Some Time Lapses and Salamanca

Alright, I deserve a slap on the wrist for how negligent I´ve been towards this blog lately. After some reflection, I´ve discovered three things that can explain the lapse:
1. The Segovia Trip: For those lucky enough to have escaped my Segovia story, all you really need to know is that it wasn´t a good time. I went with three busloads of fellow Erasmus students, and the whole thing was poorly planned, ending with me being incredibly tired, hungry, and irked (but the city itself was really cool- the aqueducts and the Cathedral were stunning). So anyways, I tried writing about it several times, but each attempt quickly digressed into nothing more than a rant against Erasmus and its stupid, stupid planned trips. And y´all deserve more than a pissed-off rant. But, thankfully, I´ve moved on, and am much more at peace.
2. I learned how to Stream TV shows via a European site: We all know sites such as hulu, sidereel, ch131, etc., but none of those service the European browsers (or I may just be incompetent with regards to video streaming... still not quite sure). But anyways, a friend gave me a working site, and I´ve been dangerously addicted to watching “How I Met Your Mother". I know, I know, kind of pathetic, but true.
3. I´ve been busy!: Such a blessing, guys. I´ve been so occupied with classes, coffee dates, bar hangouts, and trips that I haven´t had time to write. I´ve been surprising even myself with how much I´ve been doing.

So, enough with the excuses already, and onto a more exciting topic: Salamanca. This past Thursday night, I had an itch to get out of the city; I chose Salamanca for its proximity to Madrid, as well as for the architectural beauty and nightlife (such a wonderful combination, no?). I was able to convince three equally spontaneous friends to go with me, and so Friday morning we boarded the train and departed for the city.

The train ride in itself is worth mentioning, because the landscape in Northern Madrid is beautiful. Hills, mountains, cliffs, farmlands- we passed by it all. I passed time alternating between admiring the scenery and studying my guidebook (such a nerd, I know), trying to plan out the course of action for the day. The guy I was citing next to, a Salamanca-native named Pablo, saw me doing this and began to offer his own opinions of the city and the best places to go (nothing he said was in the guidebook. Fodors isn´t the best, guys). He also was kind and patient enough to help me with my Spanish for the remainder of the train ride, and didn´t even laugh at me when I started writing down vocabulary words! Such Spanish hospitality!

Arriving in the city, our plan of action was to find Plaza Mayor, the center of the city, and then work our way along the "tour walks" that our guide books had mapped out. Plaza Mayor was incredible; considered by many to be the best façade in all of Spain, it lived up to the hype.

One interesting fact about the plaza is that portraits of famous Spanish figures adorn the surrounding buildings. The most controversial is one of the late dictator, Franco. Because so many people objected it, and so many people vandalized it, Franco´s portrait had to be constructed out of an entirely different material than the rest, to allow for easier cleaning. You can kind of see the paint remains.

Leaving the Plaza, we saw the typical, touristy sites, including:
La Casa de las Conchas (the House of Shells),

the new and the old cathedral,

the University (there´s a sculpted frog hidden in the front façade of the building. Legend has it that if you can find it on your first try, you´ll have success in your academic career. Don´t worry- we found it).

After all the walking, we decided to unwind with some delicious tapas at a local bar. Then we found our hostel (Hostel de CUZCO) and relaxed for a while, enjoying the surprise luxury of private rooms.

When night hit, we set out again into the heart of the city, on the prowl for a cheap and authentic Castilian meal. We were lucky enough to find it at a place called Chico!, where I enjoyed some delicious paella and tiramisu. Afterwards, our night truly began. Because I could write several blog posts about the specifics, I´ll just leave it that it involved a 80s cover band, a Michael Jackson-themed bar, a bachelor party, and a man dressed as chicken. What a night.

The next day we had a delicious lunch and then hung out in Plaza Mayor until it was time to head back. And was that enough of a weekend for me? Was that enough adventure in such a short amount of time? As you can guess, no, it was not. After I got home, I had about 20 minutes to change and freshen up before I went to a Real Madrid soccer game, with my friend Jen.

