It totally didn’t feel like Thursday today because we had the day off yesterday, but it’s great to know that there’s only one more school day left this week. Today I got an email from my mom saying that she booked our last hotel in Italy, so I’m excited that everything for that trip is taken care of, and I lost myself for a couple of hours researching fun things to do in Rome and Venice. The articles I actually spent the most time on were the ones with food recommendations for the region. Go figure J
After class today Rosa and I had a really interesting conversation about unemployment in Spain. I’ve been hearing crazy statistics about the unemployment rate here all semester (some say it’s as high as 30%, although actual statistics only confirm up to 21%), and I’ve been wondering what all those people are doing. Rosa confirmed my suspicions that they’re just searching for jobs and banning together to survive. It’s incredible to me that a country can even keep running with that much unemployment, and I’m amazed that I haven’t seem more of it’s effects. The community of Sevilla seems just fine on the surface, and if I were just touring through I definitely wouldn’t have ever suspected such an epidemic. How interesting to have my eyes opened to another aspect of the culture I’m living in.
After lunch, I strolled over to the park to work on some homework and review my ceaselessly confusing grammar material. I think I mentioned this before, but we’re currently studying the subjunctive tense, and it’s a major headache for anyone who is used to English, which doesn’t distinguish this tense. I’ve studied the guide sheet our wonderful professor Carmen gave us almost every day for the last two weeks, and while I have most of it memorized, rules are just rules until I can get a hang of actually using them. So that’s what I’m working on now…my ears have been perking up every time I hear the subjunctive used in a conversation, and I always ask myself why someone chose to use the verb that way when I note it. Maybe someday I’ll actually be able to use it correctly every time, but for now I’m taking joy in the little victory of actually noticing it sometimes.
God has blessed me with an incredible sense of contentment and peace in Him over the last couple of days, and I’m absolutely reveling in it. He’s opening my eyes to see the little joys in each day and teaching me so much about being His. Recently I’ve specifically been learning about the importance of trusting Him and relinquishing control…He’s got it covered, and it’s okay for me to live safely and without worrying in that knowledge. As difficult as studying abroad, being homesick, and trying to cram a new language into my brain can be, I am so grateful for the opportunity the challenges present to grow in all of the many ways God has planted in this semester.
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