“I am your strength and your shield. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way. Instead of assessing your energy level and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, concentrate on staying in touch with Me. My Power flows freely into you through our open communication. Refuse to waste energy worrying, and you will have strength to spare. Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I AM YOUR SHIELD. But unlike inanimate armor, I am always alert and active. My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers. Entrust yourself to my watchcare, which is the best security system available. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.”

-Jesus Calling

Psalm 28:7; Matthew 6:34; Psalm 56:3-4; Genesis 28:15 

La Vida Sevillana

I have been in Sevilla for less than a week and this city has already stolen my heart. I feel like I have been here for so long, I can't believe it was just last Tuesday that I left home. Meeting our hosts families was such an adventure. My roommate Ashley actually lived with our family in the summer of 2009, so I felt more at ease than most because she assured me we were living with an awesome family. We live with Puri Garfia Ruiz and her two sons, Jose and Guille. At first I was a little nervous how it would look like living with someone I didn't know in a house with two men in their 30's. (In Spain, it is the custom that you usually live at home with your family until you get married or move to another city). One of the sons is very attractive and looks somewhat like an Armani model...Jose if you read this, marry me? But he is 31 and doesn't speak a word of english, so I won't hold my breath. I really love our room, it reminds me of Briggs 416, what with the lime green and all. I nested and made my side as homie as possible. 

Our Señora repainted these rooms since the last time Ashley was here. Apparently this is a drastic improvement. Guess which bed is mine? I promise I'm not weirdly obsessed with animal print. 

The other side of our room. A day in the life: skyping in the room. That's Ashley! 

My desk! I attempted to make it as personal as possible. A difficult task seeing as I forgot to print any pictures. I hung up my necklaces, headbands, and a sweet note from Mary Martha. Maybe I will print pictures here? 

I don't think I am on the level with my host family yet where I can ask to take some solo shots. But rest assured, that day is coming...so pictures to come! Puri, our host mom, is an absolute doll. Sometimes I just want to hug her when she says things; she is so cute. Yes, there are still some awkward silences at the dinner table. It's been a tad frustrating at times, those of you who know me well know I love to talk. And it has been hard here because sometimes there is so much I want to say but I don't know the vocabulary in Spanish. But, I have definitely already noticed an exponential increase in my ability to comprehend and speak spanish. It makes me exicted to see that much improvement in the first week. (1 week down, 15 to go). 

The weather has definitely been on the chilly side, but not miserably so. Probably in the high 40's and low 50's. (I still have NO idea how to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit). A common phrase my friends and I have been saying here is "Once is gets warmer it will be so nice to (insert anything fun here)". There are so many parks to explore, the river to see, the shops to go to, the buildings to look at...the list goes on. You would not believe how much walking we do here. If I were to only leave my house ONE time to walk to school, and then I stayed home the rest of the day, I would walk a minimum of four miles a day. Just to give you an idea, I probably leave my house around 3 times a day. However a few things make the walk better. Just a few of the places I pass on my way to school: 

This is the view from the bridge I cross every day. El Puente de Triana. 

Also a view from my bridge. This is Calle Betis. The Northgate of Triana.

A view of the back of town hall. 

The Giralda, which is the bell tower of the huge Cathedral in Sevilla. 

A strip of really fun bars, also on my way to class. 

The Bank of Sevilla. PS there are horse carriages everywhere here. 

So as you can see, the walks are well worth it. And I am getting a great workout, right? Right now I am taking classes in the ISA office. I am taking an Intensive Language Course that is 3 hours of grammar and 2 hours of speaking every day from 9-2pm. Afterwards I feel like I just worked out, it is very intense. There are only 10 people in my class right now. 9 girls and 1 boy, but he holds his own and is loved by all of us. 

Our classroom in the ISA office. We spend 5 hours every day in this room. Way too long. 

 Love these people already!! 

 So this is the University of Sevilla, where I will be taking all of my classes starting February 7th. 

 It looks just like the A&M Campus. Oh wait.....

 Ya....I go to school here! 

