Cabo de Gato y otras cosas.

This past Saturday my program hiked along the coast of the Cabo de Gato beach in southern Spain. Most people thought that the hike was going to be an easy stroll along the beach, but we were wrong! We scaled the steep and rocky mountains that were along the coast. We probably walked up hill for about an hour straight! It literally was an up-hill battle! I like to exercise frequently so I thought that I could handle the hike, but I have never walked for so many hours straight, especially up hill. The blazing sun beating down on my back didn’t help either. My friend from Penn State and I stopped at one mountain top to take a picture of us throwing the 4 Diamonds sign for THON in the air! We really missed Penn State in that moment but it was nice to have each other there to talk about our favorite place! After about 6 miles we ran into a herd of goats on the tip of one mountain. Seeing these snow white goats lifted my spirits for some reason – they probably distracted me from my hunger pangs and fatigue. I felt like they were something I would see in a movie, not real life! I love animals, and just seeing the cute babies made me feel better. After the first 7 miles we finally stopped on the beach to eat lunch, around 2:30 pm. We were rushed to eat, and to start hiking again, this time through some dessert terrain and on very narrow paths along the edge of some cliffs. Finally after about another 3 miles we were able to take an extended break to swim in the Mediterranean Sea! Even though the hike was difficult, being able to swim in the Sea was an awesome reward. The sea was as clear and warm as bath water. My legs and joints were very sore, and floating in the tranquil water helped to relax my body. The beach was surrounded by the cliffs that we were walking on, and seeing them from down below also created an interesting view. I could see that over the years the water has eroded the rock, creating unique, beautiful formations. No wonder so many people flock to Spanish beaches! Not to mention nude people… Basically everyone on the beach was naked, which was very strange to me because I had never experienced anything like that before. But it didn’t bother me, I just did my own thing.

I definitely was in the “honeymoon” stage the first few days I was in Granada. I really adopted the common phrase here, “no pasa nada”… which means “Don’t worry!” or “it doesn’t matter!” I was mesmerized by the beauty and antiquity of everything in the city, and I really was just purely living in the moment. But I think since I have been here for over a week, the huge adjustment is starting to catch up with me. I am starting to become aware just how different our cultures are. I have felt weak due to the drastic diet change and lack of protein, so I have decided to go buy myself some peanut butter or trail mix. I am also very into working out, and I haven’t really been able to exercise since I’ve been here. There aren’t many places at all to run, and many spanish people don’t exercise. Exercising is a huge part of my daily routine, and I have felt lazy without it. Also, the daily schedule of sleeping during the middle of the day and not going to sleep until very late is throwing me off. I am not homesick, but the 3 months that I have left here seems daunting. I miss my American lifestyle, but I know I just need to give it more time and I will feel better. 
I don’t mean to sound like a huge debbie downer; I know I will grow adjust to everything eventually. I really love Granada and I cant wait to start classes and get involved in the city. I know my time here will go by so fast, and I know I need to do everything I want to do before I leave. Just the first few weeks I guess is the adjustment period and I need to give myself this time to adjust. 

Location: Granada, Spain

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3 thoughts on “Cabo de Gato y otras cosas.”

  1. ALEXANDRA HAEUSSER

    I’ve had a very similar experience so far in Italy! I got to hike along some cliffs and swim in the sea off of the Amalfi coast in Southern Italy, and it was so beautiful and relaxing! Also, there aren’t a lot of Italians who go running in the street everyday, but I know a bunch of people on my program have just found their own places to run around in the city. I hope your homesickness and cultural adjustment will fall into place soon! Enjoy your time abroad:)

  2. ALLISON MICHELLE JAFFE

    I totally feel your pain about not working out. Fortunately, in NZ, at any time of day there are loads of runners out but when I traveled in Europe no one ever seemed to be exercising. Even so, running in a strange place by yourself can be exciting..and dangerous, so it’s a tough line to cross while abroad. You don’t want to waste a minute (or dollar) of your experience in a gym or stressing about fitness, but in the end it just makes you feel so much better! I’ve finally gotten into a routine but it took about two months.

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