on the move again

I think I should be traumatized. Every time I write in this blog, I either have nothing interesting to say... or way too much interesting to say. Interesting, of course, being a very subjective word.

Interesting news for this week: I was (more or less) kicked out of the house with the family this past weekend. Long story made somewhat less long, the mom got Salmonella(sp?) Poisoning, and after discovering that her 14-yr-old had failed 3 classes, was in quite a bad mood. It was at this point that she decided to come into my room and tell me that she didn't need me anymore and that I "could" leave as soon as possible.

That was Tuesday. On Thursday, I came home from my last day of school to find that she had been admitted into the hospital at least until Sunday. On Saturday, Isaac and I went to get my bags. This morning I went by to, theoretically, say goodbye to the whole family. However, the mom is still in the hospital and only 1 daughter was there. Oh well... I turned in my key and I'll send them all emails later.

Isaac's wonderful parents have been kind enough to let me stay here, facilitated by the unfortunate delayed arrival from the U.S. of Miriam's best friend. Hopefully Jessica will be able to join us later this week, at which point I will likely go stay with some other friends who live close to the church.

In the meantime, I'm here trying to help out as much as possible, while tying up loose ends and saying goodbyes here in Spain. I leave for home early next Wednesday morning, July 5, and (Lord willing) will make it there by early that afternoon. I'll get my cell phone number to y'all as soon as I have it (although I'll send it by email, so if you don't get it, let me know).

Soli Deo Gloria...

making up for lost time

A day... right.

The last week that Mom was here, my Aunt Nora came also. I took a day off of work to take them to Salamanca, and we got together for dinner every night they were here. We also spent a ton of time over at Isaac's house with his family... they are so sweet and giving!

Mom and Aunt Nora left early on Friday morning, April 28, and I left later that afternoon for a car trip with Isaac and some other friends from church. We headed up to a small town in Galicia (northwestern Spain) where we visited some friends of ours. We had a great time, just relaxing and catching up with them (and hanging out with their 2-yr-old twin girls!), and came back on Tues evening (since Mon and Tues were holidays).

The following week was also short, because then we left on Friday afternoon to go down south for Isaac's cousin's wedding on Saturday. Pics are up on my dotPhoto page. We had a lot of fun at the wedding and seeing his family again, and it was also my birthday... it was nice to have something different to do.

Monday the 15th was also a holiday (the last one while I'm still here, in fact), but we decided to just stay at home and chill instead of trying to take another trip.

Things here at the house and at school have been fairly calm and uneventful. We had Cultural Week at school, which was honestly more of a headache than anything, between trying to teach the kids skits in English, and changing schedules all week and such, but at least it was something different.

Then we hit the month of June, and things got even more crazy/calm... if it's possible to have both at the same time. School now ends for me at 1:30 every day -- it gets so hot here, and the schools don't have AC, so the months of Sept and June they have a shorter school day! It's kinda nice, but it's also kinda a race against the clock to finish the work in class periods that are suddenly much shorter.

It has given me a bit more freedom in the afternoons though. One day I went up to have lunch with Isaac at work, tomorrow I'm planning to give my class here at the house a little earlier than usual so he and I can go to the gym together afterwards, and I also want to have lunch with some friends one day this week. On days when I do come straight home, it gives me time to relax (and sometimes even nap!) before starting class at home.

Other than that, I'm down to the last countdown. 3 weeks and a day or so until I'm home. I'm super excited, but obviously there is a part of me that is hesitant also... and it's not only the part that realizes my boyfriend and I will be a bajillion miles apart! This year has been great, and I feel like it's not fair that I have to end another "chapter" of my life already... I mean, I feel like I just said goodbye to Furman!

But hey... I'm planning on being at UNC Charlotte next year for a Master's, which should be fun. And besides, God is in control and will work things out for His glory. Speaking of which...

Soli Deo Gloria...

family time!

My goodness, my goodness. It has been a looong time. Sorry about that. Life has been absolutely CRAZY for about the last month -- in a very good way, don't get me wrong -- but unfortunately it hasn't left much time for things like emailing and blog or picture updating.

Quite certainly there is NO way I can do justice to these last few weeks, primarily because I was not blessed with enough patience to sit down and thoroughly describe 4 weeks of (almost) vacation in one sitting. The good news is, I suppose that very few of you were blessed with the patience to read it all anyway, so I kinda get off the hook. Anyway... on with the story.

