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My time in
Granada no longer seems linear: I don't distinguish between the
beginning, middle or end of my experience. I simply know that I could not
have hand- picked a better place to study. From the moment I arrived in
Spain, I knew it was a match for me. To be honest, I never experienced the
culture shock or homesickness that we were lectured about. I simply felt at
home in eastern Andalucia.
The entire way of life in Granada can be described as tranquilo. There is
no need to rush or stress when you are in Spain. Days were spent wandering
the streets, sitting down to people watch at a café for hours, and simply
enjoying your free time. Remember, you are on Spanish time: where time
doesn't fly (it runs),morning lasts until 2pm and 9pm is still the
afternoon. The European sense of time gives you a completely new
perspective. Throw out your watch and cell phone; you won't need them
anymore, and you're not being lazy, unproductive or malingering. You're
simply learning what it's like to be alive. So many days there from start to
finish embodied "the perfect day."
Granada is unlike any other city; anyone who has had the privilege of
living there will reminisce about its magical quality. First and foremost,
it is not a tourist trap. The travelers that fill the city are mostly
backpackers and young people. And of course, as a university town it is
marked by the presence of students. I met people from all over the world.
You meet people in the most whimsical of fashions and are sure to bump into
them again. Your paths cross over and over again, you see familiar faces,
you recognize the people on the streets.
I met people who had taken a year off-most of whom planned on staying in
Granada for a couple of days and ended up there for months. I met scholars
of psychology, philosophy, and politics. People who had very different
ambitions than the community I had come from...people with different goals
and interests. These are the people that bring out your spontaneity, make
you feel up for anything, and are willing to try new things. They challenge
you, and in turn you challenge them.
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