September 24 - September 29

September 24, 10:54pm

Mario and Eileen on the IES balcony before Spanish class.

Today I felt more awake and at peace all day than I have been during all my days here so far, I think.  It could be because I actually didn't wake up coughing last night, or because I had coffee this morning, or just randomly don't feel stressed.  I don't know.  But it was nice.  The morning was pretty relaxed; I returned Angela's bike to her over at the Agenda 21 Granada office once I finally found it and finally picked up the book for my anthropology class at the Fotocopiadora, and just kind of took my time and walked in and out of stores all morning until my class.  I stayed awake my whole siesta, went to IES early before Spanish class to print and scan some stuff, had a good class where I learned some new grammatical stuff... Just a pleasant day, and to top it off the kitty was being super precious when I came home tonight and it was absolutely adorable!

A friend of my dear friend and sister-in-Christ Carli once said that Europe is very dark but with pockets of light brighter than you've ever seen.  I reflect on that and it seems to fit so perfectly with what I've witnessed. I think much of what my own American culture seems to worship and spend time on is repeated here, only I hadn't realized it until I was faced with a different culture to look at and reflect upon and see how similar and different it is to the U.S.  But amid all the selfishness, materialism, and depravity here as well as in the States, there exist pockets of light like Carli's friend said, and in that light is where we start to see hope.

September 26, 12:15am

The highlight of today (uh, yesterday) was the following: After witnessing a protest at Plaza del Carmen on my way to IES to leave from there to my first day of internship, I was smiling like usual, feeling good and just really joyful at heart because of what God is and has been doing, and I saw these two adorable black french bulldogs and their owners walking and the dogs were so cute I just smiled even bigger and one of the owners smiled back at me!  Finally I receive a smile in return on the streets.  :)  Time to find more!

My classroom.

So yeah, my first day at the colegio today was quite the experience.  I help teach fifth cycle primary school students, ages 10-12.  Today I observed.  I'm really not sure what expectation the teachers have of me.  All I know is that half of that class doesn't pay attention, talks all the time, and basically is what I as a 10-through-12-year-old remember having disliked about my classes at that age: having to spend too much time on one topic because the teacher has to repeat things because half the class doesn't listen!  All that being said, I love those kids already, haha.  Too bad their English is seriously unintelligible and I'm supposed to only speak English with them.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

September 26, 8:50am

I am a little early to my internship today but I like it that way.  It gave me time to enjoy the 45-60min walk, read some pretty awesome stuff from my bible that I decided to bring along just in case since the kids have religion classes today, and yes I did receive a positive reaction when I smiled at a group of people walking the opposite direction today (though unfortunately being all male it wasn't quite the reaction I intended...oh well, you win some and you lose some).

Of course, the day after I procure a fan the weather cools...

Back in the States every now and again I used to play a game where I (and maybe one other person with me) would stick encouraging post-its to things, or "take one" signs with the word "hug" or a smile or some sort of encouragement.  I wonder what would happen if we tried that here... It's definitely something to bring up tonight at the bible study!

1 John 3:18 (and I'm paraphrasing a bit because I have a Spanish bible and so am not sure of the exact NIV translation right now) says we should not love simply with our words and simply by what we say, the external, the superficial, but rather with our actions and in truth.  My desire and my prayer is that today not only would I be humbled moment-to-moment but that I would use each moment to love on others not just by my words but by my actions.

September 27, 1:00am

By the end of today/yesterday I was wiped, but it was quite incredible.  I observed the religion class today at my internship and my heart was so full of joy to see the kids so interested in the topic!  I could hardly contain myself because I just felt like God was saying to me that this is why I didn't get an International Relations internship, and this is why I'm there, and it's a little uncomfortable and I feel a little unsure of myself but it's incredibly blessed even among the hard things.

Then, after my anthropology class today, Carli told Eileen and I about this amazing thing that happened at Hope College, and we both totally got chills, then we ran into Tito and Angel walking to lunch, then we saw Jenny across the street... What a crazy awesome day!  People are such huge blessings!

People selling corn and chestnuts.

Know what else is?  It finally rained!  The weather changed in a matter of days from super hot to super cold; I like it though.  People are selling roasted chestnuts on the streets alongside roasted corn-on-the-cob, I don't have to wear sunglasses, the parched land finally gets a reprieve, and hopefully the river goes back up.

Time to sleep.  I'd say more but I have to be up at 7am to walk to my internship at 8am to be there by 9am for the little fifth-graders.

September 27, 6:09pm

I took a nap today.  I hadn't done that in a week.  I was exhausted.  I sit here in my empty Spanish classroom wondering how one energy-filled day can suddenly turn into a draining one when the morning comes.  It's not a bad day.  I just feel a little worn.

