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!

Finally home

As I write this, I’m on my 34^th hour of traveling. That’s to say, things didn’t go exactly as planned! But it only makes home all the sweeter upon the longer wait.

The last week before Christmas was great. A few tidbits:

-Celebrated with Julie, my friend from just outside of Paris, for her birthday. She was going to neglect her big day entirely when we got hold of her (through brown apple betty, ice cream, and gingerbread at our flat). So we went to see a movie [which was ridiculously depressing, actually. I made jokes to myself to make it through. But it did make me think!] and then out for some tex-mex. There Julie met chips and salsa. Though they were terrible and not all you can eat, at least she has a faint idea of what they’re supposed to be like now. :)

-Shopping shopping shopping: I hit Sevilla like [insert some powerful analogy here] on Monday to buy gifts for everyone I could think of. I’m so excited to spread some Spanish goodness in a few days.

-On the way home, I definitely experienced mild culture shock in Miami. Our coins felt like play money, and the bills were soooo…long. And green. Not to mention the fact that when I handed the cashier $3.00 for my $2.89 bottle of water she just stared at me. Like something was missing. Yep, try 12 cents. Tax isn’t added in here. ;) Besides that, hearing a southern accent and English all around me was fascinating. On the plane, I found myself saying, “Coca-cola, por favor,” when the attendant came around. Because in spain, coke is just slang for drugs. So you don’t order coke. Anywhere. That one’s not going to dye easily, I don’t think. And that’s not to mention that I’m still auto-translating half of my thoughts. But hopefully that won’t turn off—I need it! :)

All that to say, thanks for keeping up with my haphazard, none-too-frequent blog. I hope you have a wonderfully Merry Christmas and that the joy of Christ would be forefront in your mind and heart the whole while. Peace and blessings!

Foooood!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s time. Time for my food blog.

If you’re hungry, you might want to navigate away from this page right now. It’s best to read this post on a full stomach.

§ TThe first mention has to be the funfetti cupcakes I made last week. They were so delicious. Rosa girls, this is all you. In the process of making cupcakes, I realized two things. One, that Spain doesn’t have a word for cupcakes, only muffins (magdalenas). This is obviously entirely unacceptable. And secondly, my Spanish roommate didn’t know what sprinkles were. What they were called. Anything. Wow. I introduced someone to sprinkles! Isn’t that lovely?!? When Sara, Ellie and I bit into the warm cupcakes, someone said, “Now that tastes like America. Ummmmmm!” And it was true. The cupcakes were a lovely taste of home. Sandra also shared the cupcakes with several people who had never had them before, so it was a warm, fuzzy triumph overall.

§ I’ve also made a point to buy one fruit I don’t recognize at the frutería everytime I go. The results have been hilarious. My first adventure was the “cherimoya.” I looked up how to eat it on youtube and dug in.It was like eating the fruit glaze that sweetens cheesecake by itself. By the spoonful. That being said, none of us particularly liked it. It was too sweet. And it takes a lot for me to say that. We christened it the “dinosaur egg,” and I don’t know that I’ll buy one again. Good to know.

Doesn't it really look like a dinosaur egg?

It's a very fascinating inside!

§ Next fruit adventure: the mango. Yes, that’s right. I bought this ginormous fruit that I didn’t recognize. I asked the cashier what it was called as I was checking out. “mahhhh-co,” he said. “Mahhhco?” I repeated? “MAHHH-COOOO,” he repeated more emphatically. (My brain whizzed. That sound remotely like “mango!” Could it be?) True story: when I brought that fruit home and sliced into it, it was just a giant mango. Not a new fruit at all. And the poor shopkeeper must have thought I was a really confused person. However, the story ends in triumph: unlike the cherimoya, the mango was delicious. Hooray!

