December 17 (actually 20) - December 24

December 20, 5:06am

Laura and Jenny about to perform together at the open mic.

These past couple of days have flown by.  I really don't know if I can remember all that happened from Monday the 17th until today... I know on Monday I woke up later and I spent my morning doing a bit more packing and cleaning up.  My host mom was still sick which was really kind of sad.  After lunch I studied a bit and then went with Jaime to get birthday gifts for Jenny and Laura.  After that I went and watched Sweeney Todd with Adri, and then came home and went to sleep.  Long story short, it was just a good day of quality time with special people.

On Tuesday I was going to have lunch with Pablo as a way to say goodbye but prioritized my last meal with my host family over that.  After, I went with Kassie and Jessica to the winter play/musical/pageant at Colegio Virgen de Gracia (Kassie's colegio) and enjoyed watching the kids there, then went with them to Arriero one more time for a little bit, and then to Jaime's because I had accidentally brought the wrapping paper with me and we had to wrap the gifts still, which we gave to Laura and Jenny later at the open mic at Hannigan's. I performed in a group and also solo, but screwed up a whole lot, but it's okay and it was good practice, and just proved I could do with more practice.

I got home super late and got up early to shower, throw on clothes, bring clothes to change into, and run to my Spanish final.  I did well; Antonio went over my exam right afterward because he likes me that much I guess, and then invited me for coffee, so we went and got coffee and talked for a good hour about random stuff from poetry to the Connecticut school shooting to WWII to the end of the world to grammar.  I'm going to miss him a ton.  After that, I got locked on the first floor of the IES building, which was a little scary, while I was in the bathroom.  After escaping thanks to Jeff, we all went to a cocktail party that lasted like two and a half hours or so and was full of delicious finger food and conversation.  After speeding home and packing the rest of the way, I met up and walked with Omar briefly on my way over to Jaime's to help him get to the tapas location Bella y la Bestia because he wasn't sure which one it was.  A huge group of us hung out and ate tapas and celebrated Jenny and Laura's birthdays and basically just enjoyed a really good time together.  Daniel even passed by!

Me, Daniel, and Jenny, all looking very elegant.

After the tapas, we finally came to my favorite part of the night: dancing one last time.  I danced with so many people and had such a fun time.  I was more or less finally unafraid to ask people to dance with me and enjoy the dance, and met new people.  It was such a whirlwind of fun and also of emotion.  We sprinted afterward to Jaime's car and sped over to the apartments to get our stuff and then to Palacio de Congresos, where we had a super long goodbye session and many besitos and abrazotes and much cariño was exchanged.

Now I'm in the airport, finally about to check in and things like that.  I'm tired and for sure ready to get away from the vast majority of these IES people.  At the same time, slowly saying goodbye to close friends like Jenny is really strange.  I'm all-in-all ready to go home even though I wish I had two more days to rest, and I can't think of a better way to end the time I had in Granada than doing what I did with the people I was with.  I am going to miss them so super much even though right now I'm a bit numb.  I just pray for safety and ease-of-passage on this trip home.

December 22, 6:45pm

Thanks, British Airways, for not telling me anything.

It's been a whirlwind of a past couple of days.  Between having half of the people in our program have their luggage go missing, being completely weirded out at people speaking English everywhere, and it being ridiculously cold, part of me almost wished I had just stayed in Spain.  It's easier to stay where on is rather than to continue moving forward.  It's easier to just stay put than to take that step, that decision, that leap of faith.  But God didn't create us to live subpar lives, and humans aren't meant to just stay sedentary all our lives.  Stay in one country?  Perhaps!  Stay in one spot personal-growth-wise, etc.?  Never.  And it was my time to come back.  Perhaps I shall see you again, Granada.  I miss you already.

My very close friend and non-biological brother Dean took me out for dinner yesterday and I was shocked by the fact that a) people I don't know speak English, and b) the waiters and waitresses are VERY happy slash customer-service-oriented here.  I had gotten so used to having people leave me alone in Spain that to come back and have treatment like that was basically a shock.  So weird!

Today was a very lazy and relaxed day.  I'm not used to this at all.  I miss speaking Spanish and most of my automatic responses yesterday came in Spanish.  I enjoyed being able to play piano again whenever I want, and I did figure out that my luggage should hopefully be shipped to my house in an hour or so.  I look forward to seeing my family on Christmas Eve and also to dedicating my entire Sunday to serving, seeing the Christmas service at Willow SB, and seeing my small group.  I miss people.  I am going to spend the rest of my life missing people.

December 24, 10:45am

Well, this is it: the very last page of my journal that I used throughout all my adventures in Spain.  The pages are starting to fall out, the binding is broken, and the pen I tended to use while writing in it has exploded, all signs of a very noteworthy trip!

I've seen God move in incredible ways on this trip, both small and big.  I've seen Him shine brighter than I've ever thought possible in darkness.  I've underestimated Him and His grace and then come to see how small I am and how big He is.  I've met tons of people who I will always carry in my heart.  I've lived many late nights and early mornings and have thousands of memories and moments that very few, if any, will truly understand fully why they are so funny or precious or impactful or special or heart-wrenching or mind-blowing or just plain all-around weird.  I've hated Spain and I've loved it; I've wanted to escape it and I've wanted to move there.  I've wanted to get impatient with people who don't move out of your way on the sidewalk (in fact, I have) as well as people who let their dogs poop in the middle of those sidewalks (and I have, again, just not to their faces).  I've wanted to hug and give besitos and hug again and give more besitos to people (and in fact, again, I have).  I've wished certain moments would go by faster and that others would never end.  Now here I am in my bedroom, wondering if and when God will lead me to Spain and to Morocco once again while at the same time rejoicing over the opportunity to go back to campus soon and even go back to Costa Rica.  So much travel.  But I love it and I wouldn't exchange it.  :)

So as I end this entry and this journal on Christmas Eve, finally washing all the clothes that were in the suitcase that finally got found and shipped to my house, I thank God from the bottom of my heart and with all my being for everything that has happened this semester, and that I am now home safe with my family for a while.  One thing I'm beginning to realize more and more each day is that nothing ever goes unused by Him, not a single moment, unless you refuse to give it up to Him.  I'm more excited than ever to see what He has in store next and pray that I would be willing to be a part of that!

Signing off with much love,


Ashley

December 9 - December 16

December 9, 11:05pm

I really needed that church service this morning.  I don't think I had felt that refreshed in a long while.  It was so cool and wonderful to get hit with so many coinciding instances again and again and I am just dumbfounded and awestruck and amazed by how big and neverending His grace is for me.  I am humbled.

Cleaning up after playing Extreme Tabú at the coffee shop.

After coming home and a quiet lunch I did my blog like I try to do every week for everyone back home and out of nowhere got an email from Professor Westley about Costa Rica and I am SO excited that she basically confirmed me going back!  But I need to take all of this one thing at a time still!  I have ten more days here and I need to make the most of them.

