Last Weekend

After such a great surprise party on Thursday, I still had a fun weekend to look forward to. We had lots of fun things planned because it is my last full weekend in Spain.

On Friday our entire school had an excursion to Huelva. We got to see the place where Christopher Columbus came to eat and pray before his journey over the ocean. We also got to see replicas of the boats that he took. The replicas were built only a short distance from where he actually left for his journey. After learning more about the history of Christopher Columbus, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the beach. Probably one of the best field trips I have ever been on for school. :)

Emma and I walking around the Christopher Columbus museum. 

 On the replica boat. 

 Kelly and I on the beach. 

  

We ended Friday night in Sevilla with gelato and a movie on one of my friend's roofs.

On Saturday morning a group of us took a bus to the beach in Matalascana. We spent the afternoon chatting and sleeping on the beach. It was a great day to relax after a busy week.

The whole group. 

On Sunday morning I ran a 10K in Sevilla with some of the other girls in the program. It was so much fun! There were a ton of people there which made it a really great atmosphere to run in. We got to end the race in one of the stadiums in Sevilla with the crowd cheering. I love running, and I am so glad I got to run in a race while I was in Sevilla. It was a great way to see the city with my friends.

 

 Still smiling even after the race. :)

  Running buddy! 

It was a great weekend in Sevilla. We are all trying to enjoy every minute as we don't have many days left here. I hope you are enjoying your weekend, wherever you are. 

Love,

jana

 

Surprise!

Before I came on this trip I prayed for the group a lot. I prayed to find solid friends, and that we would be able to grow close as a program. It's been amazing to see that we serve a God that not only answers prayers, but goes above and beyond what we can even imagine. I have made such great friends on this semester, and today they out did themselves.

I finished a normal day of class and my professors pulled me aside to talk to me about my exam schedule. I talked to them for a little bit, and then my friends came to get me for what I thought was a meeting to work on a volunteer night the program was doing for some kids in the area. I turned the corner, they opened the door, and this is what I saw...

And this was my reaction...

All of the girls in the program, the professors, and staff had thrown Amber and I a surprise wedding shower. Needless to say...we were SHOCKED! They had all been planning for weeks, and neither of us had any idea. We spent the afternoon eating great food, opening gifts, playing games, and having a great time together. They even got our fiances involved by e-mailing them questions, and then we had to answer them how we thought they had answered. It was an afternoon I will never forget.

 The professors and staff got us tiles with our future last names on them. They got them from a famous store in Sevilla..they are absolutely beautiful.

 My Senora made me my favorite (tortilla espanola) for my lunch, and everyone else made a ton of tasty treats. They even had cookie cake..my favorite.

 My team after designing my wedding dress out of toilet paper.

 Amber and I in our dresses. She is going to be such a beautiful bride! Can't wait for her big day in December! 

 The whole group. They have been such a blessing this semester. 

 An extra special thanks to Kelly and Kate for planning everything. These two girls are incredible.

I could never say enough to thank the girls, staff, and professors for what they did today. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been part of a program with such amazing women. In a very short months we have become a family, and they have all touched my heart in a special way. Not only have they helped me learn so much about myself, but they have helped me grow closer to Christ.

Love,
jana

Athens y Santorini

We had another break from school this week because of the Feria celebration in Sevilla. I got to experience a day of Feria (which I will have to post about later), and then my roommate and I headed off to Greece for 5 days. It was INCREDIBLE! We spent the first two days in Athens and then the last 2 1/2 days in Santorini (an island of Greece).

Some of Emma's friends live in Athens, so we got the pleasure of having tour guides around the whole city. They did a great job of showing us the main attractions and taking us to some of the locals' favorite places as well. We got to Athens on Tuesday afternoon and went to a huge rock that overlooks Athens and the Acropolis. The view was absolutely amazing and gave me a slight idea of how big Athens is. After the view, we walked around the city center, saw the changing of the guards at the parliament building, and went to a famous local restaurant for supper. Then her friends drove us up to a very high spot in the city where we climbed a rock and could literally see the entire city of Athens lit up at night. It was beautiful and a great end to a very tiring but exciting day.

 The view of Athens from the rock.

 The Acropolis.

 Right before the changing of the guards...we couldn't get him to smile for the picture. :)

On top of the city at night.

On Wednesday we went up the Acropolis and got to see the Parthenon and the other ruins. It was crazy to be among ruins that had been there for centuries. We also got to go through the museum which does a great job of explaining what the original structures looked like. After the Parthenon, we got to see the Marathon Stadium where the first modern olympics were held. It is now still the place where the marathon runners finish their race. It was a beautiful structure. At night we got to go down to the port and see the HUGE boats lining the water. It was a good preview of the ferry that we would take the next morning to get to Santorini.

 The Parthenon.

On the Acropolis.

The marathon stadium.

