Taking the Roads Less Traveled By. : Granada, My New Home

This was from the first two weeks in Granada!

The first two weeks in Granada were full of every emotion possible! Nervousness, homesickness (yes, even upon arriving) , frustration and a little homesickness mixed with excitement, wonder, amazement, joy, and love!

It was actually kind of overwhelming, all of these emotions at once.

Nervousness about all of the little things that accompany being in a new place. Are the people going to like me? Am I going to be able to communicate? Do I look like I don't belong?

Sadness to say goodbye to family and friends for 4 months. Knowing all the things I'll miss, that life will go on and I won't be there. Fear of coming home and finding that everything has changed.

Frustration that nothing that I read, none of the prep classes, or talking to people truly prepared me to enter these uncharted waters. That my language skills weren't where I needed or wanted to have full at length conversations with people. That a host family wasn't the warm welcome and instant connection that I was expecting, but awkward and weird.

But all of these obstacles and negative feelings have been overcome by all of the amazing things I've already seen, learned, and come to understand about myself, my new city, culture, and more. My host mother, Ana Maria (my host mom), opened her home to a stranger, and has the patience to sit and try and talk with me, playing a game of "describe the word" or "charades" or just smiling and nodding:) I learned that the best way to explore a new place is to get lost because that's when you find your way and you might find a few neat things in doing so. The teachers have been a blessing because they saw where we had the potential to go in our language abilities and worked hard to get us there. The times when I surprised myself by being braver , speaking clearer, and changing my attitude to be one that welcomes change and difference are a good sign that I'm doing it "right".

All of this and more is apart of the excitement, joy, wonder, and amazement of studying abroad, of Spain, of this experience. If these are just a handful of things I've learned in the last two weeks, then I have so much to look forward to moving forward!

So a bit of a recap from the first two weeks. It was the orientation period. We met our host families, moved in, took a language test, got placed into levels, and began grammar review for the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, on the first exam, I did not get the score I needed, but I worked hard the next two weeks to improve and ended up going up two levels, so I'm more than ready to be in real classes!

I'm signed up to take Spain and the EU- a polysci class, so of course I'm excited- Islamic history in Spain, Spain in the Media, and then complementing those will be Phonetics, Grammar, and a class about Granada culture! Hopefully, I will be volunteering with an infant school for a few hours each week, as well:) Sounds busy, but that's how I roll, and I've still got 3 day weekends!

I've been taken around the city centre (also the part I live in) and the Albaycin (the place where the Moorish influence in most strongly felt). I've made a lot of friends from the United States that are in the same program and together we have made it our mission to find the best places to have fun. Studying abroad isn't all work and no play or vice versa, but a healthy mix that exposes us to culture/language inside the classroom and out!

We have what are called
intercambios who are actually Spanish students trying to learn English and volunteering their time to help us learn the language. There are pictures of Rosa, my intercambio, below!

I've found good shopping, eaten good food, seen amazing buildings, taken a ton of pictures, learned new words/phrases, and been exhausted at the end of everyday (hence the late post)!!

After the rough start and realizing how difficult it can be (mentally, emotionally, and maybe physically) to move to a new country and be independent, I'm happy to say that I have already fallen in love with my new home and look forward to meeting every challenge with a smile and an open mind and attitude.

As I wrap up this blog and feel inspired, I have only this to say:

"My power's turned up (starting right now), I'll be strong, I'll play my fight song, and I don't really care if nobody else believes me, 'cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me"