MY IRISH BIRTHDAY

i turned 23 last week.... 23!  and got to celebrate this milestone in ireland.  a pinch me moment if i do say so myself, and boy was it a surreal, unforgettable day.

my birthday is on may 29, which was just 5 days after i arrived in limerick.  i had planned to keep this little detail to myself... i didn't want to put any pressure on anyone in the area to feel like they had to do something special for this random, american stranger who just barely appeared and is now requesting birthday recognition!? i was okay with knowing that it would be a bit of a quiet, internal celebration and a kind of secret that only myself and friends and family from afar were aware of.  i was at peace with feeling a little lonely on this day.

but i stand corrected.  lonely i did not feel.  i was anything but lonely on may 29, 2016 and i am so humbled and touched at what a special day my irish family made it out to be for me.

it all happened as a result of a big, fat godwink.  imagine that!  isn't that how all the best stories start? it was my first day in the office and my internship supervisor holly and her right-hand woman ger were helping me get familiarized with the department, including talking me through the six day long itinerary for the visiting international group we had coming in that next day.  they'd mentioned that ger wasn't going to be attending sunday's festivities, as it was her birthday.  i stopped, totally taken aback, and repeated for clarification, "your birthday is sunday? the 29th? this sunday?"  she nodded and i responded in excitement, "that's my birthday, too!"  we were beyond thrilled at this little realization (nothing makes one feel more connected than a long-lost birthday twin) and they were quick to reassure me i was in no way obligated to hang along the tour on sunday if i'd rather spend my birthday elsewhere, but they promised it would be worthwhile.

OF COURSE i wanted to go!  i was tickled at the idea of doing anything besides sitting in my room by myself, waiting for my family to wake up so i could force them to video chat me all day, which were among my initial plans for the day.

the plan for the day was to head to killaloe, a breathtaking large village that lies on river shannon in county clare, ireland.  the bus wasn't to depart until 3 PM, so i had the morning to myself.  it was another (unusually) warm and sunny irish summer day, so i awoke with the sun, got ready, and stepped out to spend the morning exploring downtown limerick city by foot.

i'm picking up on a pattern within my travels: sunday mornings abroad are quiet.  very quiet.  it was a couple hours before noon, and nothing was open yet, nor was anyone out and about.  i really appreciate the simplicity of sundays abroad.  it's refreshing; i feel in the states there is a pressure about sundays paired with the overwhelming loom of monday's approaching that can be exhausting.  (it's likely that this is my tunnel-visioned, procrastinating student/graduate assistant perspective :))  but anyways.

it was a sunday!  and it was quiet.  i found my way to starbucks where i grabbed a coffee and caught up on my journaling.  my biggest regrets, always, are my negligence in documenting my experiences and adventures abroad, so i have vowed this summer that there will be no such irish regrets!  by the time i finished, the sun was out and so were the people, and it was time for me to grab some grub.

i have had my eye on a handful of different places around the city i want to try.  an irish sandwich place... an italian joint... a thai restaurant... indian cuisine... pubs, all of the pubs.  my list is growing and i need to implement some intentionality into my restaurant choices and eating schedule before i completely run out of meals to spend at all of these places!  however, here's the thing about a rachel: the rachels are indecisive creatures, especially when it comes to food.  not because a rachel is stubborn or picky, but because she truly wants it all.  in an exploratory, non-greedy sense.  how can a decision be reached when it all sounds and smells and looks so delectable?  why isn't it possible to get pad thai with a small cheeseburger and fish and chips and a side of curry and a crepe and spaghetti with an ice cream muffin for dessert? the answer to this question is, decisions are rarely reached.  in these moments, i panic.  i spend far too long wandering back and forth and back between restaurants, and instead of coming to a thoughtful decision i impulsively throw myself in to some RANDOM restaurant that wasn't even on the original list of 13 options.  on sunday may 29th, the 23rd anniversary of my birth, this lunchtime turmoil led me to the one and only: the chicken hut.

the chicken hut of all places, people.

in my defense, holly told me it was an experience that had to be had at some point during my stay here, but she probably meant like after a night on the town (lol) or some random afternoon snack with friends (also lol).  she probably did not mean for my gourmet birthday lunch.

nuggets, chips, gravy to dip, a coke, and a side of regret is what i had.  totally grossly good.  totally worth it.  totally going back.

i made my way back to my accommodation and it was off to killaloe we went!  the sun was out, the skies were clear, and it was warm, the perfect combination for an enjoyable boat ride.  we took an hour-long river cruise up river shannon/into lough derg, which separates ballina in county mayo and killaloe.  we then went across the water to killaloe (the boat actually departed from the ballina side) and toured the church there.  we were able to climb up to the bell tower, play the bells, and witness the most spectacular view - my favorite part about touring old churches.

