Spain, you've been good to us.

Well, this is it.

Our bags are nearly packed.

The bedroom is all cleaned out.

The To-Do in Sevilla checklists are complete.

We’ve done the hard part—said most of our goodbyes.

Can’t believe this is the end of our time in Spain. I have been a little stressed and headache-y this week just with all the emotions I have about leaving. These last 16 weeks have been more than a “trip to Spain.” It has been our life. And while I am SO pee-my-pants excited to go home for Christmas, the fact that we are leaving is not an easy thing to come to terms with. …But, come to terms I must, because a new thing is waiting just around the corner. “Look, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19) Our lives are crazy right now, but He is working within us all the time, making us new, shaping us and molding us whether we are home or abroad, in the wilderness or in the desert. So in this promise we wait for what He will show us in the adventures to come, meanwhile trying to process what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown in Spain.

I wanted to wrap up my Spain entries with a special tribute to those who have touched our lives the most while we were living in their country:

Zach and I mean it when we say we had the best host family experience ever. Sandra and Juan Lu have blessed us more than they will ever know. So many conversations, so many laughs, some tears even, so many mouth-watering meals, so many ‘Buenos Diases’ when we wake up in the mornings and ‘Buenas Nocheses ‘ before we go to bed at night. So much of what we’ve learned about Spanish culture has been learned through them alone. We have been loved and cared for so well, and sharing their home with them these last 4 months has been thee absolute best part about living in Spain.

 This guy is something else. John is from Nigeria but moved to Sevilla with his wife and baby son one year ago. He stands at the end of the bridge on our way to school every day of the week selling Kleenex packets for 1.50. Every day he does that—for like 8 hours. And honestly he gets turned down most of the time. With the crisis in Spain, nobody wants to spend change on Kleenex—especially when you can buy it for half the price at a store. How discouraging. Yet, John is always smiling. We have had many conversations on that bridge, and although he admits often that “It is not easy [life],” he always concludes with something hopeful. “Today is very good. But tomorrow will be even better.”

Rafa is the one I’ve shadowed and assisted at the Hospital de La Caridad, a giant old building that serves as a nursing home-like place for old men. I can’t believe I got so lucky—Rafa has all the qualities of the ideal doctor (he’s actually more like a nurse practictioner) that a student would want to shadow and learn from in school. He was always in a good mood, he didn’t just show me how to do things but actually let me help, and he always took the time to explain things more slowly in Spanish when I didn’t understand. There is something inspiring about watching a person who loves their job, do their job. Rafa knows every anciano in La Caridad—he knows them by name and the little details about their lives and how to joke around with them. I want to be that kind of nurse.

The two families I tutored for this semester were an incredible blessing to my life! Did not expect to have so much fun in their homes, chatting away with the children, making a few Euro per week. I would always be excitedly greeted at the door and offered tea and cookies while I sat and talked with the kids in English. Am beyond thankful that our paths crossed—will always thank God for letting that happen to me. Was so touched by their kindness and the way they welcomed me into their homes. Perhaps my favorite part was talking to the two oldest girls every week. As we got to know each other better, we become more comfortable talking about our lives. We were raised in completely different cultures and upbringings, but they are girls just like me, with the same dreams and hopes for the future, questions about life and love, stuff like that. We really connected, so this made it harder to say goodbye.

Marcos Antonio is a missionary from Cuba and is the youth pastor at the church we attended this semester. He and his wife are a super genuine couple with a passion for teaching others about Jesus and the life they can have in Him. Zach and I took to Marcos right away because he speaks such clear Spanish! Woohoo! He’d always take the time to talk to us after Sunday school every week, asking about our lives and how we were enjoying Spain. Thank you, Marcos, for showing Christ’s love to us foreigners trying to fit in in a new place! 

 

Well, friends, this is the end of our blog posts from Spain. For whoever you are that read my ramblings, I really want to thank you for taking the time to do that, and for your prayers. We are so grateful for friends like you! After Christmas, I'll resume writing when Husband and I arrive at our next destination: Guatemala!! Merry Christmas and Happy 2013! I love you all!!

Kristen & Zachary

2 lists.

