Another week comes to an end. One month already???

Well, it’s Sunday. The start of another week. Last week was a good week overall. I’m starting to make Spanish friends, which is very exciting! Tuesday night I started working with my service project, called Solidarios. They are an NGO that, among many other things, serves homeless people here in Sevilla. We go out onto the streets at night with coffee and cookies and look for the homeless, and our mission is to give them acknowledgement and company in a city where society scorns them, ignores them, and treats them as if they didn’t exist. This week it rained, so there weren’t many homeless actually out on the streets, but we did find a few. One of the men was drunk, and he talked to us for an hour and a half straight about Jesus. I was really excited when he started talking because for once, someone was talking about something I’m familiar with. haha But he spoke the language of the streets and was so drunk that I really couldn’t understand him. It’s also interesting serving with an organizationthat has no ties to the church and, more accurately, scorns the church. I did meet some new friends this week, and I am excited to get to know them better as the semester goes on. You can pray for them. Their names are Javi, Marta, Chano, Maria, Cora, Clara, and Andres.

Thursday I painted a fan for charity at my school. :-) It took me 5 hours, but it was so worth it. I bought two more fans, but haven’t had time to paint those yet.

Friday I got to meet and hang out with my intercambio (kind of like an “assigned friend” who helps you with your Spanish and you help them with English) Fernando for the first time. He’s so nice! We went to lunch and took a couple nice walks, and we got BEN AND JERRY’S!!!!!!!! I needed that. haha Fernando had never had peanut butter before, so we stopped at Corte Ingles so I could buy a jar and he could try some. He said he liked it, but it was very strong. I think I probably should have given him some bread to have it on. haha Oh, well. We spent the afternoon switching back and forth between English and Spanish, helping each other figure out how to say certain things. We had a really good discussion on faith on our way to his bus stop, and I hope we are able to keep talking about it sometime before I leave. Prayers for Fernando and I are appreciated as well.

Saturday I decided not to go to Huelva with the school trip because I was so tired when I woke up. I went to the park to read my Bible and my devotional book for siesta, but left when this creepy Spanish guy wanted to take pictures of my feet. Ew. So I went as far away from the park as I knew how to get, which is the mall on the other side of the city. I got there and thought I’d walk around a little. And then I decided to go see a movie, so I went upstairs to the cinema and saw Disney’s Up in Spanish. It was so funny, and also reassuring that I could purchase movie tickets without help and understand an entire movie without much difficulty. :-) Did you know that movie theaters here have assigned seats?

Lisa ran in a 5k race this morning, and I intended to go to church alone, but I slept in too long. Today has been a lazy day, just sitting around doing homework, watching a Spanish version of “America’s Got Talent” whose title translates to “Yes, You’re Worth It,” and napping. Now I think Lisa and I are going to go get ice cream. Yum!

Blessings!

I went to Portugal. Let me tell you the story.

PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028343&id=152001486&l=183c48c6c4

This past weekend I went to Portugal with Lisa through a travel agency’s group trip. It was so fun!

It all started when we went out for a quick lunch Friday afternoon between the end of classes and when we were supposed to meet the bus. So we’re in this really nice sandwich shop and we finished our meal, and I decided to go to the bathroom really quick since we’d be on the bus for a few hours. I went into the bathroom, which was a one-person one, and proceeded to do my business. It was a nice bathroom, but someone had peed all over the floor and the music was blaring so loud. I washed my hands and went to leave and the door wouldn’t open. I pushed. I pulled. I turned the handle every way I could. Nothing. There was a key in the lock, so I tried turning it in every combination with pushing, pulling, and turning the handle. Nothing. At this point I gave up on trying to get myself out and started pounding on the door and yelling, “Ayudame!!!!!!” which means, “Help me!!!!!!” I looked at my watch and we only had about 15 minutes before we were supposed to meet the bus. I kept pounding and yelling, and eventually Lisa, who was wondering why on earth it was taking me so long, came to check on me. The music was so loud I could barely hear her, but she did her best to go get help from one of the employees and keep a straight face. Kudos to Lisa for communicating that I was locked in the bathroom. Eventually they got me out after a couple minutes, and we went to the bus and we were on our way.

