Sunday, September 18

            What a busy day today turned out to be! We got up again for church and went a little early for Bible study, which was really fun. On the bus ride we ran into two other study abroad students from a different program who were going to the same church, so it was fun to get to know them a little bit. It was the first week of the young adult Bible study, so it was the perfect time to join. The small group is starting the year with a study of who God is, so today we looked at aspects of God the Father. It was really fun because I understood everything and had opportunities to participate in the discussion and get to know the other young people of the church. One girl in particular, who recently moved here with her family from Brazil was really friendly, and she showed us around the church a little more and then sat with us during the service.

There is a group of short-term missionaries visiting our church, so we had a message from their pastor this week. They had to translate the message from Portuguese, and we sat a little farther away from the speakers this week, so it was a lot harder for us to understand, but what I did understand was really good. He talked about our spiritual gifts and how we use the abilities we are blessed with to spread God’s word.

After church, we were starving and headed back to Rosa’s house for a lovely lunch of tortilla Española, my favorite Spanish food. It’s basically an omelet with potatoes in it served with mayonnaise, and for some reason I just love it. After lunch I started working on my second composition, which I was a bit dismayed to find out needs to be quite a bit more substantial than I thought. I met a few girls at the park to work with them and ended up writing four whole pages about two poems…all in Spanish! While it’s taking a lot more time than I thought, I think it’s so much fun to be able to write that much in Spanish, so I guess I don’t mind too much.

My whole evening was pretty much full of homework, but I also got to talk with a few people from home, so I really enjoyed that. This weekend was a really good time of refreshment for me, and I feel like I finally have a good handle on how this semester will look socially and academically. It seems like it’s been a long, hard transition for me, but I’m grateful for the changes study abroad brings and I’m really happy to feel a little more settled in now. 

Saturday, September 17

            Well…today’s adventure to Cadiz turned into a day spent wandering around Sevilla instead. Corinne and I woke up early and headed out to the bus stop, but we apparently went to the wrong one. We left really early because we weren’t exactly sure where we were going (although we had a map and Rosa told us the name of the bus station and how to get there) and we still needed to buy bus tickets, so it wasn’t really a big deal that we were in the wrong place. Except that the guy working at that bus stop told us we needed to be at one all the way across the city to get a bus to Cadiz. We had heard that the station he directed us to was not the right one, but there was some construction going on at some of the stations, so we thought something may have changed.

            Anyway, there was no way we were going to get to the bus station he told us to go to before the bus was scheduled to leave, so we walked along the river towards the bus stop hoping that another bus would be headed to Cadiz a little later. When we finally got all the way across town, the man there told us we had been just a block away from the right bus stop the first time. We pulled out a map and found that he was right…Rosa had told us the name of the right bus stop, but we mixed them up when talking to the man at the first station. All said and done, we decided to just enjoy the day in Sevilla instead of racing across the city again to try and get to Cadiz.

            We spent a good peaceful hour sitting on the banks of the river that goes through the city before heading back to our apartment to drop off our beach supplies and lighten our loads for our day on the town. Then, we meandered through Triana, the part of the city where we live but have gotten to know very little. We had fun taking random streets and stopping in whatever shops that caught our eyes. One store we spent a while in was a massive game store with every board game under the sun in it. It was cool to see what games they had translated from the US and what kinds of games they had in Spanish that I didn’t recognize.

I also really enjoyed checking out the local market. It wasn’t nearly as big or as crowded as the markets I grew accustomed to in Latin America, but it was still a market, and being there seeing and smelling all the fresh food was a blast. We stopped at a few stands to ask questions about what people were selling. At one seafood stand, there were these things that looked like tube shaped shells with something sticking out of each end. The man at the stand explained that they were some type of shellfish that he sells live, and then ran his fingers over them to show us how they squirm. He also told us all about how to prepare them and how they farm them. Apparently they live under the sand along the waterline by the ocean, and if you sprinkle salt on the sand they come to the surface and are caught to be eaten. We both thought it was really cool.

