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Submitted by Gabriela Morrell-Zucker on the 2016 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Two weeks and already so much has happened, time has truly flown by. In the past, I have been told
that if I truly wanted to become fluent in Spanish I’d have to fully immerse myself within the Spanish
culture. Growing up with the ability to understand Spanish, but not being able to piece the words
together to create my own sentences has tortured me ever since I can remember; and now that I have
been given this incredible opportunity to improve my fluency in Spanish, I am taking full advantage of
this experience.
This past weekend, we traveled to the artistic city of Barcelona, a place full of rich history, architecture and where the Cheetah Girls filmed their second movie. I was truly star struck by the incredible works of Gaudíthat embellish this city. La Sagrada Família, an impeccable church that defies nature and tells a story from every aspect makes you wonder how the human mind is capable of imagining such a Godly structure. Having visited numerous churches in Granada since arriving, I thought I had seen every type of stained glass you could imagine… I was off my rocker. The stained glass within La Sagrada Família is so well designed that the colors form a rainbow that shine oh so beautifully into the structure.
Continuing with Gaudí’s works, Parque Guell, the mosaic garden famous for its curved walls and tastefully placed lizard fountain, remains my favorite site to see. I had the chance to explore this structure on my own and used this time to ground myself while sitting at the very top of the building, overlooking the Barcelona skyline. Up until this point, I had taken in so much that Spain has to offer that I felt overloaded by immense culture shock. It was at Parque Guell that I had the ability to decompress and appreciate all that I had been able to see up to this point.
If you ever get the chance to visit Spain, you will quickly realize that things here move at a slower pace. Not because the Spanish people are lazy, but because they want to enjoy their life by consciously experiencing every ticking moment. I have a lot left to learn from the Spanish people, and am eagerly awaiting what’s ahead.