Friday afternoon was spent at the beach on Tavira Island, and it was the BEST beach I’ve ever been to. The waves were huge, the water was crystal clear (albeit freezing), and the atmosphere on the beach was just very nice. Once we left the beach, we stopped at a grocery store and bought salami, bread, and cheese to make sandwiches for the weekend to cut our costs. Let me tell you, I will not want another salami sandwich for a VERY long time. I had eight salami sandwiches in the span of two days. After Tavira Island we drove to Albufeira and stayed in an apartment-hotel that was very nice. People from the group (which isn’t associated with my study abroad program) went out to the bars and clubs in Albufeira and didn’t get in until 6 am, but we stayed in and did homework and watched a Japanese game show in Portuguese. The next day when we met everyone at the bus, we were pretty much the only three people (me, Lisa, and our friend Amy) that were awake and not hung-over. It rained Saturday, so we drove into town for lunch and then headed out to Lagos early instead of spending the afternoon at Albufeira’s beach.

When we checked in to the apartment-hotel in Lagos, we decided that we wanted to go out that night, but we didn’t want to go with the rest of the group. So we decided to go down to the beach and then walk into town for the evening. We walked to the beach, via a VERY long detour, and then to walk back into town we decided to walk along the shore instead of along the road. It took us about an hour to walk back to town along the beach, and then when we got to town we realized that we couldn’t get there because there was a giant canal separating the beach and the rest of the city. So then we had to take another VERY long detour around the shipyard, followed half the way by stray cats. After walking for a good two hours straight, we ended up in town and decided to look for a good place to eat.

Gilbert’s Restaurant seemed the perfect location to satisfy our hunger. When I saw lasagna on the menu, I knew right away that’s what I wanted. Lisa and Amy, however, decided to be more adventurous. Lisa ordered salmon, and Amy got garlic pan-fried squid. I’m very glad I decided not to be adventurous. I tried both Lisa’s salmon and Amy’s squid, and neither of them were good experiences. After dinner, we walked into the town square and decided we wanted to explore town a bit before heading back to our hotel. In the town square we stopped to buy our souvenirs, and I bought a really adorable handmade pottery figure. We took a taxi back to the apartment and pretty much went right to bed.

Sunday morning we met up with the group, checked out of the hotel, and headed to the Doña Ana cove beach in Lagos. It is the most gorgeous beach I have ever been to, although it smelled disgusting, a bit like sour fish and farts all mixed together. At the end of the day, Lisa and I wanted to change out of our swimsuits before the bus ride home, so we decided to go behind this big rock ledge to change after the beach was nearly deserted. We were trying to change quickly, but little did we know that some Portuguese man was also thinking that our secluded changing spot would also be a good spot to pee. He walked around the corner just as we were in the middle of changing. That was awkward. Then when we went back to gather our things, a group of women dressed like Paris Hilton and women with big cameras and makeup bags and cans of hairspray came over to our side of the beach. We were intrigued and wanted to watch the photo shoot a little, until the women started taking their clothes off, at which point we were much more interested in getting the heck out of there. That was also awkward.

We arrived in Sevilla very tired Sunday night, faced with a good few hours of studying for the exams that we would have the next two days. Now that exams are over, I am more relaxed, and I think I did pretty well on them. :-)

Hand Sanitizer for Gripe A!!!

1. Spaniards are preoccupied with the swine flu, which they call "Gripe A".
2. Spaniards don't use hand sanitizer, nor do they really have any idea what it is.

So our school ordered these giant bottles of hand sanitizer for us to use to help prevent the spread of Gripe A, and they delivered them to each class the other day. My professor, José, took one look at the bottle, and asked us, "How are you supposed to use it without water?" We explained to him that it wasn't soap, and that you just put it on your hands and rub them together until it dries. So he takes an evaluative look at the bottle, shrugs his shoulders and pumps out FIVE full pumps of hand sanitizer into his palm. Our jaws just dropped, and I don't think anyone could find the words to tell him that was way too much. So we just sat there giggling watching him try to rub it into his hands for about 30 seconds. Then he looks up with a quizzical look on his face and says, "My hands are so STICKY!" and clapped his hands together to show us. We all just bust a gut laughing for several minutes before we managed to tell him that you only use a little bit.