by this point it was time for dinner and we went back across the river to ballina where we had a buffet picnic dinner set up for us at the restaurant flanagan's by the lake, right on the shore of lough derg.  dinner was delicious - four or five different grilled meat options, coleslaw salad, irish potatoes, bread, all followed by tea, of course.  ger showed up and joined us for tea and then, to my surprise, the waiter was bringing out a candle-donned snicker cheesecake straight to our table that holly had managed to sneak to him at some point... and the night ended with 100 new friends singing happy birthday to ger and myself.  she and i made wishes, blew out the candles, and chatted and laughed as the sun set behind us.  my heart swelled about 10 sizes that night.

on our way home, holly swung me by a lookout point in the countryside.  we'd managed to make it as the sun was setting over the water and we both just stood in silence for a few minutes, admiring god's work and the beautiful serenity that is ireland and my irish summer.

i am so grateful for ger and holly for making me feel so loved and cared for.  and not just on my birthday, but every single day since my arrival here.

CAFE MOCHAS DO A GIRL GOOD

i just consumed the closest thing to a cafe mocha that i've been able to find since my arrival in europe and i have NEVER FELT MORE LIKE MYSELF than i do right now. two pips for strong coffee combined with a sugary milky goodness and a big blob of whipped cream on top.

*licks lips in one suave, satisfied glaze-over, takes a slow step forward, clears throat*

i have prepared no better acceptance speech after being rewarded the biggest bogus blogger bestowal (because that is absolutely a thing) than the following:

i have been so consumed by my easy effort to soak up every last bit of studying, exploring, traveling, communicating, interacting, and just living  in this beautiful country that i've seemed to somehow neglect some of my favoritest, happiest of past times (like blogging, for one) and for that, i am truly sorry.

and then i chuck up the deuces, drop the mike, turn on my heels, and casually saunter off stage like the true free-spirited rebel that i like to think i am.

for what it's worth, i've stuck to my promise about journaling (almost) every day, and have an entire book's worth of memories and thoughts and happenings jotted down that i have full intentions of eventually transcribing to my little online diary here for the public world to read. with time, my friend, with time.

so hi! it's now november. (!?!) wow! welcome november. fall cliches like pumpkin spiced lattes and ugg boots and cold weather with dead-leaf-littered pathways do not exist here in granada, spain and for that i am grateful. the weather's been stubbornly hanging around in the 70's for the past few weeks and as the locals would dramatically declare, "this is extremely unusual and we're experiencing our second summer for the year, we might as well up and forget about winter and hop straight to spring!" as much as i'm loving this gorgeous warm weather, i'm ready for changing seasons. the grass is always greener on the other side though, isn't it? the things i would do for a piping-hot cup of hot coffee as i snuggle up in a chunky sweater and fuzzy socks, some trashy hallmark movie on the tele and the sweet aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies filling my nostrils and consuming my thoughts.

chocolate chip cookies! another thing that virtually does not exist in spain.

wanna know something that does exist in spain? the carhartt brand. yes, CARHARTT. yes, like the kind your dad and grandpa pick up at blaine's farm and fleet or theisen's home - farm - auto store to wear while they're out doing chores on the farm. wearing carhartt here is like a high-end fashion statement embraced by the elite and admired by all (and giggled at by the farm girl from the iowa). silly, right?

isn't it fascinatingly mind-blowing to think about the millions of people who are existing and living and thriving in this big world around us, and maybe they're doing life a little differently than we do but their way works, too, and is normal to them while ours would be considered "different"? but different doesn't mean wrong or worse. it's just a variation. like one of life's various algebraic equations that could be used to get the same answer.

mr. snuffles at the cafe bar next to me would like the world of rachbug's ramblings to know that colds exist here, too. and they get rather revengeful during climate shifts. i think each of us international students could second and third and one-hundredth that. *passes mr. snuffles a kleenex with my phone number written on it because he's actually quite handsome.*

well i suppose this post had no significant purpose other than to publicly announce that yes, i am still alive and functioning and well and spain and i are madly in love and i wanted to make sure to get all of that superficial weatherly talk garbage out of the way before we dig deep into the real stuff. i'd like to take this opportunity to open the floor for questions - is there anything about my current state of being that you're just dying to know? the food, my schedule, the people, traveling, etc? anything specific that tickles your fancy? my potential love interests, perhaps? ha i see right through you, we'll just clear that one up right now and put out the big fat NO, but i've developed some solid lifelong friendships and fallen even deeper in love with myself  (and i mean that in a very non egocentric way!) and confidently learning and embracing who i truly am, quirks and all, and that's what counts, right? i intend on getting around to all of these topics and more soon, but i welcome your questions and curiosities and love, of course.

enjoy what's left of your weekend! 