Overall, I am really loving it. I want to do a better job at blogging, because I am definitely feeling lots of different things about being here, knowing I will be gone for four more months, missing my family and people at home, feeling God's presence even though I am so far from home, meeting new friends, living in a new city, and experiencing a new culture. I feel like I have already learned so much. 

One passage that I have been meditating on alot since I have been here is Psalm 139. One part in particular: 

7"Where shall I go from your Spirit?   
Or where shall I flee from your presence?

⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

   If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

⁹If I take the wings of the morning

   and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me,

   and your right hand shall hold me."

I am definitely on the uttermost parts of the sea in relation to Texas. But no matter where I go, no matter how far or how long, God's right hand is still holding me. I can find such comfort and security in Christ. He is bigger than any ocean or distance, and He is always with me. 

"I am with you always. These were the last words I spoke before ascending into heaven. I continue to proclaim this promise to all who listen. When my presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place. As you gaze at me through the eyes of your heart, you can see the world around you from my perspective. The fact that I am with you makes every moment of your life meaningful." 

-Jesus Calling

Just to give a little snap shot of Andalucia....La mejor región en España

From Austin to (Dallas) to Madrid

Saludos!!! I am officially in Spain! I have been here since around 11am on the 19th, but it feels like an eternity. It's hard to think that just 3 days ago I was in Austin, Tx. I had a somewhat tearful goodbye at the airport with my parents on the morning of the 18th and then flew to Dallas where a had a minor layover... SIX HOURS. It was anticlimactic in a way. I had this grand farewell with my friends and family in Austin and then I sat in the Dallas airport for longer than I ever want to again. I had my own row on the way to Madrid and surprisingly it was only an 8ish hour flight. I imagined it being much longer. I took a melatonin around hour 2 and was out for the rest of the trip. Once I arrived in Madrid I had exactly 50 minutes to get off my plane, go through passport control, get my baggage (two checked bags at 48 pounds each and one carry on at 22 pounds...I must have been a funny sight), go outside to catch a bus to terminal four, and get to "sala uno" to meet the ISA group. I arrived at 11:05 and there were no people with ISA signs to be found. So I decided to embrace the situation and take the opportunity to sit down and freshen up. In the midst of reapplying my makeup, one of the ISA directors found me and hurried me onto the bus where everyone else was already waiting on me. I had one eye with reapplied mascara and one without at this point...great first impression. 

Once we checked into the hotel, I went to lunch with two girls: Mary (who is a DG at A&M...whoop!!) and Emily. My first impression of Spanish food was not that great. We walked around the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. (Emily came here for spring break last year so she is a pro at this whole Spain thing). 

This moment captures Emily being scared out of her mind by the human statue. She had no idea it was a real person. You saw it here first. 

That night we had an orientation meeting and then we had our first experience of the Spanish night life. We went to a few tapas bars and ordered beers and sandwiches. We all just sat at the bar or a table and talked about how excited we were to actually be in Spain. It is so easy meeting people here because everyone has this excited mindset about being abroad. It has been exhausting meeting everyone, but fun at the same time. Reminds me of rush. 

The second day we went on two official tours of the National Museum of Prado and the Palacio Real de Madrid . In the Prado we saw the works of some famous Spanish artists like: El Greco, Valazquez, and Goya. (a Renior exhibit was there as well but we didn't get to see it). El Palacio Real was my favorite. It is technically the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain, but it is only used for ceremonies. We did a walking tour through most of the castle...it took 22 years to build...it was incredible. 

We had the afternoon free and I went with 7 other girls to a small Italian restaurant where we were more than impressed by the food and the service. Our waiter was such a flirt and loved having 8 American girls in his restaurant. Afterwards we went to the Reina Sofia National Museum of Art where we saw Picasso's La Guernica and lots of Dali's paintings. I loved looking at Dali's work, but by that time my feet had had enough and I was just ready to go home. 

Side note: my camera was malfunctioning the whole second day so I didn't get any pictures of the museums...sad. 

That night we went to an Irish Pub to watch the Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid game. Real Madrid won 1-0, it was a night to remember! 

This morning we woke up and packed all our bags (I am so embarrassed at how much stuff I brought) and got on a bus to head to Toledo. I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful it was. It is such an old city that has a lot of Muslim influence and it is somewhat in the mountains. There are high walls around most of the city and form the outside it looks like an ancient palace.

