Hola amigos!

I'm officially a student at Universidad de Granada! I mean, I have been for a while, but today I finished my first actual day of classes. I'm taking 2 classes over the next month, both from 9am-1pm. It's taught entirely in Spanish (duh), but I've never had more fun in a Spanish class before today. If you are ever thinking about learning language and have the opportunity to study abroad instead of in the US, DO IT!!!

It's only been 2 days since we arrived in Granada, but honestly it feels like it's been a month. Not that it's a bad thing, our days have just been so packed. After touring the city for an hour yesterday and taking our placement tests, we headed home for lunch and a siesta. Siesta's are HUGE here, and honestly I don't think it would kill the US to adopt this tradition. For those of you who aren't familiar with the siesta tradition, around 3pm everyday many businesses close to let their employees go home, eat, sleep, do whatever, and then re-open again around 5pm. It's also one of the hottest times of day, that's why I stay inside and siesta :)

Speaking of hot, it's hot. MUY CALIENTE. Today was 93 degrees and I'm pretty sure you could see me glistening from a mile away. Even better? It's supposed to be 105+ next week. This may be my last post.

After siesta and meeting up for one last orientation, a group of us headed out to find some tapas for dinner. Tapas is a small plate of food, usually cheese, bread, and/or meat, that you receive free with every drink you buy. Needless to say, we had a LOT of tapas last night.

Today was full of class, siesta, and a tour of the Albaycín district. The Albaycín district is absolutely breathtaking, and a must see if you come to Granada. We hiked uphill (on cobblestone) for about 4ish miles, but it lead us to the most incredible view. We snacked on the best gelato (in my opinion) and looked over the entire city and the mountains in the distance. It was like looking at Pinterest but in real life. I can't believe people are blessed enough to look at views like this every day.

Some Things About Granada:
-People walk EVERYWHERE. My walk to school is about 25 minutes. Today I walked 7 miles in total. If my legs aren't toned when we leave I'm going to be highly disappointed.

-Everyone dresses up all the time. I don't necessarily mean fancy, but decent. I haven't seen one pair of nike shorts or an oversized t-shirt once and honestly I could get used to it.

-No one here is in a rush. Ever. Don't ever expect to go into a restaurant or store and expect to get your food/check quickly. This also applies on the streets. I'm a fast walker, and I think that's how everyone assumes I'm American because I'm basically sprinting compared to them.

-Most of the time people walk their dogs without leashes.

-Everyone is still beautiful and well dressed (no change from Madrid)

-Lunch is the most important meal of the day, therefore the largest (and the best).

-There is a lot of graffiti, much like Madrid. However, this graffiti makes no sense and makes for a good laugh on the walk to class.

(The first picture is something I got while out for tapas. I forget what it was called, but it was the BEST thing EVER. It's like a giant cheese stick but softer and with ham)