Spain

It's been two weeks since I got back. In some ways, it seems like a really long time since then - I went to Pennsylvania, had Thanksgiving, and my apartment is decorated for Christmas. But somehow, I feel like I just got back yesterday. This is important, because if you had asked me how the trip went right after I got off the plane and had a good night's sleep, I would have said that it was amazing and a really awesome trip. After thinking about it and processing for a couple of weeks, I would tell you that it was a good trip, but that it was also challenging in many ways. So, depending on my mood when you ask me about Spain, I'll either be very excited, or very reserved - and both are important emotions to capture when it comes to Spain.

I'm warning you now, this is going to be a long post. It is also going to be heavily censored. I will do my best to cover the important bits, but there are things I either can't talk about online or am not ready to discuss personally. Plus, I took about 600 pictures on the trip, so I'm trying to limit myself to the highlights. Also, if you're expecting a lot of pictures of me, you will be disappointed. I spent most of my time like this:


...so aside from the few Troy took, you'd never know if I was actually in Spain. I hate having my picture taken, anyway.

I'm tempted to see how much longer I can continue to write about absolutely nothing, but I will spare you and just get on with it.

We flew out November 9, and because I know you're dying to ask: Yes, I went through the full-body scan, and No, I was not patted down. At the time, I had no clue that the debate was going on, and frankly, I don't want to get involved. Other than that, no worries with the flights. The girl I sat next to on the flight to Madrid was alternately sobbing hysterically or sleeping with her feet almost in my lap for the entire flight. It was ... interesting. We arrived in Madrid early Wednesday morning. One thing I wish I had been able to get pictures of and didn't was the Madrid airport. It is gigantic and has carved arched ceilings - truly beautiful. But because it is so large, I think we walked about a mile to get from the gate to immigration. No joke.

My parents and I met up with Sam, who had flown in from PA, and Troy, our mission contact, and headed out to Guadalajara, where Troy and Julie live. Fun fact: the van was parked in the same parking area that was bombed in 2006. We also saw where the train bombings took place in 2004. Anyway. The traffic going in to Madrid was horrible. We got in right at rush hour, but fortunately, we were going in the opposite direction. I still don't want to ever drive in Spain. I admire people who can do it, but I felt like I was on a roller coaster where the tracks and speed randomly changed.

We pretty much crashed after we got settled in. Roger and Sharon were already there, having been on a cruise in the Mediterranean the week before. I didn't want to sleep too long because I hate jet lag, and the easiest way to beat it is to just immediately put yourself on your host country's schedule. Unfortunately, having not slept in awhile, I did require something resembling rest. I was awake in time for lunch, though, which was on Spanish time, meaning 2:30.

That night, we helped out at the English Conversation Class.


Having never been part of a TESOL experience, I was very curious about how it worked. It was actually pretty simple, though. As a group, we listened to a song in English and then talked about what it meant. ("Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden, in case you were curious.) Then, we paired off and the native English speakers would ask questions on a certain topic. The group was fairly advanced, so we were there mostly for slang and individual words they didn't know.


On Thursday, we went to Toledo, Spain. It was beautiful!


Everything is just so quaint.


The Cathedral is absolutely massive. It is beautiful inside, and houses many priceless works of art, including several by El Greco and Carvaggio. The wealth in that place is unbelievable.


You can't see it very well, but our group is standing under the sign for Calle de Toledo, Ohio. The two Toledos are sister cities, and having lived in Toledo, Ohio for the better part of 7 years, I felt a deep bond with the Toledo in Spain.


For lunch, we went to a medieval-themed restaurant. I was in heaven with the decor, though the food was also medieval-themed, which was less than satisfactory.


While we did not (could not) use this parking garage entrance, I had to include it because everywhere in Spain are the tiniest cars you have ever seen. It's slightly ridiculous, but necessary, as evidenced by this:


That's a street. One of the wider ones, in fact.

We spent the majority of Friday getting ready for the English Camp. I knew going in that this was the purpose of the trip, but I had no clue what that meant. I just had to tell myself that I would know what I needed to know when I needed to know it. If you know me even just a little, you know I HATE going into something blind. I had to suppress a lot of my freak-out tendencies. Besides, I figured - it's an English camp, I know English, it'll be fine. And it was. Essentially, we had more than 40 people at the OMS camp in Spain. Some were native English speakers while the rest were Spaniards at various levels of English capabilities. My mom and Sam hung out with the kids and taught some basic lessons.


