coming home SOON!

Well, honestly, this will probably be my last entry from Spain. I'll probably write one more after I get home, but...yeah. This week is a crazy mix of emotions. Studying for 4 exams+paper+presentation+packing my life into a suitcase+saying good-byes to my dear Spanish friends+saying bye to my host family+saying bye to close friends from the program+excitement for home and seeing people+excitement for Christmas!+depression leaving a country and language I love = ???????. This weekend I studied a lot, and hung out with some friends. The highlight of my weekend was going to a pro soccer game with my best Spanish friend, Miguel! He invited me to go with him and his brothers to a Betis soccer game. It was very fun, and they won, 3-0. Watching the game with avid Spanish fans made it all that much better. :) Today at school they gave us a little session on re-entry into culture. I realize it will be a HUGE change, and so I wrote a note to kind of let everyone know how I'm feeling. I posted it on facebook already, so some of you have already read it, but for those of you who haven't:

My semester in Spain is coming to an end. Because this has been a huge part of my life, I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and feelings about the semester and going home.

First, I am very excited to see people at home. I am excited to see my family. I am excited to see my friends. I am excited to live with my amazing roommates. I am excited for Dutch Buddy Wednesdays and TNT's. I am excited to be back at GFU, and a part of all that is there. I am looking forward to Christmas time, and all that entails in the U.S. I am excited to come back different than when I left. I am looking forward to classes in English, being able to go to the store when I need something, having a car, eating what I want when I feel like it, and to be able to get by without spending a zillion dollars (or Euros). I am looking forward to hearing about what I missed this fall.

On the other hand...I am not ready to leave. I am not ready to leave my Spanish life, friends, and school behind. I have become extremely close to some of the people in our program (from the States, but all over). We have shared laughs, tears, trips, inside jokes, experiences, faith, and our hearts. We understand that no one at home can understand what we have experienced this semester. I will also miss my Spanish friends, who have been so amazing and welcoming. The realization that they will be half a world away is not an easy one. I will miss my Spanish family, Pepi and Enrique, and our little pizo on calle Juan Diaz de Solis. I will miss Pepi's amazing cooking. I will miss the European and Spanish lifestyles. I will miss siestas, eating dinner at 9:30 pm, and dressing up to go to class everyday (although some of those will probably stick, haha). It will be very hard coming back, and being constantly reminded of Spain, while not being able to talk about it (I mean, seriously, who wants to hear 'Oh, in Spain, they...' a dozen times a day). It will be hard answering the question, "How was Spain?" That's like saying, "Please, tell me about the 4 most amazing and trying months of your life, that included traveling to 7 countries, speaking another language, and having dozens of life changing experiences... in only a minute or two, because I'm on my way to class and don't REALLY want to hear it all." If you would really like to hear about the semester, let me know, and we can seriously have some coffee and talk. It will be weird coming back and having missed a whole semester of knowing what is going on in the lives of my friends, and at Fox. So please fill me in on what I missed. It will be hard being on the outside of inside jokes, while at the same time having ones that no one will get. I will miss having centuries of history, literally in my backyard. Seeing ancient cathedrals and towers on the walk to school every day is something I am not taking for granted. I will miss speaking Spanish. Speaking and living another language and culture every day is an experience, so it will be hard to just drop that and go back to U.S. culture at the end of a plane ride.

I feel like I have grown up a lot this semester. I have become more independent, something that has been needing to happen for a while. Spiritually, I know I needed this time away from everything I knew and relied on so that God could reveal things to me...or rather, so that I would listen. It wasn't like God gave me some epiphany, like I was expecting, not gonna lie. Rather he revealed so many amazing things in little ways. I realized that God is not bigger or stronger or more prevalent in Spain...He is the same here, in the States, and all over the world. He showed me some of my weaknesses, and reminded me of my strengths. He provided me what I needed when I needed it, whether it be a hug, a fixed camera, or Bible verses that brought me to tears. Most of all, he has given me JOY. So much more than last semester, so much more than ever in my life. It's not Spain though that brought me joy...it's Jesus.

So, in conclusion, these next few weeks will be a strange mix of emotions for me. Please be patient with me as I make the transition, your support means the world to me. And even though I love Spain and will miss it dearly, I am so thankful and blessed to have such an amazing life and people at home.

Be home in a few DAYS! With my phone working. I look forward to seeing everyone! :)

The past week

Wow, the semester is coming to an end. This week was pretty good, although I am losing any desire to do schoolwork. I guess that can be expected. :) Monday I stayed home from school sick and laid in bed all day. Wednesday we sang Christmas music at our worship service, which was sooooo wonderful. I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and I feel like we are not really experiencing Christmas season here in Spain. Thursday was a good, busy day. In the afternoon, our school went to a retirement home for people who cannot afford to pay for one, to sing Christmas carols with the elderly. It was so touching. We sang some in English, some in Spanish. We also read the candy cane story (in Spanish of course). Afterward, we gave the people candy canes we had made out of paper and talked with them. I re-read the candy cane story to one man because he had not been able to hear, and talked with him for a while. Then I talked to another man named Pepe, and he said that he was crying when we were singing because he remembered what it was like to be young. When he was explaining this to me, he started crying again. After talking with him for a while, he asked me when we were going back to the states. I told him "Two weeks," and then he started crying again and saying, "Then you'll never come back?!" It was sooo sad, I just wanted to sit and talk with him forever.

