Glimpses of culture and the end of a journey

What a whirlwind month! I can't even begin to cover everything that has happened in these last few months and it would be way too long of a blog entry, anyway, if I attempted to do so. This is my attempt at summarizing.

Last week I finished up my volunteer work tutoring kids at El Convento de Santa Isabel. Working here was not always easy, but I am definitely glad that I did it. For one, it was an opportunity to get connected in some way with the community in Sevilla. It also was another way for me to actually get out and use what I know of Spanish to help children with their homework. However, it was also often frustrating because of poor curriculum (especially their English curriculum), which made it hard to go in once a week and feel like I was actually able to help all that much. This experience did really stretch me though as I had to think through how to explain different concepts and words to the children. I also really enjoyed just spending time with the children. We ended the semester with a party with games and ice cream, which was also a lot of fun.

In this last month, I've also been able to see some unique aspects of Spanish culture, such as Semana Santa, flamenco and Feria.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a huge deal in Spain, and particularly in Sevilla (there are tourists from all over the world here during that time). All week long there are pasos, or parades of men called Nazarenes in long robes and pointed hats, carrying crosses or large floats of either the Virgin or Christ. Although I was traveling during the first part of the week, I was in Sevilla to see some of the pasos. It made me sad because I felt like it missed the point of Easter in many ways. The Virgin was more highly celebrated than Christ, and there was also no emphasis at all on the resurrection. However, it was something I was glad I was able to see because it is such a part of the traditions, culture and mentality here. Part of experiencing another culture is seeing even the things that I don't really like. On Easter Sunday, however, I was able to attend a church service at the evangelical church down the road from me and also spend some time reading the Easter story and sharing with friends in the park, which was a great way to spend the day.

Flamenco dancing is something that I've really enjoyed about Spain. This form of dancing has its origins in Andalucia, the Southern part of Spain where Sevilla is located. It is a highly complicated form of dance. The women dance in beautiful dresses and are usually accompanied by a guitar player. There are a couple of places in the city where I have gone to see free flamenco shows, which has been really enjoyable. I think pretty much every woman in Andalucia must own a flamenco dress, because during the Spanish holiday week of Feria (fair), everyone comes out in the traditional dress to party in tents set up in special carnival grounds. I traveled most of Feria week, which in Sevilla began at the end of April, but did manage to find a little time to walk around the fair grounds and soak in yet another cool cultural event.

I also had the amazing opportunities in these last few weeks to travel to Morocco, Italy and Portugal.

On a three-day weekend, two of my friends and I headed off to Morocco in Northern Africa. This trip we took through a travel agency. It was definitely the most unique place I have traveled to this semester, and it was, of course, very different from the States. Morocco is a 98 percent Muslim country, and we were able to observe much of what life is like in an Arabic country. We traveled to Tetuan, Tangier and Chefchaouen and were taken by local guides into shops, through market places and around the winding streets. We tried Moroccan food, saw the ocean, rode camels and saw a Moroccan show. For me one of the most interesting things was simply people watching, in order to trying to imagine what life is like for the Moroccan people and also to pray for the country. Definitely an eye-opening experience.

During part of my break for Feria, I spent a week in Italy with four friends. This was a dream trip for me, as I have wanted to go to Italy for years. We flew in and out of Pisa (and saw the Leaning Tower), and took trains to Venice and Rome. Venice is absolutely gorgeous with its quiet streets (no cars are allowed on the island) and canals. We rode on a gondola down the Ground Canal and around the city, and this was a highlight of my time there. We also went to St. Mark's Basilica, which is a Byzantine cathedral, and to Murano, an island off the main part of Venice that specializes in glass blowing.

Our time in Rome involved a lot of site-seeing including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City. Rome has such a mix of ancient, Renaissance and modern attractions. I think my favorite part was seeing the ancient things, such as the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Seeing these remaining aspects of the Roman Empire made history come alive. These are things that were even around when the Apostle Paul traveled to Rome! The Colosseum is also where many early Christians were martyred.

I finished off Feria week in Portugal, which primarily consisted of relaxing on various beaches along the Southern coast. Portugal was beautiful, and it was a great way to finish up my traveling.

And here I am now, three days away from being back home in the States. I finish up with finals tomorrow. It's a sad time of preparing to leave people and a place I have grown to love, but also an exciting time as I think about seeing everyone back home. It's going to take me a long time, I think, to fully process everything when I get back. There has been so much packed into these last four months, and I have been able to see and experience so many new things. I have also been challenged with living in another culture and in trying to grow in my abilities to communicate in another language. Although I am still not fluent in Spanish, I have now have more confidence in my abilities to speak, write and understand the language, and I plan to continue to seek to improve when I go back home. I have also grown emotionally and spiritually this semester, as God has taught me about trust and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of His heart for the nations. I thank God for the unique opportunities he has given me. I'm coming to the end of a four-month journey, one that has forever changed me, as I prepare to leave this beautiful country.

