Greetings my lovely readers! This entry will be short as I haven't been feeling well. I just wanted to send a quick update that I'm alive and considerably well as I've received several emails concerning my whereabouts. About four or five days ago I met up with my travel group in Casablanca and we've been traveling all around Morocco. I got really lucky because they are all lovely people. There's the mother-daughter duo from New Zealand, the father daughter team from Australia, aunt and her niece from the Midwest, Italian woman and her Austrian boyfriend, middle-aged German woman, and then three solo travelers including myself--one guy from Italy and one from Australia. Chris, the Australian dude & I took an instant liking to one another and connected immediately over music, graphic novels, and then he blew ... read more

One of the most enchanting things about Granada is that it synthesizes so many seemingly conflicting elements. It’s an hour from the bright Mediterranean waters to the south, and the Sierra Nevada to the east. It is a representation of Catholic Spain, dedicating endless landmarks to the kings that expelled both Moors and Jews, but it also represents a revival of the Granada of the past; where many religions and peoples lived in harmony. I've absolutely fallen head over heels for Granada and for my tiny family in el Albayzin. There’s beauty around every corner, be it a pop of bright flowers hanging over a white wall, a wirey-haired dog peeking out a second story window, or an open patio offering a rare glimpse into the private lives of the Andaluz people. The enchanting sights with ... read more

This morning I began reading the 1928 book of poems Romancero Gitano or Gypsy Ballads by Federico Garcia Lorca. My interest was brought on by my visit to el Parque Garcia Lorca on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately when I arrived, the museum was closed and apparently closes at 1:30 pm everyday! And I walked so far! That said, I spent a good amount of time strolling through the park and admiring the colors & the smell of the expansive and well-kept rose garden. I decided I wanted to learn more about Garcia Lorca and so, I spent some time Tuesday evening digging up more information. I learned that he was a well-known poet, dramatist & theater director From Granada although he had traveled quite a bit. He was executed during the Spanish Civil War and it's speculated ... read more

This trip has really altered my perspective about how people live outside of my narrow scope of the world. Although I've done a great deal of traveling and I've seen a lot of places, I'm enjoying the slow nature that is living in Granada and find myself noticing so many differences & lovely subtleties just in terms of what people do in their day-to-day. I've also been thinking a lot about the expansive time difference between here and home and how people utilize their spare time. That being said, I am afterall in Europe and am in a popular tourist destination. Granada draws people from all over and has largely been influenced by American pop culture as I learned from a discussion I had with Pablo that focused predominantly on Beyoncé, Puff Daddy and R Kelly. ... read more

Yesterday was a super mellow day yet somehow eventful all the while. I woke up late and decided to walk into town because I really wanted a gyro For lunch. On my way out the door, I reached in the fridge for my water bottle & when I didn't see it, it dawned on me that I must have left it in the freezer. When I reached into the freezer, I noticed that my metal water bottle had completely frozen and was busted open (photo attached). As if that wasn't enough, the ants were back in full force and I spent about 30 minutes hunting down all their entry points. My head itched like crazy the rest of the day. After eating my gyro, buying a huge bottle of water and spending some time journaling in ... read more