I had my internship 9am-2pm today and got to teach the English portion.  Things I learned: 1) My fifth graders do not want to listen at all, 2) I shouldn't let them work in groups anymore, and 3) I give Pablo a lot of respect for juggling teaching and trying to get a degree.  He's go-go-go from early morning until 9pm with no siesta.  I feel quite inadequate teaching that class as well, like in some way I failed because I really don't know and don't think the kids actually got anything out of the class.  I could hardly get them to be quiet.

Theoretically tonight we're doing what we did last Thursday with the worship after dinner, but we'll see what happens.  I hope it goes well; I pray for it to be blessed.  Tomorrow I hope to help Manuel with AINDESOS and also to have coffee with Ana/Vera/Liliana and the foreign exchange students before the reunión de jóvenes and the free flamenco show!

Temblando estoy de miedo,

Just trying to be artsy with my lifesource. <3

sobrecogido estoy de terror.
Mi corazón clama por reposo,
mis ojos se llenan con temor.
Pero en Ti confío:
Yo sé que tienes Tu propósito.

September 28, 12:35pm

Last night was exactly what I needed after a crazy and draining week.  Sure, I arrived home pretty late, but tapas with Simón, Tito, and Carli and adding in sobremesa (table talk after eating) was a wonderful way to unwind, and then worship and fellowship with Tito, Carli, and Jenny was just once again incredibly blessed and filling.  So many connections between our experiences here in Spain and what Jesus calls His believers to were made.  And then heading home I had a wonderful conversation with Jenny and we also sang together a little without any sort of care for how we were perceived; I love those evening walks back to our houses together!  She is so encouraging and an incredible example to me.

Funny story: So it rained a bit again yesterday and I was soaked coming back from my internship.  Last night it was dry, but praying with Jenny and Tito I prayed for God to make it rain.  I meant with His Spirit over this place.  Today it's literally downpouring rain.  Moral of the story: Be specific with what you pray for and know God will hear your prayers!

September 29, 1:04am

Left to right: Adri, Kassie, Sarah, Aurora, and Alison with
all of the yummy snacks!

This evening (...yesterday...) was wonderfully enjoyable.  Me and many of the girls from church plus Adri got coffee with Liliana, Vera, and Zoraya and talked about spiritual things, and then afterwards upon hearing that they cancelled the flamenco event due to bad weather we all decided to watch a movie at Vera's apartment, so we had tons of supermarket fun choosing snacks and then all the girls plus Tito returned to CFC before we all went to Vera's, ate food and had some beverages, and watched The Vow.  It was good until the very ending, which wasn't the best way to end the film I thought.  In any case I think I can safely say that we all enjoyed it.

Movie night in Vera's apartment.

A lot of stuff for tomorrow got cancelled because of rain, which is super funny because it's like having snow days or something!  It means I have another day of relaxation and rest, it appears, besides homework (which I might actually be all done with!), which isn't a big deal.  It's nice to not have to hurry to classes.  I love it and am so grateful for it.

I am sorely missing someone very special to me right now.  As much as I get involved in things and hang out with people and form new bonds, I just really long for his presence here.  As painful as it is, it's totally worth it.  I wouldn't trade in that person for an easier time at all.

September 29, 10:50pm

Some of the scores going into the fifth round.  Kelsey
epically beat us all by the end, hehe.

I have mixed feelings.  So today in the morning was awesome because i had a great conversation with my host mom about spiritual things, and then the rest of the morning and early afternoon were super relaxed and I even skyped my mom for a few minutes.  I wish I had had more time to talk with her because I do miss her and my dad a lot.  But I had committed to going to Plaza Bibramblas with some friends to leave from there to go to Kinepolis to go bowling (Sarah was super nice and paid for me because originally I didn't want to spend the money to do it; I feel so humbled by her generosity) and then Adri and Kassie and I got tacos after with Jocelyn before we headed back.

Me and Kassie at the taco place.

But I almost didn't even make it to the plaza at all, because I ran into who I think was either a homeless or a gypsy woman, and I felt God telling me to stop and talk to her and to help her.  She asked if I would buy her food to give her kids, like a chicken.  Besides my last 20 euro for the rest of the semester basically, I had a little less than 2 euro in change that I knew of, and I told her I could buy something else with it but not a chicken, and maybe she should just take the euro.  She looked at me incredulously like she couldn't believe me and I explained that as a student with no job currently because I'm originally from the Chicagoland area and don't live in Spain, and no I don't come from a rich family.  She still couldn't believe I only had the 2 euro to part with, because maybe she thought I was lying about not being a "rich American".  I wasn't wearing nice clothes, either.  But she probably didn't grasp that the crisis hit America, too, not just Europe.  I took out the 2 euro without looking or counting and gave it to her and just said, "It's all I have to spare."  She said something about God giving me much luck and I smiled wryly and replied, "I don't believe in luck but I do believe in God and His blessings."  She asked again if it was all I had and as I repeated again, "It's all I have to spare," my eyes filled with tears and I felt my heart break within me for her and for the realization that that is what it feels like to give so much that it hurts, and to give freely.  See, I would have walked by and not stopped for her had God not nudged me to stop.  Whatever I was supposed to do in that moment happened, and for me I was supposed to be taught a lesson I guess.  I couldn't stop the tears from falling though and nearly went home, but forced myself to go to the plaza and meet up with everyone.

