Bienvenidos!

Welcome welcome my little bambinos! Well, to begin with, I can certainly say that the creation of this blog is long overdue. After dabbling around in countless travel journals, I have finally opted into joining the blogosphere! *cue foghorns*

I know I know, so what am I so excited to write about? Well, my mantra has long been to indulge in life's greatest pleasures, however small they may be. Whether it be traipsing around the world mastering languages and unearthing new treasures, or 'Basqueing' in the warm afternoon sunlight with tapas and vino tinto on a lazy Saturday, I have come to develop a deep passion for la dolce vita. After all, what is the point in living unless it is to tickle the senses and wallow in the sweetness of it all? Since I flew the coup and began learning about the finer things in life (via traveling mostly), away from the comforts of my small town and familiar environment, I have developed a veritable cornucopia of experiences.

As for a brief introduction to who I am....(a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal....sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club). Ok, pop culture aside, I grew up as an athlete. I spent a borderline despicable amount of time training for tennis under the radiant California sun (no complaints!), which actually paid off in the form of a 4-year full scholarship to my dream university. I had the time of my life playing tennis as a student-athlete in San Diego, before succumbing to a career-ending shoulder injury that surgery couldn't seem to fix. The good news was that I made a couple of unforgettable friends my freshman year while playing on the team, both were European, and were my first international amigas! I wasn't aware of it at the time, but these two impacted me greatly as far as sparking an interest in everything international. I began taking German (initially with little interest), and studying International Relations, which soon became my absolute passion, my corazón so to speak. I found it so enthralling to be studying global affairs from a classroom in sunny San Diego, but true to human nature and impulse, I wanted more. It was almost like simulated travel, one moment I would be in Cairo studying about the inception of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the next I found myself reliving the execution of King Louis XVI by guillotine in a medieval Place de la Concorde. This led me toward a humble appreciation and fascination for history. The traveling bug had suddenly bit me, unexpectedly hard. To make a long story short, this is where I began my journey, learning new languages and pursuing the sweet seduction of the unfamiliarity experienced abroad. I threw myself into the study of the culture I was brought up with (my mother, and half of my family was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan), along the way discovering ancient traditions and heirlooms such as the Pashtunwali, which was cleverly instilled in my siblings and I at a young age, unbeknownst to me.

So, now that I have completed my B.A., I am working toward mastering conversational Spanish and German (French and Italian in the works), and looking forward to beginning my MA in TESOL this fall!

Whew! *catches her breath*, after that slightly long 'abridged' introduction to my life, I have started this blog with the purpose of sharing my memories from traveling and meeting those who have been most influential to me. From hidden traveling treasures, to scrumptious indigenous recipes, to the pure hilarity of language learning, I wish to chronicle the adventures that have taught me how to indulge in a daily joie de vivre. Until luego, ich wünche alles eine schöne Nacht!