The things I’m really going to miss in Spain:

The pigeons that love me for my food

Running in the park

Nano excitedly greeting us every time we walk in the front door

Buying a bag of 1 euro chuches when I’m on my way anywhere

Crossing the Guadalquiver every day

Sandra’s cooking

Being inspired by the people and enchanted by Sevilla daily

My boys and girls I tutor and their families!

The old men at La Caridad and learning from Rafa

Watching La Voz on Wednesday nights after dinner

Flamenco class

Sunday Las Palomas dates with Jenna & Hannah

The things I can’t wait to do when I get home:

Just be in the presence of family!! To talk and laugh and hug.

Get my hairs cut

Snuggle with Chloe on the couch

Drive my car

Wrap gifts while blaring Christmas music with cookies in da oven

Make some Spanish foods for the family

See the Hobbit and Les Mis

Christmas Eve Underwear Head Run

Play my piano

Frolick in the SNOW if it’s there

Get together with our friends!

Pack our bags for our next adventure in Guatemala 

Adios, España! You've been wild.

Comin' home soon!

He is near.

December 5. Am staring at the calendar in disbelief. And that’s all I have to say about that.

It is cold in this house. Very cold. I am currently wearing 3 layers of sweaters and socks and am bundled in the bed beneath 2 comforters. I was wearing gloves while I was reading a book earlier, but now I use bare hands to type. Kristen, do you remember the blazing hot and sweaty days in September when you longed for winter? Well, here you go. Good luck staying warm. J Having my roommate to sleep with at night is seriously the best thing ever.

Today Zach and I are grieving with the dear friends we live with right now. A close family member has just had a major cerebral hemorrhage all of a sudden yesterday, and it doesn’t look good. He is young and has a wife and kids. My heart aches so much for Sandra’s family as their lives have been turned upside down in an instant. She and Juan Lu leave this afternoon for the rest of the week to be near the hospital and with family in Jerez. Zach and I are praying and praying and I so wish there was more I could say or do… but what can you do? God, please spare his life.. and may this circumstance somehow bring them closer to You. And please guide Zachary and I in how we can be a light to them in this horribly sad situation.

Kristen

humor and hospitality.

I absolutely love when Sandra and Juan Lu get worked up about something at the dinner table because it is so entertaining to watch and hear them talk. It’s like, way better than watching the tele.  I cannot believe human beings are capable of speaking that rapidly; we should make a video of them talking like that to each other to show everyone just how impressive and intimidating Andalucian Spanish can be. Plus their expressions cause us to giggle uncontrollably. To the point of all out-laughter, and the funny thing is that they don’t even mind our pure beguilement—without flinching, their voices continue to rise and their whole body gets into it until I think they are going to fall out of their chairs! (Okay, so maybe they secretly get a kick out of our amusement; I hope so!) It is such a show. I am really going to miss this.

Tonight the vexation was their phone company. I truly feel for them—Spanish phone companies sound just plain awful in regards to customer service. The couple was irritated to the max today, this Zach and I know, because it was the only topic of discussion at both lunch and dinner. Hombre.

When these kind of comical mealtimes occur, Sandra and Juan Lu are not getting mad at each other, in fact, they never argue in front of us. They just like to vent about ordinary life problems with one another and with us. I have loved getting to know these two in such wonderful detail. They have truly shared their lives with us. Not just their home and shower and washing machine. But who they are. What makes him Juan. What makes her Sandra. They are such beautiful people, these two. Although they don’t realize it and are not really trying, we see Jesus in them. In small and big ways. Their hospitality throughout the entire semester has been incredible. So impacting, actually, that Zach and I have been inspired to open our home to study-abroad students someday. We think that’d be so cool. Worthwhile and life-enriching. I just need to learn how to cook first. J

what Thanksgiving was like.

