Hi! My name is Ava Malloy and I have been studying abroad in Granada, Spain for the past few months. I am currently a junior double majoring in history and Spanish at Holy Cross. Since I already have experienced a whole semester of eating tapas and exploring Granada I am excited to share what have learned already and what I continue to experience during the rest of the academic year. I hope to treat this blog as a diary and information guide so you can learn all about what Granada has to offer. This will include tapas and restaurants recommendations, life living with a host family, academic information, fun activities to do in Granada and stories from my own adventures.

 I was initially interested in Granada because I am a Spanish major so I wanted to immerse my self in a spanish speaking country. The culture and weather of Andalucia excited me. I have grown to love Granada and living with a host family has made Granada feel like a second home. I was nervous at first to live in a foreign city with a host family and have to speak Spanish all the time, but it has been amazing. Mercedes, my host mom, and Blanca, my host sister, welcomed me with open arms and have made Granada and our apartment feel like home. They were surprised by how well I spoke Spanish so don’t be nervous about your Spanish skills because mine were not that great when I got here, but have now improved immensely. Watching TV in Spanish is one way my ability to speak and understand Spanish has improved. My host mom and I love to watch a show called Andaluces por el mundo on Sunday nights. Every week it shows people originally from Andalucia now living in other countries around the world. Mercedes is the best cook and I am lucky to get three meals a day and she does my laundry weekly. 

Granada is the best city for students studying abroad. There is so much to do during the day and at night. Also, it is a city full of students from all over and the walkability of Granada is the best. From my apartment nothing is more than a 15-30 min walk. There is also a bus system in Granada that is helpful if you need to get anywhere farther away. I take the bus to my UGR class because it is in the Cartuja campus which is a little further away. Going out for tapas or dinner is usually pretty cheap because most tapas are free when you order a drink. Depending on the tapas place, tapas can be a whole meal because of the size of the plates that are free. Later, I will give some tapas recommendations. Some restaurants you are able to choose your tapa while others it’s randomized. I have included some photos from my first semester in Granada!