The Same

Last night in America, there was a memorial service for a dear friend of mine at my church. He was an example to so many of us. I will always be thankful for the encouraging, wise words he shared with us week in and week out. It was always such a blessing for a young, inexperienced girl stuck in the college world to hear words of encouragement and teaching from a man who had lived through storms and joy in his life. He always took the time to ask how I was doing, what I was up to, and remind me that the Lord is indeed in control. It was really hard to hear of his passing via email in Spain. But I rest confident in the fact that he is now filled with joy in seeing the true sight of our glorious Lord in place of the former dim reflections of this earth. I’m praying that the Lord will surround his family and friends with the peace of His presence, and I am grateful that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Live and Learn

Hi folks.

New approach today: hilarious moments of the weekend. There have been so many “live and learn” moments that it’s pretty humorous. Good thing we all expected such informative situations. Here goes:

1.) 2 college grads pawing around the kitchen in the dark looking for sandwiches…for 5 full minutes… because I didn’t understand whether our host said “bocadilla” (sandwich) or “matequilla” (butter). Ha!

2.) Our first day of Spanish classes at “CLIC,” shrouded in confusion. Is this tea free? Where do we have the oral interview? (What did she say about learning the past tense and free classes?) Wait. The other students in our class have already been here for how long? And where is my class meeting? (our tours were in quiet Spanish. Two problems there. ;) ) Not the happiest of hours for a pseudo-OCD planner like myself. In the end though, I got settled in a pleasant class of 11 students with a teacher named Ana María. I can’t wait to improve my Spanish! I’m dorkishly excited about doing my first homework assignment.

3.) SPRINTING to meet Sandra and the owners of the apartment we’re renting…and getting lost…3 times. 3. And attempting to withdraw money for the deposit from an ATM, met with failure. And being 25 minutes late, drenched in sweat, and without our deposit when we arrived. This ends sooo well, though—our party waited on us. And they weren’t even furious with us! They gave us a wonderful tour of our apartment, and we even met Sandra’s mother. The apartment is wonderful. Simply wonderful. There is a comfy sitting room, a table next to the kitchen, and 4 wonderfully attractive bedrooms. Furthermore, the owners waited for us to try another ATM (met with success—praise the Lord!) and we’re set to go! What a relief!

4.) Going to the park with a group of friends for a picnic yesterday…during the hottest part of the day. Live and learn, live and learn. There’s a reason everyone stays inside during the afternoon! ;)

5.) Wolfing down 2 pieces of white bread toast, plain, everyday, um, twice a day. It’s getting to the point that we can’t hold in the laughter as we attempt to create hunger for that second piece every meal. Hehe.

All that to say, it’s been a wonderful weekend of mistakes, learning, and fun mixed all together. Bring on more bocadillas, quiet Spanish and mantequilla on bread. Bring it on. ;)

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.

First post from Spain...

Here I am in beautiful Sevilla. It’s perfectly clear why I received so many sparkling reviews of this city from previous visitors! I am so thankful to have the opportunity to learn more about and live here!

Our orientation has been a whirlwind of fun. There are about 70 participants here already, and I’ve loved getting to know some of them. I’ve met several wonderful people who will also be teaching near Seville, and plenty who are teaching all over Southern Spain as well! We’re staying in a beautiful hotel, and right now CIEE is planning everything for us. We’ve had some oh-so-helpful lectures about how to get started here, and we’ve toured the city, wandered through the Alcázar, eaten plenty of tapas, and enjoyed a powerful flamenco performance. Powerful really is an accurate description—that style of dance is not for the easily winded. It was amazing to see and hear.

More updates to come! God has blessed this trip so very much so far!

Crunch Time

So here we are--August 19th. A mere two days before the date that has lived in my mind for months now. I've already got piles of things sitting out to be packed, and I've washed everything I could possibly want to take to Spain. (that means if you see me before I leave, you'll have to forgive my attire. It's only what didn't make the cut! ha.)

With the journey beginning so soon, I'm increasingly thankful for our ever-present and unchanging God. Though just about every part of my world is about to change significantly, I know the Lord, the one I most need, will not. This quotation is a wonderful reminder for me:

“To embrace our Lord Jesus, to dwell in His love, and be fully assured of union with Him—this is all in all… if you roam the world over, you will see no sight like a sight of the savior’s face…Nothing can satisfy the entire man but the Lord’s love and the Lord’s own self.” -Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I rejoice that I don't even have a chance of traveling away from what can satisfy the whole self and provide rest for my soul. With that, let the packing continue! Thank you for your prayers, friends.

VISA NEWS!

I have some wonderful visa news. I finally got in touch with the consulate today (after about 45 minutes of persistent calling--high levels of determination, I've decided, are necessary to obtain a Spanish visa...). I learned that 1.) my visa has been processed and 2.) that they are now mailing it to me tomorrow. That means no two-day, 12 hour trips to Houston next week! What wonderful news! I'm so thankful for the extra time and assurance that I'm one step closer to actually setting foot in Sevilla.

And the good news keeps on coming--we were able to work out a way to keep the apartment we found in central Sevilla. We have yet to find a fourth roommate, but I'm trusting that will come with time. It's, again, a huge blessing to know we have a place to live. It's so wonderful to see things working out (in the 11th hour!), and I'm excited to see how God will work through my weakness and grow me through this adventure. Thanks for all of your prayers, friends.

Time for an update!

Here we are at the beginning of August! And it's time for a quick update. I've been enjoying a lovely summer of seeing family and friends, preparing for Spain, and many things in between.

I recently finished a "Teaching English as a Foreign Language," or TEFL course. I'm now certified to teach English, well, in any foreign country. It was a great course, but the most useful part was the observation hours I put in with a high school ESL class here in Birmingham. It was priceless to learn from experienced teachers that already have a well-worn bag of tricks and activities for helping English students.

Now I'm truly in the preparation stage--Lord willing, I'll be flying to Sevilla, Spain on August 21st. First, however, I need my visa from Houston; I'm just waiting for the phone call telling me that I do indeed have an approved visa. The timeline for getting my visa and leaving later this month is a bit tight, but waiting is the best and only path for now. And I have plenty to occupy myself with in the meantime! :)

I also might have an apartment! Mutual friends connected me to a University student in Seville named Sandra, and she found a "lightful and beautiful" apartment near the center of Seville earlier this week. Many emails later, I'm hoping that my friend Katie and I are set for living with Sandra and another university student in a 4 bedroom apartment owned by one of the professors at the University of Seville. It would be so wonderful if this works out, because we'd be renting from an acquaintance of Sandra's, and Katie and I would have the chance to get to live with two Spaniards rather than with a group of Americans--what a great blessing!

So there we have it. A few steps closer (hopefully!) to Seville.