Week three marks the halfway point of our time here in Granada, it is hard to believe that we are already at this point. The festival of Corpus Christi took place this week and it was amazing to see everyone come together to celebrate. The fair grounds were packed with people every day late into the night, when most children would already be asleep in the States is when families would show up. 2am and you see children running around and playing, people stay up late here to say the least. That is just one of the subtle cultural differences between Spain and home, time seems to flow a little differently here. You don’t could the seconds you just seem to go with things and let them slip by. It is hard to explain, it is just a different feel here, time is not such a stern start and stop concept here. You see in the united states time is as valuable as money if not more so, schedules are almost demanded of people, time cannot just pass it must have some kind of purpose almost always. Can you imagine businesses shutting down for 2 hours in the middle of the day for a break, aka siesta. People would think you were crazy because in their eyes you would be wasting precious time, it’s like every second needs to be taken advantage of and that is not a bad thing it is just the way of doing things in our culture. Now in Spain time is different, it is not so linear as it is in the US. Of course, there are schedules and due dates and things that must be taken care of but what seems to be more important is the process of doing rather than just the end result all the time. If things take a little longer than so what, if the end result of whatever you are doing is still what you want maybe not being so focused on the time is a good thing. Now of course I have only been here for three weeks so I cannot truly know the full depth of this but it is how I have seen and felt about things so far up to this point.
Now getting back to what happened this week. Parades and a massive festival were only the beginning. Everywhere you went there was a reminder of the importance of this week to the people of Granada and across Spain. This week also marked our visit to the Alhambra, arguably Granada’s most famous landmark. And it did not disappoint to say the least, it was stunning to see this palace and the architecture within it. Not to mention the rich history behind it all. Without a doubt it will be one of the highlights of this trip. The attention to detail in every corner of the Alhambra is what helps make it what it is, a lasting monument to the past and to the people who once inhabited it. To think that upon the capture of Granada that Ferdinand wanted it destroyed to erase the signs of the previous Muslim rule. Thankfully Isabella, his co ruler, saw something in the Alhambra worth saving. Because of this we now have the Alhambra as we know it today to appreciate.
As for my internship it is going really well, we have gotten into a good routine every day now with the kids. English to start, then soccer outside followed by more English and Zumba or all things to finish off the day. It took a little while, but it seems like the kids, who were hesitant at first, have finally warmed up to us being there. Of course, the language barrier is still there so most of the time it is a big game of charades to figure out what the other is saying. This upcoming week is one I am looking forward to very much, this weekend is the one where we travel to Barcelona for a few days. Even though we have been in Spain for three weeks now this will mark the first time we have been outside of Granada. I only wish there was more time to travel a little more, not only to other parts of Spain but to other parts of Europe as well, I mean I cannot think of the next time I will be this close to countries like France, Germany and Italy to name a few. I also forget sometimes that I am even in Spain. Things run together from day to day and before I know it days have gone by and then I have that moment where I remember that I have to take advantage of every opportunity I have while here and that includes travel. So far, I have heard mixed things on traveling to Barcelona from locals of Granada, either way I can’t wait to go and experience it for myself and create my own opinion. For all the time I have spent in Granada I want to experience as much of Spain as possible. For some reason when I think of traveling I also think of traveling home, I personally have not been home much since last summer, a day here or there during the holidays. While I love having the chance to be here in Spain a part of me also loves that I will be home soon. I have a lot of appreciation for being here and the people have met so far, I also have a strengthened appreciation for the people at home as well, for as amazing as travel is, it really makes you think of home. That’s pretty much all I have for this week. See you next time.