The ferry from Athens to Santorini was quite an experience. For the first couple hours I thought it was the best form of transportation possible. It had comfy seats with tons of leg room, restaurants, and lots of tables on the deck to see the different islands that we stopped at. But, then the wind picked up and the boat started to sway so much that I was practically bouncing off the walls as I tried to walk around. After about an hour of swaying, I decided that I still prefer the AVE to the ferry. :) Even with the seasickness, it was still a beautiful ride that let us see 4 different islands on the way to Santorini. We landed in Fira, the capital city of Santorini, and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the town. It is very small, with a beautiful view of the water, lots of white houses on the cliffs, and plenty of cute shops and Greek restaurants. 

 Our ferry. It was huge. 

 On the deck. It was fun to be able to go outside during the 8 hour trip. 

The view of one of the islands from the ferry. 

 What all of the streets are like in Santorini...tiny, cobblestone, and steep.

 Fira. Absolutely gorgeous.

Enjoying some traditional Greek food...no idea how to spell the name of it, but it was delicious. :)

After exploring Fira on Thursday, we decided to head to Oia on Saturday. Oia is another town on the island of Santorini and it is famous for its sunset. We spent the day exploring, walking down to the harbor, riding some donkeys, and watching the sunset over the water. The town was absolutely adorable, and every corner we went around we found a new and beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. Oia is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The combination of the architecture with the landscape makes it one incredible city.

One half of the view from Oia. Amazing!

 The other half of the view. 

 The view from the town looking down to the harbor. (notice the very small and windy steps..we walked down about 300 of them).

 Then instead of walking up the steps...we decided to take a different means of transportation. :) It was quite the ride!

 The very traditional white church with a blue roof that can be seen all over Santorini.

I couldn't go to a Greek island with tons of fishing without finding John a fishing boat. :)

The houses beginning to change colors as the sun set over the water. It was beautiful.

We had such an amazing trip, and we were sad to say good-bye so soon. Emma and I had so much fun together, and we were both so thankful we got to travel to Greece. It was another amazing adventure that I have been so blessed to have while studying abroad. It's hard to believe that the next time I get on a plane to fly to another country...I will be flying home!

Getting excited to see all of you again soon!

Love,

jana

Flamenco y Cadiz

I have been taking a Sevillana class every Monday night all semester. After all of the practicing, I am still absolutely awful at it. But, our instructor is amazing, it's a cool way to practice Spanish, and it's a very different and fun way to exercise.

The Sevillana is a type of flamenco dancing that is very popular in Sevilla. Literally all of the women and girls here know it (even my 15 month old little sister has started learning it). There are different forms of it, but they all pretty much have the same basic steps. Then during Feria all of the women put on their dresses and dance. But, instead of dancing at Feria, our group danced at the nursing home that I volunteer at every week. We got all dressed up in the traditional dresses (my Senora was very sweet and gave me one of hers to wear), did our hair and makeup, and showed off what we had learned to the men at the nursing home, our Senora's, our professors, and the other students in the program. We have a LONG ways to go before we dance like any of the women here, but it was still a ton of fun to experience something that is such a huge part of the culture here.

 Our dance instructor all semester. She is such an amazing Christian woman and was so encouraging. It was so fun to see her passion for dancing and how she uses that to serve the Lord. 

 Our make-up artist, Kelsey, in between Kelly and I. All the girls kept reminding me that the next time I get to get my hair and make-up done and wear a beautiful white dress will be at my wedding. :)

 The whole group before our performance. 

 5 wonderful women who I have grown so close with over 3 months.

My roommate Emma and I after finishing the dance.

After our flamenco fiesta on Monday night, the rest of the week was filled with presentations, exams, and papers (yes I do actually go to school here. :) ). So to celebrate the stressful week being over, the six of us decided to head to the beach in Cadiz for the weekend. We took the AVE Saturday morning and spent the entire day lounging on the beach in the sunshine. The weather was absolutely perfect, and it was so fun to be on a beach in a swimsuit rather than in jeans and a coat. It was such a great day with some such beautiful women. 

 The open air fish market in Cadiz. (Top men- I think you would have loved it)

 The coast of Cadiz. Gorgeous. 

The six of us soaking up the sun. 

The beach. So beautiful and relaxing.

Even after such an amazing day on the beach, my favorite part didn't come until later in the night. We got home around 10:00 p.m. and found our family watching a movie in the living room. I got to spend the last part of my night watching a movie with my family while Paula (15 mo.) fell asleep on my chest. It was the best way to end an already amazing day of vacation. I hope those of you in the Midwest have gotten to enjoy some good family nights cuddled up on the couch with all of the crazy weather you are having! 

