It was just the three of us. As we waited for the rest of our friends to meet us in the park, we let our minds wander away from all the stress of the past week. We took in the smell of the air, so fresh and calm when you allow yourself to contemplate it. We sat there, three people from three different hometowns, all brought together in Spain. We did not really know what was going through each other’s minds, but we felt so connected and so peaceful. Softly from one of our Ipods the song “Your Love is Extravagant” floated up past the trees. I could not help but sing along and I was delighted to hear two other voices join in with mine. The sun warmed my skin just enough that I did not have to worry about my jacket, but not so much that I had to retreat to the shade. Truly, I thought, Your love is extravagant God. Where have you brought me that I feel so calm? How have you delivered me that my tears and fears of yesterday seem like distant dreams drifting away with the clouds above me? I decided not to worry about tomorrow because that would add not a single extra second to my life and would only take away from the sublimity of the moment. It’s times like this and countless others that make me so happy that I have jumped across the Atlantic and ventured out to Spain.

And that leads me to apologizing that it has been SO long since I last blogged. But I think that is a good thing. I’ve had time to process a lot, which means I do not need to vent all my emotions or tell every detail of every event haha. The last time I posted, I had just gotten back from Morocco in February…wow! Well March is basically over and Morocco seems so long ago.

Classes:  The Good: My classes are all interesting and I get to take many different subjects in Spanish, which is exciting for me because at Davidson only my Spanish classes are in Spanish.

The Bad: I have so many classes!! I do not get nearly as much homework as I do at Davidson, but I spend so much time in class. I don’t have the same relationship with my professors as at Davidson…but that was expected lol. But overall the professors are really good. I have evening classes which just sucks in general even if they are interesting haha. Evening classes mean I cannot watch the sun set.

Host Family: My host family is truly great! I try to wash dishes with my host mama Camila every night. We have great conversations and we make each other laugh which is so helpful in building a great relationship. I’m not as close with her daughters or her grandchildren, but I always have a great time with the whole family.

Friends: I have just the greatest group of friends here in Spain. I cannot even thank God enough for the people He has brought into my life!! Every single person who is in my abroad program is marvelous and the Spanish friends I have are so caring and warm. The two churches I attend really strengthen me and provide me with the spiritual family I need away from home. And my program director is the sweetest, most vivacious person I have ever met. Her heart is so huge; and her loving heart paired with her sassiness is just pure fun.  I feel so connected and loved in Granada!

Job: I now have a job tutoring two young boys, Javier and Fernando, in English. I love my job and the boys are simply precious. They are practically fluent in English at 7 and 8 years old and they are also learning
German. It’s such a blessing to be able to teach them and to just have fun with them. I’m not even sure how I found out about this job. One day I got a call from the boys’ mother saying that she got my name from a family friend and she asked if I could come in for an interview. I am still not sure who the family friend was who had my name and cell phone number, but praise God! Spending time with Javi and Fernando has definitely been one of the highlights of my time in Granada. They are so smart and silly haha!

Where I’ve Been:  Since Morocco, I have not been on any big trips. I have traveled around Spain. I went to the beach town of Nerja for a restful weekend in February. I have also visited Seville, Toledo, and Madrid. I also went to a Granada fútbol (soccer) game which was a unique experience; especially now that I am playing intramural soccer haha. I am not super talented in soccer, but I’m a quick learner. And my friend who has been teaching me soccer skills has been oh so patient as I hop and prance around with the soccer ball, more like a cheerleader/dancer than a fútbol player haha.

I plan to go to Barcelona soon; I want to see it so bad. Confession: I’ve always wanted to see Barcelona because in Cheetah Girls 2 they went to Barcelona, and growing up I was such a baby lol. But I know Barcelona in general is beautiful, with or without the Cheetah Girls’ presence haha.

Now I am in Germany (yayyyyyyyy!) staying with my uncle. OMGGGG!! My family in Germany has visited me in the United States before, but I have longed to see them in Germany since I was a little baby girl looking at their postcards with pictures of the countryside. Every Christmas, since my earliest memory, I’ve received a December calendar from my uncle with German chocolate within, one for each day of the month until Christmas. And even though I do not like chocolate very much (yes, weird I know) I always ate at least one and felt so content! (I give the rest of the chocolate to my siblings, much to their satisfaction).

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I still plan to go to Portugal to explore the beaches and maybe learn how to surf! I’m so excited! So after my trip to Mainz, Germany, I just have Barcelona and Portugal (and maybe another beach in Spain) then…Ohio haha.

Maddie (my roommate at Davidson) and my friend LaVonia came to visit me in Granada and we had such an AWESOME time! I had hoped to visit them in their respective study-abroad countries, but I do not think I will be able to. At first that frustrated me, but then I rejoiced in the fact that God has brought me to the places I have seen. And I know my world traveling doesn’t stop here. I love traveling, especially when I am able to spend time and forge relationships in another place, and that is what God is allowing me to do in Spain. So although I have not gone to a different country every weekend (as I wanted to do originally), I feel so at home in Granada, and the trips I have taken have been truly memorable.

Which leads me to…

What I Have Been Learning: I have been learning how to trust God more and more. Although I have been blessed with such a great community here in Spain, I came to this country with barely anything to hold on to that was familiar to me (besides my possessions inside of my suitcases). I did not know anyone in my program, I had no clue if communicating would be easy or difficult, and I was so nervous about living in someone else’s home. And though I have had a great deal of struggles in all of these areas plus more, God has been so faithful and so awesome! When I’ve felt lonely, I have realized more than ever before in my life that He is truly my closest friend. When I have been confused and upset and so helpless, I have been reminded that situations in life may not change for the better sometimes, but God is still God and He cares so much! I feel peace when I walk around and see the beauty of Granada and nature in general. I am trying not to get so caught up in the stress of classes and cultural differences that I spend my whole time abroad complaining and crying. After doing that for the first weeks, I put my foot down and told myself to breathe and live and let God blow my mind, away from my comfort zone. And golly gee has He ever! So I still get stressed and I still have very low days, but I am trying to change my perspective and live in thankfulness. And when I allow my fullest joy to be found in Christ, my biggest struggles and my greatest failures lose their power. I have a lot to learn but I am excited about the growth I have seen in my life. I am also excited that God has been using my relationships here in Spain and with friends/family back at home to grow me as well. And it’s incredible that things that stressed me out in February are already working out. For example, I had no clue what I was going to do with my summer after being abroad, and God showed up big time and blessed me with an exciting opportunity in Davidson that will be so much fun!!

Hopefully I will not wait so long until my next post haha! But until the next one I want to leave you guys with a verse that has been so encouraging to me:

‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

His GRACE is sufficient. He is sufficient. I lack so much and troubling times are inevitable, but my insufficiency does not disqualify me from God’s grace and love. Rather it highlights the fact that only He can fill me up and that He is the only source of sufficiency. What joy, no?

Puesss, hasta la vista homies! Can’t wait to see everyone again soon!!

Much Love!

Christine