this morning [it is now afternoon as we are 9 hours ahead here], i moved into my new homestay room and truly had a chance to settle in. i unpacked my clothes, put away my toiletries, and let out the breath i didn't know i'd been holding in since i arrived. having a more permanent base goes a long way to ease the transition of living here for a month. i was looking at my calendar as i pinned it up and thought, "gosh, i'm not going to want to leave here at the end of the month. it's too short a time." no worries though, in my mind i'm already planning my return trip - any takers? i have realized that americans are not big on travel. i've been told that only 10% of americans actually have their passports. from the australians i've met, i've learned that it's totally common for them to travel for periods of 6 months to years around the world. that's more or less unheard of in the states. hehehe...i love referring to the us as "the states," along with words like flat, lift, and loo - it makes me feel british, or rather as close as i'll ever be to being british. i've also learned that australians can drink like frat boys on steroids. i'm told it's a cultural thing.

there's another student in the program staying at the house too and she's originally from spokane, studying here on exchange from ucsd. by a wonderful twist of fate, she's kinda like me. neither of us are partiers, nor are we overly interested in living it up with the night life here. we've talked spanish politics over lunch and she's given me some insight into life in granada. come to think of it, i've talked about politics more here than ever in my life...maybe. it's neat - intelligent conversation.

i love granada. everybody loves granada. i've not met a single person who doesn't like it. i've heard it said over and over again that people will come and plan to stay for a day or two, and end up here for weeks. there's just something about granada.

right now, i'm at an internet "cafe," though this particular place is more like a campus computer lab with a 7-11 type snack display. it's run by some asian guy and there are lots of other asians here playing counterstrike. when libby, my housemate, told me that, i laughed...a lot. i mean, honestly, how funny is that? in spain! goodness. actually, i'm trying not to laugh out loud at this very moment.

*note that the time shown for my postings is now in granada time*