As you can see from the first paragraph however, it all ended up being fine.

September 15 - September 23

September 15, 3:30pm

Me, Kassie, and Aurora sitting on a wall on our way down
to the Abadía.  Granada in the background!

Today's hike was absolutely fantastic!  I don't think Aurora, Kassie, and I actually did the Sierra Nevada route we were going to do, but we took this awesome hike around the more mountainous region of Granada and all the way to the Abadía of Sacromonte before making our way back.  It was a real blessing getting to hear a lot of Kassie's testimony and to share that time with both Aurora and Kassie.  They are both such an encouragement to me and even though all three of us are so different we have our similarities and we can come together as sisters in Christ to have an adventure.  I felt really good too coming back; sure my feet hurt and sure my nose is still runny, but I love the workout a hike gives and the awesome scenery we got to take pictures by today.  Oh, and there was totally a wedding going on at the Abadía when we stopped in.  We were a little underdressed...haha!  Anyway, it was a great adventure and after many jokes about the mountain bikers and poop cookies and such, we finally had lunch, went home, showered, and now it's siesta.  Later we're planning on doing tapas with some of the LFC crew, yay!

September 16, 10:40am

I went for tapas with Aurora, Kassie, Adri, Margaret, Stephanie, Michael, and Salomon, and that was fun.  There were so many people on the streets last night because of the festival for La Vírgen de las Angustias.  It reminded me of last year when I was in Cartago for la romería and you had to link hands or bags with people in order to avoid getting lost in the crowd.  There were tons of people on motorcycles (well, more like crotch-rockets), people presenting flowers to the Virgen outside the cathedral, people dancing to a free concert in the plaza, funny little shows (especially by these guys in wigs under a box that I found particularly amusing), and, of course, people dressed up to the nines of all ages.  It was also the Real Madrid - Sevilla game last night, so all the tapas bars were filled with people wanting to watch the game.  It was exciting.

Left to right: Salomon, Kassie, Margaret, Stephanie, me,
Adri, Michael, and Aurora prior to eating tapas.

I still think my favorite part of yesterday was the hike.  I don't really like the whole party scene all that much, and even though I can be in the world I don't want to be of the world.  For that reason, I am trying to be careful about what I do and don't partake in, not because of any sort of concern about what others think of me, but rather because of a care for my testimony before Christ and how I reflect Him and how I relate with Him on a personal level.

12:00pm

This is a shout-out to some of the girls I have met here so far and how awesome I think they are and how I see God and His gifts in them:

Aurora -- You have a huge gift for evangelism and asking the best hard questions to cause others to really think.  You're a great listener and your example causes me to consider my own every day.

Carli and Eileen.

Carli -- Your ability to see the potential and the good in others totally sets you on fire for Christ and you also speak such powerful words of encouragement into my life.
Jenny -- Your ability to sympathize and empathize with others and speak Truth in love is absolutely stunning and such words and example inspire me on a daily basis.
Eileen -- God has gifted you with such a compassionate and gentle heart and I love seeing (and being the recipient of!) your huge love for people, your kindness, and your heart for the Gospel.
Jelissa -- In the short time I have had with you on a personal level I've already seen God's gift of patience and gentleness in you, and your listening ear is something I've noticed and love and admire.
Kassie -- Your generosity and willingness to give is outstanding and something I greatly admire about you, that you would give back with what God has given you.
Jessica -- You have a purity of mind and soul that blesses, enriches, and revives those around you, and your willingness to serve humbly for God is incredible.

I love you guys so much!  Thank you for being such a blessing to me!

September 17, 1:00am

Eight girls (nine with me) in an elevator after the church service.

One of my host mom's old students paid a visit to us today and she's from Germany; her name is Eva and she's super sweet.  We took siesta together, haha!  Earlier today over breakfast my host mom and I also discussed some of the particulars of Catholicism versus general Christianity and while we disagree on some things we both can understand and love the other and love God, and I felt blessed to be able to learn more about why she does what she does and why she believes what she does.  I liked how mostly low-key the day was; it was restful, and though I am still sick I think I'm getting better.

Left to right: Alison, Jenny, Tito, and Carli, all of us waiting
to eat some delicious churros con chocolate.

