Hi everyone, I am sorry that I haven't been able to update my blog like I thought I would. I have been so busy with school projects, homework, teaching English at an elementary school, and developing an English guide for the school. As you can see, I have been very busy.
I am now on holiday in London, England for three weeks with my friend Silvana. I was unable to go home for Christmas and she so graciously invited me to spend the break with her family.
Now I am going to give you all a quick update on my life in Spain . . . (November 20th to December
Over the past month I have joined a Christian organization called Agape. Their main mission is spreading the word of God and implementing Christian organizations on university campuses. On the weekend of Nov 20th - 22nd I went on a Christian Retreat in a pueblo called Villanueva de Trabuco. The entire retreat was in Spanish and it had to be one of best things I have done so far in Spain. The retreat was focused on telling your testimony on your walk with God and the importance of developing a relationship with him. The weekend was very powerful for me, it's one thing to praise God and talk to him in one language but to learn how to do it in Spanish is just WOW! I bought a Spanish bible, so I am now reading the word of God in Spanish and developing a deeper relationship with Christ. Here is a picture of the Agape group at the retreat:
I am so happy that I met and got involved with this group. I now go to bible study every Tuesday and church on Sunday's. That next week was Thanksgiving and to be honest I was sad because I thought it was going to be just another day. This would be my first Thanksgiving without my family or friends, but thanks to Agape it was more than wonderful. At the retreat we had planned to have Thanksgiving dinner and we assigned everyone to a dish. To add to my Thanksgiving, I decided to teach my kids about Thanksgiving and did hand turkey projects with all of my classes. It was really fun and a little intense because a lot of them didn't know what a turkey was!! That night we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with a Spanish twist. There were over 40 people that attended the Thanksgiving dinner and I even made sweet potato souffle.
The last picture below is of my new friend Eli, he is from Oregon and teaching at the same school as me. The first day I met him he said that he knew he was going to be homesick because he didn't know anybody. I told him that now he knows me and I will make sure that I introduce him
to great people and ensured that he wouldn't be homesick. So I invited him to Thanksgiving
dinner and he really enjoyed himself! That next day he invited me to Flamenco show and it was absolutely amazing. This was actually the first Flamenco show that I went to since I've been in Malaga.
That Sunday I went to my first Spanish church and it was really nice and the pastor gave a great message. I was sure the church was going to be a boring Catholic church but it was actually a a very energetic baptist church. I think that I might make this my church home while I am here.
That next Tuesday I went to bible study but this one was a little different. Since our friend Patri was going to get married that Saturday we ended up helping her with the wedding favors. To thank us she ordered Chinese food and before we ate we decided that we should all try praying in Spanish. And when it got to me I started crying and I really don't know why. Maybe I was scared or didn't want to mess up, I started praying but just couldn't finish. I had been telling God in the prior weeks that I would really like to be able to pray in Spanish and I guess actually having the chance to do it was scary. But it just lets me know that I have something else to work to. I know I can do it and I will.
The next day at La Comida y La Biblia I gave a speech on how There is a time for everything and Now is a time to finish. I did it mostly in Spanish but on some parts I had help. That was my first time speaking in public to Spanish speakers and then about the word of God. I was really nervous but I got through it and once I finished it felt good to know what I had just accomplished. If I didn't explain before, La comida y la biblia is where we meet every Wednesday and have lunch at the University and afterwards someone presents on a topic of interest and gives supporting verses from the bible. It's a really good opportunity to not only meet Spanish people and practice my Spanish but to study the word of God in Spanish.
On December 3rd I received my first paycheck!! My job is now official! : )
That Friday I went to the church with the other girls from my bible study and helped Patri by decorating the church for her wedding. It was really fun and my creative decorating skills that I learned from my mom were put to use. We were decorating the pews and it was looking uh, so I
suggested we put a bow on the ends. I remembered my mom teaching my sister and I how to do them a long time ago. They really liked the idea, so I ended up doing a bow on every other pew and it was very beautiful. The next day was the wedding and it was absolutely beautiful. This was my first Spanish wedding and I really enjoyed it. And the couple Omar and Patri are some of the kindest and greatest people you will ever meet. Here are some pictures from their wedding and reception.
That next week I went to dinner with my friend Rocio at a wonderful restaurant in the center called Gavum. We enjoyed a wonderful 4 course meal and finished it off with a dessert Lemon Mojito. The dinner was awesome and we talked until the restaurant closed. It's always great to spend quality with friends and catch up.
On the 10th my dorm had a Christmas Dinner Party, it was really nice. It's like a mini family staying there and the manager, Isabel is cried during her speech; she was talking about how it has been a privilege to know such wonderful students and how we are like here children. I also learned some Spanish Christmas songs and had some very interesting food.
The last week of school was a bit stressful because I was finishing up the English book for my job and working on portfolios and projects for class. But I made it through and finally received my UMA ID card, now I feel like an official UMA student.
I know it's a long update, but that's only the main things of this past month! : ) Now I am out of school and off to London for 3 weeks for Christmas Break!
