There is so much to tell that I’m not too sure where to start. I am now settled in Granada! I have been here for about three days and it is so incredibly different from back home. Right now I am living in a spacious apartment in the college neighborhood with four roommates. Two are from my program and we get along really well. We each have our own room and there are several balconies that look out over the city. We certainly lucked out. The first full day here we had an orientation to go over all of the details of school and living here. It was long and basically the overall message was that it is important to approach everything this year with a positive and open mind. That afternoon we had a four-hour placement test to determine what level of Spanish we are. It was incredibly difficult to take it after many months of not practicing the language. I placed in level 5, which is intermediate. I was pretty happy with the score because that meant I was eligible to take classes in Spanish, which I mean, is the point of coming to study in Spain. Currently I am enrolled in History of Spain, Culture of Islam, and Spanish Literature, as well as my mandatory grammar classes. I wanted to take History of Spanish Art but the class was full and I figure I can always take it next semester. After the test we went directly to a welcome party for all of us students to meet and mingle. Yes there were tapas! It really is an amazing tradition to be able to take part in. Basically Granada is the only city where when you go out and order a drink, they bring a small plate of food along with it. For college students, it is a great deal. The next day was a blur and I managed to finalize my classes, shop for some much needed room necessities, and get a SIM card for my phone. Everything is so cheap here! I paid 15 euros for 1.2 gb of data and unlimited texting in country. In the evening my roommates and a few friends went for some tapas before meeting some other students to go out and check out the Granada nightlife. We went to this bar where shots were 1 euro each and were numbered 1-180 based on their strength. Then we went to another nightclub that was having ladies night. It was so fun! Mainly because they were giving salsa lessons and everyone just dances by themselves and there is no pressure to have to go grind on someone or any ick like that. I left earlier than everyone (2 a.m.) and took a taxi home. This next morning I felt like complete crap even though I’d had almost nothing to drink. I think that the whole staying out late and drinking thing will be limited to once a week or every two weeks. Around 10:30 we all met up to take a tour of the Albaicin neighborhood, which is the oldest neighborhood in Granada. It was incredibly beautiful and full or Arab architecture and detailing. Towards the top was a vista point perfect for looking over the Alhambra. It was more beautiful than words can describe. I’ll definitely be back because there were so many tourists that it made it hard to take in the whole experience. Plus I hear it’s amazing in the fall! That’s about it so far. Saturday we tour the Alhambra itself and Sunday we go to the beach. Classes start next Thursday and I am thinking of taking a weekend to go travel somewhere soon. If anyone wants my address to send letters just shoot me a message! Also if you want a letter from Spain than let me know. Happy almost October!
1 Comment
yip
9/30/2015 07:27:53 am
Have you tried tortillas yet?? Ohmygod i think I ate about a thousand of those. And good job staying out till 2!!! I don't know how those Spaniards do it. pictures of your room please:) <3<3<3
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Amani P.Last fall I took off for a year abroad. Now I'm back in the states, trying to figure out this crazy thing we call life! Archives
February 2017
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