Last Day in Spain

My last day in Spain was rather sad. It was hard to say good bye to everyone. The time went by so fast. It was my last day to sleep in and enjoy the time I had with Matt and Lori and the girls. I spent most of the day doing last minute things that were on my list. I finished my stained glass, started packing things up, did some last minute shopping and finished washing some clothes. At 5:00 we went to church and had amazing pie that Lori had mad and then Matt led Praise and Worship and Lori led a Bible Study. It was a great time of fellowship. After church I did some more last minute errands and then went home for dinner. I said goodbye to Abigail and Isa before they went to bed because I was leaving early in the morning. I spent the evening with Matt and Lori and we talked about our personalities and just had a good time together. It was hard to pack everything up and leave knowing that it would be a while before I saw everyone again. However, I was looking forward to seeing my friends at school. I went to bed but wasn't able to sleep because I feared that I would oversleep and miss my plane. The next thing I remembered was my alarm going off and I got up to begin my travels home. The flight home went smoothly and I had a small delay in Chicago, but it didn't mess anything up. It was good to be home again.

I always enjoy being in Spain and spending time with Matt and Lori. They always teach me so much along with the other members of the team. Thanks guys for everything. I had a great time.

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Coming to an End

Today was my last day of working in the cafe. I worked two shifts today since I had yesterday off. I worked with Lori this morning, which was a little different, and then we ate lunch together after work. When we left the cafe I did a little shopping in the touristy shops and tried to stop at a candy store, but they were closed for siesta. When I got home I worked on my stained glass piece and then headed back to work. I made tapas tonight and cut some fudge and I was done early, so I talked to some of Scott's friends that are visiting. At about a quarter till I started cleaning up the back. Victor came back a couple of times and asked me some questions and I didn't know the answers and felt horrible. I was ready to leave for the night. Belen stopped by to say goodbye to me. I'm really going to miss her. I walked home quickly because Matt and Lori and I were going out for dinner. We dropped Abigail and Isa off at the Stribs and went to a nice restaurant for authentic Spanish food. It was a great meal and I had a great time just talking with Matt and Lori. After dinner we went out for some ice cream. Well, we tried to. Most of the ice cream places were closed. So, we ended up getting ice cream from a pizza place. We picked up the girls from the Stribs and then went home.

Early Morning

Yesterday I woke up early and helped Lori take Abigail to school and then we went to the cafe. I had a napolitana and cafe con leche. Really good. Then Lori and I went to get our hair cut. It was fun. Now I need to get some hair gel and a round hair brush so that I can do something with it. It stinks that I can never get it to look like the person who gave me the cut.

After we got our hair cut, I stopped by the cafe to get my stained glass piece so that I could finish it. We I got home I realized that I had forgotten my key and so I was locked out. I went to the park for a while and then headed back to the house trying to catch Lori. I figured it was around the time that she was going to be picking up Abigail and so I headed to the school. I was glad when I saw that she was there. I helped her get the girls home.

After lunch I worked on my stained glass piece and took a little nap before Lori and I went to the cafe. We met Belen there to talk and it was the last time I had to spend with her. Belen is so sweet. She is one of those people that you want to bring home with you. We said our goodbyes and Lori and I headed home.

Matt and I went to the store for dinner and when we got home, the Stribs girls were over because we were watching them while the Stribs went out with their friends. After the girls were in bed we ate dinner and watched Lord of the Rings. I got tired pretty quickly and went to bed.

Orchestra de Galicia

Today I woke up early to meet Crystal and Matt at the cafe for Art Club. We didn't get our projects finished on Monday, so we were trying to finish them before I had to work. I got most of the outline finished, but it took a long time to dry. I ended up having to work before I got it done. I worked with Belen again which was fun. I had to go to the bank and get some change and make a lot of fudge. It was a good day at the cafe. After work, I went to the park because it was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It really made me not want to go back home to snow. Oh well, it can be fun.

