Mis Adventuras

I haven't blogged in a while, so everyone get ready for a long one :)

First of all, I have been sick ever since I got here with like a cold/sinus infection and I am getting really tired of it. I bought some cough syrup, or "oral solución," at la farmacia and it tastes bad, but it might be working? I can't really tell...but I want to feel better soon. Here is a picture of what it is, and also what I have to say about it:



Last Monday night we went to a flamenco show at this place called La Carboneria. It was pretty cool, I must admit. There was just one flamenco dancer and one singer and one guitar player, but it was truly entertaining. I couldn't get a very good video of it because it was dark and I was sitting in the back. Here is my attempt:



I love how they actually say "olé" at the end.

On Wednesday we finally went on a tour of the Cathedral! I was stoked because I walk by and marvel at that thing every day, and it was awesome to finally go inside. It was absolutely HUMONGOUS, being the third largest cathedral in the world behind the Vatican and the St. Patrick's cathedral in London. It is the largest Gothic style cathedral in the world. Get it, Sevilla!

Of course it was gorgeous on the inside. The pictures don't do it justice, but here are some quick shots:





The last picture is of the stage and altar of the Cathedral. I went to mass there last Sunday and that is what the backdrop was. The gold pictures are of the life of Jesus. When Franco was Spain's dictator, he required everyone to be Catholic, but some people could not read and consequently could not understand the Bible. So, this was created for the illiterate to be able to know the Bible!

The cathedral also houses the tomb of Christopher Colombus...kind of cool.



At the end of the day we climbed to the top of the tower and got to see Sevilla in the coolest way possible. We could see almost the whole town!




In other news, McDonalds in Spain is WAY better than the one at home. I was truly enthralled by it. The Euro menu has many delicious things to order, including a chicken bbq sandwich, coffee with ice cream on top, or a vanilla cone with a kit-kat bar. Step it up, America!! Check it out...


AND they have lots of postres...

P.S. You are not supposed to take pictures in there. Oops.

That's all for now :)

"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6

Vale!

A few other observations I have made:

• Spaniards do not use the words "frijoles," "computadora," or the phrase "no me importa." Instead they "legumbres," "ordenador," and "no pasa nada."
• Spaniards use the word "vale" excessively. I think it is the equivalent of "okay" in the states.
  
• Spaniards do not believe in mashed potatoes, but rather enjoy papas fritas (french fries) or patatas bravas (I don't know how that translates, but they're like flat french fries with a type of enchilada sauce).
• Spaniards like alcohol in their coffee....I do not.
• Another thing about the coffee: The cups are soooo tiny, but the coffee is soooo strong.
  
• Staring is widely accepted and seems to be a favorable pass time. The stank eye is also popular.
  
• Apparently, the streets must be washed every night...we can hear the street-washers outside our window.
• A burger at Burger King will cost you over $10. You can order it with fried goat cheese if you like.

Last week, we visited the Reales Alcázares, which is a beautiful place full of old palaces where kings used to lived and lovely gardens surrounding the palaces. It was absolutely gorgeous, and the history behind the place was so interesting. My camera died half-way through the tour, but here are some of the shots I got before its tragic let-down:

. This place is super close to where I live, but it is hidden behind stone walls and wooden doors.

On a less happy note, I have started classes. I am going to an international school & taking two classes with UNC kids for the first month. I have a culture class and a language class, and both are a considerable amount of work. Enough about school...

I have been eating more delicious foods since my post about tapas. I finally tried the famous "churros con chocolate:"

The chocolate was like hot chocolate but a lot thicker. It was quite good.

ALSO, I was told to go to this restaurant called Coloniales, and it was AMAZING.

My favorite thing was the chicken with almond sauce. We also tried some soup called "Salmorejo," which is a Spanish soup originally from Córdoba. Salmorejo is like a cold tomato soup with olive oil, garlic, ham and bread, and looks like this:

Switching subjects, I went to a Christian service yesterday with an organization called Hope for Sevilla. It was really refreshing to see people of Spain and all over the world worship Christ together in a bilingual service. I was so excited to see people passionate about the people who need Christ in Sevilla. I hope I can do more with this group in the future.

