Second Entry -- Settling In

It's one thing to unpack my suitcase, hang my clothes, set my toothbrush on the bathroom counter and put my books beside the bed…it's quite another thing to navigate a foreign city alone with all of about 20 words and phrases in my vocabulary. So over the past few days I set some goals: settle into my apartment and make it feel like home, which meant spreading out my things and buying some food and other supplies; get outside every day to wander around, explore my surroundings, and discover the areas I'd like to investigate in more detail; and finally, establish a "normal" routine of sorts. Since I'll be here awhile, I want to feel like I'm really living here and acclimating to the culture as much as possible. I don't see this as just an extended vacation where I spend all my time shopping and sightseeing. I want a regular schedule, a normal exercise routine, and time to focus on things like writing and studying the language.  

Settling into the apartment (my "flat" as I like to snobbishly call it) has gone pretty well. Once I got past the debacle of being lost on my first day and figured out my bearings a bit, I see how lucky I am to be in this neighborhood! It's in the Realejo district of Granada (which has some historical significance that I haven't quite grasped yet, and maybe never will), but is basically in the heart of Old Town and mere blocks away from the tapas routes, Plaza Neuva, and primary shopping districts. I love that it's set back off the main streets a bit (it feels quiet and somewhat isolated), yet is such a short distance to all the main attractions. I've already walked to and briefly explored the Alhambra, the Cathedral, the Genil River area, the Alcaiceria, and the Albayzin (for more info on these sights: http://wikitravel.org/en/Granada_(Spain)) Truly the BEST part is walking to all these places. Unless the weather turns bad, I may never hop a bus. I certainly won't/don't need a car…and I LOVE that! Plus, Granada is nestled along the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas mountain range, which makes the town quite hilly. There are wonderful steep walks to get up to several of the viewpoints (see the photo below of one particular pathway). My calves and butt are gonna appreciate that!

My flat's interior is a perfect studio size and has everything I need, although not without a few quirks. For example, the AC has a drip hose that empties into a green, plastic jug, which hangs from a rope outside my living room window. That's odd. Since I'm on the third floor, Mabel (my landlady) instructed me to empty the jug periodically or it will drip onto the neighbor's balcony below. Ok that's fine. Well it's been so freakin hot that I've let the AC run pretty much 24/7 to keep cool. One evening, on about my third day, the door buzzer rings. My luck, I had just showered and was still in my towel. So half naked, I peep through the hole from behind my door. "No habla Ingles," I said. The woman answered in English. It was the neighbor below me. She was there to tell me to stop running the AC so much. Apparently I'd pissed her off cuz it's very loud in her apartment (I don't hear a thing), and she'd had enough. I felt bad. And here I was trying to be careful about emptying the water jug. So much for sleeping comfortably at night.

Also I discovered that the hallways in my building get pitch black dark later in the evening. It caught me off guard when I came home one night and couldn't see a thing! Picture me gingerly walking up the stairs with my hands outstretched to feel for the walls and my feet tapping the ground ahead of me before stepping and forging ahead. The epitome of grace for sure! shit. This can't be how the other residents live here?! Halfway up the stairs, I remembered I had a flashlight app on my iPhone. So I pulled it out, fumbled about to turn on the app, and managed to phone-light the rest of my way up. Later I discovered light switches in the hallways that seem to be on a timer, but they also look exactly like the doorbell buzzers, so I'm hesitant to use the ones on the lower level, lest I accidentally ring my downstairs neighbor. sigh 

Grocery shopping has been an adventure. Initially, I'd romanticized the thought of wandering through the vast, open-air markets, selecting fresh fruits, cheeses, and breads and sampling all the local fare. I mean, geez, even La Grande has its Farmer's Market, right? Well no, so far, I haven't discovered them. Instead, there's a gigantic, Macy's-like department store that houses a Safeway-sized grocery market with equally Safeway-esque product packaging and displays. hhhmmm…not very romantic. But, I needed things like shampoo and coffee and such, so I spent no less than two full hours wandering the aisles, list in hand, trying to tell the difference between the choices for oils, vinegars, milk, yogurt, conditioners, soaps and the like. Side note…eggs are kept in wrapped cartons and stored on un-refrigerated shelves…and octopus and squid of numerous types and sizes garner their own refrigerated shelf…interesting! The other day, however, I stumbled onto the SuperSol market. A much smaller, "locals" grocery store with far fewer options and cheaper prices. Plus it's closer to my flat, so that's probably where I'll do most of my shopping. But I have to remember that most of the stores close around 2:30 - 3:00 and the streets clear out until later in the evening. The guidebooks call this "siesta time" which conjures in my mind an image of everybody scurrying home to lay in a hammock with a sombrero over their face (too many cartoon stereo-types at work here). I'm looking forward to when I can chat with a local and find out what people are really doing during that time. But silly me wasn't paying attention to this on the day I decided to buy some running shoes, and I ignorantly waltzed into the store and asked to try on shoes right at closing time. Poor kids were awfully kind and polite to this stupid American and let me go ahead with my shopping, but clearly I had violated a custom. **Note to self: do shopping earlier in the day!

