Time is flying!

So I've been in Spain for nearly 9 weeks now. Just writing that out blows my mind...I have never been in a foreign country for this long. It's absolutely crazy! But I'm loving every day here and just trying to make the time last....even though with Daylight Saving Time in effect as of yesterday, it seems to be slipping through my hands.
But what's been going on with me since the last time I wrote? I'm sure that's what's on your mind right now. Well, I made it through some of my toughest midterms in my college career and now I'm at spring break numero uno--Semana Santa (Spain's Holy Week). This is a huge time for the country of Spain as a whole as they get ready for Easter, but it's an even bigger deal for Sevilla because they boast the best processions and floats in the country. I was a little bummed that I decided to stay here for the first break (after I thought about my study abroad budget realistically) but now I'm really pumped! I'm so blessed to be in a city as culturally-rich and beautiful as Sevilla that I'm glad to be here for this week. People come from all over the world to Sevilla just to see its Semana Santa processions and I get to live here and see the sights as I please? I'll take that!
I'll explain what Semana Santa is exactly in the coming posts (or you can research it online!) but I just wanted to tell you all where I'm at right now in this study abroad journey.
I was looking at my pictures from New York and other places around Spain and already I see myself from a different perspective. I mean I just tackled New York City a little more than two months ago all by myself, but as I looked at my pics I thought, "Man, I look so young...and innocent."
Normally this is something you say when you're looking at pics from your teen years and you're in your late twenties--not two months after you started living abroad! But what's even more shocking is the farther I go back (like just last semester), the younger I look to myself! It's crazy, but it just goes to show you how much living abroad can change your perspective. I know so many more things now and am exposed to many different things everyday that I just can't go back to how I thought in the past. I'm gonna have one heck of a time readjusting to the United States, let me tell you!
Well, it is after midnight for me now and I have a busy week ahead of me. It's time to get some rest so I can see more of the processions tomorrow and...maybe do some homework?! Yep, such is my life in Spain.
There's always something I should be reading or working on!

'Ta luego y buenas noches! :)

--Sarah

P.S. I saw the funniest thing today: A carriage horse was snacking on the seat of someone's Vespa parked near the famous Alfonso XII hotel. He only scuffed it up though. I've never seen that happen in daily life so I had a good laugh as I passed by. The owner nor the carriage driver was around to reprimand the horse, so that just made it even funnier!

Spanish paradoxes

Here are some rather confusing, yet hilarious paradoxes I have come up against here in Spain:

***There are tons of commercials for these special digestive cookies that Spanish people supposedly eat all the time that are good for you (supposedly). But here's the thing they contain wheat gluten and all these other kinds of preservatives (and salt) that are horrible for you...guess what I got the whole time I was eating them? Diarrhea. Yeah, just an ironic little side effect for something that's supposed to regulate your body.

***Bathrooms in Spain almost always have soap in them, but what can you never find? Hot water! How are you supposed to kill the germs and why aren't Spanish people getting sick all the time??

***Choose wisely which kind of tissues you should buy. Ironically I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to the ones I was using when I had allergy symptoms a few days ago. Once again it defeats the purpose!

***All the fruit juices and yogurt drinks that are supposed to be extremely good for you have so much sugar in them! Which once again defeats the purpose of drinking them to get more natural sugars or calcium for that matter!

And my absolute favorite:

***No two clocks in Spain are set to the same time. Everyone's movil has a different time, the city runs on a much faster time, my senora's clock is ten minutes faster than my phone the metro is a couple minutes slower than my senora's clock and the world clock on my computer is off too! What is with you and time, Spain??? Ahhh, stop confusing me!
All that matters is that my watch is set 10 minutes faster than my phone so that I can make it back in time for lunch and dinner. The most important things in one's life, you know! ;)

God is truly amazing!