It all began on Palm Sunday (which happened to be April 9, to admit just how long it has been) when my family (i.e. dad, mom and sister since brother had exam prep) arrived in Madrid. We (+ boyfriend)left the following day for Barcelona and spent the week there. We stayed in quite a nice hotel, which was fun. We walked a lot, saw quite a bit of the city and sampled lots of restaurants, but the best part was just being together. A few highlights: the bike tour through the city, Gaudí day (we saw the Sagrada Familia cathedral, Parque Güell and Casa Milá, all designed by Antonio Gaudí... look him up, he's interesting), and our hike/tour through the mountain village of Rupit (which sits about 1.5 hours outside of the city... it was gorgeous and the meal we ate there was by far the best!).

Upon returning to Madrid on Saturday, we were swept away to Barcience to show my parents where the house will be, and at the same time for us to see the progress on the neighborhood. It's slow going, but some changes can be noticed. Keep an eye out for new photos in the "Barcience" album. This trip was followed by a delightful dinner and conversation at Pastor Hanna's house. Easter Sunday my family and I spent at church, Monday we putzed about the city, and Tuesday my sister came to work with me while my parents toured the city on their own. Wednesday am early, Janelle and Dad headed back to the States.

Mom and I spent the next 2 nights at Isaac's house (she came to work with me on Thursday... remind me to tell you how we got locked in) and had a great time just hanging out with his family and doing a bit of shopping.

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait at least another day for the continuation of this saga, because between slow internet and a phone call, I've spent over 1.5 hours writing this, and I'm really tired.

Soli Deo Gloria...

overcoming the "reluctance"

You're getting a two-for-the-price-of-one this week, and since I know you aren't expecting it I'll go ahead and warn you -- if you missed out on yesterday's posting, read it before you continue with this one or you'll be a bit lost.

So, I didn't want to go to the doctor, but I knew I needed to. The doctor that is covered under my insurance here is only open from 11:30-12:30 M-F and I couldn't decide if I should ask off one job (at the school) to go there, or ask off the other (at home) to go to an emergency clinic and beg Isaac to come with me so I wouldn't be alone.

When I got to school this morning, I decided I would ask what I needed to do if I wanted to go to the doctor (i.e. get permission from the Principal, sign a form... who knows). However (I'll admit the weakness), I was so stressed and worried about it that I started bawling. My coworker/supervisor, Sandra, pulled me aside and was like "are you OK?" I explained that I was nervous about going to the doctor... and she offered to go with me!! I felt really bad, but she said she didn't mind.

We left after my first class and she was very understanding. The doctor was a very nice, older gentleman. He explained that the normal cold virus has been accompanied by a bacteria this year, making it harder to fight. He prescribed me an antibiotic (thanks to Sandra I explained that I am allergic to Penicillin) and Paracetamol, which apparently is Tylenol (yeah for doing internet research). He also recommended some "home remedies" like eating a spoonful of honey with a few drops of lemon, gargling salt water, and boiling Eucalyptus leaves to breathe the air better or something.

Overall, I am glad Sandra came with me, although I probably could have handled it by myself. She served as a "mom-figure" for a scared little girl who was apparently so nervous that she turned to her right when the doctor said to make a left at the end of the hall :) It was nice to have an extra set of ears, and to have her be able to explain some things to me better after we left. Apparently she had warned their teacher that we would miss English class due to a doctor visit, so when we went in to Science this afternoon, all my cute kiddos asked if I felt better. It was precious.

The best part is that I ended the day having spent less than 8€... amazing difference from all the co-pays I would've been charged in the States. Of course, that doesn't include all the money I dropped shopping to celebrate my victory, but that's a story for another day...

Soli Deo Gloria..

post-Sevilla snot

I was gently reminded by a faithful friend that I forgot to post last week. For anyone who happened to be worried... relax! I'm fine :) It just so happens that Isaac and I spent last weekend in Sevilla with his brother's family and we didn't arrive back to Madrid until very late Monday night (otherwise known as Tuesday morning). I usually write from his house and I didn't have time on Tuesday morning before heading off to work.

We had a good time in Sevilla, although it rained most of the weekend and Isaac's adorably niece had a sore throat and was fairly fussy all weekend. Oh well, at least we got to breathe air that wasn't from Madrid, get to know his family better, and get to experience long-distance bus travel. Of those 3 things, the only one I'm NOT interested in doing again is the part about the bus travel. We left at 4pm on Monday. The "6-hour" bus trip didn't get us home until 1am on Tuesday morning due to incredible traffic on the highway. At least I wasn't alone...

