Mi Familia

It’s hard to believe I’ve already been in Spain over a month now! Time is just flying by, especially with short, four-day school weeks, and trips planned on the weekends…before I know it I’ll be flying back to Chicago. I’m finally over my initial culture shock, and I have found myself fully adjusted to my new life here in España. The more I’m here, the more I find myself falling in love with the city and culture. Oh and I can’t forget my adorable host family: my mama, Mari-Paz, my papa, Jose Luis, my brothers Diego and Javier, my nephews Diego jr. and Alexis, and my niece Sara. They have truly been my family since I’ve been here in Spain. Mama and Papa are so adorable. They call me mi niña (my girl), mi alma (my soul), and bonita (beautiful). They’re always kind and caring…always making my bed (or should I say remaking it), doing my laundry, cleaning up after I eat…I wouldn’t change host families for the world (although mama could use a few cooking tips from Rachel Ray, and the decibel at which she talked could seriously be toned down) but I still love them! 

Since I don’t have nephews or nieces back home it has been nice to “adopt” some while in Spain. My nephews Diego (8 years old) and Alexis (4 years old) are so sweet…always coming in my room to give me besitos (kisses) to say hello or goodbye, and being kind enough to slowly repeat what they said so my brain can catch up to their level of Spanish. My niece Sara is over almost every day because my host mom watches her while my host brother, Javier, goes to work. Sara just turned one year old and is the cutest thing ever! With her big brown eyes, dark hair, dimples, cute smile, fashionable dresses, and adorable laugh, she melts your heart. But don’t get me wrong, that child has a good pair of lungs on her cuz boy can she scream (any normally when I’m trying to take my siesta or study). Two days ago Sara took her first steps here at the house! After weeks of Sara constantly holding on to your finger as she waddled along, she finally got the courage to let go and walk on her own. My host mom was happy she started to cry. Now Sara, with her new-found freedom, is booking it around the house and becoming more difficult to look after. It’s funny because sometimes she gets ahead of herself. She gets so excited and her little legs start to go but the top half of her body can’t keep up. So, she’s had a few decent spills over the past few days (an epic one at Toys R Us when she was hauling it to the Hello Kitty car, tripped over Buzz Lightyear’s foot and crash landed into life-size Barbie)…good thing those diapers are padded. 

Sara playing with Kingsley

Living with a host family here in Spain has not only allowed me to be submerged into everyday Spanish life and culture, but it has given me the opportunity to learn that someone doesn’t have to be related blood or marriage in order to be family. I, a total stranger to this family just one month ago, have been taken in as part of the family, and have been shown compassion, tenderness, and acceptance all without hesitation. It makes me think; shouldn’t we all live our lives in a similar way? Accepting people for who they are and showing tenderness and compassion to others even though they may be complete strangers. The big man upstairs did, my host family does, and we all should be doing the same thing and following their actions.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” ~Romans 15:7

"When in Portugal...do as the Mexicans do"

So once again I have regrettably put off writing in my blog, and some how a few days has turned into a little over 2 weeks! The work load at school has started to pick up a little bit and midterms are coming up next week (yes, midterms already...time is flying by). So needless to say I’ve been busy putting in a few hours of studying. However it hasn’t been too bad since I have a study buddy, Brooke, and a lovely study spot, Starbucks :) Now if only Brooke and I could remember which bus stop we get off of to go home we’d be set! Yes, we managed to get off at the wrong bus stop, and yes, we’ve been here over a month. Oh well, nothing like a good laugh and a brisk walk back home.

So, what have I been up to lately…well two weeks ago Callie, Shelly, Brooke, and I ventured over to Spain’s neighbor, Portugal. We took a nice coach bus to Faro, Portugal, and we were there within two and a half hours. After a little bit of confusion, we got to our hotel, Hotel Sol Algarve, a cute, quaint little hotel run by the most adorable, sweet older man I’ve ever seen. Our room was nice. We had four individual beds, a bathroom, television (with channels in English!!), and most importantly air conditioning and silence (sorry Terra…aka pterodactyl, couldn’t bring ya on this trip to constantly disturb me while I attempted to get some quality REM cycle sleep!). 

Flattering picture of Callie and I on the bus to Portugal catching up on some sleep

The first night we all explored the town, had some amazing coffee, and found a restaurant to enjoy a meal that wasn’t deep fried in mama’s deep-fryer (oh btw she got a new one…yep, a shiny, chrome, huge beauty that bubbles grease with the slightest of ease.. yum). To our disappointment, the restaurant was horrible! We ordered pizza, but the sauce must have had rat poison in it cuz I gagged the minute it touched my palate. The next day we dedicated solely to the beach! We got up early, took a cab to Praia de Faro, laid out our towels, and soaked up the sun. Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to send gale-force winds our way which made the beach quite chilly, but we all somehow managed to get sunburned. The waves were massive due to the wind, and Shelly and Callie experienced the wrath of a mama wave. Shelly got completely knocked down just by standing on the shore, and Callie got a rock hurled at her foot (there was a minor bit of blood, good thing there weren’t any sharks). That night we ventured to this tiny hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant Shelly had discovered the night before. Much to our delight the place was packed, the people were friendly, the waiters awesome, and this cute old Mexican was playing the guitar and singing. The food was incredible, probably the best I’ve had my entire stay here, and I was so excited to see they had vegetarian options…something virtually unheard of here in Spain. So, Portugal was awarded the best and worst food award. Towards the end of the meal, our waiter, Ze, decided he’d be generous and bring us three bottles of Tequila on the house! Yes, three! But don’t worry; we’re ladies who drink with the utmost dignity and class. Our theme for the night became, “When in Portugal…do as the Mexicans do!” The food, atmosphere, karaoke, and most importantly, the company of great friends made the night, and pretty much the entire trip incredible! 

Praia de Faro

"When in Portugal...do as the Mexicans do"

Last weekend I stayed here in Sevilla and explored my city a bit more with Brooke. We finally went inside the massive cathedral and climbed to the top of the Giralda to enjoy the views of Sevilla from above. The inside of the cathedral was amazing! The intricate details and elaborate architecture was mind blowing, and the views from the Giralda were breath-taking.

View of the Catedral from the Giralda

Aside from touring the cathedral, I got to go to a cute countryside restaurant with Brooke, her old roommate Patricia (who lives here in Sevilla), her boyfriend Sergio, and a few of their local friends. After an hour drive, and a confusing trip down a “goat road” we arrived at this restaurant tucked away in the countryside. We ate, drank, laughed, and walked around admiring the views and the animals (donkeys, deer, and puppies!). After, we drove to a town called Carmona and had coffee in an old castle that has now been converted into a hotel. The trip was amazing, but the people were better. I’m so grateful for the gift of friendship and good company. Sometimes that’s all you really need in life to make you smile :)

"Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God’s greatest gifts. It involves many things, but above all the power of going out of one's self and appreciating what is noble and loving in another." ~ Thomas Hughes