After that, I did my last night of Solidarios (working with the homeless). It was the most fun night of that I had had all year, a great way to end it. We just had fun goofing off and talking with the people on the streets. Friday, after school, I went to a movie in Spanish for the first time. Saturday I slept a lot, I am still recovering from my sickness. I also went shopping and had coffee with our student ministries coordinator, Sarah. Today (Sunday) was really fun. My friend Miguel started teaching me how to play guitar! We went over to his house (here it is not customary to bring friends home, unless they are close, so it was an honor for him to invite me over), and we played guitar for almost 4 hours, until my fingers couldn't handle much more. It was so fun though! And the best part of this weekend is....I still have 2 days left!

The Last Month

Hello family and friends,

I am so so so so so so so so sooooooo sorry for not writing for a month. This last month has been crazy busy, and I no longer have internet access at my house. I will try and be better for the last couple of weeks here, and summarize the last month in not too many words. :)

In November, I took a 10 day trip of a lifetime across Europe. 5 girl friends and I took a bus to Madrid, Spain, then flew to Rome, where we spent a couple of days. We got to see Vatican City (we even got blessed by the Pope!), the Coliseum, Roman ruins, eat pizza and gelato, and more. We then took a train to Florence, which I loved. From Florence we took a train to Lucerne, Switzerland. The train ride in was one of the highlights of my trip - we drove right through the Alps. SO incredible! Lucerne is an adorable little town that looks like it should be out of a storybook, right in the heart of the Alps. After Switzerland, we took a 12 hour overnight train to Prague, Czech Republic. Possibly one of the most beautiful cities on the face of the earth. We stayed there with some friends of one of the girls in our group. From Prague we took a train to Frankfurt, Germany, where we spent the night with a German family. The next morning we flew back to Spain! I absolutely love Europe.

Since then, I have been crazy busy with more traveling and activities and classes here in Sevilla. I have made some really amazing Spanish friends, so I have gotten several opportunities to practice intense Spanish outside of class and home. I also got to go to Ronda with my school, which is a beautiful small Spanish city. You should google it. :) This last weekend, I spent "Thanksgiving" in London. Well, in the airport. I had a sack dinner (sandwich) for Thanksgiving dinner. Our school gave us the day off though, so I got an extra day in London. I traveled alone to visit one of my friends from Fox. She lives in central London, so she was able to show me around. London is beautiful, I love it!

The trip back was crazy. A loooong story short, I had a very high fever, my plane was delayed, causing me to miss my bus home (the last bus of the day), I had no where to stay that night, so I wandered around the streets of Malaga, Spain, alone at night with a fever trying to find a hotel. I had not eaten hardly anything all day, and there were no restaurants open. But God is good, and I found a cheap (ish) hotel to stay for the night, so I could catch the next bus home. But I am here now and feeling better!

This week is crazy too, I have 2 final presentations. This weekend is a 4 day weekend, and then my last week here I have final exams, then a day to pack, and I come home on the 19th! That thought is so bittersweet. I miss people, but I love Spain, and the thought of leaving my home here makes me very sad.

Exams/Granada

Exams are done!!! I studied SO much this week, hours and hours for history. One of the questions on the exam was, "Explain the history and conquests of Spain from the 8th century to 1492." Ha. Because I studied so much though, I think I did ok. This weekend was amazing, Friday was the best day ever. After 4 exams in 2 days, I felt so relieved. For my grammar class we went to a cafe for coffee, so that was really fun too. In the evening, we had a movie night at school, and ate pizza and junk food. It was pretty great. :) Saturday a group of myself and 8 amazing people left for Granada! We got up at about 5:00 am and caught a train. That day, we visited the Alhambra (SO beautiful - google it!), which is the last and most ornate muslim temple built before the Christians conquered Granada in 1492. Their goal was to leave no space undecorated. After, we walked around the city and watched the sunset behind the Alhambra. The next day, we hiked up some trails and saw the gypsy caves (literally gypsies who live in the side of the mountain). We also ate these AMAZING kebabs, first and best I've ever had! That evening we caught a train back to Sevilla. The trip was so much fun, but not just because of Granada, but because of the fun group I went with. I cried from laughing. I like doing that. And I think we all need to do that every once in a while.

Toledo/Madrid!