Last week went fast, since it was short. And then I didn't even have to work at the house on Friday afternoon because the family left town to celebrate their grandfather's 90th birthday. A bunch of us went to Hard Rock on Friday night to celebrate Kelley, Joy and Virginia's birthdays. We had fun, but remind me not to go there again... the music is too loud :)

Saturday was relaxing... around the house cleaning and such. Saturday evening, we got to see our friend Liz for a few short hours after Bible study. I wasn't feeling so hot, but seeing her at least distracted me. Sunday evening I started feeling pooey again and had a low-grade fever. This morning I woke up with no fever, but a super-congested nose. I went to work, and really have felt fine all day... except for that raw-nose feeling you get after blowing it so much.

Isaac keeps telling me I should go to the doctor, but I really dread the idea. I haven't been to the doctor for anything other than a regular check-up in years, and this one won't even speak my language! The irrational fear that most people have of dentists, I think I have of doctors. Although I prefer the term "reluctance" -- it's just not practical to go. I mean, I have to get time off work and everything. Skipping class was so much easier... you didn't have to ask for favors from anyone but yourself. So anyway, he's practically threatened me to go tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

Soli Deo Gloria...

internet at home!

I realize that I'm writing at an odd time and on an odd day. You probably think it's just another holiday that us crazy spaniards have (and I can say "us" because I live here and because I'm dating one), but it's not. The fact of the matter is that I have internet in my house now! Thanks to my wonderful spaniard of a boyfriend, who has graciously lent me his laptop and has come to the house to install the router. Unfortunately, it appears the family bought a rather cheap router so I get cut off quite frequently, but it's still an improvement from before.

These last two weeks have gone well and smoothly, both here at home and at school. I have recently been tied up with a few tasks (which certainly make me appreciate even more the internet access) which include applying to UNC Charlotte's MA in Spanish program, and planning part of the trip for us when my parents come to visit over Spring Break/ Easter.

My health has been a little sketchy... I think I already told you about the Monday evening that I spent completely in bed? I have definitely improved since then, but still have a bit of a cough and a stuffy nose. Hasn't really limited me in any way (I'm back to going to the gym, and haven't missed any work), but I'm not gonna lie that it's starting to get on my nerves.

The weather is improving a bit, although they say that Spring here is a bit wacky and practically means some nice days mixed in with really cold days which eventually turns into a blooming-hot summer by May. Maybe I'll complain later, but for now I'm very happy to have been able to leave my heavy coat at home for the last two days.

Isaac is doing well, although he did end up staying home on Monday 'cuz he was really congested and his eyes were red from sneezing quite a bit. But he was back to routine by Tuesday and is almost back to 100% by now. He and I are hoping to go to Sevilla next weekend to see Pablo and family, but we'll have to see about that.

I think that's all I've got for you now. Prayers are greatly appreciated as I'm attempting not to stress about things. Oh yeah - and I just put up a few pics that you may (or may not) enjoy checking out. Not exactly current, but the new house is included, and some of Isaac's niece from when they visited a few weekends ago.

Soli Deo Gloria...

a city snowfall

Nothing too terribly exciting to share this week.

Monday afternoon I had a fever, I think, and the family was nice enough to let me go to bed at 6pm without giving any class. I slept all night (and took some meds they gave me), woke up fever-free Tuesday morning, showered, went to work... and have been getting better ever since. The congestion and a bit of a cough has been hanging on hard, but I think (hope!) that I've about shaken it. The worst part about the whole thing is that I couldn't go to the gym... and since I finally found one two weeks ago, to not be able to go during the whole second week of my membership really irked me. Oh well.

It snowed a bit on Saturday night. Started as rain. Isaac and I turned off the TV around 1am so we could listen to it (it's kinda rare that there's a good rain to listen to here in Madrid so we took advantage of the opportunity). As we sat there watching/listening/talking, it turned into a freezing rain, and eventually snow. It was a very relaxing evening, but due to the late hour at which we finally left the snow to fall by itself, we were once again thankful that church here doesn't start until noon!

Yesterday Isi and Rachel and their almost 2-yr-old twins were at church. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, but we enjoyed a good time with them. Take my word that the girls are precious:) Hopefully Isaac and I will be able to go up to visit them in Galicia on our long weekend at the beginning of May. We'll see.

I always ending up coming up with more to say than I thought I would. Perhaps that means I share some not-so-interesting things with you. Not going to apologize though -- no one makes you read this :) Have a great week.