I know the picture is terrible, but I want there to be some evidence that I was actually in the stadium.

So, all in all, it’s been an exciting time. Having officially been here a month, I’m finally starting to settle into a schedule, becoming familiar with the city and my life. Aside from my confusing classes and the fact that I’m still struggling with Spanish, life is very good. I’m so excited for the opportunities to come.

With my love, from Spain,
Krista

Tiempo en Toledo: Una Realización

All right guys, so I’ve kind of alluded to this in my past posts, but I felt like I needed to address it directly (and so here we are). I’m gonna get a little deep here, but if you can make it through that, I have pretty pictures of Toledo to follow it up. Away we go!

Spain is awesome, and I’ve been blessed enough to meet some really interesting and fantastic people. But there are moments when it’s hard. Moments not necessarily of homesickness, not necessarily of sadness, but moments of just… emptiness. Moments when I just feel very alone, and that no one truly understands what I’m going through. These can occur both when I´m with others, or when I´m by myself. Since arriving in Spain, I’ve been afraid of such moments, trying everything I can to avoid them. Therefore, much of the socializing I’ve been doing has been driven by the fear of being alone.

Such a drive to feel wanted, however, has only led me to crave the approval of those around me. I want friends, I want companionship, and I want to be liked. I want to fit in, and I want to have a good time. Perhaps this isn’t the worst of motivations, but on Friday night, I listened to Austin Stone’s(my church back home in Austin) sermon on idolatry, and it wrecked me. I’ve been so caught up in myself, in adapting to life in Spain, to making friends, that I hadn’t realized how much the approval from those around me had become an idol to me. This realization, along with the fact that I was extremely tired, and that I was having a problem booking train tickets, and because I had had a disappointing day, left me feeling incredibly broken, extremely frustrated, and most importantly, very alone. I mention this, not for your sympathy, and definitely not to be dramatic, but because it was this evening that led to a change of heart. A shift in perspective. I might feel alone, but I am never alone. God has promised to always be with me and to help me through any problems that I could ever have, assuring that he will never leave me and never forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). I don’t have to chase after him, I don’t have to coordinate a date, I just have to remember that He’s there. And let’s be real- how awesome is that?!

For Saturday, I had planned a day trip to Toledo, and while I had tried to coordinate with other people, no one was able to join me. Saturday morning, however, I woke up, excited to just spend the day with God, and looking forward to get away from the city and listen for what He had to say to me. While the emotion from the night before still lingered over me, I found myself smiling as I looked out the window, found myself hopeful with the day to come. Not only was this was to be my first of many travels, but Toledo was supposed to be beautiful.

And let me tell you- it was. It’s only a 30 minute train ride from Madrid to Toldeo, so I only had time to flip through a couple pages of my guidebook before I had arrived. The train dropped me at a precious little station on the outskirts of town, from which I had a lovely view of the city at large.

The Train Station

The City at Large

A winding, and uphill road brought me to the Hospital de Tavera, a stronghold on the Northern edge of the city.

View from the inner courtyard

Despite its title as a “Hospital”, it’s actually a sort of stronghold/palace of sorts, built by the Cardinal Tavera in the second half of the 16th century. In addition to a hospital and pharmacy, the building housed an incredible library, salons for the elite, several meeting rooms, a chapel, and even a crypt (which I ventured into by myself and it freaked me out! Centuries of the dead was a little too unsettling). If the antiquity of the rooms themselves weren’t interesting enough, sprinkled throughout were El Greco paintings (legend has it that he came to Toledo to study and chose to stay there because it was so beautiful. The citizens are pretty proud of this).

Once I had had my fill of el Hospital, I ventured through La Puerta del Arrabal into the heart of the city.

La Puerta del Arrabal

Because I had time, and no one’s agenda but my own, I spent the next while just meandering through the city, leisurely admiring the architecture and the twisting, hilly streets.