Reflexión sobre el semestre

Es difícil explicar en pocas palabras mi experiencia aquí en España porque este semestre he hecho y he visto muchas cosas nuevas y he aprendido mucho. El tiempo en España ha sido muy importante en mi vida y he crecido personalmente.

Cuando vine a este país estaba muy ilusionada porque quería viajar y ver el mundo. Este semestre no me ha defraudado. España es muy bonita con una cultura e historia rica. No hay nada comparable a aprender cosas nuevas en mis clases cuando puedo ver los lugares históricos, como La Giralda, La Torre del Oro, La Alhambra, etc.

También mi señora, Esperanza, ha sido una persona muy importante y ella ha tenido influencias en mi vida. Ella es muy simpática y nos ve a mi amiga de habitación y a mí como a sus hijas. Su buen humor y palabras amables me animan. Me gusta practicar español con ella porque es una buena oportunidad para la conversación. Estoy agradecida por el papel de Esperanza en este semestre.

Cuando pienso en el tiempo aquí, me parece que en muchas maneras ahora soy una persona diferente. No he cambiado en maneras extremas, pero definitivamente he crecido. Aunque todavía hay muchas cosas que necesito aprender, estoy más confiada en mis capacidades de hablar, escribir y entender español. Por ejemplo, al principio del semestre, fui a ver una película en el cine, Guerra de las Novias. Entendí la película más o menos, pero había conversaciones en la película que no podía entender bien. Sin embargo, fui a otra película, 17 Otra Vez, la semana pasada, y entendí casi todas de las conversaciones. ¡Estaba muy ilusionada! La diferencia en mi capacidad de entender esta película en contraste con la película Guerra de Novias fue significativa.

Por estas razones y mucho más he disfrutado mucho este semestre en España y sé que vale la pena pasar tiempo en otro país.

Granada, Ireland, London & Paris

It is high time for an update on this blog. So much has happened since the last time, but I will try to cover the highlights.

Granada
I took a weekend trip the city of Granada, Spain, with some friends a couple of weekends ago. It turned out to be one of my favorite places that I have visited in Spain. The city has a lot of character, and we met some of the most interesting people from around the world while we were there. There were the Spanish men who danced with us in their shop, a man from Damascus who showed us how to write something in Arabic, a guy from Africa who struck up conversation with my friend Katie and me while we were eating ice cream, and a friendly Dutch women who ran a store in the city. I also tried Arabic coffee in a really cool tea shop (I must admit I didn't really like it, but it was fun to try).

Granada was the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, and is home to La Alhambra, which dates to the 14th century. We were able to explore the gardens, the palace and remains of the old neighborhoods. It was fascinating, especially since we had studied a lot of the architecture in my Spanish Art History class. After Ferdinand and Isabel drove the Muslims out of Granada, they used the palace, and it is in this location that Christopher Columbus was originally commissioned for his history-making voyage.

Ireland
My roommate, Katelin, and I took a whirlwind six-day trip to Ireland, London and Paris over our break for Semana Santa. In Ireland, we stayed in Dublin, where we explored some of the famous sites in the city. These included Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and Saint Patrick's Cathedral, which is near the site where Saint Patrick baptized the first Christian converts in Ireland. I found this really interesting since I know some of the history of Saint Patrick.

Funny story about our time wandering around Dublin: We were hit by a bike. Yes, we were just walking along and all of a sudden I got hit in the elbow from behind by a bike. I fell into Katelin, who ended up on the ground next to this crazy bicyclist. We're pretty sure he was drunk or on drugs based on how he was acting. But anyway, I ended up with a giant bruise on my elbow and Katelin got some scrapes. It made for some good laughs though considering it was just such a random thing to have happen.

We also took a day trip on a tour bus to see some of the surrounding Irish countryside, including the Glendalough monastic settlement, which was founded in the sixth century. Despite the cold weather, fog, rain and wind, I enjoyed getting to see some of God's beautiful creation in Ireland.

London
We were rather insane and decided to take a day trip to London, flying out of Dublin early in the morning and then back to Dublin late that night. However it worked out quite well and we were able to hit many of the major sites in London. We saw Buckingham Palace and the guards, Westminster Abbey, Parliament and Big Ben, and the London Eye, which is the world's tallest observation wheel (443 feet tall). We decided to pay to go up in the London Eye, which gave us a great view of the city and River Thames. We also wandered through Hyde Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens and saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.

