GRANADA ADVENTURE Chronicle copy editor Niki Harris juxtaposes American and Euro

Springtime has finally arrived in Granada, and I’ve never been busier. The weather is finally warming up, I’m spending all my free time outside, I’ve just been assigned huge projects in all my classes and I’m realizing that this upcoming weekend might be my last in my home city. It’s panicking me because I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of all Granada has to offer.
However, earlier this week, a classmate told me that she was bored of Granada. In her opinion, there was nothing to do here, and she felt she would be having much more fun back home in her “everyday life.” When I heard that, I was floored. I’ve learned and used a lot of new words ­— in multiple languages — while being abroad, but “bored”? Never.
So naturally, it blows my mind when I hear someone could be bored of it all after only two and a half months.
Honestly, you’re not living right if you can be bored of a new city, a new country, a new culture after spending so little time there.
It seems to me that my complacent friend is suffering — as we all have — from a strong case of living small. You slip into a monotonous daily routine that blurs the days together: wake up, go to classes, come home, catch up on TV shows, perhaps Skype a friend or two. There’s no variation, and living like this gets tiring fast. You’ve confined yourself to a certain chronology of events. You’re living in your own little box away from the world.
Living a small life ensures that you will be bored, quickly and frequently. When you’re young — and especially when you’re abroad — that’s the biggest mistake you can make. Straying from your routines is more than just a fleeting idea. It’s a necessity. For a full life, you’ve got to look outside the box of normalcy and routines, break bad habits and not waste time doing things halfheartedly.
I’ve written before about the beauty of getting lost on side streets and allowing yourself to let go of your inhibitions and let what happens happen. That experience was from my first week in Granada, and it’s still my favorite pastime. I’ve discovered incredibly breathtaking lookout points hidden behind crumbling churches. I’ve seen the work of one of Granada’s most prolific street artists peeking around corners, hidden from passersby who are too wrapped up in getting somewhere to stop and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.
Recognizing beauty isn’t just something that happens while abroad, though. I felt the same way when I moved to Salt Lake City for college and began to explore the downtown area. I stumbled into poetry slams, modern art galleries and some of the best food in the valley. I wasn’t searching for anything, either. I just decided to break a routine and try something different, and I’ve carried that mentality with me everywhere I’ve traveled since.
Every morning that I wake up in Granada, I realize that my only obligation is to go to class and make sure that I return home in time for lunch and dinner. I don’t have to worry about clocking in at an eight to five job. I’ve chosen to step back from volunteering opportunities in Spain and my homework usually takes less than an hour to complete.
I literally have no responsibilities to anything other than my own happiness. How often do you get the chance to say that? And why would you not take advantage of every single day?
Travel while you’re young. Learn something new each day. Explore the city you live in, and don’t waste your time being “bored.” There’s too much life to be lived to even expend the energy to breathe the word.