Submitted by Amanda Bowman on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
After almost a month of living in Spain, I feel like I am about to leave my home. I have not only grown accustomed to the culture and city life of Granada, but have grown to love it as well. As someone who lives in the countryside in Delaware, this has been a completely new experience. The best experiences that I have had in Granada were visiting the Alhambra, going out for tapas, visiting the Parque de las Ciencias, and spending time with my host family. One of the last places that I visited was Parque de las Ciencias, which is only a ten-minute walk from my house. It is a huge science museum, zoo, and observatory that is well-known and acclaimed in Andalucía.
I feel that I am one of the luckiest students on this program because of my host family placement. It was difficult at first because my host parents do not speak any English, but I actually came to revel in that because it forced me to use my Spanish and convey abstract concepts, even if I did not know all of the correct vocabulary. The entire family made me feel at home and comfortable, and they did all that they could to make sure that my roommate and I were part of the family.
My favorite aspect of living in Granada is probably the fact that no matter where you go, you can find something interesting. I can walk to most of the main areas from my house within a half an hour, so there are only a few places that require a bus or Metro ride.
Without a doubt, my least favorite part of living in Spain, much like many other European countries, is the cigarette smoke. I hate cigarettes and their smoke for many reasons. From smoking, my Grandmother got cancer and my other Grandmother had a heart attack and a collapsed lung. Also, cigarette smoke induces unbearable migraines, so bad that I cannot even see out of my right eye.
Overall, this has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I would recommend this program to anyone that is taking Spanish classes.