In the afternoon, I watched Abigail and Isa while Lori went to teach. It was pretty fun. She played her Dr. Seuss game for a while and then we put some of her music in and danced around the room. She had a great time. When Lori got home she made some pancake batter. While she taught the neighbor kids English, I made the pancakes and fed the girls.

As soon as Lori was done, went left for a concert that I had read about in a brochure. We went to see the Orchestra of Galicia. We ended up getting free tickets because they know a girl who hadd tickets and wasn't going. She just put our names on them. The orchestra was really good and I had a great time. The conductor confused me alot and I'm guessing that is because the pieces were in weird times. I don't know. It amazed me how long the applauding lasted for after the songs. At the end I would say it lasted a good five minutes. The conductor came on the stage three or four times. The whole time I was thinking that there would be a standing ovation. No, they just clapped forever. I thought it was pretty funny. I enjoyed watching people's facial expression. Especially the concert master. He was practically dancing. After the concert, Lori and I went out and got drinks and talked for a while, until midnight actually. Then we realized that we had to get up early and booked it home. I'm really glad that I got to go to the concert. It was a great experience.

There is Nothing Like a New Pair of Shoes

Yesterday was a great day. It is hard for me to remember everything that happened, but I will try my best. I know that I worked from 12-3 at the cafe. I left to go get groceries and when I was almost to the store, I realized that I forgot the money. So, I had to go all the way back to the cafe. Belen thought it was funny, but told me she has done the same thing before. When I got back from the store, Belen and I talked for a while and then she showed me some pictures of her niece, her sister's wedding, and some funny deformed pitures that were hilarious. We were both laughing so hard that she had to close out of the pictures. (Abigail wanted to play Dr. Seuss, so there was a long pause and now I am back) I had a lot of fun talking with her, but I had to get to work. I made fudge and some stuff for tapas and then I was done.

After work I went homw to eat and I worked on finishing my design for art club. I watched Isa when Lori went to teach and then I met her after class to go shopping. We walked all over the city and I finally found a cool pair of shoes. They are yellow and black, sporty and unique. I really like them. When we got home we made dinner and then I went back to the cafe to help Matt close.

Time Flies By

Let's see, yesterday was a pretty busy day. I worked at the cafe from 12:00-3:00 and then went home for lunch. I watched Abigail and Isabel for a little while in the afternoon and then met Lori after her class. I went to art club at the cafe which was fun, but hard. Matt, Crystal, and I were the only ones last night. We were making stainglass squares and we were supposed to draw a picture of a symbol of our life. The three of us spent our entire time trying to come up with ideas and so we are going to meet again on Thursday morning to actually do the stainglass. After artclub Matt and I talked for a while at the cafe before we went to the GBU Bible Study. By the time I got to the Bible Study I was pretty Spanished out. Matt lead the Bible Study this week. The students were supposed to design the ideal church. They were starting from scratch and they had to make the church what they wanted it to be. They definitely came up with a different church than I would have, but most of their ideas were very attainable. I think it was good to hear what they want their church to be like and to get them to think about what church should be. It is a very challenging questionm and I still don't know exactly what I think, but I definitely have a lot of ideas. After bible study, I watched a movie to relax from the dat.

This morning I got up and went to work. It was a busy day in the cafe. As soon as I walked in I had to make a batido for someone. Then before I made it to the store I helped Scott do the dishes. This was my first time helping with the dishes. Then I went to the store and when I got back someone had ordered a fruit plate. When that was done I finished putting the rest of the food away and entered everything into the computer. Just as I was ready to make some fudge, Scott said I needed to make three bocadillos de tortilla y queso and patatas fritas. As I was making those he said that we needed another bocadillo with queso. I got those finished, made the fudge, cut some fudge, made four mint chocolate shakes, and cleaned up the kitchen. Now, to some this may not have been a busy day, but for me, I think it was the busiest day so far. This is kind of exciting. The students love the cafe, especially the foreign students.

This afternoon we went to Scott and Shelly's for Madelines birthday party. She turned three. We had a really good carrot cake. Abigail was funny because she wanted Madeline to share all of her presents, especially the bubbles. At first Madeline didn't even want to open the bubbles, but once they were playing with them they had a great time. I enjoyed watching all the guys sit and stare with bordom.