Soli Deo Gloria...

movie madness

Same time, same place... here we are.

Nothing too super-crucial or new to tell you about today. Things are still going well with the new family and at school. I joined a gym last weekend (can't remember if I mentioned that before) and I was able to go 3 times this past week, which makes me happy.

I s'pose I could also point out that we took advantage of the "special day" this week as an excuse to go out for a nice dinner on Tuesday night. While neither of us are big Valentine's Day people, we don't get to do that kind of thing very often (or even see eachother midweek), so it was a nice treat.

I spent the weekend here at Isaac's house again (surprise! haha) and we pretty much just took it easy. We (or rather I, since he fell asleep after the first 1/2 hour) watched Sahara on Friday night, and we both slept in late on Saturday. Saturday night after Bible study we went over to some friends house to watch another movie (An Unfinished Life with JLo and Willie Freeman... I'd never heard of it) and eat pizza. And last night, after church, he watched The Rock with his parents while I spent all night on the phone with my parents and Jessica, who called. I think we need to work on our movie-watching timing.

Since there's not much exciting to talk about, I think I'll take my stuffed-up nose to get dressed and ready for work so I'm not late. Until next week!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Pablo and fam visit

I am happy to share that things are still going well with my new family (and, less surprising but also positive, at school too). I actually thought that I wasn't gonna have to work at all on Friday, and was slightly disappointed when I ended up having to work from 6:30-8:30, but it turned out to not be a problem. Isaac was at home all day with his face a little swollen from having a tooth pulled on Wednesday, so I got to hang out with him in the afternoon for a few hours to keep him company before heading back to work. In the evening, I was able to sit on the sun-porch to catch some wireless internet and talk to him and my mom over the computer. Yeah for having some technology! In theory, they are going to install a wireless router in the next week or 10 days, which should mean that I can sit in the comfort of my own room and send emails ;)

On Saturday morning I headed over to Isaac's house again, but took a different route to the metro and ran into a gym, which I ended up joining. I'm excited about the opportunity... now I just have to take the time to take advantage of it!

Around 3 o'clock, after having some car trouble en route, Isaac's brother Pablo, along with his wife Sara and daughter Marta, arrived. We all had lunch and hung out for what was left of the afternoon. Marta turns 2 next month. She's still a little unsure about me, but she's adorable as she wanders around the house calling for her grandparents and her "tito" and "tita" (i.e. uncle and auntie -- Miriam and Isaac).

I had planned to sleep at my house so as to give them more room, but they refused to let me, so after Bible study Isaac and I took the metro to my house to grab my stuff and then back to theirs. We had a good time talking to his parents and Pablo and Sara for an hour or so before it was time to play musical beds.

Sunday was great -- the afternoon always is a bit crazy when there are extra people around, but I love it. After church in the evening we had Pastor Hanna and his family over, along with Kelley and Angel to celebrate Sara's 31st birthday, which is on Tuesday. More great time of laughter and fellowship, and besides, when asked "where's Justine?" Marta actually pointed at me! I was thrilled to be recognized... haha.

You should also be glad to know that no one stole my camera this weekend (which is what happened last time Pablo and Sara came) so I will eventually be able to post some pictures of the weekend, hopefully this week.

Ok, off to get ready for work.

Soli Deo Gloria...

good news about the new house

Gonna keep this short, but just wanted to let y'all know that things are going well in the new house! The girls are older and more mature, and understand why I'm there. I say it's time, and they immediately begin discussing who goes first. We sit down, do homework, and when we finish, play games (with the 8-yr-old) or talk (with the 13- and 16-yr-olds). After an hour with one, I move on to the next. They are nice, the food is good, and I already have a key (which I never had in the other house!).

In addition to all this, it takes me less than an hour to get to work, when before I was averaging 1 hour and 10 mins. And not only do I have weekends free, but it seems as though I'll be able to leave early (I usually work 5-8) on Fridays -- this weekend I left just before 6!

Isaac's brother, sister-in-law and niece were supposed to come up from Sevilla this weekend, but in the end they weren't able to. We missed them, but with all the craziness of 9 visitors from Northern Ireland on Sunday to celebrate Jonathan's ordination as Deacon, it maybe is better if they come on a more calm weekend.

Ok, gotta get dressed, make the bed and head off to work. Have a great week!

Soli Deo Gloria...

I've left!

I'm posting a little bit later today due to the fact that we don't have school. Not that anyone will notice, since it's still really early in the States, but hey...