We also stopped at a fruit stand because Rosa has been feeding us this incredible fruit that none of us have ever seen before, and I was curious about what it is. The fruit seller told us they’re a mix of pear and apple, which Corinne and I both sounded like exactly what they taste like. I’m not sure how I’ll live without those (we still don’t know their name or where they’re grown…more research to be done!) and the gloden plums we have everyday here…fresh fruit is something I’ve been thrilled to be spoiled with during both of my study abroad experiences J

            Eventually, we made our way to a park for lunch and spent some time looking at the artisan stands set up around that plaza. I was on a hunt for a specific kind of scarf, so we had to look at every stand for one. I was being too picky and ended up leaving without a scarf, but I did find out where some other artisans set up stands, so there is a chance I will find one another time. After lunch we headed to El Corte Ingles, the most popular and by far the biggest department store in Spain. It reminded us both of Macy’s, and we were both shocked by the prices, so our visit there was fairly short.

            Corinne had some things she wanted to shop for, and I was having fun looking in all the shops, so we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the shopping district of the city. By the time we were worn out, it was about 5:00, so we headed back to our apartment. Rosa was surprised to see us back so early, but we explained what happened to her and she was happy to know we still enjoyed our day. She’s always saying that whatever we do is find with her as long as we enjoy our semester here. What a sweetheart! She also bought us little cake treats today while she was out, so we were greeted with that lovely surprise when we went into our room to rest and do some homework.

            It turned out to be a really fun day, and I’m so grateful that God had the blessings that came with today in store for us. I’ve been worn out in so many ways, and this was just what I needed. It was a great time for Corinne and I to get to know each other a little bit better and an opportunity for me to relax and have fun without worrying about keeping up with the whole group of students here or worrying about homework.

            With that said, there is still homework to be done, so the rest of my evening will consist of getting a good start on that so I don’t have to work on it quite so much tomorrow. It seems like things are finally falling into place, and after I experience my first tests and presentation this week, I think I will have a really good idea of what the rest of the semester will look like academically. I praise God for bringing me through the hard times and for blessing me with so many good times already this semester, and I’m excited and encouraged looking ahead to what’s in store for the next 3 months!

Friday, September 16

            What a beautiful afternoon I had today. The weather was absolutely incredible, and I got to spend some time at the park this afternoon just enjoying where I was. In my Romanticism class we went to a park to read and see a monument of Gustavo Adolfo Bequer, the poet we’ve been reading, so that was really fun, too. I have lots of homework to work on over the weekend, so I’m a bit intimidated by that, but I’m confident it will be alright. Next week I have my first two tests, a presentation and two compositions due, so I’ll be pretty busy this weekend getting ready for those as well as enjoying Cadiz.

            My group met this evening to start working on our presentation, and I had time to write one of my compositions, so I’m grateful for the good start I have on my work already. After our meeting, we all hung out for a while and ate ice cream, and then I went for a walk with my friend, Danielle. It was fun to spend time with each of those girls outside of school, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to build relationships that will be fruitful throughout the semester.

In all, it was a pretty fun day. At dinner I asked Rosa about the politics of Spain and found out that is a landmine of a topic with her. It was really fun and interesting for me to listen to her perspective and learn a little bit more about how the government of Spain runs. The conversation lasted all through dinner and for at least 40 minutes after that, so if I’m ever at a loss for things to talk about with her again, now I know just where to start.

            Corinne and I are a little nervous about tomorrow’s trip to Cadiz because we found out today that the bus tickets we thought we bought online were actually never purchased. We know where the bus station is and what time the bus leaves, so it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Rosa said they’re doing construction on that bus station, and she’s not sure they still send buses to Cadiz from there. We decided to just go in the morning and check it out…if we can’t figure out how to get to the beach we may end up staying here and getting to know Sevilla a little bit more. Either way, it should be a good time, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend!

