My parents are HERE!

31 hours later than their expected time of arrival...my parents are finally in Spain! I got to pick them up at the airport around 8:00 tonight. What a great reunion! They got settled into their apartment and then we went out for tapas and gelato. Even though their flights were all late, I'm so glad they made it safe and sound! I can't wait to show them around Sevilla and introduce them to my family here!

Toledo y Barcelona

What a great week! Only three days of school and then the whole class left for an excursion to Toledo. We rode about 6 hours in a bus before stopping at the windmills of "Don Quijote de la Mancha."  Don Quijote is a very famous Spanish book and the windmills are part of the story.

 The famous windmills.

Despite the cold and wind, it was still a beautiful view of the town from the hill.

We continued on our journey to Toledo where we were started by eating some famous marzipan. Toledo is famous for marzipan (this little almond cookie thing) and it's swords. The swords for Lord of the Rings and the ring on Lord of the Rings were made in Toledo.

     Enjoying some marzipan with the girls before our tours. 

After exploring we did a tour of Iglesia de Saint Tome and Monestario de Saint Juan de los Reyes. Both had beautiful architecture, paintings, and views of the city. We have been studying the art of both of these buildings so it was awesome to see them in person.

In the patio of the monastery with Kelly.

                                                           Beautiful view of Toledo.

We spent the rest of the night exploring the city and woke up to a free buffet breakfast the next morning. Breakfast may or may not have been one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. :) Then we spent the mornig touring La Catedral in Toledo before hopping on the AVE to head to Madrid.

The outside of the Cathedral in Toledo.

Once in Madrid we stopped to eat some food and walk around a little bit before taking another AVE to Barcelona. We stayed at a really fun hostel in the center of Barcelona that also offered free breakfast. :) On Saturday we walked for 12 hours around the city of Barcelona. Despite the rain to start the day and the cold weather, it was still an amazing day. We started off viewing the "Sagrada Familia" which is a very famous Roman Catholic church in Barcelona. It's architecture is very different from the many cathedrals that I have been touring lately. It wasn't built until the 1900's and Gaudi used a lot of nature as his inspiration for the structure. It definitely represented the different style that Barcelona has compared to the other cities in Spain.

 Outside view of "La Sagrada Familia"

Inside view. Incredible stain glass windows and very high ceilings.

After the Sagrada Familia we walked down "La Rambla" which is a very famous street in Barcelona. It has tons of shops and food stands set up all the way down the center of the street. It was very pretty and filled with lots of people. At the end of the street we got to see the port filled with ships. The view by the water was beautiful. 

 One of the huge lions on one of the statues at the end of "La Rambla."

 View from the bridge on the port.

 

Then we walked to the Catedral in Barcelona. It was much older and very different than "La Sagrada Familia," but it was incredibly beautiful as well. 

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Emma and I outside the Cathedral.

We then decided to kick off our shoes and walk in the sand on one of the beautiful beaches in Barcelona. Ok, so it was maybe a little cold to kick off our shoes, but the beach was still wonderful. We walked in our boots and warm coats along the shore, but I'll still take that over the snow back home. :) I love being able to see the ocean while I am in Spain. 

Becca and I all bundled up on the beach.

After a very exhausting and exciting day of viewing the city, we ended it with an amazing fountain light show at the Fountains of Montjuic. The fountain lights up and plays music at night. We joined hundreds of others in Barcelona and sat on the steps to watch the show. It was a great end to another fantastic day of traveling.

 The light show at the fountain. Absolutely amazing!

The museum behind the fountain.

We headed to bed early to be up at 3:30 to catch the 6:00 a.m. flight back to Sevilla. I was supposed to be picking my parents up from the airport right now, but sadly their flight got delayed. Now I'm patiently waiting until they come in tomorrow afternoon. I'm so excited to be able to show them around Sevilla and then spend a few days in Italy!

Love,

jana

I'm not in Iowa anymore...

I have been in Spain for one month. Wow. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone. Since I've been here, I've learned a lot about the Spanish culture and about the beautiful city of Sevilla. I have tried not to compare the Spanish culture and the American culture too much, but instead just appreciate different things about each. While I am here I want to try to embrace and enjoy the things that are different from back home. But, there's still some things I just can't help but compare to the U.S. So, I thought I would share some of the new things I have experienced since I have been here. Some are very minor, and some are pretty large, but they all have made me realize I am definitely not in Iowa anymore.

-wearing sweatpants and a Dordt sweatshirt to class is completely inappropriate. really wearing anything that isn't very put together and stylish is not acceptable here. (this has been a struggle for me!)

-the bathrooms: the shower head is not stuck to the wall. there are no trashcans in the bathrooms.

-it's normal for the little girls in my house to stay up until 12 p.m. or 1 a.m. on a school night. even the 15 month old stays up as late as I do.

-unlike at Dordt, people do not smile and say "good morning" on their way to class. if people acknowledge you at all it is usually with a not so nice look on their face.

-I eat at 8 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. People have a small snack around 11 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. I snack whenever possible because I'm always hungry here

-walking an hour, two hours, or three hours everyday is normal just to get where I need to go. (hence the always hungry thing) I have been trying to find time to run, but when that isn't possible I just count my walking as my exercise for the day.