I went after talking to my parents over skype to hang out with Laura, Jaime, and all of their friends (so Spaniards plus one American) and we all went to this coffee shop where you can play board games!  It was so cool and I wish something like that existed in  the U.S. simply because it's a great venue that attracts tons of people and it's wholesome.

December 10, 11:52pm

I got more sleep last night than recently so I woke up very tired today.  However, I had an enjoyable time at my internship helping my kiddos prepare for their English exam.  I'm trying to instill patience in them...it's hard.  In anthro we talked about integration and multiculturalism, which was all right, and then I rushed home for lunch only to turn around and rush back to Plaza Nueva to get some hardcore work done so I wouldn't be distracted by my own laptop.  I finished my seminar paper and touched up the Spanish paper, so I feel ahead of the game!  I then chatted with Alba, sat through a long review session in my Spanish class, presented my final project with Neda and Jessica, and then waited around Plaza Nueva because I was supposed to spend time with a friend Omar but I missed his call earlier and he probably wanted to tell me he couldn't make it or that I stood him up, I don't know.  It's okay because it allowed me to spend time chatting with Adri and getting to know him better and practice my Spanish with him.  I'm super thankful for his patience and pray for a strong friendship even now that I leave next week.

December 11, 9:41pm

My internship today was full of funny, fantastic, and great times.  I was super proud of Jose Manuel for starting to get the hang of English, of Marta for problem solving her errors, and of Ale Calvo for staying after and working super hard with me on the English phrases.  He has knowledge of some of the more difficult grammar things like the possessive, and other vocabulary.  I learned via Pablo talking with the new intern Támara a lot about some of the back stories of the kids, and I find myself wishing now more than ever that I could stay with them, help them more, and dig deeper into English with them while also supporting them.  I told Pablo there was one point I nearly broke down when Pepe asked me when I was leaving and he was super surprised it was so soon.  During the last hour I met some of the other new interns and had a very fun time with them helping them prepare for a short play they're doing next week.  I hope to see them again before I go.

After a lunch with my host mom and sister Paola, Emi, and my host mom's son and wife, I showered and dashed over to my internship seminar class, then to my Spanish class (where I'm ashamed to admit I basically checked-out in; I'm kind of done with IES...), then to the tetería where I am now with Jenny.  I am going to watch her and Laura at the open mic at Hannigan's and am excited for how that goes for them!

December 13, 9:45am

I was up until 2am writing cards to my kiddos for my last day today so I didn't get to journal, but yesterday was pretty cool.  In my internship when we were in the religion class Ale Calvo asked some really intelligent questions and I was super proud of him!  In fact I'm super proud o all of them, in Cindy's classes they discussed what was good about her teaching and what they like/don't like and how they have each improved and could improve more, and it just made me realize how great each one is.

Our last excursion as a Spanish class.

In anthropology we reviewed and basically finished the movie we were watching, and then I went home for lunch and then went to Hotel Saray to hang out with Daniel a little.  We walked together until Bibramblas since he had a meeting and I wanted to arrive early to IES to have more workspace, and it was just super-blessed time of learning and laughter and my first inside joke between me and someone who lives here.  So thankful for that friendship!

In my last Spanish class we reviewed grammar and then went out to a shwarma place to spend our last hour together as a class before the final exam.  It was kind of sad and with many mixed emotions because Antonio is super awesome.

So, that's about it.  We'll see how today goes!

December 15, 7:00pm

AAAAAAH I haven't written in forever.  I know it's an exaggeration, but still.  Allow me to attempt to recapture my past few days.  Let me start by saying that I am currently chilling with my friend Adri and it's fantastic, even though he's been pulling my leg the whole time.

I love my kiddos!

The last day at my colegio I kept telling myself I wasn't going to cry.  I wasn't planning on it.  I was enjoying my time with my kiddos, helping them and such, when all of a sudden Pablo and the students all surprised me with a couple of posters and cards and they had also brought food and drinks for a fiesta, and I was just completely overwhelmed and couldn't keep myself from crying a little.  They even wanted to do English for an hour and a half instead of our normal 45 minutes, so we sang Jingle Bells and had a spelling bee and took pictures.  It was super emotional, and even when I had to give my final presentation later that day I nearly teared up again trying to present well and still remembering what happened.  After, I went to Kassie's to study anthro with her, then got tapas with Jaime and discussed intellectual things, which was super cool and much needed!

Bar Dakota for the open mic.

Yesterday I spent a full two hours writing my anthropology exam; hopefully it turns out well!  After that, I returned home and relaxed and showered and such, and then walked with Adri since he lives super close to Bar Dakota for the last open mic, where I had the opportunity to recite a poem that I wrote in Spanish an hour beforehand.  Haha!  We all spent like three hours there, and then afterward a group of us went out dancing at Barrio Latino to celebrate and just enjoy the night.  We came back around 4:30am...

So when I woke up today around 11am, nobody was home.  So what do I do when nobody is home?  I did laundry, washed dishes, swept my floor, put on music really loud, danced around, and ate brunch.  I was going to study but got a little sidetracked with organizing my stuff and then just wanted to go spend time outside (it's gotten warmer!), so here I am now at Adri's house chatting and learning and breaking circuits with the heated table and just generally having cultural exchange.

Hopefully later I will go spend time and hang out at the church with Cristian, Jenny, and hopefully others!  I love them all so much and am really, really going to miss these people.

December 16, 3:44pm

Holy cow.  I don't even know.  Last night, first of all, was incredibly blessed and super powerful, and walking back with Cristian and Maru and another girl caused me to realize how much more time I wish I had spent with them.  When I got in, I chatted with Gaby, Mohamed, and Jenny on Facebook and then went to bed around 2am.

When I woke up today I finally started packing and was hit with a wave of mixed feelings.  It reminded me of a poem I analyzed earlier this semester for my Spanish class called "La noche antes del viaje" ("The night before the trip") as well as the poem I wrote a couple days ago.  I nearly broke down... I'm emotionally confused, haha!  But you know what, I think that's a good thing.  It means that this whole experience has impacted me.

Aurora being super fierce.

I went to the IES flamenco show to see Aurora and some other friends perform and am super proud of them!  They did so good!  Part of me wishes I had did that instead of taking anthropology, hahaha!  It looked so fun and super intense.  :)  I also enjoyed walking back with Aurora, Carrie, Kassie, and Jenny, just goofing around and talking and singing Christmas carols loudly and probably looking super strange in front of all these Spaniards, but as I told Maru and Adri yesterday when they mentioned that I'm a little not-normal, being normal is boring.  I like who God made me to be.

December 3 - December 9

December 3, 11:55pm

Yesterday night, Carli, Mario, and I finished our anthro paper finally!  Such a good feeling!  To celebrate, Carli, Jenny, and I went out dancing and we all came back probably a little too late from Granada 10...seeing as we all had classes today.  But it's okay.

