Submitted by Arielle Thompson on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
My second week in Granada has gone a lot better than the first. I no longer need the GPS to get to class and I can walk the streets confidently (mostly–of course there are places I am still unfamiliar with). I have also found my staple cafeteria, Alemeda, that I religiously attend with some new friends. Last week, I was under the impression that life would never get better. I was sad pretty much all week and I really wanted to hop on a plane, give up, and go home. At the start of the week, it was still a tad shaky, but I pushed through and by the middle of the week I woke up with a new perspective. After some talks with some very helpful people back home, family, and friends, I realized why I had chosen to study abroad in the first place. I realized that I came here to learn and to experience different cultures. To shy away from that would defeat my whole purpose for going through this process. And I must say, even though I’ve only been here for a little over a week, I’ve had some great experiences.
This past Wednesday I saw the inside of the Cathedral in Granada and just yesterday I was able to travel to Málaga and visit an olive farm. The trip to Málaga was incredible! For breakfast, we stopped at an authentic restaurant and ate some of the freshest bread I’ve ever tasted. It was a first for me to have bread with olive oil and salt for breakfast or really at all, but I enjoyed every bit of it. In fact, I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. Along with the bread, I had a nice cafe con leche and some water to wash everything down with.
We then traveled to a historic site where the ancient architecture blew my mind. Next stop was the olive farm where I spent time learning about “olivos” and feeding some of the largest pigs I’ve encountered. The lunch was phenomenal as well. There were many tapas, paella, and for dessert, custard and fruit cobbler. I think my favorite part was the desserts. I really enjoyed myself this week and I found that at the end of the week I had a new appreciation for my life in Granada. I still really miss my friends and loved ones, but I know I will see them soon. 
