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!

Jules and I in front of Plaza de España!

This picture just seemed Spanish :)

My bedroom :)

Yay Friday!!!

So...Wednesday night I went to our worship service, Encuentro, and met with my small group. It was really good and very encouraging. Thursday night was good, but stressful. I had my first night of my service project working with the homeless. Basically we split into 3 groups of about 3 or 4 people, bring coffee and cookies, and each take a different route and visit and talk with the people. It was frustrating sometimes because they were very hard to understand (even if they had been speaking English), and I was with native Spaniards, so I didn't talk much this first time. But it was an amazing experience, and I definitely have a passion for talking with the homeless. The frustrating part was that we were there for about 4 hours and I didn't get to bed till 1:30am...and had class the next day. And that's how it's likely going to be every week. But oh well...I know God will give me the strength I need. Today after class I came back, took a lovely/needed siesta, and had a really good quiet time. I was going to hang out with friends tonight, but to save money on dinner, I'm just going to hang out with them later. Oh, I forgot to say, this week my "travel group" of friends bought our return tickets for our 10 day trip. We got tickets from Frankfurt, Germany to Spain for about $40! What a blessing! I also decided to go to Portugal for a 3 days next weekend. There's a lot of cool stuff to do there, and the program we would go with provides a hotel, city tour, some food, etc. The beaches are supposed to be gorgeous. This weekend will be really fun, we are going to the beach tomorrow to see the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria (Columbus' ships), and hang out. Sunday I'm running a 5K to raise money for breast cancer research. More on those later. :)

EXAMENES :P

Round 1 of tests are done. Some went better than others, and I have yet to find out how I did. Monday I had my history and grammar tests. For history I wrote 3 essays: 1) "Describe the 5 pillars of Muslim faith, the Sunna and Corán, Sunnites and Chiites." That question was hard because there are so many parts, including the pilgrimage to Mecca, their fast, and more to not only name but explain. IN Spanish. I didn't even know how to say pilgrimage in Spanish before coming here, so it was exciting to be able to do it! 2) "Explain the Yihad." The muslim holy war. Another page on that. And then I got to explain about the political system after the Iberian Peninsula was invaded. Great fun! haha Monday night was also stressful because I had a 2 1/2 hour meeting for my serve project, and I had tests I needed to be studying for. Tuesday I had my literature exam, which I feel like I nailed. Once again, it was exciting to be able to write essays on complex literary concepts in Spanish. I also had art history, which didn't go quite so well, but I"ll know how to study better next time. Tuesday night some friends and I painted "abanicos" - fans. Everyone uses them here, so it was fun to paint one. Yup that's all that's new for now. :)

GREAT weekend!

Ok, I have a lot to write about this time. :) Friday night I did something I never thought I would/could do...I ran a 10K! On a whim. My friend Megan came to me Friday morning and was like, "wanna do the 10K with me?" I replied, "I've never run that far IN MY LIFE, but sure!" So we did, and it was the most AMAZING experience ever. The race is called "Correra Nocturna," and it is a huge deal here in Seville. It's a 10K through the streets of Seville at night, and about 20,000 people participate in it. They shut half the city down for it. It was so exciting - the adrenaline, the crowds, cameras, news crews, and everything lining the streets the whole way - WOW. The adrenaline gave me the energy to finish strong, something I never thought I would be able to do! I finished in 1:15 (and that includes stopping multiple times with my "running partner" because her toenail fell off). The funny thing is, I have not trained or run AT ALL since coming to Spain, so I was pretty surprised I was able to finish strong!
After the race we all got free t-shirts, shorts, and other goodies. The hardest part of the night was the 5.5K walk back to our house, haha. So...I got blisters and am pretty sore today in the back and legs, but it was 110% worth it!!!
Yesterday I slept in (since I was up till 3:00 am the night before), and laid around most of the day. Then in the evening Nicole, myself, and our friend Abby hung out with our new "Spanish friends" - Chano and Maria. We had so much fun! They took us to a cultural fair here, with booths from tons of different countries, then out to dinner after. Let's just say, my Spanish comprehension improved a zillion times over in a couple hours. Chano especially has a VERY strong Sevillana accent, which means he not only speaks quickly, but only says parts of words and mixes them all together. For example, instead of "Vamos a ir," it's "Vamoai." Or instead of "nada," it's "na." Add a lisp onto that, and WOW. But by the end of the evening I could understand everything they said!! We had so much fun. Maria is SO sweet...she is 19 and I already feel like I have known her forever. And Chano is one of the funniest, most animated guys I have ever met.
Wow that was long. I hope that makes up for some of my lack of blogging! :)

P.S. Prayers for Monday and Tuesday would be appreciated...4 tests. :P

Studying and Spanish friends!