I'm a little fed up with anthro, actually.  The class is divided, it feels like, between the people who actually did the project and the people who faked it.  Furthermore, Isabel keeps complaining about all of us not paying attention in class when the reality is that, at least on my part, we are.  I have no clue what she wants from us and she's never given me a concrete answer for that.

Well, in general today has just been a normal day.  I did get tea afterward with Jessica and Kassie and it was nice to just sit there and have Kassie vent and also talk about things that have been on her heart.  I pray that when we go back to school that she, Jessica, and I will all remain close and even grow closer, and also that we grow closer as sisters in Christ.

December 5, 8:50am

Evening time in a pretty section of Zaidín.

I taught a pretty good English class yesterday where a little more than half the class understood what has happening, which is above average.  They have an exam on Monday; I hope that they study.  As of tomorrow I only have a week left with them...WHAT!?  I feel like they're mine; I don't want to leave them!  Seeing Ruben yesterday all bundled up too was the cutest thing ever because he's so ridiculously short.

In seminar a UGR professor came in to talk about the role of women and stereotypes in the media, which was all right, and afterward Ari talked to me about my grade on the mock interview (pretty good), and then I went to Spanish class, which was a rigorous grammar class the whole time.  It was exhausting but worth it in my eyes, no matter how much I may not have been up for it.  Afterward I just went home talking with Jessica and Kassie the whole time, laughing.  I feel good about my work; I'm almost done with all my projects/essays, half a week early, so I'm looking forward to a more-relaxing puente hopefully spent enjoying Granada!

December 6, 7:03pm

Gah, I've been doing awful with this journaling thing lately.  Super sorry.  So, yesterday in a nutshell: New interns came (but they're only here until January) and when one of my girls Carolina asked how long I'd be there and I said I'm leaving the colegio next week, the classroom went dead silent and Caro just exclaims "¡Joder!" (basically a swear word) and we all burst out laughing.  I nearly teared up; she was the first one whose name I learned, and I realized that even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it, I've made a difference in these kids' lives.

Christmas in Plaza Bibramblas.

Later on Kassie and I got coffee together and chatted a ton, and in Spanish class we all went out for churros con chocolate and to see all the Christmas lights turned on finally.  After that, I got tea with Abina and tried to be supportive to her (God has given me a heart for her little by little), and I also exchanged numbers with my favorite worker there so we can get coffee before I leave here.  After that, Jaime, Alberto, Carli and I went and took free salsa lessons from David, and then all five of us bar-hopped (not drinking, just dancing) all night.  I got to talk to David about God and share special moments with everyone.  SO BLESSED!  Aaaah I can't even begin to describe how ecstatically happy I am, how invigorating it is to have such deep and important conversations like that with people at the strangest times and realize that God is doing a work in them, that they too are precious in His sight and matter so flippin' much.  I love people!  Haha!

Today I woke up super late, but finished a draft of my seminar paper (yay!) and also played with my host mom's son's son Hugo when they came over for lunch.  What a cutie pie!  At first he was super shy (like always) but then really opened up to me.  I had such a blast with him.

December 9, 10:00am

Me and Natasha.

Where the heck do I even start.  I had a great Thursday night of sharing time with Natasha and getting to just get excited with her about things God has been doing in our lives and showing us.  After hanging out with her over tapas and computer chess, I walked with Carli (after discovering I had made wrong turns and needed to go back) to go salsa dancing, and we all highly enjoyed it as usual because we learned so much and even got to make new friends like Adri.

Friday I got half my mini-essay done for anthro that we didn't have to start yet because we haven't finished the movie, so I felt very ahead of the game.  That night I went out for tapas with Kassie and Jessica and then went to visit Jaime with Alberto afterward since he said he wasn't feeling good.  We watched a random episode of some sort of hoax-y magic show and I fell asleep on the couch.  You can imagine my panic when I woke up the next morning at 1pm and realized a) I wasn't in my own house, and also b) that nobody had woken me up.  We are supposed to call our host families if for whatever reason we're not coming home that night or not coming home for lunch.  I woke up Jaime and Alberto and told them I was leaving; they drove me instead home.  Obviously, when i got there, my host mom was furious (as any parent would and should be) and basically I was sent ot my room without lunch.  I felt terrible because I knew what I had done was a huge lack of respect for her and also a technical breach of contract.

Left to right: David, Cristian, Zoraya, me, and Carli at CFC.

Later on I tentatively went to spend an hour with Adri to do language exchange for our mutual practice, which was fun, and then I got dinner with Abina, went to the CFC for a going away party and to spend time with my friends there, and then went dancing and learned new steps as well as learned my first chachacha thanks to David (who, sadly, leaved for Madrid tomorrow).

November 26 - December 1 (well, 2)

November 26, 11:45pm

Yesterday evening, Jenny, Carli, and I went with Mario and our two new friends Alberto and Jaime to mass (because the first two are Catholic and the latter is seeking but wants to try new things) and then afterward Jenny, Alberto, Jaime, and I got tapas (empanadas) and had awesome conversation.  After that, we minus Jenny went dancing for an hour and then they walked me home (basically, my bedtime helped keep them accountable for their work days).

Today at my internship the kids got to have a talk by some police officers about the risks of using the Internet and such.  It's good that they have that, even if they weren't horribly interested.  I had class, lunch, and then worked on the anthro final essay with Mario and Carli before going to Spanish class where we debated over animal rights.  Then I walked Mario and Carli to the civic center in Zaidín and went back to my house...all in the lovely rain.  All my stuff is wet.  Oh well!

I've basically decided that I'm going to take full advantage of my last evenings here to build relationships and become better at salsa.  It's so exciting!  Oh, and praise God for the awesome conversation that comes from it!

November 27, 11:53pm

My water bottle from the kiddos!

It was teacher appreciation day today at my internship, so it was awesome because 1) the coffee machine was free all day, 2) there was pound cake, and 3) two of the sixth graders over in ESO came by and were real sweet and gave all the teachers water bottles!  So cute!

Besides the internship (teaching English and working on my anthro final paper), I had seminar and Spanish class.  Both were kind of boring but not terrible.  I think the seminar teacher may not be quite as nice as she appears (then again, who really is?) but that's okay.  The end of the semester is almost here, and really that's the only thing on my mind.  I have ten days left at my internship and 23 left here in Spain...that is, if Iberia doesn't go on strike and leave us all stranded here.

November 29, 9:30am

Jenny and Alberto, November 30.

Yesterday was just weird, haha!  I realized in my internship that in almost three weeks I'd be on a plane back home.  All morning I was just working, going to anthro (where we watched a film that felt like I was watching my own experiences teaching in the classroom!), and trying to keep a control on my emotions and state of mind.  I ended up stopping to converse with the accordion guy on the way home to siesta and also Jocelyn from church, which was fun.  I went to an easy Spanish class where I realized that I struggle in reading out loud, especially when it comes to pronouncing numbers, and then I went to CFC to spend some time at bible study before going out with Jenny to learn some more salsa.  Being a Wednesday night, then environment was pretty different: few people were "experts" so it was nice being able to have the teacher spend more time on certain steps simply so that I could learn more and practice the turns over and over (since it's different in heels).  I met a dance teacher from Madrid randomly and got told I speak like a Granadina.  I think that's good...?

