España!

 

Wow, I'm here. So much has happened, and I can't believe how good I feel. The waiting and worrying about going to Spain was way worse than the actual coming and getting settled. It's definitely been tiring and has required a lot of brain power, but I am so loved and so blessed! So here's the update. 

My parents came with me and dropped me off. They actually did much more than that, and they loved Spain so much. They said it's like Italy but with fewer people. Compared to the US, it's remarkably similar to Italy, but it's also very different. I love it. Shuyan, the amazing exchange student I had in Lehi, has been to a bunch of the best parts of almost every country in Europe, and she says that Spain is her favorite. So that's got to mean something. 😊

Anyway, I mostly took my parents almost everywhere Cristian has taken me. We went to the temple in Madrid, a gorgeous castle in Segovia, and this huge, amazing cathedral in Burgos. We were VERY tired from the jet lag, as tends to happen, but we had such a nice time. I also led the brigade and drove a lot and spoke a lot of Spanish whenever we needed it, and I did really well! I'm going to improve so fast here!  It's been so fun to talk to Cristian's mom, Marcela, and Fernanda (one of the awesome YSA who doesn't speak any English), and really be able to hold a conversation with them now. I saw Cristian in June, but I haven't been here since April. I've improved a lot, which is so exciting. 

When I finally got to see Cristian, late last Friday night after he got off work, we were so happy. My parents went to sleep, and we went to the Hamburger Fest thing that came to Logroño. It was so good and we had the best time. The next morning, we moved me into my piso (apartment). I was a little nervous, hoping it would be good. It's definitely not what I had in Georgia, but for Spain, it is great! My Spanish roommate, Carlota, is super nice! 

But this is when I just felt so, so loved.  My dad built a little dresser thing I ordered on Amazon. Cristian and my mom went shopping for sheets, hangers, a trash can, and such. Then, my mom finished setting my whole room up, hung up my clothes, and made my bed while Cristian and I went to find my Amazon packages. (They were very nearby at a little corner store, which is also a pick-up point.) My parents bought me groceries, helped me carry them, and were just amazing! They also helped me carry the three big suitcases I brought to Spain, which was a huge blessing. 

Cristian spent almost ten hours trying to get me a Spain phone plan. It was a lot of trouble, especially because my phone only takes e-sim. We had to wait 24 hours three different times, and then at the end of the 24 hours, it still didn't work. We walked all around trying to get it, and finally, I got a great, cheap plan from Vodafone. So hurray for that. I have a Spain number, so if any of you gorgeous, wonderful, adoring fans want to text or call me, message me on facebook. You can also ask me for my new Spain number, which you can message and call on WhatsApp. Cristian has also done so much else to help me. I probably can't even remember it all, but it's been a LOT. 

Speaking of Cristian, he has, at least so far, just exceeded my expectations in pretty much every way. He is teaching me more than I've ever, ever known, what I deserve in a relationship. He just takes care of me with so much love and care and sweetness. He is so kind and full of goodness, and he makes me happy. He's also just so fun to hang out with. We've spent a lot of time together, and I feel so comfortable with him. I don't know how to do so many things here, and he has just gone so far out of his way to help me. And everything he does with such humility, like it's not even a big deal. I'm blessed! And I'm just SO ready to be done with long distance. We did a really, really good job of it, I think, but it's just not the funnest. Living a ten-minute walk apart is THE funnest!

Also, Cristian's mom is wonderful. I feel like I know her so much better this time because, like I said, I can now really understand most of what she says. She is great! She and Cristian have such a cute, supportive relationship. They help each other a lot. Their piso is so clean and calming and just nice to be in. She is also getting more excited about the church than she's ever been. She doesn't want to be rushed, but she often feeds the missionaries, she stopped drinking coffee, and she goes to church almost every Sunday. She's also so welcoming to me. They have fed me lunch, which is the big meal in Spain, almost every day. One day, I asked Cristian what I should bring, and he suggested potatoes for fries. So Marcela and I made fries together to go with the Bolivian beef we were having. So yeah, she is great!