§ TThere are orange trees everywhere in Sevilla. Everywhere. They line many streets, poking out of the sidewalk every five yards so that you have to dart around when another person is headed your direction. And I’ve always wanted to take one of the oranges, bring it home, and slice into the middle. Little did I know, Sandra would provide me with this and more. Sandra brought an orange from her family’s home outside of Sevilla and she ate it. And I ate half. That’s right. I ate half of a “straight from a Spanish tree in sevilla” orange. It was lovely.

§ TToday, I bought two new fruits I had never seen before: a quince fruit (“mebrillo” in español) and a kaki persimmon. A quince fruit, it so happens, is too sour to eat on it’s own. Its portugese name is “marmelo,” and it’s used to make sweet jams and pastes. That’s right: I purchased the fruit from which we make marmalade. I don’t know if I’ll be trying my hand at that, but I now know more about marmalade than I ever have before. And you can too. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quince#Uses ) The kaki can be eaten on its own, and I’ll let you know how that goes once I try it! For the very curious at heart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_persimmon

Wow. So it turns out that this post is already really long. I might just have to make this a two part blog. I would—I don’t have to split my blog about work into two posts, oh no. Just the blog on food. But alas, silliness aside, I hope this has been mildly interesting to read, since it was very exciting to experience in Spain. More to come, friends.

Por Fin! (Finally!)

Really and truly, writing a blog update has been on my to-do list for about a 3 weeks now. Sorry guys. And even now, I don’t know how excellent this is going to be. But here goes:

1) The lovely “Las Encinas:” I’m getting more and more settled into my job as the weeks go by. I’m even figuring out useful tricks for successfully teaching a world geography course (which is at time confusing in any language) in English to Spanish speakers. In class today, the Ciencias Sociales (History and Geography) teacher that I work with said, in a thick Spanish accent, (which is vital for the overall gist of this comment) "Wow. Katie. This is good. You're a real teacher. No other Americans ever do anything this good. You send to me so I can use next year?” I had a few thoughts about this. 1) Yay positive feedback! And my second, and more fuerte, or strong, reaction 2) what exactly is your past experience with Americans? (shudder.) Because obviously, my lesson was far from superb.

2) Other interesting things! Cooking. I’ve really been enjoying cooking here. For once in my life, I’ve had time to try out some of the recipes I’ve been hoarding. The only problem is that I have to use about a billion substitutions and conversions. One of these days, I’ll buy a Spanish cookbook, and that will be magnificent. I’ll be able to practice Spanish as I read the instructions, and chances are I’ll be able to find the ingredients as well. Bonus! Look for a post purely about Spanish food experiences soon! ;)

3) Running by the Guadalquivir River. I find that if I stay in the city for too long, I feel a bit trapped by all of the buildings. After all, I’m a biology major, nature lover at heart (right, Embug? You’ll vouch for that, eh? ;) ) All it takes is a short jaunt to the river, and suddenly I’m basking in open air, waving grasses, and often, the company of many fellow walkers, runners, cyclers, and rowers. It’s a jolly way to see the city, to be sure.

4) Overall, my time in Spain has been wonderful so far. It’s hard to even express how much I’ve learned so far. Much of it stems from the fact that as a Spanish language learner, I’ve accepted the reality that I will be viewed as unintelligent and somewhat useless—forced humility! It’s a healthy experience that can’t be replicated anywhere but in a foreign country. When I visited London at the beginning of the semester, I found myself asking way more questions and being quite more outgoing just because people could understand me. I’ll always value communication more from here on out!

5) I still stop and wonder at Sevilla’s beauty regularly.

Lastly, I do have a few prayer requests:

-That I would continue to try to learn Spanish with fresh energy. It’s hard to keep on keeping on, if you will, when it seems so vast at times. We’ve declared Thursdays (and maybe Tuesdays) as purely Spanish days in our flat—this is a beginning!

-That I would find a few key ways to get plugged into the community further, via intercambios, a church, private classes, or volunteering, to name a few options I’m exploring.

-That I would live for God’s glory every day, not for my own comfort or success.

Thank you, friends!

Que tengan un buen día, (I hope you have a great day,)

Katie