Submitted by Amanda Bowman on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Although I have only spent a week in Granada so far, I have learned immensely about the culture and customs of this area of Spain. I feel that I have been fully immersed by living with a host family and needing to use Spanish in many of my daily interactions, while having plenty of free time to enjoy the city. It has been difficult to communicate with my host family because they speak very quickly and fluidly, and my host mother, Isabel, does not speak any English. It is getting easier to communicate with them, and my responses are becoming more natural and informative. I still make a lot of mistakes when I speak, but it is usually with tense and agreement. I have had no trouble with ordering or buying souvenirs or food. One of the major differences that I have noticed between Spain and the United States is the history of the architecture. Spain is one of the oldest nations, but the USA is only a few centuries old. So, most of the buildings in Spain seem antique and have Moorish influence.
In terms of culture, Spain and America are quite different, though they do share some similarities. A major culture shock for me was the different eating times and quantity. At home, I usually eat a relatively large breakfast with my family, and then lunch is at noon. I do not always eat lunch with my family, and it is a lighter meal than dinner. Dinner is the main meal at home, and it is a family affair to prepare the meal that occurs between 5:00-7:00 pm. In Spain, breakfast is light, lunch is a large family meal in the early afternoon, and dinner is smaller and very late at night. While dinner as a family seems to be more optional, everyone in the family comes home for lunch almost everyday. The city of Granada is late to rise and late to sleep, as many of the stores and restaurants do not open until early afternoon, and then close from around 2:00-5:00 pm, until they open again for the night crowd. The people also tend to be a bit less talkative to strangers in my experience, and do not really make eye contact with strangers unless they need help with something. One of the things that is similar between my family in Spain and my family at home is the value of family. My host mother’s father lives in the house and she takes care of him because he has some health problems and is retired. They seem to value family above all else, and that is the same with my family. My grandparents live close to us, and we visit them and take care of them when needed. They dynamic of the family is somewhat different though, but this is mainly because my host parents are retired and my parents are not.
I am taking two classes at the University of Granada, and they are SPAN206 and SPAN208. I was a bit worried at first because I was afraid that I would not be able to understand my teacher very well since she speaks quickly and has a strong accent. However, I am actually able to understand about 90% of what she says. Even though I have only had her for four classes, she seems to be a good teacher and really wants to help us. I am sure that the class will be difficult, but I know that my Spanish will increase exponentially.
On Friday, we visited the Alhambra and Generalife. Even though I went to the Alhambra two years ago, this was almost like a new experience. I saw parts of the Alhambra that I had not visited before, and the tour guide provided helpful information about the palace that I found fascinating. The Muslim style of architecture is gorgeous, and it is incredible how well-preserved the Alhambra is, even though the Christian rulers destroyed some of the original beauty. One of my favorite parts of the tour was looking out over Granada and the Sierra Nevada Mountains from the watchtower. After the tour, I bought Cuentos de la Alhambra in both Spanish and English, and I am excited to read them and see how much I can comprehend in Spanish! Hopefully, I will go back to the Alhambra to study, visit the museums, or bask in the glory of this 700-year-old fortress.