Next, I need to tell you about this city. In Spain, unless they live out in the country, almost everyone lives in an apartment above a business. There are just storefronts with pisos above all connected/touching. There is very little parking, especially above ground, and pedestrians rule. I live right across from the Ayuntamiento, which is the city hall. It's also where lots of concerts and events are held. Cristian lives in the Center, right close to the famous Calle Laurel, which is one of the streets full of bars (which definitely have a more friendly, different vibe than bars in the US) where you can get amazing tapas/pinchos, which are little mini appetizers. You go from one bar to the next, take turns paying, and get tapas (and alcohol if you are not us) at each one. It's a whole vibe. A VERY delicious vibe. The food here is just insane. It's nothing that crazy. It's just so much better than food in the US. It's not hard to love at all!

The city is SO walkable. For example, I can go from my bed to the grocery store in four minutes. And it's so pretty. It just looks like a downtown city street, but you can get to all kinds of businesses very easily. It's all very compact.  And unlike the United States, where downtown is often ugly, the "center" here is pretty. There are a lot of very functional, beautiful public spaces. Also, I'm starting to grasp the vision of the bus. The buses are small and clean and easy to use. They go everywhere and come like every five minutes. And they're SUPER punctual. Once, we were on the bus, back in either February or April, and it just sat at a bus stop for maybe two minutes before carrying on. I asked Cristian why, and he said that it can't get ahead of schedule. It needs to stay exactly on time. For example, the bus to church comes to his station at 10:23. We are meeting there tomorrow, so I will be ready. Haha 

That leads me to another great topic: the Spain schedule. There's just one ward in Logroño, and it starts at 11, which is super normal for Spain. This is because Spain was made for people like me! Spain is in a later time zone than it's really supposed to be in, so it gets light later and stays light later. Lunch, the big meal, is at 2:00 pm, and businesses close around 1:30 or 2:00 so people can go home and eat and then often take a siesta. I love me a siesta!! Dinner is at 8:00 or 9:00 or even 10:00. Lots of things happen late, and it's normal. I'm in heaven with all of that. 

They say that everything's bigger in Texas. I think everything's smaller in Europe: trash cans, parking spaces, refrigerators, living spaces, people. Haha I feel so big and tall here. Also, they really haven't caught the vision of air conditioning or dryers, but I'm becoming a pro at hanging my laundry on the line outside my 5th-story window. 

I'm joining a choir here! It's called Orfeon and is the choir of Logroño. It's 50 years old. Months ago, I found it online and listened to some of their songs. They are pretty good, especially compared to the choir in Georgia that I joined and then quit because they weren't very good. I emailed them, and they invited me to come audition. Cristian came with me, and they asked a member of the choir who teaches English to come and translate for me if needed. It was needed, but not too much. I did really well, and they are excited to have me. Everyone was so nice! Gotta love choir people. The director told me that there are a lot of altos and asked me to sing Soprano 2. I think that will be fun. It will definitely help me maintain my range. I'm excited about all of that!

Ok, this is getting really long, and I'm just kind of dumping everything I can think of here. I will end with San Mateo. Yesterday was the start of this huge week-long festival/holiday called San Mateo. It's the end of the harvest season, a celebration of wine (since this the huge grape/wine region of Spain), and apparently has something to do with Saint Matthew. It's also exclusively a holiday for this city. It's huge! There is a city flag, a city song, a traditional dance just for here, and so many other traditions. Today, Cristian, his good friend Ruben, and I went to a breakfast for San Mateo with this Culture Connect group that has a lot of English speakers and other new teachers doing the same thing I am. I was cool with my local friends. Haha I met some great people from the US, Philippines, England, and here. 

Then we went to the main event of the day. Everyone (including me) wore white and went out in the square and danced to the pounding Reggaeton music. Most people, except not me, had pouches of wine that they squirted into their mouths, or other people's mouths, or in the air. We got just a few little splashes of wine, and we had a great time dancing. Cristian is so fun at a dance party. He is teaching me bachata and merengue. They are easy to do but hard to look cool while doing. It's fun!

So this whole week is a party. Also, my life is a party because I haven't started working yet. I maybe got to Spain a little early, but I don't mind. I start teaching and tutoring on October 1st. I just can't wait for more. I am insanely blessed. The Lord loves us all infinitely, regardless of how well or poorly our lives are going. Moving to Spain has allowed me to feel that love and experience His blessings a little more than usual. Viva España!