That is my funny story of the day. :-)

Bingo, Cadiz, and Fun with the Girls!

Well, first off, I have lots to update in only 20 minutes. So I am going to give a brief overview of the events of the past week, and then later, when I'm able to post pictures, I will do a more detailed blog of each thing if necessary.

Last Thursday (and these pictures are already up on Facebook, by the way: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2028090&id=152001486&l=215c5ba19b) we went and played bingo with the old men at the senior center/nursing home. It was so much fun! There was this one old man who reminded me a lot of my dad, and another who wouldn't stop kissing my cheeks and grabbing my face and telling me how pretty and funny I was. I can't wait to go back again next month!

Friday was a special day in Sevilla: La Noche Larga (The Long Night) which happens once a year. All the museums are open for free until 3 AM and have tons of concerts and special performances. A group of us went to the Museo de Carruajes (Carriage Museum) near our house and watched a performance of belly dancing. It was very.....um....festive. :-) Afterwards we decided to go out to a cafe before heading home. (Side note: night life in Sevilla is crazy. People are out walking their babies in strollers until like 2 AM. It's like they're all nocturnal here! haha) As I was standing there in the cafe, I heard the most awful attempt at Spanish and looked over to see this American guy about our age attempting to communicate with an old Spanish guy. I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, which the guy heard, and after he finished with the old man proceeded to come over to our group. He was quite drunk, but his story was very interesting. I don't really have any experience entertaining drunk college students, nor do I see myself having a future in it, but while I was talking with him for the next couple hours, I felt quite peaceful, and it was like Jesus was assuring me that this is what He would have done. I made it home in one piece by 1:30 AM, and got a little sleep before waking early on Saturday.

Saturday we went to the beach in Cadiz via train. It was a gorgeous beach with big waves and people surfing and sand like flour. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and I will post pictures the next time I get a chance.

Sunday and Monday were uneventful. Yesterday I went shopping at the mall on the othe side of the city and bought a cute scarf. I'm excited for it to get colder so I can wear it!

Today Lisa and I are going to visit a friend of our friends Aaron and Lynette Musser who lives in a little town outside of Sevilla. I'm sure stories and pictures will follow.

This weekend is the Portugal trip. Beaches in Portugal all weekend long, and lots of studying because the two days right after we get back are our first exams. :-/

Time for class now, but I'm glad I could give you some sort of update. :-)

Blessings,
Katie

A great weekend!

NEW PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027965&id=152001486&l=fe48a0da67

Friday we went to Córdoba on a class field trip. We went to an archaeological dig site at an ancient city call Madinat al-Zahra, named after one of the Arabic ruler’s favorite concubines. A legend at the city says that the woman wanted more than anything to see the ground covered with snow. However, Córdoba never EVER gets snow. So the ruler planted thousands of almond trees all over the city and in the surrounding countryside. When the trees bloomed and the flowers fell to the ground, the layer of white petals was as close to the gift of snow that he could give her.

After exploring the ruins for about an hour, we went back into the city of Córdoba to the mosque. This mosque is unique for several reasons. First, its beauty and architecture are world-renown. Second, it has a Catholic cathedral built smack dab in the middle of it thanks to Spain’s history of Muslim and Catholic conquest. Third, it is the only mosque in the entire world that is not oriented towards Mecca. Our professors acted as our tour guides, and since they weren’t allowed to talk loudly, everyone wore these earpiece radio things and our professors talked softly into microphones as we walked around. The mosque is definitely one of the most visually stunning buildings I’ve ever been in.

Friday night we returned from Córdoba. Lisa and I had tickets for a concert in the gardens at the Real Alcázar, the royal palace. First we went out for dinner at a “bar” near the gardens. I say “bar” because a bar in Spain is not like a bar in the U.S. Here, a bar is simply like a little café eatery with outdoor seating and a bar counter inside. Anyways, we ended up talking with our waiter a little bit, and he was very nice. He invited us to come back to the restaurant anytime we wanted. Lisa and I think perhaps he was flirting with us, but I am not versed in such matters, and as such I have absolutely no idea whether he actually was flirting. After dinner we went to the gardens and walked around for about an hour. The gardens are huge and beautiful, and it was really cool to be there at night because normally it’s only open during the day. Then we went and found our seats for the concert and sat down. We were the very last two seats in the very last row…perfect for sneaking out of the concert a little early to head home, which we ended up doing. The concert was good: Irish folk music with Spanish lyrics, and every song was about the Virgin Mary. Odd. Very odd, but a good concert nonetheless.