Two days ago Zach & I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together here in Sevilla! Have to admit that it did not feel like Thanksgiving at all. I tried really hard to feel it. And by “it,” I don’t mean the thankfulness part, but just that feeling, that ambiance, that sentiment I feel when I’m at home surrounded by family and food all day and the football game on in the living room and the happy Chloe running between my legs and the feeling of the cold autumn air rushing in when the front door swings open. I tried to imagine it but it was kind of hard, especially when the holiday just doesn’t exist in Spain. Haven’t felt the familiarity of “home,” whether it be at my parents’ house or the Borchardts, for so long it seems. After getting married to my best friend, “home” has taken on a different meaning. It’s simply wherever and whenever I’m with Zach. We both longed for our families, but were reminded that this year is particularly meant to strengthen our dependence on each other. A wonderful thing for our marriage. Here’s how the day went:

No classes for Zach, so we got to sleep in.

I still made my visit to La Caridad, where I took a fair share of blood pressures. (The men basically line up out the door to get it taken on Thursdays. They like to know their stats. J) I learned that my saint’s (Santa Cristina) day is July 24^th. [Every day, all 365 of them, is a particular saint’s “day” here in Spain. Saint Cristina was a young martyr in Italy in the 9^th century who was beheaded when the attempt to drown her failed… boy. Cristina, you poor thing, I salute you. And I look forward to meeting you someday.]

Later, I was passing out meds in el comedor when an old man named Pachón tried to get my attention. I’ll admit to mentally writing him off as a little crazy in the past when we’ve interacted. He doesn’t always seem to be all there.  On this particular morning he was holding up both hands, demonstrating 5 and 1 (in reference to the weekend’s futbol game outcome) and shouting something about Sevilla beating Betis. Rafa noticed my confusion and explained, “He’s telling you about the game this weekend.” He looked at the old man. “Have you told Cristina you used to play for Sevilla?” He shook his head no; my mouth gaped open in disbelief. I asked Pachón if Rafa’s words were true. He nodded proudly, and Rafa told me to wait as he ran up to the old man’s bedroom to retrieve a photo. Pachón started mumbling some things about futbol, I think, (he is very hard to understand!), and soon Rafa was back and the 3 of us looked on at the old framed black-and-white picture together, Pachón recalling every teammate’s name perfectly. The old man was Sevilla’s 1948-1949 goalie. I was very impressed to say the least, and equally delighted to discover this little fact about ‘just another old man’ at La Caridad. Now I’ll know what to talk about with him next time we meet. :)

Lunchtime brought good pasta and conversation with Sandra and Juan Lu. We tried to explain why we celebrate Thanksgiving in America but they didn’t really understand. Their response to Zach’s and my over-simplified explanation of “Thanksgiving started when the pilgrims came to America and had a feast with their Native American friends” was, “That’s a little strange, no?” Haha.  Of course it made more sense to just explain that traditionally it’s a holiday meant for the gathering of family with a lot of food involved and reflecting on the blessings that God’s given. But this just led to the couple asking, Well what about the poor? How can they be thankful when they have nothing? At these questions I started to feel very uncomfortable, probably because I’ve been wrestling with the same types of questions lately… Of course, now I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about the ironic event that happens only in America the day after we celebrate all the things we’re thankful for. This really would have baffled them.

So after lunch I just felt a little unsettled. Maybe because I just wanted this particular aspect of my culture to be understood by these Spaniards whom I love. And for sure I was missing our families. Was grateful to have Zach to confide these things to, yet even more grateful to know that the Lord saw my uneasiness and longings as He always does. There is such peace in that.

Whatever distresses I was finding myself in earlier in the day were soon forgotten when I went to tutor my girls later that evening. They are my suns, those kids. So precious in their own ways, all 6 of them. It was a Marta and Mercedes night, and we talked about girly stuff like usual. They love talking about boys and asking about being married and showing me pictures of when they were little. On this night I discovered their talent for doing hair. I felt myself just beaming as they chatted away while twisting my hair and shoving bobby pins here and there. They were readying me for the special Thanksgiving dinner I was going to right after leaving their home, and dang I looked good. ;)

The rest of Thanksgiving evening consisted of a fancy dinner with the other American students at a Cuban restaurant complete with American-ish foods, gifts, friends and laughter, pumpkin flan, and best of all: Salsa dancing! Zachary and I didn’t make it home until close to one in the morning, and by that time my Menchaca family back home in Columbus was gathered around waiting for a Skype call. Getting to see all their faces, including Chloe, on one screen contented my heart and was the perfect ending to the day.