Today was a good day. It is crazy how fast three weeks can go. There is so much that I would still like to do before I leave, but I know that I won't get to everything. I still haven't found anyshoes. Oh well, if I do it will be fun, and if not, I don't really need them anyway.

A Day in La Coruna

This morning I woke up early and got ready to go to the train station. Matt and I were meeting Scott, David, and Brian to go to La Coruna. We arrived about twenty minutes early and bought our tickets. Matt went first and only had a fifty. The guy wasn't very happy. He did not want to break a fifty, but that is all Matt had so after much hesitation he gave Matt change. Then I got my ticket and we went to grab a cup of coffee while we waited. Scott and David arrived shortly after and they came to get some coffee. As David sat down he said, "I think I really made that guy made because I didn't have change for a fifty." Matt and I laughed and explained what had just happened to us. We were waiting for Brian as Scott's phone rang. It was Brian, he thought we were meeting at Scott's place and that the train was leaving later. He had ten minutes to get from far, far, away to the train station. Matt and Scott thought for sure that he was going to miss the train. We finished our coffee and were getting ready to get on the train and as Scott said, "There is no way Brian is going to make it," he ran in the doors to the train station. Matt told him to get his ticket quickly as we stood outside waiting for the train. Brian comes running out, out of breath and says, "Do you guys have change, he won't take my fifty." It was hilarious. So, Brian made the train and we were off to La Caruna.

We first went to Vida Nueva, a church that was planted maybe a year ago. Everyone there was really nice. I really enjoyed singing the songs, many of them I already knew either in English or from CAV. It is so awesome to worship God with people from other cultures and people who speak a different language. It always reminds me of how awesome my God is and gives a little closer glimps of what heaven will be like. There was also a teen leading some of worship which was very powerful. We spent some time praying for other churches in the area and for that church. The message was about the church and what it is supposed to look like. I think I cought the just of the message. At least bits and pieces of it. After church I really had to go to the bathroom and when I was exiting, I couldn't get the door opened. How embarassing! I thought I was stuck in the bathroom. I finally got the door opened and was very happy that I didn't have to start knocking from the inside for someone to let me out.

We went to Roberto's house after church for lunch. He is the Pastor of the church and I met him last week when he was visiting Santiago. His wife Nancy and their two kids Sophi and Josue, I'm not sure how to spell them. Lunch was yum, yum, delicioso. After lunch we went to a close cafe for a cup of coffee. As we were sitting there talking the place got really dark. They had pulled all of the blinds down and turned on the television for the soccer game that we were going to go to. We called a taxi which arrived in two minutes. Now, most taxi's hold 5 people max, but we made this one hold six. It was a very tight squeeze. I felt like I was either never going to leave my seat, or pop out. I'm glad that the ride to the stadium wasn't extremely long.

We got our tickets for the game and then found our seats. We were a little late, but still got to see most of the game. The stadium was packed and very loud with passionate fans. One guys got injured, for real, and they pulled him off the stage with a stretcher. Then a ref. made a really bad call which made the crowd go wild. Then towards the end of the game our team scored. We thought we were going to win for about a minute when the other team scored. The game ended 1-1. It was a gorgeous day for a soccer game. I would have to say it was a pretty impressive game, being my first ever Spanish soccer game live. Leaving the stadium was crazy. Masses of people were walking on the streets. We finally made it to a taxi line and when our taxi pulled up we all crammed in. The taxi driver looked at us like we were crazy and explained tha he was only taking four passengers, so Matt and David got out and went to the next taxi. Back at the train station many college students were heading back to school, so it was packed. Today was a great day. Beautiful weather, aawesome church experience, coffee, great food, and a soccer game. Wow, I'm tired.
Hasta Manana

A Day Inside

I had today off from the cafe and so did Matt, so we were going to go hiking this morning. I woke up so that I could get ready and looked outside to find it raining, again. I think I prefer snow to rain anyday. Check with me again in February and I might have a different answer. Anyway, we were trying to decide what else we could do today. I ended up going out with Lori and Abigail to a few stores. I bought some canvas and some paint brushes so that I could paint since there wasn't much I could do outside. I spent the afternoon painting with oil paints and loved it. It was my first time trying something like this.

