Hello yall, my name is Patrick Wilson and I am going to be writing weekly on this blog for the next 6 weeks!
So first off, if my parents are reading this, all is well. No problems that couldn't be resolved with a little bit of patience and/or that sweet sweet sweet cash. Not really sure why I said that last bit there but yes it is about 4 AM here. You could call it poor time management or you could call it better immersing myself in the local culture but regardless of the name, I still have plenty of homework to do before our first test on friday. Anyyyyway, back to the fun stuff.
First Impressions of the City of Granada?
1. Beautiful. It is hard to describe with words the atmosphere in Granada. The people, the food, the architecture, the mindset, the weather, the kindness. I would maybe describe it as the fun of disney world + the tranquillity of a forest + the love and joy of a family reunion - ALL the negatives of the above mentioned. Im sure my reality is not the same as everyone else here (I have been so spoiled by my house family) but seriously, its like something out of a fantasy novel. Despite suffering from something like a 25% unemployment rate (I believe this is spain in general), the city is bustling and it seems almost like a fairy tale. I think it is also slightly healing too as I can physically feel the weight of stress being lifted off my mind as the days roll by.
2. I guess I basically just put most of my first impressions in that first bullet point.
Do you wish you had planned your trip any differently?
Not really. To be honest, I did not do too much prep before coming here other than the basic travel tasks but I think that is maybe adding to my experience. Having no expectations or prior mental constructs of how things are has really allowed me to just let the culture run through me. Every day I am reintroduced and fall in love again with the city and the history and the culture. I am beginning to develop some ideas about how things are around here but right now, I remain in this sort of dream state where it is difficult to accept how things are here because they are so different but my mind just skirts around that and just immerses itself in the atmosphere.
If one thing, maybe do a little reading on the history of Spain first. All the culture stems from certain events in history and its a really fulfilling experience to see it all come together with your own eyes/ears.
Is there something you forgot back home that you wish you had here?
Uhhhhhhh well I forgot one little piece for my laptop charger but one of my wonderful classmates gave me hers for the trip! On that note: In addition to everything the city has to offer, I believe my experience has been greatly influenced by my classmates. Honestly every single one of them are wonderful people to their cores. Usually like there might be one or two people in a group this size that kinda irk you but these people really raise my spirits and I love spending time with them!
Its possible/probable that the above text slightly skewed due to my current state of delirium but for the most part. es verdad. paz y amor yalll
- Patrick Wilson
Patrick - good suggestion on reading up on the history before coming over. There are so many references to Spain's past throughout the city, a general understanding definitely helps.
ResponderEliminar