This week has been great. A week ago today I told the lady I was living with that I was leaving, and she told me to head out on Tuesday, so I did. I've been at Isaac's house with his family since then and it's been sooo relaxing! I moved my stuff into the new house on Friday, but they are out of town for this weekend, so I'll head there tomorrow afternoon after school and actually start working/living there then. I'm excited about the change, but I have been a bit spoiled this week so it might be a bit hard to adjust.

Wednesday night I had a 3-hour meeting for my job at the school, which was less boring than I thought it would be (and happened to run into the woman who was sitting next to me on the plane in December... small world!). Thursday night we got together with two of Isaac's friends, which was fun. I had met Dani before (you may remember him from pics of Segovia in the Fall), but the other I was convinced didn't even exist because he was never able to get together. But! have no fear... Manolo does exist, and he's a nice guy too! Saturday, Dani took us to Toledo and Barcience (the small town outside Toledo where Isaac's house is being built) and we took a bunch of pictures, which are being uploaded as I type, so check them out. There are also some pics from Christmas, etc. if you're interested -- the link is at the bottom of this page still (where it says "about me - read my profile").

Saturday evening we had Youth Group/Bible Study again for the first time since before Christmas, and enjoyed the opportunity to introduce a new topic for this semester, and then go out for dinner with everyone afterwards.

I think that's all I've got for this week. Hope all is going well with you!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Homefront Changes

Good morning! I think I skipped last week, so I'm sorry to the few of you faithful travelers who were disappointed last Monday morning.

This week has been rather crazy, actually. Calm and normal at the school, but things on the homefront are changing around a bit. At the beginning of the week I realized that I'm still not happy with the family I live with, even now that we've been in the new house over a month. "Grin and bear it" wasn't seeming like a good option either, since I still have over 1/2 my trip left. So... I emailed the agency that placed me with the family and asked if it would be possible to change. Friday I met with a new family, and by next Monday I should be settled into a new context.

This family also has 3 girls, but they are 8, 13 and 16 so my job will be less playing games and disciplining, and more teaching English. They have had other Language Assistants before (many of whom they still keep in touch with), so they know the drill. Their house should cut about 15 minutes each way off my commute to work, and it's right near where I lived 2 years ago, so I'm familiar with and like the neighborhood. I'll work 5-8ish instead of 6-9ish, so it will be possible to go out for dinner, hang out, or see a movie afterwards if/when I want to.

Overall, I'm very excited about the change, and am praying that it will be as good as it sounds.

In other news, this weekend was the annual church dinner, so we all went to a nice restaurant on Saturday and had a great time enjoying fellowship among fellow brothers and sisters and good food. The meal was followed by a congregational meeting to give reports on the different goings-on in the church over the last year, including Youth Group, Sunday School, Budget, etc. Yesterday was Efraín's profession of faith, so a bunch of his extended family was visiting in the morning.

Well, off to school I go... it is Monday morning here, after all. Talk at you when I get a chance!

Soli Deo Gloria...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I am (we are, I should say) safely back in Spain as of Thursday afternoon. They left our bags in Philadelphia again, which kinda stunk because it means the gifts in them were not given until later, but that's ok. January 6 is Three Kings Day (more commonly known in the States as Epiphany) and here in Spain they give gifts on the 6th instead of on the 25th.

Due to a random and somewhat frustrating, but eventually good, turn of events (which included me taking a different route back than was expected, and arriving 3 hours earlier), we were able to see the big parade that they always do through Madrid the evening of the 5th. We got some pictures, and I'll put them up for you next weekend perhaps.

Having not slept much on the plane, by 9:30pm the night of our arrival, we went to bed, simply to wake up around 12:30, hungry and not at all tired any more. I must be getting old, because jet lag has definitely affected me more on this trip than I ever remember before. After finally going to sleep again around 4, Three Kings day started when we were unwillingly dragged out of bed at 9:30am. After opening gifts, we all got ready before our Pastor and his family (who also happen to be good friends of ours, if you're just tuning in) came over for lunch.

On Saturday, we went to the mountains and played in the snow. Yeah for my new, super-warm Columbia coat! And to everyone here who provided me with good and rather water-proof clothing, since I certainly don't have any of that here. They made my day not only survivable, but quite enjoyable to boot!

Today was Sunday. It was good to be back in church again and see everyone else. This evening we dropped my suitcases off at the house in Aravaca (Alicia actually let Isaac in the door this time... maybe because he was still in his suit from church, instead of in jeans!) and then went out to dinner with a few other friends for one last good time before work starts again tomorrow. (Which reminds me... up until today, I hadn't even spoken to the family that I live with... this whole time I've been with Isaac and his family... it's been sooo relaxing!)

