First Impressions
I've now been in Granada for close to two weeks, and it's been incredible! I'm having a lot of fun meeting people from different parts of the world, improving my Spanish and overall just being in a whole new place with new adventures. Don't get me wrong, there have definitely been some frustrating parts, especially with the language, but all in all I'm having a great time and I'm glad that I made the decision to study abroad here.
Now that it's been a good chunk of time in this one city, I thought I'd share some of my first impressions of Granada, as well as things that I've found interesting here. A lot of these things are probably common in cities or Europe overall, but since I've never lived in either they're all unknown to me. Also, these are definitely just my experiences and observations over the past two weeks, and most likely aren't representative of all of Spain or Granada, so be sure to take them with a grain of salt.
1.) The schedule
Spanish people seem to enjoy a very relaxed schedule, with lots of value placed on rest. This has been hard for me to adjust to, since I've been raised that the earlier you get up and start doing things, the more productive you are. For the first few days that we were here our orientations didn't start until 11 or 12, and even know that our language intensive has kicked off Rachel and I don't need to leave the apartment until 9:15 am for our 30 minute walk to school. When school starts next week for all children in Spain, it won't begin until 9 am, which is a far cry from the 7:30 zero period routine that I had in high school.
However, it's not like the Spanish just sleep in and then go about their day like we do; everything else is pushed later as well. Lunch (the biggest meal of the day) is at 2:30 pm, and is immediately followed by a long rest period known as the siesta. During siesta you can sleep (although for no longer than 15 minutes, because then that's something else), chill and read a book, watch television or, as I'm doing right now, write on your blog. Siesta is something that's observed city-wide, and the majority of businesses will close from 2:00 to 5:00 every day. After the break, though, things are back in full swing. People go back to work or school, things get louder and the day goes on. Dinner, which is generally a smaller meal, is eaten around 9:00 or 9:30 pm, and the busiest time of day is probably around 10 or 11 pm, when tourists and locals alike start flooding the streets for food and drinks and fun. And if you walk by a discoteca that early, there won't be anyone in there yet.
We had an intercultural workshop with a University of Granada professor a few days ago in which we talked about this kind of thing, and she offered a few reasons behind the relaxed culture. First, the summer weather in Granada is hot and dry, so people are generally more tired during the day and more alert at night, when it's cooler and there's no scorching sun up above. People here also value social and family time, which explains the long meals and also why they might be late to their jobs or other appointments. As she described it, if you're walking to work and you run into your cousin who you haven't seen in six months, you're going to take the time to talk to her instead of brushing her off and hurrying to make it to work on time. The most interesting explanation, however, was that Spain has a Catholic background (which I guess means people here tend to group together and act more collectivist) and the United States was founded on Protestantism (which is more individualistic). I had never heard that reasoning before, but it offered a cool perspective.
2.) Sunscreen
Spanish people are obsessed with sunscreen and skin cancer. When we went to the beach in Nerja we were told repeatedly by our host parents, teachers and program directors that we had to apply sunscreen as often as possible so that we wouldn't burn. When we came back and told other people about the trip, their first question was "did you wear sunscreen?" Obviously this is a good thing and a healthy mentality that everyone should probably have, but I find it interesting that nobody ever talks about wearing sunscreen in Granada. It's at least 90 degrees here every day and the sun is almost always out, so it doesn't make sense to me why sunburns would only be a danger at the beach and not in a city where everyone walks everywhere and spends tons of time outside.
3.) Motorcycles
If you're not walking everywhere in Granada, you're riding a motorcycle or an electric scooter! Honestly, in a city that has narrow streets and limited park space, it makes a lot of sense to own a small and maneuverable vehicle. People often double up on one bike, and I haven't once seen anyone wearing any sort of protective gear besides helmets. Then again, I've also only heard an ambulance siren one time so maybe everyone here is just very safe.
4.) English
I didn't realize just how influential and widespread the English language and American pop culture were until I got here. It's not that everyone speaks English - in fact, many of the adults I've met (including professors) know some phrases and vocabulary terms but wouldn't consider themselves English speakers. However, I see English phrases and American companies everywhere I go. The city center is filled with restaurants like Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Domino's and Starbucks, and the TV shows and movies that my host siblings watch are American shows dubbed in Spanish. So far I've watched parts of Disney Channel, Despicable Me, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, SpongeBob and We Bare Bears, all in Spanish.
5.) Other random city things
When the stores close for siesta, they actually close - rather than just locking the door and leaving, the employees pull down the garage-like doors and the business becomes shut out to the rest of the world. Also, crossing the street is its own sport. There are pedestrian lights everywhere, but most people take those as suggestions rather than rules. I like to think of it as safety in numbers - if there are ten people crossing even when the light is red, the likelihood of being unnoticed by a driver is lower. However, you always have to be careful for those pesky motorcycles.
That's all for now! Have a great rest of your day.