And just like that, as I am typing this novel of a blog-post late into the night, another weekend has ended. The next 3 weeks to come will be busy, and I aim to post shorter entries more frequently! We’ll see how that goes..

To you, kind reader, 

                     with love,

                              from Spain.

                                           Kristen

                                            xoxo

lately.ramblings.

I have literal “warm fuzzies” right now as I sit here and type on the sofa, ending the day. Nano’s little warm puppy body is sleeping on my belly. His head is resting on my right hand—don’t know how he could be the least bit comfortable as my hand constantly moves in order to type. Yet, he stays. He grunts every once in awhile, too. I think my soul is smiling.

So, I spoke too soon (in reference to our continuing good health in the last post) and did indeed get sick this week… Think I am over the worst of it; hopefully it will clear up completely in a couple days. Just had a case of a tortuously scratchy throat, a head as heavy as a bowling ball and very congested, and a nose that would not stop running… fun stuff like that, you know. (The overall BEST part of getting sick? Not being able to taste a thing. Sandra made us our favorite soup Wednesday night—it felt like water running down my throat. I almost cried.)

Despite the miserable symptoms and even a few not-so-restful nights, I have been having a wonderful week. So wonderful, in fact, that I’ve realized I’m kind of actually over the homesick phase that happened around the 2.5 – 3 month point and now feel this odd sense of, I live here. This feels like home. And I don’t really want to leave in a month. I don’t.

I made a commitment to myself last week that I would finish strong. I asked Jesus to place in my daily Sevilla life opportunities to make my last moments here the most memorable ones. The truth is though, He is always giving us those opportunities to live daily life more meaningfully. We just have to get up and snatch ‘em. Our home and way of life in Sevilla has become so natural to us. We know how to get around our neighborhood like we’ve lived here for years. I used to feel so awkward at big-city living but now I’m pretty sure I could take the metro to my job in my sleep. We’ve become regular friends with the young frutería woman down the street, the sweet old couple 2 floors beneath us, the Nigerian man who sells Kleenex on the bridge, the homeless Spaniard who sits in the street on our way to the school, and the Hungarian woman who works in the coffee shop who helps me with my Spanish. What I’m trying to say is that the newness of living in Spain wore off awhile ago, and instead of these last few weeks dwindling down to Oh, hurry up and get here December 15^th!, it is my heart’s desire to make these last days count. I want to have those kind of moments and interactions with people that make my heart swell and explode in thankfulness to God for this life I get to live so briefly.

Week 12 held many of these heart-swell moments I speak of. They’re the little things.

Like getting to assist the doctor caring for an old man’s pretty infected toenail at La Caridad.

Like seeing Rafa’s (the doctor) face beam when he realizes I finally understand perfectly what he is trying to teach me about Sintrom (the Spanish equivalent of the anticoagulant medication we know as Warfarin).

Like painting nails with the 18-year old Marta, one of the girls I tutor in English. (She laughed when I told her I wanted all different colored-nails because that’s what Zach likes best.)

Like leaving the apartment of the Peña family, all of them gathered at the door to say Goodbye over and over to me after a tutoring hour with the kids. Oh how I’ve been spoiled with that family.

Like watching Sandra reminisce upon showing us a bunch of old photos of her and her family through the years. We talk about family and how it’s like the best, most important thing.

Like getting our friend John (the man on the bridge) to tell us about his wife and kid, and hearing about his dream to make a better life for them all in the US someday.

And like dancing in the living room with Zachary, trying to polish our flamenco moves for the “recital” in a few weeks but only tripping over feet and getting dizzy and doubling over in laughter at how silly we must look.

And I reread everything I’ve just typed and think, you know these are just everyday normal things. Nothing crazy or life-changing.  But they’re gifts, all of them. I had to make the choice to see them as such. Alas, this post has turned into another cheesy reflection just like my last one was, and I feel kind of dumb. I’m such a sap, lately. Living my first married days out in Spain has probably made me so. But probably also the fact that I feel like I’ve grown so much closer to God through the hearts of other people.

