a little love kick

i believe all students who have studied abroad can fully relate to the surprising emotional roller-coaster that this adventure entails. even the most stable of people are warranted to experience the ups and downs, elation and frustration, as well as the travel fever spurts and homesick lulls. each day is met with new discoveries and inherent challenges that make living in another country special. now, while i consider myself to be a fairly positive and happy person, this roller-coaster ride tends to catch me off guard once and awhile, leaving me a tad out of sorts from the unforeseen loop. so, as semester study abroad students headed back to the states, the first week of classes rolled around, and it came time to plan out the next five months of this adventure, this roller-coaster through me a little loop. well, let's be honest, i am not the best at transitions--something i'm working on :)
although my usual go-to 'mood funk' remedies are sweat (a good work-out), skype (thank goodness for technology), chai (tea and chatting with friends), and chili dark chocolate (if your taste buds have yet to be dazzled by this flavor of Lindt Excellence, i strongly encourage you run to the nearest grocery store asap), granada decided to do me one better and show me the most glorious weekend i have experienced in a little while.
no matter where i am, whether it's sunny santa barbara, charming small town davis, or in glorious granada, sometimes a 'little love kick' is necessary to remind me to soak this up, live in the moment, and smile because this is my life--and frankly, it rocks. this weekend was just what i need to remind me that i am in love with this ancient southern spanish city.

two of kristen's friends came to visit granada and where did we immediately take them--san mirador san nicolas. this 'mirador' or viewing spot is a square with a view of the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada mountains covered in snow. With such a breathtaking view, it is always filled with excited tourists, locals selling jewelery, and musicians (please notice his flaming red pants tucked into his white socks...really? what has style come to these days? haha)--basically the perfect people watching spot and place to remind me where i'm at//what kind of life we lead.

one of my favorite things about granada is the funky earthy community. as we were walking back from the mirador bongo drums filled the air. naturally, we went searching, quickly finding a mixture of granada hippies, dogs jumping in fountains, artists, and wandering passer-bys all singing dancing and enjoying the sun together. so fabulous!

sunday was the first of our weekend picnic tradition. here's part of the crew.



this is the view of the stairs leading down to my neighborhood. sometimes i curse these steps as i run up and down trying to manage the tapa and tinto intake, but the view from the top is most certainly worth the climb.