So yesterday I rediscovered that God does indeed have a sense of humor. I was on my way to my Spanish church last night but couldn't remember what the name of the street was or how far away it was from my house, so needless to say I was a little lost. Thank goodness, though, it was just a little side street off one of the main streets here in Sevilla...but finding that side street? Now, that was the struggle. However, I had a little help...
As I wandered around these smaller streets (where I thought the church was), I prayed, "God, if you want me at church to tonight, please get me there." Just your simple to-the-point prayer with a little bit of doubt mixed in there, but boy, did God answer it! Once I got back to the main street, I decided to just give up and go somewhere to sit and study, but then I kept thinking the church was farther than where I was, so I turned around. It's a good thing I did because I would've missed one of God's most beautiful reminders to us as believers:




And the street that this rainbow was over was the EXACT street Encounter Church was on! I took a few pictures of course and just started laughing.
GOD IS AWESOME!!!!!!! I hope you don't forget that (I hope I don't) as you go about your daily lives. We serve an awesome God who has an incredible sense of humor. :)

Only in Spain...

I haven't really shared any stories or memories on here yet, so here goes...hope you enjoy!
Nearly a month ago (wow!!!) I went to los Carnavales en Cadiz (Ka-deeth) with some friends and Discover Sevilla, a tourist agency here that works with and plans trips for college students and tourists in Sevilla. The closest thing that I can relate it to is a big huge college Halloween party in the streets where everyone is dressed up in ridiculously good or bad costumes getting shwasted--and yet, still continuing to drink. Except not everyone who's there was young, in fact at times I saw more older people than young ones. My friends and I unfortunately got sucked into the center of the city where all the drunken mayhem was going on and didn't have the greatest time that night. Little did all of us know that just like 1/4 of a mile down the main street were plays and spoofs of political and historical figures/events being put on. I heard that there were people dressed up as Obama, Hitler and the Chinese president (whose name I don't know) and that would've been fun to see, especially since everything was satirical and politically incorrect! haha

But our schedule for the night turned into visiting the different people who dressed in groups and getting pictures taken with them. My favorites were the cavemen, penguins, ducks, crazy rocker guys from Barcelona who wore plain white tees so that American girls could write their numbers on them...and Aladdin and Jasmine. Jasmine was really drunk and gave each of my friends a page that she tore out of paperback book--which was hilarious and I kept the page! haha

My most memorable and vivid memory of the night was when I was talking to this really nice college-aged guy from Brazil. He is in his last year at the University of Salamanca and if you can believe it or not, he's studying Economics! In just the few minutes I talked with him--in English in the beginning--we had a lot in common...and he was the first decent guy I had met at Carnaval and didn't seem to be drunk. However, just a few feet away from me my friends were getting harassed by a group of cows or something and they wanted to get away from them as fast as possible...but I didn't want to leave cause I was having a nice time talking with this guy. Unfortunately I had to tell him goodbye, but he still wanted to keep talking to me! Two of my friends then proceeded to drag me away from him and I remember him asking me in Spanish, "Pero, quieres hablar sobre la economia?" [Don't you want to talk about the economy?]. No, but you're cute, I thought. I responded with, "My friends want to go so I can't. Sorry!"

I will never forget yelling that out to this guy as he watched me be physically dragged away by my friends. It all happened in slow motion too so that made it even harder to break away, but it made for an awesome memory. I didn't see him again that night and probably won't ever see him again. If I'm meant to run into him again I will, but if not, then God's got something else in store.

Time is flying by here in Spain, but I am enjoying every second I can. I hope to have so many more of these "Only in Spain" moments and be able pull them out whenever I am missing Sevilla.

Longing for familiar things...

