Suddenly I am such an Epic Blogger--Emily, be proud!

Sometimes, I have the privilege, or the unpleasant shock, as the case may be, of having a distinct moment of clarity just as I wake up. It’s as if all of the clouds are suddenly pushed away, and everything looks clear. Or as if I’m given a ten second ticket to the moon, where I can be outside of my own life, looking in and evaluating it in a split second. Today I had a cloud-clearing moment. And I’d like to share it with you.

I got through with school an hour early and skipped merrily home. Then I got a text from the family I tutor, and they said they couldn’t have any classes today. Suddenly, a day that was going to be quite busy was clear. Since I didn’t get much sleep last night, I decided to indulge in a nap. A power nap, to be specific. I mastered the art of the 15 minute nap between classes in college, and it still comes in handy here in Spain every once in a while.

This is all very ordinary, boring information right now. But here’s what happened. When I woke up, the first thing I saw was the picture of Alabama I have hanging on my wall. It’s an artful drawing of some of the main attractions in our state, all in blues, greens, browns, and yellows. I mounted it on scrapbook paper and enjoy displaying my home sweet home here in my little bedroom in Spain. Here’s the thing, though. Two years ago, I would never hang a picture of Alabama on my wall. Why would I? Though I was fond of my home, there has never been a part of me that is particularly in love with my home state. No need to make any crafts in the shape of Alabama, or anything. Leave that for the Texans.

But Spain has quite changed that. Since living in Spain, I’ve realized how much we have to be thankful for about life in Alabama. For starters, it’s a whole community of people I can communicate perfectly with. Well, not perfectly, because we still have our issues, but I at least have a fighting chance. I feel so prepared to deal with things like problems with the internet, electricity bill, or the error in my total at the store. After haltingly attempting to solve those problems in Spanish, shoot. Bring them on in English. What’s more, Alabama is a beautiful state. As I teach my students about my home, its culture, and its landscape, I can’t help but realize how lucky we are. We have gorgeous mountains, parks, trails, and wildlife immediately around us in Birmingham. Not so in Sevilla!

So there I was, lying there looking at this sign of Alabama with this phony sense of love for that good state. And marveling at the fact that life has brought me here, to this small, white-walled room in Southern Spain, for 9 months. If you had told my 16- year-old self that I would live in Spain for almost a year (or England for 4 months, to boot), I would have been certain you mixed up your predictions. That must be for some other Katie. Yet here I am! What better illustration can there be of God’s magnificent control of this world? Life surprises most of us. I can count myself on that list many times over even at the age of 23. But nothing surprises the Lord. And He’s working it all for our good, which comes through His glory. Looking at that picture of Alabama, I understood that anew for just a moment. It’s going to be hard to wrap my mind around how much I’ve learned when this adventure in Spain is all over. But for now, I’m thankful to see just a glimpse of it.

Apart from these deep moments of reflection, I’ve got some other plans for this extra free time. Tonight, I’m cooking. I hardly have time to really make a good dish, and today’s the day. I’m also going to make brownies, hoping that my Spanish roomie Sandra will love them and be converted forever. (Though that would actually be sad, as they might be difficult to make here in Spain…). I’m going to plan some trips that we hope to take in the next few weeks (Cadíz, Málaga, and London, here we come!), and watch part of Matilda in Spanish. (My brain can only handle so much at a time!) And all of this with the new mini-heater I bought last night close by, making my flat about 95% more comfortable. What a lovely day it has turned out to be!

And so I’m forced to do it at some point because I told you I would, I must update you on church in Sevilla as well as tell you about a typical day for me sometime soon. We’ll see how that goes. Yep. Ya está! (That’s it!)

Spain is Different...

I know I promised to add more about Granada, and I also want to tell you about a typical day for me (it's about time, eh?), but I just have to share this story first. My dear friend Emily gave me a book from her preparations to study in Spain called Spain is Different. Every once in a while, as I'm just, you know, living life, I find myself thinking that phrase to myself. "Spain is different. Yes, it most certainly is." Here's the story of one of those moments. Enjoy.

On Thursday mornings I ride the bus to school. The bus passes through a few different small towns outside of Sevilla in route to Valencina, and at the first of those towns, I couldn't help but notice the pair that hopped on board and headed towards my end of the bus. It was a father and a daughter. The daughter was about as cute as they come. She was probably no more than three, and she had a head FULL of gorgeous, curly light brown locks.

When you board the bus, you scan your card, and it pops out a receipt/ticket for you. You generally shove these in your bag or pocket until you've collected a good stock and then throw them out. They're not all that useful, (or environmentally, friendly, I'd like to point out!) and I often wish we could just skip that step.

