Monday, September 5

            I’m loving life. Every minute of it ;) Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and for His never-ending supply of blessings!

            Today marked the beginning of classes, introducing an actual routine into my life for the first time in about 6 months when regular classes ended in Costa Rica and we began traveling more. Since then I’ve enjoyed the variety of a non-scheduled life, but routine is something I’m welcoming back into my life with two outstretched arms. Corrine and I started this morning on the Metro again because her foot is still hurting her, and I woke up feeling pretty out of it due to my cold. We were a pretty rough looking pair on the way to school.

            Once classes started, I was excited to find out who my teachers are and how classes will operate here. I had four classes back to back starting at 9 and releasing around 12:30. All of my teachers seem really nice (they’re all very understanding and speak clearly so we can understand!!), and the classes will surely be interesting. I’m looking forward to getting to know the other students in my classes and improving my Spanish reading and writing skills. It’s a schedule I think I’ll really enjoy. Corrine has another class after my last one, so I will probably work on homework for an hour in the park near school most days in order to walk back to the apartment for lunch with her. Today, however, I was feeling pretty sick, so I decided to go home right after class and take a nap.

            After sleeping for about an hour I felt a lot better, and I worked on reorganizing my things for a little bit before Corrine came home and we ate lunch. Rosa asked about classes, and we talked about some of the social problems here in Spain. My choice conversation topics will forever be influenced by LASP and the requirements there to talk to everyone about issues of every kind. I enjoyed the conversation and the meal, and one we finished I dove into my homework.

            Apparently I started with my hardest homework, my reading for Latin American Literature. We’re going to read one novel in its entirety for sure this semester, and we started it for homework today. While I understand the general idea of the writing the first time through, the vocabulary was way over my head, and I ended up with a 2-page list of words to look up. Once I looked up all of the words I didn’t know, I re-read the selection. The reading was much smoother the second time around, but this approach took much too long. I won’t have a couple of hours to devote to every 10 pages I need to read for homework.

            Soooo, I tried another method with my next assignment, an introduction to Romanticism, my other literature class. The vocabulary in this reading was much closer to my level, and instead of making a separate list, I defined words I didn’t know in the margins. This was much more effective because the definitions are right with the context I need them in and it saves lots of writing and time in general. My final assignment was for my class called “3 cultures of Spain.” It’s a survey of Spanish history though the perspectives of the three religions that have been prominent in the country at some point, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. I would say this reading was exactly where I was at, and in comparison to the other two assignments I flew through this one.

            Figuring out a good way to get things done and learn as much as possible will be key to my success here. Spending hours on end doing homework is not something I’m hoping to do every day here, and I was a little discouraged after working on my first assignment for so long. Once things picked up, I felt much better, and I know I just need to give myself some time to get the hang of academics here. By the time I finally finished my homework, I was pretty much going stir crazy, so I went for a walk to cheer myself up and in hopes of finding a good study spot outside of the apartment.

            My venture was successful in both respects. The Spanish sun brightened my mood as soon as I stepped out of the apartment complex, and the beautiful, wonderful park just down the street made me feel even better. The park was full of families, kids, and people walking their dogs. I loved everything about it: it was huge, there were fountains and the benches were ample, and none of the dogs there tried to become my best friend. On top of all that, there is a really cool play set for the kids right next to a few pieces of exercise equipment for the parents. I think that was one of the best ideas I’ve ever seen. Another SIS student was studying in the park, so I got to say hi to her, and then I headed back to the apartment for a relaxed evening, during which I ate dinner with Rosy and Corrine and caught up on my blog. 

Sunday, September 4

            Praise God for Sundays! Today was such a wonderful, relaxing day of rest, and I loved every minute of it. Since Corinne’s foot was sore from all the walking we did yesterday, we took the metro (subway) to the school to meet the other 3 girls going to church with us. By doing this, we traded a 30-minute walk in for a 5-minute ride, which is so nice I’m in danger of getting into the bad habit of using the metro (which is kind of spendy) more often. The other girls were already at the school when we got there, so the 5 of us purchased and credited “frequent traveler cards,” which are good for a discount on bus, train, tram, and metro rides throughout Sevilla before venturing out for church.

