Submitted by Andrew Shermeyer on the 2013 winter session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
What a trip! After 3 train rides, 2 flights, and one bus ride, I am finally in Granada. We arrived on January 3rd and spent the first day moving in. My host family is quite nice and my host mother is a good cook. I try to keep up with the conversation at dinner, but most of the time, I miss a lot of what my hosts are saying. It is tiring to speak so much Spanish! Luckily, our house is warm and has heat. I know that a lot of my other classmates do not have the same luxury.
We went through orientation at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas which is in the Realejo (the oldest part of the city). We went on a small tour of the city and saw some great places. The first stop on this trek was at a café where we got to eat churros with chocolate. The chocolate is melted and very thick – you cannot drink it – and is perfect for dipping the churros. We walked to some major spots in the city including the Plaza de le Gran Capitan, Fuente de los Batalles, Puerta Real, and the Cathedral of Granada. It was interesting to see how the histories of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity interact throughout Granada.
On January 5th, there was a huge parade through the middle of Granada. It was called the Desfiles de los Reyes Magos and celebrates the Three Kings from the Orient bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. The streets were packed with both children and adults and the event was televised. The Dia de los Reyes Magos is one of the largest holidays in Spain and it was incredible to be able to experience it.
The following day, a few classmates and I were able to attend a mass at the Cathedral of Granada. The inside of the Cathedral is the most beautiful that I have ever seen. There are huge paintings around the walls and all the statues are covered in gold. The church has a small dome and many stained glass windows. I wish I was allowed to take pictures of it – hopefully they will have some postcards with some on them. The rest of the day was slow because most stores and restaurants were closed.
Our class decided to visit the Sierra Nevadas on January 7th. The mountains are incredibly beautiful and breathtaking. Every step you climb along them presents a grander view of the landscape. I took some of my best photos here. After spending a few hours at the Sierra Nevadas, we returned to Granada. It was chaos when we returned! There were sales throughout the city because the day of the Reyes Magos had passed and it seemed that all of Granada decided to go shopping.
After all of this excitement, it is hard to believe that we have not started our actual courses yet! Classes start on the 8th and we have a lot to accomplish! I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn about Spanish culture! 