El Día Final de Clase!!

Oh, the final day of class has come and gone!! How exciting it is! :) I am so excited that I don´t have to catch the bus in the morning to come to the University. On my way this morning, I stopped in the bakery for a final farewell pastry. I shared it with Amanda... and it was amazing! :) I will miss the pastelerías (bakeries) when I come home... but it probably is good that I don´t have one locally because I would frequent it often.

I am ready to shop a little more... I find the stores here fun to walk around to and to look through. I may go this afternoon. Tomorrow we go to the market, which I am very excited about!! I may even shop some more tomorrow afternoon.

As I have a few minutes, I though I would make a list of things I will miss here and other things I won´t...

Things to be Missed:
1. Pastelerías
2. Public Transportation
3. Coke Light
4. Fun tiendas (stores)
5. Time for siesta
6. The keyboards
7. Amazing Ice Cream

Things Not to be Missed:
1. Unstable internet connection
2. Using a phone card/no cell phone
3. Dog poop on the sidewalk
4. Slippery Sidewalks
5. VERY small elevators
6. No printers
7. Shops closing midday and Sundays

For now, I must catch the bus... later, perhaps I will blog some more!!! ¡Chao!

So Little Time.

It seems that I always have so much to say and so little time in which to write it all down. Time always goes by so much faster than I can chronicle.

Today, we had our final exam today in our culture class. It is finished!! Now, only one more class for our trip and we are done!

After class yesterday, I came home for lunch. We had a dish called Musaca, I think. It contains sliced pan-fried tomatoes, ground beef, some zucchini (or what appeared to be very like it) and cheese. It was extremely good! Afterwards, I went with Amanda to a lovely little park here in Jaén.

We stopped and got some amazing ice cream along the way. A little later on, we met Sarah and after a couple of directional mistakes and bus rides, we found our way back to the Cathedral... and we went shopping! It was such a restful and relaxing afternoon. I bought a very cute bag that will work for my purse on the trip home. I am very excited!

Today, we are going to the castle here in Jaén. I am very excited! I have heard that you are able to see the entire city from the hill that the castle in on and that it is quite an amazing place. I am looking forward to getting some fun pictures.

I am so looking forward to some less stressful, more people-filled rest of the time here. I like to have time that the stores are actually open to be able to go and shop, rather than never having any down time to do relaxing things.

I found out that not only are we leaving at 6:00 am on Friday, but we are leaving here from the University... so that means a 45 minute walk... which means I have to leave just after 5:00 am if I am going to walk... and even though apparently my family has a car that we used when we went to the Mercadillo in a neighboring town on Sunday, they hardly ever drive it. I think Luis (the Dad) may be the only one who has a drivers license. Apparently, it is quite expensive to be able to obtain one... and besides all this, he bakes and thus works until like 7:00 am. So, I may be walking here... totally NOT fun in the dark with a suitcase, backpack, bag, and bag-sized purse... it could be one very un-fun beginning of a day. I guess we´ll have to see.

So, the mercadillo that I mentioned was much like trade day in Collinsville... very interesting. The one here is supposed to be larger, so I am excited to see what it is like when we go on Thursday!

Home is only three days away... and I cannot say that I have ever been more excited to be going home.

3 days, a long walk, and 2 flights totaling 4000 some-odd miles until then...

Sunday.

Today has been another long day. I woke up this morning to go to the mercadillo in the neighboring town with the family. It was kind of chilly and rain clouds were in the air. We had a nice time. They have a car... we just used it today. Apparently, there are no other reasons for usage than to drive 20 miles. Anyways, the mercadillo reminded me very much of trade day. I didn't buy anything because I didn't find anything that I just couldn't go without.

I have worked on my paper and presentation all afternoon long. It is now after midnight. I am ready for it to be over tomorrow... I have finished everything but my works cited page.

For the week: final in culture class on Tuesday; Cruzcampo on Wednesday; Mercadillo on Thursday; Castle on Friday.

I'm out for the night!

Melancholoy Saturday.

Well, I guess I would have to say that the countdown has begun. I have less than one week left here. Technically, I only have five days left to spend here... the 6th one will be completely filled with travelling.

Today is Saturday, and I REALLY need to work on my presentation today. Apparently, there is not the same urgency here as there is at home to get something accomplished. I really need to get it done, but no one seems to understand.... I need to use the computer! Oh, how I wish I had my laptop... It would be so much easier then.