            We found the main bus station in Sevilla pretty easily, but it took asking a few people to get to the right stop. Eventually we found it and gave our directions to the bus driver, who we were counting on to tell us when to get off the bus. He had no idea where the church was, so we asked a few other people on the bus and no one knew. We knew the ride would be about 30 minutes, so we kept asking people until we got closer and a couple of people told us where we needed to be. It was really funny because once a woman on the bus found out we weren’t sure where we were going she asked every other passenger where the church was. I’ve been amazed and comforted by the Spanish hospitality and willingness to help.

            Eventually, we got off at the right stop and had to walk about a block to the church, which we could see from the bus stop, which was nice. We were there pretty early, so we had time to talk and get to know each other a little better before heading into the biggest evangelical church in Sevilla, home to about 300 members. It was a pretty contemporary Baptist church, and I really enjoyed the worship and general feel of the church. The message was easy for me to understand for the most part (which is super encouraging!!), and the sense of community within the church was remarkable. We were greeted by several members after the service, and I was surprised by how many of them spoke English. I think everyone enjoyed the service, and I was encouraged and motivated by the message to “be of a different spirit” as a follower of Christ.

            We took the bus back to the city center for lunch, which was delicious, and then we wandered around the city for a while, seeing sights and eating ice cream. We spent lots of time in a huge garden with lots of fountains, and we went to the Spanish plaza, where part of Star Wars episode one was filmed. The hot, sunny weather suited my taste perfectly, and we figured with the unit conversion that it was about 90 degrees this afternoon, although without the humidity of Minnesota I felt perfectly comfortable. Near the end of our venture through the city, our feet were aching and we stopped for ice cream, another bad habit I’m afraid I might get hooked on here. ;)

            I took the metro back home to give myself a little more time with Rosa, which turned out to be a good idea. The minute I got home, she started recounting her day to me, and I ended up settling in for an hour or more of listening before I even made it past the entry way. Finally, I mentioned wanting to get to bed early, so Rosa made us an early dinner (which was so nice and totally unnecessary), and I got all ready for bed so that I could settle in right after dinner. I spent a little while researching camera options before getting to sleep, full of excitement in anticipation of classes tomorrow.

Saturday, September 3

We got to the school at 10:30 for a photo scavenger hunt, but we were all locked out, so we got a bit of a late start. While we were waiting, a few of us thought about going out on our own to explore instead, but we decided to hang around. When we finally made our groups, I intentionally went with people I didn’t know very well yet, which proved to be a challenging, yet good choice.

The places we had to find were located in every nook and cranny of the city, and we had until 7:30 to get pictures of our group with every landmark we could find. My group wanted to win, so we raced around the city finding notable landmarks and taking fun pictures. Everyone else loved the American Plaza, where you can buy bird food and be covered with greedy pigeons. I think it’s pretty needless to say I liked all the other landmarks better ;) My favorite was the Plaza de Espana…you should look it up. It’s incredible.

We took a very fast lunch break and met up again to finish the hunt. Corrine had her group’s list of things to find during lunch, so our senora pointed out some of the places we couldn’t find for us. After we met back up, my group raced through the last few places we didn’t have to take a train to and then waited at the school for all the groups to finish. I talked to Katie, one of the people who works at SIS about my concerns about taking too many classes this semester. She said that the Flamenco dancing class is really fun, but she also said that I should be careful not to overload myself. After that discussion, I decided that I will probably skip Flamenco. It’s not something I’ve been dying to do, and I’d rather have more free time than another class, even if it might be fun.

Anyway…once everyone got there, we had a really fun slideshow with everyone’s pictures from the day and ice cream. I was planning to go out to dinner with my group, so I told Rosa I wouldn’t be home for dinner, but I ended up going out with another girl who was hoping to find someone to eat with. We went to a tapas bar, which is a place where they sell small portions of traditional Spanish foods so that you can get more variety in your meal. I loved it! I got chicken curry (the sauce had a tangy, honey taste to it…yum!) and tortilla espanola (which is like an omelet with potatoes in it…also very tasty)! The two dishes really didn’t go together, but I loved that I could have both flavors in one meal.

