Submitted by Corey Perkins on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures…
¡Hola from Granada! Today marks the fourth day in my journey to Spain and I’m looking forward to our classes starting tomorrow. The school that we are studying at, the University of Granada, was closed for the holiday. In Spain, there is a Christmas celebration on January 5th, which is called the Celebration of the Three Kings, which is followed by the Three Kings’ Day on the 6th. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the parade while we were in Madrid, which also got us into the holiday spirit that the city was in. It was filled with concerts all night long, as well as floats passing by.
After spending two full days in Madrid, we embarked on our journey to Toledo before heading off to Granada where we will be staying for the rest of the winter semester. I found out so much about the quaint, beautiful city of Toledo in only a few hours. Toledo was the previous capital of Spain before the capital became Madrid and it is enriched with so much of the Spanish culture that has made Spain into what it is today. We learned more about the reign of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, whom I had learned a lot about in one of my classes during the spring semester, HIST348, The History of Spain. It was exciting to see what I had learned in the classroom be brought into actual use in the country.
After leaving Toledo, we departed for Granada which was around a four hour bus ride. The bus was filled with a mixture of emotions, in which we were all so excited to meet our new families for the next three weeks, but also wanted to be sure that they would like us! Immediately after stepping off the bus, we were all met with the warmest greeting. My host mother’s name is Maria, who used to be a nurse, and my roommates and I have already improved so much of our speaking skills in just the short amount of time that we have been here. She is so patient with us and also very funny. I am looking forward to these next few weeks and I really lucked out with such a great group of people!
