Two days in Granada

GRANADA! I'm here, and I love it! It's beautiful, there are so many people to meet, my host mom makes delicious food... it's hard to imagine an experience better than this. It helps that I set no expectations so there was no way to be let down, but even still - it's an incredible place. It's so difficult to decide what to write about because there are so many things! 

Today, we walked through one of the older parts of Granada, one with incredibly rich history. Walking down las calles en Granada, I am constantly imagining the people who have lived here centuries ago, doing the same things that I am doing. Everywhere I look, there are beautiful, old stone buildings that many have looked at before me - there are streets that have been walked on by centuries of different feet. Some of the paths have stones that are slippery from use, billions of people moving over the same ground. It's so easy to walk miles of streets here, as things are constantly changing and there's so many options of paths to take. Ancient fountains (or fuentes) in plazas cool the hot, sunny city, sharing art so lovely and diverse. Depictions of famous Catholic stories, muslim motifs, Greek/Roman influences... it's an art history major's paradise! Living in los Estados Unidos, you never really get that - everything in the US is so new and shiny (which is, of course, good in it's own way). 

Before I left, I was nervous about not meeting people who I clicked with, or not liking my roommate. Things are different here, but the people are essential reminders of  home - several people I've met live in Washington State as well, and being able to connect with them and talk about where we've come from has helped me adjust to life here and not feel so entirely overwhelmed. 

Now, the bad:

I am worried that my excitement to be here will fade to leave behind homesickness and sadness. Thoughts of my partner are constantly reminding me of the distance and the things that I am not experiencing with him. When the adrenaline wears off, where will I be?

In the meantime, I guess I'll just take too many pictures! 

La Universidad de Granada. This is the Modern/Classical languages building.

The castle in the distance is Alhombra. This photo was taken from the part of Granada that has the most Arabic/Muslim influence - there are churches everywhere that used to be mosques and have remnants of the mosque design in them, creating an interesting visual of the history that happened in Granada.