He goes on ahead of us...

He goes on ahead of us…

It seems unbelievable that just a few weeks ago I was home/visiting Houghton and struggling with saying goodbyes and wondering what would follow leaving everything familiar and comfortable behind. And while those goodbyes were extremely difficult, it has been so clear to me that the Lord goes on ahead of us—Psalm 23. “It is difficult for us to go, but equally difficult for Him to cause us pain. Yet it must be done. It would not be in our best interest to always remain in one happy and comfortable location. Therefore He moves us forward.” He moves us forward—and it has been into a whirlwind of new experiences, culture, people, foods, places…everything, ever since “cruce el charco” (a Spanish phrase for going to America: “I crossed the puddle”).

As I described in my first entry, I didn’t know very much about what to expect in Spain. I was so torn about leaving Houghton, missing track season, being gone for such a long time…and all of this sacrifice for what? Well, as I should have expected, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” So, while leaving everyone wasn’t easy—and I do miss you all!—I have been delighted by the ease of the beginning of my transition. I am so blessed to be here, and am so thankful for a smooth and fun-filled first two weeks. But I need to remind myself that I will actually be here for 4 months. I am trying to find balance—between all the goals, expectations and pressures I have been putting on myself. Obviously, my greatest goal is to improve my fluency en español while I’m here, and I have been getting to practice a lot with all of my classes in Spanish and the experience of living with a host family, but English easily finds its way into my days. I don’t feel any drastic improvements yet, but I don’t think this experience will necessarily be one of instant gratification—I have however, been feeling much more confident in my speaking, and at least am getting over my nerves/fears of talking to Spaniards, but I need to be realistic that it will take time and I most likely will not be fluent in only 4 months. I also have made some really good (American) friends already, and I really like spending time with them—which has made me a little less motivated to go out seeking Spanish friends (which I really want too). And, while, I am also here for academics, I want to experience the culture and see all that Sevilla and España have to offer! We took a little field trip to Córdoba—a small city about 2 hours away from Sevilla and visited la Mezquita, which is a Mosque/Cathedral built between the 8th-10th centuries, that we had been studying in my art history class. It’s quite the combination of incredible Muslim and Christian architecture (the Cathedral was built inside part of the Mosque). It’s so cool to be able to go out and literally walk through and see what you’ve been studying—everything is so applicable. I study grammar and go home and speak with my host family, and I finally am able to experience all of the foods and culture I’ve learned about for so long. I’m trying to be content with the present, but I keep wondering about what’s to come—this adventure has only just begun!

A few pictures from La Mezquita in Cordoba