The rest of us would split up into two's and three's and discuss certain topics.


Mariam and Paula


Eva and Mercedes. Mercedes (in red) was there with her daughter, and we had some very good conversations at dinner.


Sam and I got to be good friends with Susana. She and I had a really good walk and talk that led us here:


It's an old Roman bridge over the Rio Tajo that goes to Toledo. It was a gorgeous spot, and Susana and I were able to talk about several things. She invited me to stay with her next time I go to Spain, which would be amazing.


We would also have workshops on various topics that people could attend. My Dad led one on the Protestant faith, a completely foreign concept in a predominantly Catholic country. It was very interesting to see the perspective everyone had on Protestantism, and it spawned some really interesting discussions.


I had to put this in because it is one of four paths to the Comedor (Dining Room) from where we spent the rest of our time. The first path is more of a road, but it takes too much time. The second is shorter, but isn't very direct. This path is most direct, but quite steep. The fourth path could kill you.

On Saturday night, we held Riverfest. Toledo, Ohio has a festival every year, and we did our best to copy it, at least a little. We had all kinds of carnival games and food (including buckeyes!) and prizes from Toledo for people to win.





I have to talk about this kid because he was pretty hilarious. Sam and I were the most lenient with our tickets when we ran games, so the younger kids would come see us when they needed extras. (When I stopped running the ring toss, Ethan was devastated. He probably got about twenty tickets from me.) Sam was running the basketball game, and this kid asked her what he needed to do to win all the tickets she had. She didn't think he was serious, so she told him he had to make a basket, run around the Casa Grande four times, make another basket, run to the comedor to get her coffee, make another basket, get two buckeyes for her and me and then make one more basket. I tell you, I have never seen a kid run so fast in my life. But he did it all, and he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.


Two days really isn't enough time to get to know a lot of people really well. I'd like to go back next year and help out again. We had a really good group.

We finished English camp on Sunday, and on Monday, our last day, we headed to the little pueblo of Siguenza (pronounced See-gwen-tha). It is a beautiful little town, and we had a great time.


Siguenza is home to a parador, a castle that has been turned into a hotel. We got an inside look because someone knew somebody who knew somebody. I was definitely in my element.


La capilla


The castle also has history to it. Basically, the ruler got married to this girl, but then disowned her and imprisoned her in the castle. Feel free to translate the story - it's quite interesting.


During the Spanish Civil War, there were forces holed up in the local cathedral (pictured) and in the castle. You can still see the pock marks from the bullets that were fired at the troops in the cathedral.


We also took the time to visit a local pottery workshop. Siguenza is known for its beautiful pottery, and we had the chance to see where some of it is made. All by hand.


We were all pretty impressed.

On Tuesday, we were back in the airport, and while our flight to Chicago was unusually lengthy, we finally made it. We were exhausted, exhilarated and exceedingly glad to be home.

The rest of the pics are just random sights we saw while we were in Spain.


Troy holding a Tony Packo's shirt in his workshop on M*A*S*H.


Julie was awesome. She fed us and kept us in line.


This is very typical for Spanish homes. It's ham, and families will buy one of these and use it for a week.


I really, really love this house.


I met Sam for the first time in the Madrid airport. Because of the overabundance of couples, we hung out quite a bit and became pretty good friends by the end of the trip.


If you have read Don Quijote, you know he is the Man of La Mancha. We were staying in Castille de la Mancha, so we saw Don Quijote things everywhere.


I took about 100 pictures of the countryside. It was incredibly different from what I'm used to.


People have farmed these fields for hundreds of years, and it is still the rockiest soil I have ever seen. Everywhere you look, there are piles of stones taken from the fields.


During Franco's regime, the only billboards he allowed were the ones for his favorite brand of whiskey. Though there are a million billboards now, they have kept the bulls, which have become a national symbol.



Thank you for sticking with me through this post, and please feel free to contact me personally if you would like to know more. Thank you so much for the opportunity to go to such an amazing place!

I'm going to end with the traditional sunset, but I'm going to do it in a non-traditional way. When you think of Spain, this is a pretty typical image you might think of, and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. It's one of my favorite pictures that I've taken.

Spain Wants You...

So, I'm pretty sure that several years have passed since I last posted something. Because it feels longer than a few days. A lot longer. I mean that in a good way, though.