This evening Matt and Lori went out on a date and I got to babysit. Isa was already in bed when Matt and Lori left so all I had to do was get Abigail ready and read to her and she went to bed. I headed downstairs to watch Bourne Identity when I heard Isa crying. I went to try and calm her down but she would not. She did not want to go back to sleep. I didn't want to take her out of her room because she was supposed to be sleeping. Finally after rocking her and holding her standing up and even leaving her in the crib to cry for a while, I took her downstairs and held her while I watched the movie. After about 10-15 minutes she fell back asleep and I put her to bed. Then after I was into the movie I heard more crying. This time it was Abigail. I went to check on her and she stopped crying. She heard me and I asked her if she was o.k. She said she was and went back to sleep. I went and finished the rest of the movie. It's a little freeky but good.

I'm off to bed because tomorrow is a big day. I am going to a church in La Caruna and then a soccer game afterwards. It's just me and the guys. Should be fun.

View of Santiago from park down the street

Hey Guys,
If you want to see more of my photos go to my Views of Santiago Page (or click on the photo)

A Plethora of Events

This morning after Lori and I got ourselves and the girls ready it was about 12:30. We went to the art gallery that Marta works at and looked at some of her mother's pantings. They were amazing.

Then we headed over to the cafe to visit Matt for a while. Brian and I switched shifts for today, so I did have to work the early shift. It was kind of nice to switch things up. When Matt got of work, we stopped by the store and then headed home for lunch.

After lunch I took the digital camera and went on a walk to find the new park that they are constructing. When I arrived I saw a wonderful view of the city. I walked around the park and took several pictures while enjoying the bright sunny day. It almost felt like Spring. When I couldn't take anymore pictures, I found a bench and sat down to enjoy the view. I spent the next half hour or so just thinking about my life, about my future, when I am headed, what I want to change, how I can better serve others. I love being outside and just thinking about these kind of things. I headed home after a while and read some before going to work.

When I arrived at the cafe it was pretty busy. Sometimes this makes me nervous. Anyway, I made the tapas for the evening and was done after a half hour. I still had an hour to an hour and a half to find something to do. I asked Scott if he needed any help, but he said he had everything under control. So, I decided to make some fudge. That was done by 7:00 and there was still nothing for me to do. I don't really know how to do things up front, so I often try to avoid it. It makes me nervous when it gets loud because I want to help, but I don't know what to do. Somehow I managed to keep somewhat busy until Scott left and I went with him because we were going out to eat with Father Sal (He is a friend of the teams and is from the Phillipines).

We met at a Chinese Restaurant and had a great meal. They were extremely nice to us and I felt really special. Father Sal new the owners of the restaurant. We started out with some soup, then had egg roles, then we had some kind of noodle, followed by rice, duck, and eggplant omlet. It was all delicious or as Abigail would say, "Yum Yum, delicioso). At about 10:30 the restaurant started getting busy and Father Sal told us that there were only two waitors. This is because they hired a new guy tonight and he went to deliver his first order and never came back. He got away with the motorbike. He even took the good one. I couldn't believe it.

I had a great time and am really glad that I got to meet Father Sal. He said he wants to come to my first concert. I'm guessing he means professional or something. He found out I was a music major and asked me if I was going to study in Italy. It would be nice.

On the way home from the restaurant we took a taxi. Abigail hadn't been feeling well and had gotten sick in the restaurant, but we thought it was because she choked on some food. When the taxi stopped to let us out she got sick again and right in my hands. So, that makes two times in the car and both times I was the one holding her. Oh well, hopefully she gets to feeling better soon. Well, I am off to watch some of The West Wing.

