Submitted by Mia Lask on the 2024 Winter SPAN program in Granada …
As we have begun to get more acquainted with our area, and the Spanish way of life, we can focus more of our attention on cultural immersion. Beginning the week with a visit to Granada’s main cathedral and chapel, it is clear that religion is deeply rooted here. Buildings are masterfully crafted, with great precision and attention to detail. Just about everything in the cathedral contains an element of symbolism, from the bright white limestone representing purity, to the intricate placement of any likeness of Isabel and Ferdinand. We have also taken a deep dive into the history of art styles and their prevalence in architecture around the city. The most prevalent styles seen around Granada are Islamic, renaissance, gothic, and baroque. With our newly learned art-identification skills, and the help of our program leaders we are able to pick out individual elements and create a story that takes us back in time. We are able to understand the reasoning behind certain creative choices, as well as the time period in which different things were constructed, added, or removed. Due to the mixing of cultures much of what we see is “mezcla” between two or more different styles. In fact, there are usually so many different styles, it is hard to identify them all, or not get them mixed up with one another. The main cathedral of Granada posses a little bit of everything and helps to tell the story of its almost 200-year construction. Nex to the cathedral lies the chapel, which houses not only the tombs of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand, but also their daughter Juana, and her husband Felipe. As well as a multitude of artifacts from the time. It becomes very visible just how important family ties are, especially for students like us who are not from a place that includes that type of royal history. It becomes so clear how important art was, and without the individuals who dedicated, or were forced to dedicate, their lives to this artisanship Granada would not be what it is today, hundreds of years later.
With a lot of historical talk, we have been greatly expanding our vocabulary. Although it is still not particularly easy to understand every bit of the strong southern-Spanish accent present in this part of Andalucia. Many of the activities we do are built around broadening our conversation skills in a comfortable environment. This was very evident during our cooking class with Annabella and Cookele. Each group would be divided into 3 teams to focus on a specific dish, and to learn some helpful verbiage and vocabulary associated with that part of the kitchen. After the group introduction to the recipes and helpful terms to know when cooking we began creating our dinner. Beginning with a starter of spainsh-style salad, Pipirrana, containing diced tomatoes, cucumber onion, pepper, and a simple, but great, aioli. Followed by the main course of an Andalusian favorite, tortilla de patatas, a fried potato cake with eggs and onion. Finally, we finished with Crema Catalan, a cousin of crème brulee, with light notes of cinnamon and lemon. We ate as a group and discussed our time in Spain thus far. I think for anyone nervous about studying abroad I went into this program knowing zero people, and I will leave with some long-term friends. Any fear associated with learning a new language in front of strangers will dissipate with time. The support here is clear, and the environment really does foster your learning in a way in which you will want to continue it on your own. (Submitted on January 24, 2024)