And I mean extremely hilly streets. Check it out:

Because Toledo sits atop its own little hill, if you stick to an edge of the city you can get a great view of the surrounding countryside. The patchwork of roofs, the large expanses of field, and cobblestone roads peeking out here and there… it left me speechless, completely in awe of God and His beauty. I felt so comforted and so loved, as if he had been saving this view for me, for when I really needed it. And I wanted to have a picture with it. All day I had been taking pictures of things, but I wanted to be a part of this. I heard the people next to me speaking English, so I turned to ask for their help. And do you know what? I knew them; they were also Americans attending Comillas and I had met them the other night at a bar. When I told them that I was there by myself, they invited me into their group. Oh, well, and they took my picture.

With my new companions, we stopped by el Acazar, an old Roman fortress built in 192 BC that now houses a weapons museum. Opting out of the 8 euro entrance ticket, we admired the architecture and then began looking for the renowned Cathedral of Toledo. Because the city is so small, as well as confusing, we decided not to follow our maps, but rather just look for spires with crosses. And eventually it worked! Actually, it’s pretty hard to miss.

This Cathedral was built in the 13th century, on the site where a Moorish mosque once stood. If you’re not familiar with the history of Spain, you should know that the country was occupied by Moors for several centuries before it was reclaimed by the Christians through the Reconquista. For Toledo, the city’s Moorish rule ended when Alfonso VI captured the city in 1085. For these reasons, the city has an incredibly interesting mix of Islamic and Christian culture. For example, in the cathedral, while paintings and frescos dominate the interior, its outside courtyard has tiles and geometric patterns in a typical Arabic fashion. What’s more, the numerous sculptures and murals depict not only Biblical images, but images of the Christians taking Grenada from the Moors. But all this backstory aside, the cathedral was amazingly beautiful; I stopped taking pictures because I didn’t think I could capture it all with my camera. But pictured below is me in front of the main alter, graciously taken by my friend Katie.

The only downside to the Cathedral was that it was so cold! That day it was only in the lower 40s outside, and being in the dark surrounded by marble only made things worse. Although I wanted to stay there all day, I was driven out when I lost feeling in my fingers.

We stopped for a quick lunch, and then made our way over to El Museo de Santa Cruz , where we were able to admire art spanning several centuries. The most notable was another El Greco: The Immaculate Conception (I tried to post a link to it, and its not working, but I'd highly recommend checking it out).

At this point, I had to catch my train back to Madrid, so I said good bye to the group and hiked back on over to the train station. The sun was setting, illuminating the western fields and covering Toledo in a hazy darkness. As I turned for my final glimpse of the city, I saw a Spanish flag atop a hill, catching the remaining light of the day. I know, I know,its BEYOND CHEESY, but I couldn´t help it. I´m a Romantic at heart.

So in short, this day was fantastic, filled with eye candy and history and good company. After such a bleak night before, it was certainly a blessing. But it was more than a fun time in a foreign city, more than a string of pleasant events. What made it was the fact that for the first time in a long time, I was acutely aware of the presence that God holds in my life. Corny? For sure. But true. But I don't want to fprget this lesson and continue to have those moments of frustration and loneliness. Because I'm done with loneliness. I'm done with it, and I'm ready for whatever lays before me.

With my love, from Spain
-Krista

Tourist: Take Two

Hello lovely people! So I´ve officially been abroad for almost two weeks now. Yikes! Since my last blog, I´ve not only finished up most of the touristy things that I had wanted to do in Madrid, but I´ve also settled down more, preparing for the school year and establishing myself here.

On Friday night, there was a meet-and-greet for the study-abroad students at Comillas University. Having been surrounded by only Paloma and other Americans, I was really looking forward to meeting more Madrileños and international students. The gathering was to take place in this dinky, hole-in-the-wall bar in the center of town, accurately named, "The Hole". It was Atari/old-school video game themed, with pixilated Space Invader ships and colored Pac Man ghosts plastering the walls. Even though I had arrived half an hour after the stated start time, I was, awkwardly, the first person there. It took only another half hour, however, until the place was packed, with fragmented conversations in French, Spanish, German, and English filling the air. I talked about the Spanish culture with several French guys (all of them quite the stereotype), reminisced about Austin with another American, conversed about cultural differences in America with a French girl who had studied in San Francisco, as well as chit-chatted with people from Sweden, Germany, and Spain. Needless to say, I felt incredibly cool all the while.

