magnolias, pizza, and sweating

We end a Friday night at home, it’s 12:30 am. Zach and Juan-Lu have been talking together for awhile, really getting into a conversation about police tickets and traffic in Seville. J Juan Lu really likes Zach, I can tell. They talk about everything, sometimes one topic for more than half an hour. We are learning that Spaniards are very long-winded and will go on and on about something for a long time. It’s not rude to interrupt, and many times you just have to interrupt to get a word in edgewise! Zach puts in a lot of time listening and asking questions with our host couple every day. He’s already fitting right in practicing the Spanish accent (they speak with a lisp when making most “s” sounds—it’s really quite endearing actually!) and using the verb form unique to Spain. Sandra y Juan-Lu are wonderful teachers; they love to enlighten us, and we love to learn from them!

This morning was spent at the school while Zach and the others met with the professors and got registered individually for classes this semester. Lunch was yet another masterpiece by Sandra-- it’s like eating in a restaurant for every meal! I gotta start taking some photos of the food she prepares. Siestas are a must this week, so a two-hour nap followed lunch again today. We laid in bed just sweating. Kind of like I am doing now… Sevilla is hot! Is hard to believe that once November hits, it will be very, very cold.

This evening all we Acento students gathered at one of the many beautiful, lush green parks in this city for games and pizza. A large part of the Sevillan population are very active; one can always see runners and bicyclists out and families pushing children in strollers and people walking dogs or simply strolling through the park. Enormous magnolia trees fill the parks; they are my new favorite trees! Many of the flowering bushes/trees are still in bloom this late in the summer, so there is so much color and sweet aroma-ness going on as well. It’s enchanting.

After dinner and mingling with our American friends in the park, a group of us took all the leftover pizza boxes and walked through the neighborhood, trying to find homeless people to give the food to. There is something about seeing the spirits of another being lifted from such a simple act of kindness. It’s good for us to realize, too, that in order to get to know the people of this city, which is what we desire to do, we need to put ourselves out there and reach out to them. Spaniards do not just come up to foreigners and beg to be friends. It will take courage, especially with my feelings of inadequacy with the language, but how enriching it would be to get to know some of the locals!

Ahh… my eyes are heavy. Happy weekend, all! I leave you with only three photos again because it takes FOREVER to download just one. The first is La Catedral in central Sevilla, which we can see from our apartment. :) Isn't it magnificent? 

Here is a magnolia tree! Oh how I'd love to be a monkey in one of those.

And here was the full moon against a purple sky earlier this evening. 

Muchos abrazos y besitos! (many hugs and kisses!) xoxo

Love, Zach & Kristen

day one

Spanish salutations from Sevilla, friends and family! My love and I are weary from a long trip overseas and a full day of more traveling/immersing into our new home, yet we settle in for the night with all the aliveness of heart that comes with reaching the long-awaited destination we've dreamed about together for so many months. We are here, we are safe, we were warmly welcomed and well-fed, and most importantly our heads are already spinning because of how fast the Spanish language is spoken here. Zach amazes me with how well he keeps up; he contributes so much to conversation while I maybe get a few jumbled strings of words in here and there. I am so thankful to have him right next to me to clarify when I am literally lost in translation... Woooo! It's incredible how much you can learn in a day though! We are so so so excited to be here and surrounded by Spanish speakers, and very grateful for this opportunity.

Our flight was very smooth; by the far the least stressful trip by plane we've ever experienced. It was fun to meet up with a few friends from Northwestern and chit chat with some new people at the airport, all of whom are also participating in the Spain Semester, but once Zach and I sat down on the plane we meant business-- whippin out the English-Spanish dictionary, reviewing phrases and vocab with each other, and watching a movie in Spanish. :)

Sevilla greeted us around 1:30 pm with many palm trees, bright sun, and humidity. We were shuttled right away to the neighborhoods where we will live for the next 3.5 months. We live in an area called Triana. Zach's and my first impression of our host couple?? Pure awesomeness. How do you translate that? Alejandra (Sandra) and Juan Luis (Juan-Lu) are the cutest young married couple with a just-as-cute little apartment on the 5th floor of a tall building. Oh, and just when you think things can't get cuter, you trip over their teeny tiny size-of-Zach's-foot teacup Yorkie pup called Nano.

We experienced such a wonderful afternoon with these two, discussing all sorts of topics (of course I'm mainly trying super hard to understand and am just nodding my head the whole time), indulging in Sandra's delicious Spanish wonders for lunch and dinner (she cooks only with oil, not butter! I love it!) and watching the Madrid vs. Barcelona soccer game on television. Was good for Zach and I to spend some time alone together as well, as we explored the neighborhood a bit and had a chance to sit out on the balcony together before dinner.

This is just the beginning, and we have been blessed in every way already! Thank you to all who've encouraged us and prayed for our travels. Pictures and videos and more written sentiments from us both are on the way. All praise be to our God who stirs in every human heart beauty and adventure in some shape or form. "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

just took 3 photos today. sorry, they're really boring! airport, first view of sevilla, and view from our bedroom window.