Tips for future students studying in Granada

1. Bring a good umbrella. Or rain boots. Or a raincoat. It may have rained more than usual here this winter, but I was surprised when it didn't rain on any given day.

2. Buy a bus pass. You'll be making many trips to the Málaga Airport and occasionally around the city as well, and a pass is cheaper than paying on the bus every time.

3. Smart wool socks. Once again, that rain.

4. Find the Carmen de Los Martires garden sooner than later.

5. Catch on to how Spaniards speak. It's different than Latin American Spanish, and there are many nuances that we were not taught. Also, review the vosotros form.

6. Please don't pronounce the "tr" in "tres" or "tren" like you would "tree." Americans do it all the time, and it sounds super ugly. 

7. Bring slippers, as Spaniards never walk around the house in bare feet or just socks.

8. If anyone warned you about smiling at guys and giving them the wrong idea, don't worry about that.

9. It's OK to drink water from the fuentes.

10. Don't take the plants from the gypsies.

11. Your host family won't want you to shower more than once a day. Dry shampoo is helpful, and for those with lighter shades of hair, baby powder gets rid of grease.

12. Not every day is going to be amazingly wonderful. Don't feel like study abroad has to be great 100 percent of the time.
13. Try to do an intercambio. Despite your best intentions, you're going to end up speaking English with your friends. An intercambio will force you to really practice your Spanish.
14. There will be an adjustment period when you get here, but Granada is really a wonderful and beautiful city. I have two weeks left and I feel like there is still so much left to discover. Enjoy your limited time here as best as you can.