November 30, 10:37am

Aurora and Jenny with the food at Jaime's, December 1.

In my internship yesterday I had a good day with the kids not only in English but also in their physical education class actually.  I told Pablo that I realize more and more on a daily basis that even though teaching isn't for me, that I feel much better prepared now for if and when I need to teach in the future, and plus I love those kiddos.  After coming home and having a quick lunch, I did homework (read: worked on projects with music turned up and dancing around my room like a crazy lady since I was alone at that point in time) and then met up with Kassie to walk to Spanish class together, where we watched the majority of a very risque movie that Antonio said wouldn't be that bad called Belle Epoque.  About halfway through Antonio got up and left to do tutoría with whoever wanted, so at around that point in time the rest of us just talked life and it was nice to just be there with them.

Afterward I got tapas with Jenny, Rorie, and Laura and her friends Juan Antonio and Serigo.  Alex and Abina also showed up later.  The best part was praying with Jenny and Aurora outside our apartments when we got home! :)

December 1, 11:05am

Yesterday/this morning was incredibly awesome.  In the morning I cleaned the apartment and did dishes and ran to the store to pick up toiletries and stuff, then I came home and had great quiet time that I had been missing out on for over a month.  Spending that much time, an hour, in the Bible really analyzing it is super filling for me.  After that I showered and had lunch with Emi, and she made these incredible burgers from ham and I don't even know what else, egg, tomato, lettuce... I had to eat it with a fork.  It was pretty darn tasty.

Rorie and Jenny. I love these girls so much. <3

Afterward Rorie and Jenny came over and we had an amazing time doing homework and laughing and sharing in each other's company; we also had Natasha over and we all ate food together and just had a great bonding time before Jenny, Natasha, and I went out salsa dancing with Abina, Claire, Jaime, Alberto, Jonathan, and Zach.  Jenny, Alberto, Jaime, and I all got to have spiritual conversation which was so awesome because I love hearing about what others believe an why and getting to share a bit of my beliefs, too.  We stayed there until we got kicked out and then all walked home together.

December 2, 12:45pm

Jaime being a goofball, as per usual.

So yesterday after doing homework a little, Daniel came over so that I could do his interview for my project and we ended up spending four hours chilling, talking, having some food, and just enjoying each other's company.  We also had spiritual conversation and I just feel ridiculously blessed because by the time he left (at like 5pm...LOL) the conversation was at a point where we could easily pick up the next time we hang out.

Later after some more homework I made rice and tortillas to take to Jaime's for a dinner we all had after the youth service at CFC.  Basically Jaime, Alberto, Jenny, Rorie, and I had a montón of food and tons of conversation for a good three hours, and after that the guys took me out to go dance a little bit and just share more time together.

I woke up late from having stayed out late, so that feels a little weird.  My game plan is to get as much work done as possible before meeting up with Carli and Mario to work on anthro and go to the service at CFC.  Let's go!

November 20 - November 25

November 20, 11:44pm

My chiquillos and Pablo at the Alhambra in the Plaza de Leónes!

What a crazy day!  As per usual, the kids were crazy at my internship (it's Tuesday) but they're definitely improving English-wise.  They all go to go to recess earlier today than before because on their sentences they hardly had mistakes.  I'm so proud of them!  After that, I ran into Luismi on Calle Elvira and we chatted for a while and decided to get coffee after lunch, so I ate at home, did some homework, and then walked back for coffee and some incredibly awesome God-conversation as I advised him on how he should proceed with his brand-new girlfriend ("Carefully." Haha!  But seriously.)  It was really awesome getting to hear more about his life; I feel like we'll be super good friends and I am excited for what God is doing in him.

Spanish was so-so today.  I already knew the grammar besides one tiny part and so it was frustrating sitting there bored half the class as per usual.  Then the second half of the class I wasn't really allowed a chance to speak; even though I kept trying, and since I was supposed to be facilitating the debate you'd think people would respect that a little more.  Ouch.  Anyway, on my walk home I met a new friend and shared pleasant conversation before continuing on my way, which was wonderful and a perfect end to the evening.

The Alhambra, up-close and personal.

November 22, 8:50am

Yesterday I made the decision to skip my anthro class in order to stay at my internship the whole day.  Why?  We had a free field trip to walk around  the inside of the Alhambra (which usually you have to pay for).  There was no way I was going to miss that opportunity.  Plus I got to help keep an eye on my kiddos!

In the afternoon after lunch, I went out to do surveys and instead got roped into conversation with one of the guys at the outdoor market, which was nice actually.  Then, we had a crazy Spanish class where I'm sure Antonio got as fed-up with us as I get with my chiquillos in the colegio because we were so overtired and hyper.  After that, I went out for tapas with Kassie, Stephanie, and Margaret, which was actually really nice and sweet.

Bottom line as I sit here writing is that I, on this Thanksgiving, feel incredibly blessed and am so thankful for all God has given me, and I pray I never forget to be thankful.

November 23, 11:35am

Thanksgiving at CFC!

Yesterday (Thanksgiving) was probably the best it could have been away from home.  After the terror of trying to take on keeping order in the classroom during the morning of my internship because the teacher for art didn't show up and Pablo has class Thursday mornings, finally things got better and later that day I began doing prep for the Thanksgiving party at CFC.  I made candied sweet potatoes!  Of course I got all the way to my Spanish class before realizing I had left them at home... So I turned around, got them (after a funny incident with a group of very immature Spaniards where one guy who kept shouting his name "Nico" kept trying to get me to call him, maybe), and returned to class where we watched a super intense movie called Celda 211.  After that I walked to CFC and a bunch of us did prep until around 11pm when we finally ate an incredible dinner, where we miraculously had enough food for all 20 people plus extra dessert.  Noemi and Carolina went all out decorating, too.  Walking home with Jenny and Aurora was also hysterical once again as we discussed and practiced flamenco-carols (Little Drummer Boy flamenco-style, anyone?).  I am so blessed by this community and thank God for it!

November 25, 9:41am

It's been a crazy past couple of days; let's see how much I remember since I got so much done.

Me getting coffee before going out dancing.

On Friday I did a lot of work for my anthro project, essentially doing three hours of research-turned-tour-of-the-municipal-market.  It was super cool getting to meet the workers (and...interesting...when the guy from the Ayudamiento de Granada had one of the workers show me the sheep debraining process and then handed me the brain.  It was squishy...) and getting to find out so much about the food and things like that.  It started getting weird when the guy asked me out for tapas right then, and weirder when he started appearing ligón (he's like really old, and it was super uncomfortable).  I left soon after and went home for more food before getting work done and a siesta and studying in a café with Jenny, Carli, and Aurora before going to the Asociación de Vecinos to interview the president.  After that I went out with Carli, Jenny, Laura, and her friends for tapas and dancing, and I learned more or less how to dance salsa, which was fun!

