Mi primera semana en Granada!

Hola a todos de Granada!

Granada is everything I thought it would be and more! I arrived last Monday, so it will have been almost a week tomorrow. When we first arrived to Granada by bus, my first impression was it was a lot busier and bigger than I though it would be. But after beeing here for a week, I can see where my confusion came from. Granada tiene muchas caras. Granada has many faces. On one hand, it is a bustling Metropolis and a tourist attraction.

But then you turn the corner, and it becomes a quaint, quiet, traditional Andalucian town.

One shopping street carries the quintessential Spanish stores, such as Mango, Zara, Bershka, etc., and then suddenly you enter barrio de Albaicin, and it's like you took a turn into Morocco.

Of course, I'm loving it. You can never get bored in Granada. And even though I've only been here one week, I'm already starting to feel like a Granadina. I know my place around pretty well, although not all the barrios (I won't walk around the Albaicin and Sacromonte by myself), I have a small breakfast, a very large lunch at 2:30, and a small dinner at 9:30, and I take a siesta at 4. It's so easy to become adjusted to this way of life. While at first the ebb and flow of the people was very confusing for me, I've started to understand everything. At home, 5 pm would be prime shopping time. Here, it is dead. And not only is it dead, it's closed. It looks like mass evacuation occurred. So when is prime shopping time here? 8 pm, or after dinner around 10. Antoher thing to get used to: how LONG the night is. No wonder they need siestas! In the US, we start getting ready around 10, and go out at 11, and thats when the night starts. HA! Here, 10 is dinner, which turns into drinks, then you bar hop, and then you finally head to a club (or here discotheque) after 1 AT LEAST. If you go before then, although you may get in free, you'll be the only one there. Although it is a good strategy if you're low on cash! Then you usually stay out till 6 am, although I'm still having trouble with that one.

In terms of my host mom, I adore her. Her name is Manuela Langa Cuenca, and she has a grown daughter named Mariana. They are both super nice, and it gives me a great chance to speak Spanish, because they don't speak a word of English. Her food is DELCIOUS, and I'm proud to say I eat everything, and like everything. She was so excited to see I was not a typical American. The first couple days she went easy, and made pasta, etc. And then somehow we started talking about food, and I told her I loved pate, and she got super excited. Now she goes crazy, and its so good. One thing that was easy adjusting to: aceite de oliva... con todo! Another easy thing: fruit. For breakfast lunch and dinner. And it is delicious! Pears, strawberries, pomegranates, melon, watermelon, grapes, chirimoyas, etc. And I never really like it before, but now I can eat bowls of red peppers!

I've made amazing friends here, and I feel like I've been here for weeks already. Because Spain's way of life is so social, I find myself always out of the house, eating with friends, or walking with friends. You're always around people. And always walking. I'm lucky, my house is only a ten minute walk from the center of Granda, but I walk on average 3 hours a day. Yesterday, probably more. The Spanish obviously have it all figured out. You can eat whatever you want, and it can be good, rich food. And you don't need to exercise, you just call up your friends after a siesta, and walk around for an hour. It's easy, and it doesn't even feel like work!

I miss you all! Hasta Luego!