I recently had a solid discussion with young Spaniard about hip hop. He was into so really intellectual underground groups, some of which I had heard of, like Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique, and some of which I had not. He proceeded to explain that he was not as into the mainstream hip hop scene. As he explained “the gangsters, the money, es tonto en Granada, (its stupid in granada, it doesn’t make sense). Who are gangsters in Granada? Nobody. If there are they probably listen to flamenco. It’s true.”

I have been away from home for a week now; in Spain for 6 days, in Granada for 5. It has been a really awesome experience thus far. I am beginning to see that the Spanish way of life is very different than what I have become accustom to as normal growing up in the States. First and foremost, stuff happens late here, I mean real late. Weeknights its very easy to go out for tapas as your third meal around 10pm, and stay out until 12 or 1. And that is not late, not even close. On the party nights, which are hard to articulate from every other night but for our purposes we will say they are thursday and saturday, it goes down all night, no joke. On saturday I arrived at a club with some friends around 1:30 and we were clearly early. The place started to pick up around 2:30, and when I proceeded to leave at 5:45am, I was in no way shape or form the last die hard crawling out of the place. Not even close. But there is also a certain civility to how people party here that is really refreshing. It can honestly be said that most people here drink beer and wine with their tapas to enjoy the drink and experience, not just to race to intoxication. It is definitely something I can take away from this experience, and something many college aged kids I know should be exposed to.

The experience so far has not been limited to just Granada and urbane settings. We were fortunate enough to take a 5 mile hike in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the views and terrain were absolutely stunning. They blew me away, and I am fortunate enough to come from a state where we have mountains. I cannot begin to imagine how the kids from New Jersey felt. It was an interesting hike, and definitely a legitimate one, complete with scary drop offs, poor and eroding trails, and some serious elevation gain at the end. We took our lunch break at the top of a large hill, or small mountain, with a views for miles. Snow capped mountains, 1400 year old towns built into hill sides, and highways that meandered through the Sierra Nevada for distances that appeared to be infinite. The icing on the cake was our guides. Close your eyes for a second and picture a European mountaineer. Bright jacket? Tan, weathered skin? And most importantly, large reflective sunglasses? That’s our guy, to a T. It is difficult to describe but I am sure you get the picture.

On Sunday evening I attended mass at one of the larger churches in Granada. It was a great chance to slow down, relax and reflect. It was also a gripping opportunity to check out some serious architecture. Twin bell towers, large interior arches, and perhaps the largest and most ornate altar I have ever seen. And despite these architectural wonders, I will remember most clearly the priest’s homily. From what I could understand, which was limited, he spoke about “el pobre del espiritu,” the poor   (or poverty) of spirit, and how this was the most tragic of all poverty, more so than lack of possessions or money. It really hit home for me, coming only 12 hours after returning from the club, I hoped that in my effort to enjoy my youth and make a few mistakes out here, I don’t lose sight of a more grounded life path. Am I saying I’m never hitting the club again and will go to church every day? Absolutely not. But I hope that I can remain grounded, respect myself, respect my new friends here, and not get caught up in trying to fill every moment with a fiesta. Despite this country’s beauty, it is a good place to lose one’s religion.