-I never clean my own room, do my own laundry, cook my own food, or do my own dishes...basically I am ridiculously spoiled by my Senora.

-people think TV in the U.S. is bad for kids to watch...the TV here is worse, but in a more awkward way.

-it's 50-60 degrees in February and everyone is wearing boots, scarves, and mittens. I think if I was at Dordt people would be in shorts and a t-shirt.

-PDA is completely normal here. And by PDA I don't just mean holding hands.

-I can run in shorts and a t-shirt and not be cold.

-everything is closed from 2-5 for siesta. everyone goes home to eat lunch during siesta.

-on the weekends it's normal to stay up all night and sleep until noon the next day. things at night on the weekends don't start until 11 or 12 p.m.

-no one can say my name because of the "j" sound. I now respond to anything that sounds close to "hannah, yana, yena, hina"

-I never drive a car (which I absolutely love). I can take a bus, metro, taxi, train, or plane to get wherever I need to go.

-there are no farms or corn anywhere near me.

-I have four little sisters.

-there is a cathedral fifteen minutes from my house, along with a beautiful river, lots of old buildings, and narrow cobblestone streets.

-I speak Spanish when I order my food, when I go to school, when I am at home at night, when I'm in the grocery store, and when I'm trying to plan a trip. this has led to some fun misunderstandings and mix-ups with words.

That's just a small list of some of the new parts of my life here. I also wanted to share with you some things that are similar to things in the States that make me feel like I'm right at home.

-I eat a banana with peanut butter and cereal everyday for breakfast.

-I still share a bathroom with 6 other females.

-I still study...probably more than most normal people

-I have friends who love to eat chocolate with me.


Life here is a crazy adventure, but I am truly enjoying the journey.

Love,
jana

Familia y Futbol

After a busy week of exams, I was excited to have a weekend in Sevilla. And since I was going to be staying in town I wanted to experience some true Sevilla culture by spending time with my family and by going to a futbol game.

Friday afternoon my little sister Rocio (13 yrs.) had a skating competition. When I first met her she told me she went to practice everyday for figure skating. I assumed that this meant she skated on ice, but I was wrong. She is on a team of girls and they roller skate. It's a mix of figure skating, drill team, and roller skating, and it's awesome. They get all dressed up and do a routine in a big gym. All their friends and family come to watch and cheer them on. So, on Friday afternoon Emma, Kelly, her grandparents, her mom and sisters, her aunt, her cousins, and I went to watch her competition..

                                    The whole gang ready to cheer on Rocio.

Emma, me, and Kelly with Rocio and her friends after she got done performing.

It was really fun to be able to watch Rocio with the whole family. I love having little sisters and being able to go to their stuff. I absolutely LOVE living with a big family. They make me feel right at home and like I really am one of their sisters.


After skating we headed off to the Sevilla vs. Real Club Deportivo La Coruna. We had a group of six girls and we successfully navigated the metro system here to get to the stadium. We were wearing Sevilla jerseys and quite a few people started singing the Sevilla futbol club song when they saw us. It's really fun to see the rivalry here between the two big teams in Sevilla. Now, after going to sporting events with my family all of my life, and with John's family for the last year, I have learned that being on time to a game means being there at least an hour early. So, we got there an hour early and went into the stadium to find...about twenty people. :) But, we had a great time walking around close to the field and taking pictures. Once it got close to 9:30 the stadium got really full and the crowd starting cheering and yelling. Sevilla scored in the first five minutes and ended up winning 3-1. It was a really fun game with a great atmosphere. I'm so glad I got the chance to watch a Spanish futbol team while I am studying in Sevilla! It is a huge part of their culture and it was AWESOME to be in the stadium and cheering for the team!

                                              The front of the Sevilla stadium.

                          Emma and I right by the field before the game started.

The whole group before the game: Kate, Becca, Emma, me, Amber, Kelly.

    The fans holding up red and white signs all around the stadium.

I hope you all had a great week and a great Valentine's Day!

Love,
jana

Gibraltar

I told my brother Scott I was going to Gibraltar this weekend. He told me to watch out for the monkeys.
Well...he was right.:)

We left Friday night after school to take a four hour bus ride to La Linea (the town in Spain that is right outside of Gibraltar). We stayed in an amazing hostel on a golf course (Shane you would have been jealous) that was right by the beach. We got up early Saturday morning to walk across customs into Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a British territory that is pretty much in Spain. We walked about fifteen minutes to get from Spain to Gibraltar. It was pretty crazy to go from speaking Spanish and using euros to speaking English and using pounds in only fifteen minutes. As much as I love learning Spanish, it was kind of a nice break to order food and ask for directions in English. After we got into Gibraltar we watched the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea.