After dinner we wandered the side streets of the city for a little while before heading home. Being surprised by how late it is has become a pattern for me, likely because the social culture and siesta time creates a pretty active city, even late at night. When I got home, I talked to Corrine and Rosa a bit and then pretty much went straight to bed. My legs and feet were so tired that laying down felt wonderful, and when I went to bed I couldn’t believe how much ground we covered today!

Friday, September 2

            It was a little more difficult to get out of bed this morning, but once I got moving I felt pretty good. I have been so comforted with peace that could only be from God, and knowing His presence here has been a huge blessing. I love having a slow-paced morning, and sitting down for breakfast is something I do all too little. Having a host mom take care of me is something that has taken lots of getting used to, but I feel like we’re falling into a really nice routine here, and so far I’m loving every minute of it.

Because we dragged our feet a little getting out of the house, we were a few minutes late to school, but today was registration, so it wasn’t a big deal. We ran into a couple of other students on the way, so it was fun to talk to them. Registration was a little nerve racking because I wasn’t sure about the classes I got registered for. My test scores were in the middle of two different levels, and I opted for the more difficult courses. It will probably be a challenge, but I hope the classes work out. If not, the professors assured me that I can try it for a week and make changes after if necessary. I’m taking two literature classes, a grammar glass, and a culture class. I’m also registered to be part of the service learning class and the class on modern Spain, so we’ll see how it goes ;)

After registration we had a culture 101 class, which was pretty basic, and then we all went home for siesta. On the walk home we stopped at an ATM to withdraw our first Euros, and when we got to the apartment Rosa asked us all about registration before getting lunch ready. We talked a little about the country of Spain over lunch, and Rosa showed us pictures from her nephew’s wedding. I also shared pictures of my family, and then we all kind of did our own thing for the afternoon. I read, wrote some emails, and got to chat with my mom for a while before Corinne and I took off for the pizza party at school. During siesta time I found my idle brain tending towards worrying about the semester that lies ahead of me. I was feeling overwhelmed by registration this morning and I was thinking all too much about home. Finally, I just took a few minutes to read my Bible and pray. God always knows where to meet me, and His mercy never fails me. With Him in control, my day totally turned around and my evening was a total blast.

Corinne and I got to the pizza party a half hour early and there were some other girls waiting at the door trying to get in to use the internet. The only problem is that I didn’t know we were early. I actually thought that was when the party started. Soooo…I rang the bell excessively and urgently, seriously confused as to why no one was answering. We finally got in the door because someone was coming out of another apartment, and climbing the stairs, we discovered the school was locked. It wasn’t until this point that I was informed we were so early and that the other girls had just arrived to try and use the computers there before the party. Oh well…I guess it’s a funny story. The five of us early birds spent a half hour hanging out in the park before we went over to the school and then joined the rest of the class for the party.

We started the evening with “speed dating” to get to know our fellow classmates. We were in a smallish room, so it got very loud, and by the end of the game we were all hoarse from yelling in order to be heard. After the game, we had pizza, and I had so much fun getting to talk with some of the other students. Since the girls who were there early didn’t get to use the internet when they wanted, we spent a while after the party trying to find wifi but only succeeded in finding some delicious ice cream. Time escaped us as we enjoyed a beautiful night in the city, and I was bummed that my camera broke earlier today because there were some awesome photo opps. Luckily, I have all semester for that J

Buenas Noches, mundo! It’s already 1:00am here, a very normal hour for Spaniards to be out until even if they’re not up to no good, but the small town Minnesotan in me can’t believe it’s so late, and my droopy eyes cannot stay open much longer. Hasta Mañana, con una corazón feliz, les saludo. (With a happy heart I say goodbye until tomorrow)

Thursday, September 1

            Day one of “normal” life in Seville has gone incredibly smoothly. I’m thrilled with how well my body is transitioning to the seven-hour time difference and the meal schedule here.  I guess all of the sleeping I got in on the plane rides over the last couple of days really helped in my transition, and I’m so grateful to be feeling almost 100% already, after just one night of wonderful sleep in a bed. It’s amazing how great a bed can feel after trying to sleep in an “upright position” for two days. Like in the US, Spaniards eat three meals per day; however, their meal schedule is a little bit different than what I’m used to. In fact, their entire daily schedule is an exciting change to get used to.