I came home around 2am and then was up at 10am more or less the next morning (yesterday) to go with Aurora, Angela, and Jenny to the mercadillo in Zaidín, which is basically an ENORMOUS sidewalk sale of discounted clothes and other things and produce.  And there were free puppies, and I got to hold one that was 45 days old...too cute.  I left and went home to do homework and eat lunch before going to Puerta Real for my surveys and then came home to rest a bit before going out for a coffee with some girls and then dancing until 4am at the same place.

Goofing around on the hike today.

2:19pm

Just got back from an awesome hike to the forests behind the Alhambra.  Let me just say that between Friday and yesterday and today, God is absolutely incredible in how He works in and through people!  And it causes me to realize each day a little more than the last how impeccably unworthy I am of His love, attention, and grace.  I'm also way blessed for the new friendships I've been gifted and the older ones that keep on getting more profound and precious.  I can't believe there's only 25 more days...

November 13 (well, 14) - November 19

November 14, 12:35pm

My internship in a nutshell while having kids copy things.

Alex (the emcee) and Jenny at the open mic.

I'm in my anthro class but just wanted to write in an update about yesterday and this morning.  My kids were actually silent for once in English yesterday, probably because I actually told them to copy down exactly what I put on the board.  It was wonderful!  I was almost worried though because it was so abnormal, haha. In Spanish later on (after seminar) we talked about stuff that I kind of already knew and then we practiced for the midterm, and afterward I went to the open mic where I chatted with the servers who are Irish and have accents that I find hysterical.  I sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and dedicated it to my family because I thought of when Courtney was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz at our middle school and sung it.  I don't think anyone recorded it but it was really enjoyable to do.  I stayed super late and enjoyed chatting and spending time with people, and then decided that since today is the international strike day in Europe and nobody would be at my internship not to bother going.  It was good because I got to get some household chores done that I needed to do and such.

November 15, 8:50am

Carli and Tito at La Bella y La Bestia.

After going home and having lunch yesterday I booked it over to Puerta Real to take a stab at getting people to fill out the surveys I made for our research, but since everyone thinks I'm selling something from first-glance, they all say "tengo prisa" (I'm in a hurry).  So, I gathered four in an hour.  Today will be better!  Then I studied with Antonio for Spanish and had my Spanish class, after which I booked it over to bible study where I began to spend my last few hours with Tito and Cristy.  A group of us went for tapas after and shared jokes and tender moments, and then finally at the end Tito and Cristy said a few words and we began saying our goodbye's (or rather, see-you-later's).  I hugged the both of them for a really long time.  I didn't shed many tears at all though, similar to when I left people like Gabriel in Monteverde, perhaps because of numbness or denial, but perhaps because I had gotten over the sad part already and now just look forward to seeing them again someday, somewhere, somehow.  I pray for God to be their guide and that He would lead them and guard them on their next adventures!

Ah, and then I had a great time walking home until I realized I was locked out of the apartment because I had left my keys on my bed.  Thank God Emi heard me. <3

Some people hanging around during the general strike.

Oh, I suppose I should also mention the general strike that happened here yesterday.  I don't know if it's just a biased perception, but it seems like it's way crazier here.  People turn into animals and do things without considering long-term consequences or really the people they're affecting, it seems like.  I mean, some of us regular people need to use ATMs for various purposes, so scratching out all the screens hurts a ton of us.  I haven't added minutes onto my phone, therefore, haha.

Yes, people have every right to strike.  I support that right.  Should people strike just to strike?  No.  Or just to destroy things, or be part of a crowd, or basically just to do it to act crazy for a day?  No.  People deliberately destroying property and littering the streets and all of that shouldn't do so.  One can cause a disturbance by manifesting peacefully, not showing up to work, and so on.  End of rant.

Today I have my internship and my Spanish midterm; hopefully both go well!

November 17, 8:18am

Café Bohemia.

Oh dear, I've been slacking in journaling.  Here's for the rest of Nomveber 15 and all of November 16: I'm progressing on planning for my senior thesis and graduate student plans, slowly but surely.  It's very exciting. That evening on Thursday, then, I took the Spanish midterm finally and while writing the essay portion started out with the theme "your childhood" and out of nowhere began writing my testimony.  I realized what was happening a third of the way through and couldn't stop; it was like I was being propelled into it.  After the midterm, I went and got food with Eileen, Analí, Avery, Tara, and Jonathan, and then went with them to meet (finally) this guy Driss that everyone keeps talking about so they could turn in money for Portugal, then we went to Café Bohemia and it's super cute and kitschy.

I love persimmons!  This is a little one.  They're yummy!

Yesterday I worked alone on our Spanish group project since my group is MIA.  I also got my midterm results (happy!) and talked for an hour with Antonio.  Later I went to youth group which was sooo refreshing and full of warm fuzzies, and skyped with Courtney Smalley before that, and had an amazing walk home with Aurora and Jenny after.  Blessed.  <3

November 18, 10:15am

Yesterday after walking all the way to the Mirador de San Nicolás in Albayzín in the pouring rain with Jenny to meet up with Luismi and Angela, I got a text message saying they weren't coming, so Jenny and I meandered back and went into random little shops on our way.  When I got home I spend a wonderfully relaxing day at home doing my Spanish essay the whole time and chatting with friends.  Probably the two highlights of the day were the following:
1.  God answered a confianza for me in a huge way, several times over, and it was incredibly cool.  I don't want to get too detailed because it's kind of special and personal but just know it's awesome.

Me in the Alpujarra.

2.  My plans for graduate school are going kind of haywire but in a good way.  It feels like they're starting to get lined up the way God wants them to be and stuff.  It's a little scary but so cool.

I feel like little by little I'm being more humbled, too, and that my heart is being conditioned and prepared not only for the here and now but also for what is to come down the line.  So cool!

11:27pm

Chocolate-tasting.

We spent nearly all day today in the Alpujarra.  On the way there I got very carsick for the first time in my life (even though the boat to Morocco was pretty bad) because the curves and changes in altitude and the speed we took them at were worse than driving from La Fortuna to Monteverde in Costa Rica (Abby and Ryan know what I mean).  Once we got there, we hiked all over the place and it eventually stopped raining.  It was fun being in a cloud again like in Monteverde.  Afterward, we had lunch and went and tasted tons of free chocolate samples at the chocolate factory.  The whole thing reminded me of Monteverde in a way, but the Spain version.  From the mini-economy to the businesses to the preserves, it seems like it's a cute get-away from city life and it was super refreshing.  I slept (ish) on the way back and then did sound today at the church since we actually arrived relatively quickly.  It was wonderful being able to see people again and I liked having the opportunity to serve and get to see Simón actually take a break from drumming and tech for once so he could rest and be filled with what he could gain from the service.