Then we found a taxi tour that took us up the rock of Gibraltar. Our driver Michael made the trip extra fun. He spoke Spanish and English (like almost everyone in Gibraltar), and he knew all of the history about the country. It was really interesting to hear his view on Gibraltar belonging to England and to hear the views of my professors and other Spaniards on Gibraltar belonging to England. The Straight of Gibraltar is extremely important for ships to pass through so it has been fought over a lot, and I think there is still some disagreement on who should own it. :)

Our first stop on the tour was stopping at a point where we could see three countries (Spain, Morocco, and Gibraltar) and three bodies of water (Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Straight of Gibraltar) at once. It was a perfectly sunny day and the view was breathtaking.

Next stop on our tour was a cave in the Rock of Gibraltar. I think the stalactites and stalagmites in caves are absolutely crazy.

Once we explored the cave for awhile, we continued up the rock to see the monkeys. We turned a corner in our bus and all of a sudden we could see monkeys running over the road. Our bus driver knew the monkeys well since he had been up there so many times, so he helped us get them close to us. They were on our heads, holding our hands, and playing with our hair. They are adorable when they are little, but I definitely would not want to mess with some of the bigger ones.

We also got some great shots of one side of the Rock of Gibraltar while we were by the monkeys.

After playing with the monkeys we got a chance to walk up a Moorish castle which gave us a great view of the city. And after all that, we had a beautiful walk down the rock and found a quaint British restaurant to enjoy some fish/burgers and chips in the sun.

After a day like that I was feeling like it couldn't get any better, but then it did. We went back to our hostel (the one on the beach), and got to walk along the beach for a few hours. It was a pretty incredible feeling to have my toes in the sand in the beginning of February. Walking along the water and sitting on the sand with the sunshine pouring down on us was a great way to end an amazing trip.

Now for those of you who think I am all play and no work here...I do have exams this week. :p Hope those of you in Minnesota are surviving the blizzard!

Love,
jana

School Outings

Everyday I am here, I am more impressed with the Trinity/Acento program. Today in my literature class we  walked the streets of Sevilla and read a story outside of the restaurant where it supposedly occurred. Then in my art class we walked to the "torre del oro" (gold tower) to see the architecture that we had been learning about in class. Besides having amazing professors and classes, the school also provides us with a lot of great opportunities to experience Sevilla.

Last week we had a "tarde de chicas" where the school took all the girls in the program out for churros and "chocolate caliente" (hot chocolate). After eating delicious (and free) food, they took us up the "setas" (mushroom). It is a huge art structure that kind of looks like a mushroom. You can ride an elevator up it and see a lot of the city. They took us right when the sun was setting so we had a perfect view of Sevilla.

Amber, me, Kate, and a wonderful staff member at the school, Ana Bello, with our churros and hot chocolate.

                                      The view of the setas from the bottom. It's huge.

 My roommate Emma. God definitely answered a lot of prayers by giving me a roommate as wonderful as her.

 Me, Emma, Kelly, and Becca. Three amazing girls that I am so glad I get to spend the semester with.

                                      My view as the sun was setting over Sevilla.


This week I also had the opportunity to do a "noche de tapas" set up by the school. They have people who live in Sevilla come and take out all of the students on the program for tapas. Tapas are kind of like an appetizer that people here eat for supper. It's fun to go out with a group and then split a few plates between all of you. There are tons of cute places around the city to eat, and lots of different options for food. We had a group of eight of us and our awesome guide took us to four different places. At the first two we ate tapas of all different kinds (i usually tried to eat it before I knew what it was), then we went for gelado, and then finally we had tea. It was a lot of fun to eat the food people here like best and be able to practice Spanish the whole time.

                                          Eating gelado at our third stop for the night.

              Christine and I with our gelato. I got american brownie mixed with "gofre" (waffle).

                                    Our fourth stop of the night- an Arabic "teteria."

               Kelly and I enjoying our tea. I thought it tasted like Christmas in a cup.

I could not be more thankful for how much the program is doing for us here. Besides setting up excursions, they also have praise and worship and small groups once a week. They are encouraging us in our walk with the Lord as we experience a whole new part of His world.

Love,
jana

Cordoba

On Friday our school to us to Cordoba, a small city about 2 1/2 hours away from Sevilla. We got a chance to tour the mezquita (mosque) and explore the city. I am in an art class here where we have been studying Muslim architecture and have spent the last week studying the mezquita in Cordoba. So, after learning all about the history and the different materials in the building we got a chance to see it in all in person. It was absolutely beautiful! Lots of details and colors. Inside the mezquita there is also part of a cathedral that was built there later. It was very interesting to see the difference in the style and architecture between the Muslims and the Catholics.

                                    The bridge leading into the city of Cordoba and the mosque. 

                                           One of the beautiful doors leading into the mosque. 

                                 The "bosque de columnas" (forest of columns) inside the mosque. 

                              Part of the cathedral built inside the mosque. The ceiling was amazing! 

                           Kelly, our amazing art professor Carmen, and me outside of the mosque. 

                                           Kate, me, and Kelly by the river outside Cordoba. 

After touring the mezquita we got to explore the streets of Cordoba. We went to a big plaza and ate our bocadillos (sandwiches) while we basked in the sunlight. I love winters here...60 degrees almost every day. :) After walking around for a few hours we returned to Sevilla for some shopping and eating tapas with friends.