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I've learned how awful culture shock can be. Everything appears completely different and in focusing on the differences and difficulties you miss out on the richness of the culture surrounding you. Once you accept the differences and begin to adapt, however, you begin to appreciate the opportunities before you. Granada is amazing. I love that I can be talking on a payphone to someone in California and at the same time have an amazing view of the Sierra Nevada, covered in snow. While old and new don't always fit seamlessly together here, they are both very much present and exert strong influences over the city. I love that yesterday I walked through Albaycín, the oldest neighborhood in Granada, wandered the grounds of the Alhambra, stood in a church built in the 14th century, and then went shopping for shoes in a department store and spent an hour online in an internet café.
I've learned to spend as little time as possible with other Americans while I'm in Spain. Americans tend to travel in packs. My first Friday night here I went out with the other UO students, which I probably won't do a lot in the future because 20 or so Americans, many of them already having had a few drinks, being obnoxious, and speaking in English, congregated on a street corner isn't conspicuous or anything. To really learn about the culture, improve your language skills, and take advantage of your limited time in another country you have to befriend the locals. This way you get to see the city from the point of view of someone who lives there, discover which good bars and cafes aren't packed with tourists, and develop friendships with interesting people who have different perspectives and grew up with different customs than you.
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