Anyway... this is getting long and is probably incomprehensible, so even though I'm not really tired yet -- body clock still doesn't realize it's 1:20am -- I'm gonna head out. Getting up around 8 tomorrow will come earlier than it should.

Much love, and it was great to see those of you who I saw over the break! Those of you who I didn't see... just let me know when you're coming and I'll work on which museums we should go see ,)

Soli Deo Gloria...

Christmas at HOME!

Hello! I'm safely in the States and had a WONDERFUL Christmas with Isaac and the family.

It is soo good to be home, and it's great to be surrounded by not only immediate family, but also extended family this Christmas. In October, my Dad's twin brother and his family moved to Charlotte. Obviously I hadn't seen them here since they moved because I was gone already, but we've spent tons of time with them in the last few days, which I love. Also, yesterday my parents celebrated 25 years of marriage, so all 3 of my grandparents made the extra effort to come down to help celebrate. We went out for an excellent dinner last night and gave thanks to the Lord for that wonderful blessing.

Unless he's just a really good liar, Isaac is enjoying his time here as well. Everything is different, of course, including the meal schedule, but he's being a good sport.

I got a new digital camera for Christmas. It doesn't have quite the awesome zoom that my other one did, but it is MUCH smaller, so hopefully I'll take more pictures. Besides, since it's so small, there shouldn't be any problems keeping it attached to my body like another limb so it doesn't get stolen. Haha...

My sister pretty much still has control of my cell phone, but she's pretty much obligated to pass it to me if I'm around when you call, so go for it! And if not, she can at least give you the house number, where you're almost guaranteed to get me.

Hope this holiday season is giving you an opportunity to reflect on family as well as the Reason we are celebrating.

Soli Deo Gloria...

pre-Christmas

Here we are... another Monday morning, another entry in the good ol' blog. The difference this week, however, is that you're probably not gonna get another one next Monday morning! And no, it's not because I'm being stubborn. The simple fact is that I will BE AT HOME! and therefore won't be following the same routine.

In case you were wondering, I'm very excited about said opportunity. I'm trying not to wish Friday here already, because I know that as soon as I arrive it will be time to return (12 days is not enough). However, the thought of seeing family and friends really excites me.

Isaac is excited too. I would assume he's a little nervous too. He says he's not, but every time I get off the phone with my mom and tell him about another person who's waiting to meet him, he makes some joke about staying here and sending someone else in his place. Hahah...

Back to life here for a quick minute, things are going fine in the house. I pretty much co-exist there, but that's OK. Alina (the housekeeper) and I spend lots of time talking, which I enjoy and like to think that it keeps her from being so lonely. They did actually get internet hooked up this week, so that has potential to allow for more communication, but probably not 'til after Christmas since this week is so busy.

Speaking of busy... I have to get dressed for work. Feliz Navidad to you, and I hope to see lots of you while I'm home!

Soli Deo Gloria...

This is a P.S. I was so excited about going home that I forgot some importantish things! Tradition here is to put up a nice plastic tree (they tell me there aren't enough trees to cut down/throw away every year). The Jimenezs have had the same one for several years, but apparently now it's broken. So on Saturday, after seeing the largest Nativity Scene in Europe (please note... largest as in most buildings, not as in life-size... I was slightly disappointed by that) with Christie (my other American co-worker), Isaac and I went to the local Wal-Mart-type store to buy a 180cm fiber optic tree. My favorite part was when Isaac pulled out a box, held it out to look at it, and said "I think this is the best one!" I mean, the box HAS to be good... it's got to uphold the next 15 or so years of storage! But it reminded me of my dad in Home Depot looking at TREES instead of BOXES. I laughed. There are a few select pictures of Miriam and I decorating said Christmas wonder on my pics page. Check it out.

post-pueblos

I don't know why it's always so hard for me to sit down and type here. It's probably because I want to take like an hour to do it, so I try to wait until I have an hour but I never have that much time.

Oh well... this past week, super fast.

Monday -- received my student residence card here, so I feel official (even though I already was). Besides, now I don't have to carry my passport to be able to use my debit card. Also used it to get a library card so I can read books in the metro without buying them.

Tuesday -- holiday. Enjoyed sleeping in, had my English class with Feli in the afternoon, and hung out with Isaac and fam in the afternoon.