With that explanation behind us, jump back to this adorable little girl. As she skipped in front of her dad to some free seats, just as I was thinking how adorable she was, she intentionally chunked her receipt on the floor of the bus in the aisle. BAM. There it laid. I was taken aback. I mean, it's not a punishable crime or anything, but something inside me shivers when I see someone litter. That same something inside me puts a person who picks up a piece of litter out of the goodness of their own heart into the instant hero category. I was struck by the the shattering of my perfect impression of that little girl. Something so adorable and lovely had just horked herself off of the pedestal I'd created for her in my mind of young, innocent, adorableness.

Now, here's the thing. Her father saw her. He saw that act of public property litterage. Clear as day. My daddy would have ordered me out of that seat, had me pick up the receipt, and throw it away immediately. Here's what her father did. He came up behind her and paused for a moment before sitting down, looking like he was going to pick up her trash and use the opportunity for a little lesson in respect for public property. NO SUCH LUCK. He just paused, then stepped on the receipt as he maneuvered into his seat.

Wow. I know it's a petty little event and story, but it's so typical and illustrative. Here in Spain, people just don't give a second thought to things like littering, running into someone, changing the clearly agreed upon plan, showing up what we would consider obscenely late, or blatantly cutting in line. It's hard for an efficiency, fight-for-yourself raised American to adjust to. But on the other hand, it's so healthy in some ways to experience this view of life (minus the littering part). Anything that reminds me that the world is not all about making my life as comfortable and efficient as possible is a good thing. And life in Spain does just that. I'm not foolish enough to think that I don't need reminding quite often that there's no reason to be quite so rigid and uptight. So. Here's to you, Spain. You're different. You're frustrating at times. But thank you for making me stop and remember that I'm not the main attraction here. I need that everyday...and all of your help is quite appreciated.

Pomegranada.

I just returned from Granada. It means pomegranate in Spanish. Did you know that? I managed to live in Spain for a solid 4 months without knowing that. All the while talking about wanting to visit Granada and walking right past the fruit in the frutería many times. And as everything in my life is a bit Spanglish right now, I thought this title would be appropriate. Thank you, Ellie, for continuing my warm relationship with Spanglish by thinking up this bit of goodness.

What was the highlight?

The Alhambra at sunset?

The view of the city, the Alhambra, and the snow-covered highest peak in Spain from a plaza on the hill? (Which I fondly called the "Bill Clinton Place" for the remainder of the visit)...

The nicest hostel I've ever stayed in, complete with a fantastic flower window over my bed and heated tile floors?

Tea and crepes in the most lavishly-bohemian tetería I've ever seen (complete with lanterns and sequin cushions!)?

Or the segway tour led by an Australian named Bianca?

Right now, I find it impossible to decide. But soon, I'll tell you a bit more about each of those highlights, and maybe even share some pictures. So stay tuned!

But suffice to say, Granada met any and all expectations. What a lovely trip. :)

First day back stories

-Last night, I got into bed late after unpacking only the bare essentials. And a meager few hours later, I woke up to head to my first day of school for the semester. As I waited on Calle Esperanza (which means “Hope Street”), I realized I had forgotten to call or email Fina, with whom I normally ride on Tuesdays. 10 minutes passed, and I was still waiting in the cold. Then a car finally pulls up. “Whew!” I thought. “THAT was close! I was going to have to go catch a bus and be an hour late if 5 more minutes passed!” But it wasn’t Fina in the car. Shoot. Panic. But here’s the story-worthy part: it was another teacher that I work with! She moved at the end of December, and here she was, pulling out of the very same street where I normally meet Fina. With all of Sevilla to choose from. That’s amazing. She kindly let me in, and I was to class on time. Wow. God provides, doesn’t He?

-I spoke Spanish in the car ride there, successfully, after a two week break. When we arrived I realized she’s an English teacher. I could have spared the brainpower. ;) But I’m glad I didn’t!

-At school, everyone gives wonderfully warm greetings after breaks, apparently. Teachers that I had barely talked to before joyfully asked how my break was, told me “Feliz Año Nuevo,” and gave me the famed dos besos. What a wonderful way to start work again!

-I finally met my bilingual coordinator today (she missed last semester), and she was very nice. I was so glad to finally meet the person behind the emails!

-Ignacio, one of the teachers I worked with, tried to convince me to come back to the same school for another year…because I must like teaching…because “[I’m] always happy and excited about teaching!”

-Lastly, a teacher and I were catching the same bus home, and we spoke in Spanish the whole time. I understood most of it (though I honestly can’t say all…). The surprising thing was this: she insisted on buying my bus ticket for me! What an unexpected, kind gesture from a teacher I don’t even know very well!

In all, as you can see, it was a unique, wonderful day back. What a blessing!