Settling Into Granada: The First Four Weeks

Nine Days of Orientation

Our first nine days in Granada were dedicated to orientation and a beautiful excursion to Cabo de Gata. Over those nine days, we attended a plethora of fun orientation activities, ranging from a free wine night to a hidden beach hike. Our itinerary includes lots, and lots, of walking:

Day 1

• Meet orientation groups
• IES Abroad-only tapas party at Pilar del Toro (I tried Tinto de Verano for the first time!)

Day 2 

• Intro to the Spanish lifestyle
• Guided walk through the Albaicin 

Day 3

• Off day
• Optional museum, tour, or dinner with the UGR student “orientadores”

Day 4

• Getting to know Spanish habits and social norms
• IES Abroad Psychologist presentation of services and introduction 

Day 5

• Cabo de Gata excursion!
• Hiked six miles round trip to two hidden beaches
• Free restaurant dinner on the way home

Day 6

• Learning about Spanish political parties and politics

Day 7

• Discussion about being a young person in Granada
• UGR Orientation
• Guided tour through my neighborhood
• First day of pick-up soccer

Day 8

• Churros at Café Futbol with orientation group
• Optional hike to a beautiful viewpoint

The two greatest purposes of orientation were getting to know as many people as possible and becoming physically oriented in the city. Granada boasts numerous winding streets lined with unique stores, restaurants, and ancient Islamic structures. Every other day, IES Abroad offered some sort of walking tour through Granada. Our orientation groups explored local markets and the Albaicin area, our orientadores showed us around the city center, and IES Abroad staff guided us through the plazas in our neighborhoods. Everyone offered restaurant and shopping recommendations. Now that I am six weeks in, I recognize how important those initial days were for making new friends, as it became harder to align schedules and meet everyone in the group once school started. However, most people are still open to new friendships.

Homestay

Because the first nine days were dedicated to exploring Granada and making new friends, I had adequate time to adjust to my homestay and get to know my host family. My host mom, Lola, greeted me with her scraggly, adorable dog named Chispy when I arrived on my first day. She showed me the walk from our home to the IES Abroad center. I also met my 18-year-old host brother Javi, and my 20-year-old host sister Maria. Even though Maria left to attend university in Malaga two weeks later, I spent a lot of time around the house with her and Javi as I settled in. While it was initially difficult to follow their conversations, after several weeks my understanding suddenly fell into place.  

Once school began, I established a flexible schedule with my host mom. I am a member of the track team at my school, so I usually run or lift between class and lunch. Consequently, my schedule is irregular due to the track hours and my various classes, but as long as I communicated in advance, my host mom could accommodate me. I also learned the importance of turning off lights and not leaving the water running during showers. In Spain, electricity and water are costly, so Spaniards are much stricter than Americans about conserving resources. 

Dinner is not included in the homestay plan, so I have been making sandwiches and yogurt bowls on weeknights and eating out on the weekends. The cost of living is relatively low in Granada compared to the US, so dinner has been inexpensive. My host mom also always packs me lunch on our field trip days and offers an abundance of snacks to eat.

IES Abroad Courses and Conclusions

Orientation groups were generally divided by level of Spanish, so you had familiar faces going into the first week of school. And after several weeks of taking IES Abroad Spanish-taught courses, it’s already much easier for me to follow along during class.  Meeting as many people as possible during orientation and your first few weeks of class is a great way to make friendships, but don't stress if it doesn't happen immediately. Homestays are great for Spanish, and participate in all the IES Abroad activities that you can!