Submitted by Arielle Thompson on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
When I first landed in Granada, I was tired and in desperate need of a shower. The first night (and the following nights) weren’t easy. My first priority was unpacking and after that was finished all I could think about was napping. I ended up getting to enjoy the sweet taste of sleep only for an hour before my host mom knocked on my door. “Chicas! Almuerzo está listo!”(Girls, lunch is ready). By then my housemate had arrived equally as tired, and we both wearily trudged from our rooms to eat. Our meal was quite tasty, but still I was exhausted. I ended up sleeping most of the first day. It surprised me when I was informed that dinner was at 9:30 pm especially since I like to be in bed around 10:30 pm. The nightly routine has been one of the hardest things to adapt to.
Spanish culture is a lot different from American culture when it comes to dinner. For one, I normally don’t sit at the table an hour after dinner. Usually when I finish eating, I clear my plates and continue about my day. However, here after dinner, my host mother enjoys watching a talk show and my housemate and I happily watch with her. Though I am still experiencing a bit of culture shock just from the dinner time alone since it is a huge nightly change for me. Usually, I would have already eaten and be lounging by myself in my bed.
Mostly, I enjoy my time here in Granada. I’m slowly starting to make friends and occasionally we meet up for coffee or tapas. On the other hand, I am feeling a bit homesick. Everything is very different here and I’m not quite used to it. I’m excited to learn more about Spanish culture, but I also have a new appreciation for my own culture. We’ve had two “paseos” or walks through the city and I have seen many beautiful sites so far. As for my first week here, it’s been hard, but I do feel myself slowly adjusting to life here in Spain. I look forward to that adjustment and the travel blog entries to come.
