El principio de la Enseñanza

     The beginning of teaching English and Spanish classes has been so precious. So sweet. I have students who are all very eager to learn and be attentive in class. I've been so encouraged and motivated by their attitudes and wealth of knowledge that they already have. There have been a few things have made me happy and given me a bit of comfort for when I feel inadequate to do this. 

After my first time teaching!

    One of those things is hearing the feedback on the class and my teaching. At the end of every class, my students answer three questions to summarize their thoughts and reactions to the day's class. Many of my students have written down that they like that they have a teacher who explains the idea well and treats them well. It makes me happy to see that I am doing something right. I am glad that they seem to be enjoying the class. That's my desire for every class: that is would be a fun time of learning. 

    In my Basic English class, the main students are four women who are native Spanish speakers or nearly fluent Spanish speakers. Last week, we focused on personality traits. I had them finish class by writing a few sentences about themselves and a friend or family member. One of my students wrote down that she is "respectful, generous, and a lover of God." I was impressed that she used the words we had discussed well, but especially that she was open about her faith. I hope to meet with her individually to hear more about it. 

    In total, as of today, I have 14 students. It doesn't seem like very many, but considering that I had 4 more students than this week in my level 2 Spanish class that I did the first week, it is pretty exciting! I am looking forward to what God has planned for me and these students in my classes. I am praying every day for wisdom and patience to teach well and in a Christ-like way. I hope that they know that they are loved through our interactions and conversations. 

"See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland."

Isaiah 43:19 

    I think of this verse because I can see through these first couple of weeks teaching that God is doing something new. Something good and beautiful. And I am trusting in him because he is faithful! 

~Kthnxbai!

Oración Poderosa

    I usually sit here in front of my laptop for a while every week trying to figure out what to write for my blog. Sometimes there are too many things I could write about. Other times I can't think of a single idea. This time, I had many ideas, but the topic of prayer came to me so fast and strong. God has impressed upon me that he wants me to write about what I've learned about prayer in the past week.    

    It all started on Monday, a day after Josiah and I arrived in Torremolinos. The many times of prayer we've had with this team. The team gathers for prayer and worship every Monday and Thursday. I was overwhelmed throughout the first session of the week by the fervent and passionate prayers of the people. 

    Second session. Even more passionate prayers. Prayers for the people affected by the earthquake in Morrocco. Prayers for our friends who have been affected. Prayers for our friends who have been serving those in that area. Prayers for our friend who is moving to France for school. Prayers for the language classes that were to start soon at the Center. 

    So, by the time we have finished our prayer time and transitioned to a going away party for our friend/ birthday party for me, I had moved on mentally from prayer and started to prepare myself for lots of conversations and other party-related fun things. I went down the stairs to the party and stood with some of my new friends, unsure what to do as people set food out and prepared everything. Seemingly out of nowhere, one of the staff members on the team walked out of the kitchen with a chocolate cake with my name on it (literally). Candles were lit on the top as everyone around me started to sing. I felt so surprised and overwhelmed with emotion that I began to cry. Once they sang in English and then in Spanish, the sweet friend who brought the cake out said that the tradition at the center is to pray over the... She asked if I would be okay with being prayed over. So, I said, "Yes!" probably too enthusiastically. While two volunteers prayed, I couldn't stop the tears from coming, so I just let them fall down my face... wow... this team barely even knows me and they want to pray over me! How overwhelmingly sweet! 

    

    The weekend went by, which was filled with more adventures and meeting more kind and warm people. On Monday, we had another prayer session, which was to be Josiah's last session. It was so sweet that we gathered around Josiah and prayed for him as he heads back to the United States and readjusts to the semester at UA. We also prayed for the discipleship school that is to start in a week. During this session, I was amazed by my friend's great faith. We prayed for this school with assurance that God would surely come through. With joy and peace that he would work all things together for the good of those who love him, as stated in Romans 8:28. Even the things that were not very clear were prayed for in a way that took away any doubt of our powerful God. Words were spoken from what they had seen, not with their human eyes, but their spiritual eyes. Their spiritual eyes are enabled by their faith in the Lord, in whom they trust with their whole heart. As we were praying, I silently prayed, "I want that kind of faith." It's an unstoppable and relentless faith. Faith that won't give up, knowing that God won't let us down. 

