Now I am a legit Spaniard

So, last weekend we took a group trip to Granada, a city about 3 hours east of Sevilla. We took a bus Saturday morning in the pouring rain and arrived at our hotel in the afternoon. After exploring in the city, we visited the Cathedral in Granada. Seeing as how I live 5 minutes from the Cathedral in Sevilla and had already seen the inside of that, I was thinking this trip was not going to be very exciting. Thankfully, I was wrong, and both Cathedrals are huge, gorgeous and mind-blowing on the inside. The inside of the Cathedral of Granada was totally different because it was Renaissance style, while the Cathedral in Sevilla is gothic style. The one in Granada has much more gold, and the walls are painted white so there is more light. Here is what it looks like inside:


Also interesting, the bodies of the old Spanish King and Queen Ferdinand and Isabella are buried there, but sadly we weren't allowed to take pictures of them. After visiting the Cathedral of Granada, we went to a place called a "teteria." At first, this sounded like a bad word or something to me, but, don't worry, its just a tea house. Granada is famous for its hot Arabic tea, so of course we had to try some. The teteria was very well decorated and looked cool and Moroccan on the inside. I had té de almendra, which is almond tea, and it was awesome! However, in my opinion, Kellsey had the best tea called "Sueños de la Alhambra," which means "dreams of the Alhambra." The menu at this place was huge...like 7 pages full of different flavors of tea. I definitely want to go back sometime soon!



We woke up early the next morning on Valentine's Day to go the Alhambra. Before we left the hotel, we ate a delicious continental breakfast which consisted of things like eggs, yogurt, fruit and coffee. This was epic to me because I have only been eating bread for breakfast, and I ate soo much that I felt sick on the bus. But anyway, the Alhambra is THE most visited monument in Spain, and it is a huge place for of palaces and amazing buildings that is elevated above the small town of Granada. It was once the residence of Muslim rulers until the Christians conquered the palaces. It also includes the Palace of Carlos V, which looks like a coliseum on the inside. The Alhambra is cool because it encompasses a lot of history in one place, and allows you to see the old constructions of the Muslims, and how they changed when the Christians took over.





Once we got back from Granada, we were so tired, but Kellsey and I still managed to buy our senora a "tarto de queso" (cheesecake) and make her a card for Valentine's Day. Surprisingly, she LOVED it! She read the card out loud and said we were going to have a "fiesta" as we all shared a piece of the cheesecake. She has never been so nice to us before, and it was nice to have a little Valentine's day party with Ana.


The next morning, I started classes at the real University of Sevilla. I was feeling nervous because the realization hit that I was going to be attending a school where all I had to rely on was my Spanish skills (aka oh no!). I was also a little nervous because of the things I have heard about the disorganization of the school...things like "sometimes professors just don't come to class," and "sometimes the classroom numbers you are told don't match the one that the class is actually in." Luckily, both of these things have happened to me this first week. The very first day, 11 of us Americans sat in a class that we thought was a photography class for a good 15 minutes. Then, when some Spanish girl whipped out her notes that said something about Renaissance History of Italy, we all quickly realized that we were in the wrong class, and shamefully had to get up and walk out. Epic fail. Little did we know that the classroom that we needed was on floor 2 1/2 (no wonder we couldn't find it) and the number of the classroom had changed and we were not informed. When we finally found the right one, the professor was off drinking coffee somewhere and the only Spaniard in our class had to go and find him to let him know we had arrived for class. It was interesting. After all that, I ended up dropping the class because it was all Americans and 1 Spaniard...which is not very good for making Spanish friends.

Now I am in an art class that I couldn't find either on the first day because the classrooms are numbered like 18, 113, 87...something like that. So needless to say, I was late the first day. Then the professor decided not to come the next two times for class, so I will have to tell you more about that one later.

I have started teaching English at a private Catholic high school and the kids are an absolute hoot. I love working there even more than I thought I would. I thought I signed up to tutor kids one on one, but I actually signed up to teach a legit English class, complete with lesson plans and everything. The first day the teacher didn't know I was coming and didn't have anything for me to do, so I just talked to them and they asked me questions. They asked me what my favorite fútbol team, and I said, "Sevilla" and everyone cheered. Then I sat in on the rest of their lesson and the kids were learning conditional phrases. It was an absolute crack-up to me because the kids sentences went something like, "If I drove a ship, I would be a shipdriver," in a funny accent of course. Or "If I met Beyone, I would be very happy." It was cute to hear them try to speak English, but it also made me realize how silly I probably sound in Spanish when I speak. Oh well, at least I try.

As usual, God has been teaching me awesome things while I am here. I have been meditating on a passage in John 12:23-26. It is so awesome that I want to write it all on here:
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

This passage has spoken volumes to me the past few days. I recently read in an Oswald Chambers devotional that the most important thing we have to do as Christians is to glorify Christ's name, and the rest of the things we need to do will fall in step with that. This passage furthers that thought by saying you must glorify Christ by dying to self. I have always thought that is an odd phrase...how do you "die to yourself?" To me, that means leaning on God for everything, seeking to please God in everything that I do, not doing what I want to do every day but rather asking God what HE has planned for me to do every day, and doing away with the desire to sin. One "dies to self" when they get saved (Rom 6:6-8), but I think it is also a daily process of putting the will of Christ before the will of self. It's the only way others will want to become followers of Christ because it allows Christ to be seen through us, and God honors such efforts of his people to glorify Him.

Also, I love the part about "Where I am my servant will also be." That is such a cool and simple way to think about following Christ...seek Him and you will end up in the same place. I feel that God is in Spain and that makes me soo excited to see what He will do next. There is so much more I could write about how awesome God is, but that is all for now. I am off to salsa dancing! :)

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! :)

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!