By Alina Koyfman
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.
All I can say is I was incredibly lucky in Granada. I was placed with a warm, open and kind family where I was part of a household of seven other people (a mother and father, three sons, a Spanish roommate and an American roommate). They were my first link to the Spanish people and provided me with a true sense of home. I was able to enjoy three incredible meals a day with my family. My family had a home in the country which provided us with a kitchen full of real olive oil, tomatoes, eggplant, fresh figs and peppers. I fully enjoyed every meal…and with three hours off for siesta, there was plenty of time to do that. The food there was incomparable, and I won’t even get started on the wine! Every meal was a feast and I savored each moment of our conversation. Of course, we shared much more than meals. I had a very difficult time leaving my Spanish family. I was a part of their family and they were a part of mine. But I now have a surrogate family residing on Camino de Ronda.
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 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, interests and ambitions. These are the people that bring out your spontaneity, make you feel up for anything, willing to try new things. They challenge you, and in turn you challenge them.
One of my largest connections to the city of Granada and the country of Spain are the Spaniards. For me it was natural to immerse myself with the local people and I was accepted with open arms. My closest friends were people from all over Spain, who welcomed me (literally) into their homes. It’s difficult to express just how much we shared with each other and how much we learned from that exchange. By far those friendships were the most rewarding part of my experience and I will cherish and keep those friendships for a lifetime. I had genuine Spanish experience because it was colored by the real people and the real places. Never was I a tourist…I was giving Spaniards directions on the street, I was thinking in Spanish, reading the local newspaper, going to the movies, arguing about politics with bartenders, cracking jokes with my host father and had my own niche. My time abroad was full of a lot of travel (covering London, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Lisbon and backpacking through Austria and Hungary) and plenty of adventure. Spain wasn’t simply a different country for me, it was a different world. I was given the chance to pursue everything and anything I wanted and I followed my passions on a daily basis.
No postcard, e-mail or photograph could ever capture the significance and meaning studying abroad has had in my life. And the truth is, no one will ever be able to understand your experience. But you know that it happened and that it changed you. I was born in the Ukraine and had done a lot of traveling through Europe throughout my life. But right now is when the world seems its biggest to me…when there seems to be endless opportunities and countless possibilities. For me, studying abroad has forever changed my course in life.