Cafe Terra Nova

After Christmas, the tree was taken down and put outside so that it didn't take up room in the cafe. Well, the problem was no body took it from there and so it looked really tacky outside the cafe. Not only did it look bad, but it kept falling down. When I arrived at work today, I entered the kitchen to find a tree, right in the middle. The kitchen is already small enough without having to dance around a tree. Anyway, I still got everything done that I needed to. I think that I am starting to get the hang of things. This afternoon I came home for siesta and then I went back to work around six. I had to get the tapas ready, which I was a little nervous about because I had to do it by myself. Everything went fine and I even got out of work early. Tonight I drew a little bit, Abigail can't wait for her picture. Then Matt and Lori and I played the Settlers. It is a fun game, but I think we were a little to vicious for a board game. It was fun. I really enjoy being here with Matt and Lori and the girls. They are all fun to hang out with. That is all for today. Maybe tomorrow will be a little more exciting. I would like to find a pair of shoes.

The Art of Using an Umbrella

Yesterday I worked at the cafe again and went through a normal rutine. Matt had me go to three stores to pick up stuff so I spent half of my shift shopping. It went o.k. and I got everything that I needed. I watched the girls in the afternoon for an hour or so. Lateron in the evening we had dinner, and watched The West Wing while munching on pop corn, chocolate and coca cola light.

Early this morning I awole to rain pouring on the roof. It was really loud. This isn't the best way to wake up, especially when you know transportation is by foot. I left for the cafe and put up my umbrella to keep the rain off of me. It was nice for the first block, but then I got stuck behind a guy walking really slow and I didn't have that much time to get to work. I was trying to pass him, but the umbrella kept getting in the way. Then there would be people coming the other direction and the umbrella would go up, down, to the left over to the right. It was almost like a game trying not to hit anyone with the umbrella. By the time I got to work, I thought I had the art mastered.

Then I went out to get groceries and had to take the cart. I thought that carring an umbrella was hard, now I had to dodge people with the umbrella and make sure that I didn't hit anyone with the cart. Today in the cafe I made my first three bocadillos (sandwhiches) the first one was a little small, but the rest went o.k. Belen was great at helping me out in the kitchen and very nice to. She made me some chocolate while I was working. I think that she felt bad that I was in the back all by myself. The cafe wasn't extremely busy today either.

Anyway, after work Matt and Lori came by and we all went out to eat. On the way to the Latino bar it started raining really hard again and this time I got to hold the umbrella over me and Lori while Lori oushed the stroller. So she dodged the people with the stoller and I dodged the umbrellas while trying to keep both of us dry. I did an o.k. job, but began to realize that an umbrella can be quite difficult to manuver at times. We arrived at the bar and the bottom of my jeans were soaked because of the rain. I got a Bocadillo Latino that Matt and Lori had recommened. It had pork, cheese, pickel, and tomato. It was pretty good and I was really full when I was done.

After we ate, Matt went to Cafe Terra Nova to meet Scott and Lori went to teach her English class. She took Abigail with her and I took Isa home so she could take a nap. Well, I didn't think that things with the umbrella could get much worse, but this time I had the umbrella with one hand and the stroller with the other. Let's just say that I was happy when I arrived at the front door.

Big Dreams

I have been thinking a lot lately about what my future holds. I seem to think about it more when I am asked, "What are your plans for after you graduate." I don't think one can ever know for sure what they are going to be doing in the future, because what you plan to do often changes. Whatever it is that I end up doing after I graduate, I think it will involve music and the rest is wherever God leads me.

Today I worked in the cafe. It was my first day by myself in the kitchen. Well, I was somewhat by myself. Matt helped me out a lot because he was at the bar. He sent me to the store for some items that we needed. He told me that I needed to get a box of milk which had 12 cartons of milk. So, I grabbed the rolly cart and headed to the store which was about 4-5 blocks away. I grabbed everything and checked out and put the groceries in the rolly cart. Then I looked at the box of milk and decided to carry it because if I put it in the cart, I might not have been able to get it out. I walked all the way back to the cafe to drop off the groceries before I ran the rest of the errands. My arms felt like they were going to fall off by the time I got to the cafe. Matt opened the door for me and said, " You could have taken them out of the box to put them in the rolly cart." If I knew that he didn't care about the box, I totally would have put them in the rolly cart. Oh well, it makes up for not being able to work out. Next, I went to get some glasses for the cafe and I am so proud of myself. I understoond the sales clerk and he got me exactly what I needed. This was a great feeling of accomplishment. Maybe my Spanish has improved a little thanks to Spa 201.