Things I miss:
MILK!!!!!!! (both skim and CHOCOLATE)
Eggs and Sausage
BAGELS!!!!!!!!!!!
Mexican food (as in Chipotle...)
My buckwheat husk pillow that is amazingly wonderful to sleep on!
Dinner at a decent time in the afternoon/evening
A smaller school and one that actually looks nice
Stores staying open past 9pm.
Walking to class/living close to your classes
PEANUT BUTTER (a small jar is like $4-5 here!)
Morning classes (I know I'm crazy to say that...haha)
Hanging out with friends in public places/apts instead of at bars!
FRESH, CLEAN AIR most places I go
Taking American money out of ATMs
My friends and family of course!!!!! :)
Peace and quiet
UNSALTED FOOD! :(
Driving a car/carpooling with people!

Things I DON'T MISS:
Whiny closed-minded Americans :P
Speaking English everywhere I go
Being informed everyday of how much the gov't is screwing things up yet again
Staying in touch with American pop culture--aka what the celebs are doing
Life before Nutella with breakfast
TV (except for one certain show in particular)
Dressing informally (Dressing up is fun and makes you feel more confident during the day!)
Living at school and eating on campus :)
Getting hit on by creepy guys and black guys during the day (it only happens to me occasionally at night here)


...well, that's all I can think of right now. There's probably one thing I'm missing on both lists...but you tell me. :)

Daily reminders

Well, it's hard for me to believe that I have been in Spain for almost 6 weeks now! It still feels like I'm new to the culture but in reality I'm not. I can for sure say that I have fully adjusted because I am hungry at meal times and I feel sleepy when it gets late here. I also was just thinking about my upcoming 3 day week (today was a holiday too :) and mentally preparing for classes and my schedule...and I was able to visualize how the week would go mostly. So yes, I have adjusted but I'm still learning new things about the people, the culture and myself everyday. I could even say that I'm getting comfortable but I DON'T want to feel that way. Because, once you get comfortable in a geographical region or a place in your life, you begin to get desensitized and I want to see, feel, hear and do everything possible here, not just in Spain, but all over Europe too! This is an experience of a lifetime and I have to keep reminding myself of that.

Here are a few things I tell myself everyday when I'm feeling overwhelmed or discouraged:
*I did not come here to fail...I came here to succeed above and beyond my expectations.
*I did not come here to speak English...I came here to improve my Spanish and get to know the locals and become a part of this culture!
*No one here knows who I am or was...so why not seize the opportunity to let my personality shine and make a fresh start?
*I did not come here to be the same person I usually am...I came here to find out who I really am, what I'm capable of and--if it's in God's will--to find someone to love.

Verses that have been encouraging me:

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
***Psalm 27:4-6***
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ***Psalm 73:25-26***

Please pray for me as I am working hard at reading the Bible every morning before I get ready. I feel like there is a strong opposition against me when I do read and pray before I start the day and those days are actually pretty bad and chaotic...so I know that the devil is working against me. Spiritual warfare and the workings of Satan are very real but I keep reminding myself that if God is for me, who can be against me? I am under His umbrella of protection and am strengthened by your prayers as well as mine. He has a purpose for me here that goes beyond studying and traveling and I hope to discover it and possibly fulfill it while I'm here.

Pues, buenas noches a todos! :)

Spanish norms

Here's a list of commonly practiced customs, habits and Spanish sayings:

1. The siesta is observed religiously....places will shut down between 2 and 2:30 every day and sometimes not open back up until 5pm (1700)! Also kids get let out from school early to go home for lunch and the siesta. Aren't they lucky!

2. Spanish people know where they are going and don't like to be cut in front of or slowed down--so that means pick the side of the street, hallway, classroom, etc. you'll be on and stick to it! My first full day being here I was walking down the street and didn't know which side I should choose to pass this one guy and I hesitated so much that he said, "Quieres baliar?" "You wanna dance?" hahaha :)

3. There is no hot water in any sink in the entire country of Spain (at least I'm convinced of this)! Maybe the palace where the royal family lives, but not anywhere else I've been.

4. It's perfectly okay to be OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD in the hallways when classes are going on or when someone's clearly studying on a bench inside. I mean, Spain's all about socializing...right?