GRANADA CENTRO

i've compiled a bunch of clips of many of my favorite little frequently-traveled pathways in granada.

enjoy :)

A NIGHT IN MALAGA

i started this post saturday night. it went something like this:
"it's saturday night in granada, spain, and instead of primping myself in preparation for going out for beers and tapas, i'm laying in bed eating corn nuts and watching parent trap. pajama-ed and bra-less.

my hands though. MY HANDS. they're ready to party. intricate arabic henna on the right. a couple of brand new statement rings on the left. and all ten fingernails freshly coated in my brand new glossy grey nail polish. i feel like a woman."

the hands. the hands.

forty-eight hours later, an entire sunday and monday duo have come and gone, and i'm back in bed after the most relaxing day, happily full of love and joy and the pringles and chocolate croissants that i desperately hiked halfway across town for. and while the rest of me is lookin' a little haggard my hands are still looking fierce. nary a paint chip! a chip-less forty-eight hours is a success in my book.

we start classes on wednesday, so naturally i am throwing myself a bit of a pity party as i mourn these last few precious days of summer, even though deep down i realize i'm lucky to have had an entire month longer of vacation than most. and i really  realize how fortunate i am to have spent these last few months traveling the world. i wouldn't trade these experiences for anything - not even a silly summer extension! however tempting that seems... ;)

after our group trip to morocco (which i may or may not eventually write about, along with the other 614 things on my "bloggity" list [and yes that list actually exists and yes that's actually what it's entitled]), we had a six day vacation that we could do with whatever our little hearts desired. many turned around and traveled onward while a few of us chose to stay close to home. i was honestly excited to have an extended period of time to explore granada at my leisure and fancied the idea of going on a quick little getaway to a nearby city - an excuse to get out of town without straying too far or dealing with the stress of plans/means of transportation/budget/etc. come friday, my friend frances and i ended up doing just that. we did a little research thursday evening, booked a hostel, threw a change of clothes in our backpacks, and were off to malaga by friday morning.

we decided to forgo any real "planning" (which i've learned easily leads to over-planning and ultimately, some serious travel style-cramping) and just go - we hopped on the city bus we were *pretty* sure would end up at the bus station; arrived without previously checking the granada - malaga bus schedule and grabbed the next available ticket; had the address of the hostel but no real directions on how to get there. the type A in me never thought i'd be saying this, but i actually really enjoy traveling this way. it's so much more relaxed with minimal pressure or expectations, which makes it that much easier to really take in the surroundings and enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the destination.

malaga is a relatively big city on la costa del sol of the mediterranean sea. considering it's the sixth largest city in spain, we were surprised to find it's fairly easy to navigate by foot. only once were we tempted to stray from walking and that's because we saw horse-drawn carriage tours. ;) a dream-come-true for the little princesses within us that have yet to grow up. (our reality of life-as-a-poor-college student held us back, however).

when we arrived in malaga on friday morning, we walked straight to the pablo picasso museum. neither of us are die-hard fans, but seeing as picasso was born in malaga, how could we not, you know?

even though photos weren't allowed in the museum, i couldn't help myself but to do a from-the-purse-sneak-and-snap, just because i was feeling a little rebellious and this portrait reminded me of hana #crazycatlady.

after the museum, we went and explored the alcazaba and castle of gibralfaro, a royal fortress and ancient moorish ruins, respectively. it reminded me of a simpler version of the ahlambra - lots of little twists, turns, and narrow corridors leading to the unknown with a random garden or fountain stuck here or there, and the most beautiful overlook of the city.

friday night we treated ourselves to a fancy italian meal of garlic bread and hawaiian pizza and filled in the cracks with frozen yogurt as we walked along the port, window shopping and people watching. it was surprisingly quiet for a friday night, so we took advantage of the lazy, relaxed pace and were in no hurry as we weaved our way back to our hostel.

