Life According to Ana (My Señora)

First and foremost, there is absolutely NO making of coffee and/or toast past breakfast time. Breakfast time ends at 10am. Fruit is only to be eaten at lunchtime. Shoes are to be kept in the bookcase, NOT in a line on the floor. Hoods are not to be worn in the house. And last but not least, the internet may NOT be used past 12:00 pm. Due to the internet restriction, I have been having trouble finding time to blog. I tried once, but when it gets to be like 12:30...12:45...she just turns the wi-fi off. haha Rules are rules.

I have been super busy these past weeks with picking my classes, booking trips and travel plans, doing work for my current class, exploring Sevilla, finding time to run, and going to dance class. Yes, I have started taking salsa dancing classes at a place called Planet-Pool, and its really fun. We've been doing the basic steps, but we got wild and crazy last night and learned how to do some turns. I think I will turn pro soon.

A tragedy happened last week when Dún (the big white dog that lived on the roof of our house that I only saw one time) had to be put to sleep. He was 13 years old and kept barking during the night because he was sick, and my señora couldn't sleep. She had her son come and take him to the vet. Kellsey and I weren't sure whether the dog was still at the vet or if he actually got put to sleep that day, so while we were making dinner we asked Ana, "Como está el perro?" Her response was "frito"... which means FRIED. She said that her dog got fried!! I was sooo taken off guard and my mouth was probably hanging wide open, and she thought that I didn't know what "frito" meant. So I said "no I understand, frito like food, right?" ahhh probably not the best thing to say...so awkward...yet so typical of Ana. She actually is really sad about the loss of Dun, and I know because she teared up at lunch the next day when we were talking about him. That made me feel better that she did actually care. She is so funny sometimes.

Last weekend, I took a day trip to a place called Ronda with lots of other people from the group (reppin' my Camino del Rey shirt!). It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! We did some hiking on the mountains that overlooked the gorge, and I got like 25 pictures from 25 different angles of the same bridge that crosses over the mountain regions. Also, we found some caves and ruins of old buildings that were really fun to play in. It was a beautiful and sunny day to go, and I am so glad I got to hike some of God's beautiful creation in Ronda!







If anyone was wondering, I did get to watch the Superbowl here with some fellow Americans. They were showing it in a local bar, so Kellsey and I went in time for half-time (of course) and caught the end of the game. It was weird though because they didn't show the commercials that were aired in the states. They showed their own regular commercials and sometimes showed random interviews of semi-famous Spanish people. Entertaining nonetheless, although we had to stay up til 4am to see the end!

God has been teaching me a lot these past few weeks in regards to my homestay. After getting in trouble a few times for various things with Ana, like staying up past 12 and having the heater plugged in too long, God really helped me to learn something about humility. I kept getting frustrated with her because I didn't think I should be yelled at for things that seemed small and not a big deal to me. However, God really changed my heart when I read Matthew 11:29. It says, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. I was allowing myself to get so worked up and frustrated when Ana would get mad and yell at me, and this is because I was thinking about the situation from a self-righteous point of view. I always have to remind myself that she is allowing me stay in her house, where her rules go, whether I think they are reasonable rules or not. Also, I was lacking some big qualities that Matthew 11:29 mentions, which are humility and gentleness. I would have to think that if Jesus was in the same situation he would accept it for what it was, apologize, and try his best to follow the rules. I have been working on swallowing some pride right now to respect and obey Ana, and it is amazing what God can do if you just try to literally "take Christ's yoke" of humility and gentleness. Although it is still a daily struggle for me to swallow my pride and realize I am not living in a dorm where I can do whatever I want, and that I did not get a senora who is laid back with the students that stay at her house, God is helping me to find rest for my soul in this situation. Kellsey and I now enjoy talking to Ana and (we think) she enjoys talking to us, and I am looking forward to living here for the next 4 months. We have had lots of good conversations this past week, and she has been trying a lot more to help us with our Spanish.

This weekend I am going to Granada, so I will probably be writing about that very soon! :)