    During our coffee break, I got to talk with a friend, who has been so kind to host Josiah well in his home with his family. I asked him what he enjoys most about leading the discipleship training school. He told me that he loves to teach and model prayer. I thought that was really neat... And it just seems to drive this theme home. 

    

~Kthnxbai!

    

Five Years Later

    Five years ago, I lived in Toledo, Spain for three months. Five days ago, I arrived in Torremolinos, Spain, to teach English and Spanish classes. It has certainly been a crazy time getting settled and meeting new people. I'm still adjusting, planning, and settling in, so I'm going to keep this one a shorter post. But, I promise that I'll give more details of the first week. I have already seen God's goodness in many ways this week, so there are some good things to share very soon. For now, here are some pictures from Saturday and Sunday.

My sweet mama and nana took me to the airport. : ) I'm going to miss them. 

The first plane ride together! 

And we survived the 7 hour flight to Amsterdam! Despite barely getting any sleep... 

The Amsterdam airport has a library! So cool! 

Most of the books are in Dutch. There was a cool interactive station where you can learn a little bit of Dutch. A storybook was translated into multiple languages!

City lights out the window. 

A pretty sunset at the airport! 

We had tapas with our friends in Mijas, a town close to Torremolinos. I think the Bacalao (cod) a la Portuguesa and the meatballs were my favorite!

The view of the mountain in Mijas from where we parked.

There you have it! Pictures from the very beginning of this new adventure. I am very excited to see what God has planned for me, my students, and this team, especially since I've already been amazed me him this far. I hope you can stay updated here to found out more! 

~Kthnxbai!

Exactly One Year Ago

 I've been missing Spain a lot lately. I miss exploring the cities. I miss the simple and delicious food. I miss the streets that tell the stories of its history. I miss my friend Álvaro and our adventures. I miss my friends from the bible study I went to in Toledo. I think you get my point, right? 

 Today, I went church at the Hispanic ministry that I have been going to since January. I learned about the story of Esther, helped lead worship, and talked to the people there. Afterwards, I had lunch with my friend, Jennifer. We ended up going to Central Mesa, a restaurant in the downtown area of Tuscaloosa that has Latin American and Spanish food, with a twist. I saw Shrimp Paella on the menu and got excited. Jennifer said that sounded good, so we got it to share. 

 

 I explained to her what paella is in detail and what it is like in Spain. I also explained the difference between Spanish in Latino America and in Spain because she is learning Spanish (and rockin' it!). Our dish came and even though it was not an authentic version of paella in any way (Sorry, Álvaro!), I was still glad to get a taste of Spain. 

 Later, after we paid and said goodbye, I realized that it has been exactly one year since I took my first step in what would soon become my favorite city, Toledo. Wow. That is wild. 

 One year? Really? Yep, one year ago I was wide-eyed and ready for a semester immersed in Spanish and living in Europe. Now, here I am with stories to tell. 

 I love telling stories. I really do. I'm not very good at it, though. Just ask my family. I go all over the place. I often explain something that I haven't even introduced yet in the story. Then, I have to go back and explain myself.  But, I still enjoy telling the stories, even if it takes a while. That's why I started this blog. To tell stories. 

 I know there's a joke about how when you come back from study abroad, it gets annoying when so many people ask how it was. But, I love when people ask about my trip! I love telling them my stories that I brought back with me! 

 I miss Spain so much. I wish I could go back. And I will go back! One day... But, for now, it's time for me to tell my stories. 

 ~Kthnxbai! 

Discovering Panzacola

 No, I'm not in Spain. I really wish I was in Spain right now, but I'm living in Birmingham with my family for the summer. Last week, my brother, Luke, and I were in Pensacola, Florida, with our grandparents. 

 We explored downtown and it reminded me so much of being in Spain. The feeling I had when I was in a museum and was so hungry for lunch, but didn't want to leave yet... The feeling of exploring a city that is so rich in history. The feeling of having nowhere to be and nowhere to go, but loving every minute of it. The feeling of buying a piece of food because... well, it looks good and why not? 

 On Wednesday, we went to visit my nana's friend for her 98th birthday. She is so kind and joyful. I could write a whole blog post just about meeting her, but I'll save that for another time. If enough of you want to hear about it, I will write about it! She lives in an assisted living center in downtown Pensacola, so we walked around a little bit after. Luke and I realized that in the 14-20 years that we've spent coming to this city, we haven't been to downtown a lot. 

