I’ve noticed a definite trend in my letters to my family in the US: I spend a lot of time writing about food.  Not raving, not criticizing, just . . . trying to describe it all.

Take weeknight suppers – a four-course affair of soup, a main dish, cheese, and a dessert.  We’re talking serious business.

Then take company suppers.  Here is the menu from my host family’s most recent soirée:

COFFEE ADICTS!

If any of you out there own a travel mug and depend on a caffeine jolt to make it through morning lectures (like me), you’ll find coffee in Granada a lot better but with much less variety.

In Spain, coffee is basically a shot of espresso with varying amounts of water or milk. I’ve only been offered a nice big cup of “regular joe” once during my 90 days here. Instant coffee is very popular as well.

Although recently I’ve been obsessing over Halloween candy my mom sent me in the mail (almond joys and dark chocolate…THANKS!), I am usually planning my next ice cream excursion.  I haven’t been able to get a clear definition on the differences between ice cream and gelato (because the Spanish words are very similar sounding, “helado” and “gelato”) but my taste buds can tell.  If you’re looking for a creamy fix, ice cream will be thicker, whereas gelato will be almost like sorbet.

Resting on the banks of the holy river Ganges, Varanasi has been a religious and cultural center of India for thousands of years. It is the oldest continually inhabited city in the country, and continues to awe tourists and religious pilgrims alike from all over the world. This weekend, in what was to be my last trip before the semester officially ends, a group of us took to the shores of the Ganges and got lost in the beauty, intrigue, and surrealism that is the city of Varanasi.

This past weekend I finally headed to Sydney with three of my mates to check out the second best city here in Australia (Melbourne takes the cake if you ask me). We hopped on a flight Friday afternoon and taxied on over to X Base Hostel right next to CBD (the central business district). We grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked around for a few hours before heading out to explore the nightlife. Our hostel was conveniently connected to a bar, the Scary Canary and from there we wandered down to the harbor to for a beautiful view of the water and a few rounds of pool at a local pub.

The last place you would ever think to find Cody Press is in Quito, Ecuador. In fact, this 6’1” “creature of habit” who has become accustomed to the finer things in life, even admits to not having heard of Quito until I declared I was going there.

This is a totally random post but it is worth posting! One of my host brothers is basically the funniest guy around. He is always chipper and he always punches me when he beats me at Fifa on Playstation haha. This is his interpretive…dance? of the St. Olaf Choir singing on my computer. You’re gonna have to turn up your volumes, but this is hilarious haha.

I am in full-bellied repose, as I am most evenings just after dinner in my cozy homestay. Dinner with my señora during the week has been one of my routines since Day One, but what struck me tonight especially is just how routine, in a wonderful way, our relaxed evenings together have become.