5. Food is the most important thing in your life and chocolate is better than sex--according to my very wise señora!!!

6. Your shoes, coat, bag and scarf all MUST match or you have to wear an outfit with matching colors...next to food, fashion is the other most important thing in the lives of Spaniards.

7. How you use utilities (water and electricity) and time reflect your character. There is no such thing as a long shower here and lights must always be turned off when not in use. This thing in particular has really opened my eyes to how wasteful and forgetful Americans are (myself included)...Time has definitely been a big issue for me since I am trying to get a routine down but still stay in touch with people and the culture at the same time. And if you're wondering....yes, I've been late to dinner two times and have gotten yelled at for it! NEVER AGAIN is the advice I have taken to heart.

8. Comparable sayings:
Hasta luego ('ta luego) = adiós
Hasta mañana = buenas noches
Fijate! = Lit. : You see! (in some contexts: Don't miss this!)
Hombre = Uh, huh or Duh...especially when used with claro, i.e. : Hombre, claro!
Vale = Okay (used A LOT...sometimes after every word)

9. Olive oil actually comes from Spain, but is manufactured and shipped in Italy cause it's cheaper...talk about a falso amigo there! I had NO IDEA either! haha But olives and olive oil are HUGE here and aceite de oliva is used in nearly everything...my friend Ashely even told me she saw the Spanish food group pyramid and they have a little section just for olive oil. All you need is at least one serving a day! haha :)

10. You can drink beer at 10 in the morning and not be judged for doing it!

11. Spain (and possibly Europe) is IN LOVE with purple....I see it everywhere and wish I could have everything I see! It's my absolute favorite color...teal is a very close second though. ;)

12. Spanish men have lots of confidence in themselves and their abilities to woo women...you either get asked to "spend the night" at their house or you get proposed to! There's also no, "We should go out some time in the future" kind of thing. It's more like, "Okay, I'll call you tonight and we'll go to [this tapas bar] at 10pm and then to [this club] at 12:30 for awhile and then I'll walk you home and we'll talk about tomorrow's plans." In other words, they move FAST! All you American guys out there: TAKE NOTE OF THIS! Girls actually don't mind you being a little more proactive but please know where you should draw the line. :)

Pues, estoy muy cansada...entonces mas costumbres por la mañana. 'Ta luego, mis amigos! :)

**Mas**

13. Aluminum foil is the new plastic wrap! All of my sandwiches are wrapped in it but they basically use it for everything!!

14. If you whip out a laptop anywhere at my school or at any place that has free Wifi (Weefee), you get stared at by everyone and then they whisper about you after they walk by...how inconsiderate right? I do bring my netbook to school sometimes because I have things I need to work on, but I'm so glad I have Internet at home now--so I don't get stared in public places anymore!

15. Greet everyone you meet or know with two fake kisses on the cheeks. Be warned that you may get real ones by certain people if you're lucky! ;)

16. Birthdays are a big deal here. People will still sing to you in the halls or classrooms even in college! And if you're lucky enough to celebrate your birthday in Spain, your señora will make a special tort or flan just for you!

17. Spanish women are in love with Pierce Brosnan. Yeah, I thought his popularity phase was gone too. haha

Christians are everywhere!

So tonight my friend Colleen invited me to this contemporary Spanish church called "Encounter" that she went to last week. It was way far away from the neighborhood I live in but I can't tell you how worth the trek and the time I spent at the service was!!! Going to this church service was just what I needed today. I have been desperate for fellowship and God's presence lately. It's good that I can listen to the podcasts from my church back in Florida on Sunday mornings but actually being with other believers physically makes a big difference! I felt really welcome and comfortable almost right away.
For one thing, this church could have been my church, "MissionWay" in Ponte Vedra, Florida...except just in a different building, at night, different people and, well, in Spanish. :) The similarities? A very laid-back, casual atmosphere, compelling worship, Hillsong songs (popular ones we sing in the U.S. just in Spanish), a pretty cool violinist and a church that has a heart for missions. And a missionary who lives in Cordoba (a well-known city about an 1 hr. southeast of Sevilla) but does mission work in Morocco spoke tonight. I had no idea that there was such a need for missionaries and volunteers in Morocco, so it was cool to hear what God is doing there and what they are believing He will do in the future. How did I get so lucky that the first church I visited seems like a good fit? That was definitely a God-thing I stumbled upon today. :)
I hope to go back next Sunday and talk to more of the members as I wasn't able to stay that long after the service.
The coolest thing was that I met other students like me who are studying here and looking for a church too. I actually saw half of the people I met tonight on the different buses I took to Ronda yesterday...but little did I know that they were believers! That was so encouraging to me. It just goes to show you that there are Christians everywhere you go, no matter what part of the world you're in! I hope that this will be the start of some fun and possibly lifetime friendships. :)