     He is everywhere. In the Christian. In the non-Christian. In the beauty of nature. But also among the messy city streets. I see Him in the times of plenty. And also He is present in these times of economic hardship for the Spanish people. Has been really eye-opening to live here, and it’s just my prayer that Zach and I can continue to be moved by a God who is everywhere, who dwells in the heart of humanity, in all people whether they are at the end of themselves or  have finally come to understand how to live an abundant life in Him.

What about those in the middle? Yeah, He is especially there. 

Take heart,

Kristen

p.s. Mom and Dad Menchaca/Borchardt: the Nov 14 General Strike day throughout Spain was fine and we are okay. There were a bunch of shouting people in the streets with signs, and they vandalized some ATM machines and other things in the Center and there was trash everywhere, but it didn't get too heated like I heard it did in Madrid. Decided not to tell you about the country's strike day until after it happened and not before:) love you!! xoxo

the thankful post.

It is weird to look at the calendar that hangs on our bedroom wall and realize that our time in Spain is well over half-way through.  Stranger yet to think that in less than 2 months Zach and I will be on another plane, one bound for Guatemala. What a crazy year this is! Incredibly grateful for it. If anyone would have told me 5 years ago that my 22^nd year of life would have taken such a twist, I would have said SHUT. UP.

I’m noticing an I’m Thankful For trend that’s spread over facebook lately. That’s pretty cool, I guess. I’m convinced that a heart full of thankfulness opens up the windows of heaven, the door to His treasures— true riches like joy, and peace. Gratitude enables me to perceive God more clearly and to rejoice in the all-fulfilling relationship we have together. I have a HUGE list of thankfuls; they seem countless—as I know yours are too! My number one is for the life I know in Christ and the glorious adventure He has taken me on as His follower. Life in Christ means He is always doing something new in me. Now, that can be exciting, and that can also be scary! But if it means getting to know Him in greater depth and breadth, then heck yes Jesus, show me the way.

Other things I’m grateful for lately:

·         The best friend I have in Zachary. What’s more is that we’re also lovers. Lucky me:)

·         Rain boots and my umbrella, as it’s been raining almost every day for a couple of weeks.

·         Health! Besides some upset stomachs here and there, we haven’t fallen ill once on this trip.

·         Diverse people that color our planet and teach us things we'd otherwise have been blind to had we not stepped outside our front doors.

·         The hard things, the struggles, the questions. All these shape me and give me opportunity to give up my control and instead, trust.

·         Puppies.

·         The fact that Christmas is right around the corner which means GOING HOME to heated houses and sugar cookies and the faces and embraces of the people we love fiercely.

·         America and Obama and all our other leaders.

·         All the opportunities to hear and practice Spanish every day.

·         Having a job in Spain!

·         Time. I have so much time. Some days it gets annoying, but I’ve learned to see it as a gift from God. In my spare time I’ve got to read so much! For my own interests, too, not just textbooks—hallelujah.

·         Grace. I’ve needed a lot of that lately.

Woohoo! That felt good. Being thankful is actually super fun. And it is impossible to spend too much time thanking and praising Him. After all, that’s what we were first and foremost created for! To glorify Yahweh.

Peace, amigos! Thanks for tuning in.

Kristen

dirty, wet socks.

That is what our bedroom has smelled like for the past half week.

This is because wet socks and other clothing items sit all happily mixed together in the dirty clothes hamper in our room and just smell up the place. (aaaand laundry day isn’t for 5 more days, people.)

The wet socks are due to the fact that lately we have had SO. much. rain. It was all moody, too. Like it would come down in torrents and then drizzle off and on and then pour furiously again and then just when you think the streets have seen enough for a day, it would surprise-attack-tsunami all over again right when I decided I was good to go out for a run. I got caught umbrella-less like 5 times this week. At first the romantic in me thought it was delightful. Then it just got annoying.

Finally, a day with no rain! I just had to get out of the house today (Saturday). Fall Break is here and Zachary has the whole next week off from classes. Today we bought bus tickets with our friend Katie to travel to Matalascañas tomorrow (a journey that will involve camels! Can’t wait!), shopped around in an indoor mercado, ordered tea and sweet things at possibly our new favorite neighborhood pastelería, and discovered a new book store for Husband—where I waited patiently while he got all wide-eyed and salivated over every book he picked up. :) Zach in a bookstore makes me think of children in candy shops or myself in a park full of bushy-tailed squirrels. 

