much: so much Spanish, so much culture, so much history, and so much about myself. I am grateful to have this opportunity to explore history and literature in an immersive environment. My hope is that I can encourage you all to travel to Granada and to study abroad, in general. So far, this has been a wonderful experience for me! I love making friends, practicing my Spanish, going on excursions throughout the city, and continuing to learn how to balance my time as a student and tourist.