Oh, and I have officially been here for a month as of 6 p.m. (approx) Spain time today! Here's to many more wonderful days in this gorgeous country!

New York....where it all began!

A few of you knew that before I left for Spain I had this crazy long layover in Newark, NJ/New York. But what you don't know is how my trip into NYC went...so let me share what I saw and thought of the city!

First of all, let me back up and explain just how big of a deal visiting New York City is for me. Pretty much the only person who understands what New York means to me is my mom because we have talked about it a lot when I was a teen. I first heard about how big and famous it was when I was 8 or 9 and since then I have been learning all that I could about NYC. In 8th grade, I went through this New York phase and was even planning on going to college somewhere in the city. I would read guidebooks, web pages on the Internet and even write stories about living there and meeting people. I even had dreams that, I swear, were so real that it was like I was physically there. And, without fail, every time I saw the skyline, I could barely breathe because just looking at its magnificent skyline captivated me. I can't exactly explain what is was in particular, but just that it did something to me.
My family was never able to take a trip to the city due to how expensive it is and our schedules and interests. And besides, my dad doesn't like big cities anymore so he would have never suggested we visit it all together anyway. But I still kept hope alive that one day I would get to visit it. I even said that I wanted to see it alone because it meant so much to me...and what do you know I did! I def want to go back and have my mom or friends see the sights through my eyes, though. :)
However, I knew my time was coming when instead of buying a 365 Kitten-a-day calendar for 2009 I bought a New York calendar. Month after month I got to see one gorgeous sight after another and I just became even more obsessed with going to the city. I even had a dream over the summer that still sticks in my mind about traveling to NYC. My brother and I were hiking up this weird hilly mountain in robes and towels (lol) and we were so exhausted and just wanted to reach the top. When we finally did, we were rewarded with an out-of-this-world view of the island of Manhattan and it was awesome. I remember thinking, "Yes, the wait WAS worth it!"
And you know what? It really was. Not only was I on my way to Spain a month ago tomorrow, but I was on my way to New York City too! Thinking back on just this past month, I can't believe that I safely navigated my way around not one but TWO of the most famous cities in the world--NYC and Madrid. Crazyyy!
So how did I make it to the city? Well, I did more research over my long Christmas break and decided that the best and quickest way into the city was through Air Train via the NJ Transit. It was 15 dollars each way but it was definitely the best $30 I've ever spent on transportation. I was able to get to Penn Station in NY from the Newark Int'l Airport in approx 33 mins! (since there is a rail that connects the airport to the city--which was only 10 miles away!) The train itself was a little scary, but it was the most efficient way to get in and out of the city. And it was also my first time on a train so that was exciting!
I can't tell you how much I loved being in the city. Even though this sounds cliche, it was seriously everything I thought it would be and more! And the funny thing is I felt like I fit in...I don't know why that was. I think me and big cities just click and it just further proves that I really am a city girl. :)
New York brought me a lot of joy and it actually helped me recapture some of my childhood wonder from long, long ago. For example, when we were making our descent into the NJ/New York City area, I saw the city and all of its sky scrapers in the distance and honestly, I just started crying a little. I mean I had waited 12 years and finally, finally I was seeing the city of my dreams. But after a couple mins, I noticed a tiny little Statue of Liberty in front of the island and I was like, "Holy crap, it's real!!" I mean of course I'd seen pics of it, but to see it with my own two eyes...well, that was a whole 'nother story!
Oh, and that same mentality continued throughout the first--no, like the whole time I was in NYC--because I had another one of those moments when I exited the train station...and into the city itself. I was a little turned around in Penn Station after I bought a map but I found my way out and exited through the Madison Square Garden and 7th Avenue exit. And then...I was free to walk up the steps and into the city. I was such a tourist at that point. Map in hand and carry-ons on my shoulders I knew that this was a big moment. I even asked myself, "So like, wait...you can just walk out right into the city?!" It was all so foreign to me and I was definitely still in major disbelief that I was even there.
Oh, what a wonderful 5 hours I spent in the city that day. I didn't get to see everything on my list, but what I saw was enough. I can't wait to go back in the summer or some time this year and experience more of it.

