Hola from Spain!

¡Hola! I have safely made it to Sevilla, Spain and have pretty much settled in. I flew into Sevilla around 4:30 yesterday and then waited around for my roommate Emily to arrive. Although I am thankful my luggage did not get lost, Emily was not so fortunate. She, however, has taken it all in stride. Hopefully her luggage will arrive tonight sometime, like the airport said.

My biggest worry about coming to Spain was, naturally, speaking the language. And so far, the worry is justified. Thankfully, I have been saved by Emily, who is fairly fluent and not afraid to talk. I, however, have always found it difficult to speak, even in English. But, after an evening with Ana, my host mother, and orientation today, I have discovered two things. One: I can understand pretty much everything and two: my Spanish voice does not feel like my own.

When I speak English, it is comfortable and when words get jumbled up in my mouth, it is easy for me to untangle them. In Spanish, though, I do not recognize my voice. It feels like it has been poorly recorded and is playing back through a speaker that isn't connected quite right. And I have always believed it would be like this.

Today, during the afternoon siesta, Emily and I took a quick walk around our neighborhood (which is stunning; see below for some pictures), and our conversation ended up being half in English and half in Spanish. She commented toward the end of our walk that I was talking more and seem to be more comfortable. I realized that I was, in fact, comfortable begun to recognize my Spanish voice. I have begun to realize that I can be myself in both languages and I can have a confident voice.

Well that's all I have for now. Peace, my friends. Here are some photos from around the neighborhood.

-Nicole

An old church next to a modern building.

The front of the apartment building I stay in.

Some of the tile in the Center.

Near the apartment, about a block or so. In the background, you can see the soccer stadium. Crazy close.

Rolling With The Punches, Part 2

"You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience." -Stanislaw J. Lec

So, I don't know if many people have been keeping up to date about the MBLGTACC trip, but here is basically a continuation of last week's post.

We had to adjust a lot last week and change plans. We've had to do even more so here while on the trip. First off, a large storm came through on Thursday night when we left so we made an unscheduled stop to spend the night in Eau Claire, WI. We continued on, made it to MBLGTACC in Lansing, MI, had a good time, and then left very early on Sunday to make it back before the second storm cell hit. As it turns out we just weren't lucky enough. Two of our vehicles got flat tires in Wisconsin, one made it to a service station, one did not. After repairs, we decided it would be unsafe for us to continue the entire way home, opting instead to stay the night in Stillwater, MN with the parents of one student. We woke up this morning and decided to spend a bit of time at MOA while waiting to hear whether or not we had clearance to drive back. We did not receive such clearance as the DOT still listed dangerous driving conditions. We are still holed up in Stillwater, hoping to make it back tomorrow morning.

The whole trip feels like one giant illustration of Murphy's law. Tensions have definitely gotten high more than once, but overall we have been able to deal with the tough situations pretty well.  All of that being said, I am quickly approaching the end of my rope.  I'm struggling not so much with the people, but more with the frustrations that come with lacking control in this situation. I'm simply needed in Moorhead and I can't be there.  Still, my interpersonal reactions are starting to be affected. I'm recognizing that and trying to keep my temper in check and work with my tolerance. Honestly, I just budgeted enough emotional and cognitive resources to handle unexpected issues for 3 days and not 5 if that makes any sense. Right now, I just want to walk into my room, feed the fish, and collapse on my bed.

But, I know it's going to be over soon, and as I'm getting older, I'm getting better at approaching things like these with more patience and more recognition that it's out of my control. A poor attitude at this point won't do me, or anyone else, any favors. Safety is our primary concern and since we were not comfortable with taking such high risks of travel, the decision was pretty much made for us. We're working with what we've got and others have been extremely courteous to us and have shown us immense hospitality. We're so thankful for that.

Peace, love, and patience in frustrating situations,

-Megan