Personal Growth!

Hi everyone!
I have decided that this blog is not just going to be about me living in Spain and going to school, but more about my personal growth and the journey of Michelle!
The past two weeks have been super busy, but exciting! My last update was on the 5th of October and since then so much has happened. That Tuesday (Oct.6) Universidad de Malaga had the official study abroad welcome party. It was very nice and well put together with welcome gifts, music and food. It was so packed; there were about 300 or more students there. I didn't realized how popular UMA was and that so many people were studying abroad. It's great for me because I have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world; from Italy, Germany, Holland, and even the small country of Slovenia (Ilona P. ; D ) and also experience learn about their cultures. Everyday I thank God for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity, to not only experience living in a different country and culture but meeting wonderful people and learning so much about them and MYSELF. Also, that night my dorm had like an orientation or initiation (a better word for it) for the 1st year students. They had various activities and competitions for the students, it was really entertaining. Here are a couple of pictures from that night:

October 8th marked the 1-month mark! I know right, only a month; it feels like so much longer. But I love it here and everyday is a learning experience.
On a personal note, I met someone . . .
One of my friends here was throwing a party on the 8th (a Thursday), I usually like to keep my partying to the weekends but I just decided why not. So I am at the party having a ball and just enjoying myself. And then this guy approaches me and kept my attention for the rest of the night. We just talked for the rest of the night . . .in the club. And I don't know why but he intrigued me because he wasn't just focusing on that moment but the next day. Meaning at that moment, he was already asking me my plans for Friday. Which kind of caught me off guard, but I just went with the flow. That next day we had our first date, which was so romantic; it almost felt like I was in a dream, like this is something out of a movie. We went to a restaurant on a beach and just sat and talked for hours, about everything without hesitation. And the weekend just kept getting better, the next day we went to a fair with two of the girls from my residence, which was different but I enjoyed myself! A lot of the women and even little girls were dressed up in flamenco outfits. My friend said that its tradition that when its in your town to dress up in various flamenco outfits, even the men. Later on that night we went to Portugal for a weekend, since we didn't have school on Monday because it was Columbus Day. That night we left for Sagres, Portugal, which has to be the most serene place ever. I absolutely had the best weekend, vacation, and getaway ever. : ) Here is a picture of what I woke up to the morning I arrived:
As you can see I am truly stepping outside of my comfort zone but going with the flow of things. However, I am not crazy and I am still on my P's and Q's at all times! Praying that God protects me at all times and keeps me on my right path, learning to embrace what he has for my life!
But that's just my personal tid bit . . . ; D
Well back to school . . . my classes are going good and I officially registered on Thursday (Oct. 15), so I am now an official student and should be getting my ID card this week. I really like my teachers and I am glad to say that I understanding what's going on and not getting lost in class. And thanks to my recorder, the greatest thing ever, if I do not understand something in class I can always review it later. And if you didn't know, all my classes are in Spanish; I am at a Spanish University with Spanish students, and all my homework is in Spanish. That's why I have been so busy; I have been translating essays to Spanish, doing economics work, and reading for my history class. One thing I must say is that I am surprised by the study ethic here. At all times the students are studying! Plus the dorm that I am staying at has tutoring classes in the afternoon for the difficult and high concentration majors. Which I think is really beneficial and makes this place worth every penny.
This past weekend, (16th -18th) I took my braids out and am now rocking the natural hair. I did a hot oil treatment on my hair, made my own conditioner, and styled my hair. If you know me personally, you know that this is a big step for me because I have been blessed to always have someone else to do my hair, not that I don't know how to do hair . . . just not my own. And with the help of many YouTube tutorials for natural hair, I am taking care of my hair myself! I am really proud of myself, because it feels like I am taking that next step in growing up and doing me. Plus, I am going to start back crocheting. For those that don't know, I am very good at crocheting and have made blankets, purses, scarves, etc. in the past and have decided to pick it back up again. But doing something a little different, I am going to start crocheting various hair accessories to accentuate my new do. YAY!!!, I am really excited to see how much I am growing as a person, both inside and out!

Please continue to keep me in your prayers and thank you family and friends for your continued support and encouragement!

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