The Cure for the Common Cold

Two weeks in and my initial study abroad "high" that we had always heard about has started to wear off. Things have begun to level out and while I am still LOVING it here the reality of classes and the normal day-to-day activity is starting to sink in. While it hasn't been too bad, slight pangs of homesickness and missing my friends and family have begun to strike. It wasn't too hard to deal with until I started to come down with a cold. While not nearly as bad as colds I've had in the past, it has only made those homesick and insecure feelings even worse. I didn't want to have the bad attitude, but it was there nonetheless.

Yesterday morning, when I was feeling particularly stuffy and down, I decided to find something to calm down and cheer up a bit. Miraculously I managed to find full episodes of Band of Brothers on Youtube...I started watching one and with each passing minute I started to feel better. I gradually got back to my more normal self and realized that I couldn't let a silly little cold stop me from getting the most out of studying abroad. I looked across the hall at my roommate Jessica and asked if she wanted to just do something, anything later. We both agreed that we needed to get out and decided to head out after lunch to a rather pleasant spot...the beach.

After a delicious lunch of homemade paella, Jessica and I headed out into the gorgeous Valencian afternoon and took the #2 bus to the other side of the city. We had a short walk to the actual beach, but as soon as it came into view our excitement just soared. We took off our shoes, rolled up our jeans, and dug our feet into the soft, Mediterranean sand. MEDITERRANEAN SAND!! How awesome is that?! The weather was perfect; sunny, 65, and barely any breeze. We put our feet in the water once, but even in the warm Spain weather the water is still FREEZING. The landscape was beautiful as well: sailboats cruised on the Mediterranean horizon, palm trees and restaurants lined the beach, and a beautiful mountain range sat in the distance. At one point we even came across this really detailed and professional-done sandcastle. After walking a good length of the beach, we decided we couldn't resist a tasty drink. We each settled down with a glass of sangria as big as our heads...in my opinion it's the perfect beach drink, and even made me think of our Phelps family beach trips. As the sun started to set and it got a little cooler, we started our walk back to the bus and our ride home.

Going to the beach was just the pick-me-up I needed. I think I decided from the second I got there that little trip can definitely be the cure for the common cold. I felt so much better, both in terms of my stuffy nose and my attitude, and I can't wait to have so many more adventures like this one.