Finishing up the first week has been a whirlwind of excitement, discombobulation and ice cream. I’ve quickly established a routine of waking up, throwing on clothes, and eating a not so filling breakfast of toast and coffee, sitting through three and a half hours of class (the horror!), then stuffing my face with food and spending siesta time doing homework and exploring the city before returning for a late dinner and trying to make plans for the night.
My host mother has really warmed up to my roommate and I, and is even taking us to her childhood home and the beach this Saturday with her family. At least that’s what I’m hoping she said when she was talking about “la playa” y “trajiste un bikini para sabado.” She made jamon y queso bocadillos the other day for dinner and I almost cried from happiness, because I love ham more than I will love my firstborn child. She also broke out the paella for lunch the other day, thus beginning my five week pursuit of the perfect Spanish paella.
Talking to other people I’m traveling with, we’ve all compared our homes to each other and a common theme is that the TV is on during meals all the time. It is nice because the TV provides a springboard for conversation when I’m struggling to hold a conversation about something we would both want to talk about but it also makes me wonder if it’s a social thing to keep the TV on or something else. I’ve begun to notice that the lifestyle of Spanish people is so much more laid back than that of Americans. People here don’t define themselves by a career, many are happy just having a job with short shifts then resuming their home lives when they’re off. They work at a slower pace and seem to be more family oriented than many Americans. My host mother is in her fifties but I have already met her sister, niece, and she has told me about all of her family members. She seems very close with her entire family and that seems common for many Spanish families. I see parents always with their children and pushing strollers around. I keep finding myself wondering if anybody has a job because it seems like everybody just shops all day. When I walk, I worry about being run down by the dozens of dogs and babies in strollers being walked by loving owners/parents-seriously, they are more abundant than historical landmarks.
Speaking of historic landmarks, our walking tours have showed me how overwhelming it is to take everything in. The building I take classes in was built in 1771 and many of the churches and other landmarks I’ve seen go back to the 1500s. I wish there was more emphasis on the architecture is but I go home and teach myself. I’ll go into more detail in later posts but as an overview-I’ve been missing out big time by living in Sussex County.
On our first full day in Granada, we took a bus tour and ended up going up a very steep road to a panoramic view of the city. I’ve included a panoramic shot of what it was like to stand up there in the part of the city that is apparently all summer homes. To say the view was incredible may sound stereotypical, but I’ve never seen anything that has compared to it.
My diet basically consists of bread and ice cream here, but I’m not complaining. With a bakery and ice cream shop at quite literally every corner, it’s impossible to avoid. Luckily our host mother isn’t as expectant that we finish everything in our sight, but the culture is definitely to eat what’s in front of you and fruit is constantly being offered. I was nervous the first few meals as to what meal time etiquette was, but our host mother has proven to be very laid back. I still try not to stretch or yawn or not compliment the food. When I was eating paella, I accidentally I said “I love that this has chicken in it” but instead of saying “pollo” (chicken), it came out like “perro” (dog). My bad, lo siento.
I’m about to go get late night tapas and walk around by the riverside even though my legs are about to fall off, but be prepared for more antics.