            The typical Spanish day is split up into morning (which lasts until about 2:00pm) and afternoon (beginning around 4 or 5pm). What happens with all that time in between 2 and 4, one might ask. Let me tell you all about it. ;) Here in Spain the custom is to take a 2-hour “siesta” around 2:00. Many commonly think of siesta time as a time when Spaniards go home and take a 2-hour nap in the middle of the day. While naptime is an option during the siesta, the primary use of the midday break is to gather as a family to eat a large lunch. Because lunch is so late, the Spanish eat huge breakfasts, something that will take some getting used to for me, and because there is such a nice break for siesta, they eat a very large lunch as well. This schedule of eating lots in the morning and afternoon leads to a much lighter dinner at a really late hour, usually around 9 or 10pm.

Luckily, my eating schedule was entirely messed up during our travel time, and today I was hungry just in time for our meals. Our senora served us both two massive pieces of toast for breakfast with an array of toppings to choose from, including butter, cheese, and two kinds of marmalade. She also had fruit, cookies, coffee, orange juice, and tea for us to choose from. Neither one of us could even finish the main course of bread, and for the first time in my study abroad experiences I had to tell my host mom that I could not finish what she served me. I was very reluctant to do so, but our senora was totally understanding and promised to give us both less toast tomorrow.

When we were ready for the day, our senora, whose name is Rosa (although she told us to call her Rosy), took us to a hotel where our orientation was held. Although the orientation lasted about 5 hours, we had a couple of nice breaks, and I was relieved that I wasn’t terribly overwhelmed with information. Meeting our professors makes me so excited to get started with classes. We took another placement exam and got our cell phones for the semester, which was really exciting. The phone system here will also take some getting used to, but its fun and comforting to know I have my own access to communication.

After orientation, we were to find our way home independently, which proved to be a challenge for Corinne and I. We wandered around in the rain for about 20 minutes before finding a landmark we recognized, and as soon as we got home we had to dry off and change out of our soaking clothes. Being lost didn’t bother me so much as make me more excited to get to know the city. I was reminded of how lost I felt during the first few weeks in Costa Rica and that by the end of my trip I could have given a tour of San Jose. It was nice to have lunch with Rosa and spend a little while during the afternoon relaxing. I wrote a few emails and spent some time reading, and I was amazed by how quickly the siesta passed. Soon we were on our way to school to participate in the citywide tour given by a few college-aged natives of Sevilla.

The tour was about 2 ½ hours long and included many major sites in Sevilla, although I believe we missed much of the city. It was fun to get out and see things for the first time, but by the end we were all tired, hungry, wet, and ready to go home. Rosa began making dinner for us as soon as we arrived at the apartment, and after we ate we both kind of settled in for the night. It was so encouraging to hear from home a little bit, and all day I was trying to keep track of things I saw that I wanted to tell everyone about. There’s so much to take in, and I’m having loads of fun so far…I can’t wait for registration tomorrow!

Wednesday, August 31

The never-ending day(s) of travel to Sevilla are finally drawing to a close as I sit here on my Senora’s (host mom’s) couch. I left my house at 4:45 am Tuesday morning, when John drove me to the airport, and it is now 3:14 pm on Wednesday Minnesota time. Between three flights and a couple of incredibly long lay-overs, it feels as though I haven’t stopped moving since 4:00 yesterday morning. However, I shouldn’t be complaining. I somehow managed to sleep for about 6 of the 7.5 hours it took us to get from Chicago to Madrid, and I slept on the flight to Chicago and from Madrid to Sevilla.