After I got off work I sat at the bar and ate my lunch and talked to Matt while I waited for him to get off work. We dreamed about maybe someday owning a cafe in the United States. I think that it would be fun, but for the moment it is fun to dream about. Belen came in at 4 to take Matt's place and I got to talk with her for a while. It was great to be able to use my Spanish and she was very nice and understanding. She is learning English at the moment so it was great for both of us.

This evening I went to a bible study held by some local college students. It amazes me that people can have nothing in common except a relationship with Christ and it makes you feel like you belong. I went and was excited about my Spanish, but by the time I got there I think my Spanish was gone. I understood a little bit, but not as much as normal. I met many nice people and even though I didn't understand everything, I had a great time. I think I will go back next week because Matt is speaking.

Oh, art club was cancelled for today because Matt was sick, but instead I drew a little bit on my own. It was fun. Well, I should probably go to bed now because everyone else is asleep, but I am not exactly tired yet.

hasta manana

Church at the Cafe

Today was a nice and relaxing day. I got to sleep in because church wasn't until 5:00. When I woke up, I ate breakfast and then began reading Mere Christianity. So far it is pretty good and C.S. Lewis makes many good points.

At five o'clock we started church which meets in the cafe and it is all in Spanish. It was funny because people were walking by thinking that the cafe was opened. Right now the church is opened for anyone who wants to come, but if someone hasn't been invited, they wouldn't know that we were meeting. It is a little awkward right now because people walking by think that the cafe might be opened because people are inside, but the people aren't inside the cafe for a normal cafe visit. They are working on getting a sign put out so that it is a little more obvious what is going on. We began with a time of fellowship and had ice cream and coffee. The ice cream was delicious. Then we began. For this month we are going through the Psalms and picking out something that sticks out to us and then we are going to share it next week. We closed with prayer.

For dinner tonight we had Fondo. This was my first time and it was pretty good. It took a while to eat dinner though, but it was fun. After dinner we watched some more of West Wing. It doesn't seem like I got much done today, but it was definitely a day of rest.

Tomorrow I will be working at the cafe, watching Abigail and Isabel, going to the art club at the cafe, and possibly going to the GBU bible study.

Living a Life of Ministry

Every time I come to Spain, I am reminded that I am supposed to be living a life of ministry. Tonight, the team met at the Striblings for a time of worship and fellowship. We closed the evening by watching a short movie. Afterwards we discussed what had happened in the movie and parallels that we could make. There were three characters in the movie: a blind man trying to cross the street because his dog had escaped to the other side, a man trying to commit suicide by jumping from a tree, and a guy who was living in a house that was in the middle of these two events. The blind man was in the front of the house and the other man was in a tree in the backyard of the house. What ended up happening was the man in the house was living a normal day, normal life, watching a cooking channel to make a hamburger or something, and at the same time he was tying together some ropes. What ends up happening is the man in the middle sets up a contraption so that both the other guys meet. The man in the back yard ends up not killing himself and the blind man gets help to cross the street to get to his dog.

Now, a lot is missing from the 15 minutes film becuase I can't explain it very well in words. However, I got a lot out of it after we had talked about it. The man who was trying to commit suicide felt worthless and needed someone to help. At the same time, the blind man could not cross the street on his own and needed a person to help him. The man in the middle was just living his normal life, but at the same time recognized the needs of both men. Anyway, it really made me think about how I live my everyday life. Is it one where I go along and notice others in need and help out or do I just continue doing my own thing? Also, do I think that there needs to be a special occasion to help someone out? You can also take this same incident and say that the man in the house represents the church body. Is the church body living in a way that brings people back to a community without trying to get the credit? The man in the house could have very easily gone and helped the blind man accross the street in order to be recognized. He also could have gone to talk to the man in the back and offered him some hope.

