happy news

It’s morning. It’s RAINING. I’m at home and Zach has left for school. Nobody else is up in our apartment yet. Just took a little trip to the kitchen to fetch this tiny box of goodness:

Pinapple juice! Zach and I went looking for these in the Supermercado a couple days ago when we were both feeling a little “off,” …maybe you could even say sick. Must have only been a 24 hour deal though, which was a relief.

This morning I just wanted to write home about the incredible opportunities God’s placed in my lap here in Sevilla! I prayed so hard about this in the months before we left home—that I could find a purpose in the community and try to use my nursing/people skills somehow.  I wondered too about the possibilities of landing a small job to earn a little money, since I am so good at fretting about finances and Zach’s and my ability to make it 4 months in Spain with no income! Finding a job for pay seemed almost impossible after talking to people who know Spain and also investigating online how to go about finding temporary work in this country.

Well, I am just so pleased to say that I’ve been blessed with both of these things—a volunteer opportunity and a very part-time job teaching English! I am just floored at the way God has provided. He always does! And it is just so thrilling every time. Hombre.

This was my first week at Hospital de la Caridad (translated: the Charity Hospital). It is a huge, gorgeous and very old building founded in the 15^th century where its mission was to assist sick abandoned people. At present its mission still stands, as today it serves as a nursing home for over 80 older male residents, many who were poor and needy before they came to live here. I have so quickly fallen in love with this place and its people. I come twice a week in the mornings to learn from and assist the main morning doctor named Rafa. He is so great! Speaks pretty fast but he is enthusiastic to teach me and let me help. I know I just passed my State Nursing boards in June, but I feel oh-so-rusty on my nursing skills already. Ayyyy, that freaks me out a bit. But getting hands-on experience in this season when I’m not practicing my career yet is just what I need, thank you Lord! On the mornings that I’m not at the La Caridad, I’ve been making time to just sit on our balcony to list all the medical terms and phrases I can think of and then translate them to Spanish and MEMORIZE.

I’ve only been there twice so far, but I already have so much to say about La Caridad. I need to pace myself and save some for future posts. J One thing I have to express, however, is how precious the old men are! It frustrates me that we can’t always understand each other, but things like their mannerisms or the way they joke around with me and the other caregivers is just gosh darn cute.  Getting to know them reminds me of some of my favorite older-adult patients from different rotations in nursing school. My friend Katie, the Student Ministries Coordinator who totally rocked at setting me up at La Caridad, says this and I totally agree: Girls, if you are having low self-esteem issues or just really needing a pick-me-up, go spend some time at La Caridad. The older gentlemen are the best at making you feel like the prettiest woman in the world, no joke. It’s not in a creepy way either. Walk into the courtyard where they are hangin out in their wheelchairs and playing dominoes and you will get at least 3 different, “Guapísima!”s (basically, “hello Beautiful!”) in your direction. Gotta love it.

My English-teaching “classes” for 2 different families (but they are related and live down the street from each other) makes me smile just as much. Like, for reals. I have thee biggest smile on my face riding home on the metro after an hour with these people 4 nights a week. This has been my second week of “classes;” and I keep using those quotations marks because their sense of the word class is different than mine?? Essentially, I receive pay (in the form of Euros! So cool to say that!) to sit and have conversation in my native tongue with some really sweet kids/teenagers. They call it English class, but we are really just sitting and talking. J Hands down the easiest job I will ever have in my life. I have sessions with the beautiful Hernandez girls, Marta (18) and Mercedes (16), their brother, Manuel (12), and the Peña boys, Alfonso (14) and Ignacio (11). I am having way too much fun getting to know them and their parents. The kids are all very good at English since they’ve spent a lot of time with their families in Ireland and England during past summers.  They are so sweet to me and I am almost always very reluctant to leave their homes when our time is up.

During these last couple weeks we have been beginning to form some really wonderful relationships with Spaniards; I speak for Zachary, as well. I guess I didn’t expect to be blessed in this way to this extent and it’s hard for me to realize that we are only for such a short time… Will try not to think about that too much yet, as we’ve only been here 1 month. (ONE MONTH! Where does the time go?!) Finding myself delighting in this part of the world not only because of the sights and fun trips we get to take, but because these relationships we start building begin to nestle their way deep into my heart. Which seems dangerous knowing that an end to our time here comes quicker than we think, and good-byes just plain suck. However, meaningful friendships are the nitty-gritty of LIFE. There is something even more precious about the fact that someone can be a dear friend not because you talk about everything under the sun together (which is what I’d love to do but cannot do in Spanish with my Spanish friends) but because of the special moments of life that you share together. Kinda puts a new spin on relationships for me.

