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:)