This week has been a whirlwind, to say the least. After traveling for twenty-four hours I finally arrived in Granada and was greeted by Mike and Rut. He gave me my bus passes and then I was driven by Rut to my home stay.
Being as exhausted as I was, the culture shock was hitting me pretty hard. My family speaks little English and I speak little Spanish. I met Ana, Marco, and Ana and then took a three hour nap in the middle of the afternoon! That sounds weird, but when I woke up at 9:30, they were just sitting down for dinner. The day starts late and ends late in Spain. When the first day ended, I was relieved. It was more taxing than I was expecting and trying to get comfortable in a strange place is somewhat awkward.
My family is very nice and accommodating to what I like or need. On the first day, Marco brought Ana to school and then took me on the bus to show me my route. Public transportation is very different here than in the areas I live in in the United States. So many people are reliant on the bus system to get them where they need to be. Since Marco doesn't speak English, and I don't speak Spanish, I can honestly tell you that I didn't learn my bus route that day; or anything he pointed out.
We stopped for tea at a little cafe and he called his friend Sam to join us. Sam knows English! I was relieved to be able to communicate with someone. Alexi, another student, is staying with Sam's family. He took us to his house and invited me to come over anytime. I ended up staying with Alexi until we met our group at 4:30 for our first excursion!
We met our group at 4:30 at the Cathedral in Granada. Mike was excited to bring us into the Diocese so we could meet the Archbishop and finally all come together and start the week. He explained some of the culture and history of the building. From there, we toured the Cathedral and the chapel. These buildings were built within each other, side by side. The architecture is incredible- everything being completed by hand. The amount of time and energy exhorted into every detail is unfathomable. Our society today does not compare to skill and temperament of the past.
If you've never been to Spain, or learned of the culture, one thing to know about is: Tapas. For every drink purchased at a restaurant, you get free food with it. It's not a lot, but it's delicious. And the drinks are relatively inexpensive. All day long, no matter the hour, you can get tapas. It's incredibly delicious.
The second day, we visited one of the internship sites- Caritas. This organization is dedicated to working with the people of Granada to enhance their lives. Like the Titanic, women and children first. There are many programs for underprivileged children to partake in after school, places to teach skills, job searching opportunities, home help, detox programs, etc. With a faith based, church sponsored, organization, it cannot be advertised in schools. However, the people here are very connected with their faith and Caritas pours themselves out to be known.
Our next stop, was La Inmaculada, a relatively new college in Granada that has approx 1,000 students enrolled. We were treated to lunch and met Fr. Ildefonsu. He gave us a tour of the facility and spoke with us to learn why we were each here.
Day three was the most busy, we went to three different internship sites: San Rafael, Oasis, and La Paz Parish. San Rafael Hospital is where I will be spending my internship. This hospital is dedicated to helping those who cannot be helped. There is a center for special needs children, the poor, a soup kitchen, clothes drive, etc. They provide many resources for the people of Granada.
The fourth day, the group went to visit the community gardens. It's a place where the community will be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables. It hasn't been created yet, which is why one of our students is here! Ellie is going to be designing that for the people. It's definitely going to be a hot spot for the community.
Finally, the last day of the week! Friday we visited the Alhambra. An immaculate building that was erected in the 1400s. Words would never be able to capture the beauty, so I've posted many pictures below.
To sum up my week, it has been amazing. I am incredibly thankful and grateful for the opportunities that I have been given! God is so good!