Sometimes, I feel so much like a guest... but then, I really am. I think I feel most inconveniencing when I ask to take a shower. I am trying very hard to understand and be patient. I just feel a little bit frustrated at times... but I know I was placed here for a reason.

This day has seemingly lasted forever... Here we are at nearly 7:00pm. The sun coming in my window is warm... but my desire for some form of normalcy is about to overcome me. My time is certainly not my own here. I live by the schedules of others. Everyone pretty much does their own thing: siestas in the afternoon and staying in their respective rooms for the evening.

Maybe I will find some fun things at the Mercadillo tomorrow! I look forward to my day off!

A Free Friday.

Well, today is my second and last Friday here in the town of Jaén. It is hard to believe that in merely a week, I will be home again... It is even harder to believe that the time has flown by so very quickly.

This morning I woke up around 8:00 am, and Mari made me some breakfast. Luis was home from baking, so we talked for a little while as I ate my toast and drank my orange juice. Around 9:30 am I left with Raquel to go to her pre-school to visit her class. It was a very fun little place. The lady that was in charge was extremely nice and the other helpers were no less so. I got to spend about 4 or 5 hours with 3 and 4 year old children... how fun it was!! Each child has a cute little red and white gingham smock with their name on it that they put on over their clothes when they come in to the preschool. We spent the better part of the first hour trying to calm the kids down and get them to sit in their seats. Raquel introduced me as a new ¨seña¨ for the day... she tried to explain to me what it meant, but I am not exactly sure... I am pretty sure it is a term of endearment. The first little boy I met was named Fran... he was a very fun little boy, but strong willed as any child I have ever met. The second little boy who was cute as a button was named Ruben. He was the only one who would tell me his name. One little girl who followed me around all morning and sat in my lap while she ate her banana was named Marina.

I got to sing songs in English with the kids. Raquel is studying to be and English teacher, and all the little preschoolers learn English songs... so we sang ¨Row Your Boat¨and the ¨Itsy Bitsy Spider¨. They all loved it!!!

As soon as snacks were over, we went out to the playground... and boy, oh boy, were they excited!! I played with the kids... I swung them around, picked them up, held their hands while they went down the slide, and all sorts of things. Three main events stand out: First, three little girls found a ladybug on the wall, and proceeded to shriek with delight and shout ¨Mariquita, mariquita!!!¨ (which means ladybug) over and over again. :) It was so very fun!! It flew away and then they found another one on the wall and proceeded with all the same excitement again. After they had played with the second one for quite some time, Marina kept coming and telling me that the ladybug was broken... I would take it from her and give it back, to which she promptly began pulling its wings apart and squishing it... no wonder it was broken. :) The second event that made me smile was when one of the little boys did something to one of the younger smaller girls named Paola. She was so little with blonde hair and blue eyes... she began to cry, and one of the little girls with curly blonde hair promptly marched up to the little boy with her hands on her hips and demanded, ¨What have you done to Paola?¨ It made me laugh because it just reminds me how much I love kids and how incredibly alike they are in all places of the world. The third event: Ruben threw up all over Raquel after having his lunch. Oh, yuck... not fun. It looked like honey mustard... not fun at all. He just stood there and cried until they took him to clean him up. His mom soon came to get him because he had a fever.So, my morning and early afternoon were very fun!! I had lunch which consisted of rice and tuna that were covered in a homemade, stove-top hot salsa... It reminded me somewhat of a fruit salsa. It was absolutely amazing!! I would have to say that it has been one of my favorite dishes of the trip. I took a siesta for about an hour and a half, and now I am up... I have been working on a presentation that I have to do in class on Monday.

I have no scheduled events until next week other than going to the mercadillo (open air market) on Sunday with Raquel and some other people. I don´t know if her mom (Mari) is going or not. I guess we´ll see... but now I know that I have rambled on for long enough. I will surely post again when I have fun things to tell!!

Jaén in veintiún días...

This is the title of the newspaper article in which our group is featured in the local Jaén newspaper. It came out the first week we were here, but a lady in our group made copies today to give to us. I was very grateful to be able to have this to save for memories. It talks about our trip here to Jaén and how we are here for three weeks... it even quotes one of the girls here on our trip. I think it is very fun!!

Sad news: yesterday we were not able to go to the olive oil factory... I found this to be slightly disappointing because I had looked forward to it. Many other people had as well. Apparently, harvest of the olives is December-March, and the oil process is completed in the month of April... so they explained to us that nothing is going on right now... oh well, I guess I have had my fill of it, for they use olive oil for EVERYTHING here... cooking, to eat on bread, to put on their salads, and I am sure there are more. We did get to go see some historical places and war trenches related to the Spanish civil war.

