The view from my terrace The next adventure has begun! I arrived to Granada, Spain on Thursday and have been settling in over the past few days, which have hardly been eventful. Both days that I've been here, I have slept 'til noon. Thanks, jet lag. Here's what I have for you folks so far:
- My apartment is quite nice. It is on the corner of a main street called Camino la Ronda. From the terrace, I can post up and people watch for days. There is a cafe, bar or restaurant every two steps. Fortunately, I will not go hungry.
- I live a few blocks away from a park that is filled with beautiful gardens, trees, a pond and a playground. I went for my first run this afternoon. I am severely out of shape and gave up after half a mile. I walked a few blocks away from the park before I decided to go back and try again. So I ran another half mile and called it a day.
- The tradition of 'siesta', a break in the afternoon, is common in Spain. Stores close from 2-5 every afternoon. Some people take this time to nap while others go out and have a coffee.
- Meal times are quite different here. Generally speaking, people eat breakfast at 11AM, lunch at 3PM and dinner at 10PM. Considering the fact that I've slept until midday, I have adjusted to this schedule just fine.
- The day I arrived it was in the 80's, sunny and humid. Today it is in the low 70's, overcast and showers. I've changed my outfit multiple times a day because the weather is so variable.
- When I was in León, Nicaragua, I met an Australian couple that had studied Spanish in Granada for a month. They put me in touch with three of their friends (one of which has moved away). I got in contact with the other two, a couple, and the guy agreed to meet me yesterday afternoon and help me get a Spanish phone number. Pietro is a Bolivian who moved to Spain a few years ago to study at the university here. It was nice to hang out with a latino because I have quickly realized that Spanish culture is not anything like what I'm used to. In Latin America, it is very common to greet everyone you see, even strangers, with a "Buenos días" or "Buenas tardes". Here people just walk by without making eye contact. At meals, I'm used to say "Buen provecho" the Spanish equivalent of "Bon appetit". No such thing here. A Mexican friend of mine taught me to be a bit more polite and say "Permiso" as I pass or if I get in the way of someone. When I said "Permiso", my roommate thought I was being overly-courteous. Pietro understood where I was coming from and confirmed that the Spanish, generally, are not as warm and polite as latinos (of course, there are always exceptions). Anyway, we got my phone number and had a nice walk around the city. We went for a drink and he invited me to dinner at their apartment.
- I arrived to the apartment at 10 and the other dinner guests had yet to arrive. A while later, two girls arrived: a Bolivian and a Brazilian. We chatted while waiting for dinner which was served just after 11. Dinner consisted of potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce topped with a semi-spicy peanut butter sauce. I am not used to eating heavy food at that hour so I tried my best to clean my plate. Dessert was a banana bread and even though I was full, there is always room for dessert. I didn't end up leaving until 2AM and that was still relatively early considering it was Friday night (well, at that point Saturday morning). It felt strange to be able to walk around solo after dark but I have been assured by multiple people that Granada is a safe city. I'll keep my guard up anyway.
- Tonight I am going to meet up with a British guy I met in Guatemala. He moved to Granada a month ago and is getting used to Spanish lifestyle as well. Apparently this weekend there are a lot of festivities in an old neighborhood called Albayzín, so we'll check that out.
- Last, but certainly not least: in Spain, Dora the Explorer teaches English.
The park near my house
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