Paris
This was probably my favorite stop of our Semana Santa travels. I think I just had this romanticized picture of Paris, and it did indeed turn out to be quite an enchanting city. Of course, we saw the Eiffel Tour (and I took about 100 pictures of it both during the day and at night), the Arc of Triumph and the Moulin Rouge, made famous by the movie. We also went to the Louvre art museum, which one could literally spend days exploring. We limited ourselves to a few key areas of the museum, and saw some amazing artwork including the Mona Lisa (which I happen to think is over-hyped and not nearly impressive as a lot of other artwork, but it was still cool to get to take a picture of such a famous painting). We wandered the Latin Quarter and saw Dotre Dame Cathedral. We ate some great French food, such as croissants, crepes, baguettes and omelets. We also mastered the metro system, which we were quite excited about!

As much as I enjoyed spending some time in Paris, I have never been so happy to be back to a place where Spanish is spoken. It's a challenge being in a country like France where I only know about 10 words of the language! So I'm back in Sevilla now, but I'm still processing the fact that I just traveled to three other countries in the past week. It's a dream come true for someone like me who has always dreamed of traveling, and I'm trying to soak it all in and enjoy it to the fullest. I'm really thankful for these opportunities.

Middle Ages, the beach, futbol and a few of my favorite things...

Spring is here! I'm so happy to shed my winter coat and soak up the sun in Southern Spain! Soon the orange trees will be in full bloom here... I can't wait!

Two weekends ago I went on a trip to Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha, which is in the middle of the country. It is a fascinating city, in which you feel like you have stepped back in time about 700 years or so. We also stopped and saw really cool windmills before going into the city. There are so many buildings from the Middle Ages and tons of shops selling swords, which is what Toledo is famous. Random tidbit for any Lord of the Rings fans: The city of Toledo is where all the swords were made that are used in Lord of the Rings, as well as some other movies. This trip was through the school, so they took care of our transportation and lodging, which was nice. The trip included touring famous sites like the cathedral and a monesterio with interesting explanations from my art teacher, Carmen. We also saw a few of el Greco's famous paintings. We also had some time to explore the city on our own, which was interesting.

Last Saturday, I took a little day trip to the coast of Spain with some friends. We went to Cadiz, which I learned is the oldest continously populated city in Europe. It was founded in 1100 B.C. Crazy! We went to an art musuem, walked around the city, which is pretty small and surrounded on three sides with water, and spent some time just relaxing on the beach. It was a nice getaway weekend.

Also, last Sunday afternoon I went to a Betis futbol game here in Sevilla. Although I don't usually go to soccer games in the States, it is such a part of the culture here that it was really interested to experience a game firsthand. Unfortunately the game ended in a tie, 0-0, so I didn't get to see the crowd's reaction to a goal. But we still had fun!

I also feel that God has been teaching me a lot this semester. Living in a different country often puts me out of my comfort zone of what is familiar and comfortable. But this is good because I think there is some danger in being too comfortable. Regardless of where I am, I want to be challenged to trust God more fully and let him to direct my steps.

Living abroad has been amazing and I feel like I'm getting to live out a dream that I have had for such a long time. I'm so thankful to have this opportunity. Even though things can be stressful sometimes (after all, I am taking 18 hours here all in Spanish), there are so many little and wonderful things that are part of my life here. Here are a few of the things I've been enjoying about being in Spain:
1. Walking across the Guadalquivir River every day and seeing La Torre de Oro and La Giralda as part of the landscape.
2. Dinner conversations with my senora, Esperanza, and hearing her talk about how guapo George Clooney is (as well as a whole list of other actors)
3. Going to church in Spain. I love worshiping with the body of Christ and seeing God at work in another culture.
4. Cafe con leche. Coffee here is great (but comes in very tiny cups!).
5. Getting to learn about history and art and then actually getting to see so much of it firsthand. It's so cool how things are so well preserved in Europe.
6. Learning new Spanish vocabulary or new grammatical rules that I hope are improving my understanding of the language.
7. Walking around the city. Although there are sometimes I wish I could just hop in a car and drive where I want to go, usually it is quite enjoyable to walk around the city.
8. Traveling, of course. I love it! (Although trying to figure out the logistics of everything, I am discovering, can be quite complicated and at times frustrating.)
9. The kids at my Service Learning site. I go to a convent in Sevilla to help kids with their homework. Although challenging at times, I feel like I'm better able to help the kids now and like I'm getting to know them better.
10. Hanging out with friends, laughing, going out for coffee or churros, etc. It's been a lot of fun.