Also, my Señora has been being really nice lately, and has been complementing Kellsey and I on our Spanish. We are much more comfortable talking to her now and I can tell that Kellsey and I are slowly but surely improving.

I feel like I am leaving so many things out, and I am, but more to come! :)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

for Keeps

Hola a todos!

It is so weird to me that I am living in Europe. I am on another continent...a whole ocean away from my family, friends, school, and everything that is comfortable to me. I have really been living a different life here. I live with a new family, a new roommate, and I have a new sleep schedule. Also, I eat new foods, go to a new school, go shopping at stores I have never even heard of before...and, oh yeah, I am speaking a different language!!

As I was thinking about all of these changes today I came up with one thing in my life, an important one, that will always remain the same, and that is Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 He is the same no matter where in the world I am, and I only feel grounded when I am relying on Him.

When I gave my life to God, he took it "for keeps." He is forever with me and forever loves me unconditionally and knows what is best for me. I love traveling to other countries because it makes me think how big the world is. When I think about how big the world is, I think about how huge God is...and it blows my mind. He, the one who created the whole world, is the one who loves me the most and controls my life!

I read about the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 last night. That story is so cool! The people wanted to build a tower for themselves that reached to heaven so they could make themselves known so they would not be separated. However, God didn't want the people to become self-reliant because that is not how we were created to be. So, he mixed up all the languages to prevent men from trusting in their own abilities, or the abilities of other men.

"That is why it was called Babel- because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:8.

When I first read that I thought it was a little uncharacteristic of God to intentionally confuse people and divide them. However, he did it because He loved the people so much He didn't want to let them rely on themselves, because He knew that wouldn't work. He had their backs before they even realized they were in trouble.

Another cool thing about the Tower of Babel story: God created all the language of the world in almost an instant! I have been trying to learn Spanish for a long time, and there are so many rules and so many words to learn, and also many ways to conjugate the words. It takes time, effort, and practice to learn another language because it is so complex. However, all the languages were created at the snap of a finger. God just created them...no doubt about it. God is so intricate.

So originally, I wanted to talk about what all I have been doing in Spain the last few days, but God had other plans. Maybe later :)

Here is a picture I took at Reales Alcázar...its like a castle but it kind of looks like a tower, right?

May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Psalm 119:76

Una Semana (One Week)

I have been here for one week today and I have made several observations:
Elevators are not automatic, and they have doors:


To flush a toilet, one must press a button and not a handle:



Also, these are very common:

and I have been told that they are butt-washing devices haha. A bidet, I think? lol


I have been having problems with my internet at my house and the hours of the internet cafes are sometimes hard to work with, so I haven't been able to post in a while. It is working now and I also found a bar right down the street that I sit at and drink coffee and skype. It's great.

I live in a neighborhood called Barrio de Santa Cruz and it is beautiful. It is right down the road from Catedral Giraldo! That Cathedral is my favorite building here! I can't even capture all of it in a picture, but here are some attempts:







Our house has 3 floors and a roof, and my roommate and I supposedly have the first floor all to ourselves. (but our senora's husband, Pepe, comes down here when he smokes...which is always haha) It is a little awkward because the living room, kitchen, and our senora's room are on the second floor, so we have to make the effort to talk to her. Sometimes she is not in the mood to talk, so we are still trying to figure her out. We definitely had some miscommunications at first, but we are hoping that the situation will get better soon. This is our room:


and our house:


I love the Spanish lifestyle. The hours are very different here. People stay up much later and are much more laid back and family oriented. In our first meeting, they told us that Spanish people utilize all 24 hours of the day: 8 for sleeping, 8 for working, and 8 for living. Their motto is that they work to live. Every day from 2-5, the kids come home from school and the adults come home from work and everyone eats lunch together. In my house, my senora's son and 2 grandchildren come over every day. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Spaniards typically don't eat dinner until 9 or 10. My senora doesn't cook us dinner because she works so hard to prepare lunch, so Kellsey and I have been trying out the restaurants. We had our first tapas the other night:


They were delicious. Tapas are like appetizers; they are just smaller portions of regular food on the menu. We had one of quiche, one of lasagne, and one of chicken with sesame sauce. They are fun and allow us to try lots of new things. I hope American restaurants pick up on the concept!

