First days: a tourist in Granada

Things I should have done in the US:
1) Purchased power converters.
2) Bought a watch.

Things I learned in the Madrid airport:
1) Being enclosed by four glass corners with an open ceiling and four open doorways somehow makes smoking indoors okay. That place will always slightly smell of cigarettes.
2) Spaniards will make fun of you for being American. But they are also more than willing to help you.
3) I will never travel to another country without knowing at least the super-basics of their language. Or without being with someone who does.
4) People know directions better than signs do. Also, you need a bus to get to terminal 4.
5) There is a LOT of turbulence between Madrid and Granada. A frightening amount of turbulence.
6) It's easy to blend in and appear local and like you know what you're doing... until you open your mouth. Or have to pull out your passport.
7) Spaniards are proud of the fact that they speak Spanish, and if you can show that you know some and are willing to try to speak Spanish, they will be more than willing to help and to teach you.

Things I learned in Granada:
1) People correcting your Spanish is NOT rude. It's actually quite helpful and I can see myself improving in my Spanish a lot and quickly because of it. When I meet a foreigner in the US, I will correct their English a lot more willingly now, not to be rude, but in hopes I help them learn. Odds are, if they are attempting your language, they really are trying.
2) Cobblestones are still a completely acceptable form of pavement. Just ask my sore feet...
3) Drinking fountains can actually be fountains. You know, with lion's heads spitting water or something like that, and they don't need to stop flowing. Actually, they're quite pretty, and many people fill their water bottles at them. A few drink right out of them. The water is very good and safe in Granada, especially compared to the rest of Spain. At least that's what I hear.
4) ... Because of this, half of the fountains need to be labeled as "Agua no potable" or with a faucet with an X through it. There are specific "Drinking" and "Decorative" fountains.
5) There is ALWAYS time for siesta. That time is 1400-1600 or 1600-1800, depending on what kind of store you have.
6) Granada is something of a tourist town, but most of the tourists are Spanish and are likely going to the Alhambra. It makes more money than any other museum in Europe, probably because it's still actually standing. Only about 40% of it is the original from the 1200-1400 range, but the reconstruction of it is extraordinarily accurate to how it once was, which makes it a very special place indeed.
7) Granada is both big and small. It expands for quite a ways, and there are so many narrow streets all hiding something special, but it is quite possible to run into people you have met just walking around the town.
8) Get lost, but have a map. You'll increase confidence in yourself and see more of the city than you would have thought.
9) I honestly thought it was a joke when I saw La Plaza de la Universidad. It looks like a historic site. I wanted to cry, it's so beautiful. I'm blown away that I get to study here.
10) "Old" is beautiful. Old in the US is often seen as "ghetto" or "run-down", but here, "old" is my favorite part.
11) Humidity makes me sweat MUCH more than heat... Gross.
12) I could never drive here. The streets are as wide as American sidewalks and paved with bricks or cobblestones (not all of them, but most of them. Asphalt is rare, as are two-way roads.). Vespas, however, seem REALLY convenient if you can get over the bumpiness of the cobblestones.
13) $1 scoop doesn't only happen on Tuesdays. It happens everyday. =D ... Well, 1E scoop, but whatever.
14) Romantic places will always remind you of someone special, and trust me, there are PLENTY in Granada. I miss him...
15) American street signs make sense. If there's one thing that we've done right, that would definitely be it.
16) Crosswalks don't need to happen at an intersection. Look both ways to find the closest one.

Things I have learned from living in a hostel:
1) Saying you are going to study here or attend the University sounds really dignified. I am so proud to be a part of this program, and I'm so happy to have met people that are excited for me.
2) Hearing a group of people speaking English is comforting in its own right, but meeting people speaking English with your accent is something else entirely. That being said, I do hope to be making a lot more use of Spanish once my program actually starts and my language choices aren't only those of the tourists/travelers here.
3) Many people in these places are also travelers. Don't be shy, everyone is trying to make temporary friends. Plus, a new place is always more fun with a few people to share it with.
4) Questions are good. If you have them, ask them. Also, people are more willing to help you out than you would have thought.

It has been quite an experience being a tourist in the town I will soon call home. I'm SO glad I did it, but now I'm really looking forward to my program starting up in the morning. I will miss the people I have met here, but I'm ready to make more permanent friends, hopefully some Spanish friends, and I'm ready to get life started here. It's been a blast "visiting" my town, but I'm ready for it to be MY town. La Granada mía.