Thursday, September 15

            Today started out as a pretty normal day, and throughout a lot of it I was trying hard to convince myself that things will get easier as the semester goes on. I know that God has a plan for me here, a great and wonderful plan that will make me grow and learn lots. I also know that patience is one of the things He is teaching me, so I was just praying for His strength and for Him to open my eyes to see the blessings in everyday things. Grammar class was definitely the highlight of my morning. I just love learning about the intricacies of language and gaining a better understanding of Spanish every day.

            Corinne and I are planning on going to Cadiz this weekend, but we found out today that pretty much everyone else has changed their plans, so I think we’ll be the only people heading to the beach here this weekend. I was kind of disappointed at first that more people didn’t want to come, but I think it will be fun for the two of us to go and just do whatever we want while we’re there. I left school feeling a little drained academically and socially, and after lunch I just needed a break, so I took my music and Bible to the park and spent some time with God before heading to BINGO at the nursing home. Going to the park has become a good outlet for me, and my time there this afternoon was really refreshing.

            Around 5, I went to school to meet a group that was going to play BINGO at a local nursing home for a little while. Usually, this type of outing is not my thing, but I decided to give it a whirl, and I’m really glad I did. It was really good practice to talk with and listen to the people there, and I had lots of fun playing BINGO, although I’ve never had very much luck at it. ;) The men at the nursing home (it’s a center for only men) were so friendly and happy to have company that it just brightened my day to be there.

            After BINGO, I stopped at a coffee shop with one of my friends on the way home. We talked about the difficulties that have come with the transition for both of us, and it was SO good to be able to relate to each other in that way. I had lots of fun, and it was nice to be able to do something relaxing and social outside of school. When I got home, I finally got to talk to my friend Emily about visiting her in Portugal over fall break, so that was really good, and I had more fun talking with Rosa.

            In the end, it turned out to be a really good day, and I’m feeling WAY more hopeful for the rest of the semester. Working through the initial struggles of any transition is one of the hardest parts, and God is good, so I can’t wait to see what He brings to my doorstep in the days to come.

Wednesday, September 14

            Well, here I am…in Spain, finding myself. My love for learning is never saturated, but sometimes I wish I could just know what the right thing to do is in every situation. This week has definitely been one that’s full of struggles and learning, and I’m grateful that God is bringing me through it. Through my experience here, He’s teaching me patience, humility, perseverance, and the importance of being vulnerable, among many other things…I’m struggling to keep up with His class, but luckily He’s a gracious teacher.

            I stayed late at the school today to talk with our program coordinator a little bit about how hard it’s been for me to transition from a semester in Latin America to a program in Europe. We talked about the social differences between the two programs I’ve participated in and some ways I can make the best of my experience here. It was a good time for me to re-establish a good perspective on the semester, and because I was meeting with her I ended up being at the school until it closed. While this meant I arrived at home later, it also meant that I got to walk home with a lot of my classmates. I never realized that so many people stay after class to use the school’s computers, but it was a fun discovery to make, and I enjoyed spending time with some more people.  

            My afternoon started with a heart-to-heart with my roommate, which was much needed on my part. We again talked about the difficulties of transitioning into a semester abroad, and we connected through the experience. God’s definitely teaching me the value of sharing my burdens and struggles with the people around me, and I’m grateful for the wonderful people He’s placed in my life for that purpose. After our chat, I headed over to the park to study with a couple of friends, which was another good experience. We talked a little bit about our hopes for fall break and the challenges that come with being away from home and getting to know new people. I appreciated the change of pace and the company while working on homework, and after a couple of hours the three of us headed over to the small local church where Encuentro is held.

            Katie gave another really encouraging lesson tonight that went right along with what I’ve been struggling with. She talked about how in life and our walk with God we are always at some point in a growth cycle, and while it’s easy to get frustrated and give up, faithfully persevering is what God calls us to do. After Encuentro was officially over, I talked with my prayer group to set up our first meeting, which I’m really excited for. We had a really fun dinner with our Senora, and then I hit the hay. For some reason today was exhausting for me, so I’m praying for rejuvenation and strength as I head into tomorrow…only two days away from another weekend!

