Ronda

One word: A-mazing! I absolutely loved this town. We all decided to head up to Ronda for the weekend. We caught a bus at 9:30 and rode 3 hours up to this town that is situated 750 ft above sea level and because of its cliffs it was one of the last Moorish cities to fall to the crusaders. It is a population of 35,000 so it was quite easy to get around and see everything. We arrived at about 12:30 and set off immediately. The first site we came to was a park which led to maybe one of the most beautiful views. It overlooked the valley below and the mountains in the distance. Glorious! We then headed off to el Puente Nuevo (New Bridge - funny because it's still quite old), which is a pretty amazing feat in itself. WAIT! I must point out that between this I was lucky enough to lean up against a rock barrier…oh yes….there just happened to be a big bird turd right there. Anywho, the bridge was an amazing sight to see as it reaches down to the bottom of the canyon with a river passing under it which divides the town into two parts, the old city and the newer city. Yes, here lies the bird duuuuu.

We traveled around seeing many of the sights but las minas (the mines) was definitely one of the sweetest places. We set off down these old stone steps not knowing how deep they went. Well, 190 steps down we were definitely feeling the calves work/shake. It really helped that ¾ of the steps were covered with slippery water or just flat out puddles. Oh yea, and half the time we didn’t know where we were stepping….but it was definitely worth it! It took us to the bottom of the canyon where we saw the river. Around this time, half of the group decided to head back and my roommates and I had already decided to stay the night and see a little more. We took a nap and then headed out to a bar, Huskies. It had all the old American sports teams plastered to the team. It was a fun night but I was tired…bed time! I woke up at 9:30, which was 8:30 because I was not warned of daylight savings time. Anywho, woke up as my roommates slept in and set off to spend a little time out on the town alone. This actually was my favorite time because I got to see some of the things I hadn’t seen and there was basically no one on the streets. It was the perfect time for some sweet pictures and adventuring around the town. All in all, an awesome trip and well worth it. Here's us at Huskies!

This is me on my morning walk through the town. It was just a neat place because there is something new around every corner. LOVE IT!

Wonder

Today, on my day off I slept in...quite a bit. I won't say till when however. I relaxed and basked in the ability to have internet in my own house. I finally said to myself, get ready and do something. I decided to take my book and journal down to a nearby bar...HAH, yes bar because those are also known as coffee houses which serve many a booze. I sat down and started to read a book some of you might know, "Dangerous Wonder." My mom gave this book to me some time ago but I have never taken the time to actually read it. I just happened to throw it in my suitcase for my trip. I finally opened it today and had a huge kick in the butt.

Since I have arrived here to my new life I have experienced new things from food, night life, beaches walking distance away, new friends, new job and much much more. However, in all of it, there is a sense of predictability. Is that wierd? Although I am in this new place, I have yet to venture out and try something new and crazy and adventurous. I think that is one of my biggest fears in life...losing the sense of wonder, adventure, and RISK. I can so easily just see what is near me in a safe kind of way, but I really don't want to. I really want to be a person that LIVES life not just to live and survive but to really LIVE life. Is that not what God created us for, to take risks in our faith? If you haven't read this book...READ IT! This was a good kick to get me seeking new ways of seeing this town and country...and really my life and faith. Thanks Mom for the book!

Gracias a Dios...we have the Internet

About 5 minutes ago, we finally....after a month, have internet. So all of you people with whom I have been so lame at staying in contact, hopefully I will get better now. The whole internet thing has been super difficult to get and it feels so good to sit in my own house and communicate. Love you all.

Oh, so tomorrow, all students in the region decided to have a holiday so they are not going to school. So that means day off for me, and thursday the teacher with whom I work can't make it to class. SOOOO....I have a two day holiday!

Sweet sunset!

The other day I walked down to the beach a found this glorious sunset! It was awesome.

El dia de hispanidad – Hispanic day!

This is just a little present to all of you. This past week has been one of those weeks when you look back and realize the amazing friends and family you have. I miss you all soo much!