Goodness, I have so much studying to do! I have 4 exams within 2 days next week, each worth 20% of my grade in the class. I'm especially nervous because for history and literature our exams will only have 3 questions, with the format: "Explain to me about..". And the topics are basically chapters in our book for history, and VERY broad, stuff like, "Explain to me about the history of Islam." Ahhh! Then for art history, our professor will show us 3 architectural images, and we have to go in depth describing EVERYTHING. Who built it, what century, why, what the arcs are called, every material used, religious significance, vocabulary, etc. Grammar will just be hard because it's an advanced grammar class. Let's just say next Tuesday I'll be relieved.
Last night was hard for me, I think a lot of the stress and frustrations and homesickness caught up to me. But after few hugs from friends I felt better. Tonight I had my first service project meeting/orientation. It was so exciting, I made my first Spanish friends! Their names are Maria and Chano, and they are best friends. We are hanging out with them tomorrow night. Their Spanish was so much harder to understand because of the Sevillana accent and speed and slang, but I think spending time with them will help my Spanish improve. :)

Tuesday

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Really nothing exciting has happened. :) This past weekend I did a lot of studying, and went shopping with Nicole, but not much else. This week I've been doing a lot of schoolwork too. Classes are definitely picking up. I can understand lectures ok, but reading still gives me a struggle. I got my first bout of homesickness this last weekend too. Oh well, it had to come sooner or later. :) I still love it here though. Oh, Monday night I took my first flamenco class! It was really fun, and I'm excited to learn how to dance such a traditional Spanish dance. EVERYONE in Spain knows certain parts of it. Nicole and I decided we'll give a show when we get back. :) I got a couple of letters in the mail today, thank you so much for your support! It is really encouraging and means the world to me.

Tickets to Rome and Bingo!

Yesterday (Wednesday) evening, we had our student led worship service, "Encuentro." Afterward, our travel group of friends went to a coffee shop to look for airline tickets online. We ended up buying them today after class for SUPER cheap!!! We got a flight to Rome, Italy for $27 Euro, and it comes out to about $45 dollars. For a flight to Rome!! I'm so excited to get to travel to several different countries. We will likey fly back from Prague, Czech Republic or Frankfurt, Germany, to conclude our 10 day trip in November. We're still searching for the best deals there though. This afternoon I met with my small group/prayer group for the first time, so that was fun. Tonight our school went to play bingo with elderly men near the school. They were so funny...they just kept wanting to kiss us girls on the cheek, and calling us "Guapa!!!" (pretty). It was fun. I have a ton of homework tonight, so I'd better go do that now...but that's what's new with me!

Tickets to Rome and Bingo!

Yesterday (Wednesday) evening, we had our student led worship service, "Encuentro." Afterward, our travel group of friends went to a coffee shop to look for airline tickets online. We ended up buying them today after class for SUPER cheap!!! We got a flight to Rome, Italy for $27 Euro, and it comes out to about $45 dollars. For a flight to Rome!! I'm so excited to get to travel to several different countries. We will likey fly back from Prague, Czech Republic or Frankfurt, Germany, to conclude our 10 day trip in November. We're still searching for the best deals there though. This afternoon I met with my small group/prayer group for the first time, so that was fun. Tonight our school went to play bingo with elderly men near the school. They were so funny...they just kept wanting to kiss us girls on the cheek, and calling us "Guapa!!!" (pretty). It was fun. I have a ton of homework tonight, so I'd better go do that now...but that's what's new with me!

Day...? Wow I'm losing track!

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post. :) Saturday I went shopping with some friends in the morning (shopping=exploring the city, I never really buy much), and in the afternoon to the park to study with some of the other girls. After we went to the park, a group of us met at a coffee shop to plan our trips! We have a 10 day break in November, and we hope to fly to Rome, Italy, then take a train to Florence, then to Switzerland, then to Prague, and maybe even head to Germany. In December, right before we come home, we are planning to go to Ireland and maybe Scotland. We'll see. :) I love traveling though, and it would be a fun group! Sunday Nicole and I had a day of rest, then hung out with people at the park in the afternoon. Yesterday we just had classes and met in a plaza to study. This evening I'm going to have coffee with Sarah, who is kind of our RA? I don't really know how to describe her position, but she is really sweet and helpful. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. In the mail today, in 2 separate shifts, I got a card from my parents and cards from Kami and Heather! I was soooooo excited! :) Classes here are still good, but the work load is increasing. Oh well, I"ll make it...nothing can beat my sophomore year. :) I guess that's it for now!