It was interesting. We went to a wine storehouse for sampling, but it just smelled so awful, I couldn´t bring myself to do it... the whole place smelled like a piece of moldy fermentation. It was very neat to be able to see all the wine stored in the big wooden barrells! I thought it was very fun!

This morning I had a superb pastry from a bakery... A chocolate frosted donut sliced in half with whipped cream in the middle... and real chocolate... not just icing. :) Yes, it was very good!

I am ready for a summer of reading, studying, and all the things that it is possible to do with what little life free time I have left. I will be home a week from tomorrow!! :)

Sun, Sun, Sun.

Today is the first day I have walked outside to pure sunshine!! It was marvelous! I awoke to blue skies and very bright sunshine when I left to catch the bus this morning... it is warmer today than any day yet. It is most definitely a welcome change!

Today, we will visit a museum and the Iberian Village. I am not sure how far away it is, but we are taking a bus there. Tomorrow, we get to visit an olive oil factory, which should be very interesting as this part of the country is known for their olives and olive oil. I am looking forward to it!

I had no desire to wake up this morning from my warm bed... I hope to take a siesta this afternoon... but for now, I must go catch bus #7 that will take me home for lunch. Until I post again, perhaps with more exciting news,

Day 13

Yeah!! Today is day 13 of the trip, which is very hard to believe! This means that I will be home in a mere 11 days... and I have to say that as the time draws nearer, I am ready for it. I have enjoyed Spain VERY much!! But I do have to say that I miss the food at home, I miss my bed, and I miss things familiar to me. Today´s topic for my post: the smell.

It smells different here everywhere... I haven´t been some place that didn´t have a smell. Some places smell like an entire bottle of perfume; others smell like garbage; others just smell strange. Even my clothes have a different smell. Everything has a different smell... and I wonder how the people here don´t smell it... maybe they do; I don´t know... or maybe their noses are used to it. I don´t think it helps any that dogs are allowed to poop on the sidewalk and no one picks it up... I have to admit that I have been very afraid I will not be looking at just the most inopportune second and I will find myself having stepped in the happy trail of a doggy on a walk... And then I sit here and think how strange the word smell is... oh well, perhaps I should choose a different topic.

Today we had class and no excursions. Tomorrow we have class and an excursion to see Iberian somethings... I can´t for the life of me remember what. No rain today; however, the sky didn´t look so nice as it was getting dark. We´ll see what tomorrow brings.I think it is almost time for supper, so I will go for now. Until next time.......

Warning: Long post!!

So, I want to give prior warning that this post could be lengthy... I guess we´ll see if it truly is or not. I haven´t posted in a few days, so I thought I would tell about my weekend trip to Madrid. I am very excited that today is a day of rest. No getting ready for class; no getting prepared to go on a tour; nothing. And I must say that I quite enjoyed sleeping in today. Nevertheless, I surely wish I could go to church... I could always attend a Catholic Mass, but to this, I have to say politely, ¨no thanks.¨ Not today...

I had class this past week on Wednesday and Thursday as usual. Friday morning, I awoke early to get ready and walk to meet the bus in the plaza in the center of the city where we always meet the bus. It is about a ten minute walk from this house. We loaded the bus early around 8:00 am and headed out for Madrid. After a stop for coffee, etc. of which I had none, we finally arrived to Madrid a little after 1:00 pm, I think. We unloaded the bus and entered the hotel only to discover after a few minutes that we were in the wrong hotel. Luckily, the correct hotel was adjoining and the lobby was only about 30 steps down the hall. We checked in and found ourselves in a very pleasant hotel. Amanda and I shared a room. It was quite large. There was a big entryway and two very comfy beds and armchairs... plenty of space and plenty of mirrors. The bathroom was a nice size, and we even had two sinks! It was a nice place to rest.

We met some of the other girls downstairs soon after checking in to go out for a bite to eat. We got lunch at a little cafe; I had chicken. Then we decided to shop for a little while. We have found there to be a vast array of very brightly colored clothing here... and I like it! Alas, I bought nothing. Amanda and I decided to return to the hotel to shower and dress for dinner. Our group met downstairs and we all headed out walking towards where we would eat. We found ourselves finally in Plaza Mayor, which for those of you who have seen it, is the place (Amanda informed me) that the movie Vantage Point was filmed.

