Merry and Bright!

My juices aren't flowing, per se, in the realm of bloggation, but I've provided an array of pictures as the main form of stimuli for the general public to enjoy to make up for these non-juices.

I haven't really commented much on school lately, SO here goes a shot. My nerves have left me (se me salierion), thank goodness, so it's now easy for me to mess up my Spanish or make the niños laugh without me getting frustrated, embarrassed, or self-conscious. I feel like I have more of a grasp on the "listen to me, I'm teaching you something" versus "I want you to like me as your friend" tension. Although the attitude of the kids hasn't really changed in their un-interest to learn the language, they at least want to get to know me, which helps things go smoothly all around. Soon, I'll bring my camera to school to take pictures of these punks. They sport mohawks, gelled up boy-hair, rat tails, mullets, eyebrow and lip and tongue piercings, you name it. Plus, they LOVE wind suits. I guess I have no room to talk though, my wardrobe consists of wal-mart Vnecks and converse shoes. (actually that's quickly becoming not true, i just bought 2 pairs of skinny jeans-which is hilarious considering my legs are very calfy and quaddy)

Anywho, it's going well. I think I could be more creative in lesson planning, but it's difficult to find a blanket-covering  lesson for the differing ages. Any and all suggestions for ESL lesson plans, or generic creative ideas would be greatly welcomed and appreciated. **think continuous present and past verbs**

Here is a peek at the last two weeks. It's [almost] Tuesday. Did you bring your coat?

This is the wall of lights at Corte Ingles in downtown Malaga. The lights were FANTASTIC, and totally put me in the Christmas spirit!

Floral nativity scene in the center of the Alameda Principal--Malaga.

Thanksgiving dinner guests!! 1 Latvian, 5 Spaniards, 1 German, 6 Americans total! Beautiful, bountiful banquete of celebration.

El Catedral in Malaga. They only built one tower because they ran out of money to finish it off. I hate it when that happens.

This was in the Mexican restaurant, Cielito Lindo, in Nerja--with Sugar Land candy!! Que emocionante!

The main calle (street) in Nerja. A cool view of the montañas. Que bonita.

Cliffs of Nerja. aaand the Mediterranean. and i don't know why it's underlining everything now.

Is this reallll??? sick. All I can say is thank for the clinical strength, B. 

A few more things happened to me these past two weeks, but like I said, I really don't know how effective my writing would be. I will bullet point them =)

*I've been harrassed by rando Senegalian man

*I've come to better understand the weight and worth of God's faithfulness in ALL situations

*I'm learning to show grace, where my flesh wants to show anything but grace sometimes. 

*I've been brought to my knees in how thankful I am for the blessings I daily receive. 

(I think all of these bullet-points deserve their own blog. these one-liners do their weight no justice.)

and I love Jesus more today than yesterday. Thank God for that. Thank God for purpose, for His Kingdom, for REJOICING. 

Happy December Folks!

Llena de Gracia

Unfortunately AND fortunately, this week's events were FAR overlooked and/or forgotten by this weekEND's events. 

Here's the story. About two weeks ago I was gaily stalking my virtual (and some real) friends on Facebook, CLEARLY minding my own business, when out of the blue I received a message from Carly Gloge! Carly and I rowed (not rode) together at UT, so we share that all-too-unique bond of being althletes conjuntos. She began asking me about my life since I've graduated, and I, too, was updated on her life: She's currently working in Holland as a sort of "trial run" to see if she wants to live there long-term. After finding out I was in Spain, she didn't hesistate to tell me she had planned a trip to Paris to meet up with one of our volunteer coaches (Ken Jurkowski) to run a 50k race in Luxembourg (that's like 31 miles--MORE than a marathon)...and graciously invited me along for the spectacle!

So,  I immediately jumped on that opportunity, bought a ticket to Paris, and left on Thursday for an exciting adventure. I convinced myself out of driving with them to Luxembourg so that I could stay and explore a little more of Paris...and in the process, I discovered that another one of my friends, Emily Teng (who is currently studying abroad in Italy), was in Paris this weekend too--and ALL thanks to FACEBOOK!! It turns out virtual stalking will get you REAL friends in REAL places...WHODATHUNK?

