Hola a todos!

Hey everyone :) just a little update from Segovia, Spain! We’ve been here for about 5 days now now…..i’m loving it. This city is amazing. It has some incredible architecture, castles, cathedrals, everything. The streets are all cobblestone and everything looks old and beautiful. It has the feel of a small town (there’s about 60,000 people) because everyone walks everywhere. I have a five-minute walk to the aqueduct, where we meet often, a 10 minute walk to the center of town (called the Plaza Mayor) and a 10-15 minute walk to the centro where we have our classes. In the midst of these beautiful streets are some gorgeous parks with tons of greenery…something that my Minnesotan heart loves. The streets are lined with super cute little restaurants or shops with very European-type clothes….not too expensive though!

It was quite the trip over here. We took off on Saturday at about 3 and had a 7 hr plane ride to Amsterdam. When we arrived, it was 6:30am, but because of the time change, we all felt like it was 11pm or so. I had a bit of an adventure with one girl, Kaitlyn, in the Amsterdam airport when we got distracted by a Starbucks and ended up spending an extra hour walking around the airport and waiting in line for security during our layover…ay yi yi! We had a quick flight from there to Madrid, and then an hour-long bus ride to Segovia, during which we all collapsed from exhaustion. From there we met our host families. I’m living with Sandra, a 32 year-old woman in a very cute little apartment. My room overlooks the plaza in the middle of the apartment building, and it feels like something straight out of West Side Story. Sandra owns her own clothing store and also cooks at her parents’ restaurant. Her boyfriend, Baba, stays here on the weekends but works in Madrid throughout the week. They’re both super nice, and it’s been really great so far with Sandra. She likes to talk a lot, and I really enjoy our conversations. She speaks clearly and slowly, and we’ve already had some pretty good conversations about culture, politics (Spanish and American!), television, and family.

So much to say. I’ll try to keep this short- but it’s nice to finally spill all this out and process a bit. : ) We spent Sunday night and Monday walking around the city, becoming acquainted with the locations of everything. Like I said, Segovia is incredible…I wish there was one right next to Bloomington so I could live there forever. : ) I had my first adventure as a city girl yesterday when I accidently locked myself out of the apartment when I ran out for a minute and had to sit outside our door, barefoot, until Sandra came home. Yikes! ;) The other day we visited the alcázar, or the fortress/castle here in Segovia. It’s incredible sight, and one of the inspirations for Walt Disney’s castle in Disneyland. We also had an introduction to our classes. We take classes with only Bethel and Concordia students….a big help considering the profesores talk a mile a minute in Spanish. : ) I’m taking Classical Literature, Modern Spain: An Examination in Ethics, Advanced Communication in Spanish, and Photography. My schedule is SWEET- only a few hours of class a day, starting at either 10:30am or 4:15pm. Also, Ricardo (our director) is looking into arranging some dance classes for anyone interested.

This has been such an exciting time. I don’t know if it’s this town, the language, this group, or just that I’m at this point in my life, but I’ve never been able to jump so headfirst into a new situation, a new adventure with minimal anxiety and just complete faith that this is where God wants me.

The language aspect has been aMAZing! From the moment we met Ricardo at the airport, we’re more or less required to stick with Spanish, even in our daily conversations with each other. 90% of the time, it’s been like that, and as soon as Monday, I found myself thinking in Spanish and feeling so comfortable with the language. Victory of the week so far: purchasing a cell phone/plan in Spanish, albeit with a bit of help from Ricardo. ;) Even now, I stumbled over writing these first few paragraphs in English, my brain has been in Spanish mode all day. So, so exciting.

The Spanish schedule is something interesting for sure. People don’t start work until 9 or 10 at the earliest, and they work until 2pm or so, when everyone goes home (most businesses and stores close) for lunch/siesta time. Then everything starts back up again at 4 or 5 and continues until 8ish. After this, a lot of people meet at restaurants outside for something to drink and pinchos (free little snacks –bread with potatoes or meat- that you get when you order a beverage). There’s hardly anything “to go” here….everyone sits and actually enjoys their food for awhile. It was so hard for me the first time….I was all antsy, ready to pay and leave after eating- but I think it’ll be a really great challenge to just sit…..to learn how to be present in the moment and not be rushing off to the next thing. Eventually, people return home (stores close at 9 or so) and eat dinner 10 or 11pm. Then, they often go out for more food and socializing! Last night we celebrated a Amanda´s birthday by going to a really cute little tapas bar where we had little dishes of potatoes or and some kind of ham (i´m learning to not ask questions, and just eat :P)

Whew….still so much to sort through, but I think that’s good for now. I (obviously) have sooo much to learn, about the language, the society, the Spanish mentality, and how I live in this different context where perspectives about government, religions, God and faith are so, so different than what I’ve grown up with. Even in these first few days, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed in trying to figure out how my own faith can possibly fit into this culture that’s seems so anti-religion, or at least anti-anything that hints of imposition.

Anyways- I miss you all so, so much! I hope you’re all having an amazing week, starting school at Bethel or elsewhere….or continuing on with your work week. Os amo mucho (love you lots!!) and can’t wait to phone chat/skype chat/hear about your lives soon!