No Longer a Tourist

I am loving my time abroad. It is different, challenging, and enjoyable. I had dreams about coming abroad for a long time. And now I am here! Some of the ways I envisioned my time here have come true, others have not. I don't mean to say that my time has been bad - it has been better than I could have imagined - what I mean to say is that I am getting more settled in here.

When I imagined my time here I always pictured myself nicely dressed with the sun shining around me. I envisioned a mini vacation filled with new experiences instead of the comfort of home. I will admit that studying abroad is like a vacation in a way. But the great thing about studying abroad is that I am living here. I am not just embarking on a short trip to see a new place. I am actually participating in the culture and trying to live it for the next few months.

This is where my experience differs from a vacation. Life usually, at least for me, takes a pause during vacation. Life is free, unstructured, relaxed, and full of wonderful things. But when the vacation ends and life resumes, life takes on a little more structure. You begin to plan things and you begin to have more things that you have to do, like go to school for instance.

Now that I have been in Spain for close to a month my schedule of life has shifted from that of a tourist to that of an active participant. Instead of looking for the main attractions, I am looking for little pastelerias (bakeries). Instead of spending my entire day exploring, I am attending class and exploring in the meantime. I now have a routine - a loose one but still a routine nonetheless. I have things I need to do - like homework and helping clean up after dinner. I have places I like to visit and foods I like to eat.

Although my food and location choices may differ, it is not that different from life back in the States. People here have to carry on life just like we have to. They may go about it differently than we do in the United States but that is to be expected. I think that is the beauty of studying abroad. You get to stay in one place for long enough that you see how they live everyday life. It really is eye-opening.

What started me on this subject is that it is raining here today. In fact, it has been raining for a week straight with an exception of a little sun on Friday. For some reason I did not think it rained this much here. Back home this wouldn't be that big of a deal to get rain but here it becomes difficult. Where I am staying is largely a walking community. You walk everywhere and almost everything is in walking distance. If it isn't then you walk to the nearest bus station. But when it is raining out a conundrum is faced. If you go out you are going to get wet (an umbrella can only do so much). Even if you want to get to the closest mall you need to walk to the nearest bus stop, take the bus to a certain stop, and then walk from the stop to the mall. It is not bad when the sun is out but when it is raining you begin to rethink things. After my walk to and from Mass I realized why there were so few people on the streets. Even just a ten minute walk meant my clothes, shoes, and jacket were all wet (and I was walking with an umbrella). When I got back I decided to take my host family's idea and stay in for the day.
 

I am back! And with a story to boot

To all my readers, that is if I have any readers left, I am back! It has been so long since I posted that I would be surprised if anyone is still out there reading this blog. Nonetheless, I have decided to revive this blog and, hopefully, keep it updated regularly.

My last post was about praying for something that you really want. For me, one of those things is to go abroad. Even before I entered college I remember wanting to go abroad. But I didn't want to go to any place. I wanted to go to Spain. I didn't know how it was going to work, all I knew was that I had a deep desire to go to Spain for a semester.

So I started to plan. I looked ahead to see the classes I needed to graduate, I researched places to go, I saved money. I tried to do everything in my power to make sure that I could go to Spain. Four months before I was supposed to supposedly leave for Spain, things started to look iffy. There were doubts about whether I could live with a host family because I am severely allergic to tree nuts and peanuts. There were doubts that I would be able to find a program that would work with my major. And there were doubts that I would be able to graduate on time if I ended up studying abroad in Spain. People kept telling me that I might not be able to go abroad. After planning for three years to make sure I could go, I was upset to hear these things.

But I kept pressing forward. I met with the dean and the department heads and the study abroad advisor. If someone had any chance of helping me, I sought their help. And still, I was facing difficulties. Everything came to a point where I was starting to think that maybe I shouldn't go. That is when I said a very honest, simple prayer. I said "God, if you don't want me to go, if something bad will happen to me abroad, then block this opportunity." Within a few days, a miracle started to unfold before my eyes. Things began to work out. A program was found that would allow me to study abroad, my classes were approved which meant I would be able to graduate on time, and there would be a host family who would be willing to work with my nut allergy.

At this point it became even cleared to me that God hears my prayers and that he wanted me to go to Spain. If he has my back, who can be against me? It is really true. As I write this story, I am in Spain. God made everything work. And he continues to. It is really amazing. Every day I am amazed by how he planned everything. This trip has been better than I could have ever imagined thanks to him.

And the story continues to unfold before my eyes. There are adventures to be had and places to be seen for each one of us. Here is a glimpse into mine. :)

Isn't It Funny

Isn't it funny how you can grow closer to God when you really want something? Maybe I'm the only one who does this, though. When I really want something to work in my life I'll pray about it and pray about it. I'll they to do everything right that I can in order that God may approve my impending offer that is on the table. Sometimes it takes Him a while to review it an get back to me but no matter what, He always gets back to me. Sometimes His answer is not the one that I was looking for. But whatever the decision, It always turns out for the best. God is no fool, especially when it comes to His childrens lives. For now, I will wait and pray for I know that God's plan is the best plan for my life.

Blessings

Isn't it sad that it usually takes a tragedy - a sad moment - in order for us to stop and think? Here I am worrying about my finances and the impending homesickness that comes with leaving home when I receive a phone call that my friends dad just passed away. And bam, just like that I am snapped back in to reality - the reality of how blessed I am. I have a family, a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear. In that moment I prayed to God. Then I ran upstairs and gave the man in my life - my Dad - the biggest hug.