On January 17, 2017, I left the United States for four months. And I managed to expose my hypocritical tendencies and embarrass myself at the same time.

Watching Stonehenge rise up from the Salisbury Plain was surreal.

In only a handful of days, it will officially be a month since I stepped off of the plane and found myself in London. A month seems simultaneously too long and too short to be true.

It may seem idealistic and strange, but I truly think that there is some magic in Dublin. I don’t mean this in the sense of Druids and Leprechauns; instead, I think this city has an aura that always makes me smile, despite the cold weather.

After two weeks of class, I have settled into the daily grind…but unlike in LA, grind would not be the right word. It’s almost like a glide, or it seems like. From my experience, walking  along the Liffey is preferable to the laned traps of my native locale.

Happy Chinese New Year!  It is officially the year of the rooster!  On Chinese New Year’s Eve, I watched the New Year’s Eve TV show that is broadcasted all over China.

I got into the taxi, curbside at Barajas International, and cheerfully greeted the driver. “¡Buenos días! Calle Hilarión Eslava, por favor.” Despite the time change and having barely slept, I was alert and talkative during the ride, watching the rows of red brick apartments fly past the cab window. My driver was telling me about my new neighborhood, saying it was lively, full of young people and restaurants. I wondered about the name of the street I’d be staying on.

This past Saturday I went on a hike in Cagnes-sur-mer and it was simply incredible: beautiful views that constantly looked over the glistening Mediterranean (see pictures below for an idea), weather conditions that were stellar for hiking, and simply the fact that I’m in the French Riviera getting to spend time doing something I love! Goodness, can you tell that I’m still not over the fact that I’m actually here? Not only was it incredible for the reasons listed above, but also because of the people I met.

Details of the Cathedral of Tarragona 

I write this post on a warm, calm Sunday morning.  It’s the tail end of my second week of classes, and I am finally beginning to feel settled in.  It is difficult to comprehend how less than one month ago, I was watching an NFL game on television or how less than two months ago I was hunched over a notebook studying for my game theory final exam. 

The view from my front yard