Submitted by Miranda Schiccatano on the 2017 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
This week has been a whirlwind, after arriving to Granada on Sunday. We began our week with a bus tour of the city which was a great way to get an idea of the layout of the city without having to aimlessly walk around for hours. The views we saw were absolutely breathtaking and it made me excited to be in such an incredible place. The group is very friendly and I know I will get along well with everyone! The professors are also very caring and helpful which makes the experience a little easier to adjust to.
My host family is made up of a host mother, Maria, and her daughter, Jasmine. They are two of the nicest people I have encountered, so caring and willing to help with anything. We eat almost all of our meals at the house which is comforting to receive home cooked meals rather than having to find restaurants or cook for ourselves. I have two other roommates which is particularly helpful for me because coming into this program, I do not have a very strong Spanish vocabulary, but that’s why I’m here to learn.
A big difference between Spain and the U.S. is the concept of a time for siesta, in Granada it is from 2:00-5:00 p.m., where the whole city is practically closed down and people go home to enjoy time with their families or get some rest. This has been kind of hard to adjust to because I am used to going through my day and coming home at night to sleep, where as here it is considered fairly normal to be out until the early morning. Overall, I am excited to see how I adjust to living in Spain and seeing the differences between how we live in the United States compared to here!