It's Christmas time in Granada!!!

I really mean that. Walking around the city, a nice fresh wintery chill hangs on the air. Everyone is wearing big jackets and scarves. Stores are full of wool sweaters and tall boots. Lights and garlands and music and Christmas spirit can be seen, heard, and felt all over the city. The Sierra Nevadas, the perfect backdrop to such a wonderful city, glisten with the layers of snow against the winter sunlight.

It's beautiful and fresh and frankly, I'm in love with it.


I will miss being home for the holidays... but I'm glad that if I have to be away from home, I can be somewhere where they clearly love La Navidad as much as we do in the US.

So now, here comes the tactless part of this blogpost. For anyone who really feels the need to get me something for Christmas, I NEED MONEY.

I don't need it need it, but I have a 3 week break coming up, and I want to travel! I want to see London, Dublin (both of which are on the pound, so are expensive), Amsterdam, and Rome (among other parts of Italy). I want to see a bit more of Europe while I'm here, and this will be the perfect opportunity to do so.

My dad has a card to my bank account... he could probably help get the money to me, since I can't use USD or American checks here...

I hate asking for anything, especially like this... but when will I ever have this opportunity again?

I'm sorry to ask... but I really feel like I must.

In other news, next week is Thanksgiving. I HATE that I won't be home for Thanksgiving... but I will, of course, be there in thought.

Next weekend is my trip to Morocco! I'm going with the moroccoexchange.org program, so I will be going into the suburbs/rural areas of Morocco and staying in homestays! It's a group trip, so we will all be together and safe. I'm really looking forward to seeing how life is in a non-Western society. Europe in and of itself is so different from California... I can't even imagine how different a place like Morocco will be! I am really looking forward to it.

The weekend after that, I am meeting Danielle in Paris! She has a friend there, so we won't even have to pay for lodging, which is good because it can get pricey in Paris. There will be so much to see! I am so happy that I have such an amazing friend to see it with!

After that, there are only two weeks of school left. Then vacation/(hopefully) EXTREMETRAVEL. After that, 3 more weeks of school, then finals, then, with any luck... more travel.

I just know that my time left here will go so fast. I have so much left to experience, but being on the halfway point of my time abroad and knowing that the majority of my travel will be happening soon... Let's just say, I'm really, really excited to experience it all.

I'll be home before I know it... that feeling is SO bittersweet.