The people of Granada have taught me a lot so far, even though they have no idea. I've only been here for 6 weeks, so I'm sure I have much more to learn from them, but here are four of my favorites:
1. Patience- Things will take forever here, you just have to deal. You want to mail a letter at the post office? It will take 30 minutes of standing in the wrong line before you get to the front and they tell you to switch to the other line and wait another 30 minutes. You go to a restaurant and want to eat quickly? It will probably take 40 minutes before they bring your food out. You want to cross the street? You need to wait 5 minutes for the light to change. Things just take a while, and it's okay because you'll get where you need to be eventually.
2. If you want it, ask- You go to a restaurant and want chicken but there is NEVER chicken on the menu? Then ask. They have chicken, they just expect you to ask. My favorite drink here, Tinto de Verano, is only on half of the menus, but every place I've been to has it. You want the check when you're out to eat? Nobody is going to bring it to you, even if you sit there for hours. You have to ask.
3. Enjoy the little things- There are so many great things about this city, but every city has great things and we always only see the bad. You have to slow down and enjoy what's right there in front of you. Orange trees line the streets so everything smells like citrus. Everywhere you turn there's a beautiful view of the Alhambra or the Sierra Nevada. When the sun is shining, sit outside and enjoy it. Every street has a few bakeries and coffee shops- savor the smells. In every moment, here or back at home, there's something to smile about.
4. No pasa nada- The people of Andalucia have a saying that has become a way of life. "No pasa nada," or "It doesn't matter, it was nothing." No matter what negative or annoying thing happens here, we all say "no pasa nada" and we move on. It's a very optimistic way of dealing with the bad cards in life, because in the end, it doesn't matter and everything will be okay.
As I said, those are just a few of the things I've learned. Thanks for reading!
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Aw, thanks! Those are great things. I love the phrase "no pasa nada," but I've never really been able to think of any equivalent phrase in english.... so this is where spanglish comes in handy =)
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