The church service this evening was awesome, once again.  I was hit with a huge wave of the Holy Spirit at one point and began to cry super hard because that's simply how I react when I'm emotionally touched.  I just felt myself crying out for my life to be more fully God's and for Granadinos to come to know Him as well and not be stuck with everything that happened during Franco's dictatorship.  After the service I met many new people, both American students as well as Spaniards, and then after lots of super awesome conversation Sarah and the whole lot of us all went out to get churros con chocolate for her birthday.  They were positively delicious and the community was great.  I'm sure Tito enjoyed being the only guy out of all 13 of us.  I loved talking with all those girls so much!

September 17, 11:30pm

Chilling and talking in Spanish class.  Left to right:
Mario, Tara, Analí, and Eileen.

Today was my first day of classes of my junior year and of my semester here.  I have not started my internship yet since only the primary school in the colegio starts this week, so I got to chill until 12:30pm when I had my anthropology class, and then I came back home for siesta before going back out around 5pm-ish to walk around a bit and get to my Spanish class by 6:30pm.  I have that class four days a week and it goes until 9pm...it's so longgg.  Not that it's a huge deal since I like Spanish and the professor is awesome, but it's a night class, and classes when it's dark just seem a little off and are not at all what I'm used to.  Something new is what it is! :)

I certainly am far from speaking perfect Spanish.  I also lack a Spain Spanish accent.  I also do not look or dress like a Spaniard.  Maybe this combination of forces is why I keep hearing people who live here act surprised when I speak to them?  Maybe it's a way to break down barriers through the slow building of relationships.  Maybe's it's a way to show a difference, like how in Costa Rica there were a couple of times that reaching out as a "tourist" or "foreigner" to random people and caring was abnormal and impactful and the experience, they said, changed their perceptions.  Perhaps here, too, and with my friends, too...

September 18, 3:30pm

All my work putting together stuff for the bike event!

I finally met up with Manuel of AINDESOS to talk about volunteering with the organization and I've basically hit the ground running.  I'm doing a lot of publicity work right now but then on Sunday we have an event that's basically a bike ride around Granada, and it's all to support using bikes over motorbikes or cars. One big problem here is that for such a smaller city with not a lot of extra space, tons and tons of people have a vehicle, so there's tons of traffic especially on school days in the morning.  Teaching kids the benefits of biking, along with safety while riding, will provide a new generation with the knowledge and desire to hopefully create a habit that lasts them their whole lives and makes a difference here.  Alongside sustainable mobility, Manuel and those who help with the organization also go to colegios and teach kids on environmental sustainability as well as interculturality, the latter of which I have definitely seen and heard many times as being a huge problem.  There's lots of relational segregation when it comes to native Spaniards and any sort of immigrant or person of a different culture than the "norm".  The goal is to teach kids that yes, we are all different, but we we are all human.

September 18, 11:55pm

After a short siesta and lunch, I left because I had my internship class at IES and then Spanish right after.  I'd say it was nice in a way because I like having some sort of constant in my life from back home, and to me that's anyone from LFC.  Nope, I could care less about food brands or shampoo or whatever from home, but if I have people, I'm good.  After class me, Carli, Eileen, Jenny, Claire, and Abina went for Indian food and I had the awesome opportunity of getting to listen to Carli talk about some of the hard things of culture shock and I got to share a moment or two with her as well.

I'm just mostly really tired right now.  I still have homework to do that's due tomorrow afternoon, and I'm conserned about it all piling up.  I know i can manage it because I have done and carried more before, but nevertheless we'll just see how this all turns out since I haven't even started my internship yet and I'll have to figure out that once I get the call/email.  I don't think it really dawned on me that "oh hey, I'm doing TESOL" basically until class today, which is a little scary and uncomfortable, but is also welcome.

September 19, 11:55pm

View of Plaza Nueva from the balcony of Spanish class.

After a morning that was relatively laid-back (I say "relatively" because I had to finish some reading for class) I leisurely walked to the Fotocopiadora while taping up posters to advertise for Sunday's bike event.  When I got to Fotocopiadora, however, the booklet I wanted to buy for class was not there.  I may have to just check in again tomorrow.  Anyway, I had my anthropology class, then I went home for siesta and lunch and I had quiet time where I finished Apocalipsis (Revelation) and was pretty blown away by the last two chapters once again.  I love it.  Then on my way back to IES (while putting up more posters) I stopped into the Mercadona and I had a ball looking at all the food, and oh, by the way, there's a slanted people-mover that takes you to the lower floor!  It's so cool and entertaining!  Anyway, Spanish class was pretty fun, and I got to chat with some LFC students that I don't often talk to on a daily basis.  Then after class I sped over to CFC for the bible study and had a good time getting to know the other girls more and share that time with them.  The study was a continuation of Sunday's service, but Vera pointed out pride in our study and I was reminded once again of my need for God and my desire to be more humble.

September 21, 1:55am

Left to right: Tito, Jenny, and Carli. Not pictures: Eileen and
Mario.  This is the alley.  It was awesome.