Of the park, the sea, classes, my señora and God's love

Greetings from Spain. It's a chilly, gray afternoon, and I'm back at the apartment during siesta. Tonight's plans involve homework and going to a cafetería called Guadalquivir that's up the road from me. I find that even when I have things to do, sometimes it's nice to just get out of the house for a while, and I love all the little cafés.

Let's see, the highlights since I last wrote... two weekends ago I stayed in Sevilla. It was a gorgeous weekend, and for the first time I discovered the beautiful Parque Maria Luisa that is in Sevilla. I spent most of the day that Saturday just soaking up the sun, hanging out with friends... and riding a Ciclobus. In this contraption everyone peddles like on a bike, but you're in the sort of open car/carriage. We decided to rent one for 30 minutes and had a blast going around the park, and being totally dramatic about everything! As the weather becomes nicer I hope to spend many more afternoons reading, writing in my journal, doing homework or hanging out with friends in that park.

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Marbella, Spain, on the Mediterranean coast with five great girls. One of my friend's parents had a timeshare for Marriott hotels and said we could use it at this five-star resort in Marbella. So we had our lodging taken care of and it was totally free for us; we only had to pay for our transportion and food! We spent the weekend resort just chilling and hanging out, or as we put it, having "an extended period of doing whatever we want." This involved watching TV and movies, going to the pool and sauna, and playing on the beach. It was fairly cold, but that didn't keep us from jumping in the waves of the Mediterranean.

On the academic side of things, classes here are getting more and more difficult. From discussing Romanticism and analyzing the poetry of Bécquer in my Spanish Literature class, to learning about Gothic architecture and all the vocabulary that goes along with that in my Spanish Art History class, to learning about the Spanish reconquest and Medieval society in History class, to practicing many different aspects of the language in my Grammar class, things are getting crazy. The expectations in classes are quite high and it's easy to get overwhelmed at times by the sheer volume of information being presented. I made it through round one of classes and ended up with solid grades on all my tests, so that was a relief, but I also had to spend a lot of time studying. Grammar is definitely the most practical class and the one that helps me the most with actually understanding and being able to use the Spanish language, so that is the one I want to put the most effort into... that's hard sometimes though when I usually have a ton of literature homework every night!

I don't think I've written very much yet about Esperanza, my "señora" with whom I live. She is such a sweet lady and often times she cracks me up. She's just so silly and she keeps dinner conversations lively... she likes to talk a lot and has told us so on multiple occasions. She often sings or dances around the house and talks about actors she thinks are "muy guapo" (she really likes the guy who plays House on the TV show!). I'm thankful to have such a kind and friendly señora.

And now, since I have been reading through Ephesians in both English and Spanish (in my dual-language Bible) I will close with a passage that encourages me and that is one of my favorites. Living in a foreign country where there are so many new and unfamiliar things can be both exhilarating and intimidating, sometimes depending on the mood. It's wonderful to know that it does not matter where I am, God's love is unfathomably deep and that he is always with me. Like the verses say, I want to be filled with the fullness of God, to be salt and light wherever I go.

"Y pido que, arraigados y cimentados en amor, puedan comprender, junto con todos los santos, cuán ancho y largo, alto y profundo es el amor de Cristo; en fin, que conozcan ese amor que sobrepasa nuestro conocimiento, para que sean llenos de la plenitud de Dios." -Efesios 3:17b-19

Life in Spain

It has been one month since I embarked on this great adventure. I have fallen in love with the city of Sevilla and I am immensely enjoying being overseas. I'm sorry I've been bad about keeping up with this blog. I've been really busy and there has been a lot squeezed into just a few weeks. I'll try to summarize the highlights.

I have begun to adjust to the rhythm of life in Southern Spain. A typical school days consists of walking up around 7:30, getting ready, eating my breakfast (usually chocolate cereal), and walking the 15-20 minutes to school. We walk a ton here, by the way. Not only to school and back but for just about anywhere we go in the city. I've taken a city bus a few times, but usually I go by foot. I actually enjoy this most of the time, because I get to enjoy being in the city and seeing things.

I'm in classes from 9-2:25, but I have two periods in the middle that are breaks. I'm taking Advanced Spanish Grammar, Spanish Art History, Literature, and History of Spanish Civilization. Most of my classes are pretty interesting, although challenging at times because everything is taught in Spanish. Grammar is the class that I have found to be the most practical, and I am continually learning new tidbits about the Spanish language.