Days 8 and 9

Yesterday, after classes and lunch, a few of the girls from my classes and I went to a local park to study. It was fun talking and getting to know them better. Laura brought ice cream and cookies and we made ice cream sandwiches. Today we got the day off of school to go to Cordoba! We took a tour bus there (about an hour and a half away) and got to go to an archaeological excavation site near the city. There we got to see the work in progress and walk through what has already been excavated, while hearing the history of what the rooms were. From there we went to Cordoba....a beautiful city!!! The streets make me feel like I'm walking through a storybook. I will be adding pictures to facebook. Cobblestone streets, white houses (kind of Greek looking), yellow and red trim, flower baskets, iron gates...I loved it. But the most impressive part, the reason we went, was to see the Mosque and Cathedral from the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries (the califs kept adding onto it). It was so exciting because I have been learning about the architecture and history of the Mosque in my history and art classes, and we had been talking about this one in particular. So after seeing pictures in class it was so exciting to see it in person. Knowing the history and understanding the architecture...all that I learned and understood IN SPANISH...adds a richness and depth I can't describe. Our professor walked us through and elaborated on what we saw. It is so ornate and historic. Gosh I can't even do it justice. So we just got back from that, and after dinner, I"m going to go out with a group of friends here. Every day I cannot believe how blessed I feel to live in Spain.

Day 7

I figured now that my life is becoming a little more routine (though far from boring), I'll probably just blog every couple of days. Anyway yesterday I had day 2 of classes, and they went well. Last night we had "la noche de chicas"....girls night! It was super fun. All 37 of us hung out and talked, then we went paddle boating on the river! It was fun and beautiful and we got to get to know different people because our boats were randomly assigned. It was cool - we saw these guys playing basketball in kayaks. They used their paddles instead of hands. Anyway, school went well again today, and tonight I went shopping with my friends Kelly and Megan. Had a cone of amazing European ice cream for the first time since I was 9. Then we had a worship service, "Encuentro," in one of the local churches. It was really good to worship in both languages and hear people from our group share. I also have been trying to talk with my Señora a lot...I really, really like her! I feel so blessed, because I know some of the other girls have not been getting along as well with theirs. Mine is so funny. She calls her husband the president, she's the first lady, her daughter is Shakira, and Nicole and I are the first daughters. haha She loves teaching us and talking with us. I feel so blessed.

First day of classes!

Today was our first day of classes. It went so much better than I thought it would! I was able to understand everything the professors said, and with hard work, I should be able to do pretty well. My first class is "Cuentos Españoles," or Spanish short stories. Right after that I have "Historia de España" (Spanish history), followed immediately by "Arte Española" (Spanish art history) and "Gramatica Avanzada" (Advanced Grammar). I'm done at 12:35. My hardest class will be Spanish history I think, and the rest don't seem too bad. For my art history class we get to go on "excursions" around Spain to look at art. I'm so excited! I have lots of homework and reading to do, but it won't be bad. I'm also taking a service class, in which I will volunteer one night a week to go talk with the homeless. I'm super excited about this, because I LOVE working with people and I feel as though my calling in life is headed in that direction. This program works with the University of Seville, so I'll be able to meet other college aged students and work with them. I have lecture for that class every other week and get some credit for it too, so that's icing on the cake. Ok, can I just say that I don't understand why the rest of the world doesn't take siestas? Every day when it comes time to eat lunch and take a nap, I can't help but smile and say, "I love Spain!" (ask Nicole, haha). I have so much more energy. I feel so healthy here, because I get a lot of rest, eat VERY well (fish a few times a week, NO junk food, and lots of fruits, grains, and vegetables) and exercise a lot (I walk a few miles daily to get to school and around). It's going to be hard going back to eating cafeteria food and going, going, going all the time, so I'm going to enjoy Spain while it lasts. :)

Day 5...relaxation!

Today is a day of rest. A bunch of our friends went to the beach, which is supposed to be amazing here, but Nicole and I figured since we are here for 4 months we may as well rest since we have been going, going, going. So we slept till noon, ate a late breakfast, slept more and read and journaled, ate a huge lunch, and are reading now. We start classes tomorrow....yep, super exciting day. :)

