Malaga, 25-27 abril

For our very last MCP Sevilla group trip we went to Málaga this last weekend. Málaga is a beach town, though ask any spaniard and they will screw up their faces in disgust: “Go to the beach in Málaga? Why would you do that?”. And truth be told, the beach itself is.....well, “nasty” is a little strong, but its just not all that great. The sand is pretty dirty, rough, and has a lot of soil in it, and the water is a bit dirty as well. This did not, however, deter us from spending all of Saturday on it, just taking in the sun, braving the cold water every once in a while, and chatting. The city itself, everyone agreed, has something California about it – it has a pleasantly chill beachy vibe. There's not that much to say about the city itself since I've seen so many cathedrals and alcazares and narrow streets now that its not longer surprising, though we had a really great time exploring the Alcazaba, an 11^th century muslim fortress up on the hill. There were a lot of little stairways and passageways to explore in it, and you can't beat free entrance on Sunday afternoon! In general I really liked Málaga – it has a beach, good weather, lots of palm trees, leafy parks, not too much traffic or noise, and a lively downtown.

The view from our hotel balcony

The crappy sand

A little arch in the Alcazaba.

This is the beginning of the end. I leave here on June 6^th , in about 6 weeks, just in time to get back for my cousin Sarah's graduation party. Part of me is relieved and part of me is sad. I want to spend 6 more months here and, at the same time, go home as soon as possible. This is what we like to call “wanting to have your cake and eat it too” – unfortunately its just not possible. :(

I'm kind of glad that I have so much to go back to, otherwise it would just be that much harder to leave. My home life is eating away at the edges of my mind, crowding in and not letting me live in the moment. I have so much to do when I get there – I start work full time the monday I get back, I need to find someplace to live in Ann Arbor next semester, I need to start looking into applying to grad schools and to jobs, I need to talk to my church about the wedding, I need to plan the entire wedding . . . I don't like having this sort of huge thing hanging over my head, and I want to get on it.