Today (er, yesterday) was completely awesome.  It started out not great as I got myself lost around the outer reaches of Zaidín while putting up posters, but then I got over to the Hospital Real to meet up with Manuel again and discuss Sunday, my role, some other stuff related to the program, etc., and to also meet some of the staff he works with.  One of the ladies, Angela, said she'd give me a bike to use on Sunday, and I picked that up around 5pm and also spent some time with her kids Gonza and Matteo watching Disney shows that teach English and playing soccer like I used to with Luis.  It was very nostalgic.  Those three and the husband Sergio are such a cute family.  I also skyped my sisters today, and I had an interesting and, again, fun Spanish class because most of it is conversational.  After class Tara, Mario, Eileen, Jenny, Tito, and I got schwarma tapas at a place called The Purple Bar and it was delicious, and I had a blast getting to listen to all of them talk and share.  Then, seeing Tito brought his guitar, after Tara left and Carli came and we all got gelato, we sat down in an alley and started worshiping!  We had to move due to it being late to in front of the cathedral, and we continued singing and sharing bible verses and talking and it was absolutely incredibly filling and blessed.  I feel so blessed.

September 22, 1:15am

Ronda!  Strategically-located city.

Today (uh...again, yesterday) was jam-packed.  We got up early to go to Ronda, where we did lots of walking around and learning about the architecture of the city, which included a huge bridge and a deep mine.  After lunch we hopped on the bus again to go to Sevilla, with Jenny and I listening to lots of music of course.  We changed and quickly walked to see if the Torre del Oro was open but it wasn't.  So then Jenny, Eileen, Carli, Mario, and I went to walk around the Museum of Bellas Artes, which I did greatly enjoy.  There were a couple of paintings that struck me, along with a video Carli showed me a little later.  Anyway, we went to KFC for dinner (such Americans) and got kids meals, and then got to go to a flamenco exhibition just for us, nice and intimate and quite amazing.  I found myself thinking more than once, "I don't think I could ever do that."  Afterward a bunch of us walked around for a bit and then we got ice cream and went back to the hotel.  So here I am now.

Torre del Oro in Sevilla.

I just want to point out how incredible Carlos and Estrella and Lorena and all the other student leaders have been through all of this, and I hope they know how significant a role they have played in shaping our experience in Spain.  I am also so grateful to God for my girls; I love laughing and joking with Eileen and Jessica and Carli and all of them!

September 22, 7:18pm

So while going to Sevilla was nice and seeing the Reales Alcazares and the Catedral was neat, it was really hard for me to really enjoy it like I wish I could have.  I'm glad I went and got to see peacocks in the garden at Reales Alcazares (definitely the best part!) and the pretty architecture.  It's just that I feel like I have so much other stuff to be doing, like homework and preparation for the bike event I'm helping with tomorrow.  I think in general I just really don't like being a tourist above all.  I like seeing new things, sure; I don't like feeling like an "outsider", especially knowing there's so much to the culture and the people that you don't get to see on a tour, the whole day-to-day life of people.  I am not complaining, because Ronda and Sevilla were cool, but being there was a little rough.  Maybe I was just tired.  Maybe it was the unfamiliarity of the place.  I did get to play piano in the hotel though, yay!

Entrance to Reales Alcazares.

I'm learning more about myself here, and I kind of didn't realize it until now.  I realized I'm not easily entertained by pretty structures and buildings, as nice as they are; rather, I'm a nature freak.  I talk too much for my own good, usually without thinking, and I don't listen enough.  I like adventures and quality time with people as well as cuddling or playing with hair to express affection, and I don't like the attention I may receive if I'm singing or playing piano or taking pictures or whatever.

Things I currently miss and long for:
-My sisters and parents for sure.  I especially wish I could be with Britt and Court at LFC sharing in random moments.
-Campus life at LFC.  Yeah, sometimes I really dislike it.  But there's just something about having good friends there and being able to say hi to half the population, and cooler weather...
-Gabriel.  I can't tell you how many times I've wished he was here to share all these moments and experiences.
-Church community at Centro Cristiano Monteverde.  I love this one here at CFC, but I really do miss everyone over in Costa Rica at CCM, and I really mean everyone!
-Green.  Need I elaborate any more on this?  Also:
-Rain.  It's so hot and hasn't yet rained once here.

Pépe the kitty.

Things I'm currently enjoying about Granada and Spain:

-My community of girls (and a few guys).  I know I enthuse too much about them, but boy when I leave I'll sure miss having them always literally by my side to talk to!

-The kitty Pepito that hangs around our apartment.
-The challenge and opportunity to speak as close to entirely in Spanish as I can all the time.  Improvement.
-Street music, because I feel like I have a theme song playing in the background as I walk around.
-The IES staff (including U of Granada students on staff).
-The fact that it's not entirely flat here and that there is some variance in the shape of the land.  Mountains.

September 23, 3:30pm

Picture taken during setup for the event.