as frances and i were settling in for the night in our eight-person co-ed dorm, we were commenting on how we'd yet to have met our roommates when we heard a round of giggles coming from outside our door. the door handle jiggled as someone attempted to open it. frances and i exchanged looks as we watched the struggle unravel; the door finally swung open and our eyes were drawn to those who were entering: two blushing, young oriental girls, followed by a tall, dark, handsome, freshly showered, argentinian william levy lookalike. so that's what all the fuss was about. frances and i were no better composed, quickly turning into gushing little school girls, melting into drippy puddles of infatuation every time he spoke. (brag moment, fernando, or levy, as we appropriately coded him, slept on my bottom bunk. i know. he slept under me. i slept on top of him. [LOL i'm sorry grandma! someone please clarify this for her if she's confused! love you!]) after a little introductory chitchat, i learned that he spent his senior year of high school as an exchange student in des moines. iowa! fate most definitely brought us together, and seeing as i didn't even get his facebook information, i'm trusting fate to reunite us again in the future so we can fall in love, get married, etc. ;)

on saturday morning we toured malaga's cathedral, walked the winding side streets until we found a place to stop for lunch (this time, chinese ;) where we took shelter as it started to rain, which turned into our cue to head back to granada.

the highlights of our trip were most definitely the large quantities of non-spanish food we consumed (italian, oriental, you name it), the cute boys we encountered (mr. museum and our hostel roommate, william levy's more attractive argentinian twin), the sweet treats we always found an excuse to make room for, and good conversation. it was the perfect way to ring in a new school year. 

MOROCCO IN NUMBERS

4 -- the number of moroccan cities visited (tangier, asilah, rabat, chefchaouen)
2 -- the number of hostels stayed in

765 -- the number of miles traveled

11 -- the number of times i listened through the entirety of my 31-song one direction playlist

18 -- the number of hours spent on the road

4 -- number of days gone from granada
2 -- the number of nights we spent with local moroccan families

10 -- the number of times we had moroccan tea

2 -- the number of hours spent in a moroccan hammam (public bath)

4 -- the number of meaningful, personal, thought-provoking conversations had with local young adults and families alike

15 -- the number of times i was quoted saying "i'm so full" and then kept eating (MOROCCAN FOOD)

3 -- the number of times i cried (happy, emotionally-overwhelmed tears, of course)
8 -- the number of college students we met with whom we were able to openly talk about and compare taboo topics such as religion, gender, sexuality, politics, and dating

2 -- the number of arabic words i learned to say (thank you and goodbye, the only two words i truly needed to know)

67 -- the number of times its original size my heart has grown since meeting and spending time with such a selfless, kind, hospitable, caring, inquisitive, intelligent group of people

i'm so eager to share with you some of the more intimate details of my time in morocco, but after a day of rest, i've decided to take advantage of my last bit of vacation time before classes start and head to malaga for the weekend; thus, prolonging the blogging process and dragging on this silence just a bit longer. the anticipation! i'm trying to strike a balance between taking the time to step away from the action to document every little happening and actually going out, making things happen, and focusing on doing something for the personal experience of it - really taking in every last detail with each of my senses and internally processing it along the way - rather than superficially scoping things out just for the sake of documenting it later on. so this is me! going out and living rather than observing. but don't worry, i'm taking plenty of mental (and physical - you should see the little notebook floating around my purse) notes along the way. this just means more future posts to read, right? 

:) 

TO MOROCCO I GO

early this evening (after an exam that i've barely followed the cardinal pre-exam rules for; i.e. study, sleep well, don't cram, etc.) we are leaving for a four-day-long morocco exchange program. we will arrive tomorrow (saturday) morning by ferry across the mediterranean sea from algerciras, spain into tangier, morocco. that night we will bus to rabat, morocco where we will meet the host families we will be staying with until monday. on monday evening we make our way to akchour, rif mountains where we'll be staying in a hotel for the evening, and after a bit of a scenic drive tuesday morning, we'll make our way back to spain and are scheduled to be in granada around 9:00 PM that night.

throughout our stay we will be meeting with moroccan students to discuss cultural diversity, cultural stereotypes, economics, politics, education, religion and social aspects of moroccan life and how it compares to what we're accustomed to. as we are staying with local host families, we will have the opportunity to have these discussions with them as well to gain a broader perspective. there are a couple sessions in which we will be hearing testimonies from fullbright workers and members of the peace corps. in between our scheduled meetings and while traveling from city to city, we are planned to visit ruins, mosques, museums, and soak up the beautiful natural scenery as well. it is going to be a busy few days!