Love,

jana

Semana Santa

As I write this I am sitting outside on my balcony in shorts and a t-shirt, soaking up the Sevilla sunlight. It has been the rainiest March here since 1947. When a city functions around doing things outside, it has been a little frustrating to have so much rain. But, I think things are finally beginning to change. Yesterday and today have had sunshine all day and been in the 60's. I am LOVING the warm weather.

The last few weeks have been crazy with traveling and having John come to visit, so I haven't even had time to write about a very important holiday here...Semana Santa. Semana Santa starts on the Sunday before Easter, and continues until Easter Sunday. It is a huge celebration in Sevilla, and thousands of people come from all over the world to celebrate here. This obviously made for A LOT more people and a lot of busy streets.

John didn't come until Monday afternoon, so I got to experience "el Domingo de Ramas" with my family here. On Sunday at about 2:00 p.m. they told me they were going to eat lunch at their grandma's house, so I decided to go along. While they were all getting ready I thought I better ask what they were wearing. I was planning on wearing jeans and maybe changing into a nice sweater or something for the event. Well, let's just say I was really glad I asked. Within the hour I had on a fancy black dress, did my hair, put on makeup, and was even wearing heels. For those of you who know my fashion style, you know I never wear heels in the States. And with all of the walking that we normally do in Spain, there was no way I was going to wear them here. My sisters were slightly disappointed, but I finally convinced them I wasn't going to wear them out of the house. After getting 6 girls ready to go, we left the house around 3:00. As with most things in Spain, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into; but like always, I was excited for the adventure.

We walked quite a while to their grandma's house and then enjoyed a nice meal with the family. After eating we went to a restaurant that her friend owns and began our wait to see a procession (that's the best word I can think to describe it in English). While we were there, it began to rain. This meant that all of the people on the streets needed to crowd into the restaurant, which meant that I was surrounded by a lot of people speaking Spanish very loudly in a very small area. I stood by my sisters for a couple hours while I tried to have yelling conversations in Spanish with my Senora's friends. Once it finally stopped raining we walked down the street to find the procession.

I have been going to Tulip Time parades since I was a little girl, so I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. The procession consisted of hundreds of people dressed in robes and hats walking in a single file line (I don't have any pictures, but you should look some up on google to get the idea). Then there was a very big structure with the figure of Jesus on it that was carried through the streets behind the line of people. After the statue there was a band and then more people walking. Instead of people sitting on the streets to watch, everyone was standing and crowding around the procession. I stood without moving (because I didn't have any room) with my little sister for over an hour as the procession went by. It was crazy and exciting to see all of the people celebrating something that was so important to them.

After the procession passed, my little sister and I went to find our Senora. She was sitting with her group of friends and their kids at another restaurant. It was about 8:00 p.m., and since I had no idea what we were going to do, I just sat down and got comfortable. I spent the next three hours talking to her friends about the differences between English and Spanish and the United States and Spain. The conversation was quite entertaining between me speaking Spanish, her friends throwing in random English words they had picked up on the streets, and the comparison between the culture in Spain and the U.S.

Around 11:00 p.m., my Senora told me we were going to pick up my other sister and then take a bus home. Well, picking up my other sister meant going back to her friend's restaurant for another 30-45 minutes, walking ten minutes to the bus stop, and then taking the bus home. I couldn't help but smile when I got home around midnight from what I thought was going to be a Sunday lunch at their grandma's house...I love the Spanish culture. :) Time is never an issue, kids stay up as late as their parents, and an opportunity to sit and talk with friends is never passed up. Life is relaxed, and spending time getting coffee with a friend or sitting by the river is a daily occurrence. I am so thankful that not only do I get to learn the Spanish language, but I get to live with a family that is truly helping to show me the Spanish way of life.


This past week I was also blessed with some visitors...Harley and Jessica Janssen. Harley was doing some work in Germany, and they decided to come to Europe a little bit early to see Paris and Sevilla. I was more than excited to have them visit! Our families are close friends and they now live next door to my grandparents, so I have spent a lot of time at their house over the years. I always look forward to summers at home so I can go over to their house to play with their four kids and eat supper around their kitchen table. They have made me feel like a part of their family, and I am so grateful for them. Harley and Jess have a truly Christ-centered marriage, and I have learned so much from their relationship. I respect their family for the way they are constantly serving others and looking for ways to show Christ's love to those around them and abroad. Their family is doing so many great things in Pella and around the world. It is incredible to see a family of 6 that works together to serve Christ and to not be "polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

I had the privilege of spending all Tuesday afternoon walking around Sevilla with them, and getting to catch up on how God has been working in all of our lives. It was such a blessing to be able to see them and have another piece of home with me in Sevilla.

 In front of the fountain at the Plaza de Espana. 

 Enjoying a gelato break after walking around the city in the sunshine.





After all of the excitement of the past few weeks, I now have to do with the reality of school. Another week of exams and presentations coming up, and then I'm headed to Greece for five days. I guess I can't complain too much about the exams. :)

Love,
jana