Blog Post 5 Granada

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“Homestay”



The Individual Level (Mi Casa es su Casa)

I really liked staying with the family in Granada because I felt like we finally got an insight on what their homes were like. I was nervous because I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to communicate that well with the family. One thing that I didn’t like what that the family didn’t eat with us. They sat us at a table, and we didn’t really interact with them unless they were asking us questions about where we were going and what meals we needed. When we went to eat at our homestay’s mother house it was a very different experience because she sat down with us and had a long conversation with us at the meal. It was two very different experiences. I was a little upset because I heard about everyone else’s homestay and they seemed like they had a lot of fun. I was hoping for more of an interaction than what we got, but I was still grateful. I was also stunned by how beautiful Granada is at night. When taking a walk my group and I accidentally got lost. It turns out that getting lost was one of the best things that could have happened because we found a cute street next to a park as seen in the picture. In the Insight Guidebook, on page 215, it says how water had symbolic significance and water was used to create dramatic visual effects. I think it is crazy how quickly the scenery can change in the city.



The Relational Level ( Different Families)

When we first met our family, we were greeted by a hug and kisses on our cheeks. In the culture smart book, on page 60, it says that women greet each other and men with a kiss on the cheek while men just do a handshake. The family that we stayed with kind of reminded me of my family. The family had to children that were always running around and playing which coming from a big family I can understand that. My house is always loud, so the noise level did not bother me, but the mom was constantly telling the kids that they needed to be quiet. I also found it quite funny that as soon as the family got home, they put on their pjs which is something that my family does all the time especially on Sundays. Also, when talking to the mom she asked us what she should wear on her trip to New York City. For us we would probably wear shorts because that is what we are used to, but for them they are probably more comfortable in jeans because they were wearing them even when we thought it was hot out.



The Social Level ( Stay at Home Mom)

One of the things that I noticed very quickly is our house mom did all the household chores. The mom did the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, and dealt with the kids. The dad on the other hand would go to work all day and then come home and play video games. When asking a lot of my other friends they said that their families were the same way. This shows how women are still seen as housewives while the men go out and make all the money just like they used to in older times. I think as the world is evolving that more and more women are going to work and supporting themselves, but I think in Spain a lot of families are sticking to the traditional ways.

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