Today was my second day of classes here in Granada. I'm taking 2 classes in Spanish (gramática, grammar; and POE, or conversation + writing) as well as 3 electives in English: Spanish Art History, Spanish Culture and Civilization, and Islamic Culture. So far my favorite is Islamic Culture, as I know absolutely nothing about the Arab world and this class will go in depth about the differences between the Arab world and the Islamic world. With all the tension today between the United States and the Middle East, the least we can do is educate ourselves about the people of the world.
People in Granada are rumored, by the rest of España, to be mean people. This is not something I've noticed, however, and I'm not sure how to compare Españoles with Americans. I'm not sure if my adjustment to living here has been more cultural or more geographical; city living is definitely a different experience for me. But this city is slow-paced (other than the motorcycles...they're the best vehicle to have here for sure, but none of the drivers here pay much attention to pedestrians!) and things literally do shut down during the siesta hours, which has taken some getting used to! The meal hours are different as well, and as for the nightlife, it's customary to go out for tapas (a Granada tradition, when you order a drink at a bar you get free munchies) after dinner, and the clubs don't start getting customers until 3 or 4 am. The only people out and about at 6 and 7am are people walking home from a night out. There are also lots of dogs and cats that roam the city, either leashed or not, though I suspect many have owners either way.
Living in the residencia, as mentioned, is taking getting used to. I'm still not sure how the noise right outside my door is treating me yet. Laundry is hung to dry up on the roof; mealtimes are set and laid out for all, though the residencia food isn't great. My roommate moved out to a single room in a dorm-like residencia (as opposed to my suite-like residencia), so I have a large room for now. To be honest I'm not sure how much time I'll be spending in the room, what with the temperature slowly but surely rising. Our rooftop is a beautiful place and, if I'm really in the mood, I'll walk to la Alhambra or the gardens there and work or read.
Other than classes, the thing that is occupying my time is travel plans. I'm hoping to do some traveling while here and have already made plans for the end of February to go to Seville with friends! It should be a good way to spend a long weekend. There is one other long weekend in the semester, plans as of yet unknown, and the week off for Easter as well. While I hear it is really beautiful to see the parades and ceremonies in Granada during that week, I'd like to spend the Easter week in London. I suspect it will be expensive, but even a Monday-Friday trip would allow me to see shows and museums there, as well as have the weekends on either end in Granada for the festivities.
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