Tuesday, September 13

            I feel like God has been trying to teach me not to close doors He has left open in my life this week. After yesterday’s challenges, I was feeling a little discouraged this morning, and I was just praying for God to show me Himself and the hope I have in Him today.

            The day started of on a positive note right away when I found a lovely, encouraging email this morning, and I cheerfully shared news from home with Corinne on the walk to school. We left a little early to print some things off, and when we got to school I proofread my composition for my Romanticism class before the day officially began with Spanish history. During grammar, I learned a few new grammar rules that would have been incredibly helpful to know about two hours earlier…like maybe when I was proofreading my paper. I also discovered some helpful information about the poem I wrote about during Romanticism class itself. Apparently, I misunderstood parts of the poem when I read it by myself. After class I felt a lot less confident about my paper than I did last night when I was writing it, but that’s alright…all the professors understand that we’re just learning J

            My literature classes were fun as always, and it was a day of extra excitement because people started talking about plans for the weekend and for fall break. I’m hoping to go to Cadiz, a historic town on the coast known for its sights and great beach this weekend, and to split my fall break between visiting Emily (a friend of mine from NWC) when she goes to Portugal and seeing a little bit of Italy with some other girls here with SIS. We’ll see how the plans go and what God has in mind.

            After classes got out, there was a meeting for prayer group leaders, so I went to lunch with a really great group of girls to talk about what exactly those will look like this semester and what expectations are for us as group leaders. I’m looking forward to getting my small group together soon as well as keeping in touch with the other leaders throughout the semester. We went to an awesome Chinese restaurant for lunch, and on the way home I took a detour through the park for a little while. The increased action and good conversations I had throughout the day really helped bring me out of my slump from yesterday. Staying busy, well rested, and positive truly are important for me, especially during a semester abroad.

            When I got home, I talked with Rosa for a little bit…she is just the sweetest person you’ll every meet, and then I did homework for a little bit before heading back to school for a Zumba session led by one of my classmates. I stopped for my friend Danielle on the way, and I was really eager for Zumba…it’s something I enjoyed doing a lot this summer, and I felt like it could be just what I need at this point in my journey. The class was pretty fun, although different from what I was used to, and my legs were definitely sore as I walked back home from the school. Rosa made us homemade Spanish-style pizza for dinner, which I loved, of course, and I spent the rest of the evening finishing up homework and getting ready for the rest of the week. Tomorrow should be another good day…we have Encuentro in the evening and everything seems to go much smoother as the week progresses on. Hasta Mañana!

Monday, September 12

            I had kind of a tiring, challenging day today. It started off really good…I read in Mark about the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus before He was crucified, and it reminded me that God showers us in extravagant blessings every day. I prayed for God to give me strength to bless others extravagantly and that He would open my eyes to see the blessings He lays out before me every minute of the day. After this, I had a peaceful walk to school and started classes as normal.

            One daily blessing I’ve been noticing is that the “walk” signal on stoplights almost always shows up just as I get to the crosswalk, and I always walk across the street with a big smile (which makes me easy to pick out as an American) because I know that God is watching out for me as I walk to and from school. During class I kind of felt like I was just having an off day, and I got a bit more homework than I would have liked. After school, I studied in the park for a while as usual, and then Corinne and I went home for lunch. The afternoon seemed to drag on rather slowly as I worked on homework.

            I know that homework is a big part of the reason I’m here, but during long afternoons like this, I can’t help but think “I can do homework at home, where I’m comfortable and have friends…I should be here having fun or at home with my nose in books.” I’m praying for patience and eyes to see what God has for me each day as He guides me through my semester here. Later in the afternoon, I just couldn’t stand studying anymore, so I went to the neighborhood park, which has become one of my favorite hang outs, to read and walk for a while. It was really refreshing, and I ran into my friend Danielle there, which was just a wonderful gift from God…by that point in my day I needed someone who could just relate to me, and she was the perfect person for the job.

            Eventually, I had to get back for dinner and to finish my homework, but I felt a lot better after my break. I went to sleep reminding myself that God is my strength and provider. I know He has my life in His hands, so I want to live everyday of my life seeking His purposes and following His path.