Hmmm, where was I even going with this? I am so great at rambling. Basically what I mean to say is that I am so grateful to our Maker for giving us the ability to love and be loved. We are experiencing all kinds of that in our time here, and inside me I feel it overflowing and just…so much joy.

Congrats to you if you made it this far…twas a long post. Although I am still soaking in every day in Spain, I want you all to know how much my heart also longs for my home and family and dear friends! Miss you guys like crazy.

All my love,

Kristen

da beach and stuff

Husband and I took a trip to Lagos, Portugal this past weekend! I rarely get to see the ocean, and its blue vastness takes my breath away every time. The Atlantic is freezing cold! Nevertheless, we warmed up to it on Saturday and really, it’s not so bad once you make yourself stay in for about 10 minutes. Even more than swimming we enjoyed exploring the colorful coast. Along all the yellows and reds and browns of the rocky cliffs above the water were many little trails consisting of all kinds of beautiful plant life. Seagulls cawing overhead. The sound of waves hitting the shore beneath us. Little sailboats dotting the huge sea. Perfectly round and white snail shells at our feet along  the sandy paths. We felt like modern day Christopher Columbuses, especially on Saturday evening when we got to see the sun go down over the ocean in Sagres, the location that was once thought to be “The End of the World.” I would watch the day end in that spot every day for the rest of my life if I could. God is really brilliant with those sunsets…

This weekend was really good for us. Solid quality time and lots of good conversation. We got to and from Lagos on a big bus full of other American students studying in Sevilla/Madrid, but we mostly kept to ourselves, as it was quite a loud and obnoxious partying bunch. Oh, Americanos… ;) Zach and I felt like slackers because we didn’t really use Spanish at all over the weekend. But being in Portugal, we were told that the Portuguese don’t appreciate when everyone comes over from  Spain and speaks Spanish, thinking Spanish is almost just like Portuguese, which it is not. Portugal wants to keep its individuality as a country with its own language, which is very understandable. The Portuguese countryside we experienced only in passing-through on the bus was sooo dreamy. Lots of green, hilly, ponies, little white homes with the Spanish-style roofs, orange groves, rivers. In and out of sleep I would look out the window and imagine myself galloping on a cream-colored horse through the fields. Ayyy I just HAVE to ride a horse while I’m here in Europe! It's happening, people.

All weekend we were inspired by God’s hand in creation as well as the memories of a very precious woman who went to be with Jesus this past weekend. Zachary’s Grandma Borchardt died peacefully surrounded by family early Friday morning, September 21, the day we left for Lagos. I had the privilege of getting to know Ruth these past couple of years; she was always wonderful to talk to and a most creative gift-giver! Of course, Zach has many many more memories with her, his whole lifetime of memories of his Grandma, so we celebrated Ruth’s life by remembering her a lot over the weekend. Was hard to accept that we wouldn’t be able to attend the funeral, which is today, so we got up early on Sunday morning to hike to the top of a cliff and have our own little service for her.

                          Psalm 23, Isaiah 40, the sunrise, and a little memorial site Zach made.

She and Grandpa Frank used to travel a whole lot. So Ruth was an explorer, just like us. She's even been to Spain a couple of times! Grandma Borchardt, we love you and know what you are experiencing now is even more astounding than the sights we experienced at the world's end this weekend. Can’t wait to see you again, someday soon. Your leaving us reminds me how our time on earth is but a breath; what am I doing with the moments that make up my short life? This is a good question to ask. 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

that one guy

Look at this face.

I just love this guy. Husband. Sidekick. Roommate. Best friend.

With you, Zachary, there is patience for my stressed-out behaviors and million-picture-taking tendencies. With you, there is much laughter about silly things, sometimes to the point of tears in a public restaurant. With you, there is no better time than now for helados. With you, there are deep talks while we go for long walks (because we walk almost absolutely everywhere). With you, there is always cuddling before we sleep. With you, there are also no sheets covering me later when I wake up in the middle of the night. With you, there is a listening ear when I need to talk all about my female feelings. With you, there is no reason for me to ever throw away the leftovers from my plate after a meal. With you, there is always one more book on my to-read list. With you, there are many thoughts and even tears sometimes because of the way you paint the most beautifully vivid picture of God with words. With you, I always have a partner to practice Spanish with. With you, there are little things every day that you do that make me stop and think to myself, Whoa. I am blessed.