And yes, those big lights (and sights) did inspire me. :)

Wait...what?!

I don't know if you've seen my list of observations about Spanish culture on Facebook, but I've been pretty observant here in Spain. I almost always see something that I didn't see the day before, I've been taking note of what's socially acceptable and what's not (don't speak English loudly while on the metro--haha). But at the same time there are just some things that I don't understand here...and some of those things end up being pretty easy in general, but I somehow miss them. And if you know me really well, you know that I either get something right away or I miss it completely (like song lyrics). Here's a short list of things I didn't understand or missed entirely these first four weeks:

1. It took me nearly two and half weeks to realize that the kitchen window in our apartment is right across from mine! The apartment itself kind of wraps around and takes up half of a side of the third floor, but that just didn't click in my mind for some reason. I didn't understand the layout of the other apartments so I just figured I could see into our neighbor's kitchen...even though it looked strangely familiar (haha). It's not something I'm proud to admit, but it's just something to laugh about to myself whenever I look over at the kitchen window from my room.

2. All the specialty stores here in Spain are named after what they sell. For example, if you need to buy a book, you go to the bookstore (la liberia). Need a watch? Just stop by the relojeria and see what's there and etc, etc. Well, there's this one store name that used to fool me every time I walked by one--la peluqueria. The hair salon. I knew full well what it was and what service they offered--I mean I saw them cutting people's hair and doing their nails done for crying out loud--but I still got the name confused!
The Spanish word for stuffed animal is 'peluche' and at first glance several times I thought a 'peluqueria' was a stuffed animal store! Even after I saw that it was a hair salon, I still asked myself, "Where are all the stuffed animals?!" I'm cracking up as I write this cause it's just too funny. I embarrass myself sometimes. haha

3. Lastly, but probably the most absurd thing I can't believe I misunderstood is the drink machines at my university. I saw people drinking from these little white cups in between classes and wondered where they got them. I came to the conclusion that their senoras made them a little drink to take along with them on their way to UPO (the nickname for my university). Yes, they took a 4 oz. cup of coffee from their apartment, to their metro stop, rode the metro, got off, and walked to their class with the cup still in hand! Uh, hello...or they just bought it from a drink machine here at the school! Doi! I can't believe I actually thought that to be true....but then again I have been getting information/cultural overload lately. :P
Anyways, I feel really dumb for sharing that with you, but can I really help it? I am an American living in a foreign country after all. :)
But yeah, there are these sweet little coffee, hot chocolate and tea machines here. I am enthralled with the way they serve your drink to you! You put your money in, select what you want and a cup is then dropped into the bottom of it, your drink is a dispensed and to top it off a little stirrer is dropped into your cup for complete customer satisfaction. :)
A video of this awesome process will be coming soon!

I have more things on my unobservant list but I just wanted to share with you the big ones...and I hope you got a kick out of them!
Hasta la proxmia vez... o mañana! :)