 One of my favorite things about Pensacola are the pelicans. Yes, you can find pelicans flying around the pier in hopes for some fish, but there are also pelicans made out of fiberglass placed around the city. It is a public art project, called "Pelicans in Paradise" of the Pensacola News Journal. They were designed by various artists selected by their sponsor. Each one is unique. They are so cool and fun to spot! 

 Luke is picking the repair man's nose. 

 We went in this cooking store/ café called "Bodacious". They actually let us try their balsamic vinaigrettes and olive oils! I didn't think they would because of the pandemic. But, she gave each of us a carboard tray with small pieces of bread and tiny cups to fill with vinaigrette or oil. I'm not a big fan of balsamic vinaigrette, but their olive oils were amazing! They had so many flavors and the signs listed the origins. 

 Then came Luke's favorite part: Bubba's Sweet Spot. This place is owned by Bubba Watson, a famous professional golfer from Pensacola. The second we stepped in, we could smell the sugar. Packaged candies lined the wall to our right, while fudge and rice crispy treats were in a long case on our left. Towards the back of the store, I found Hershey's ice cream. I had my eye on the ice cream, but looked around at the rest too for a possible treat. I eventually got a waffle cone with a scoop of Graham Central Station. I don't remember exactly what it consisted of, but it tasted like cookie butter, and that is why I did not regret my choice. However, Luke got some Dr. Pepper cotton candy and did regret his choice. He said it tasted like medicine. So, he got some Hello Panda chocolate filled biscuits. You can't go wrong with those. 

  On our way back home, we decided that we would come back the next day and go to the T.T. Wentworth Jr. Museum and walk around some more. 

 Didda, my grandpa, said he couldn't believe we actually didn't go to the museum, even though that was our plan. But, I didn't care because we still had a lot of fun! We looked around in a cute antique/ gift shop. I mostly just loved the architecture and design of the house. 

 I loved this sign because my nana says this a lot! Do you know anyone who says this?

 We found a cheesecake shop near that gift shop and had to check it out. They had mini cheesecakes and bigger cheesecakes in so many flavors. We couldn't resist getting one! We got a mini s'mores cheesecake to share. It was creamy and delicious. 

 I love these murals.

 And trees... 

 We read about Trader Joe's brother... 

 Here's a pretty pelican that we found before the pier. 

 It was such a beautiful day. 

 Nana thinks she is terrible at technology. But I'm proud of her for taking this great picture of us jumping of the edge of the fountain. I think it's great. 

 This is Phil. He didn't choose his name. Luke did. He was just hanging around for some fish. He did get some from a fisherman who had already caught a few. I was surprised at how close we were to a pelican. But then, the fisherman's young son came and ran towards the pelican. Then Phil flew away. 

 This is a statue of Tristán de Luna y Arellano. He led an expedition in 1559 to establish Santa María de Ochuse, a setlement that predated the founding of Jamestown. 

 Then, we drove over to the historical district where there were people dressed in 1800s clothing and informed us about how people lived in Pensacola back then. It was really neat! 

 This is where my aunt and uncle got married! I was a flower girl in their wedding! That was so long ago... 

 An old Spanish flag! 

 A cool painting of downtown and the Blue Angels! 

 Luke loves trying new restaurants. He found this place on Yelp, called "The Doghouse Deli". The people who work there are so nice. We had some great food too! Luke got the Diner cheeseburger with cheese fries, I got the Hawaiian BBQ sandwich with fries, and Nana got a hot dog that I don't know the name of... Luke and I want to go back sometime to try their breakfast items. 

 I thought this sign was so funny. We saw it outside of a caf

 This mural on the side of this parking garage was so cool to me! It shows symbols of Pensacola's history and things they are known for. 

 And I love the way the sun shines in this picture! 

 On our ride back to Nana's house, I was curious about the name of this city, so I looked up the origin. When the Spanish arrived, they were told that the name of the people already living there was Panzacola. That's right, that's not a typo in the title of this post. So, they named the are Pensacola, making it easier for the Spaniards to pronounce. 

 I thought this whole experience was such a neat thing. Definitely a God thing. Because even though I can't be back in Spain, God gave me this week to be reminded of his glory. I also got to learn a little more of Spain's history and the history of the place where I've come to visit family every year. I really love that feeling of exploring and learning the history of a place. And the wind felt do good on that pier. It was awesome. 

 Kthnxbai!