With you, there is security. Faithfulness. Unwavering love. Adventure. Forgiveness. Inspiration. You make me want to be a better wife every day. Thank you for picking me!

love, Kree-steen

new favorite thing

                                                                Sooo... here's the thing.

   The paloma is the new squirrel.

   (Paloma = pigeon)

                                                               At least while I'm in Europe.

                                 If only my beloved squirrels flocked to me like this back home!

Now I know they are mangy and probably full of diseases, but just look at how cute they are. :)

                                                                           The end.

three days in pictures and words

What a weekend!

Friday: Instead of having class, the school took a day trip to Cordoba. Every day we find ourselves still enchanted by Sevilla, but we were really pumped about exploring another Spanish city for a day. Cordoba was impressive; its monuments give away immediately that the city held great significance in the past. In the 11th century it was one of the most important capitals in all of Europe. Our group took a tour of the incredible world-famous La Mezquita: a cathedral inside a mosque. The inside was so beautiful; it was built and modified over a period of nine centuries, so you can see a mix of different architectural styles:

Afterwards Jenna, Zach, and I got really lost (very easy to get distracted when you’re in the back of a group of 40 and surrounded by the most charming white-walled, narrow-streeted city with all kinds of surprises around every corner…it’s just human instinct to want to wander off…) when we were supposed to be touring an old Jewish home.

The last part of the day consisted of free time, and the three of us wandered around Arab-esque gift shops (oh my gosh I wanted to buy EVERYTHING) and took a break from the sun halfway through to sit down with a cerveza and frappelattes:) Captured some fun photos on the way back to the bus:

Saturday was spent sleeping in and taking a roadtrip with our dear host couple Sandra and Juan Lu. They drove us to Aracena, a small pueblo boasting La Gruta de Maravillas, the most breathtaking cave mine eyes have ever beheld…and I have experienced quite a few caves…, and the ruins of an old castle on the top of a hill. We walked all the way to the top in the hot sun, on a rocky road created by Chinese people a very long time ago...Ended the day just sitting at the top, the four of us, overlooking the whole valley. Is a memory I don’t think Zach and I will forget any time soon.

Sunday night was the weekend’s finale, a Ballet Flamenco show starring the beautiful and fast footed Sara Baras, an internationally known flamenco dancer. Sara and her dancers, men and women both, took our breaths away with every scene in a performance called La Pepa (the Pit). It was simply incredible: the commotion of vibrant, flying colors of the dancers’ skirts and a dozen pairs of tap shoes beating the floor in time to the Spanish-guitar, clapping hands, the highest notes of the violin, and a man’s singing voice, flawless, sweet, and guttural. Made me want to get up and dance in our balcony seats! My Grandma LaBenz would have joined me for sure on that one! :)

We couldn’t take photos (but I snapped some anyway at the end), but even then my own photo or recording wouldn’t have done it justice. Couldn't find a good one of her show on YouTube, but here's an excellent flamenco film trailer that pretty much sums up what we experienced Sunday night, and I'm pretty sure Sara Baras is the one in the red dress! : 

...ahh, in love with Spain. If you ever get the chance to travel here, don't leave without seeing an authentic Flamenco show! 

Sending more besitos y abrazos your way,

Kristen&Zach

happy birthday MOM!!!

Mommio, thinking so much about you today! <3

•          Were introduced to our first French film, in Spanish, last night after supper. Sandra couldn’t wait to watch it with us—she hates French films but has fallen in love with this one, called Amelie. Absolutely loved it. We giggled the whole way through (at least we girls did) and I kind of remember tearing up at the end…

