And it's just the beginning...

Above is a picture from the Alcazar in Cordoba
This is a view from the bridge I take to class every day

I moved into my home last week Saturday. Before moving in, I met one of my roommates, Kristen, at the hotel. She is a junior at Cornell and is orginally from New Jersey. My other roommate, Kelsey, won't be here until February 16. She studied in Sevilla last fall and loved it so much that she is coming back. She lived in the same home last semester and will be back once her visa is worked out. My senora, Concha, met us where the bus dropped us off. Kristen and I followed her to our new home in Los Remedios. She gave us a tour of the apartment, and we sat down and talked for about an hour. We unpacked and settled in to our new rooms. Kristen has her own room, and Kelsey and I will share when she gets back. The apartment is super cute, and I already feel at home.


Concha has two sons, Pablo and Nacho. Pablo is 30 and has moved out. Nacho is 24 years old and lives right next door to me. He is a student at Pablo de Olvide and will graduate soon with Sports Science. He is really great at explaining words and phrases that we don't get. Both Concha and Nacho are really great cooks! So far my favorite things have been paella, tortilla, and fish. Nacho made a pretty killer omelette for me tonight with ham and cheese, which definitely makes the top 5. He said he makes much better things than that so I can't wait to see what they are! We always eat lunch and dinner in front of the tv and usually watch the news. Normally, we eat lunch around 2:30 and dinner around 9:30. I get super hungry before lunch because I eat breakfast around 8, but I'm getting used to it. For breakfast there is usually bread and jam. I told her the first day that I liked cereal, and Thursday morning there was cereal on the kitchen table! I was super excited! It was so good. Some people told me that the milk in Spain wasn't good, but I actually like it. It tastes good by itself and even better with my cereal. So far, I don't miss any foods from home. I really like the helado here so I don't miss ice cream yet :) I am so blessed to have such a loving home and not have to go through Whit stomach aches at La Crosse. Praise God!


Concha and I went grocery shopping Thursday night. I was coming home from shopping, and she was leaving at the same time so I offered to go with her. She said she could use the company because she was feeling down. She had a lot happen this week. Her good friend went to the hospital for her heart, her mom was in the hospital with pneumonia, and we moved in! She also has been having headaches that don't go away. She told me she had breast cancer when she was 36, lost her hair, and had four operations. She is worried that the cancer might be back. My heart just ached for her. I've never wanted to know Spanish better than at that moment. I wanted to be able to encourage her and tell her how much I cared. My Spanish is too limited to get a real heartfelt response out. Now, I have to rely on my actions to show her I care. Pray that God would heal her and give her peace. It was by God's planning that I was coming home at that exact moment, and I'm so glad that I was able to go with her. It was good bonding time, and now our prayers can be more specific for her. I love her already! Another neat thing that happened with Concha was when Kate and I crossed paths with her in the street. I introduced Kate to Concha, and Concha said she was mi madre. I've been referring to Concha as my mom when I talk about her with my friends here, and it was so neat to hear here say the same thing. God's answer to prayer is so real. I'm so grateful that He has blessed me with a loving host family!


During the week, we have class with CEA, the study abroad progam, from 9:15-1:00 every day. It's a two week prep course for the real Universidad de Sevilla classes that begin February 8. The prep course is split in two sections, the first is grammar and the second is conversation. It's an optional class and not many people come. On Thursday, there were only 8 students there and 6 of them were from UW- La Crosse. It's tough to sit through such a long class with some pretty beginner Spanish material, but I've learned some vocab and brushed up on grammar so I still go. I'm anxious to begin my real courses though.


Last Sunday, Kate, Cole, and I went to an evangelical church here. We got lost on the way but were only a few minutes late. I loved the Spanish worship songs and seeing what church is like in a different culture! Obviously, I didn't understand everything, but I was able to grasp the main point of the message and follow along in scripture. We were introduced to quite a few people, and they were very welcoming. I loved seeing the passion the people had as they praised our heavenly Father and am looking forward to going back.


Some of the other things that I've done, include a city tour, a photo scavenger hunt, trying tapas and different wines, running, walking, walking, and more walking, and experiencing some of the night life where we were able to meet some high school students. The girls loved us right away, and we were able to talk with them for quite a while. One of the boys recognized me the other day walking in the street and said hello. I was also able to meet a guy named Antonio at a cafe near home. I had brought my quiet time stuff to the cafe and was actually having a pretty rough day. I was confused as to what I was doing here in Spain. I know that God has put me here for a reason and given me clear signs that I am supposed to be here. Tim Tjernagel had really encouraged me to make friends with the Spanish people here, and that continues to be one of my main goals. I wasn't sure where God wanted me to be, but my devotional spoke straight to me about letting God be in control. I am always so confident that God is in control of my future but can easily forget that He is in control of the present too. God gave me a lot of peace as I let him have control. After I finished, I met Antonio. He had been drawing the whole time I was there so I asked him if I could see it. He was glad to show me what he was working on and many past drawings as well. He said he's usually there every day after 5 so I'm looking forward to going back and hopefully building a friendship. God answered prayer so quickly and proved to be faithful as I stepped out in faith. We serve an incredible God!


Another thing that I've been able to enjoy is shopping. Right now it's rebajas where many things are on sale. It lasts from Christmas until the beginning of February. When I shop here, I feel like I'm back in the United States. Almost every single store has American music playing. I've noticed Rihanna and Lady Gaga quite a bit. Carmen says that I need to save some money to shop with her. I'm looking forward to being able to visit her in Madrid!


While many of the things that I do here are so much fun, and I love the city and people and my home and food and architecture and meeting new people, I would be deceiving you all if that's all I told you. I have to admit that this week has been difficult too. I feel like a freshman in college all over again trying to figure out different friends, activities, and creating some kind of a routine. Many of the students like to go out every night, and that's not really my thing. It's been so great meeting people who don't feel the need to do that every night either. It has been a struggle to find the balance between staying true to myself and what I like to do and going out of my comfort zone to spend more time with the other study abroad students. I'm praying that God continues to guide me in my decisions and that I walk according to his will. I've been so grateful that Kate and Cole are here. I am so glad that God knows me better than I know myself! Looking back, it's silly to think I thought I could do this without knowing anyone. I saw studying abroad as an adventure that I would take on and depend on God and grow closer to Him as I developed independence in a new country. Boy was I wrong! I am so glad that God has put Kate and Cole in Sevilla too. They have been an encouragement that I am so grateful for.


I almost forgot...we went to Cordoba today! It's a city less than 2 hours away from Sevilla. We got to see the Mezquita built in the 9th and 10th century and consecrated as a cathedral in 1236, the Jewish quarter, and the Alcazar palace built in the 13th century and used as a royal residence. Kate, Heather, Cole, and I also got to try some new tapas, one which was a mystery, walk around, and have some really good laughs. It was a really fun day!


I'm off to bed soon. My throat has been hurting the past two days and has gotten worse. It's been a little tough to sleep at night, and I'm hoping some extra sleep tonight will help. My adventure in Spain has just begun, and I'm excited to see what more God has in store!

Prayer

Praises

*A loving host family! *Answers to prayer *Internet at home to easily stay connected *A beautiful city to live in * This whole opportunity to study in Spain. I am very blessed. *Having encouragement from Kate and Cole in Sevilla

Requests

*Concha and her health and stress *Healed sore throats and sore feet for Kate and myself *Developing boundaries for my free time usage *That I pick up the language quickly *I can form good relationships with my host family, roommates, natives, and others *I can show them God's love and be a light