On our way home, we decided we didn’t really know how to get home from the gardens, but we did know how to get home from the Plaza de España, which is nearby. So we walked to the Plaza, and ran into a ginormous botellón. A botellón is what young people do at night on the weekends here. They buy whiskey and Coca-Cola and plastic cups and congregate in numbers that range anywhere from a small circle of close friends to (in this case) what seems like half the young people in the city. As we walked by, it was getting kind of rowdy, so we hurried past, but much to our dismay, a couple blocks down we ran into another botellón in full swing, and it was even sketchier than the first one! So rather than walk through this one (in the dark, mind you), we took an exit off the street into the park, which I thought I knew where we were then. Apparently I did not. When we came out of the park on the other side, I had absolutely no clue where we were. I have spent some time in the past couple weeks studying my map so that if I get lost and don’t have my map with me I could at least hopefully have some idea where in the city I was. However, none of these street names looked familiar. (Come to find out later, the reason I didn’t recognize the streets is because we had walked so far we were off my map!) Lisa and I found a sign for our neighborhood, so we turned the corner and followed that. This street also happened to be a street full of discotecas and nightclubs. So here we are, dressed in our wholesome “let’s go tour Córdoba” clothes, walking with our school bags against the flow of what seemed like a hundred scantily-clad Spaniards heading in to party the night away. We definitely looked out of place. Eventually, the road started looking familiar and we found our way home. I’m glad I had Lisa with me, and I’m also glad to have gained a little more self-confidence through the experience.

Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed for the bus station at Plaza de Armas to meet a group of friends. We were planning on taking a bus to the beach at Matalascañas, on the Atlantic coast. We bought our tickets and headed downstairs to wait in line for our bus. When it pulled up, we expected to get on quickly, as we were only maybe 15 people back in the line or so. Case in point: when you are in another culture, never expect things to be done a certain way. Your presuppositions often make you look like a fool. Another case in point: Spanish bus stations sell tickets, not seats. So just because you have a ticket, doesn’t mean you have a seat. When the bus pulled up, rather than staying in our orderly line, the people rushed forward, pushing and shoving to get on the bus. What had been a group of civilized adults five seconds before turned into a madhouse. Lisa and another girl from our group made it on the bus, but the rest of us didn’t, along with about thirty others. Luckily, about three minutes later, the company had arranged another bus to bring the rest of us to the beach. Matalascañas was gorgeous, and I forgot my camera, but I did manage to steal some of Lisa’s photos. It was so relaxing: the sand was like flour, and the water was the perfect temperature. Something cool about the beach at Matalascañas is that a portion of an old tower fell down into the water, and it sits smack dab in the middle of the beach, about twenty meters into the water at low tide. We all got on the bus back home just fine.

Sunday morning we went to Iglesia Prosperidad again. I like it there, but I found it hard to understand the man who gave this week’s message. It didn’t help that he spoke really fast, or that the main verb that seemed to be in every one of his points is one that I didn’t know, or that he talked in a type of past tense that I rarely use or hear, so it was hard to follow. But it was good nonetheless, and Sunday afternoon was spent doing homework at the house.

Oh, and it’s cooling off here! By cooling off, I mean it’s like 80 degrees, which now feels like sweatshirt weather to me. That’s hard for me to believe!

Anyways, this has been a majorly long post, but it feels good to have it done. J

Blessings,
Katie

What I want to say, I can't say. And what I don't need to say, I know perfectly well how to say it.

The glitter is starting to fade…I still love it here, but eventually the new-ness and wonder of it all has to wear off. And for me that happened today.