•          Elementary schools all over Spain started on Monday! Little niños with colorful backpacks are all over the sidewalks in the mornings now, hand in hand with a mámi or pápi. It was really interesting to learn that fathers are more hands-on with their children throughout childhood. It’s true that more often than not I see the father with a child—spending time at the park, teaching his daughter how to ride a bike, pushing the baby in the stoller, kicking a rock around the sidewalk with his son (random cute observation yesterday).
•          Speaking of los ninos, I had the privilege of listening to a charming chorus of those plastic recorders outside our balcony this week. I so remember the first day my own 5th grade class received recorders…so can our mothers.
•          I finally gave in to my first American indulgence while waiting for Zach to finish classes one morning: Dunkin Donuts. Felt a little guilty for not trying yet a new café of hundreds dotting the pretty cobblestone streets of central Sevilla, but am glad I did because I there encountered the happy waitress who proved to me that there do exist Spaniards who believe in service with a smile:) I also found some friends from school and we watched cat videos on YouTube for awhile… Dunkin Donuts was the perfect choice.
•          Sandra and Juan Lu took us shopping tonight! We got to ride in their car and venture about 20 minutes away to one of the best locations for inexpensive but superguay (super awesome) clothing. They needed some things but all Zachary and I came home with was a bottle of Coke and a thankfulness for having a host couple who thinks we’re cool enough to be seen with out in public:) Love them!
•          After lunch this afternoon, we got into a conversation about our childhoods. Sandra and Juan Lu proceeded to tell us many funny stories about past injuries, what kind of mischief they got into as kids, how they used to interact with their siblings, etc. Sandra even pulled out one of her diaries from when she was 12 and read us some entries! We laughed so hard. One night they showed us a YouTube clip of the video series they used to watch in school when they were little to help them learn English. It is so very amusing and you should definitely watch it here:

                         

•          We have two new guests in the house this week: 18 year olds from Austria have joined our little family! They are very nice and polite and don’t speak much Spanish. They did bring some of that wonderful chocolate Mozart candy Zach and I experienced when we were in Salzburg a couple years ago, so they get points for that.
•           Got to skype with Zach’s former college roommates one night and my Dad another. Was so good to see faces and hear voices from the ones we love and miss! I cannot tell you how much I am encouraged by emails or facebook messages sent back and forth, as it is right around this time when I’m starting to feel a wee bit homesick. Our Spanish adventures keep us moving every week though, and for this I am grateful! So much to take in with two eyes and two ears! This gift of shared life with so many diverse others causes me to praise our Maker from my heart every day. Don’t even need to live in Europe to realize this.

                                     

Shandy

So this is our favorite tv commercial in Spain. It's advertising the new Cruzcampo, the most popular/common beer here; you can find it anywhere and it's cheaper than water. Don't think I'll be judged for posting a beer commercial, but ... it's catchy and we find ourselves randomly singing it a lot. :) jajaja

be

Zachary is at a bull fight this evening with the guys from school. Yyeahh I don’t know what to think about that... actually I think it to be horrific, however, I am living in Spain so I will try to think the way a Spainard would. It’s a tradition of an art form deeply rooted in Spanish history so, I suppose it might be a unique cultural experience for him to see. I am anxious to hear about it…

This evening I’ve been in the apartment then, folding laundry and looking at facebook photos with Sandra, helping her make dinner and learning Spanish insults from her and Juan Lu at the dinner table. J It’s been a quality evening for me to just get to know them better, especially Sandra, and practice more and more Spanish. I am super excited about how much I’ve re-learned in a week! This week and next I am sitting in on a grammar class at the school, which has been helpful for review and of course, learning more…always learning more.

We are still loving this city and are excited to explore more of it this weekend, as well as intentionally make time to relax, too. We’ve been here all of eight wonderful days, yet they’ve also  been busy and hot and tired days. I feel unbalanced when I’m just go-go-going all the time, every day; giving all of my heart and energy into the fun things I’m doing for myself and my own experience. It’s even easy to fall prey to the same thing when I’m giving my time and energy to others. This semester I have no reason to be busy like all my previous years of school have been. It is perhaps the only season of my life where I am not expected to do anything but be a wife, interact with Spaniards to learn their language, allow Jesus to shape me from all lessons learned, and therefore let Him be known to others through me. Doesn’t seem too hard with a simple list like that. Yet these hopes of mine all require an open and eager heart, one that is peaceful and seeks rest frequently. One that is not overwhelmed with too large a to-do list.

Can I just say, I LOVE TO-DO LISTS! I had them every day all summer long. I had one with all my goals for this time in Spain. And I even had one this morning for the week ahead… wedding Thank Yous, update the blog, respond to friends online, buy a new waterbottle, email the lady back about when I could teach English, get homework done for class, don’t forget our first Flamenco class on Monday and showing up early to Encuentro on Wednesday to run through the songs, etcetera, etcetera, yadadada ding dong.

…sigh.

My new list for the weekend is… just.     To be.

And to feel no sense of, Ah, I’m in Sevilla, Spain, I’ve got to be doing something incredible all the time! We just got here and there is plenty of time to check goals off the ol’ list…

Maybe this will encourage you back home, too, to take it easy this weekend if you are able, and delight in having an open schedule. (Don’t know if that term even exists in the vocabulary of my college amigos, as I know September is very crazy month! Hang in there.) And seek peace not from any other source but the One who gives the true stuff, the real thing… transcending peace found only in the presence of our Savior (Phil 4:7).