It was a very big place with lots of shops and restaurants all around that was housing a variety of people. We saw quite a few human statues and entertainers.

One was a mud statue... another was man dressed in all black who chained himself to a pole by the ankles, wrist, and neck and leaned forward holding a torch... I just knew he was going to choke himself to death or suffocate while making his money... there were a few gestures and also another man putting on some type of western show type thing while making bird whistling noises... I must say, it was an interesting place. Later after dinner, we returned to the plaza to see a musical performance on a giant stage that had been set up in the plaza. It was very interesting!!

When we decided to leave, we took cabs back to our hotel. Amanda and I rode together; we had a very nice cab driver but also one who happened to have no idea where our hotel was. We told him the street name which was Serrano Jover. So, he managed to take us all the way to Serrano street because he said he thought that they were two streets that intersected... he turned off the meter after the first few minutes because he didn´t know where it was... Amanda told him it was near a Starbuck´s, and so every one we passed, he asked if this was the Starbuck´s our hotel was near... there are probably a few hundred Starbucks in Madrid... Anyways, he asked some other cab drivers at stop lights, etc. and finally found out where it was... I don´t know who this guy was, but apparently he was inept at using his GPS system... so I said whatever... as long as we get back to the hotel, I am fine with it.

Saturday, we were able to visit two of the art museums in Madrid. We went to the Reina Sofia museum and looked at modern art there where we were able to see work by Picasso. Then we went to the Museo del Prado and were able to see famous works by Spanish painters such as Goya, Velázquez, and many others. I found it to be fascinating! I did thoroughly enjoy it! We hung out for the couple of hours afterwards taking pictures and doing whatever until our bus arrived about 6:00 pm. Then, we made our journey back to Jaén. We arrived a little after 10:00 pm and made our way home. Then, I got to sleep!! :)

Today, I am reading for class, doing some homework, and watching a movie. I am looking forward to the week ahead, for it will be significantly less busy than the one past. However, before we leave Spain, we still get to go tour some fun places... such as an olive oil factory, the giant castle on the hill above here in Jaén, and I fail to remember what else at this moment... but until I post again, I thought I would leave you with a few interesting facts about this lovely place...

1. If my life was shortened by one minute for every whiff of perfume I catch here, I probably would have died about 10 years ago.
2. It is impossible to walk down the street without catching a whiff or many breaths of cigarette smoke.
3. The pastries here are delectable!!
4. Supposedly, this area of the country is HOT... well, we must have brought the cold and rain.
5. Going out at midnight is a very common occurrence.
6. People WILL run you over here... they have no patience for those who tarry in the crosswalk.
7. It is very possible to walk into the kitchen and find a bowl of living, crawling snails waiting to be cooked and consumed.
8. The distance between cars when stopping is mere centimeters.
9. The city is closed down on Sundays, so no shopping on my free day.
10. I am not sure hairspray is commonly used... my host sister asked me if I used the stuff they use for weddings to fix my hair.
11. No one smiles on the street.
12. Beware at any moment while you are using a pay phone because an angry little old lady may walk up behind you and shove you in the back.

A Free Day.

Finally... we have just finished class and I have stayed behind to use the computers for a few minutes before going home... Tomorrow is Friday and we are going to Madrid! I think it will be a fun trip. We were supposed to have a touring/sight-seeing event this afternoon, but we cancelled it.. there has been so much this week. We don´t stop until at least 11:00 pm every day... it is nice to have a rest momentarily.
Tomorrow at 8:00 am we leave for Madrid. I think it is about a 4 or 4.5ish hour drive there. We don´t have specific plans for tomorrow... we are just going to relax and do whatever we want. Saturday, we are supposed to go to the Reina Sofia museum and also the Museo del Prado. I am very excited!! We will be able to see some marvelous paintings and other things. I am also looking forward to seeing everything and having time to shop, etc. It will be very nice.
I am a little tired today... I am having a wonderful time, but I do long for home on occasion... I think there is not much more to say at the moment... so I might post again later or maybe when I return from Madrid.
¡Adios!

In Between

I agree as everyone else does that it is a pain not to have internet access frequently. It is just not possible to find computers here... You have to wait forever and only use them for ten minutes. For the ones available in our classroom, the internet does not function half of the time. I don´t understand it. Only a few people have internet access at home... I did, but it has been on the fritz. I don´t know when it will be fixed.

I have just finished lunch. They try to feed me so much here! We had some kind of soup and then potato tortilla. Luis' father is here for lunch. He is a very nice older man. He is a little hard to understand beause he kind of slurs/slushes his words together. It is very scratchy.