Wednesday -- back to work, to Aravaca in the afternoon, and back to Isaac's house at night.

Thursday -- another holiday, and the beginning of a long weekend. We left at 9am (Isaac, his parents and I) to visit their hometowns in southern Spain. We were able to borrow Jonathan's camera, so I did post some pictures (the link is below, if you forgot). You'll have to read the captions for more details since I don't have time here (although, now that I think about it, I didn't even finish the last few captions. oh well.) We returned on Sunday afternoon. Let's suffice it to say that it was a great time, very relaxing, meeting his family and eating lots of home-grown food. And that, even though the weather was nice outside, the lack of heat makes the houses supercold inside. I've never been so cold in my life!

Hopefully next weekend I'll get around to writing more, and the weekend after that is Christmas and I'm home! Wow, does time fly...

Soli Deo Gloria...

new house!

Here we are, another Monday morning.

First, I would like to apologize to those of you who actually read this on a regular basis for not writing last Monday. I didn't wake up early enough to write... haha.

Plenty has happened in the last 2 weeks, including a lack of Thanksgiving celebration, which ended up to be harder than I had thought it would be. However, the most important event is that we finally moved last Monday afternoon! Having never been to the new house before -- and considering that boss-lady doesn't ever have to use public transportation so she was clueless for giving instructions -- it took me quite a while to arrive the first time. Now, however, it only takes me 1 hour and 15 mins to get to work (as opposed to 2+ in the other house), and without traffic I'm only a 5 min bus ride from the metro, which is significantly closer to civilization than I've been thus far.

I have my own room (which is not anyone else's office, like it was before), and the bathroom that the housekeeper and I share is in the hallway, instead of inside her room. My room is quite small, but sufficient, and at least I have closet space now so I'm not still living out of suitcases!

Things at the school are still going great, and we're starting to teach the kids Christmas carols in English to sing for their parents. The 5-yr-olds are doing a simplified version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and the first graders are singing "When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney", which unfortunately I had never heard before. I don't think we realize how complicated Christmas carols really are until you teach them to little kids who don't really speak English. I mean, for real... what ARE "bobtails" anyway?

This week is holiday madness here, as Tuesday AND Thursday are holidays, and in the schools we have Friday off too. We've worked it that Isaac and his parents have Friday off too, and we're leaving early Thursday morning to drive down south, hang out in his parents' hometowns, and meet some extended family. Should be a good time.

Now, before I get dressed, I'll leave you with one fun anecdote. It'll make me look like an idiot, but the few of you that read this certainly already know that, so why shouldn't I give you a good laugh?

On Friday I decided to take advantage of my new close-ness to civilization, and Isaac and I were going to see a movie with some friends after I taught class at the house. He waited for me, thoroughly exploring the shops around said civilized metro station (I keep repeating this, but I wish I could more thoroughly explain the joy that it gives me to be so close to stores and restaurants!). I arrived at 9ish, and we wandered around, waiting for them to pick us up, until at 9:45ish they called to say there was too much traffic and that we should take a bus. Long story, but the bus to get to that theater would take an hour, and Isaac had to work on Saturday morning, so we bagged the idea and just headed home. On the way, while changing metro lines, I decided it would be fun to fall DOWN the escalator. Yup, you read that right. I mean, I've fallen UP them before (just once). It kinda sucks 'cuz you feel like everyone around is laughing at you and you get escalator marks and grease on your hands, but falling DOWN is much worse. Thankfully, Isaac was only a few stairs in front of me, and even more thankfully he didn't fall over when I grabbed onto him on the way down, definitely saving me from smashing my teeth in. There is a small tear in one knee of my jeans, and each leg has 2 or 3 bruises from where I hit the edges of the stairs, but otherwise I'm unharmed. And I can laugh about it now... haha.

Hope you have a good week. I am super-excited about being home in less than 3 weeks. Which reminds me, if you didn't get an email invite to my New Year's Eve party, it wasn't on purpose, so just let me know and I'll send you the info.

Soli Deo Gloria...

non-Thanksgiving

Good morning!

It's a typical Monday morning here in the Jiménez household, and I'm feeling the lack of sleep from the weekend -- maybe one of these days I'll learn how to get to bed "on time."

This past week was good, even though there weren't any holidays. It certainly felt long, and I kept waking up thinking it was Friday!

