Settling in

The program I am on officially started on August 28th and that was the day I was able to move in with my family. Like I said in the last post, I had sent a message to some people who were also in Granada a little early about meeting up for breakfast, but of course I got lost on the way there but then it didn't matter because I don't think anyone got my message. I wandered back to my hotel to get breakfast at the same place I had the day before, but it was closed so I went to another cafe up the street. After breakfast, I packed up my things so I could check out at noon. I had asked the hotel about keeping my stuff there for a little bit until I went to my family (they weren't expecting me until 2) and they had said that was fine, so I put my stuff in a back room and went to wander the streets and maybe buy a watch today. The problem was, it was Sunday and everything is closed on Sundays. I walked around a bit more, but since there wasn't much to do I went back to the hotel and did some things on my computer until it was time to take a taxi to my host family. 
 
When I got to the building where the house was, I rang the bell and a woman answered and said she would let me up. When I got up to the door, the woman was waiting in the hallway for me and she showed me to my room so I could put my stuff down. She said her name was Sacramento but that I could call her Sacra. She gave me a tour of the house, and then said she would prepare lunch and I could unpack my things and settle in a bit. Later that afternoon, my roommate, Renee, showed up and I went and watched TV with Sacra and talked while Renee settled in and then joined us. Our day didn't have much more to besides dinner and chit chatting about basic information about ourselves, but I could tell that I was going to like it where I was.

It turns out like might even be to small of a word for how I feel. I am having a great time here and my living situation is definitely helping make this a very positive experience. Sacra is great and loves talking to us and explaining things, or just going on about random topics. She is also very opinionated and is not afraid to share her thoughts on topics, which is very interesting. We've had fairly deep conversations (or as much of a conversation as Renee and I could provide between Spanish being a second language and our mom not letting us get much of a word in edgewise) about religion and the catholic church, gay marriage, and drunk driving, as well as many other topics. She's told us tidbits about living during the dictatorship of Franco and told us she will tell us more about that later, so I'm excited for that conversation. It is even more interesting to me because she is very liberal from what I thought a Spanish woman her age would be like, although I have not talked with other women before. I am thoroughly enjoying my time with her though, and she truly seems to be doing everything she can to make us feel at home and part of the family, including telling us that we are.

Our new family also includes a host dad and 2 older sisters, but we don't know them as well. Our host dad, Rafael or Rafa, works in another town that is kind of far away I think so he gets home pretty late and then I'm not sure if he is sleeping in the morning or if he also leaves early. I am not sure what he does but I am hoping to figure it out someday. I wish he was able to spend more time with us because he seems super sweet and always has an adorable smile on his face when I have seen him. Rafa and Sacra's daughters, Elena and Marta, are both in their 30s and no longer live at home, but they stop by to visit every once in awhile. Marta is married and has a 7 month old daughter, Paula, who is super cute. Watching Sacra interact with her granddaughter is another fun experience because she obviously adores that little girl.

As for Renee, every day we spend together I think that they couldn't have put me with anyone better. We have very similar outlooks on how we want to spend our time here (for example, we want to go out and experience the Spanish nightlife, but we do not want to party and drink every night like other people on our program and appreciate sleep and taking it easy every so often) and we get along really well. I've been having a lot of fun bonding with her over tapas, or churros and chocolate, the silly things Sacra says to us, and of course our new favorite TV show, Consentidos, which is a Spanish Disney show that is usually on when we are eating dinner. We actually don't really know what is going on because, like almost every meal, the TV is just on in the background and we usually spend the time talking instead of watching the TV, but every once in awhile we tune in and laugh about something that is going on.

I feel like I got really lucky with my homestay situation and can't wait to spend the next 4 months here. Granada itself is also amazing and I have been having a lot of fun getting to know it's personality as well as my family's, and seeing what the city has to offer. Life is more in the streets here than what I'm used to and many meals and times with friends are spent outside of the house (although Sacra has made us all but one meal). I think it would be rare for someone to go a whole day without leaving their house at least once because it seems like people are always going out for something and there are always people in the streets. It is interesting to walk around at a time that seems to me like a time a lot of people would be home relaxing after works and to see sidewalks abuzz with people. Perhaps it is the free tapas or the great ice cream that keeps everyone living out. Whatever it is, I am enjoying the life here and feel I have pretty much fully adjusted. I'm hoping the little cold I seem to have gotten is my body's last way of completely settling in.

Feel free to leave comments or send me emails if you have any questions about anything. I am truly having an amazing time and would be happy to share any part of it with anyone. I will work on more blog posts about school and other tidbits of life here, but it is hard to sit down in front of my computer sometimes when there is so much to be done elsewhere. I will do my best to keep though.