18 Days until I arrive back in my homeland!
Wow, I suppose time has flown by! It's been a long while since posting about Toledo and Madrid!! Since then, I have gone to Morocco, Florence, Rome, Milan, and Ronda! Bear with me here as I am about to unfold what my life has been like since last time I wrote!
Morocco was amazing! I rode a camel, got to see some amazing beauty, and had a really great time hanging out with friends. We went on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday. We just went down to the southern tip of Spain and hopped on a boat to cross over to Morocco! I suppose I can say I've been to the continent of Africa, which is kinda really awesome. (However, I'd love to go back to volunteer some day!)
Two weeks after Morocco we had our descanso, which was our fall break. Most of us took that opportunity to travel for about 10 days! I had the amazing opportunity to go to Rome, Florence, and Milan in that time. I actually did all of that in 5 days, and then came back and spent the other few days relaxing here in Spain. I think I had the best vacation! God has already given me such amazing opportunities to travel throughout Europe, so I wasn't as pressured to do all sorts of crazy traveling in that one break. I got to hang out with my family, experience Spain, take a run, and really take a break from the crazy life that comes with studying abroad. I loved my experience with some wonderful ladies in Italy, and I am so happy that I got to experience traveling with them! One thing that I suggest to anyone who plans on traveling, use Rick Steves. We used his book for Italy and we got the BEST suggestions from him from restaurant ideas to hour long walking tours of the city.
Since returning to school after break, I have been extraordinarily busy! Mondays I've had Acción Solidaria, which ended last week. No more going to the retirement home for men and playing dominoes. I've been trying to reflect on that. I never felt like I was doing anything /useful/ so it became difficult for me to desire to go. But I know that God uses us particularly when we do not know we are being used. And for that reason, I trust that what I did there God will use to shine His glory. I know it's not all about me and making sure people are telling me that I'm being used well or whatever the case may be.
After volunteering, I had to run to Flamenco (Sevillana) dance class! Such a ball of fun!! This week (tomorrow, actually) we have our "show"/party to dance with our big dresses, flowers in our hair, and those big earrings! I'm really excited for that!! It should be a lot of fun! After that class on Mondays, I have Bible Study that I help lead (more like a discussion guider.) That has been going extremely well! The ladies in my group are quite wonderful and I am so proud of their bravery of being vulnerable. It's encouraging to have a community like that--especially while all of us are away from things that we are used to and familiar.
Tuesdays and Thursdays were consumed by an afternoon course about the current state of Spain. It was only 8 classes in total, covering things like the population, entertainment, religion, etc. Wednesdays are Encuentro, where I sometimes play in the band. (We switched encuentro to Monday due to the fiesta de flamenco tomorrow) Yesterday, we were practicing and the guy who won the Spanish version of the Voice (called Numero Uno... I think) came in and was just chilling with one of the staff members while we were playing and trying to figure out songs. No big deal...
I went to a FUTBOL game here on Sunday. People were going insane. It's everything and more than you think of a Spanish futbol game. The crazy men. The passion. The greased back hair. The insults. The dancing when a team scores. Oh everything about it. If I hadn't felt a part of the Spanish culture before, I sure do now!!
Anyway, tomorrow I have Flamenco. Thursday is Thanksgiving and we are actually doing something about that here!! In the morning the school is going to a place called Huelva and then at night (like 9pm is their "cena" so who knows when we'll show up) we are going to have Thanksgiving dinner!! I cannot wait!
Super busy week this week, but I am excited for the days to come! (And the 3 day weekend, too!) I gotta live it up in Spain while I still can and take every opportunity as they arise!
Wow, I suppose time has flown by! It's been a long while since posting about Toledo and Madrid!! Since then, I have gone to Morocco, Florence, Rome, Milan, and Ronda! Bear with me here as I am about to unfold what my life has been like since last time I wrote!
Morocco was amazing! I rode a camel, got to see some amazing beauty, and had a really great time hanging out with friends. We went on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday. We just went down to the southern tip of Spain and hopped on a boat to cross over to Morocco! I suppose I can say I've been to the continent of Africa, which is kinda really awesome. (However, I'd love to go back to volunteer some day!)
Two weeks after Morocco we had our descanso, which was our fall break. Most of us took that opportunity to travel for about 10 days! I had the amazing opportunity to go to Rome, Florence, and Milan in that time. I actually did all of that in 5 days, and then came back and spent the other few days relaxing here in Spain. I think I had the best vacation! God has already given me such amazing opportunities to travel throughout Europe, so I wasn't as pressured to do all sorts of crazy traveling in that one break. I got to hang out with my family, experience Spain, take a run, and really take a break from the crazy life that comes with studying abroad. I loved my experience with some wonderful ladies in Italy, and I am so happy that I got to experience traveling with them! One thing that I suggest to anyone who plans on traveling, use Rick Steves. We used his book for Italy and we got the BEST suggestions from him from restaurant ideas to hour long walking tours of the city.
Since returning to school after break, I have been extraordinarily busy! Mondays I've had Acción Solidaria, which ended last week. No more going to the retirement home for men and playing dominoes. I've been trying to reflect on that. I never felt like I was doing anything /useful/ so it became difficult for me to desire to go. But I know that God uses us particularly when we do not know we are being used. And for that reason, I trust that what I did there God will use to shine His glory. I know it's not all about me and making sure people are telling me that I'm being used well or whatever the case may be.
After volunteering, I had to run to Flamenco (Sevillana) dance class! Such a ball of fun!! This week (tomorrow, actually) we have our "show"/party to dance with our big dresses, flowers in our hair, and those big earrings! I'm really excited for that!! It should be a lot of fun! After that class on Mondays, I have Bible Study that I help lead (more like a discussion guider.) That has been going extremely well! The ladies in my group are quite wonderful and I am so proud of their bravery of being vulnerable. It's encouraging to have a community like that--especially while all of us are away from things that we are used to and familiar.
Tuesdays and Thursdays were consumed by an afternoon course about the current state of Spain. It was only 8 classes in total, covering things like the population, entertainment, religion, etc. Wednesdays are Encuentro, where I sometimes play in the band. (We switched encuentro to Monday due to the fiesta de flamenco tomorrow) Yesterday, we were practicing and the guy who won the Spanish version of the Voice (called Numero Uno... I think) came in and was just chilling with one of the staff members while we were playing and trying to figure out songs. No big deal...
I went to a FUTBOL game here on Sunday. People were going insane. It's everything and more than you think of a Spanish futbol game. The crazy men. The passion. The greased back hair. The insults. The dancing when a team scores. Oh everything about it. If I hadn't felt a part of the Spanish culture before, I sure do now!!
Anyway, tomorrow I have Flamenco. Thursday is Thanksgiving and we are actually doing something about that here!! In the morning the school is going to a place called Huelva and then at night (like 9pm is their "cena" so who knows when we'll show up) we are going to have Thanksgiving dinner!! I cannot wait!
Super busy week this week, but I am excited for the days to come! (And the 3 day weekend, too!) I gotta live it up in Spain while I still can and take every opportunity as they arise!
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