Days 3 and 4

Yesterday I found out the results of my placement test and signed up for classes. I was able to get all the advanced classes I wanted! Art history (which involves excursions around Spain to look at art), Spanish history, short stories, and advanced grammar. I start classes at 9:15 am and am done by 12:35. It's going to be great. We also had a lecture for a couple of hours - Culture 101 and safety. We learned about a bunch of the cultural differences. For example, everyone here dresses up to go out. I love that! We also learned a few other "rules," like ALWAYS wear shoes in the house, expect cat calls from men, expect it to take a while to leave somewhere because you are engaged inconversation, etc. There are way more, but those are a few. We also learned that it is completely safe to walk outside at night, until about 2am. That's when everyone goes out! My host dad, "mi Señor," gave me a talk on making sure if I'm out past then, to have a cab take me back, because it's dangerous unless I'm with people. It was cute how protective he is of Nicole and I, kind of like our dad. He made sure we had our keys and phones and everything too. :)
Speaking of going out at night, a group of us went Salsa dancing last night. It was so fun! I had taken a long siesta too so I was ready to stay up late. I LOVE the night life here. It's like a giant party! Everyone is up till 1:00am, mostly because it's so hot during the day. Even parents with babies in strollers. The streets are all lit and there are people everywhere. Dancing was fun too - where we went there were mostly older people, so that was cool to be a part of. We did get back really late, so some guys from our group walked us home. Today Nicole and I slept in, then went shopping/on a picture scavenger hunt with our school. I'm really connecting with a few other girls here, so that's really fun. I bought new shoes, because I had blisters from walking so far (we walk EVERYWHERE), and shoes=fashion in Europe apparently. That's how you can tell a tourist from a local...the shoes. I learned my European shoe size is 39, and I bought some lovely white European-looking sandals.
I'm tired, so I think I'm going to take a siesta now. I have been realizing Nicole and I got one of the best host homes for sure. Our Señora flat out spoils us, and loves talking to/with us, and cooks us amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing food, and we have a dad, and we have air conditioning (everyone at school hates us for it, haha). It's very needed in 106 degree weather. So an air conditioned siesta sounds lovely.

Day 2

Today Nicole and I went to orientation. Breakfast was delicious...a toasted baguette sort of bread, jam, and amazing European coffee (even Dutch Bros. can't compare!). I already love the food here so much. Everything here is so rich...the culture, history, food, I love it all. At orientation we met our school (faculty and other students), and got cell phones, and learned about a bunch of the opportunities we will have. I'm going to take Flamenco classes...I figure they're worth the money. Also I learned about some awesome service opportunites, and I would really like to do one working with the homeless. We were also informed of some of the different ways to get around Europe, and trips our school will be taking. I'm so excited to go to Toledo, Spanish soccer games, and more. Oh, and we all had to sign a contract saying we will speak ONLY Spanish at school, even between classes and around English speakers...this really is total immersion. Another thing I love about Spain is the siesta. Everything shuts down in the afternoon for a rest. Even school. My Señora is so funny...today she was teaching us about all the different parts of a house, mainly the little words we don't learn in spanish classes. Like how to say "bread-holder" and the different ways to say bathroom (it's not always el baño) :). And every time the phone rings, she says it's the white house calling....Obama....to talk to her. That's it for now...tonight we're going on a tour of the city, so that should be fun.

Day 1

Hello everyone!
Thank you so much for your thoughts, encouragement, and prayers as I embark on this adventure. I just got to Spain today and it already seems so long ago. My flights felt VERY short because I was able to sleep so much (SEE, thoseofyouwhoalwaysmakefunofmeforfallingasleepsoeasily, it worked to my advantage!). Because I slept most of the dozen or so hours of flying, I am already almost on the right sleep schedule here, which is a HUGE blessing considering we are 9 hours ahead! I had a slight scare in Chicago when they questioned me and took a while letting me through because I don't have a visa (GFU messed up, but half of our group doesn't have them and they all got through fine), but fortunately I made it. Immediately after getting off the plane in Seville, we were taken to our host families. My Señora's name is Pepita and she has a husband and 24-year-old daughter living with us. My roommate, Nicole, and I are sharing a TINY bedroom in a TINY apartment. But hey, I wanted an authentic experience and I got it. :) We spent some time unpacking and talking to our Señora about rules and such. She is very nice, with a strong personality, which is great, but not what I was expecting. I understood and was able to say most things, but the Spanish here in Seville is supposed to be the hardest Spanish in the world to understand, and I can see why. The locals speak very quickly and with a lisp. Nicole and I unpacked for a bit, killed a huge spider, then ate a delicious, HUGE lunch our Señora prepared for us (at 2:30pm!). Lunch and dinners are very late here. After lunch we took a brief siesta, then made ourselves wake up and shower, which felt SO good. We then got dressed in skirts and walked around our area for a while. The architecture is so beautiful! We found our school, about a 20 minute walk from our apartment. We're about to eat dinner now at 9:00 pm, but that's where I'm at now. So...thank you for your prayers, we definitely need them! A little overwhelmed but excited and living in the moment.

Oh P.S...we are mooching internet from a neighbor, so we have it in our home! Which is rare and way awesome. :)