On Saturday, I met up with a fellow American and trekked along the Western side of the city. We began the day by heading southwest, to see La Puerta del Toledo.

On Paloma´s recommendation, we visited Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande. Located off La Gran Vía de San Francisco, it sits next to a beautiful park that offers not only respite from the city, but also a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.

And the Church itself was pretty awesome too.

Striking as it was from the outside, we decided to spend the two euro and take a tour of the inside. The Basilica, like most Basilicas, had a main, circular worship space, with the ceiling stretching far overhead into a dome. Seven to eight alcoves then clustered around this central space, each of them having its own alter. It was incredible! Neoclassical paintings were everywhere; almost every ceiling and wall was covered with an elaborate picture. Six foot statues of Saints lined the outer rim of the central room. Due to the no-flash policy, my pictures didn´t turn out very well, and they definitely do not capture the overwhelming sense of awe. I did get some good pictures of the detailing and specific alters, though.

Something I think is worth noting was the endurance our tour guide. Because the onlookers trickle in, as opposed to having set tour time, this poor man just goes around and around the Basilica and the individual alcoves all day long, endlessly repeating the same forty minute monologue. And I thought Cinemark was monotonous .

Inspired by the Basilica, we decided to go to La Catedral de La Almudena (while I had been here the other day, I had yet to go inside). As it turns out, the cathedral is both a place of worship and a very large crypt. Check out the hallways:

Kind of creepy, right?

While we were looking at the statues of Mary and the intricate crosses, we kept getting distracted by the fact that the floor was little more than an array of marble coffins (not the best of feelings).
What´s more, mass was going on while we were looking around, and so we just felt awkward and loud and out of place.

On Sunday, I met up with Yvonne, a lovely German girl I had met on Friday, and she and I went to El Rastro, a giant flea market that surrounds the La Latina metro stop. Much like many markets and fairs in Austin, artisans from all around the area had brought their homemade jewelry, knickknacks, and clothes to sell to tourists and local alike. Unlike Austin, however, there was a much wider array of items for sale. For example, one vendor was selling unpolished brass candlesticks. Another sold Levi´s. Another sold blank CDs and cables. I lucked out with a tent of overstocked shoes, where I bought grey high heels for 3 euros! Such a steal!But the only problem was that the streets were just a huge mass of people, and so Yvonne and I had to push and elbow our way out of the market. I'd say while it was an extremely interesting experience, I won't be going back for a while.

Since then, I've started classes and I'm just trying to be a student(more to come on school, classmates and Comillas in another blog!). I've somewhat settled into a routine, I'm getting better at Spanish, and I'm continuing to make friends. It's getting to the point where I'm no longer perpetually on edge, not always worried about the next task to overcome. It's getting to the point where I can relax and enjoy the adventure. While I still have moments of loneliness and homesickness, they're outnumbered by ones of joy and excitement. Going out into the streets, talking to strangers, even trying to order foodm is hard. But I'm getting better at it. So bring on the bullfights and soccer games, bring on the sangria, bring on the tapas and train rides! I'm ready.

With love from Spain,
Krista

Acting the Tourist

Hello Lovely People! It’s been a while since my last post, and for that I apologize. With this blog, I am trying to recapture specific activities and adventures as they occurred, not merely create a list of the things that I’ve done. I want to draw you into Spain with me, enticing you will the details. Unfortunately for y’all, a lot’s happened in the past few days, and I’m afraid a list is in order. But fear not! I’m including several pictures to spice things up!

