So apparently when it rains it pours. At least in Sevilla. On Monday morning it was raining so hard on my way to school that I was completely drenched the second I walked out my door. I had hoped I would be able to take refuge under my umbrella until I got to some covered parts of the sidewalk and therefore avoid paying for the metro, but after less than 10 steps, I could see that that dream was crushed. I ended up taking the metro to school and spending the rest of the day sopping wet with the rest of my classmates. It was actually kind of funny to see everyone’s reactions to the rain, and since then I’ve been much more diligent in checking the weather.
The cooler weather/rainy season has finally arrived in Sevilla, which means I’m now enjoying the same fall weather my loved ones in MN. In fact, last night when I looked up the weather it was the exact temperature in Sevilla as it was at NWC! I’m loving the cooler weather, and it’s brought with it a certain sense of relief. This is my last week of school before my week-long vacation, and it’s simply flying by. I’ve had tons and tons of stuff to do, which is why I haven’t been posting regularly.
I think being super busy has also contributed to a significant rise in my spirits. Sometimes I just love having too much to do, and this week has been a refreshing deep breath in that sense. My to-do list keeps growing…I’m getting my last minute details nailed down for my trip, I’m finishing up projects, I’ve been in meetings and sending emails…often, this is a recipe for an overwhelming week for me, but after last week I think it’s exactly what I needed. Keeping busy always takes my mind off of being away, and the fast pace of this week energizes me.
Another HUGE relief has been found in making more time to spend debriefing, praying, and reading my Bible. I was just in serious need of quality time with God, which for me is always hard to come by when I’ve hit a rough patch. It seems I tend to dwell more on the problem for a few days than the solution, which I always know can be found though humbling myself and simply praying. Sometimes it just takes me longer to remember that than it should. At any rate, God has truly been blessing me this week with lots to do and lots of His love to see in every day. I love being reminded of His presence and being reminded of the lessons He is teaching me, even if it hurts to realize I’ve been failing my lessons in that respect. A realization like this stings, but it also comes with hope and the promise of a new leaf to be turned over.
A quick summary of what’s been going on since my last post:
On Monday I had my first afternoon of volunteering at the retirement home. Like I noted before, I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the change from ESL tutoring to a retirement home, but alas, there was nothing to be done about it, so I went. I met two other girls from my school who were also volunteering there on Monday, and together we met a few of the men before I settled in with a group to play Dominoes. I stayed with them the whole time I was there, and while two and a half hours of Dominoes was a little too long for me, it was alright. I was feeling completely worn out that afternoon, so when I got home I did my homework quick, ate dinner, and went to bed as early as possible. Thankfully, I woke up feeling much better on Tuesday.
A new class started on Tuesday, and I’m really excited I decided to take it. It’s a class called Actualidad, and it’s all about modern Spain, and we started with learning about the different cultures of the various regions of Spain. Each of the SIS teachers will teach the course for one week, touching on different topics, such as politics, religion, infrastructure etc. of Spain. It’s a small class, and I’m looking forward to having it again on Thursday, when we’re meeting over lunch (pizza!). After Actualidad, I met with my intercambio for dinner. We planned to meet at 8, and I was thinking we would just grab tapas somewhere near my school and then go our separate ways, but instead we headed over to a mall in a nearby suburb where we window shopped for a while before going to a tapas bar in Raquel’s hometown. It was really fun, and I got to practice my Spanish a lot, which is always great.
Again, I came home completely exhausted, worked on a few loose ends, and went to bed. Today has flown by as well. I’m officially checked in for all of my flights, have my itinerary completely set up, and have my bus ticket for my trip to Portugal purchased. There are a few compositions due before vacation, so I’ve been working on those, and I’m trying to make study guides to take with me on my trip instead of hauling all of my schoolwork with me. We’ll see how that works out.
Tonight we had encuentro, which was incredible. We reflected on the amazing sacrifice Christ made for us, and I was reminded of all of the amazing ways God moves in our lives. It was kind of a heavy topic…talking about how awful crucifixion was and how gracious God is, and I’m looking forward to reflecting on it a bit more in the upcoming days.
After encuentro, I met with my friend Bri to revise our compositions for grammar and then headed home for dinner. Corinne is leaving early for fall break (tomorrow!), so she has been busy packing, and it makes me even more excited to get away for a while. I received a few emails tonight about my student teaching application that were initially fairly concerning, but in the end everything got worked out. Things actually worked out even better than I had hoped, and I’m thrilled to have confirmation that an ESL/Spanish Ed dual licensure is now available at NWC and that it will be possible for me to get both licenses and still graduate on time. Basically, this means that I will be qualified to teach both English and Spanish as second languages, which I’m really excited about.
It is so great to be walking on the path that God puts before me. I’m continually reminded that He has everything perfectly planned out; all I have to do is be patient and obedient. I can’t wait to see what more He has in store for me this week, in the rest of the semester, and in life after study abroad (yes, it does exist, and it’s nearly in sight!), but for now I’m trying to learn to take things one step at a time, leaning on Him and knowing that His plan is infallible.
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