I just finished writing some more postcards. I need to mail them soon, maybe today if possible. If not, I will try to mail them tomorrow.

(Later in the evening)
We went to the restored Arab baths tonight here in Jaén. They were really neat! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside them, however... The story behind them: a wealthy family at one time had owned them... they filled them with earth to make a foundation for their palace home. Thus, the restoration.

Around Jaén

This afternoon/evening we visited a local church and the old Jewish quarter (or what used to be the Jewish quarter) of the city. It was pretty. It was quite old and smelled very musty, but it is still in use. We were able to walk around in the pretty afternoon sunshine and air and take a look at things... the sunshine is much better than the rain we have had most days while here.

Oh What a city!!

Today we visited Granada, and it was beautiful!! It was a much bigger city than Jaén, I think.

We visited La Alhambra. Then we went to La Capilla Real and the Cathedral there in Granada. It was the largest Cathedral I have ever seen!! My, oh my, it was beautiful!

After we went to La Alhambra, we came down a street for lunch. It was a place where I think some of the gypsies from the neighborhood worked. There was a lady who would walk up to you, hand you a piece of Rosemary, tell you your fortune, and then try to charge you money for it. The shop keepers, one in particular, made me generally uncomfortable.

I learned that Granada is named that because of pomegranites. That is what the word means. I found it to be very interesting.

From La Alhambra we were able to see so much of the city that it was incredible. We could see the homes and the gypsy neighborhood and so many things. It was breathtaking and beautiful.
After we got back, I walked from the Plaza de Las Batallas to home. I decided to stop and use the pay phone to call Mom and Dad. I went from having a whole lot of minutes to having not many remaining on my card.

Tomorrow is class and sightseeing; the day after is the same. This weekend we go to Madrid. I am excited about that!

¡Chao for now!

Monday

¡Hola! Buenos dias.
Actually, it is afternoon here. It is just 4:00pm, and it has turned out to be a nice day. It has been sunny this afternoon and has warmed up a little from this morning and the previous days. Today was the first day of classes. It went very well. Our Spanish professor is very nice; I like her very much already. I think she is going to be a good teacher to have while we are here. We had the culture class and talked about all the provinces of Spain. I really enjoy having Profesora Centeno as a teacher. She is probably my favorite ever. Tommy then talked about Arabic influence in Spanish architecture. We are going to Granada tomorrow to see La Alhambra, which has a lot of Moorish and Arabic (Muslim) influence. I am very excited! I am looking forward to learning about it and taking pictures.
I have been having a very good time over the last few days. It is getting better every day.
Tonight we are going on a sightseeing tour to a church and maybe to see a few other things.
I find this place fascinating, and I see again how much I enjoy the Spanish language, history, geography, culture, etc.

LONG Day.

OH what a long day. I am quite tired. I got up around 7:00 am because we were leaving for Cazorla at 8:00am. I met Charli by the Caedral after 7:30 am. We drove the 2-ish hours to Cazorla.
It was cold, rainy, and foggy when we first arrived... however, it cleared up after a while.

We went through the town and toured an old museum/castle there.

After having coffee and a tour, we loaded the bus to drive for lunch. It was about an hour away. We were going into the Parque Natural (Natural Park).

It was honestly a bus ride unlike any other. It was quite terrible. We probably didn't go much more than 30 seconds for the total hour and a half bus ride without going around a curve. It was wretched. We stopped for lunch & as the second course, had some type of deer animal meat. A piece of mine still had the bristle hair in it. We left lunch and drove more to hike for a few minutes. We got to see some beautiful views and take some good pictures. We made the awful bus ride out. I fell asleep on the way out and woke up to rain on the way back to Jaén. It hailed on us... I learned the word for hail: graniza... when it is hailing: está granizando... and also for when it is foggy: Hay niebla.

I am still a little nauseous, but I am out for the night... I must rise early!!

¡Chao!

Mi Familia Española

Mari (left), Luis (left center), myself(right center), and Raquel (right)

Sábado (or Saturday)

I find it a little difficult to type here... some of the keys are stiff, though I think that is only on this keyboard. It seems to take me forever sometimes. However, the keyboards are different... the punctuation marks and all symbols but the letters are in different places. The period is the same, but I have to look down when wanting to make an @ sign or something as such... Today has been a good day... quite chilly though. I think it was around 10 degrees celcius. It also rained again. This is very strange. It was supposed to be hot and dry here... however, it has done nothing but rain and be cool since we arrived. I think today was the coolest day of all. The forecast says more cool weather and rain for tomorrow... I plan to dress in layers. Our group is taking a trip to Cazorla for the day. It is somewhere here between Jaen and Granada, I think. We are supposed to meet at 8:00 am to leave. I am going to walk to meet Charlie about 7:40ish and we will go together to the Plaza de las Batallas.

