España vive en mis huesos

Spain is in my bones. Adapting to the culture and lifestyle here has, of course, thrown me several times. Even little things that you would never think about can be different. For instance, I recently realized that I have been using mis servilletas (napkins) completely incorrectly at lunch with my family. So, I quit putting my napkin in my lap and using it frequently at the table, and now I leave it sitting nice and clean beside my plate and only occasionally pick it up for a quick but clean mouth dab. It is so interesting to learn the infinite amount of differences that exist even between highly developed and westernized countries. However, in a two and a half week’s time, most of us in our program have come to appreciate almost everything about the way of life in Granada. My daily experiences shock me (in a usually positive way). Two days ago, I entered the Spanish cell phone store and discussed phone problems in Spanish. Broken Spanish though it may be, I completed a task here that is even difficult to complete in English back in the States!

And don’t worry chicos, I am certainly not missing football season, as there is plenty of it here. We went to a huge stadium filled with Spanish fans to watch a fútbol game during our weekend trip to Ronda and Sevilla. We learned Spanish crowd cheers and chants: ¡Vamos mi Sevilla; Vamos campeón! I am beginning to make some places my own- a very strange concept for an invader in a foreign city who can hardly speak the language of its people. I can really see the impact of studying abroad. At first, it seemed like a fun thing to do and a fun place to be, but now I see that the capacity to learn, grow, and change surmounts any ability to do these things in a familiar environment. Granada surprises me cada día in a new way. Discovering life across the globe… Ahhh, I recommend it to anyone!