Last night I walked down King Street to the local cinema and saw the movie Halloween. Ya know the original story line with Michael Myers? Well this movie was absolutely terrifying, way more thrilling and gory than the original 1978 film (in my opinion). I was freaked out, and it took me forever to fall asleep last night. I normally set a 30 minute timer for my eucalyptus nightlight, but I shamelessly slept with it on the entire night because I was simply too scared of the dark.

The Alhambra is one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, and it’s not hard to see why. With exquisite architecture, lush gardens, and a rich historical past, the Alhambra is more beautiful than any tourist pamphlet could describe. Trekking up through el bosque de la Alhambra was a bit of a steep climb, but being surrounded by a lush green forest really made it a walk in the park. When we arrived, we first explored the gorgeous gardens and fountains of the Generalife, which was used as a summer home.

    So I may have lied about getting better at posting!  Turns out blog posts are pretty easy to forget about when you’re doing amazing things like gastronomy trips to Bordeaux!  (Nice segue)  

How is it already the end of October? How could it be that November is creeping up on me? How could it be that my time in Berlin is flying by? The expression is true. Time DOES fly when you're having fun. But I feel as if this is my new permanent home. 

These photos a short summary so far here in Barcelona. I started off my first week with a trip to Tarragona with the IES Abroad class, and we learned a lot about the history of Spain and the Catalan culture. I also have a picture of me at work because a lot of my time is spent there as well. I work twice a week for about eight hours. I'm really glad I have that job at Talent Garden because not only does it keep me busy, but I’m learning so much Spanish and Italian given the people I work with.

My schedule tends to be a little busier than most other students’. I am taking 15 credits, working 18 hours a week and I live in a homestay that requires a 30-45 minute commute to almost anywhere in the city. Here is an outline of a typical Tuesday for me (one of my busier days).

7:00 I wake up, shower, get ready for my day and have breakfast

The other day, I received my absentee ballot in my email inbox.  It was a surprising feeling to look at the names on the ballot and feel so out of tune with the political situation in the U.S.  I study politics at my home university and like to keep up to date with the news, but while abroad, it’s been more difficult to tune in (understandably) than it is when I’m on my campus in Baltimore.

Taylor was jogging toward W hotel, past Barceloneta Beach, thinking “Wow, that’s my daily run, that’s how I work out here, by the Mediterranean Sea.” Making her way through the crowds of tourists and trying to enjoy the sunset, Taylor was unconsciously comparing her Barceloneta run to her New York runs.

I am always up for a good game, and I’ve been really pleased to find a ton of opportunities to play while in Nantes! Here are some of my recommendations:

With friends right at IES Abroad

IES Abroad has a number of games in the library and the salon, including cards, EsQUIssé (like Telestrations), chess, and even a poker set. Also, there’s a piano and acoustic guitar in the IES Abroad salon, and I love playing piano and jamming with other students.

    One of the most amazing parts of Occidental is its healthy pressure on students to study abroad - to get out of their comfort zones and take a break from the wonderful bubble of a campus we have in Southern California. One fantastic byproduct of this emphasis is that while I am out here studying in Madrid, I have friends in Beijing, Nepal, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Chile, Texas (campaign semester), France, and many other countries with an even larger assortment of cities.