We are taking a bus. I am being sure to take my camera and lots of batteries... I think it will be a wonderful place for pictures! We have been talking about it and have decided that there will be more pictures from this trip than any other study abroad trip because there are fourteen girls here, I think... and everyone wants to take pictures.

I went shopping this morning with Amanda, Sarah, and Charlie. We met at the Cathedral and walked around down into the center of Jaen.

I bought an orange shirt (like I need any more clothing) for 10€. I like the pricing system here very much. What you see on the price tag is what you pay because tax is already included. I also bought a pack of paper for school. The paper is a little bit longer here than ours. It is interesting... nothing differs but the length.

This afternoon, despite my best intentions not to, I fell asleep during the siesta period of the day. Around 6:00 pm some of Raquel´s friends came over to celebrate her birthday. We had some kind of pie/cake with a filling in the middle. It was very good. We sang, talked a lot, and took pictures. It made me feel a little more at home and comfortable that people seem to be understanding that it takes me a little longer than them to get things on occasion. :)

We had empanada for dinner, which was filled with tomato and tuna, I think. But it had been baked all together, and I must say, was quite tasty. We had Pepsi Light, which always makes me smile... it was the same in Honduras. The diet things are called ¨light¨ usually.

Today I have felt a little more at home in this city/province, whichever Jaen is. With walking around, I was able to figure my way somewhat around the center part of the city. It makes things much easier once I can figure things out for myself. I am making an attempt to learn where I need to go for certain things.

While we were out shopping today, we passed a camera store where I think they can put pictures onto CD. Charlie is planning to go back, so I may go back with her when she does so that I can get some pictures up for everyone to see. I have been searching for a watch because I do not have one... and many times, I need one. I saw many today, but they are in the neighborhood of $30 and I am just not sure I want to pay that for a brightly colored watch. Also, I don´t normally wear one, so I don´t know how I feel about paying it for a short period of time... I may just break down and buy one sometime this week.

I find it fascinating to see all the things here... Even though it is difficult at times, I love being surrounded by Spanish. In a store today, we saw canisters for flour, pasta, sugar, etc. that were all in Spanish. Amanda and I wanted them very much, but they take up so much space. If people keep giving us things, we may never make it home! :)

There are so many pretty things here... the city is beautiful. I love the architecture, the ironwork everywhere, the tile sidewalks and in some cases, the cobblestone streets. Any and every kind of store is on the street. I am greatly enjoying being here, but at some moments, I desperately want to be at home... I know that the trip will be very beneficial, and I know that I will be home soon enough. When I feel this way, I just pray for peace and comfort when I want to call home so badly.

I doubt I will be able to post tomorrow, though I might... I guess it will depend on when I arrive home. It will be a long day, and I have to get up early to start school on Monday morning. There is much ahead of me; however, I am looking forward to it!!

2nd Post Today!!

Well, it is nearing 11:00 pm here. I have just finished with dinner as odd as that may sound. Usually I am done by 10:00 pm, but tonight we had our first tour as a group... so I didn´t get back home until around 10:00 pm. I will say that I was momentarily lost for a few minutes tonight. It was just getting dark, so I decided to try to find my way back to the house... If I didn´t, I was going to find a pay phone and call. We went to tour the Cathedral here in Jaen. It is huge and absolutely beautiful!!

We have a local tour guide who will be with us when we go places around Jaen over these next couple of weeks. After we toured the Cathedral, we went to another church that was in a plaza down the street. When we were arriving to the church, my professor told us that all the finely dressed people were attending a wedding. Well, what did we do? For lack of anything better to say, we busted up in the church while guests and even the bride and groom were still in it!! I was horrified. Of course, just like with everywhere we go here, everyone was looking at us. I suppose we look distinctly American. I didn´t think we looked that out of place. However, I was truly and honestly embarrased that we were just touring around this wedding party and guests. The tour guide did not even act like it was a big deal. She continued to use her microphone and fanny-pack speaker to tell us about anonymity of statues in the church and the history of the building. I wanted nothing more than to get out of there... Goodness... After we finally had to leave the church because the people there were about to say the rosary, we went outside into the plaza. I took a picture in this plaza because there were orange trees growing along the fountain. It was so neat to look up and see the oranges there!!