Me, Emily, and Mary on top of an overlook in Toledo

The buildings reminded me of Florence and it made me miss you, Mary Martha and Annie! Annie- I thought of how we opted out of climbing to the top of the Duomo because we were too tired....what were we thinking? We missed some great pictures. We went on a few tours with a really fun tour guide who liked to flirt with everyone...including the boys. For lunch I had a Greek Salad...I am having some resistance towards Spanish food. I am hoping that my host mom is a spectacular cook and can renew my faith in finding good food here. 

Tonight we have another orientation meeting and then a free night. I am so ready to get to Sevilla and move in and unpack. I still am in major travel mode and I want to just feel settled. Everywhere we go, the Spanish just rave about Sevilla and I am getting antsy to get there! We leave early tomorrow morning and have a 6 hour bus ride and then we are picked up by our host family! My roommate came to Sevilla last summer and stayed with the same family and says they are great, so I can't wait to meet them. 

I feel like I have been here forever, but I know that it is all just beginning.

Liz, Mary, Denise and I...fast friends. 

Emocionado por España

I leave for Sevilla, Spain in approximately 7 days 15 hours and 29 minutes....but hey, who is counting? For those of you who don't know, I am a Junior at Texas A&M (I refuse to do the wildcat here) and I am studying abroad through ISA for the Spring semester of 2011. I will be gone from January 18-May 14. A solid four months: by far the longest I have been away from home. This past semester, I have gone through several stages of emotions (excitement, sadness, anxiety, longing, dreading, wondering, giddiness, and then excitement again) in anticipation for my semester abroad. Being that I am a highly emotional girl, you can imagine the roller coaster I have been on the past few months. Currently I am in a stage of excitement. It is an interesting feeling to know you are leaving for the second part of the year. I feel like I understand to an extent what seniors must feel like. My mindset was one of being "half way there" all year long. I didn't want to get too involved, attached, or committed to life in College Station. Not sure if that was the right way to think, but I did none the less.

I have an overwhelming amount of tasks to do before I leave. I am big into making lists so be expecting many of those to come. Yesterday my big task I accomplished was making my to-do list....and that's it (catching up on sleep before I go may or may not be taking priority at the moment). 

EXCITEMENT

This is the main emotion I am feeling at the moment. This Winter Break has been one of reading blogs, researching, emailing, and shopping...all in preparation for my European adventures. I want to just say that I still feel totally, completely, and overwhelmingly unprepared. But that is supposedly normal at this point...or so I have heard.  

I am EXCITED to be out of my element. I am EXCITED to learn Spanish. I am EXCITED to live with a host family. I am EXCITED to eat good food. I am EXCITED to drink good wine. I am EXCITED to learn more about God. I am EXCITED to meet new people. I am EXCITED to get away from my normal life. I am EXCITED to pray about my future. I am EXCITED to cross off some items on my bucket list. I am EXCITED for Portugal. I am EXCITED to blog. I am EXCITED to journal. I am EXCITED to take pictures with my new camera (thanks Alli). I am EXCITED for two 10 day breaks. I am EXCITED to take classes in Spanish. I am EXCITED to listen to podcasts. I am EXCITED to listen to new music. I am EXCITED to fly internationally by myself. I am EXCITED to see Katherine and Alli in Italy. I am EXCITED to meet Liz. I am EXCITED to be reunited with Mackenzie. I am EXCITED to see Leslie when she visits. I am EXCITED to send postcards home. I am EXCITED for three day weekends every weekend. I am EXCITED to have time alone. I am EXCITED to rely on God. I am EXCITED for a break from real life. I am EXCITED for Tapas. I am EXCITED to see different countries. I am EXCITED to fall in love with Spain. I am EXCITED for Feria de Abril. I am EXCITED to learn about myself. I am EXCITED to see how big God is. 

So I am writing this blog for myself and for those of you who won't be with me next semester. I will miss you all every day and I wish you were here with me. But I am EXCITED to see what God has for me these next four months. I hope I use this blog to stay connected with each of you, and so that you can experience Spain with me. Vale! Vamanos a España!