Some things I never expected but should have known upon coming to Granada

1. Postre, the after lunch/dinner dessert, is not a delicious chocolate treat. Postres here are always fruit, more specifically mandarin oranges. On a daily basis I consume 4-5 mandarins. At any given time during the day I have 2 mandarins on my person in my backpack. I don’t know if Ana Aragon, my host mom, is catholic or not, but I do know she believes in the power of vitamin C. I don’t have the heart to tell her I can’t possible eat 3 oranges per meal, so I take them and keep them in my backpack in case a friend gets hungry during class. The only problem, they too have abundant quantities of mandarins in their purses.
2. When it rains, it pours. Besides the oranges, the only other thing I consistently carry is my umbrella. Should have packed the rain boots, too.
3. I am immediately spotted as an Americana. Everywhere.
4. If enough chicas americanas want drinks for free, we usually get them. The trick is to go out in large groups. If the bar charges cover and no one wants to pay, as a group we decide to turn away and they doormen almost always come back with a better offer. This usually includes free entrance and one free chupito.
i. Vocabulario: chupito- shot
ii. Vocabulario más importante: chupito gratis- free shot
5. Some stores never open. So I have lived in my apartment for over a week now. I always have to pass a floral shop. Today was the first day I have seen the florist working. Every other I have walked and passed the store there were different flowers in the window, but never open for business. Everything closes on Sunday. Everything except the American owned store is closed from 2-4:30pm for siesta. On Saturdays, most stores do not reopen after siesta. So really, there is about a 2 hour window on Monday for me to get the things I need. However, every café also sells wine and beer. Beer and wine are always available.
6. “Raciones” versus “porciones” = “free” versus “way more then I want to pay for only potatoes”
a. If you order your drink first, food comes free! If you order food first, you’re a sucker. *this is only true for Granada.
7. Laundry is a multiple day long process. I turned in my laundry two days ago only to find it out on the line in the rain. This drying process seems to have its flaws. My socks and underwear situation is becoming increasingly desperate. I only hope for a day without rain to have clean clothes once again.
8. There is a bakery, hairdresser, tobacco shop, and newsstand on every corner. I certainly do not have any problems having bakeries so near. (Also, bakeries seem to have regular functioning hours. However, there are no stores that actually post their hours. For me, it’s been a game of guess and check.)
Thanks again for all of the emails. I love hearing how things are at home! I’ll try my best to keep uploading pictures so you don’t miss my pretty face :)

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I updated pics in the Granada Album