Some great things i did/saw/ate in Paris:

*The Arc de Triomphe (which was caddy-corner from Ken's uncle's apt where I stayed)

*La Torre Eiffel 

*Crepes!!

*[French] Onion Soup (obviously they can leave off the "French" part)

*The Louvre

*Sacre Coure (sp) on MontMarte (and an aerial view of the city)

*Moulin Rouge (it's a real place, in a real bad area of town.)

*Champs Elyseé!!

*El Rio Seine 

*Went to the gym (haha)

*VickyChristinaBarcelona

*Figured out the Metro system han-SOLO!! 

*Best of all, saw beautiful people and had lots of laughs/full bellies of love.

Needless to say, the city was amazing, and I'll hopefully return to get a more thorough "schmear" of the city, hopefully with a loved one (Since it IS the world's most romantic city).

I'll post my Paris pictures on facebook if you want to see the lot of them.

Woo!! and Carly and Ken successfully finished the 50k ALIVE! Carly is probably already planning her next marathon to complete. 

Emily left me with a sweet sweet note with words of love and truth. Included was Ephesians 3:16-19, which made me even more grateful for the work that Jesus did/does/and will do forever and within us. And SO thankful for friends like her who love to share that knowledge and remind others of God's power and love. 

what a greeeat time.

Time is borrowed.

It's November. Where have all the cowboys gone? I mean, really.

Okay, I'm going to be honest: I've slacked on the bloggage lately, and every time I begin to open this page I back away in fear of having to be creative or funny or perceived in a certain light. So, now, still not completely convinced that a blog savors the reality that goes on from day to day in my heart, mind, and physicality, I will post a few pictures and a general synopsis of la vida diaria. Vale.

Halloween has come and gone... And if you have looked at facebook, you will have seen my attempt at becoming a cat! And if you look at Morgan's Halloween pictures on facebook, she was a mouse...HOWEVER, it is apparent that our perceptions of cats/mice are identical. What can I say, we ARE Irish twins! meow.

Ellie was a witch. She also thought that the normal witch "thing" would be to attach a black raven to her shoulder. She was hilarious and creative, so "props" to her. muhah. We went to Malaga (the actual city) that weekend, and visited with some friends from orientation. It was good to see them. We shopped and ate a lot of tasty food, but my "you're being too indulgent" conscience went off in my head, so I'm trying to limit the self-satisfaction-ism. Sometimes it's too easy because being in Spain makes me feel like I'm just a character in a video game. With unlimited spending, unlimited intake, and no consequences for any of it. I pray against that.

Que mas? Oh! Meredith (Broun's cousin) came to visit me. She's studying abroad in Firenze for the fall semester, and she is QUITE the traveler. We had a fun time together here--she even came and 'tutored' a teacher with me at school one day. 

Natalia, Trey's girlfriend, is in town this weekend. She's sweet. She's studying abroad in Paris for the semester. Trey asked me to teach him how to knit so he could make Natalia a scarf for Christmas. Go get'm tiger!

Ellie, Begoña, MariCarmen, Carla, and I went to Nerja today! I couldn't believe that it's even MORE breathtaking than the scene here in Torre. mmm, I'm definitely going back. There is a huge balcony that overlooks the ocean, and there are cliffs on either side with huge natural rocks at the shore. It's truly incredible. 

Life isn't as meaningful without taking a look on the inside. And I think I've successfully avoided coming face to face with what Christ is molding my heart and soul to look like this week...not to mention where He is reproducing Himself to others here in Spain. Maybe I should put it another way: Stephen Curtis Chapman sings to "Live Out Loud" our faith, wake the neighbors, scream and shout!...and I get to the point in conversation where I've expressed my thoughts or beliefs on an issue (what my God has convicted me with, etc.)--then get almost zero response OR the opposite, which is "Let's agree to disagree"--and I get all passive. I stop screaming and shouting, I simply agree to disagree. Where is perseverance there? How am I allowing myself to be hated for the namesake of Jesus Christ?

I have very much hope that these conversations will come back around as topics resurface, but is my "passivity" hindering God's work now? Should I listen more carefully to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit instead of being okay with waiting for time to "roll back around"? (sorry for putting everything in quotes, these are context-specific, so I'm hoping you get the point)

 After all, I WILL be here for 7 more months. By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, I present these requests to God so that His peace which transcends all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 

Patience Iago, Patience.