I had written that last entry on the bus back to Granada while listening to music with Jenny, which was incredibly blessed.  After I got back I hung out for a little bit before going out dancing with her, Carrie, Claire, and Jonathan.  I'm probably not doing that again because I was plain exhausted when I woke up.  I did reading for my classes and then headed over to the Puerta Real to help with the Marcha en Bici (we did a bike ride all around Granada to promote sustainable mobility).  All in all, the event was hugely successful and we had around 3,000 people show up.  I had forgotten as well how relaxing it could be to ride a bike.  It was quite the experience and I loved every part of it except the hot weather and the sunburn I received from having not thought through the fact that I'd be outside all morning and afternoon.  It was totally worth it.

So many people on bikes!!!

Tonight me and some of the girls are getting together to vision-cast and have quality time, and then we're going to church for the service, and then probably tapas afterward.  If things work out I may be able to skype with Gaby today, too.  We'll see what happens!

September 8 - September 14 (well, 15)

September 8, 8:00am

Left to right: Aurora, Carli, and Jenny.  Yay tapas!

Last night was absolutely incredibly awesome.  I went for tapas with Carli, Aurora, Jenny, Jelissa, and Eileen and we talked so much and had so much fun discussing life and ministry and everything!  I am so beyond grateful to God for a group of women like them that I can be so crazy and open with.  After some gelato and walking around, we all went home and I greeted my host mom and then went to bed around 11:30pm-ish.  And then I had to get up around 6:30am to make it to Palacio de Congresos to board a bus to drive for two hours to where there's a rest stop before we begin our ten-mile hike.  I'm sitting next to my friend Nathan and behind Carrie, a couple seats behind Aurora.

Left to right: Nathan, Carli, and Abina at the rest stop.

Something uncomfortably different about this place: lack of biodiversity here.  All the trees seem the same, there's hardly any bugs, and birds seem a rarity.  I've seen lots of pigeons, and actually bats too (not a bird, but whatever).  But other native non-invasive birds not so much.  Something I greatly enjoy: the smell of the little white flowers every time I exit my house to go wherever.  It's a cross between a hydrangea and an Easter lily scent, strong but sweet.  My current prayer: to not get sunburned and/or dehydrated on this hike, and for my camera not to die so that I can try to capture the adventure I'm about to embark on.

September 9, 3:30pm

Cabo de Gata, and heck yes we walked all over this!

So to correct myself after my very uninformed statement regarding there being a lack of biodiversity, especially in the dry Cabo de Gata region: there is a TON of highly-specialized and diverse species of flora and some nocturnal and well-adapted smaller fauna.  I'm glad I asked to many questions and kept pressing for Luis to talk to me during our difficult mountain-hiking experience yesterday.  The plants all seem similar from far away, but closer one begins to see how awesome the Mediterranean biome can be.  I still prefer forests over scrubby deserts any day, but I appreciate this nature reserve a lot more now.

Aurora: Beauty and Beast all in one!  Such a cool girl!

We stopped at a couple of beaches along the hike and I did most of it with Aurora by my side, which was fun.  We even walked along the side of a cliff, which I was scared to do at first but which was really awesome and a great experience.  When we finally got to San José we had dinner and then hopped on the buses again to go home.  I proceeded to get disoriented on my way home in the dark from Palacio de Congresos and ended up doing a two-hour hike around the city and even through Albayzin near the Alhambra in an effort to try to find a main street I knew.  So finally, all sandy and salty, I passed out at 2:00am and then woke up, showered, ate breakfast, uploaded pictures, and went to church with Carli, Eileen, Aurora, and Jenny to an English service through Centro Familiar Cristiano.

Left to right: Eileen, Carli, Aurora, Jenny, and me at the
Centro Familiar Cristiano.  Love them so much!

It was incredibly blessed and I felt like each and every single song we sang, all of which I was familiar with and had sung before at home as well as in Cartago and Monteverde, was God's way of saying to me, "I am still here and moving, and I am with you, the same One and Only no matter the country."  Especially after seeing the disastrous results last night and what was being spoken into me this morning, I see God showing me different aspects of pride that need to be broken down in my life and how much I need to wait on Him.  I can't wait for the Spanish service tonight!  And I love these girls I'm with so much; I love the fellowship I have with them and how honest and real it all is.

One last thing: so many bats at night near the Río Genil here!  It's so super cool!

September 10, 11:00am

The church service last night was long (2.5 hours) but it was so cool; I recognized most of the songs and a lot of what the pastor was saying resonated with me in the sense that what he was praying about (indifference and incredulity among the Granadinos) is what I want for people and what I pray for in a postmodern society here in Spain, and little by little I'm beginning to come into my purpose here.

11:45pm

Me being awesome outside of one of the buildings 
surrounding the La Alhambra gardens (see September 12 
for a description of this day).

