Paris and Life Lately

Hola Amigos!

Right now, I’m sitting by the beach on a beautiful day in Barcelona. Life is so good. I still can’t get over how blessed I am to be here, and I’m so excited to soak up more of the city and the rest of Europe.  I haven’t blogged for a little over a week, so I’m going to do a recap of what I’ve been up to. Last weekend, my roommates and I made our first trip and met our new friend Michelle in Paris. Let me preface this story by saying that the next time I feel like being spontaneous, I’ll probably think through the details a little more. We had a few mishaps, but it was more than worth it and definitely an adventure. So we’re sitting in our apartment at 10pm on Thursday night thinking through our weekend plans (we didn’t have any) and suddenly it occurred to us that this was the last week before our Friday seminars start. I’ll hold myself personally responsible for everything that went wrong because I was the one who proposed the silly idea of leaving the country in 11 hours- because we’re in Europe and should do crazy things, right? Anyway, the four of us book our tickets, and packed, and woke up early to catch our flight. Mishap number one- we misread the boarding time for our flight and ran frantically through the airport, liquids and shoes in hand, to catch the plane.

 

Once we landed, we didn’t have anywhere booked to stay, so we got the address of Michelle’s hostel and used the Google translate app (which I definitely recommend- you can talk into it and it automatically translates for you) to try to converse with the cab driver. I know about 3 words in French and I was in Paris for a month a few summers ago….hopefully I’ll come back in April with a little more Spanish than that.  So we get to the hostel, which was actually really nice, and spent the next few days exploring all of the sights in the city- the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Core, the Louvre, Champs Elisse, the Arc de Triumph, and all of the typical stuff. We also spent a lot of time wandering the streets and the Latin Quarter, which I absolutely love to do- there are so many interesting people and buildings and sights and foods and it just shows you the heart of the city. Thank goodness Michelle was more prepared than we were, because she had everything mapped out and we were able to see so much. She left Sunday morning, and we had planned to come back that night… until mishap number 2 happened.

 
 

This is honestly really embarrassing but it’s too funny not to share. So we got everything packed and go to the airport 2 hours early (attempting to learn from our previous failures.) We were feeling really good about the weekend but honestly were ready to go back and start our classes that we were FINALLY enrolled in after 2 weeks, and to see our new friends. So I gave my ticket to the lady at the gate, and it wouldn’t scan- and then she told me the ticket was for the next night. Little known fact-the Spanish calendar starts on a Monday instead of a Sunday, as it does in pretty much everywhere besides the US. In our frantic spontaneous booking on Thursday, we didn’t even select the correct return date.  Ritika was the only one who had actually booked the right flight, so she left and Sarah, Karlee and I sat defeated in the airport trying to  figure out how we can avoid going broke in the next 24 hours (since changing our flight was going to be super expensive.) It actually turned out to be the greatest mistake ever, because we got tickets to Disneyworld the next day for 20 Euros and spent an extra day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I was literally giddy the whole time we were there- I love Disney y’all. God is so gracious  to give us that extra day in the midst of our incompetence- it was another unexpected adventure and such a huge gift. Now half of our school knows about our little predicament, which is just contributing more to the ditzy American stereotype. Oops. Anyway, it was a wonderful start to our travels and I’ve gotten the spur-of-the-moment vacation thing out of my system so this next trip will include some more planning.

 

As for life in Barcelona, it’s been pretty peachy. I’m not used to having this much time, or freedom, or the opportunity to explore such beautiful sights any day of the week.  My classes have been pretty easy so far, and I’m actually enjoying most of them. I also got into a Spanish class that I love, even though it’s way over my head, and I think that’s going to help me quite a bit with conversation. I feel like I’ve finally gotten into a routine for school, so I’m starting to venture out to more places and have a bucket list I’m working on. It’s been so nice to have more time to be still and listen to Jesus, and just be with Him. I’m realizing how often I get caught up in an endless cycle of “doing” at home- I can get so blinded trying to accomplish and serve and meet all of these standards I create for myself that the ultimate joy and purpose of a relationship with Him can be overshadowed in the midst of it all. I am being reminded continuously of his presence and fullness and abundant goodness, which is just as real here as it is in any other area of the world.

