Finals are finally over!

Finals are finally over. For the past month, I have been locked in my room studying frantically so that I can pass my classes. So far I have already received one grade back, which I am very happy with. The others I feel very confident about and I will hear from the teachers on Wednesday. Due to the long extended final exam period, I was able to take a short trip to visit some friends in Granada. One of my close friends, Chris, is returning home early from a year program in Granada to finish up a few classes for his major. In order to graduate on time, he must take those classes at his University in Santa Cruz. The trip was a lot of fun and of course it was good to see my good friends. The guys I hung out with I had met in Mexico this summer. We don't get to see each other often because we are all studying in different cities in Spain. Also, I think I was going crazy from all the studying, I needed a break.

Granada is a beautiful city. We didn't do many touristy things but we got the city tour and explored the city streets. We walked through the old and new parts of town, saw some amazing graffiti art, and took a hike up to a Gypsy's cave tea house. Everything was amazing. When I returned I had two tests 3 days later, and I believe they went just perfect.

As for upcoming news, my plan this semester is to take advantage of the little work I have early in the semester and do some traveling. I really want to make sure I see everything I want to see in Spain before I set my sights on cities outside the country. I will be visiting Granada with My parents and Frieda, and when Seara's Dad comes, we might go to Cádiz. That just leaves a few more weekends for the other major cities.

As for the end of the year, I was planning on returning early for summer school but the classes I was hoping for are not offered this summer. Instead, I am going to take advantage of my time here in Europe and possibly do some backpacking. In the northern states of Spain, there is a 500 mile trail stretching from the Pyrenees and ends in a city on the Atlantic Ocean. The trail is called the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage and it takes about 40 days to hike the whole thing. Maybe I can just hike a part of it, but we will see. Mom, I will let you know if I need my backpacking stuff (haha). Well, This one is short and sweet, but to be honest, I haven't done much this past month but study. Get ready for a fun and exciting second semester. Here are all the pictures that I have taken since the last upload of pictures.