Hola!
It’s been a while since I last updated my page and a lot
has happened!
In late May I took a day trip out to Córdoba, a city 3 hours
away from Granada that is well known for the Mezquita, the Muslim mosque that
was later converted into a cathedral in the 14th century. The
Mezquita was huge and it was interesting to see the colorful Muslim arches
clashing with the Catholic architecture.
It was fun to walk around the city as the Feria was going
on. It was like a large fair with rides, events, and different tents set up
with music and flamenco. All the women wore colorful flamenco dresses and the
men were dressed in traditional outfits as they rode by on decorated horses. All
of the streets were full of life and it was nice to stop for a cold gazpacho-like
tapa, salmorejo, with a tortilla de patatas in the hot weather.
At the beginning of June I took advantage of my free time
before exams and flew to Barcelona. It proved to be a city like no other -
bustling with Gaudi’s modern architecture and full of interesting sights on
every street. I walked down the busy, well-known street “La Rambla” where I
stopped at the large outdoor market and headed on down to the harbor. I also had the chance to visit La Sagrada
Familia, the large, strange cathedral that stands out in the city. There was
much to see from the outside and the inside was colorful, mosaic and modern. Parque
Güell, which was
situated above the city with gorgeous views, was surrounded by more of Gaudi’s
colorful mosaics. Although I was only in
Barcelona for three days, I saw many beautiful sights and it was a warm,
welcoming city to which I would love to return some day in the future.
After my time in
Barcelona I took a short flight out to Lisbon, Portugal. It was a hilly, busy
city that reminded me a bit of San Francisco with the trolleys passing by on
the streets and the “Ponte 25 de Abril” bridge which looked exactly like the
Golden Gate bridge. I visited an old castle that overlooked the tile-covered
buildings of the city and I enjoyed exploring the streets as I listened to the Portuguese
of the natives. Lisbon was different from Granada in its cultural diversity—there
were people of all races in the same area of the most central plaza of the city
and the tourist areas were integrated into the local areas.
When I returned from the Barcelona/Portugal trip, I had
less than a month remaining before I departed from Spain. June was a busy month
with exams, a few last visits to my favorite sights in Granada and many
goodbyes to the close friends I’d made over the year. It was hard leaving the wonderful
place that had become my home and leaving the people with whom I had made close,
life-long friendships, but now I know that Granada will always be my second
home and it has left me with an inviting welcome for the future. My study-abroad experience has built up my
character in so many ways and I feel that I have grown tremendously as a
person. From living without internet and getting acquainted with the Andalusian
accent the first few months to traveling alone and developing my Spanish in my friendships
with Spaniards and students from all over the world, I have broadened my perspective on foreign
cultures and I have gained a worthy sense of independence. It has been an
experience that has opened up my mind as well as many doors for the future. I
feel that study/work-abroad is something that everyone deserves to do at some
point in their lives because it is so important to see the world from a new
perspective. I can happily say that my year in Spain was one of the greatest
decisions of my life and I have absolutely no regrets.
Good luck and much love to you all, thank you for reading
my blog while I’ve been away!
Besos!
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