Assimilation

For the past two weeks, I've finally felt completely at home in Granada.

I've always been open to change, but I consistently have a long adjustment period afterward. This definitely held true to the latest change I've gone through, AKA uprooting my life in the United States and plopping down in southern Spain to coexist with a completely different family and culture for four months.

I wrote a post a month or so ago about homesickness. Looking back at that, while I remember those feelings, I now feel completely different.

My host family's habits and customs don't intimidate and confuse me anymore. I'm used to some of the strange things they say now, and I can laugh at them. I can sit in the apartment and not feel out of place or like I don't have a purpose. Part of that is that classes have picked up here, and tests and papers consume parts of my day. We're also constantly making travel plans, and while I am in no way complaining about that, it takes a lot of time and effort to coordinate. I am also starting to plan my life when I return to the United States — I need to find an apartment in Dayton, Ohio, for the summer and I need to pick out my senior year classes. SENIOR YEAR CLASSES. That sounds horrifying and exciting at the same time.

My ear is now used to the Andalusian accent, and when I overhear conversations, I no longer hear a rapid mash of who knows what, but more so it sounds like comprehendible Spanish. I don't have to ask "¿cómo?" as much in the house when my family talks to me. My speaking abilities are improving, but Spanish really is a difficult language to speak since there are so many verb tenses that don't exist in English! At least I know my accent has improved greatly.

I have planned out my first meal when I get back to the States (Aurelio's pizza, a fruit platter, salad and a huge glass of milk — por favor mom and dad!), but even so I don't crave American food as much as I did in the beginning. Instead, I have come to crave some of the meals that my host mom makes (pisto con huevos fritos y paella especialmente!) Also, note to roommates in the Ugly Shrub — our meals will surely have some Spanish influence next semester!

A lot of us here are starting to talk about how little time we have left in Europe — time is flying and we're getting anxious about the inevitable end. We've been opened up to a world of traveling — the more we travel, the more we know what else we're missing. I've already been to places that I didn't think I'd travel to during this trip, but there are also places that I planned on going but now I won't be able to, because of time and money. It feels like a curse and a blessing at the same time.

But, we are savoring every moment we have here as much as we can. We now have the Spanish culture under our belts, and are focusing on what we still want to do here while we can.

Aprovecha el día.