Spending so much time with this guy has truly been a blessing. I know couples whose schedules are so busy that they don’t see each other more than an hour a day. I am pretty sure that this will be us in a year, with Zach teaching and myself working probably very strange hours as a nurse, so I just feel so stinkin lucky to have received this chance to simply live life almost literally side-by-side my best friend for 3/4 of our first married year. It is thee best. Of course, with the all the close-quartersness comes the picking up on each other’s quirks and habits all the more quickly. I asked him today what kinds of new things he’s learned about me in these last 3-ish months. His initial response: “Umm…all the things that make you crabby??”  haha. It’s true—he has learned this. I admit to becoming unnecessarily crabby when I’m stressed or emotional. My family can attest.

One of my favorite things about my husband though, is that I believe he has sort of unlocked a key (that most people don’t know about) as to how to snap me out of this grumpiness. It’s as easy as this: he laughs at me. Like, he really laughs. I don’t know why his laughter doesn’t push me over the edge from crabby to mad, but somehow this response usually makes me realize how silly the thing I’m cranky about really is. My mom is also very good at this art, although I’ve never credited her for it. (Was always so exasperating trying not to break a smile when I was “mad” about something and she would try to make me laugh. J Oh, Mom, you’re awesome.) 

Laughing at ourselves for being dumb is really a great practice, and humbling. I think the whole laugh-at-our-mistakes thing is certainly a fine ingredient for a good marriage, as is building a lifestyle together of embracing each other’s acute weirdness.

52 days more.

Rainy days make me miss home. 
                                                      

Mostly people.
                                                     

Like these guys.

and then it got chilly.

But that’s all. Just chilly.

And that’s just in the mornings.

Once noon rolls around, it’s warm again and I throw my cardigan in the bike basket. The sun feels so good on my face and I want to stay in it all day; I’ve never known a mid-October that was so deliciously sunny. However, facebook reminds me that all y’all back home are experiencing my favorite season with your pumpkin spice lattes and crunchy leaves and hoodies, and I am super jealous. Sevilla will eventually get cold, but the palm trees don’t change colors and there are no American football games to bring blankets to. I have been denying the fact that Zach and I will be missing out on autumn this year, but now I think it’s finally time to accept it.

...accepted.

And now I shall go run in the park in my shorts and t-shirt.

No but really. Things have gone back to normal now that the exciting family week has come and gone. After the fam left, Zach and I enjoyed the rest of the weekend quietly by ourselves in our apartment. We decided to make Sat night a date night and walked to the movie theaters to see this:

Portrayed the true story of a Spanish family who barely survived the Thailand 2004 tsunami. Before it started I bought a whole bolsa of gummies and could hardly finish them because I got so intensely wrapped up in the horror of the events unfolding. Was a very good film that I totally recommend. Made me think a lot about the bonds of family, where God is in crises like that, and the role I could valiantly claim as a nurse during a natural disaster someday.

Sunday morning we decided to rest. Slept in, bought groceries to make a simple lunch on the balcony, and got caught up on Modern Family. When nighttime fell we ventured across town to Sevilla’s annual month-long Festival of Nations. I bought Zach a Columbian beer and he bought me pretty Indian pants.

This week has consisted of the usual: Zach at class and myself at La Caridad in the mornings. Flamenco class on Monday night (we are so not graceful people, Zach and I. But it’s great exercise and we get to laugh quite a bit at ourselves—a win-win.), Encuentro, our student worship service held on Wednesday night, a Bible-study I attend with some of the girls from the school on Thursday night, and my English tutoring sessions four nights of the week. Here is my youngest chico giving me a special recorder concert during our half-hour together:

He’s the 10 year old with the cutest dimples, Ignacio. When he found out I hadn’t tried Gaspacho yet (this was at our very first meeting—like a month ago) he begged his mom to make some for me sometime. Since then I’ve tried it and discovered that it happens to be the only Spanish meal (besides octopus) that I have a really hard time eating. On Monday, he was so excited to let me try it, as his mom had made it the past weekend and had leftovers. Of course, I didn’t tell him that I already tried it and hated it, so as he and his mother sat close by and eagerly watched I forced the cold, orange, tomato-onion-vinegar slimy stuff down my throat and marveled, “Oh, it’s different... but I love it!”

