Submitted by Rebecca Gomes on the 2024 Spring program in Granada, Spain…
This was my first week in Granada Spain. I arrived on Sunday, January 7th. Once I arrived in Granada, we took the bus to the city center, where our host families picked us up. I am staying with a host family and another student from Boston College. Our apartment is located in the heart of Granada, only 15 minutes from our school. At first, I was shocked to hear people speak Spanish so fast. It felt surreal, however, I quickly adapted and go to practice the language. Staying in a host family is truly a unique experience, it is also one of the best ways to fully immerse yourself in a culture. I am lucky to have an amazing host family and be part of this awesome program.
On the first day, we visited the school for the first time. The school is located in a restored palace, and we have classes every day at the same time. I have learned so much so far, a lot about the culture and language. On the second day, we had a tour of the town where we learned about Isabel la Catolica, many plazas, the cathedral, and many other famous sites. The time difference is very tricky, in the Spanish culture they take siestas, which are around 20-minute naps. We learned that Americans often take siestas as 2-hour naps and in reality, they should not do that because it can mess up their sleep schedule.
Some of the foods I have tried and learned about are Palmera de Nutella and Piononos. Some of the things I hope to try this week are Tapas and visit Alhambra. Today we learned how to use the metro, which is only a few years old. I learned that it took 10 years to build the metro due to the many discoveries found underground. We went to the mall and it was huge! It also
had many American stores.
Even though I have been here for only a few days, Granada feels like home! It is such a small charming town, everyone is extremely nice and wants to help you learn about their country. I am excited to see what the future holds and I look forward to learning more and more about the culture and language. (Submitted on January 24, 2024)