Starting with Tuesday, I trekked over to the Nuevos Ministerios train station and rode a “cercanía” to my University. As it turns out, it’s very easy to get there when you know what to do. Unlike the metro, which is rooted in the deep underground with harsh lights and annoying, loud-speaker messages continually blaring out, the trains in Madrid are quite pleasant. These trains run above ground , offering an incredible scenic view that makes the trip very relaxing. And while my University is going to be a long commute, it is at least very pretty. Take a Look!

The rest of Tuesday was spent taking care of business, getting my classes organized, and continuing to orient myself to the city. That night, however, I met up with some other Americans and went to a Salsa club on the West Side of the city. It was absolutely fantastic! Those madrilènes can dance! I’ve never tried salsa dancing, but I decided that with my experience in two-stepping and swing dancing I would be able to pick it up fast enough. Well, let me tell you: I couldn’t. While I felt I was doing better than most of my fellow Americans, I couldn’t hope to compete with the Spaniards. In fact, I’m sure I looked silly, even borderline pathetic. But most of my partners were very kind, teaching me various moves and graciously giving me besitos afterwards (besitos are the little pecks that you give on someone cheek when you meet them. That night everybody was sweaty, so I had a really hard time trying not to grimace during them). All in all it was an awesome time, and I plan on going back next Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I ventured to a local supermarket to stock up on snacks and lunch foods. The good news: everything’s cheap. The bad news: I could not find pretzels, mustard, hummus, Chex mix, or coffee creamer. Yikesss!! I am having a great time here, but I’m still adjusting to the newness of it all (Another setback is that I don’t have access to many American websites, such as Pandora, Hulu, and Sidereel). I’m not complaining; so far I’m happy here. It’s just something I hadn’t accounted for.

To compensate for my rather unsuccessful shopping trip, I decided to play the part of the tourist and see the sights of Madrid. Because I had spent my first few days preparing for the next few months and settling in, I still hadn’t seen many of Madrid’s more famed buildings. I chose to start with a visit to the Prado, considered by many to be second only to the Louvre. On the way there, walking amidst the tightly-packed, even claustrophobic streets, suddenly I came upon the Plaza del Colon and-BAM! This greeted me.

Just your average obelisk of Christopher Columbus.

Continuing onwards,to La Plaza de la Cibeles, I saw this, La Ayuntamiento de Madrid:

Beautiful, no?

Arriving at the Prado, I saw a huge line wrapping around the side of the building. Because this museum is free after 6pm, many tourists, myself included, wait until then to enter. Luckily, however, the line move quietly, I was inside by 6:05, and I immediately dashed to the Goya rooms. I saw “Saturn Devouring His Sons”, and “Los Fusilamientos del 3 de Mayo” and it was incredible. Art buff that I am, these were some of the things that I had been dying to see! Because time was limited, after I finished with Goya I swung by the El Greco wing, chanced upon Velazquez’s “Las Meniñas”, and even spent some time with Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights”. I definitely have plans to go back.

On Thursday, I once again played the part of a tourist. I spent the early afternoon shopping along the shops of Fuencarral, taking full advantage of the rebajas (sales) that practically every store has been offering. Afterwards, I went to the exquisite Parque del Buen Retiro, a sprawling park that occupies 350 acres of land on the East side of the city. Just take a look at the park and the surrounding monuments:

La Puerta de Alcala

La Glorieta de la Sardana

And this beautiful church, the name of which I can't find anywhere

Upon leaving the park, I trekked across the city by The Bank of Spain,

And La Plaza Mayor,

Until I reached La Catedral de la Almudena and the Moorish walls.

The Moorish Walls are the oldest establishment in all of Madrid, dating back to the 9th century. As if this weren’t enough, on my way back to the Metro, I passed by El Palacio Real:

Tours are free on Wednesdays, and I’m just itching to get inside.

