DIML: "A-days"

For the next installation in my DIML series, I wanted to take you through my A-day schedule! My days vary pretty significantly depending on the day of the week, which keeps things from falling into too much of a routine.

Now that I’ve started my museum internship, my days start extra early so I have time to eat before my shift starts at 8. I do a little bit of everything at the museum, including (but not limited to) social media, research, tour preparation, and digitization. I’ve really enjoyed getting to build out my skill set in both archival and museum fields, and I’m looking forward to giving a full tour to my friends as my final project!

After a morning at the internship I have my flamenco class. Depending on the day, it’s either a theoretical class at the IES Abroad center next door, or a quick walk to our practice session at a nearby dance studio. I adore flamenco and it’s been such a joy to come back to it after almost four years without doing it regularly. I’m hoping to transfer the skills I’ve used to a final project in my Lorca class. (If my proposal gets approved I’ll record that process in a later post.)

After flamenco I head back to my internship for another hour to finish up my work before lunch. In the spirit of honesty, after we eat I usually take a quick siesta, unless I have a lot of work to get done. Then I have a final class, either my internship seminar or Islamic architecture. For the former, we usually review our workweeks and explore a topic relating to working in Spain. Recently we’ve been investigating the current labor market for young workers, which has been really interesting in the lead-up to the general strike on November 11th and the upcoming election. If we have Architecture, the class tends to be a visit to a notable site around Granada. Some of my favorite visits so far have been to the Museo de la Alhambra and a walk around the Albaicín neighborhood. I feel so lucky to live in a place with such immediate access to what we’re studying!

After class I usually try to get more work done. I have a few big assignments upcoming for my UGR class, and we’re starting to think about final projects for the rest of our classes, so the workload has increased a bit. Luckily, my dorm has some beautiful study spaces, and my friends are always down to get a quick coffee and keep me company while we work. On Mondays my friend and I have a late dance class, which we’ve been absolutely loving, and I appreciate a dedicated time to move every week. Otherwise we might go to a salsa bar or watch a movie in the dorm’s theater. We’re going on a trip to Rome in December, so lots of Italian movies are upcoming.

At this point in the semester, I’ve added enough activities that my days feel comfortably full (I don’t do well with too much free time). I love how many classes I have with friends, and how much time we have outside of school to spend time together and go exploring. Having passed the halfway mark, I’m working on appreciating these busy and changing days while I have them. Luckily, Granada facilitates presence.

Thank you for reading, ¡besos!

Sarita