Today was a day of orientation, more or less getting to talk about culture some more as well as think about personal goals and time management, and we also had presentation from some of the IES staff and met the University of Granada professors we will be around the most.  We had refreshments afterward and later on, after siesta and much-needed Facebook chat with Gabriel Trejos, Dani Monge, and John Porras in Costa Rica, I walked back to IES for my internship meeting.  I will be interning in the English department at what is more or less a charter school here in Granada called Santo Cristo de la Yedra.  A while back when they told me I wouldn't be doing an IR internship, I was kind of angry because education isn't my major.  Recently though I had come to accept and be able to view this as a huge, very useful opportunity, and now I am excited for my internship interview on Wednesday!  God knows what He's doing.

September 12, 8:20am

Left to right: Michael, Carli, Eileen, and me.  Just being us.  ;)

Yesterday in the morning Carlos talked to our Spanish class about Moodle and extracurricular activities around that we can do, and then in our Spanish class we talked about the past tense and we also were given the challenge of finding our given store and interviewing a store manager.  I got mine done really quick because Cortefiel was really close by.  Afterward, I went home and ate lunch, then I took a "20-minute siesta" that turned into two hours because I set my alarm incorrectly.

So after hurrying around I ran over to IES again to go to a meeting on volunteer opportunities and then on a tour around the gardens around La Alhambra and Realejo.  I took lots of pictures as per usual.  We were there while the sun was setting, so it was pretty beautiful.

Gardens around the La Alhambra area.

Sunset over Granada.

After the tours Carli, Eileen, Analí, Tara, Jonathan, and I went for tapas and then I went straight home and after talking to Carmen and Gaby on Facebook and uploading all the pictures, I went straight to bed.  Needless to say I feel ridiculously exhausted this morning and just want to go back to bed; I'm all dressed up (ish) for an interview with the grade school I will be interning for, so hopefully all goes well!


September 13, 7:50am

Can my schedule just be consistent already!?  Haha, I am so tired from waking up and going to bed at different times each day.  Anyhow, after the interview yesterday (which turned into more of the director of the school talking to us about the school and having us simply express what ages we wanted), I returned to IES for my Spanish class, which also took an outing to the markets and to get some churros con chocolate.

Upon leaving IES later, I went home and had some lunch and then worked the entire time on putting my updated resume into Spanish so that I could send it off to an organization that deals with sustainability and interculturality so that I can volunteer for them.  I'm very excited to hear back about that!  I tried going to Eileen/Carli's apartment later for Eileen's birthday cake but nobody was able to help me find them once inside, so I walked to Centro Familiar Cristiano to try to get my phone to charge and it won't work, so I have a dead phone and it's either a problem with the charger input or with the battery.  Ugh.  I did run into Carli, Eileen, Tara, Analí, Jenny, Jonathan, Mario, and Aurora though so we all went out and they got tapas, and then I finally went home (which I had been temped to do four hours ago).

September 13, 1:45pm

The College of Translation and Interpretation.
I plan on spending time here.

I went to my Spanish class today and learned more about the system of education here; Carolina also took us on a walk around the political/social sciences campus so we got to know the buildings a little bit.  I'm quickly discovering that I have so many ideas for what I would like to do and accomplish and so little time and so few resources to do them that I am going to have to prioritize very carefully.

One thing I'd love to point out about Granada that is both good and not-so-good: the sounds and the smells....

Good sounds: lots of birds in the mornings, certain street music, children laughing.

Bad sounds: traffic/construction, certain other street music, babies crying next door that won't be quiet.

One of the good smells: tea and spices!

Good smells: tea/spice stands on the streets, food from restaurants and people eating outdoors, the flowers right outside my house.

Bad smells: smoke from 50% of the Granadino population, car exhaust, too much incense around some of the streets in Albayzin.

Also, while people never smile at you while walking down the street and one would look out of place smiling at people here, I've decided that by joyfully smiling consistently I remedy the situation of smiling at specific people at specific times.

September 14, 7:05pm

Sunset from the evening before because I forgot to mention
that our neighborhood group got together for a tour by
Lorena and then we all sat down for tapas together.

I'm sick with a cold.  My sinuses hurt and I may have had a small fever earlier.  It didn't really help when I made a phone call to the president of AINDESOS for an interview and he wanted to meet in person and then when I finally arrived (after being given several sets of wrong directions) nobody could tell me where he was and in fact people said they didn't know him at all.  So I left and wandered before taking a taxi to Plaza Fontiveros a couple of minutes from my house, except somehow I managed in my ill delirium to get turned around and wind up way far away from my home again.  But it was okay because when I finally more or less got on the right track I ran into a brand-new French Erasmus student who I was able to help get on the right street to go to the facultad de derecho.  I finally made it home at 4pm and finally ate some food after hardly eating anything all day (I had a small banana for breakfast since nobody was awake).  I wanted to go hiking with Aurora and Kassie tomorrow and now I don't think that's going to happen since I have no Internet currently to look up the bus schedule.  On the bright side, reunión de jóvenes tonight, yay!