November 19, 10:32

Everyone was quite tired all day today from all the wonderful hiking we did yesterday, but it's all good.  After my internship and anthro class, the LFC people and a couple of other people had our mock interviews in Spanish to practice for future job interviews.  After that, I went out and actually had fun getting surveys done for my Spanish project, and even got to try out a segway because of the rapport I built up with the segway guys from during the surveys with them.  I also met a guy who didn't know how to write and I had to dictate the whole survey to him.  After that I altered my class registration, received an email confirming that my interim period after I graduate will be spent getting professional experience (hopefully in Monteverde!), and chatted with many friends online.  In Spanish class I learned about possible rule-bending that one can do with the subjunctive form (which doesn't exist in English) and basically chatted about our project with my group members before heading home.  Now here I am, just thinking how incredibly blessed I am in general and how great God is.

November 7 - November 12

November 7, 11:57pm

Some of my compañeros having a dance party in the room
next door during the election party.

I'm wiped.  I didn't go to my internship this morning because 1) I stayed out at IES until 1am watching the elections, and 2) I felt a little sick.  It was basically the same situation with the rest of us who have internships.  So I slept in more or less, went to anthro where I got my midterm back and was super happy because I got a good grade, and then had lunch, did some work... the normal routine.  Spanish class was spent doing more work on subjunctive that I already know and also discussing Morocco and the outcome of the elections.  Then I walked and talked with Antonio while I headed to bible study because I told him I wanted harder things and more stuff to work on personalized for me, and we discussed that.  At the bible study I struggled to stay awake and focused; I was just hit hard-core with the same sick/tired feeling and felt like it was such a battle to stay in the present moment but it happened.  And then afterward I walked home with Jenny and had a wonderful time talking to her and sharing and such.

Tomorrow is Kassie's birthday party in the evening and I just pray for all to go well and that she enjoys her special day, that God would bless and grow our friendship even more.

November 9, 10:56am

Kassie and two of the Arriero waiters (both named Juan) at her party.

First of all, yesterday:  My kids were crazy at my internship.  I worry for them because they have an English exam today and from what we were trying to do yesterday (the same thing we've done for two months because half the class won't listen), the majority don't get it.  I'm super frustrated with the situation because I feel like a) I should have gotten farther with them by now, and it seems like it reflects upon my own personal ability or lack thereof, yet b) I am at my wit's end for how to get all of them to stay focused and quiet when Pablo leaves the room.  I can't even be heard over them sometimes.  It gets so nuts so fast, and I've tried separating some of them and they just tend to get back up and/or shout across the room.  Aughhh.  And yet all the same I love those kids.  :)  I ran into Luismi outside the colegio while walking home and we chatted for like a half hour, which was super great because I was feeling a little discouraged and he just started talking about God's work in his life and also how he wants to hang out with me and the other Americans soon.  Apparently he's gypsy, which I found super cool because apparently his family retains many traditions, so perhaps one day I'll get to learn more about that!

Later we had a Spanish class that I thought was good and helped me a ton, though I'm not sure that other people always feel that way about that class or my anthro class.  Afterward, I walked with Abina to her house and got ready and went with her and lots of others to Kassie's 22nd birthday party at a tapas bar called Arriero, where there was lots of food and the service was super duper great.  Kassie knows the owner personally so she got to have her party her way basically.  Then afterward as people were considering heading to a discoteca called Mae West, Aurora and I walked home and got to talk about Morocco and our take-aways and also about how we've been doing spiritually lately, and she prayed for me which was so awesome.  She's such an incredible and strong woman of God and I'm so blessed by her!

So doing a personal inventory and looking back at some notes I took on May 2 during a study abroad meeting and what I said would make this experience a success, I had written, "See God move in Spain among those I interact with, explore the country (nature, famous places), achieve good grades & improve my Spanish, form new relationships with people, have had adventures, learn new dances &/or activities, growth".  Looks like already this is becoming so clear, praise God!  I had also written, "You can never go home. (Nobody else has had your experiences.)"  And that's oh so true and probably the sacrifice that one makes when he/she begins to travel.  As I've said before, the more i take away from new cultures, the less "American" I feel.  Yet how incredibly liberating that is!  And how awe-inspiring to experience it all and witness God at work!

November 10, 9:59

Tito, Kelsey, and Jenny doing the typical Tito pose at lunch.

Yesterday I got lunch with Tito, Cristy, Kelsey, Alison, Jenny, and some of Tito's friends Laura, Laura, and Alex.  We joked around a ton, and then I went and studied in a café with Abina that is pretty cozy (albeit kind of out of my way if I wanted to go there on a weekly basis or whatever.  Afterward, I just went to pick up drinks to bring to youth group (since we were going to have an international food night and I figured nobody else would bring drinks) and then went and had a blast talking with people and enjoying the food and playing a variation of mafia called Lobos or something like that.  Then we all went home walking and talking, and I hugged Cristy and Tito and Laura forever basically haha!  I admit to crying a little bit when Tito mentioned earlier, "It's the last Friday for us."  Tears just started coming and Cristy's like, "Nooo don't cry!"  Ahaha and I didn't want to, it was just sad to think about, and since I was also filled with so much joy for no other reason than the fact that God is good, and strong emotions are strong emotions...haha.  Also, talking to Jenny on the way home was super great too; I'm so blessed by her friendship!

And then I stayed up too late catching up with friends from Morocco and Costa Rica, hehe.  But I'd say it was worth it.

Some of us at youth group eating food on Friday.

November 11, 9:30

I love adventures and hiking and nature.  So blessed.

Yesterday was probably my favorite day in Granada so far.  It was so wonderful!  With plans falling through I had the whole morning to bust through some homework, and then I went and had lunch with my host mom who attempted to teach me how to eat properly "like a señorita" thew hole time.  Afterward I attempted to meet up with a friend Jamie from Northwestern whose group in Sevilla came to see Granada, but after not finding her I walked around and walked up to Carmen de los Martires and then found a spot nearby I had never been before and it was so beautiful!  It was in an olive orchard more or less and nobody was there, so I got to read my Bible in quiet and take pictures and uyyy it was just awesome.  Then I had milkshakes with Natasha where my friend Omar works and we talked for a while and we shared our spiritual journies and realized that we decided to follow Jesus on the same day: that very day we hung out!  She did it last year and I did it four years ago.  It was so super cool!  Then I hung out with Jamie finally and we walked around Albayzin and wen tup to the Mirador de San Nicolás and talked about life and what God has been doing with us, and basically by the end of the night I just felt like the whole day was a huge blessing and gift from God. <3

The Mirador with Jamie Saturday night!

11:57pm

Tito and David at the service.  Brothers in Christ!