My grammar class is really making me question my abilities. I understand pretty much everything she says, but I am quickly realizing that my grammar and vocabulary are nowhere near what they should be for someone who has spoken the language for so long. The professor says I need to talk to Spaniards, and that is the point of difficulty for me right now. I live with an American roommate, my señora and her “companion” cleaning lady don’t really talk that much, and I don’t really enjoy talking with my señora that much because all she wants to talk about is either how good and nutritious the food is for you or how much she loves Obama or how the whole world needs to model itself after Spain. Haha I anticipate getting connected with Spaniards in the next few weeks in my service learning class and with an “intercambio” which is like an “assigned friend” that wants to learn English, and you help each other with your prospective languages. I also might get involved in a Bible study every once in a while through the Universidad de Sevilla, and that’s something I REALLY want to do, but I don’t know if I’ll have enough time and I don’t want to overload myself. Until all those things happen though, I have to talk to Spaniards elsewhere, like in stores or restaurants, which requires me to be very outgoing (here in Spain, you don’t just go up to people you don’t know….that’s a cultural no-no). I am praying for a spirit of adventure and boldness so I can better my Spanish, and I ask you to pray for that as well.

Now that I’ve been here for a week and am required to speak Spanish pretty much all the time when I’m with the other students, I’m getting frustrated. I’m trying to make friends and be myself. However, I have the vocabulary of roughly a 6 year old child. I am an intelligent, funny human being that has a lot to offer. I just can’t express any of it in Spanish. I think that is the most frustrating thing of all. I’m trying to be myself, but so much of who I am is intricately tied to the language I speak, and when I’m speaking another language I can’t really be the real me yet.

Just got done with dinner. Lisa and I more or less succeeded tonight with avoiding them making us eat so much. We just said “no” and stuck to our guns, and tonight they weren’t able to shove food down our throats like they did at lunch. So perhaps we’ll exercise this tactic more often. Oh, and we went out for ice cream tonight. Thinking I wanted it in a cup and not a cone, I asked for it in a “copa” which seems to be the word in this region for cup. I received a giant goblet full of ice cream, and while it was delectable, I was absolutely stuffed by the time I left, having still been full from our enormous lunch. After ice cream, we went to our first “Encuentro” which is the worship gathering the school puts on every Wednesday.

Yesterday night was girls’ night out…aka Noche de Chicas, a program the school hosted. We met up at the school and ate chocolate and talked about feelings and all the things girls do. Then we went paddleboating on the river. It was so much fun! I didn’t take my camera, but Lisa did, so I stole her photos. haha

Well, I’m getting ready for bed now, but I wanted to post an update. I tried to upload photos of Noche de Chicas and the ice cream, but the uploader for the blog isn't working right now. But I did post them to the facebook album, so just use the link I posted in earlier entries or go to my facebook page to see them. They're like the last 6 photos or so in the album. :-)

Goodnight!

Mi Horario Diario

I'm falling into my rhythm and routine here. It feels like I've been here forever, not just a week (a week exactly from today, actually). My daily schedule looks a lot different than in the US, mostly thanks to Spanish mealtimes, but that's ok...I kinda like it.

7:00 am - Wake up and stumble to the bathroom to take a shower and wash off all the sweat that I can't seem to escape for even a moment here.

8-8:30 am - Begin walking to school. It's about a 30 minute walk, and it's fun to see the same people on a regular basis. It helps this huge city feel more like home. We are now "regulars" with the guy who hands out the free newspapers on the corner by our school every morning. :-)

9:00 am - Classes start for most students, but I have a break during the first time slot, when I usually check my email and update my blog...this is actually when I'm writing this right now. haha

10:00-1:30 pm - Classes with a break between my second and third class. I'm taking Spanish Art and Architecture, History of Spain's Religious Cultures, and Advanced Communication/Grammar.

1:30-2:00 pm - Classes are done and Lisa and I walk home.

2:30 pm - Lunch with Angeles and Basilia at home.

3:30-5:30 pm - SIESTA!!! and homework time

6:00-9:00 pm - Sometime we have an evening activity, and sometimes we just stay home. It depends on the day. Yesterday we went to the "papeleria" and bought notebooks and folders for school and then to the "heladeria" on the corner near our house for some DELICIOUS ice cream. I'm not kidding...this place rivals the Custard Cup.

10 or 10:30 pm - Dinner and then we watch TV for awhile after we finish eating.

11:00-11:30 pm - Finish any homework and read my book while Lisa showers.

11:30-midnight - Go to bed and toss and turn for a half hour while I sweat to death in our oven of a bedroom. :-)