Truthfully, these mistakes are good lessons. And they're the stuff of great stories! I've also learned getting lost helps me figure out good routes, interesting locations, as well as places to avoid. I spent one afternoon walking across town to the university campus in search of what looked like a nice park only to find it was colorless, dried up, and overgrown with weeds. Very sad. But on the upside, I found a perfect jogging path along the main canal that runs through the city. It's beautifully tree-lined and seems to be where the locals exercise too as there's also a large area with an outdoor gym of sorts…various machines for doing shoulder presses, leg lifts and such. YAY! This'll help me accomplish one of my goals. 

I also always keep some kind of journal with me. I like to take notes of these discoveries and surprises I find along the way. So far, I'm feeling like a kid in a candy store. Everywhere I look there's another sweet, colorful, yummy treat that I want to devour! Like the numerous plazas…open-air squares that simply buzz with activity…sometimes in a picture-postcard-perfect way. There's usually a fountain surrounded by flowers with old, stone buildings set in the background. The outdoor cafes are everywhere. I'm always trying to steal a glance at someone's plate to figure out what people are eating (bread with meat & cheese is most common, plates of numerous, little fried fish is another big one, and large dishes of rice Paella is huge too!) And, yeah, the street entertainers are out there too. More than once I've seen a Flamenco guitar player…and…really?…a mime! Who does mime anymore?!? wow! I'm also drawn to the stark contrasts between the old and new -- the ancient and the modern. One minute I'm taking a photo of a centuries-old building or artwork. The next minute, some bitchin' graffiti catches my eye…even better…both in the same shot! :-)

Surprisingly, few people speak English, or at least enough for me to ask in-depth questions or hold a conversation. Not that I necessarily expected people to speak English (that's WAY too presumptuous on my part, and I refuse to be *that* type of American), but I'm definitely having a different experience than I did when I lived for a year in Sweden where nearly everybody was quite fluent. So, I'm forced to practice certain phrases and muddle my way around the various tasks I need to accomplish. "Lo siento…mi espanol es malo" has become my standard greeting (I'm sorry…my spanish is very bad). Thankfully the majority of people I've interacted with have been extremely polite and helpful and quite willing to reserve any judgements about me (at least to my face). I'm also trying my damnedest to use what phrases I can. I think the effort alone helps bridge the gaps. 

Of course, I've got many more stories and surprises to share, but I'll save those for another entry or when I return home and force you to look at my pictures. This past week has mainly been an exercise in being extraordinarily patient with myself knowing full well there are certain challenges to contend with…culture shock, the language barrier, and jet lag. Right this moment, it's after 13:00 (1:00 pm) and I haven't left my flat. Five days into my stay and I've still not adjusted well to a time schedule. Can't seem to fall asleep until around 2:00 am, then I wind up sleeping until 11:00 or so (unless I set my alarm, but when I haven't slept all night, it's tempting to hit the snooze button!). There's also a baby who's been crying outside my window for the last two hours (might be a cat…it's hard to tell), so I'm struggling to finish this blog entry and walk over to my friendly Wi-Fi spot to grab a cervasa and post it. 

   

I'm not gonna lie…the isolation of traveling alone, eating alone, and exploring this city alone is already getting to me. I know -- I know…I've made this bed and I have to lie in it. Honestly, I swear, I'm not complaining. I'm extraordinarily lucky to be here and I'm grateful! But I figure if I acknowledge the loneliness…name it…and put it out there, then I can deal with it and find some way to overcome it. I've always been a bit of a loner, so there's a great deal I truly ENJOY about this way of traveling, but occasionally it'd be nice to share a meal with someone and maybe some laughs. Finding a few new friends or at least making some connections will be one of my next goals on this journey. (And yes, Kristie, your visit will be EXTREMELY welcomed!!! YAY!)