So because Friday Tito mentioned it being his last Friday and today we prayed for him in the church, I've cried each time because he's like a brother to me and has been one of my greatest friends here, and it's sad that I won't be able to hang out with him for a long time after he leaves on Thursday morning.  Such is how it goes of course, and I have faith I'll get to see him and Cristy and Ariel all in Hondras someday, but it still kind of sucks a little bit.

Anyway besides church in the evening, I led worship at the English service this morning with Jenny, David, and Simón, and it was really great and a huge blessing for me, but I was so tired afterward that after lunch I basically took not a siesta but a siestón and slept until I realized I was going to be late to church this evening. So all in all a good day full of talking with people and basking in God's presence.  The weekend has just been so full of it for me, and it's been super refreshing.  I've really needed it.

This week looks like it'll be pretty full as well but I"m hoping that at the same time it will be productive and not too stressful.

November 12, 10:01pm

Jess doing her typical Moroccan gesture to express her
excitement and blessing upon us, haha!  Love this Brit. <3

I'm just a bit tired.  I went to my internship and was mostly not happy with how the majority of the kids did on the English exam.  There were some pleasant surprises though with the grades of some of the kids.  I also stayed for recreo this time to help some who were required to stay to do English, and Pablo and I were having a blast talking about running today.  I hope to do a 5k in the near future.  Then I had my meeting with my anthro professor to talk about my standing in the class, and then I had the class, lunch, and left basically right away because Kassie wanted me to help her study.  She ended up feeling sick and we didn't get much done, but it was all right.  It allowed me to look at some of the stuff I wanted to review.  We had our Spanish class and then I booked it over to Jess's (our guide from Morocco) art exhibition at a little vegetarian restaurant called Paprika, where we gave her a group gift and chatted before I booked it out of there to get home by 10pm.  It's because I feel like I still have a lot to do and I'd also like to sleep.  At least during part of my walk home I got to talk a little with Lorena, which was nice.  Also, I finally signed myself up for the open mic tomorrow night.  I'm singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", just because I can. ;)  Praise God for another day of life.

October 28 - November 6

October 28, 10:18pm

I feel like I hardly saw anyone today.  I spent most of my day studying for anthro and stuch.  My out-and-about time was at the church, where I got to do sound and share a bizcocho that my host mom made with the other helpers.  I guess what the things is is that I liked having a down day but lately have been craving those relationships with people that go beyond the surface.  And I have some, I just feel hungry for it.  And I'm kind of sad.  I know I only have two more months here, so the sadness comes from a) recognizing that I miss home and I miss Costa Rica, and b) recognizing that I'm going to miss people from here.  Tito and Cristy go back to Hondruas in a few short weeks, which is going to be super sad for me because I got really close to them.  I'm spending five days in Morocco starting this Thursday...and that's not sad, but rather a little nerve-wracking.  I wish I had more time to prepare for it, maybe learn French.  And it means missing a week of youth group and church, less time in community.  I know this all sounds pessimistic   Trust me, I am excited to go to Morocco and Gibraltar!

October 29, 10:53pm

Left to righ: Javer speaking to all of us, including Analí,
Eileen, Nathan, Tara, and Mario about the things we would
experience in Morocco.  At this point, it was the toilets...

So maybe it was a lack of sleep or general tiredness, but the second half of my day was full of copious amounts of laughter.  I took my midterm in anthro today and I think it went super well; we'll see!  Then later today I had my meeting about the Morocco trip we're going on this weekend.  Many laughs were shared about how in Gibraltar, Spanglish is spoken as a national language (no joke), and how you need to bring toilet paper and use the proper hole in the ground when you go to the bathroom.  Then in Spanish we made fun of Kassie half of the time because a Spanish boy who apparently has an olive plantation wants to go out with us *cough* her *cough* haha!  And since I was sitting between Kassie and Salo, of course I couldn't focus very much, but I did pay enough mind and did my work while enjoying their company.  I love these guys, in fast all of my fellow Foresters.

So yeah, riding camels and seeing monkeys and trying to struggle through not speaking Arabic and things of that nature in a few short days!  I'm excited!

October 30, 11:00pm

I am talking to a ridiculous amount of people on Facebook because I leave the day after tomorrow and everyone wants to talk to me last-minute.  It's nuts.  I need to sleep or something.

On Tuesdays my kids at the internship are always super ridiculously annoying and they misbehave all the time, but again it's only on Tuesdays.  We finally got through all the new vocabulary though!  Yay!  Hm, what else... I mean, otherwise it was just a normal day where I finally asked that random Italian kid I keep running into if he'd be up for a tea next week, had a ton of ridiculous laughs in Spanish class over an Advil, and got tea with Jessica and had a wonderful time chatting with her.  I shared my laughs with Dean over Facebook and talked to many of my Tico friends as well as my sisters.  I also skyped my mom and dad earlier to update them about my travel itinerary for Gibraltar/Morocco.

I should probably pack but I am way too excited to think about doing such a thing.  Wait, that didn't make much sense... Too tired perhaps?  Overtired?  My mind can hardly fathom the adventure that lies ahead and I just pray that God would lead me and be my guide and I pray for safety for all of us!

November 1, 9:30am

I've been on the bus for around an hour now.  We're on our way to Gibraltar!  It's so exciting!  But let me write about yesterday since I got back really late:

Left to right: Alison, Kelsey, Sarah, Jocelyn, and Tito in a
tetería with me.

Yesterday was Halloween, and here they celebrate it even though it's an American thing.  It's not just your average trick-or-treat thing though.  There's a party culture among a lot of the youth that use it as an excuse to party hard-core before All-Saints day the next day (today), and people even practice wicca.  And that's not stuff you want to mess with.  It also seems like there's more of a dangerous sort of practical joking that happens, but I could very well just not be as aware of it in the States.  On a side note, I ran into Aurora around 6pm yesterday and she made me aware of the fact that walking between Poeta Manuel and Reyes Católicos there's a dead body under a sheet, no joke, and lots of police, and I should avoid it.  Of course my curiosity got the best of me and I went to go look anyway.  Sure enough the scene was taped off and there was a body under a white sheet and police and stuff.  It was under a set of balconies so my intuition says it was a suicide, but it could very well have been foul play or, well, demons.  I still don't know though because I didn't pick up a newspaper today.

Lookout spot in Gibraltar.

So I continued walking to my Spanish class, helping a graduate student along the way find Acera del Darro, and in the class we did lots of work with subjunctive and then told scary stories the second half of the class (where, of course, several stories about Lake Forest were shared).  After that I went to bible study and then Sarah, Kelsey, Jocelyn, Alison, Tito, and I went to a tetería to drink tea and we shared lots of funny moments and also chatted it up with the guy who apparently always works there, Amin.  He loves conversation and especially cultural/spiritual conversation, which is super fantastic.  I hope to have more of that.  I was going to meet up with my intercambio after but it was already super late and no matter how much I wanted to see her as Mrs. Lovett from "Sweeney Todd", I was tired and had to get up at seven.