We decided as a group to go and get some tapas, which for those of you who don´t know, I will tell a little about them. Tapas are appetizer-like foods such as ham or cheese or meatballs or chips... they can be many things. But Spain is famous for them. They are found in the bars... generally, people go have tapas and a drink either in mid-day before lunch or in the evening before dinner. I had a bite of cheese. I didn´t want to eat much because I knew I would come home to dinner. When Amanda, Charlie, Sarah, and I decided to leave the group after making a stop at a second bar, I walked with them back to the Plaza de Santa Maria which is at the Cathedral. For a few minutes I found my way, but after that I became lost. I wondered around for a little while prepared to ask some nice old couple on the side walk. Finally, I found my way past Correos, which is a place to send correo - mail! I knew I was headed home. At long last, I saw Barchafe, which I assume is a bar in the bottom part of this building. I yanked out my keys and hurried inside, determined never to walk home by myself again so late in the evening... yes, I know. I shouldn´t have done it in the first place, but I did. I guess I wanted to prove I could make it home. Which, I have exciting news to convey... I FOUND MY WAY HOME FROM THE UNIVERSITY TODAY!!! All by myself!! I was so excited!! Yesterday I was absolutely stressed out because I couldn´t remember after I got off of the bus where I was supposed to go. But I found it very quickly! I just kept following what I thought looked familiar, and I finally made it home for lunch.

We went to the University this morning to have a meeting with the President and to have pictures taken for our Universidad de Jaen ID cards. We are supposed to get those on Monday. Our classes also officially begin on Monday morning at 9:00 am. This means I will need to be up and ready to catch the first bus at 8:15 am if I am to be there on time. If I end up having to walk, I will need to leave by at least 8:00 to make it on time/be un poquito early. The only problem is that I don´t know how to get there walking. I don´t mind taking the bus. It isn´t bad at all! I have to catch the #9 bus to take me to the university and the #7 bus to bring me home again. They run every half hour and on the hour. I think it costs about fifty cents for each ride.

For lunch today, I came in to stir-fried green beans, ham, and other beans and an ENORMOUS serving of fish. It was about the size of a steak. I think it must have been a filet, but it also must have been an absolutely huge fish! It was very good. Then we had fresh pineapple for dessert. I also had half a chocolate filled donut-type pastry. Raquel´s (my host sister) father Luis is a baker. We have a lot of bread and pastries here that he makes. For dinner tonight I had a pork chop and some green beans. I turned down any fruit for dessert because I am stuffed! People MUST STOP feeding me so much. I am so tired of eating that I am almost never hungry... but I eat because it is necessary.

Tomorrow, I think I am going shopping with Amanda, Charlie, Sarah, and some of the other girls. I am looking forward to adventuring around. I think it will be a lot of fun!! In the evening, we are supposed to be celebrating Raquel´s birthday. It was last weekend before I arrived. Her mom is supposed to be making things I think. I think she also said that her dad is bringing home some kind of pie. All should be good!

These first few days have been hard, but everything seems to be getting better. I have missed home very much... I know it is due to time for adjustment but I think also because I haven´t had as much to do. Once this next week begins, we will be in class and going places quite often. I think time will pass much more quickly this way. I have been reading and listening to some music on my iPod which has helped when I seem most overwhelmed. And then I am reminded that many have made journeys such as this before, some in much less fortunate circumstances. People such as Paul have been places and done things with much less hospitable stays and journeyings. :) It is something that reminds me that I am never separated from God, no matter how far away I may be from home or things comfortable. Thank you for all of the encouragement!!

I am beginning to be able to understand more of the Spanish. Some of it I still don´t understand just because everyone speaks so fast here, and the accent characteristic of this region is to leave out their ¨s¨ whenever they say anything. It is difficult sometimes to discern what they say. Often I have to ask for a repeat or something of the sort. Today was better, and I know that with more time, things will only improve.

Well, I don´t guess I have much else to say at the moment. This blog is brought to you courtesy of the fixed wi-fi in the house!! Yay!! So now, unless it messes up again, I should have internet here.

I hope everyone is doing well!! I love you all and am grateful more than you know for the prayers. Continue to pray that things will go well over the next few days. The weather says more rain for Sunday. I have no idea about tomorrow. I guess we´ll see! [As a side note, tile sidewalks, rain, and flip-flops DO NOT go well together... I have learned that lesson.]