Ok, it’s another 2am good-night from me! Zach has returned and tells me it’s a good thing I didn’t see the bulls tonight because I would have cried.

Really though, that is sad stuff… 

(anyone ever read the children's book about a happy bull named Ferdinand?  I want all bulls to have the same happy ending as he did. In a happy meadow and not dead in the ring.) 

Love to all,

Kristen

happenings

Buenos dias! I say ´good morning´ even though it is almost one o´clock in the afternoon. Spaniards would greet you with a ¨Buenos dias!¨ up until 2:00! From 2:00 – 9:00pm or so, one would use ¨Good afternoon!¨And it´s not until the sun has completely set for the day that you would use ¨Good evening,¨ anytime after 10pm. That´s when the night truly begins. People stay out very late here, even on weeknights. Coming home from spending time with friends at around 1 or 2 each night is normal (and also not so unreasonable when you remember that they don´t have to work the next morning until around 10am.) So when the weekend hits, you can be sure that the bars and restaurants will be alive with people until 5, 6, even 7 o´clock in the morning! Zach and I aren´t really accustomed to this type of night life, so we feel kinda lame. J One of these nights when Zach doesn´t have class the next morning we´ll have to try staying up all night with the locals!

Zachary´s first day of school is today! While he went to class, I stayed in bed and slept in for the first time past 8 o clock… it was awesome, sorry Zach. J After I slept in til about 11, Sandra showed me how to use the coffee maker, and I enjoyed some breakfast out on the balcony. This morning: un tostado con mermelada y un cafelito con leche (toast and jam with coffee). Sandra y Juan Lu see breakfast as the most important meal of the day, yet it is very simple. Lunch is the biggest meal at around 2 or 3pm (most of the time a 3-course deal!), and dinner isn´t until 9 or 10 and is very light. Doesn´t that make more sense than eating a big steak and potatoes meal right before bed? I really like this mealtime routine; it´s growing on me. There will definitely be some customs from Spain that Zach and I might have to adopt and bring back to our life in the States when we return!

Since I had some free time this morning, I explored the shops in our neighborhood a bit. Walked around a  “chino,” which is like a dollar store typically run by Asians, hence the name. J Bought some tweezers and gum. Walked by a bread store, jewelry store, fruit and vegetable market, and finally… a candy shop! Oh goodness, I was overjoyed to stumble upon this. The candy here is pretty amazing. Greta, if you are reading this, you know my (our) love for gummies and they have a lot of those!! YUM

After a successful morning of exploring the streets and speaking in Spanish with the locals by myself, I felt really happy in my heart. I think good, long sleep contributed to that too. Could not help smiling and walking with my chin up a little higher as I walked to pick Zach up from school. J

YESTERDAY

Was Sunday. Zach and I and our friends Jenna and Hannah had our first experience riding the metro to a church we wanted to try about 40 minutes away. We got confused as to which stop was ours, so we spent quite a bit of time walking around looking for it and asking people on the street where we could find the church. After finally discovering the beautiful Bautista Iglesia Evangelista, we went inside and were warmly greeted and led upstairs to a Sunday School class for college age students. It felt very much like a Sunday School class back home, and I was excited to learn that the youth pastor, Marcos, spoke very clear Spanish. The class was excellent—very meaningful and Biblical. Marcos was very welcoming to us and he wasn’t superficial, but instead genuine. As were the others in the class. We are probably going to return next Sunday!

After lunch with Sandra y Juan Lu at home, Zach and I took a short siesta (of course) and decided to ride bikes to El Centro to get ice cream. Left our one and only really nice water bottle (a wedding gift L) in the basket of one of the bikes. (The bicycle renting system here is called Sevici: you pay for 4 months and can ride them all over the city and park them at different stations. Super fun but they bikes are kinda big and clanky—also kind of a challenge to maneuver them around the streets full of people!)

We ended Sunday filling our souls with more quality time with dear Sandra y Juan Lu. We just love these two and feel sooo blessed to have been paired with them this semester. More and more we get to see who they really are, the passions they have, the interactions they demonstrate with each other, what makes them laugh, what makes them sad… I’ll have to write more about them in a later post, as this one’s getting long.

Much love from Zach and Kristen, until next time…! xoxo