For the most part, it’s been a lot of walking, a lot of learning, and a lot of adjustment. I’m definitely having a great time, but I’m not going to lie; it’s hard. Many aspects of the Spanish government and its bureaucracy are very frustrating and difficult to deal with. It’s intimidating to talk to people in Spanish, and it’s even embarrassing when I can’t understand what they’re saying. And I do miss the element of easiness and comfort that I had in Texas. Not to mention the fact that I miss my friends and family, truly all of you who are reading this blog. But it is getting easier. Every day, I’ve been accomplishing little things, exploring more and more, building up my confidence (today I applied for a fancy-schmancy government-issued transportation pass). Every day, it’s easier for me to focus on the future on all that is to come instead of all I’ve left behind. And every day, I’m more and more aware of what a blessing it is to be here.

With my love from Spain,
Krista

Today all of the international students at Comillas University had an orientation seminar at the main campus off of Alberto Alguilera. Placement tests were given, presentations were made, and there was even a coffee and breakfast break, where tiny little donuts and chocolate pastries were served. It was delightful. Until, that is, the coordinators announced where individual meetings with each college’s advisor would be held. Business was to meet in the basement, engineers on the second floor, social work and theology on the second floor, and social sciences (including international relations and psychology) was to meet… at the other campus. Now, it’s not like this other campus is a bus ride way. Instead its located in a Northern suburb of Madrid, in the mountains, a good 45 minutes away.

And so, without any further directions, and without any clear understanding of the metro system, I enlisted the help five other students (also Americans, quite nice) from the same school and we tried to make our way to the Cantoblanco campus. It started off well enough; we were able to orient ourselves in the city, find the nearest metro, and even get on the proper line. But a little known secret is that you cannot ride the metro all the way to Cantoblanco. You need to leave the metro while you’re still within city limits and hop on a train. Without this knowledge, my newfound friends and myself found ourselves lost in Northern Madrid, unable to speak the language and unable to interpret the confusing bus signs (at one point we tried to take a bus to the University, but ended going to the neighboring university instead). It was quite the adventure.

In the end, we missed the advisor meeting. In fact, we didn’t even make it to Comillas. We did, however, spend over three hours on public transit, as well as wasted over 10 euro on bus/metro tariffs. It was one of the most stressful and annoying days of my life, and Madrid definitely got the best of me. But rest assured, it won’t be for long! Tomorrow morning, I will again try to find Comillas so I can register for my classes. Wish me luck!

With my love from Spain,
-Krista

And So it Begins!

As of now, I’ve spent two days in Madrid. A lot’s been going on, but I’ll try to relay it all.
Alright. Here goes.

So I made it to Madrid (hallelujah). Getting here was quite the emotional struggle; the day of my flight, I couldn’t get over the sensation of leaving to appreciate all that I was about to encounter. Because the next five months was a huge, gaping black hole of not-knowing, it was still difficult to adopt a sense of adventure. But I made it through the flight, got out of the airport alive, and even managed to take a taxi to my new home without much trouble. And all of this with my 75 pound suitcase, mind you.

Upon entering the apartment, my host Mom, Paloma Herranz, greeted me with a peck on each cheek. She then showed me the apartment in a flurry of Spanish, graciously rephrasing and repeating herself whenever I looked confused. I’m the 15th exchange student that she’s hosted, so she’s a bit of a pro at communicating through gestures and basic Spanish. When I told her I wanted to see the city, she played the part of my Mom well, refusing to take me out until after I had some sleep. After a couple hours of unpacking and taking una siesta the two of us set off on the streets of Madrid.

The city is very different from how I had imagined it to be. While there are old, esteemed parts of town, most of the city is very modern, with streets covered in concrete and facades covered in advertisements. It is very much llike any metropolitan city in the US in that sense. Just as I was beginning to feel back in the states, however, I’d come across a medieval relief on the side of a building, or a obelisk with a giant, Romantic statue on top, or a fountain and be shocked back into awareness. In the three hour walk I took that first day, I saw most of the highlights of Madrid, including la Plaza del Sol, La Gran Villa (the Times Square of Madrid), and el Mercado de San Miguel (where I sampled an excellent… tapa-like thing). All the while, Paloma spoke Spanish, telling me which stores to go to, which cervecias have the cheapest beer, which buildings were the most famous in Madrid. While I really wanted to take some pictures for this blog, to document the experience, I did NOT want to look like a tourist. Pictures to come when I can get around without a map!