The need for him in this city, though, is so evident and my heart hurts a lot of the time watching people seek joy in empty things. I went to a retreat with the Erasmus Student Network this weekend, and I absolutely loved getting to spend time with the other exchange students and get to know everyone (and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL there.) They are incredible people, and so friendly and sweet. It was just extremely wild, and not at all what I’m used to.  At the same time, being in environments like that is bringing me to a deeper understanding of his grace, and how sharply that grace contrasts with my own flesh. I am reminded of what He has rescued and continues to rescue my heart from, and how that isn’t in any way contingent upon what we do or don’t do. It’s dependent on the fact that He is more powerful than any sin, and ALL of us desperately, equally need Him- that’s such a simple truth, but it’s been resonating more fully in my heart lately.  I don’t want the message I convey to people I meet to be to straighten up their lives, which is what a majority of them have heard. I just want them to know the abundant joy that comes from personally knowing the creator of the world, and for their lives to be an outflow of the love that comes from that relationship. I’ve also been really, really missing/looking for community here and just heard back today from a bible study group that starts next week- I’m so excited and thankful for that! Anyway, those are some things that I’ve been thinking and praying about lately.  

Thank you so much for reading this friends- I miss you all a lot. I also found out that iMessage is free, so if you have an iPhone and feel like sending me a text I’d love to hear from you! 

Hola!

Hola friends! I haven’t been so great at keeping up with this blog… from now on, I’m going to try to post every week. Barcelona is SO wonderful and I’I've been busy trying to get to know more of the city- this has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, and nothing I see fails to amaze me.  I know that these three months are going to fly by so quickly, and I’m going to soak up as much of it as possible.

We started school last week, and the people have been incredibly friendly and sweet. There’s an Erasmus Student Network (Erasmus is the European exchange program) that organizes a ton of events for exchange students, and we've met people from literally all over the world- England, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Mexico, China, Thailand, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand… you name it, and all of them speak at least two languages. Talk about motivation to learn some Spanish.

                      

                                                               

I love it and have really enjoyed talking to different people about what life is like where they’re from. This is the first time I've stood in rooms full of 100+ people from so many different places, and that has been one of the coolest aspects of this experience so far. We met some more Erasmus friends who live in our building last night when we heard a siren going off and found them trapped in the elevator- apparently you can’t fit more than 3 people in that thing. Oops. The four of us from A&M also signed up for a mentor program, and mine is the sweetest girl ever- her name is Patri, and I love her. Also, there’s a girl here named Marta who did her exchange at A&M last year, and she’s incredible and has helped us so much.

                     

                                                  

In the first few days ESN took us to a disco, and had an international dinner where students brought foods from their countries. They held it in the middle of the business school, and there was a sangria drinking contest…needless to say, this place is very different from A&M. It’s definitely a cultural experience, and I know I’ll have a lot of stories! We've had other events, like a karaoke night last night and a few other dinners and tours of the city. I've also done a little more exploring - we live across from a really beautiful park that I run in now, and I visited Parc Guell where the artist Gaudi did a lot of his work. It was impressive. In the first week we were here, we also visited La Sagrada Familia, a famous Spanish cathedral, and Montjuic, which overlooks the whole city- easily two of the most stunning places in Barcelona. 

                  

            

                       

           

                                                               

Our orientation for school was on the 7th, and classes started the 8th.  That being said, I still don’t know what I’m officially taking. It’s been a little bit frustrating because most of us didn't get the classes we requested (I got two out of four of mine, but they’re scheduled at the same time.) The add/drop session last night didn't work, so for now I’m just going to the classes I want and apparently they’ll add me to them sometime in the next month. The administration seems really disorganized about managing stuff like this, but they have several hundred exchange students to deal with so it’s sort of understandable. I’m trying to take an international marketing class, a commercial management/advertising class, an operations management class and a consumer behavior class- so far they've been really interesting because everything is taught from a European perspective. The material also focuses pretty heavily on international business, which is great because that’s what I’m interested in. I signed up for a Spanish class as well, so we’ll see how that goes!

