Voy a ir a España !

Voy a ir a España !
 

Hi everyone, I am going on an exchange through my school to study abroad in Spain this coming fall. I am going to Universidad de Granada.

To be honest, I know NOTHING about the Hispanic world (let it be Latin America or Spain). My major in school is Japanese. But I have begun liking Spanish a lot and decided the only way I can immerse myself in this culture and learn is to go there.

Since I am going to Granada, southern Spain, I was wondering if there is anything different from Real Madrid or like Barcelona. And I was wondering what kind of sports/recreations Spanish people really enjoy so that when I go there, I can join a school club and hopefully meet a lot of locals. (like salsa dancing maybe? soccer? I don't know!)

I am very excited ! Any tips/pointers?

Thank you !

Bueno , nunca he ido allí , pero sé que le gusta fútbol a mucha gente :):soccer:
I haven´t but there but I know alot of people like football:D

Congratulations! You're going to one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. :) Granada (Graná in andaluz) is in Andalucía, so the accent is a bit different from standard Spanish (with some different words, not many ;)), although the accent of Granada is not very difficult. Granada is not too big and you'll be able to visit it and enjoy this beautiful city.

The weather is hot in summer, although as you're going in fall, you won't suffer so much. :)

Don't forget to visit La Alhambra (such a beautiful place, I fell in love with it :love:), but there are so many and beautiful places).

"Tapeo" is common there. When you go for a drink, they always give you a "tapa" (don't ask for it, because then you'll have to pay it, just ask for your drink and wait until they give you the drink and the "tapa". :)

Fútbol, toros (:mad:) and flamenco are common there, although Granada is a very cosmopolitan city and surely you'll be able to know people from many places and many universitary people who will teach you everything

There are some places not safe, such as an area called "Almanjayar" (don't go alone there or, better, don't go there). I was told that el Albaycín was dangerous, too, but I was there without any problem and it's really beautiful (I think it's much worse at night). El Sacromonte is not a safe area either. :)

thank you for all your inputs :)

I think I will try to do homestay for the first term and second term find a roomate by myself..

I'm very excited, I hope people are really friendly there haha

Congratulations, you're going to have a great time!!
I should tell you right from the start the only thing I have seen in Granada is the Alhambra Palace, which you probably know about. They had problems with the numbers of visitors so for a few years now the system is you have to get the tickets beforehand from the tourist office or a bank or somewhere. Shouldn't be a problem for you cos you're going to be there for a time.
I think the idea of doing homestay and then moving on is a good idea, and should work out well.
Other things... Japanese tourists are becoming more and more frequent in Spain. In fact there's quite a wedding tourist trade.The Japanese come here to get married and there's a great interest in Spain, Spanish and flamenco from the Japanese.
It gets seriously hot in the summer, well even before the summer, so if you're not used to heat you need to be aware that you may suffer and that you may not be able to do much between 12 o' clock and 6 o' clock in the evening and think about that when renting a room or a flat - where is the sun at mid day!?
The accent. The accent is very difficult for foreigners and even people from different regions of Spain to understand. However, if you don't have a very high level when you come over I doubt that it will matter very much, and you'll probably pick up a bit of an Andaluz accent yourself!
Hope you learn a lot and also have a lot of fun!!

thanks again ! that's interesting, Japanese tourists?!

But I think that is good for me, then maybe I can volunteer at a Japanese tourist place. My major in my current school is Japanese so I am quite fluent in that language.

How hot does it usually get in the summer? Better yet, how warm is it in the WINTER ?

Is it expensive to rent flats/rooms?

I think the most thing I wonder about is cell phone providers. I was thinking of getting a smart phone with 3G and I heard movistar is the biggest provider in Spain. Do you know any other good ones that I could use and not too expensive, since I won't need that many minutes, just a decent data plan.

Haha I heard about the accent too. To be honest I am kind of scared to pick up an accent!! I really want to learn standard Spanish so if I work in international services or something, people will be able to understand me easier (besides a mix between eng and and accent is weird!!)

Thanks again =)

Good luck. :)

You may need to get ready for some culture shock.

Congratulation and that you enjoy the trip.