June 5, 2019 - Spain

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Apartments

When we were still in Barcelona, I was really excited to come to Granada and see what the homes in Spain looked like. From the outside, the apartment did not look superb, and I was a little apprehensive. However, the inside of the apartment was beautiful. Culture Smart even mentions that while many city apartments appear neglected, the insides are beautiful (Meaney & Viguer). I found myself confused by some of the rules in the house, such as always wearing socks or shoes, but I am also fascinated. Our host mom always organizes our things while we are out and it makes me a little uncomfortable that someone is touching my things, but I think it is sweet that she is trying to make our stay the best she can.



Lost...

One evening, Sarah and I ventured out to find Plaza Nueva, but we quickly became lost because our host house was not on the map. We decided to ask some girls in Spanish where Plaza Nueva was. They pointed us one direction but we became lost again. We asked people over and over the same question. Each time I found myself not only growing more confident in asking, but also I was understanding more. Every person we talked to was incredibly friendly and helped us on our way. Culture Smart says, “Spain is known as one of the friendliest places to visit in Europe” (Meaney & Viguer, 2016, p. 51). The friendliness of each person we asked made me feel relieved and prevented me from stressing too much about being lost.



Handicap Accessible

I’ve noticed that many of the streets in the inner cities are not very wheel chair accessible. The streets are narrow, bumpy, and very hilly with steps, all of which are difficult for disabled people. I feel torn on this issue, because I feel as if handicapped people should be able to enjoy the beauty of these old cities, but I also know that it would be hard to preserve all of the ancient Spanish character. I would love to see a good blend of the two.





Word Count: 350

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