My monkey!

So here I am now!  Jenny and I have talked a ton already just about some of our struggles, being honest with each other, as well as our excitement to be going off on this adventure.  I can't wait to see how God shows Himself through this and I can't wait to learn about these new cultures (well, new to me)!

10:51pm

We have to wake up at 6:30am tomorrow to go to Morocco... In any case, our day in Gibraltar was great!  We took a bus all the way to a city in Spain that borders Gibraltar, then walked across the border (with our passports of course) and entered UK territory where we had a guided bus tour around the whole city, checked out a cave, and spent time with monkeys.  We also hiked all the way up to the almost-top of the rock and back down, which was so worth it but I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

There are 260 monkeys in Gibraltar, all wild.  They control the population by bringing families of extra monkeys back to Morocco where they are originally from.  I had one on my head.  It was amazing.

At the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Later on we went and got dinner in the city before walking all the way back to Spain.  It's cool because during the day you can see the coast of Africa and at night all the city lights over there.  It's neat technically being able to say that I'm in a part of the world where I can see parts of three countries all at the same time (UK, Morocco, and Spain).  Also, random but I cannot understand when the people in Gibraltar speak their Spanglish.  It's so weird.  So we spoke English most of the time with our guides and waitresses, though they still understood us if we switched over into Spanish by accident.  The city is small: only 30,000 people.  All in all it was a very cool experience.

November 2, 10:39pm

We also stopped for a camel ride before getting to Asilah.

So I am living in what feels like a palace.  I kid you not.  Whatever I thought Morocco would be like was more or less incorrect.  Jenny, Sun, and I lucked out and got a homestay with three English speakers in addition to the rest of the family.  Since I hardly know Arabic I can get by with English and basic French.  It's been cool so far.  We're in Rabat currently.  This morning we took a ferry over and I had my first ferry ride... I can't say I quite enjoyed it since it was so rocky but it was short!  Then we hung around Tangier with our British guide Jess before going to the women's center to have a cultural discussion with Selma and Mohammed, two Moroccan students.  We exchanged money and drove to Asilah for lunch and for walking around the medina before coming to Rabat.

The basically-palace I was living in.

I expected some sort of culture shock but again I really don't get that initial shock.  I for sure stick out like a sore thumb because of my appearance and language but it's okay, you know?  Anyway, tomorrow we're supposed to have more time with Moroccan students, which I"m super pumped about!

PS:  The veil is empowerment, not oppression  if you think about it from the perspective that here women don't have to use their beauty to get men, but rather their personalities.

November 3, 9:33pm

I don't even know where to begin!  I wish I had another week here in Rabat!  I also wish I had better French, but that's another story.

The Roman ruins.

After breakfast today (and finally some good coffee) our group went to the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V and his relatives and then to Salé where we got to sit in an NGO building and talk to three very cool Moroccan students about politics and things of that nature.  We had a trip to some Roman ruins as well and then went home for lunch (meat tagine, soooo good) and then had three incredibly wonderful hours of quality time with the Moroccan students.  We gave each other Moroccan/English names (I'm Zahra, and we renamed Medhi to Lucas Gregory) and talked about each other and life and language and our studies.  This is actually the reason why I wish I had another week: to get to spend time with people here more.  People are so great!

We then went to a hammam, which is a public bath.  Basically we girls all went and scrubbed each other in a sauna.  It was incredibly awkward at first and then incredibly invigorating and cool.  Then we got henna tattoos, and now we're waiting on dinner.

November 4, 11:25pm

My super awesome pile of pillows in Rabat!

I don't feel ready at all to leave Morocco, and I get a feeling that, God willing, I'll be back in the future to pay visits to all these people.  Saying goodbye last night after talking until 1am as well as this morning to our host mom was really kind of hard, and today as we made our way to the Riff Mountains I just delighted completely in the rural landscape as this aspect of Morocco reminds me a lot of some of the things I love about Costa Rica.  I played with the translator Abdu's two nephews and talked to Abdu and highly enjoyed the mountainous countryside.  When we finally got to Chefchaouen, once again it seems so different from the other places in Morocco.  It's more of a city and a lot more languages are spoken here, and I met and spoke with quite a few shopkeepers.  One of my hopes is to talk to someone, perhaps one of the shopkeepers, again tomorrow to find out about tourism here and how (un)sustainable it is, or isn't.  After dinner, our group debriefed and went over tomorrow's schedule and now I'm in my room in a hostel.  So, real quick, fun facts: I didn't use a Turkish toilet once here, I like hijab/the veil, I love the little kids here, and well in general I love these people (because, as you know, I love people in general).

November 5, 11:50pm

Dinner in Chefchaouen.

Wow, what a blur these past few days have been.  It all feels like such a dream.  And I feel, for whatever reason, very conscious of my own desperate need for Jesus in my life.  It's kinda cool!  Today after (according to Jess) a "brisk walk" to take pictures and look out over Chefchaouen, we ate a quick breakfast and did a little more quick shopping before we piled into the car, headed off to the Spanish territory of Ceuta where we walked through the border, and took the ferry to Algeciras, drove to Marbella for lunch, and finally arrived back in Granada.  I am feeling exhausted and a little sore-throated but it's all good.

The medina in Chefchaouen.

Would I choose to live in Morocco for the rest of my life?  No.  Would I go back?  Oh yes.  I would love to just spend more time in every single one of those places.  It was such a blessed and incredible experience.  It's a little uncomfortable because the more I travel and keep little bits of other cultures with me, the less "American" I feel I am, and it's a bit disconcerting.  But as I spoke about with Jenny (praise God for bring such a discerning lady into my life!), my citizenship in Heaven comes before all else.  :)

November 6, 1:30pm

The Moroccan flag.

So my kids at my internship here have an English test on Friday and apparently don't know anything.  Uh-oh.  Anyway, I got to do their reading speed tests today, which was interesting.  It's been raining here all day, and it's cloudy and cold, but I have tea with Natasha and the election party to look forward  to!

I just can't get over still how impactful the trip to Morocco was and how much it has changed my own perceptions about the nation, and I wish everyone had the chance to do a trip like this.  It has broken my stereotypes of the veil/hijab (it's used by 75% of women but it's more of a cultural thing, as in less religious and more of a comfort/modesty thing), of the living conditions of the people (sure there are shantytowns, but there's also really nice homes like the near-palace I lived in), of the education of Moroccan students (depends on the city, but many know tons of languages), and of the level of hostility (next to nothing; rather, Moroccans are usually super duper friendly, honest, hospitable, and fair).  I want the world to know this, to erase such harsh stereotypes that could be placed against this people, to encourage more of a cultural exchange.

Now I need to get back to speaking only Spanish and not Espanglais (español-English-francais) mixed with two arabic words, hahaha!  How blessed I am to have had this opportunity.