Lots of other things have happened and I will try to post more frequently so I can write about all of them in the future. Hasta luego!!

The earth is filled with your love, O LORD;
teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:64

Crazy White Girl

This is my post from the very first day! haha I didn't realize it didn't work...
So, if you were in the Madrid airport today and saw an American girl running through the airport with a Carolina blue bookbag on yelling, "Perdoname!," I might have to admit that it was me. I was having a bit of trouble getting from Madrid to Sevilla because I had a really quick turnover and I was misinformed about re-checking my bags. Anyway, I made it just as we were boarding the plane!! Unfortunately, my luggage did not make it with me! We rode the bus to the Hotel Alcazar, where I am now waiting for dinner and trying to relax from my jet lag!

For lunch a few of us went to a restaurante and had some interesting food. I had "sopa de picadillo," which was odd-tasting broth, mint leaves, and came with ham, bread, and eggs to put in it. It was good, but interesting. Also surprising, wine is cheaper than a bottle of water! We had a bit of trouble paying in Euros, but we figured it out eventually. That's all I have for now! More to come!

Countdown: 2 days!

I didn't discuss Spain in my last post, and that is because I am not there yet. I will be flying out Tue night and arriving Wed afternoon! Please pray that Bennett, Alyssa, and I will make it there safely with all of our luggage! I can't contain my excitement for the next semester; however, I can contain my excitement to finish packing my life into a 50 lb. suitcase or two....

Through this blog I want to try to keep you all updated on the things I experience physically, mentally, and spiritually! I know God has a lot in store for me this semester, and I would love to share the things He does with you! I am going to be living with a Senora and I will have a roommate, and right now that is all I know! I will be attending the Universidad de Seville beginning in February, and taking an orientation type class in January. We will be traveling to the major cities in Spain on the weekends in January also. I am preparing myself to discover how white my Spanish accent is, and how frequently I stumble over words in Spanish conversation, but I am excited to try to become fluent and experience real Spanish culture...and eat lots of paella (featured below)!

Distractions, distractions

Over this past semester, God has revealed to me that I waste an immense amount of time.

Issues in life sometimes seem so crucial that I forget James 4:14, which says our lives our like vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Whether I am sitting on facebook for an hour, procrastinating doing my homework, worrying about an upcoming test (or all of the above), I often do not use the time God has given me here on Earth to spend with Him or glorify Him. I think about how we are supposed to be the bride of Christ, and if God was physically here and I was his wife, he would most definitely want to divorce me! Spending sometimes only 25 minutes a day with someone and mainly telling them what's going on in your own life and asking them to fix it is not really a healthy relationship. I allow myself to be distracted so easily by things that mean nothing in comparison to His greatness, like school or money, that I often miss out on the time God wants to have with me. I consequently fail to "present my requests to Him" and in doing this, I ultimately miss feeling the awesomeness of God's peace. (Phil 4:6-7) Now that is a high price to pay!

However, I love how Christmastime brings sermons about Isaiah 9:6.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(that was our tree this year)
I was reminded this past season that since God is the Prince of Peace, and he holds my life in His hands, I should never worry about anything or allow myself to be distracted from Him. I should also yearn to spend time with Him not only because he is worthy of my life, but also so that I can rest in His peace.

..."for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."
Hebrews 4:10-11

So, I have come to the conclusion that life, although wonderful at times, is often times a huge series of distractions and issues that try to drag me away from time with my Savior. I have also come to the conclusion that I have to stop allowing Satan to use such distractions against me. I am praying that God continues to reveal his beauty to me so that I will see the distractions and worries of the world as they truly are, for they are incomparable to the greatness of Jesus Christ.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21