Today, Monday the 13th, was a national holiday for all latin countries. I think it was the day that Columbus discovered the Americas. We spent it sleeping in to about 11 o’clock, pretty rough. Then we took a walk down to the beach and walked along this narrow walkway…I forget what you call it. It looks like the thing that free willy jumped over at the end of the first film, good enough, he J. Anywho, we walked along that and sat on some rocks and watching some tiny crabs. A very relaxing day…maybe too relaxing, but worth it. It was nice to get out because the past couple of days have been torrential rainfall here, which is very uncommon.

My two roommates, Sydney and Taylor, walking down the rock wall.

Sydney giving me a senior pose!

My two roommates basking in the sun.

My School - Pedro Munoz Seca

I have yet to write about my actual job. I work in a high school helping with tourism, marketing, and a class on entertainment tourism. I am there to let them hear my accent and converse with them. I’ll pick an article in English related to the subject at hand. I will read it to the students in English so they can hear my accent. Then they will read it over asking about their pronunciation. We will discuss and make sure they understand the meaning of the article. I work with three different teachers, all ranging in different English levels. It’s really fun to speak with them, but I am trying to find other opportunities to speak Spanish. Currently my schedule consists of 9 hours a week, but I will soon have 12 hours. Three of those hours are meant to sit down personally to talk and coordinate with each teacher. So, all in all, a pretty sweet job. Everyday I catch the bus to school, which costs about .80 euros and it takes about 12 minutes to arrive. After school I will walk home for my daily exercise. It’s about a 35 – 40 minute walk right through the middle of town.

Me in the Tourism teacher lounge!!

The entrance to my school.

El Pacto Nuevo - The New Covenant

My new church! I was really worried that there wasn’t going to be a Christian church in my town. I googled churches all over and the only churches I found were in Cadiz or in nearby towns. It was looking quite slim in finding a church in my own town. HOWEVER, the Lord thought otherwise. I actually found one and it’s right down the street from me. I went this last Sunday and even though there were only about 8 people there, it was refreshing and I understood most of the message. I talked to the pastor after and I am planning on going to the bible study on Wednesdays and they have meals at people houses around town on Thursdays. I am really excited to get involved because it will be the best way to practice my Spanish and get to know some actual Spaniards. However I am having a little trouble finding anyone my age who is also a Christian here. I would love that. The majority of the church is married and above the age of 27 it seems. Hopefully there will be more the next Sunday. Just wanted to report the findings of a church. I love you all and miss you greatly!! Abrazos y besitos (hugs and kisses).

Cadiz - Orientation

It all started at about 6 o’clock when my roommates and I were huddled around our propane tank trying to push a button, which creates a little flame producing the HOT water. As we failed to do so, one after the other we jumped into our sad, cold showers. Once all of us roommates were ready, it was the start of our day trip to Cadiz which was a 20 minute walk, 25 minute ferry ride (at sunrise), and a 3 minute taxi ride to get to out specific destination, Hotel Tryp La Coleta. There all of us teachers from the region of Cadiz, about 75 people, met to have our orientation. It was so good to meet up with some other auxilliares (as we are called). The orientation was all in Spanish with an andalucian accent (or, “athhhhhent” meaning their words tend to slur together). I understood most of it but after a while your head tends to hurt after trying to grasp everything. All ended well with a FREE meal!!!

This was our first trip to the big city of Cadiz. I love it! It is kind of a peninsula, más o menos (more or less), with beaches lining both sides. I would say looking at the width of the city, from my one trip knowledge that it is a 10-minute walk from one side to the other. After our orientation, we went to the older part of the city, el Casco antiguo. It was gorgeous with roman style building with a hint of Moorish history intertwined. Our main reason was to go to a famous clothing store called, Zara, so we could get started our European wardrobe. I bought a scarf, very eventful. Before we went home, we sat in the central plaza in front of the main cathedral drinking a cerveza. It was really nice and we all can’t wait to return to Cadiz because there is so much to see and yet it is so close. I forgot my camera (dumb) but here is some from my roommate, Sydney.

My roommate, Sydney, and I in front of the main cathedral.

We are super excited about being in Cadiz!

Fotos de mi apartamento

My sweet sassy...little empty room.

Our lovely kitchen!!




This is our living room. The furniture kind of dominates every empty space in the room.

This was the hotel that we stayed in when we first arrived. It was quite nice because tours of people kept coming in to see it. I guess it was quite a historical hot spot.