After we had worn ourselves out, we stopped by a Churreria y Chocolateria where we had (if you hadn’t already guessed it) freshly made churros and cups of liquid chocolate. Not a joke: this was THE BEST thing ever.

The rest of my evening was pretty dull, spent only watching Spanish television and trying to sleep off my jetlag. But yesterday morning, when I finally woke up, I decided that it was the day that I would buy a cell phone. Because there are different cellular frequencies used in the United States and Europe, my American phone has been of little more use than a paperweight since I arrived. But let me tell you, going to the phone store was quite the ordeal. Although I had researched my various options, hoping to get both a local and international calling plan, I could not understand a word that the sales person said to me. Speaking to Paloma the previous day hadn’t done much to prepare me for the rapid-fire Spanish spoken on the street. But I was able to communicate that I wanted something cheap and without a contract, so the Orange representative hooked me up with this tiny, blue flip-phone (remember flip-phones? So jank). I’m still trying to figure out what I can do with it, but if I can text internationally I’ll let you know.

After I spent a few hours fiddling with this new technology, I actually set out for a church service. It’s common knowledge that Spain is overrun with Roman-Catholics and atheists; worship, particularly non-Catholic worship is hard to come by. So when a friend of a friend, whom I had been wanting to meet, offered to get together at Oasis Madrid Community Church, I jumped at the opportunity. The church turned out to be adjacent from La Plaza del Sol, in a tiny room over a McDonalds. Only around 40 Americans, Brits, and English-speaking Madrilène showed up, but it was a delightfully intimate experience. I felt incredibly at home and at peace. During the message, the leader opened the windows, and through them I could hear the songs of street musicians. And after the service, I talked to and made friends with another girl from Texas, one from South England, and one from Madrid itself. Having met a few people in the city was such a blessing.

Afterwards, I left and walked back to my apartment through the overwhelmingly large throngs of people, getting incredibly lost in the process. Even so, I made it back in time to share dinner with Paloma. My evening was tame, spent conversing with her, skyping, and researching my travel destinations.

I’ll admit, it hasn’t been the craziest couple of days. But it’s been enjoyable, and far more comforting than I was expecting. On Monday, I will be attending numerous info sessions and training seminars for all of the international students at Comillas, and that’s when I’m hoping things will pick up, when I’ll be able to meet dozens of peers. But as for today, I’ll continue to take it easy, experiencing Madrid poco a poco. I’ll continue to lay a foundation for myself in this new city. I’ll continue to practice Spanish with Paloma, learning and absorbing as much as I can. And I’ll continue to explore.

With my love from Spain,
Krista

The Time Has Come…

9 hours. That’s how long it’s going to take tomorrow for me to get from Dallas to Madrid. 9 hours of sitting. 9 hours of reading. 9 hours of Sudoku puzzles. 9 hours waiting in anticipation for my next five months to begin.

After spending tonight packing and tying up all lose ends, I find myself worried more about that 9-hour plane ride than the rest of the journey. Because it all really begins with that plane ride, and that’s when the idea of living abroad will change from a surreal idea to my actual life.

To be honest, I’m more anxious than excited at this point. There’s a lot I need to take care of before I leave. Even after I arrive in Madrid, I’ll have to go through customs and then get a cab to my host Mom’s house (Yikes!) and move in. And that’s only the beginning of my multi-week adjustment period, in which I’ll have to get used to the language, to being by myself, to the city. Even though I will switch over from worrying about the future to conquering the tasks at hand (the way I like it), that adjustment period will be rough. And it all begins with that plane ride tomorrow at 5:45pm.

In the midst of this anticipation, the only thing keeping me sane is the simple verse of John 14:27-Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. Such wise words to remember. Such a comfort that God will still be with me overseas, and that through him, I can do all this junk.

The next you hear from me, I’ll be in Madrid.
-Krista