Livin' La Vida Granadina - Iza Zant

Hola! Me llamo Izabella Zant, pero los Granadinos me llaman Iza. 

I have just arrived in Granada a few days ago, and I can honestly say that it has been quite a whirlwind. I've been writing e-mails with my friends and family back home, and one day I wrote what I perceive to be the daily schedule of the people of Granada. I've decided to take that same idea, and transform it into my blog post about my first impressions of Granada. I hope you think that it "es la leche." 

[Es La Leche = It's the shit/bomb]

8:00- 9:00 am 

People rise. Stores don't usually open until later than in the United States. Most places are owned by families, although larger "chain type" places open up sooner. People eat a very small breakfast, some people don't eat breakfast at all (My host- hermana hates breakfast. I was appalled at first because eggs are my favorite food for nearly all meals. Pero, the people in Granada consider eggs a food for dinner or lunch. A "tortilla" de Espana is actually similar to an omelette in the states and is very common for dinner.) For breakfast my mom has been leaving a bunch of stuff out for me and I honestly don't know what it is. There's some sort of corn flakes, and this type of cocoa that everyone mixes with their cereal. I think it's like Nesquick? I haven't tried it. Also there's a type of cafe (coffee) grounds, that they simply call "cereales," and people put in their cereal. You can only put it in warm milk though. Which brings me to my next point: I told my mom I would have cereal for breakfast. I came out of the bathroom, and I found a bowl of warm milk fresh out of the microwave with corn flakes in it. I was un poco confused, but I ate it obviously (then again I eat everything in sight). I guess warm milk is the thing to do here, but when in Granada do as the Granadinos do? Sí? 

11:30 (ish) am

People grab a snack or coffee. Usually I see people going to Cafe's and ordering "Cafe con Leche." I thought this meant coffee with milk, but I was wrong. It's something totally different. I don't know if it's espresso or if it's actual coffee, but it's similar to a latte without as much milk and only a bit of foam. It's pretty good. I drank two today, and I've never felt more awake in my life. 

Once, I tried to order an iced caramel coffee, and I received milk with caramel drizzle, so that was that. Definitely not at Starbucks anymore. Also, they don't have coffee to go, most people sit and drink their coffee. It's a nice change, one I have to get used to as well as make time for. However, being the extreme coffee addict I am, I don't mind cutting out some time to enjoy mi café.

2:30 pm

At this time, people eat lunch. Lunch is the largest meal in Spain. It's the size of American dinners but in the afternoon. Lunch is often served with wine (best part). All of the stores/ shops close at 2:00 ish and school lets out for siesta. Families leave work and come to eat and relax until later in the afternoon. My family owns a Pizzeria so they stay open for lunch because sometimes families come in to eat together, or groups of friends. I eat with my siblings, but my parents eat around 4:00 o'clock. During the time after lunch, people are almost expected to take a nap or have quiet time. I believe that this originates from the heat in Spain, but I'm not completely sure. It's not common in other areas but Andalusia (the "state" I'm in) is known for the continuation of the tradition. People here are known to be very traditional and have a lot of pride in their country. People in the south are known to be loud, have amazing hair, very preppy, nice clothing, and love to have a good time. The northern people don't have as much nationalism, which I think is funny because it's similar to the United States. Our Southern culture is so different form northern culture, and there's also the east and west different. It's interesting to hear what northerners here say about southerners and vice versa. There are some seriously strong opinions. 

8:30-10:30 pm

This is my favorite time of day. TAPAS. People eat their largest meal so early in Spain so they often get hungry before dinner and need another "snack." However, people here also LOVE to drink. Everyone has SUCH a high tolerance. It's crazy. When I arrived my sister took me out to crevezas. She drank three in the time I drank one.  Most restaurants here are outside because during the summers it gets so hot that even the largest river in the city dries up to the size of a small stream in Michigan. Because of the nice weather, this time of day, around twilight, is when its the best to be outside. It's around 80 or so degrees F, I think. It's really pleasant. People drink and with every drink you buy, you get a free tapa. It's like a small appetizer you share it with the table. The difference between American Tapas and Spanish tapas is that it is NOT a meal. If you think about San Chez in Grand Rapids or Aventura in Ann Arbor, "tapas" seems to be ordering a crap ton of food to split with your friends, and then you sit and wallow in your complete and utter disgust of how much food you ate (or is that just me and my friends?). Tapas here is a quick snack followed by many drinks where you chat with your friends for hours, and the best part? There's no rush. The waiters here expect you to sit for 2-3 hours to chat and drink and there's no pressure to leave. You sit under an umbrella. You drink some red wine, some sangria, a beer. (Or my favorite drink which is Red Wine and Coca Cola mixed. It's called Kalimotxo. It's origin is from the north of Spain. Apparently young people drink this frequently at parties and such. I think its Spain's classier version of Crystal Palace, but it's 100% better, and 100% my style.) I rotate between these three when I go out usually because some places don't have  menus during tapas hour. However, I'm sure as my journey continues I'll try more things, and fall in love with more drinks, and continue to be totally obsessed with the tapas bar culture. 

Most drinks cost between 2 - 4 euros which is about 3- 5 US dollars depending on the exchange rate. (According to my host mom, this price for drinks is higher than other places in the country because of the free tapa.) Also, whenever you ask for water they serve it in a wine glass. I think we should start a new trend in the United States because drinking water is so much more fun that way. Usually you don't get to pick the Tapa so it's always a surprise which is very fun. So far I've gotten, bread with olive oil and prosciutto, bagels with olive oil and ham and some sort of queso fresco, papas fritas, potatoes and chicken, sardines (with heads), shrimp and olives, mystery meat in an excellent sauce, and mini slider hamburger things with weird tasting ketchup that wasn't actually ketchup.... hmmmm. My favorite is ANYTHING with prosciutto because here it's cut fresh every single day. Also, I have only been here for five days, and you can tell I've already tapa-ed quite a bit. I like to think that I was just quick to immerse myself into the culture (or maybe I just love food and free things). 

10:00-11:00 pm

People eat dinner. Dinner is the size of an American appetizer usually, at least from my experience. Most days I don't eat dinner because I feel so full from Tapas. My host mom is worried about me I think. She told me that I never eat, but I feel like I'm eating so much all of the time! All I do is eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. Alas, this is la viva en Granada.

My life here so far is pretty great. I haven't felt this relaxed in a very long time. I'm not sure if it's the sun, the relaxed culture, the wine, the freedom or the excitement of it all. So far, I'm enchanted with the city of Granada. Everything is lush and green. The streets are made of tile or cobblestone, and every five minutes I swear I run into another plaza. There's people everywhere. They are all nice which makes me feel continuously welcome, but I also keep my sense of anonymity. My family is also amazing. They are some of the most selfless, hardworking people I've ever meant. I have a special fondness for my brother. He's thirteen, and I swear he has a heart of gold. In the United States I have a tendency to be a bit high strung and stressed, but it seems I always find bits and pieces of myself in other countries that I never knew were there. I feel extremely alive in Granada. I think that's all anybody ever truly wants right? To feel as though they are part of something greater - to feel as though life is happening and you're keeping up with it. I think  I feel on pace in the right place at the right time with the right people doing the right things. Perhaps I have spoken too soon, however I am so content to be here. I can't wait to see what the next few weeks hold for me. 

Chao,

Iza