i've got my electronics stashed away and all of my essentials strategically tucked into my small school backpack. summing my feelings up as "nervous" feels like a bit of an understatement. i'm terrified. the unknown in general is untrustworthy and intimidating to me - i like to be comfortable with a predictable and dependable schedule in which i know and can picture exactly what to expect. when the unknown is a foreign country completely different from my own or anything i've ever previously experienced, my fear is magnified by thousands. change is scary too. especially when i finally feel like i am starting to settle down here in granada and establish a stable life with my new friends and "family." in all honesty, i'm glad this trip isn't optional, because my worries are causing me to tense up and hold back. when i start to panic, i have to remind myself what a unique, amazing opportunity this is and how lucky i am to be able to experience it. it's an entire weekend of activities that make me feel the most like me  - traveling, sight-seeing, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, learning languages, eating yummy food. it's scary, stepping completely outside of my comfort zone, but i know these humbling experiences are what make for the best opportunities for learning and growing. i'm ready to take the leap and soak up all that morocco has to offer me, and hopefully i can leave a little piece of me, my culture, my insight, my knowledge, my love, for morocco in return.

i never thought i'd be able to say this, but, I'M GOING TO AFRICA! please keep the health and safety of my group in your prayers, and have the most enjoyable of weekends. see you wednesday!

INTERCAMBIOS

through the central college study abroad program in granada, students are required to have an intercambio. an intercambio is an organized group session between us (native english speakers) and a local spanish-speaking student with whom we can practice our spanish that also wants to practice their english. we met our intercambios last week and were organized into our groups of five of our students to one spanish student. during our first program, we met and got to know our intercambios over tapas. "going out for tapas" is very common in spain - a tapa is a small plate of free food that you receive with the purchase of any beverage. almost all restaurants offer them and the tradition makes for a great social outing for minimal cost. often times you don't get to choose your tapa, but i've yet to be served something i didn't like. different dishes i've gotten include croquetas, a tangy potato salad served with olives and onions and dressed in olive oil, breaded fish bites, french fries, mini burgers, spanish tortillas... if you can imagine it, it's probably been tapatized!

(and that concludes our spanish culture lesson for the day ;)

so yes! our intercambio! and tapas! at the same time! an authentic experience, it was. our intercambio is tamara, a kind, bubbly, caring spaniard who studies and has perfected the english language and loves meeting new people. the perfect kind of intercambio.

our group, from left to right: frances, tamara, me, hana, bethany, genevieve

we're required to meet with our intercambios one weekend a month, but are encouraged to spend time together outside of the designated meeting time. we didn't waste any time taking this suggestion seriously and made plans the next night to meet up and go out with our intercambios. tamara brought an irish friend who brought german friends and we ended up hanging out in a mass of very superficially different people who quickly learned they actually had a lot in common. it was a neat opportunity to learn about each other and compare and contrast our different cultures. and a personal feat: i got to show off my impressive german skills. (okay the germans were anything but impressed. don't tell my professor. i tried).

not long after our first intercambio experience, hana and i had a discussion about what a beneficial thing the intercambio set-up will be for both learning the city and practicing the language. in that moment, by some magical twist of fate, we were approached by a sweet spanish girl named devora and her mom one afternoon as we were leaving our latest class session in the center for modern languages. they'd set out on a mission to find a foreign english-speaking student (or lucky for her, two ;) that would be interested in having an intercambio. in devora's case, she is out of college and currently works as a cosmetology school teacher and has decided to independently continue her english studies on the side. as we had been eager to make more local connections, we promptly agreed, swapped contact information, and proceeded to get to know the pair as we walked home for lunch.

we had our first get-together yesterday morning. hana and i met up with devora and she took us to one of her favorite local cafeterías for cappuccinos, juice, and toast. devora practically transformed into superfriendtourguide right before our very eyes! she made a mental plan and took us on a little excursion, weaving us through all of the best moroccan shops, up to the city's famous royal chapel, and hiked us all the way up the mini mountain, near the ahlambra, into a beautiful scenic garden called carmen de los mártires. i was panting, sweaty, and buzzing with caffeine by the time i reached the top, but all of that faded as i took in the serene, charming, secluded area tucked into the mountain with its breathtaking view of granada. i'm eager to return with my journal and a sack lunch and spend a day meditating there. (ha so! apparently spanish raquel meditates. it seems fitting?).

so that both parties are able to get some solid second-language communication practice in, we typically alternate languages: hana and i will speak in spanish and devora responds in english, etc. if we get stuck or have questions, we sometimes clarify in our native tongue, but we do pretty well using circumlocution and elaboration. it's such good practice and i for some reason feel less nervous and more relaxed in this setting and have an easier time casually conversing than i do in the home or classroom settings. i'm hoping that with time my anxiety and nerves will ease up and i gain more confidence in speaking in these more formal environments, too.

i already feel i've been so blessed by the connections made here in granada, both with my fellow classmates and the locals, including my host family. i'm hoping to continue to broaden my horizons and expand my network so that i have as many opportunities to (have an excuse to go out to eat, grab coffee, go on an adventure. i mean!) improve my spanish as possible. that is why i'm here, after all! ;)