I really want to think about this more. Am I living my life and paying attention to what God wants me to be doing? Am I aware of what is going on around me, or am I too focused on my own life to care?

Life of fun

Wow, today made for a long day. I woke up around nine, when the sun came up, to go shopping before I went to work. Sales on everything started today. In Spain there are two times for sales. The first is right after King's day and it lasts for about a month and the second is at the end of July I believe. I went with Matt and Lori ansd the girls. We made it to one store which was jammed pack full of crazy shoppers trying to find the best deals. I am not one for liking the crowds and was glad that I had to work shortly. Matt and I headed to the cafe while Lori finished shopping and then waited in line for 55 minutes. Now, I like sales, but I don't think I like them that much.

When I arrived at the cafe, I met Brian who was training me for the day. I went and put my stuff in the back and then found him to see what to do. Number 1 on the list was to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. It was a great way to start off a work day. Next, we made a list of all of the groceries that we would need for the day and then we were off to the store. We gathered the supplies rather quickly and returned to the cafe to prepare some food. We toasted some bread and made some crab dip and some tomato spread for tapas. The crab dip was really good. Then we cut up the fudge and made some more. That was my first day of work. Not too difficult and quite fun, however, I don't think every day will be this easy.

After eating lunch, I played the guitar for a little bit and then went on a walk around the city. I took several pictures and just enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. I stopped at Parque Alameda and sat on a park bench for a while and journaled and then I headed over to the cafe. I sat on the couch in front of the window, ordered churros con chocolate and read a magazine. I found it interesting to see what the top movies and t.v. shows are here. When the cafe started getting crowded I head back home and arrived just as Lori was leaving with the girls. They were going grocery shopping and so I joined then.

So, I have been wanting to go on a run here for a while but was waiting for Matt to show me where he runs. After he put the girls to bed we went on a run. There were so many hills, not small ones either. It was a great workout and quite a challenge, but I really enjoyed the change. We ran through part of the old city and then through parque Alameda and then down and around south campus. I am so glad that we went. Upon returning we had a great meal with fresh pineapple dipped in chocolate for dessert. I think I could have eaten the whole bowl. I had to make Lori take it away from the table. I ended my evening with some crocheting while I watched a little of the Third Matrix. It seems like I had such a long day, but for some reason I am not very tired. However, I should go to bed soon. I think I might get some new shoes tomorrow. We'll see how crowded the stores are.

Chao

King's Day

Yesterday I slept until almost noon to recover from my long flight. I spent most of the afternoon with Lori and the girls while Matt was at work. When Matt got off work we went to the parade for El Dia de Los Reyes. Lori had to go off to work at the cafe, so Matt and I had the girls. It was quite the experience pushing a stroller through massive crowds of people. Not to mention we didn't really know where we were going to watch the parade. The parade was pretty short, but fun. There were horses, a band, people walking on stilts, an ambulance, and some floats. Abigail got some candy thanks to the generous man standing in front of us. After the parade it was even worse trying to get through the crowds of people. I think I tripped at least ten people while pushing the stroller. We finally made it home for a relaxing evening with pizza and West Wing.

Today I woke up to a little bit of sunlight shining through the window. A few minutes later I heard little tiny footsteps running accross the hallway and then they stopped. I looked out the door and Abigail was standing there peaking into my room. I let her in and we played the keyboard for a little bit before going to get some breakfast.

Marta(Spanish tutor for Matt and Lori) and her husband, Nano, had us over to celebrate King's Day. It was great to experience all kinds of different foods. Well, they really weren't that different, it just wasn't typical stuff that I would eat. First there was meat and cheese, then lots of crab, then some kind of beef with plums and apple sauce and rice on the side. We finished the meal with the famous cake Spaniards eat on King's Day. Everyone had to cut their own piece of cake and someone's piece had a prize hidden in it. Today, Marta was the one to win the prize. We also had some type of pudding that was delicious and other sweet desserts. It was a fabulous meal and we were all full afterwards. After we ate, the girls opened presents from Marta and Nano. Then after we talked for a while we ended the evening with a nice walk through the countryside. It was a gorgeous day and the view was wonderful.