Sophie
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| The Federico Garcia Lorca Park, one of the new places I've explored. |
Now that it's been a good chunk of time in this one city, I thought I'd share some of my first impressions of Granada, as well as things that I've found interesting here. A lot of these things are probably common in cities or Europe overall, but since I've never lived in either they're all unknown to me. Also, these are definitely just my experiences and observations over the past two weeks, and most likely aren't representative of all of Spain or Granada, so be sure to take them with a grain of salt.
1.) The schedule
Spanish people seem to enjoy a very relaxed schedule, with lots of value placed on rest. This has been hard for me to adjust to, since I've been raised that the earlier you get up and start doing things, the more productive you are. For the first few days that we were here our orientations didn't start until 11 or 12, and even know that our language intensive has kicked off Rachel and I don't need to leave the apartment until 9:15 am for our 30 minute walk to school. When school starts next week for all children in Spain, it won't begin until 9 am, which is a far cry from the 7:30 zero period routine that I had in high school.
However, it's not like the Spanish just sleep in and then go about their day like we do; everything else is pushed later as well. Lunch (the biggest meal of the day) is at 2:30 pm, and is immediately followed by a long rest period known as the siesta. During siesta you can sleep (although for no longer than 15 minutes, because then that's something else), chill and read a book, watch television or, as I'm doing right now, write on your blog. Siesta is something that's observed city-wide, and the majority of businesses will close from 2:00 to 5:00 every day. After the break, though, things are back in full swing. People go back to work or school, things get louder and the day goes on. Dinner, which is generally a smaller meal, is eaten around 9:00 or 9:30 pm, and the busiest time of day is probably around 10 or 11 pm, when tourists and locals alike start flooding the streets for food and drinks and fun. And if you walk by a discoteca that early, there won't be anyone in there yet.
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| The city center at 4:45 pm vs. 9:30 pm (sorry for the horrible quality of the second photo) |
We had an intercultural workshop with a University of Granada professor a few days ago in which we talked about this kind of thing, and she offered a few reasons behind the relaxed culture. First, the summer weather in Granada is hot and dry, so people are generally more tired during the day and more alert at night, when it's cooler and there's no scorching sun up above. People here also value social and family time, which explains the long meals and also why they might be late to their jobs or other appointments. As she described it, if you're walking to work and you run into your cousin who you haven't seen in six months, you're going to take the time to talk to her instead of brushing her off and hurrying to make it to work on time. The most interesting explanation, however, was that Spain has a Catholic background (which I guess means people here tend to group together and act more collectivist) and the United States was founded on Protestantism (which is more individualistic). I had never heard that reasoning before, but it offered a cool perspective.
2.) Sunscreen
Spanish people are obsessed with sunscreen and skin cancer. When we went to the beach in Nerja we were told repeatedly by our host parents, teachers and program directors that we had to apply sunscreen as often as possible so that we wouldn't burn. When we came back and told other people about the trip, their first question was "did you wear sunscreen?" Obviously this is a good thing and a healthy mentality that everyone should probably have, but I find it interesting that nobody ever talks about wearing sunscreen in Granada. It's at least 90 degrees here every day and the sun is almost always out, so it doesn't make sense to me why sunburns would only be a danger at the beach and not in a city where everyone walks everywhere and spends tons of time outside.
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| Everyone in this photo is probably wearing sunscreen. |
3.) Motorcycles
If you're not walking everywhere in Granada, you're riding a motorcycle or an electric scooter! Honestly, in a city that has narrow streets and limited park space, it makes a lot of sense to own a small and maneuverable vehicle. People often double up on one bike, and I haven't once seen anyone wearing any sort of protective gear besides helmets. Then again, I've also only heard an ambulance siren one time so maybe everyone here is just very safe.
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| Motorcycles, waiting patiently for their owners. |
4.) English
I didn't realize just how influential and widespread the English language and American pop culture were until I got here. It's not that everyone speaks English - in fact, many of the adults I've met (including professors) know some phrases and vocabulary terms but wouldn't consider themselves English speakers. However, I see English phrases and American companies everywhere I go. The city center is filled with restaurants like Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Domino's and Starbucks, and the TV shows and movies that my host siblings watch are American shows dubbed in Spanish. So far I've watched parts of Disney Channel, Despicable Me, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, SpongeBob and We Bare Bears, all in Spanish.
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| Watching Disney Channel in Spanish. |
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The giant Burger King in the center of the city. For some reason, everything we talk about is in relation to this restaurant, like "let's meet at the Burger King and walk from there" or "it's three blocks away from the Burger King." It's also fancy and large and nicer than any Burger King I've ever seen in the United States.
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5.) Other random city things
When the stores close for siesta, they actually close - rather than just locking the door and leaving, the employees pull down the garage-like doors and the business becomes shut out to the rest of the world. Also, crossing the street is its own sport. There are pedestrian lights everywhere, but most people take those as suggestions rather than rules. I like to think of it as safety in numbers - if there are ten people crossing even when the light is red, the likelihood of being unnoticed by a driver is lower. However, you always have to be careful for those pesky motorcycles.
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| Closed for business. |
That's all for now! Have a great rest of your day.
Sophie
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