Wow, this week is a crazy one! As was this last weekend. We had a 2 day week, then left for Toledo at 6:00 am with the school on Thursday. On the way to Toledo, we got to see the castle and windmills that Don Quixote supposedly fought. In Toledo, the first day we got to see the cathedral with some of Greco's most famous paintings. Toledo is a beautiuful city! No huge, modern buildings, castles, ruins...and it wasn't just like old buildings spread here and there, it was a huge city of them! I felt like I was going back in time. It was beautiful. That night our school put us up in a 4 star hotel, so that was really nice. The next morning we went to a monestary, and had time to shop/sightsee in the city. In the evening, a group of 11 of us caught a 20 minute train to Madrid, the capital of Spain. The city was soooo beautiful! In a different kind of way. It was like the NYC of Span. Big buildings, and city life. It was so fun to be there, but I'm thankful to live in Sevilla. It just feels more Spanish I guess, haha. Madrid was an adventure...I did not have a return ticket home, and we had not found a place to stay. So we took our backpacks and found a hostel, which was such a blessing! It was very nice (for a hostel), and cheap...and near the heart of the city. A couple of the guys and I then hiked across the city to buy return tickets home, and ended up getting some of the last few. The next morning we started a full day of sightseeing. My friend Enrique has a friend from the US who has been living in Madrid for a few years, so she showed us around. We saw the palace, cathedral, an Egyptian temple, and went to the Prado and El Museo de Reina Sofia. Those museums are comparable to the Louvre and had masterpieces by Valasquez, Greco, Goya, Picasso, and more. Finally, that night, we caught a bus leaving at 10:00pm and arriving in Sevilla at 4:00 am. I slept a lot on the bus, but it was a long night. But so worth it! I had such a fun, adventurous weekend with great people. This week I have 4 tests (2 Thursday, 2 Friday), each worth 20% of my grade. I had a 50 minute group presentation today too, and a paper to write. So it will be a busy week.

Portugal!!!!

Wow, it´s been a week! And a busy one at that. Which is normal. :) Flamenco on Monday, worship and small group on Wednesday, and service project (working with the homeless) Thursday. The weekend, though, was amaaaaazing! Friday afternoon, some friends and I left for Lagos, Portugal! We went with a local organization who planned the trip. After arriving in Lagos Friday night, we dressed up and went to dinner with the 75 other group members (most from the U.S., a few from Europe), then had a welcome party. Saturday we slept in some, ate an amazing breakfast at our hotel, then took a sailboat cruise to see some of the caves off the coast. It was so fun, and we got to swim in the beautiful ocean! The water was so clear, yet cool...I had never experienced anything like it! After the cruise we went to the beach for a bit, then headed back to the hotel, got ready for dinner, and went out. We wanted to try authentic Portugese dishes, so I ordered swordfish. It was actually really good! I also tasted the best steak of my life. Sunday we went to a beautiful "virgin beach," without any buildings or developments. It was so beautiful. We swam in the ocean, relaxed on the beach, and took in the beauty. That night we went out for dinner at a cute Italian restaurant owned by a man from Italy. Sunday we slept in, then walked around the teeny city of Lagos. It is so cute, like I stepped into a story book! There were no big buildings, only tiny cobblestone streets, with old, colorful buildings. We left at about 4:00 to take a bus back to Spain. The bus ride was fun too though, because we got to watch American movies and TV shows. The weekend was amazing, but this week is HARD! We only have 2 days of classes, then a 2 day school trip to Toledo for my art history class. I have lots of homework and studying though, classes are really hard. I also have a 50 minute class presentation to write. So...I´ll be back on Saturday night from Toledo/ Madrid, and I¨ll have more to write then! :) Pictures will be on facebook soon.

Huelva/5K!

Yesterday (Saturday) was amazing! I went to Huelva, near the beach, with the school. We took a charter bus first to the coast where Columbus left on his famous journey of 1492. We saw the monastery where he stayed while he was waiting for the "ok" from Ferdinand and Isabella to leave on his trip, and the chapel where he prayed right before leaving on his journey. We also saw life-size models of the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. From there we went to the beach, where we just hung out all day and had free time to do whatever. Mostly I just soaked up the sun, listened to the waves, and talked with friends. Saturday night, Nicole and I met up with some of our friends in the park and watched a movie on our laptop (it's NOT customary to invite friends over to your house), and ate ice cream sandwiches (best, cheapest snack ever - $1.25 buys a huge block of ice cream AND cookies). Today I woke up early to run a 5K for breast cancer research. We started in Plaza de España and ran through the city. I pushed myself, and made it in 24 minutes, which is really good considering I haven't trained AT ALL! Afterwards, there was this kind of aerobics/dance lesson for everyone, it's hard to explain, but it was really fun. We learned dances to some songs from Grease and Abba. :) Now I'm in the park studying/catching internet, and I'm going out to coffee later tonight with a friend. I'm so not ready for the weekend to be over!