I hope to post more soon! All of my love to you all!!

The Rain in Spain...

has not stayed mainly in the plains!! It has been here in the hills of Jaen yesterday and today. It is very unusual, I think, for it to rain here. The temperature has been cooler. Yesterday was a long day. I am still adjusting to nights being afternoons at home and morning being just after midnight at home. I am not sleeping soundly, but I think it is because my sleep time is so different. My host family is treating me well. I have good food - too much if I have to say so myself - from everyone here. I will not go hungry!! Though I would prefer to have less food at times. The first night I had internet at the house, but it is now broken, so I will have to use the library until something changes. It is around 1:30 pm here and I know it is just early morning at home. I am trying to answer emails from people... there is just so much!! Bear with me!! :)

Classes officially begin on Monday. I have one before lunch and one after lunch. They have been giving us all kinds of things. We got a Spanish grammar book and a real Spanish dictionary. They gave us a bag of things from the University and an umbrella this morning. We are going to tour the Cathedral here in town tonight. I look forward to getting some good pictures.

I live so far away from campus. Yesterday I rode the bus back with a boy who is on the trip with us that is staying near me. This morning I rode it to campus by myself, but I had no trouble finding what I needed to. It is just different. I am adjusting. It is a little difficult, but nothing is too bad.

I will give an update when classes and a normal schedule begins. Until then, all at home, know that I miss and love you!! I will keep you updated as I have the opportunity!! Hasta luego (see you later)!!!

Estoy Muy Cansada (I am very tired)...

Where to begin? I guess I could start by saying that I am safely here in Jaén, Spain. It has been a long day!! We had our first flight to NJ last night and then had a six-hour something flight to Madrid, Spain. We landed this morning and loaded a bus that drove us several hours here. We arrived at the University of Jaén to find all of the host families waiting for us. I am staying with a 24 year-old girl and her parents. She is in school studying English... interesting, huh? :) Our bus stopped for lunch at this little restaurant in the middle of nowhere. I had a ham and cheese sandwich. It was good but different. The bread was very toasty and crunchy. The ham was more like bacon (because it had the strips of fat) and was sliced into very thin pieces. I think it was cured ham. Anyways, it is just now 9:00 pm on May 7th (I think) and we will be having dinner soon. It is strange to be so ¨late¨ and yet it is still not dark. For dinner we are having salad and Spanish tortilla, which is like a big hashbrown cooked in a skillet like cornbread.

I am very tired this evening. I have pretty much done nothing but drift in and out of sleep all day. I slept well on the plane last night, but I still have rest to catch up on. I am praying for help, patience, and understanding because I feel so alone and out of place here. I know this is a time of learning and growth... I just feel like I don't know anything. My brain is so very foggy. I need sleep and time to understand what is happening. I am honestly a little overwhelmed and scared at the moment.

Our classes begin tomorrow. I think we have a meeting at 9:00 am to find our classes, meet people, etc. I guess we will see how it goes!!

This is all very interesting thus far but indeed different. Please pray for me to continue my acclimation. It is a tiny bit scary to know that I am going to have to take the bus and remember where to go by myself. Pray that things will work out each day. Right now my brain isn´t functioning at it´s best. I hope after tonight´s rest, it will be much better!! Until later!!

Almost...

How crazy is it? I leave on the first plane on my journey to Spain in a matter of hours. I don't know what I feel today... not much really. I am excited about going, but I am a little tired. I am praying that this day goes well.

I must finish packing, so I will close for now.

Oh How I've Forgotten...

that packing makes me tired!!

I am getting tired this evening, but I know it is a most necessary evil. I am packing up to make an adventure to the beautiful olive country of Spain! :) I am very excited for I leave in about 19 hours.I hope to post frequently while gone... but I am not taking my laptop. I plan to use internet when available. So, keep a check, and surely you can find out how things are going!

I cannot wait for everything this trip brings... I am praying even tonight that God will use everything for His glory!! :) Yay!!

Three Days Out.

I don't think it could be much more crazy. I am three days from leaving for Spain. I will be travelling overseas to live for three weeks. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't really too long, but I know it may feel like an eternity in the first few days.

I think I feel slightly overwhelmed right now. I have not done any packing yet. All of that has yet to be done. I am really looking forward to experiencing everything. I am nervous because I don't know what to expect. I am praying about the family I will be living with while I am there. I am praying that it will be a wonderful, beautiful experience that will change my life.