Tonight Matt and I played the guitar together. He is teaching me some new things on the guitar which I am really excited about. I have a lot of work to do, but it is so much fun.

Tomorrow is going to be my first day working in the cafe. I am a little nervous, but I am sure that everything will go fine. It amazes me that I am going to be working at a cafe in Spain. I can't wait.

Hasta Luego

A couple of minutes can make all the difference

Riding up to the air port thoughts were running through my head. Was everything going to go smoothly, would I arrive in Spain on time, how was the weather in Chicago. I arrived at the airport on time and went to check my luggage. Security was much better than previous years making the start of my trip much more relaxing.

Everything was going as planned until I got on the plane and prepared for take off. A voice came over the speakers saying that boarding was closed for the moment because the flight was going to be delayed for at least an hour. Everyone wasn't very happy including myself but I tried to remind myself that this flight was going to go fine. After we took of I remember I kept checking my watch to see how much time I would have in Chicago. Then I remembered that Chicago was an hour behind Ohio and that the flights leaving Chicago were also delayed. Just incase mine wasn't delayed I still had time.

I finally arrived at Chicago and realized that I had about an hour. Chicago airport is huge and I think I had to walk from one side to the other. At the very end of a hall was a tiny desk that said Iberia. I thought that I was in the wrong place, but they would be able to help. I was really glad when the lady told me I was at the right place. Then she explained that my flight was delayed. She also told we that it wouldn't affect my flight from Madrid to Sanitago. I went and found a seat and decided to crochet to pass the time by. Then over the speaker came a voice saying our flight would be delayed until 7:00. This was cutting it close. Before I boarded the plane I checked to see if I would be alright on time in Madrid and they assured me that I would have and hour. I trusted them knowing that I had to go through customs and make it from one side of the airport to the other. This plane finally took off and I thought, wow this is going much better than I thought it would. Even with the delays I was going to make it on time and it would be the shortest time I ever spent in Madrid airport.

My plane landed in Madrid exactly at 9:45 and my other flight took off at 10:45. I had one hour. I waited patiently for everyone to exit the plane and we all got onto a bus to go to the airport. As I entered the doors to the airport I realized I had to get in line to go through customs. I looked up at the big clock on the wall and it was 10:15. I had a half hour left to get through customs and find my gate. Customs went smoothly and I didn't have to get my luggage because it was being checked all the way through. This was really nice. I got in another line to wait to get on another bus to go to my gate which was on the other side of the airport. The bus moved very slowly and I kept checking the clock counting down the minutes. I was going to make it. The bus dropped us off at our gate. I was looking for D 66 even though on the plane they had told me E 80.

Upon entering the building I realized that I had to wait in another line to go through security. After I made it through, I grabbed my bags and began walking rapidly to my gate. I saw D 66 in the distance and glanced at a clock saying 10:35. I had made it. Everything was going great. As I got closer to the gate I checked the t.v. screen which read Barcelona. Barcelona?? It was supposed to say Santiago. Maybe I had the wrong gate and E 80 was the correct gate like they had told me on the plane. I kept moving trying to make it in time. I still had ten minutes until take-off. I saw E 80 in the distance and as I got closer I realized that it wasn't the gate either. Then I didn't know what to do so I found an Iberia counter to ask what gate the plane for Santiago was departing from. The guy looked at me with no sympathy and said... the plane already took off. I didn't understand why it took off already because I still had four minutes. He said that they stopped boarding people at 10:35. I had missed it by minutes. He also informed me that the next flight wasn't until 4:00.

So, what I thought would be my shortest trip ever in the Madrid airport turned into the normal waiting. I would have to say that this was my best trip to Spain so far. Having my luggage checked all the way through was really nice and even though I was in Madrid airport forever, it only took me a half an hour to get through customs and to my gate which is way shorter than normal.