Estoy Aqui!

Above is the view from my hotel window
This is the view from the train

Orientation dinner is over, and 6 of us have gathered in Kate's room to use the wireless they randomly found. Woot! I have to say that right now it feels like not much is very different from home. I'm sure you're thinking that I should be out exploring the city not sitting in the hotel room. However, we had 5 hours to explore before dinner. You can only walk so far from the hotel in different directions so many times. Tomorrow, we'll be going to our homestays, and then it will be more useful to explore since the hotel is not in the same area of the city. I did enjoy walking around the city before dinner though! The streets are busy,there are many tall apartment buildings, and people walking and biking all over. In the middle of it all, I spotted a kid's soccer game. There was one little boy who was quite skilled. Too cute! I defintely am enjoying all the people and different sites.
This morning was a much different experience. I was not thrilled to be in a different country attempting to use the public transportation. The metro system was an experience in itself. It started out really well, but then it seemed to be a never ending process to get to the next stop. I hate to admit it, but I will: my parents were right. I should have packed lighter. At one point, I had to carry my bags up 3 sets of stairs. I carried it one step at a time because it was so heavy. I'm so glad there isn't video of my life because you would all laugh at how ridiculous I looked. At the top, a man carried it 4 more stairs for me and said "Tu estas fuerte." I laughed and said "Gracias." Clearly, I am not strong or I could have carried it normally. Then we had to get onto the metro which was extremely packed, and I was already sweating from the attempt to carry my bag. It was very uncomfortable. At one point, a woman came up to me and asked me in Spanish how to get to a different section of the metro. I didn't say it correctly, and she quickly figured out I wasn't a Spaniard. She laughed and said gracias. Oops. I'm looking forward to picking up the language and being able to speak better. I'm praying that happens quickly! Once we figured out the metro, we were able to buy our tickets for the train. The train was a nice option, and the scenery was pretty from what I saw between naps. It was nice to finally arrive in Sevilla!
Tomorrow is a full day of orientation, and we get to go to our homestays. I'm excited to meet my family and roommates!

Prayer
Praises
*Arrived safely and on time *Beautiful weather * This whole opportunity to study in Spain. I feel very fortunate! *Having a little bit of home with Kate and Cole here too
Requests
*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