Another aspect of this semester that I know will be difficult is not being constantly around the community that I have in Texas. I found two English speaking churches but got lost trying to go to both of them (my sense of direction is literally the worst) so I’m going to try again next week.  Just being in this beautiful place, though, makes me see God and life in new ways, and I am absolutely in awe looking at what he has created- not only visually, but in people and cultures and languages and flavors and so much more, coming from all over the world. He is so evident here even though the country is predominantly secular, and I hope he uses me to share his love with the people I meet.  I know that in certain aspects my view of Jesus has been influenced by my own culture, and being in another part of the world is reminding me that he transcends any of these elements and his power extends to every corner of the earth.  I am so, so thankful that He has given me the opportunity to experience all of these things and am full of joy right now. Thanks for reading about my adventures this week, and I’ll keep everyone posted!

Greetings from Barcelona!

I’m sitting here typing this blog in our NEW APARTMENT! I could not be more thankful/relieved to have a place to live, and to be in this amazing city. Two of the girls on my exchange (Sarah and Karlee) came a few days before Ritika and I did, so they were able to meet with a realtor and narrow down some options and we moved in the day after I got to Barcelona. They did a great job, and I am beyond excited to be living here. Our apartment is about five minutes from our school, another five from the beach, and full of sweet older people (who seem to speak way more Spanish than Catalan, the other local language here.) We’re also within walking distance of Plaza Catalonia and La Rambla, which are the more lively districts.

 The view from the terrace of our apartment!

That being said, I still have absolutely no idea where I’m going and at this rate I’m going to need a compass or a walking GPS. The thing is, even when you get lost, you’re constantly running into random castles or cathedrals or monuments of some kind- it’s so surreal that I get to live here for three months. So far we’ve just been exploring and haven’t spent a ton of time going to the famous sites, but we have some things planned for the week and I’m looking forward to it.

                                                 

Using Spanish has been humbling to say the least, but also really exciting. I had heard mixed things about learning it in Barcelona because of the two language thing, but I’ve been able to use it everywhere we’ve gone and had some decent almost-conversations with people, so I think I’m making progress. Disregard the times when I’ve used the wrong word or they’ve replied in English…. Barcelona is such an international city that most people speak at least a tiny bit of English too, but I’ve been trying not to use it. Last night we met people from England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Mexico, China and all of them spoke at least two languages. Talk about motivation. I absolutely love how many different kinds of people there are here though and  have enjoyed being able to talk to them.

A few observations about the Spaniards- first of all, their whole pace of life is at about 50% of what it is in the US. I guess when you live somewhere this beautiful you want to stop to take it all in, because they walk. so. slowly. It sometimes rivals a crawl. They take much more times eating meals, have multiple courses, and start dinner around 10pm. It’s also really rare to see “to go” anything.  They have siestas in the middle of the day when everything closes (I think including school) so that people can rest. In general, people just seem less tense. I have so much respect for how fully present they can be, and that they take time to appreciate and really experience everything. I’m hoping while I’m here I’ll learn to become better at this and am thankful to not be constantly rushing, especially when I’m surrounded by so many incredible things.

I’ve also noticed that they way people present themselves is much more highly valued- you don’t go outside in sweatpants, ever. My wardrobe may need some adjustments from College Station….the style here is really unique and cool, and the shopping is pretty wonderful too. In general, people have been really friendly and eager to help. I really can’t wait to for school to start so we can make actual Spanish friends, and I’m so thankful I have three sweet American girls to hangout, explore, and navigate the city with this semester too. Hopefully I’ll have more insights into the Spanish culture when I’ve been here for more than a few days. I will keep everyone posted!