So my first few days back in Spain have been some of the hardest I’ve encountered yet. I’m definitely missing the wonderful time I had with my mom last week and struggling to get back into the swing of things here. School and other responsibilities picked back up right where they left off, and we’ve all hit the ground running this week.
Starting where I ended my last post, my trip back to Sevilla went almost perfectly, except that my bag did not make the transfer when I had a layover in Barcelona. Luckily, all I needed to do to remedy that problem was file a claim, and the airline delivered the bag to my school the next day. On Monday, I had classes as usual, but after class I sat down with the director here to talk about my service project (the one that got changed from ESL tutoring to working at a retirement home). After a slightly painful talk, she decided that it would be okay for me to work with a different ESL organization provided that I volunteer enough hours and let the retirement home know that I won’t be returning.
This change is a blessing in that I will be able to work on a project that my heart is truly in and that God has equipped me to do. However, this first week is a challenge because I needed to get it set up immediately in order to have enough time to finish the requirements before the end of the semester. The ESL program that I’m going to volunteer with is connected with my church, so I headed over there after school to get some more information and in hopes of meeting the people who run the program. No one was there when I got there, but I ran into my Sunday school teacher on my way back to the bus stop, and he generously connected me with the right people, and before I knew it I was at Mision Nervana, the organization I’ll work with. The kind people there gave me a tour of their place and a quick summary of what they do, and soon the kids showed up for homework help.
The ESL class at Mision Nervana only has 3 students. They already had a teacher for the class, but I was able to help with many activities, and I loved interacting with the kids. I got to use my Spanish and teaching skills a lot, and it was so great to be working on a project I really care about. Figuring all of this out and working with the kids took all afternoon, but it was totally worth it, and I’m really looking forward to going again on Wednesday. God’s hand was clearly working throughout the whole afternoon, and I’m so grateful for His provision in this way. I’m a little nervous about the added time commitment (it takes an hour to get there, and we’re with kids for 3 ½ hours twice a week), but more than that I’m excited to get invested in something I really care about outside of my school.
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