I'm sitting at the dinner table as I write this. Troy, Sam and my mom and dad are eating dinner late (early by Spanish standards) since they just got back. Julie, Ethan, Hannah, Roger, Sharon and I ate earlier. We had a smorgasbord of leftovers and tortilla, which is not what you normally picture. Tortilla is made from egg and potato and you can put other stuff in it, and it tastes lovely. We're talking about what we will be doing tomorrow, our last day in Spain.

This last weekend was amazing, and I'm still processing everything. I talked to so many people and heard so many stories. It was incredible! I made a lot of friends and exchanged email addresses and facebook names, and if I ever come back to Spain, Susana invited me to stay in her house. (That's good, especially if Troy and Julie don't invite me back!) This weekend was so busy and jam-packed. I'll post the schedule some time so you can see everything we did. I'll also post pictures; the mountains were absolutely gorgeous, even if it was overcast and drizzly most of the time. I think that's my fault - the day we left for the camp, I prayed that everything would go 'swimmingly.' I'm sure Troy will blame me for the weather. I told him that he was labelled 'master of all things' in my last post, and he's had that title since then. I should give him a new one, but nothing clever is coming to mind. I'll have to think about that.

Oh, there is so much I want and need to say, but I feel like if I try right now, it'll be disjointed and incomprehensible and I could never do it justice. I won't be able to really convey everything anyway, but I can try. That's one of the hardest things as a writer - it's hard to write other people's stories because I wasn't there and I don't really understand the feeling behind it. I can come close sometimes, but it's never quite right. But it's also hard to write stories when I have experienced something because I know it's never going to be enough. I suppose all I can do is tell stories the best way possible and then encourage people to go on trips themselves. The good thing about traveling is that I can whet people's appetites for several different countries.

I've seen a couple different comments about the post where I talked about my calling, and I think I am going to elaborate, but I don't know when. Right now, it is still terrifying, and I'm struggling with it, because I really can't see it. It's frustrating, to say the least.

Okay, now they are talking about bologna, so I'm going to take that as my cue to end this thing. It's nearly bedtime, and my feet and back are killing me. I hope you all are doing well and not missing me too much. ;)

Con mucho amor.

0322

That would be the current time. Clearly, I have some adjusting to do.

BUT, my pain is your gain. So, here we go!

I'd just like to say first that 8 hours on a plane is way too much. It's like sitting in a car for eight hours with 150 other people without stopping to get out and stretch. And depending on who you sit next to, this can be a very interesting experience. I'm going to have to work on my endurance. There are a lot more interesting places to go that take twice the amount of time.

Anyway, I'm here now, and it's lovely! As Troy (our host/guide/master of all things) was driving through Spain (not something I'll be attempting any time soon, btw), I felt like I was in Pennsylvania or out West. It felt so familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time. I'll see more of the country tomorrow (today), but just the brief glimpse I got today was beautiful. Minus the rush hour traffic - that just looked ugly, and I'm very thankful we didn't have to deal with much of it.

We probably got to Troy and Julie's house around 0930, and then I don't remember much of anything until 1330. I think that nap is what is keeping me up right now, but I'm not sure I would have made it the rest of the day without it. Ah, the perils of travel! We had a lovely lunch, and then Samantha and I talked for about two hours. She is the other single senorita on the trip, and she's from Pennsylvania, and she makes me laugh. A lot. Like, every time she says anything, I'm laughing. Though that could have been because I was tired. But I'm pretty sure she's funny all the time.

Then one of the senora's made dinner (really early for Spain) and we got to meet Hannah and Ethan, Troy and Julie's kids. Hannah is a junior at ECA, and Ethan is in 8th grade and collects swords. Awesome kid. :)

We were off to an advanced English class/discussion group after that. I admit, I was nervous, because this whole TESOL thing is completely new to me. It was a lot of fun, though, and most of the people who came were fairly fluent. I had some one-on-one time with Elena and Laura, and we talked about movies, hunting, writing, Protestantism and everything in between. It was an excellent experience, and it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about Spain. It definitely makes me feel better about the English camp this weekend, though I am still nervous. I have faith, though, that it is going to be awesome!

Okay, hopefully I'm more tired now. We'll see. If you could pray for something specific, though, I'd appreciate it. I have some kind of respiratory thing and a very sore throat, and I would like both to go away, so please pray for that to happen. I really don't want to be sick the whole time I'm here.

