So much has happened over the last few weeks that the dates
and times of everything I’ve done are all starting to run together... all I
know is that throughout this time I have been filled with so much joy, and am
still amazed by the daily adventures here. This kind of joy isn’t just a
feeling of contentment, even though the Barcelona life can be pretty blissful
most of the time. It’s a deeper kind of joy that I know only comes from the
grace of God, and it is welling up inside of me as I continue to see the
creativity, detail, power and extravagant love that He displays through his
creation. We live in such a beautiful world, and seeing more of it is molding
my perception of the one who made it. It’s also forcing me to come to grips
with my own inadequacy and the fact that I don’t deserve any of this, it’s all
a gift. Just a few thoughts, but here is a quick overview of what I’ve been up
to over the past few weeks:
-School (the reason I’m here, even though I sometimes forget
that): Classes have actually been picking up a bit, and I’ve had a lot of
papers and presentations. I also have to start studying for my only exams of
the semester that basically determine my grade, thank goodness these classes
are pass/fail! My classes are all in English but a majority of the students who
take them are Spanish… I have SO much respect for them for wanting to improve
their English because most of the time they aren’t that fluent, which obviously
makes the class ten times harder. Before I left, a lot of people talked about
how lazy the Spanish are with respect to school, but that hasn’t been my
impression at all. I think I’m the lazy one this semester, and I don’t mind at
all. YOLISO
(you only live in Spain once :)
-The Beach: This may be my favorite part of this city. I was skeptical about it at first because it’s still winter and I can’t exactly play in the waves, but I have loved just being able to sit on the beach and read, or be with friends, or watch the sunset. I’ve also been taking a Beach Fit class in the mornings at 7 with my good friend Michelle. The only motivation I have for getting up is the unreal view of the sunrise, but let’s face it, today I overslept… nothing has changed. Bottom line, the beach is amazing.
Sunrise and sunset in Barcelona!
-Friends: We have met the BEST PEOPLE here- I love our new
international friends and am learning so much through them. These people are
always excited to explore and hang out and since most of us are
Erasmus/exchange students we are all equally in awe of this place. I’ve also
met some really wonderful Spanish friends, and they’ve been really patient with
my broken sentences and questionable grammar. They’re all trying to improve
their English at the same time, so they get it and I feel a lot less awkward. My
conversation partner Anna is the sweetest girl around, and I love hanging out
with her. My Spanish friends Marta and Clara have also taken me out with their
friends, and I really love chillin with the locals. I’m so glad I have more
time with all of these people, but I know it will be a tough goodbye. Additionally, I absolutely LOVE the girls I live with from A&M and we have become so close over the past few months. Each of them means so much to me and makes life here more fun.
-Community: I joined a bible study a few weeks ago and it
has been like a breath of fresh air. I have really, really missed having one here, and finding this church was a gift. I have a new appreciation
for how important that type of support is, and I am looking forward to spending
the rest of this semester with this group. Since I’ve been here, it has been more difficult than I expected to
find the opportunities and boldness to verbalize my faith with the people I
meet, and I think I’ve gotten kind of stuck in that- in a place where being a
Christian is so rare, it’s hard to know when or how to talk about what I
believe. The dynamic here is different than the one in Texas; at home, I meet a
lot of “cultural Christians” who show up to church and try to do a lot of good
things but often lack any actual relationship with God. That has its own difficulties
because most of those people are worn out with religion, or have really
distorted perceptions of who Jesus was and what he did. People here aren’t expected
to fit a certain religious mold and in that sense the gospel could be fresher
to them, but I think a majority of them want nothing
to do with anything "religious" at all. Anyway, my prayer is that I will have more
opportunities to share with people through these new relationships and that God's love would be magnified, so they would see it as more than religion. Mainly, I’ve come to a deeper realization that I have absolutely no
power to change anyone and that only He can (which still doesn’t give me an
excuse to be complacent and quiet, but is incredibly humbling.)
Another really, really cool thing I’ve gotten to be a part
of here is a homeless ministry. I actually do this through the Erasmus Student
Network at UPF and these people aren’t necessarily Christian, but we volunteer
through a church. On Thursdays, we take food to people around the city and have
conversations with them. There’s also have a beautiful service before we leave
every week, in one of the oldest churches in the city. I really love the
approach this church takes because these people are just as hungry relationally
and spiritually as they are physically. It was like a dagger in my heart
meeting them and realizing that every day I pass dozens of homeless people
without even looking them in the eye. What a helpless feeling that has to be -
to not only have tangible, desperate needs but to feel completely cast out and
isolated. It definitely changed my perspective and hurt my heart, and my
compassion has grown for these people. I’m really excited to keep volunteering
with this group- not really to feel better about myself or less guilty about
how much unnecessary stuff I have (because I don’t, and I still do have way too much)
but because it’s exciting to be a part of something bigger and to have a venue through which to serve and love people, even if it’s in a
small way.
Other notable activities- I’ve been cooking a lot more than
usual, partly because it’s healthier and mainly because my parents have given
me a budget… it’s about time I learn how to function on my own. Anyway, I took
a French cooking class one time with ESN and loved it. Another time, some
friends and I signed up for a Spanish cooking class but it ended up being full
when we showed up. Instead, we went to La Boqueria and bought ingredients to
make our own Spanish dinner. If you ever go to Barcelona, you have to visit
this market- it has more colors and flavors and smells (good and bad) than you
can imagine, and it’s gigantic. Anyway, if you want to try paella, tapas or
sangria I’m your girl, thanks to the help of Jamie Oliver’s online recipes.
We’ve done a little more exploring around Barcelona and went to the Bunkers with
our friend Rocio a few weeks ago. This has the most beautiful view of the city
ever- you can see everything. This weekend, I took a train to Tarragona for the
day with some friends. Tarragona is a little town and there aren’t a ton of
touristy sites there, but it has a really nice beach, roman ruins and a lot of
charm. It was nice to see a more quaint side of Spain but I was happy to be
back in Barcelona! I also went to Ireland last weekend- I’ll save that for a different blog.
La Boqueria
Our Spanish dinner
The Bunkers
Roman ruins in Tarragona
Thank y’all so much for reading this- If you can’t tell, I
am having the time of my life here and this is honestly one of the greatest
experiences I have ever had. If I’m being honest, in the beginning I was really
struggling with the idea of leaving so soon and didn’t think I would have
enough time here. I still am in no hurry to leave, but my excitement has been
growing more and more to be home in the good ol’ land of the free and the home
of the brave. I appreciate so many aspects of my life in Texas more now, and
cannot wait to see my family, my friends, and be back in Young Life! I hope that seeing radically different things
here will also allow me to see where I’m from with new eyes, and that God will
keep using this experience to shape who I am, wherever I am.
No comments:
Post a Comment