Hola y Adios, Granada

Hola,

What I will take home from this experience:

Granada has lead me to think about what kind of life I want to lead because their way of life is so much different than in the United States. Do I want to constantly be working hard and never take time off to just relax in order to become "successful" at a young age? Or do I want to enjoy my life each and every day and also do what I can to make progress toward achieving my many goals? In America, it is customary to feel the need to be working hard all the time. In Spain, it is customary to take siestas every day. I don't know about you but I see a major cultural difference there. If I could change American culture to include siesta, obviously I would but that is not a possibility. So, I think what I will do is tell my employer that I need a 2 hour lunch every day to eat my most important meal and see what they think about it (I'm assuming they won't be too excited...) But in all seriousness, I will try to mend my life to include the parts of American culture and of Spanish culture that I love in a phenomenal mezcla. Coming to Granada has shown me that there are different ways of life out there and it's possible for me to choose the one that is true to me. I think that is priceless.

Do's and Don'ts:

Do: Make sure to eat as many tapas as you can because contrary to popular belief among American study abroad students, they will not be available forever. You will have to leave Granada at some point and the tapas will be left behind as well. Try not to cry too hard when you leave them (I will have to use this advice on Monday). 

Do: Speak in Spanish as much as possible. It is not smart to use English when your professor isn't around because you know it won't hurt your grade. It is less about the grade as it is about your comprehension of the Spanish language. The more you talk to native speakers, the more they will point out the flaws in your speech which will in turn continually refine your Spanish skills. 

Do: Spend time with your Spanish family. They have a lot of information about Spanish culture and language that you won't hear otherwise by talking to bartenders, waitresses, or girls you meet at the discoteca. You have the ability and benefit of being able to get as close to them as you so choose, and the more close the better I have heard. They will teach you about everyday Spanish culture which is invaluable information especially if you ever plan to come back (or even better move here!).

Don't: Take vacations away from Granada every weekend. I know it is tempting to plan a trip to somewhere in Europe on every free weekend that you have, but I don't think it is too smart. You are only in Granada for 6 weeks and the most time you get to spend on your own exploring Granada happens on the weekends. Take advantage of that because you don't want to leave Granada after 6 weeks and regret not fully experiencing your Spanish "hometown" (I know I definitely regret not seeing more). 

Don't: Stay inside every day. You are in the beautiful Spain. You can stay inside every day in the winter in Ann Arbor, there is no point to do it here. But you have homework? Do it at a cafe (where outside seating is usually available), most have WiFi. You want to rest after class? Take a nap in the gorgeous Garcia Lorca Park. Name the thing you want to do at home and I am sure I can direct you to somewhere in Granada where you can do it outside or at least outside of your house. But also don't take this too literally and not spend any time with your host families. Take some time out of your day to have a couple conversations with them. 

Don't: Go home right after the program. You already spent upwards of $1600 on a plane ticket to get your butt to Europe, why not make full use of that fixed cost and visit some other cool places after Granada? This will also help with that urge to leave Granada every weekend because you will have some time to explore other countries afterwards. The people who are going right home should be doing so for work or for other obligations. But, if somehow you can avoid going home for a couple weeks I would highly advise doing so. 

Granada has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life so far and I hope this blog post will reach future students so that they can maximize the amazing-ness of their time here as well. 

Adios Granada!

-Hoo-steen Rivera