I'll post pictures and such at a later date. Next post will hopefully be at a more Godly hour. ;)

Day Zero

T minus whatever and counting...

I've realized something important. As I was packing my bag, I kept thinking about all the things I was forgetting - mosquito netting, bug repellant, plain t-shirts, skirts, sunscreen ... the list went on. But I'm not forgetting them - I just don't need them.

I'm not used to packing for Europe. But I love it!

It also made me realize that while my heart has revised the definition of 'missions,' my head has yet to get the message. Or is it the other way around? Either way, I'm starting to think a little bit more about the idea of missions.

In other news, I think I may have stumbled on my calling while I was getting ready this morning. It's been in the back of my mind for awhile now, but I had a moment of perfect clarity when my future was laid out before me. It was like being in Africa all over again. And Beka, we were right - it's terrifying, exhilarating and definitely not something I'd have chosen for myself. This is going to take real work to accomplish.

Now I'm nervous. If all this is happening even before I get on the plane, what is waiting for me in Spain?

EDIT: I've just read this thing again, and even I think it makes very little sense. I'll try to clarify when I've had a chance to consult with Dad.

Whimsy

So here's the deal. Last week, I was still dealing with some issues. And because I have not yet resolved the internal debate about exactly how much I reveal on this blog, I hid behind my dear, dear friend Arika. And she was kind enough to let me. However, the time comes when all must confess and receive due judgment. So, with a penitent heart and a much-healed spirit, I return to you, my faithful friends, and beg your dispensation.

I'd like to introduce you to my department. I've mentioned a few members in passing, but at the risk of calling down their ire, I'd like to fully divulge the ins and outs of the lovely people with whom I work. To a point - I can only say so much before they refuse to exculpate me and drum me out of the department like a proper militia.



And there they are...

Please excuse how horrible I look. I was sick that day, and was only there because my lovely coworkers called me in for the picture. We made the hearts because the picture was going on a shirt for another coworker of ours as a going away present.

Now that I think about it, I'd better just give you their names and move on. If you want to know more about them, we'll have to meet in a secluded location where there is no chance of being overheard. (I'm just kidding, they really are awesome.)

Right.

Left to right, then: Sarah is a wonderful videographer; Foster, behind me, is our graphic designer; Lori (in pink) is a fabulous editor and knows everything about OMS; Lon, in the back, is another videographer who gets very lonely in his cave; Susan, next to Lori, is my boss, and is generally pretty amazing and forgiving of my many mistakes; Pat, down front, works on prayer letters and printing; Jason, in back next to Lon, works with One Mission Kids and has been helping me with radio advertising; and last, but most certainly not least, is my dear friend Beka. She started when I did and has been an excellent source of encouragement and journalistic know-how.



On rare occasions, we have fun in our department. One such time was National Punctuation Day. It was pretty amazing and as you can see, I tried to dress for the occasion. We had punctuation cookies and decorated the office. While some people didn't appreciate our merriment, we persevered and had ourselves a lovely time.

It's not all fun and games, though. We do end up doing actual work. In fact, I've had a couple stories rotate through on the OMS website. You should check them out: Stories! It amazes me constantly the people I get to talk to and meet - true spiritual giants of the faith. It is easy to see the impact Jesus Christ has had on everyone in the office and in the field.

Last week, I got to travel to Huntington University with our director of Mobilization. It was nice to be back in the old stomping grounds. While I was more sure than ever that I really don't miss the college schedule, I did get to see how God is at work at Huntington. I met some wonderful young men and women who are exactly where I was just a few years ago. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about some options and share my journey to OMS.

Now for the exciting news. Ready?

I'M GOING TO SPAIN!

Next Tuesday, I'll be hopping on a plane for the lovely country of Spain to participate in an English camp for families in Madrid. This is new territory for me in more ways than one, so prayer would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'll be doing, but you can be sure I'll be taking as many pictures as possible and blogging about it when I get the opportunity. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I love traveling to new countries, and I love meeting missionaries and hearing their stories. This is a fantastic opportunity to do both.

Before I sign off, I have to apologize for this post. I've been a little distracted at work today, and I needed to deflate my brain a little. The result: this thing, which I'm pretty sure is only legible because I had to type it. So, thank you for your forbearance, and look forward to the next post when I will hopefully be less circumlocutory.

No guarantees, though.