I'm Back! I'm Back!

Hi friends!

Here I am, back from a whirlwind week of London, a trip to Doñana National park, school, and flamenco shows. Where do I even begin? Since London is officially my favourite ever, I say we start there.

We went to London.

We met up with our friend from Samford for dinner at Harrod's food hall. We strolled in new and familiar parks. I drank Mountain Dew. (OH! The joy!) We ate cadbury creme eggs. We woke up at 5 a.m. to wait for theater tickets and chatted with a new friend from New Zealand. We saw "Singing in the Rain" and "Matilda" the musical. We visited the tallest escalator in the London tube system. We wandered around Hampstead and its beautiful heath, which we've been pining after since February 2009. And we felt very much closer to home.

It was wonderful to be surrounded by English, go to a church service in English, and see familiar faces. And since it's the city I know the best this side of the Atlantic, it really did feel very much like going home. (though only in comparison to living in Spain!) In all, Ellie and I were both overwhelmed with how blessed we are to be able to find ourselves in London in February, 3 years after our semester studying there. In fact, I remembered as we were walking through the city that we had dreamed about coming back to London in 2012 during our sophomore year days. A reunion for the olympics! Though we didn't quite make it to the olympics, it still felt like a joyous reunion, and the only other thing I could have wished for is that more of my London friends were there as well.

We got back to Spain late Wednesday night, and I headed out with 150 1st year students to Doñana National Park the next morning. Whew! I was tired, but the park was so beautiful, it didn't even matter. There were birds galore, wild boars, horses, deer, and supposedly otters, though I didn't see the otters. Shame, shame. There was also a 3 hour long ride down the pristine beaches and through the sand dunes. There is nothing quite like jumping straight into a sand dune, knowing that nothing will hurt, because the sand is like the best of fluffy gym mats at the olympics. By the time I got back to my flat around 9:30, I was ready for the weekend. Two early morning classes later, it finally came.

Enter flamenco show stage. Last night, I paid a measly 5 euro to enjoy a brilliant flamenco show in a small but lovely venue. I went with two girls who also work at my school--one American from Maryland, and one Italian girl from Pisa. As in the leaning tower. Again, I found myself in a circle of foreigners in Spain all speaking their second languages. It's such a neat, beautiful mix of cultures. One of the best parts was hearing the Italian girl use her fantastic accent talents. She is able to flawlessly speak Spanish in a Spanish accent, Italian accent, or an American accent. And the latter two are simply hilarious. ;)

I'm looking forward to catching up on all of my planning and work and also to a "normal" week. I suppose weeks are never quite normal in Spain, but this is the closest I get. So. With all of those grand adventures squeezed into a few bursting paragraphs, I'll let you simply enjoy the pictorial evidence of it all. Take care!

London, Beautiful London. As seen from the Tate Modern, which I finally had the opportunity to walk around and shake my head at. I'm not much of a modern art aficionado. hehe.

Me and Ellie, jubilant at Kensington Gardens.

The beautiful location of Singin' in the Rain. :)

Our huge jeep/land rover things parked on the dunes to let us play...

Me with two of my fantastic students!

A weekend in Sevilla

Hi y’all. I couldn’t help starting that way, just to make up for all of the “y’alls” I lose here—not really on the tops list as far as words I use. ;)

Big news! Big big! I was accepted as an RUF intern! I should know my campus placement by the end of March, at which point I’ll start raising funds. If I’ve raised 85% of my budget, I’ll get to move ahead and go to my campus sometime in August! [I’m very excited about this.]

In other news, last Friday night was fun. Picture this. A French girl, a Polish girl, and 3 Americans, all speaking in Spanish, go out for Mexican food (which is quite a rarity, let me tell you) in Seville, Spain. Yep. That’s a regular Friday night for me. I’ve found myself in situations here that would be nothing but ridiculous back in Birmingham. But here, 3 different nationalities and a second language all around is quite normal. It was quite fun, for the record!