It was fun and a little overwhelming to meet everyone at the airport, and I’ve been grateful for the company during travel and the positive outlooks that everyone has brought to the last couple of days. As soon as we landed in Sevilla, we found our checked bags and made our way to a bus, which dropped groups of us off at various stops where our host moms picked us up. My roommate, Corinne, and I were met by a lovely excited woman of about 65 who showed us to her apartment and gave us a quick tour of the cozy home before giving us some time to unpack.

We’re both struggling to find places to put everything, but with a few more hangers, which we plan to buy this week, and a couple of other adjustments, I’m confident we will settle in comfortably. We were thrilled to find a decent free internet connection accessible from our apartment, and we spent a little while contacting our families and catching up on things. After I tried Skyping my mom, I went out to the living room to watch some TV and chat with my host mom. She was watching a Spanish series set in the early 1900s, which I was happy to watch with her, considering my recent affinity to that era. We got to talk a little bit about her family, students she has hosted in the past, and my family, which was really fun.

A while later, our Senora showed Corinne and I where our school is, and we spent some time there using a better internet connection with the other students. We walked home with another student, Danielle, who lives near us, and it was fun to get to know the neighborhood a little bit. Sevilla has a very calm feel to it, and none of our host moms were concerned about our safety walking to and from the school, which is a nice change of pace after San Jose.

We ate dinner when we got back, and then I took a shower in the smallest shower I have ever seen in my life. I think it might be smaller than the showers on cruise ships, and its outer boundary is a flimsy curtain that lets all the water out if you’re not careful. Like all living arrangements, my new home will take some getting used to, but I already feel pretty comfortable here, and walking through the city today I was filled with anticipation and excitement for the upcoming semester. God’s peace has been with me throughout my entire journey here, and I can hardly wait to see what He has in store for me in Sevilla!

Monday, August 29

Hello world!
I'm slowly and slightly reluctantly making my way back to the blogging world. Its been a whirlwind of a summer, and I can hardly believe that I am about to embark on another semester abroad. Before I dive into my next semester abroad, I think it might be fun to write a quick snapshot of my summer. I'll try picking up right where I left off in my last post. I made it home from Latin America at the end of April and found myself right in the middle of my nice comfortable life. The only difference was all of the growth I experienced while away and my new awareness of the world around me. It has been a struggle to get back into the swing of things and get used to the patterns of life here again, and mostly I feel like I just threw myself back into life full speed ahead.
I spent most of my summer nannying for the wonderful family I have worked with for three years now, and I had a blast going to beaches, pools, and parks with the three little girls I watched. I also took a few summer classes, which were not quite as fun, but it feels good to have them out of the way. Between work and class, I spent lots of time with my friends and family, and I started going to Zumba classes at the gym in town, which I absolutely loved! It seems like the summer flew by, with family gatherings and weekend trips thrown in here and there, and now my final project of the summer is upon me…packing everything I will need for four months of life into two little suitcases.
While I might be "slightly reluctant" to be getting back to blogging (because its hard to imagine writing every day again after having taken some time away from it), I am looking forward to my upcoming semester in Spain. It will be difficult, but in different ways than Costa Rica was, and I'm looking forward to the new challenges and the eminent growth that will come out of them. One of the biggest challenges, which was a huge part of my experience in Costa Rica, is simply being away from home by myself for so long. Sure, there will be other students there with me, and I'm looking forward to building up those relationships, but it is difficult to go away from all of the incredible people I know and love here.
My next post will likely be written from Seville, Spain, my home base for the next few months. In Seville I will take classes like Spanish Literature and The Three Cultures of Spain. My course load will be at least 16 credits, and if I am able to add on a 2 credit service learning class, hopefully I will finish the semester with 18 more credits under my belt. I'm so excited to use Spanish again every day and to experience everything God has in store for me on this journey. As always, your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me, and I can't wait to share this adventure with you!