How could I tell them I didn’t like it? I just couldn’t.

Tuesday afternoon I participated in a small cooking class put on by Ana, the day receptionist at Zach’s school. So much fun! She taught us how to make some traditional foods: paella con pollo (rice with veggies and chicken), a green bean and tomato dish, and tortillas (not the kind you’re thinking but the Spanish kind—you use eggs and potato slices). We chopped and peeled a lot of vegetables and didn’t spend too much time in the kitchen actually cooking, so I don’t know if I’d be able to reproduce exactly the finished product from memory. But I have the recipes! Am definitely holding on to those.

Sandra finally let me help her make lasagna this afternoon after I pleaded, but sadly this is the end of my Spanish cooking experiences thus far. Sandra and Juan Lu hardly ever let us help them prepare meals (understandably so—there is just not enough room in the kitchen. Also they are super fast and we’d probably slow them down.) Thus my wifely cooking duties are delayed for the time being. I know you have all been just dying to know if Spain has turned me into a better cook, so, there you go. So sorry.  :)

Hey, happy weekend!  If you’re reading this, a great big beso for you. xxXXX!!!

Kristen

the Borchardts visit Spain

Having planted ourselves and belongings in a few seats at a terminal in Madrid, we wait for our new favorite method of transportation to arrive: the bullet train! Way comfier than a car, bus, or plane, it will zoom us home to Sevilla in under three hours. Besides the miles upon miles of legroom we’ll be spoiled by, I’m also looking forward to being mesmerized once again by the Spanish countryside, with all its mountains and old abandoned fortresses and goat pastures and olive groves.  And a cup o’ tea with my honey beside me.

Said goodbye to my sweet and silly Borchardt family this morning! I love them so. Again and again I’m reminded of how blessed I am to be married to Zach and thus have his family live life with us, too. We had so much fun this week showing John and the girls around Sevilla and exploring Madrid. We tried new restaurants and introduced them to Spain’s delicious cuisine, toured Sevilla’s cathedral and climbed the 35 floors of La Giralda, walked the city streets by night and took a boat tour down the Gualdavivir by day, introduced them to Juan Lu and Sandra in our apartment and got dinner with them one evening, saw a flamenco show, met up with my friend Frank John in Madrid, laughed a lot, ate a lot, got caught up to speed in each other’s lives a lot, and may have had too much wine a lot. J  Gooood good times.

Perhaps a highlight of their visit for me was seeing them light up with awe at all the fascinating things Spanish culture offers the foreigner. This was their first encounter with Europe (first encounter in another country altogether for John and Mandy) and they loved it! Zach and I enjoyed teaching them what we’ve learned living here thus far, and of course the family was super impressed with Zach’s ability to communicate basically everything with Spaniards, and rightly so. He is darn good. John, Mandy, and Nicole—if you’re reading this, I want to tell you how impressed I was with your attitude of having no expectations for the trip, for trying so many new things, for being brave and using the Spanish you know, and for so quickly adopting our way of life here that is summed up in the phrase, “It’s Spain, no pasa nada!” if anything threatened to spoil plans or expectations. You guys are excellent travelers in my book. Few things thrill me more than experiencing new places in this beautiful world and when I come across people who understand that same delight and wonder, I can’t help but praise Him.

In other news:

It has happened. I had my first dream in which I was speaking Spanish.

Husband watches preschool children’s shows and reads children’s dragon fantasy novels now.

One year ago on this very day Zach asked me to marry hiiiimmmm! Was the day before Fall Break; I remember it all so clearly:)

I ate pineapple every morning for breakfast this week. Therefore I’m rockin two canker sores right now.

Visiting Madrid confirmed for me that I am not and will never be a big-city resident. No can do. It had great shopping though.

                                                             i love Zach and my seeesters! 

                                                                             Madrid.

                                   Trying all kinds of stuff at Los Gatos with our friend Frank John!

                                                                  Soul Father loves Spain:)