Student Bloggers

Alycia Parker is a student blogger studying at ARCADIA IN GRANADA, SPAIN

The semester I had in Granada was incredible. I had an amazing time-- I met people from across the US and Europe, I made best friends, and unexpectedly, I learned a lot more Spanish than I knew was possible in one semester.

This semester was a great mental health break from the usual grind and stress of university at home. Although I had five classes, I had a lot of time to relax and hang out. My courses were interesting-- I was able to think through the issues I study at university in relation to culture in the Middle East all while being able to interact with the perspectives of people from different educational institutions.

In Granada, I was also able to explore a lot of the teterias, Arab sweets shops, shawarma shops, and grocery stores (my favorite was Carrefour). Me and my two friends, Lauren and Nisha, found that our favorite teteria was Teteria Palacio Nazari. The teas there were so tasty and their sweets were delicious! I also loved going to get Arab sweets at other shops in Granada. They reminded me of the sweets I got to eat all last summer when I lived in Jordan.

The most flavorful and spicy food in Granada and my favorite was shawarma. After a late night out, these shops were always open with super friendly shop owners who were always nice about raucous Americans and our bad Spanish. The last of my favorites in Granada is Carrefour. This is a big grocery chain, but it’s literally unmatched. All the fresh and ready-made salads, large selection of cold-pressed juices and to-go iced coffees made it the perfect grocery store to find familiar American foods.

Over the semester, I also loved going to tapas with friends! My biggest piece of advice to anyone studying abroad in Granada is to go to tapas as much as you can. It is so cheap, it’s honestly a deal that is unmatched across Spain. My group really loved going to Grifos because of their fries and special house sauce. Some of my other favorite restaurants in Granada were Los Bandios (best ribs I’ve ever had), Moana Poke, Rosario Varela, and Greens & Berries (the woman who owns it is so nice and the food is incredibly fresh!).

I’m including photos with all the people who made this semester one that I’ll never forget! The people from my program, the friends from my Spanish class, and friends from Duke that I didn’t know before this semester all made my semester unforgettable.