Finally Friday came, however, and it was good! Alicia, one of my "students" at home, turned 7 so she had a party for all her friends at the ice-skating rink, which meant that I got the day off. After my private lesson with my friend Feli, I headed into Madrid with my little suitcase and enjoyed my first Friday night like a normal 22-yr-old since I've been here. Isaac and I went to the SIMO, an annual technology exposicion. It was neat, but apparently it's been better in the past years. Besides, we didn't have more than 1 1/2 hours, and it needed more time than that to see it thoroughly. BUT, we did get to sit in a Ferrari... haha.

Then we went to the home of one of Isaac's coworkers. María and her husband, 2 other gals, and Danny (who you may remember from pictures of Segovia). We had a lot of fun, just talking and laughing, and looking at the wedding pictures/video (apparently our hosts just got married in May).

We didn't get to bed though until about 2am, and I felt really bad because Isaac had to work on Saturday. I got to sleep in, however, and didn't even crack my eyelids until nearly 11... it was great.

Yesterday was Youth Sunday, and I was in the youth choir to sing in both services. I also gave my testimony in the morning. As usual, I wasn't nervous until about 3 mins before, but ended up reading most of it. Considering it was in Spanish, I'm pleased with how I did. I pray that those who heard were encouraged to exhibit the joy of the Lord.

I was thrilled because my friends Mary and Feli were both able to come (although Feli arrived late and missed the song and my testimony, but she was able to stay for lunch). I take hope in these words from Isaiah 55:10-11: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Now I face another full week, and I'm trying not to think about the pumpkin pie that is being consumed this week in the US. For those of you who didn't know (or simply haven't thought it through), there were no Pilgrims or Indians here in Spain, so we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here. It's kinda sad since it's one of my favorite holidays, but I certainly think I would be more homesick if everyone here was with family and traditions and I wasn't. Besides, Mom said we could make a pumpkin pie at Christmas :)

Hope y'all enjoy your holiday, and relish in the many blessings that you've been given. I know I'm giving special thanks for all of you, even though there's no turkey! Until next week...

Soli Deo Gloria...

short

Ok, I don't have much time.

Not a whole lot to say anyway. Mostly, it's getting really cold. We can still see the light at the end of the "when are we moving" tunnel, but it doesn't seem to be getting any closer, so it will be a surprise when we finally go. Also (and part of the reason I'm so rushed for time on here) is that I finally bought a ticket for the second half of my trip. I return to Spain on Jan 4, and back to the States on July 5 -- so if you're getting married or doing anything else important next summer that you want me to attend, make sure to do it after July 5, ok?

I now have a stretch of 3 weeks without any holidays, which will be rough since we've had so many lately. It also means that I won't be writing at least until next weekend, unfortunately. Hope all is well there :)

Soli Deo Gloria...

news - both good and bad!

Good morning! While most of you are still sleeping (primarily due to the 6-hour time change, which makes it 3:25am there!), I'm gonna fill you in on a bit of the latest news. Make sure you wake up before reading this though, or you'll lose some key stuff.

I'll start with the bad news. Last night, while we were in the evening service at church, someone came in and stole my camera and Miriam's camera from the back room. A little frustrating, considering that I just bought it with graduation money this summer, and it was a sweet camera. And moreso, because now it will be very hard to get pictures to post for you guys. Ugh. We're gonna see if the churches insurance will cover it, but it's doubtful.

Now the good news. This might be old news for those of you who are more observant and know how to read between my lines, but I've been informed that I need to be more straightforward, so here it is -- Isaac and I are dating, and have been for a little over a month. Things are going well and we're enjoying life, although we only get to see each other on weekends due to our work schedules (and that fact that I live "where the wind turns around", to quote a Spanish refrain). He officially has a ticket to come home with me for Christmas on Dec. 23, so those of you who are around can plan to stop by on New Year's Eve to meet him :)

As for more regular happenings... Pablo (Isaac & Miriam's brother), his wife Sara and daughter Marta were in town this weekend from Sevilla. We got to play magical beds here at the house, but it was good to see them again and meet Marta for the first time (she was born in March after I left 2 years ago). She is precious, but I think my blond hair wigs her out a bit... not quite comfortable with me yet! I'd show you pictures but...

Things at work and "home" (i.e. "the other work") are fine, although there's been another delay and it's looking like it'll be another good week or two or more before we move. So much for the hope I had last weekend. This past week was super short, since we had Mon & Tues off, and this week we have Wed off. Yeah for random holidays!

Ok... I just had breakfast and chatted with Sara, and now I'm gonna be late for work.

Soli Deo Gloria...