a love explained

What is it about Spain that draws me in? For years I have pondered this question, and for years the answer has eluded me. I wish I could tell you that I have finally figured out—that I have pinpointed what it is that enchants me—but alas, I have not. However, this entry will be my best effort, once again, to find an answer. (Please forgive me if it appears that I am overly-romanticizing this.)

The Physical Explanation.
Spain is beautiful. It is different. It is sunny and warm. The benefits of vitamin D can’t be ignored. Neither can the means of transportation. No driving = no road rage. Transportation becomes a walk in the park, a stroll through the city. There is something so liberating about that. Instead of being isolated in my car, I am surrounded by people.

The Challenge.
Living in Spain requires a different set of tools. It requires me to be an observer and a listener. It requires a new tongue. Being alone requires me to ask others for help. It requires that I find a new way of doing everyday things. In the same way that “quitting Walmart” forced me to be creative in finding the items that I needed (which really wasn’t that hard), I will have to figure out the same things over there. I need toothpaste--do I go to the supermercado or the farmacia? I’ll need to learn a whole new estilo de vida.

The Opportunity.
When I am in Spain, I feel like the world is my oyster. I can get anywhere. Travel is cheap, and it is good. I have had, and will have the opportunity to see many places, meet many people, and do many things that I never dreamed about. And, of course, I will also get to do many of the things that I have dreamed about. I will learn a lot of new things, and I will finally dominar el español!


The New Me.
Without a doubt, I have come back changed after each visit to Spain. Whether we look at the progression of my fluency in Spanish, or the confidence I have in myself, or the guts and bravery that I acquire, it is clear that I am continuously making forward progress. I like the way I am perceived there. People want to talk to me, to hear my story. They want to know why I am there. I must be pretty adventurous if I move to the other side of the world. I like that people already assume this about me. While I am in the United States, I spend a lot of time doing....nothing. But in Spain, my down time is spent exploring the town, reading in the plazas, having tea in small cafes. Any of these things beat watching TV, any day.

The Calling.
I’m not sure why God has given me such a love for this place, but I definitely count all of my experiences there as blessings. My experiences in the past have been incredible, and I am absolutely looking forward to whatever God has in store for me this time around. Obviously, I have been thinking about Spain and the possibility of living there for a very long time. I always used to question whether it was God's will that I live there. Then I stopped questioning it. I decided that if it was meant to be, it would happen. I know that God has given me a passion for this place, and if he continues to lead me there, I will go. The tricky part will be figuring out what it all means. All I can do is live my life in a way that is pleasing to Him. The rest will fall into place.

panic!

FREAK OUT MOMENT!!

I GOT MY PLACEMENT!! I will be in Numancia de la Sagra, in the province of Toledo. I will be half an hour outside of Madrid, half an hour outside of Toledo (city). WHAAAT! Awesome. Hoping the small town is awesome though!

Ok. So, I think I will be with middle-high schoolers. This could be AWESOME. Could be a challenge. But oh snap! This is starting to become so REAL!

I am having a moment here. It's 1 am, and I have nobody to talk to!! haha

Also, I have been having visa nightmares for the last couple of days. Now that I have my letter, I am hoping that I can call the consulate and get an appointment earlier than August 4, which was the earliest that I could get online (and that is NOT GOOD!). I saw one tonight that was for Thursday morning, but it would cost $300 to fly so soon. Not so sure. I need to call!

AHHHHH. I am freaking out.
My tummy is full of mariposas.
Prayers still are, and always will be welcome!

the cake boss

So I have started taking a cake decorating class.

So far, it's awesome.

Here is my first cake. I only iced the cake at class. The rest I did at home. And the house was an attempt to make an image transfer, but it was unsuccessful. For some reason, the teacher couldn't get the piping to come off of the parchment. Anyway, we made it work. Sort of.

I haven't had a writing tutorial yet, so this is all my best interpretation of what I thought I should do. And also, I haven't mastered the shell border yet. But I promise you it will get better!

So here it is:
This cake is in celebration of my pap coming home from the hospital.. after a few weeks of hospitalization/nursing home/hospitalization/rehab. Glad he's back!



Sorry for the bad photo. I had to use my phone because I forgot my camera. But I will continue to document my progress for the next couple of weeks!

life's mysteries

So here is one of life's many mysteries.

Why is it that everything always happens at once?

I mean, I spent months and months being bored at home, with nothing to do, and nobody to talk to.
Then, all of the sudden, everything that I wanted to do falls into place, and now I am busier than heck!

Who knows. Might as well enjoy it now!

Operation: Zacchaeus

"But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." -Luke 19:8

So, I have been wanting to purge my possessions for a long time. And now seems like the perfect time to do it. (Or, you know, maybe months or years ago would have been good too...)

I have all of these college text books that I don't really want or need. And since it has been a while, they are not really worth anything. I've had them listed on half.com for a while, with no luck. So, I scrounged the internet looking for some organization that may find use for them. I stumbled upon an organization in Pittsburgh called Book 'Em. It's an organization that accepts book donations and then receives requests from prison inmates to give them materials that they want to read, whether for educational/vocational purposes, or mere enjoyment.
After reading about the program, I wasn't really sure if they would find use for my text books. But I figured it was worth sending them an email to find out. They told me that they could definitely use them though! So, next Sunday, I am going to take a box full of textbooks, etc. that I no longer need or want. Liberation.

I am going to get rid of most of my CDs. Now, with the invention of iTunes and backup hard drives, I see little use for the physical discs. I am thinking of asking my library if they could use them (as I scanned their CD wall today, and found it rather pitiful). If not, I am just going to take the box to The Exchange or some used music store. I don't think I'll get too much money for them, but the act of letting them all go will be cathartic. I am really trying to simplify my life here. haha

I need to go through my clothes and get rid of anything I don't want/need/wear anymore.
I need to sell some electronic equipment that has been lying around with no use. (dvd players, alarm clocks, etc.)
I need to get rid of a bunch of VHS tapes, maybe some DVDs.

It is difficult to do this though. Not so much because of the fact that I'll be parting with this stuff.... but mostly because there is so much of it, that I don't really want to go through it all. haha. Pitiful.

I remember when I was in Spain for the semester, I thought to myself how little I really needed there. Everything that I needed for 4 months of my life was able to be packed into 2 suitcases, and even then, I surely brought home things that I didn't really need. I thought, "If I can go 4 months without thinking about any of my stuff, I surely don't need it." But when I came back, I never did anything about it.

So I suppose now is as good a time as ever. I'll get rid of it before I go. I won't feel weighed down by it. And when I come home, I'll have a fresh start.