September 15, 1:05am

Love these guys so much.  :)

Tonight was such a huge blessing!  After seeing random things that made me smile and laugh (guy in the streets with a glass magic ball thing and a giant frog costume-wearing guy), spending an hour in Vodafone taking note of all the interactions as well as getting a new phone, and buying grapes for the reunión de jóvenes in El Corte Inglés, I finally made my way over to Centro Familiar Cristiano and me, many other foreigners, and some natives all shared food, went for a walk through La Alhambra, and then had a great in-depth conversation up there about what we believe about why Jesus had to die.  I met new friends named Tito (from Honduras), Jocelyn and Sarah (from the U.S.), and Ivana and Gizela (from Argentina).  It was just super nice being able to have community and talk freely with each other and I was so happy to pray for Jenny and be prayed for by her tonight.

Part of La Alhambra and Granada at night.

This weekend starting later today technically I go hiking with Kassie and Aurora near the base of the Sierra Nevada closer to Plaza Nueva and I'm really excited for that.  Until then, I should probably try to sleep away this cold and hope I feel a lot better tomorrow all around.

September 5 (well, 4) - September 7

September 5, 4:30pm

View from the balcony from our hotel room in Málaga.

I am so exhausted!  I flew from Chicago to Madrid and then Madrid to Malaga and so from the time I woke up at 7am on Monday I didn't sleep until around 11pm-ish on Tuesday (last night).  Then I was up around 7am today and we've had information meetings all day.  Now I'm on my way in a bus to Granada to meet my host family.

I took this picture of a cathedral in downtown
Málaga while sitting at a table outside a
tapas bar, no food, no drink, all weird, haha.

It's been very dry here towards the south.  There apparently has been no rain since May.  The mountains look all scrubby and are speckled with a tree or two every 100 meters or so, really spaced apart, and so the mountains look brown.  Malaga is a coastal city and we were taken to a beach and a restaurant for lunch yesterday that ended at like 4:30pm, then around the city to explore at 7:30pm.  It's cool because the ground is all like marbled so it's slippery but such a comfortable (albeit humid) temperature that it feels like it's indoors.

I've met lots of IES students already and I am especially glad to have run into three Christians names Nathan, Matthew, and Carli.  I hope to be able to have awesome community with them and to strengthen my relationship with God here.

September 6, 8:05am

Driving to Granada past mountains and hundreds of
olive tree plantations.

I met my host mom Choni and sister Paola (21) last night, along with two primos (cousins) Jesús and Miguel who stayed over for the night.  My room is like a dorm room, like a really nice one.  The whole house (apartment really) is nice!  We ate dinner at like 9pm-ish and then I proceeded to fail at showering as I couldn't turn it on for a good half hour until Paola told me what I should and shouldn't do, haha.  Sunrise happened around 7:30am and now I'm just waiting for breakfast and then leaving at 8:30am to go to...somewhere.  Paola is taking me I think haha.  My house isn't on the map hehe, so yeah this will be interesting.

My room!

Driving here yesterday there were so many olive tree plantations, and teak or some other sort of wood.  Like TONS, like that's almost exclusively all I saw when it came to what little greenery there was.  It was kind of frustrating and yet awe-inspiring because it was so different from Costa Rica.




Lord, help me to be patient and humble.  Help me to embrace life here and give Spain a chance, even though I love Costa Rica more.  Please guide me and be more present than before in my heart and mind and life.

September 7, 3:45pm

Outside my house/apartment.

Yesterday was really long and I went to bed at like 10pm because it was so tiring.  My Spanish/orientation class went from 9am to 2pm-ish, then I walked home for lunch/siesta, then I had to walk all the way back to IES/Plaza Nueva for buying a SIM card for my phone.  I'm grateful Paola helped me get to IES this morning; it's a straightforward walk but it does take a half hour.  At least I'm not climbing uphill the whole way?  Haha!  But I usually didn't mind when I was in Costa Rica.

River on my way to IES.

Anyway, it's ridiculously hot here, almost all the time, and they say I'll be freezing come mid-October but I am really starting to doubt that.  There hasn't been a single drop of rain here since May and it's pretty stuffy outside.  The clouds tend to hang out around the mountains; it's really sunny.  The sidewalks and even main streets for people that are too narrow for cars are cobblestone or some sort of other smooth material, and it's very much a city here.  I can't wait to finally see some green tonight when we go to La Alhambra.

City hall near the IES building.

Today I had Spanish/orientation class again and we had the chance Carli, Jessica, Eileen, Jenny, and I to kind of discuss hanging out more and doing tapas and things like that on our way home today for siesta.  I'm so happy to have met such strong Christ-followers and it was so fun talking to them and interviewing Spaniards for class with them.