Also, Ellie, Sara, and I have decided to find a favorite cafe in Sevilla this semester. We live really close to this area called “La Alameda de Hercules,” and it is positively surrounded by little cafes and restaurants. On Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evenings, it’s swarming with socializing Spaniards. It’s so very festive! Instead of having people over to their apartments, Sevillians just meet out at a cafe, many of them in the alameda. (which means “mall,” to give you an idea of what it's like.) So, as we live 3 minutes away from this jewel, we’ve decided to find a cafe to call our own. We started this quest on Sunday night by eating at a little restaurant that had rather delicious pizza. It is only a restaurant, though, so it can’t count as our favorite cafe. On our way back home, there was a jazz group putting on a concert in one of the cafes near us. How delightful! I’m all full of new appreciation for this unique area in Sevilla.

I have a regular week of work this week, and then on Friday Ellie and I head to London again. This time, we’re staying for 5 nights! So exciting. We hope to see Matilda the musical, which I’m reallyexcited about. So. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this blog somewhat updated. But if not, I apologize in advance. Just expect lots of interesting things upon my return. :)

Peace!

Here's a picture of the Alameda. Hopefully I'll take some of my own some day soon. :)

Help Me, Ronda!

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! Though technically, there’s only a smidgen of Tuesday left for me. ;)

Last weekend was a good one. We started it off by meeting up with four other auxiliars (with a great mix from CA, NY, England, and Scotland) for dinner at “Peggy Sue’s American Diner.” This place is as close to Johnny Rockets as you can get in Spain. Except, get this—the jute boxes at your table are free! No coin needed! Fun. Unfortunately, this restaurant plunged me into the most difficult position: trying to pronounce English words in a Spanish accent. I’ve gotten fairly good at reading whatever I need to in Spanish with the correct pronunciation. But if it’s an English word, I can’t help reverting back to the, well, correct pronunciation. You would think that’s fine. But no, not ok. Spaniards literally won’t understand you. So as I ordered my “Elvis Presley” pizza, I found myself struggling to say “Elvees Prezlay” instead of his real name. But only after I got the blank stare at the true pronunciation. It’s so hilarious! So yes indeed, familiar English words pronounced correctly are the most difficult words to communicate now.Who would have thought?

After that, we had a great weekend of catching up on things we needed to do, followed by a lovely trip to Ronda on Monday. This little “pueblo blanco” is snuggled into a rather mountainous region, and about halfway through the bus ride, it becomes impossible to read or sleep because the bus is whirling around curves on the edge of mountains faster than you think is advisable. The real treasure of this town is the “Puente Nuevo,” or the “New Bridge.” New, as in built in 1751. Ha. Makes you realize how young our history in the U.S. really is, eh? Ellie and I enjoyed our leisurely day wandering around the pueblo, the beautiful parks that overlooked the mountains, and our hike partially down the epic gorge. Ooh! And there was a sheep playground. That’s right. The whole play area for children was bedecked with hilarious, frolicking sheep. Maybe I’ll get some pictures of that up one of these days. Alan, I wish you were there. I would have loved to hear/ see your reaction. ;) All of that’s not to mention the delicious Spanish cuisine we indulged in for lunch. I had “revuelto de patatas,” which is a dish with eggs and potatoes. Of course, it had ham in it too. Here in Spain, there’s almost always an extra meat add-in that is left out of the description. I’m quite accustomed to that by now. It was also topped with two grand grilled peppers. Yum. The day was lovely, and I was so glad we got to visit this little village I have been wanting to see for quite some time. That’ll do for a Monday, let me tell you. :)

In other news, I’ve decided to apply for the RUF internship for the next two years. (!) If you haven’t heard me talk about it before, I’m surprised. :) I’ve been thinking about it and praying about whether I should jump in to this opportunity since the first semester of my sophomore year at Samford. I’m so very excited to see where this will lead. My interview is next Monday—so soon! I’ve been reviewing the guiding questions they provided about the interview today, and it’s only made me more excited. I’m also quite nervous, because it just seems so, well, nebulous and unguaranteed. I have to raise $33,000 dollars, for goodness sakes! And nothing in me wants to be calling people up asking them for money. But everything inside me wants to be a part of this college ministry, and my heart has been yearning for this opportunity for years now. So I finally stopped running away. Awkward phone calls, here I come. But I trust that God will work even the awkwardness out for my good in the end, no matter if I raise enough support to reach a campus next August or not. So there we have it!

What an epic post. Whew! Congratulations for reading all of that. You’re quite good to do so. Abrazos from Spain!

The view from one of the lovely parks on the edge of the town...and the edge of the cliff.

Me and Ellie with the impressive Puente Nuevo behind us.

And there it is--wow!

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!