And the homestay begins!

This morning, we all checked out of our lovely hotel and left for our month long homestays. Our host is Ana María, who’s in her late twenties. It was quite a production getting both mine and Ellie’s stuff out of a small taxi, up a flight of stairs, and into our respective rooms. Two walls of my room are a bit deeper than Pepto-Bismol, and one is deep teal. A tiny cat, Pantera, darts in and out with energy that only young kittens possess. We had delicious food today (a great start!)—a yummy pasta dish for lunch and soup with potato salad for dinner.

In case you’re wondering, my dear friend Katie from Samford is going by Ellie while in Spain. This has already saved countless confusion and distress. So, if you know Katie, know that it’s her I’m referencing when I say Ellie. :)

I am so thankful to have a friend here to struggle through Spanish and explore the city with. It’s fantastic that we have the same homestay. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon figuring out what cell phone plan would be the best and how to actually communicate enough to make sure we’re getting what we think we’re signing up for. When we finally set out, however, we couldn’t find the shop. Ha! We did, however, find a market, where we bought a few essentials…and some Spanish snacks. Time to start learning what we love here!

Exciting update: Ellie and I found a fourth roommate! Her name is Sara Thompson, and she is from Kentucky as well. Ellie met her on her flight, and I roomed with her at the hotel. Sandra, our other roomie from Sevilla, was delighted we found another person to fill our apartment. Apparently Sandra’s search was both frustrating and unsuccessful. What a blessing to have this worked out!

Tomorrow is our first truly free day in Sevilla. We plan to buy that phone, find our school for Spanish classes, generally wander around the city, and most importantly, finally meet Sandra. Can’t wait!

I am overwhelmed by God’s provision in this trip already. New friends, a roommate, less jet-lag than expected, and an abundance of joy, to boot! There have been moments of frustration and discouragement, but overall it has been wonderful.

Here’s the only picture I actually have with me in it on my camera so far (I’ve got to get better about taking pictures!). We’re outside of the Alcázar, the palace that was built in the 10^th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was fantastically beautiful. It really is a wonder of decoration and architecture. Well, I far surpassed my "short and sweet" requirement today, but so much has happened! Hope you're all well, and as always, I appreciate your prayers very much.