My roommate, Katelin, and I walk back home for lunch, which is around 3 p.m. Yes, Spaniards have a very different eating schedule. Breakfast at the normal time, lunch between 2-3 and dinner is not until 9 or 10! I find often myself getting really hungry between meals, but I think slowly I'm adjusting to this schedule. The picture is of the traditional Spanish dish of paella, which I had one Saturday at a restaurant in Sevilla.

One great thing about living in Spain is there really is a siesta. I think the Spaniards had it right when they decided to build a time of rest in every day. Sometimes I actually sleep, sometimes work on homework, sometimes just read, but it's a nice time of day.

Evenings vary. On Mondays, I'm helping at this convent called Santa Isabel's with the children. I play with them on the patio and then help them with their homework. Tuesday nights I have a prayer group with some other girls from school, and Wednesday nights we have a worship service called Encuentro for other students. Evenings may also involve homework, chilling with friends, getting cafe con leche or churros con chocolate, etc.

On the language side of things, it is still often difficult, and sometimes I get frustrated when I can't express myself in Spanish as well as I'd like to be able to. However, I am able to understand quite a bit of written and spoken Spanish, and I'm continually improving my Spanish vocabulary. I hope the speaking and understanding continue to improve with time.

So far I've had the opportunity to travel to Córdoba and Barcelona. Córdoba was a day trip with the school and we were able to see thousand year old Muslim ruins and a mosque that was built in the eighth through tenth centuries. It was fascinating, especially considering we were studying the architecture of that mosque in my art history class at the time.

Last weekend I went to Barcelona with a group of seven other girls. I had my first experience staying in a hostel (thankfully we were at a cheap but nice one) and was able to explore the city, including a Picasso museum with original artwork and Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, known as Europe's most unconventional church, which after about a century of work is still under construction. We also went to Park Guell, also designed by Gaudi, and explored La Ramba (considered the most famous street in Spain) and local shops.

I'm so grateful to be here. I know God has brought me to this place at this point in my life for a reason, and I know that he desires to teach me things. In the first month I've been thinking a lot about trusting him when I'm out of my comfort zone and what it means to follow him when I am living across the ocean in another country. I'm exciting to see what is in store.

Exploring

I guess I've gotten a little behind in updating... I've been keeping pretty busy so far exploring the city, starting up classes, going shopping, etc.

Friday we had orientation again, only this time it was at the actual school building where we have classes. Our school is situated in a very historic part of the city, right near the Torre de Oro, built in the 1200s, and not far from Seville Cathedral, Plaza de España, etc. I have to cross over the Guadalquivir River to get to school. Anyway, we had a culture 101 class to help us understand various things about this place we're living, which was very informative. We also registered for classes, and I was able to get into the classes that I had planned to take: Advanced Spanish Grammar, Spanish Art, Spanish Literature and History of Spanish Civilization.

After finishing registration, Katelin and I returned for lunch with Esperanza (pizza... the first one was pretty good, second one had ham and tuna--not my favorite!), and then we both took about a four hour siesta. We had not planned to sleep that long, but it just happened. I think my sleeping schedule has been a little messed up since arriving. And that night I was up almost all night because I took such a long nap. Ahh, gotta love jet lag.

Friday night I went to a pizza party with the rest of the students at a place called Sloppy Joe's. Guess you can't get much more American than that in Spain! Afterwards, a large group of us went to try to find this flamenco bar that we heard was really cool. We had some trouble finding it, but it was worth it, because the flamenco dancing was pretty cool to watch. Then we went to this cute little shop with pastries and ice cream.

Saturday I went shopping with some friends. I left the house at about 9:45 a.m. and didn't get back until about 8:30 p.m., and I was walking almost that entire time! I would be really curious to know how many miles it actually was. I went with some people to this market run by gypsies... while I was there I got the scarf that I'm wearing in the picture above. Such scarves are incredibly popular here in Spain. I also walked around with some people to many interesting places in Seville such as Seville Cathedral and La Giralda, El Centro (with lots and lots of shops), etc. We got tapas (Spanish appetizers) at this really cool restaurant on the plaza with a breathtaking view of Seville Cathedral and La Giralda. It was quite incredible!

Sunday I visited a church up the road from me. It was a tiny congregation (as are most Protestant churches in Spain), and somehow a lot of people from our school had independently decided to go to this particular church, so we pretty well filled up their small building. I really enjoyed the service though, especially singing the Spanish worship songs, and I was excited because I could understand just about everything in the songs. The sermon was a little harder to follow, but I picked up some of it.

Classes began today. I think they will be challenging but good... They are taught entirely in Spanish. I particularly like my Grammar and Art teacher, Carmen.