Happy Birthday Jody!

Jody's facebook isn't working so I thought I would put her birthday card on the blog instead. Happy Birthday from my family in Spain! Love you Jody! :)

Mi Casa

This morning I got to go to my first church in Spain. I left at 10:15 in the morning and got back at 2:15. Slightly different than the U.S. huh? :) I love the chance to worship God with other believers in a different part of the world. There's something about voices from different nationalities and different languages all singing to the same God. I always picture God smiling on Sundays when people all around the world are praising him. I'm excited to go to a few different churches here and get to know a congregation. The church this morning was very welcoming. I think they kind of enjoyed having 15 American students come to their church, and we really enjoyed everyone coming up to us after the service. Made me feel like I was back in the Midwest. :)

This afternoon I spent a lot of time relaxing with my family. We watched movies, slept, ate, and just talked together. I got a chance to take some pictures of them and the house so I thought I would put them up for you guys to see.

                                Paula is 15 months. She loves to wear our shoes. (sorry it's kind of blurry!)

                            Nati (9), Me, Paula (15 mo.), Rocio (13). They are my personal Spanish tutors.

                                          My room, the there girls, and my roommate Emma.
                                  We get bunk beds, a desk, and a small room just like college.

             The hallway. It has the mom's rooms, the girls' room, and the bathroom. Our room is at the end.

                                                            The bathroom we all share.

             The kitchen table where we eat our meals with the girls. I love meals around the table with family!

                     The living room. If the family is in here, I try to be here too so I can practice my Spanish
                                                           and get to know them all better.

                                          My Señora Rocio. She is great, and she makes great food!

Hope you had a great Sunday worshiping our Lord.

Love,
jana

My New Home

It's hard to believe that I am almost done with my first week in Spain. The trip here was pretty exhausting, but thankfully it went smoothly with no problems (Thanks for all the prayers!). The first few days here have been a whirlwind of meeting my classmates, orientation, registering for classes, exploring the city, starting class, trying to navigate my way home in a big city, and getting to know my host family.

                   Some of the AMAZING girls in the program with me. Waiting for the AVE to Sevilla.

So far my consensus of Seville is that...I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! The city is beautiful. Most days it still feels like a fairy tale. I can walk ten minutes and see one of the biggest Cathedral in the world, a beautiful bridge crossing the main river here, a lot of statues and monuments, a ton of old buildings, and some crazy trees. The school arranged for some local Spaniards to take us on a walking tour of the city which gave us a chance to see a lot of the main sights and get a better feel of Sevilla. My roommate and I have also tried about 10 different ways to get home (some on purpose and some not), which has allowed us to see a lot of the city as well. I'm excited that I have 4 months here to explore the city. Even in that amount of time I don't think I will be even close to seeing all it has to offer.

              Catedral de Sevilla (largest Gothic buliding in the world and third largest church in Europe.)

 

 Puente de Triana (a beautiful bridge close to my house)

My host family here is absolutely amazing as well. I love with my roommate, my senora, and her four little girls. The girls are 16, 13, 9, and 15 months. I have always wanted a little sister, so I guess God knew what he was doing when he gave me 4 in Spain. :) They are a ton of fun. When we come back from school they come in our room and talk, show us stuff on the computer, and try on our clothes. They are going to help me a lot with learning Spanish because they aren't intimidating to talk to, and they talk a lot. It has been interesting trying to figure out the dynamics of the family and how things work in their house, but it it all part of the adventure. I think in the next few weeks we will have more of a normal schedule and know how the family does certain things. As for now, I am very thankful that God gave me such a great family to live with. Most of you know I hate being alone, and with four little sisters I will never get a chance to. :)

The youngest of "my sisters." She was born only 3 days apart from Erin. We skyped Jody and Erin the other night, and I think the two would be great friends. I hate that I can't live by Erin, so it is pretty crazy that I get to live with a girl the exact same age.

The final major update I should add is about school. Today was my first day of class. When we got here we signed a form that said we would only speak Spanish in the school. So today I met my professors, got my syllabi, learned about exams, and received homework...all in Spanish. It was a bit overwhelming, but I can tell that my Spanish is going to improve a lot from it. I am in four advanced classes which start at 9:55 and end at 1:30. I'm pretty nervous for how they will all go, but I think the professors and the other students will be very helpful.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers for safe travel, for staying healthy, and for my first few days of adjusting. I feel strengthened by all of your love and support. Hope you are all doing well and surviving the cold weather!

Love,
jana

Crazy Days

I officially leave for Spain TOMORROW! And then the next few days are going to be one crazy adventure. Here’s a look at my schedule for the next few months…

1 day: Leave for Spain (Leaving Pella at 9:00 a.m. I’ll get to Chicago before 3:00 p.m. and leave for Madrid at 6:30 p.m. We arrive in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. and then take a 1:00 p.m. train to Sevilla. I will finally arrive in my new hometown at 3:30 pm. where I will meet my host family and do a little exploring).

3 days: Start orientation

5 days: Start classes

35 days: My parents arrive in Spain

64 days: John gets to Spain

104 days: Leave Spain to come home. Fly into Sioux Falls.

110 days: Graduate from college

132 days: Get married

133 days: Leave for honeymoon

140 days: I can’t wait to see what adventures come next!

Some of my friends make fun of me for planning ahead, and as you can tell, I probably deserve it. But with so many new things coming up in the next few months, it’s hard not to plan and be EXCITED about all of them! :) My schedule might sound crazy to some, and it probably is, but I see it as a blessing from God. It’s hard to believe He has given me so many amazing opportunities in only 5 months. I can’t wait to see what He all has waiting for me in Spain.

I won’t take my phone with me to Spain, but they will give me one when I get there. I’m guessing it costs quite a bit to call overseas, so I think the best way to talk is through e-mails (jnvnzntn@dordt.edu), facebook, skype, and letters. If you want a pen pal from Spain, here’s my address:

Jana Van Zanten

Semester In Spain

Acento De Trinity

Paseo De Cristina, 3

Entreplanta A-B

41001 Seville

SPAIN

Love, 

jana

Countdown

I thought before I left, I would start a blog that I could use while studying abroad in Spain. Now I realize this will mostly be read by my parents :) , but for their enjoyment and the few others who check in, I wanted to have somewhere to give updates on what I'm doing in Sevilla. I'll try to keep it brief and give you the most exciting details of my travels.

Countdown until I leave for Spain: 17 days!