Today was my last day at the school where I’ve been volunteering for the past couple of months. I’ve been teaching English for a few hours a day, three or four mornings a week, and it has been an absolutely wonderful experience.

Although I’ve been teaching English classes, most of what I’ve been teaching is about American culture. In my classes we’ve talked about American holidays, American schools, American money, and some interesting differences between the two cultures. It’s good for the students to be able to listen to a native speaker who’s an American, since most of the English they learn over here is British English. It´s also a good opportunity for them to practice speaking, share their opinions, and make important cultural comparisons.

Here’s a couple of funny and interesting cultural comparisons that have occurred:

Apparently the picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt on the dime looks like Juan Carlos, the king of Spain, when he was younger!

On the day we talked about holidays the students were explaining to me about a day in Spain when they celebrate the three wise men, or the Reyes Magos in Spanish. They weren’t quite sure how that translated, so one of the students called them “the magical kings”…that made me laugh.

Another day I was explaining to some students that in the United States we don’t have time for a siesta (naptime built into the middle of the day) like they do in Spain, and all I heard was a collective gasp…they were shocked! One of the kids in the front blurted out in Spanish without thinking, “Esto es un pecado!” (That’s a sin!) hahaha…it’s definitely been interesting to see some of the differences between our cultures and very rewarding to watch them learn.

I’ve been teaching English classes to students that are the equivalent of 6th to 12th grades, plus a few English classes in the vocational training section of the school. My absolute favorite class to work with was one of the sections of 12 year olds (maybe because they reminded me of my little brother, Brady). They were soooo enthusiastic all the time. When I entered the classroom, they would start yelling, run over to give me high fives, and ask me all sorts of questions. During class I could never get through all of the material I wanted to cover because they had so many questions about everything…they are so curious and are all really, really sweet kids. When I went to say goodbye to them today, they started chanting my name as a class and were very disappointed that I was leaving. Here’s a picture of us together:

I’ve definitely learned a ton about teaching from this experience, mainly how to modify the same lesson for different age groups and for different levels of English. Teaching a class of 6th graders is NOT the same as teaching a class of high school seniors!

The teachers and staff at the school have been incredibly welcoming, too. Words can’t express how thankful I am to them for allowing me to have this experience, for taking care of me (showing me around the school, serving me coffee in the teachers’ lounge during our break, asking about my time in Spain, truly caring about my life and my experience here), and for trusting me with their classes!

I’ve worked closely with about five teachers: Marisol, Marta, Puri, Yolanda, and Rosa, and also with Julio, the general head of studies. They’ve all been extremely accomodating and friendly.

Since today is my last day, they surprised me by giving me a present and a card! I’m only a volunteer and certainly wasn’t expecting anything, but they bought me a scarf and a beautiful purse. They are soooo sad to see me leave, and that almost made me cry. (I didn’t cry, though, because I know I’ll be doing enough of that in the next few days!) Multiple teachers told me that if I ever want to come back to Spain, all I have to do is shoot them an email, and I can come stay at one of their houses.

I’ve really been so blessed by this volunteer experience. It was definitely worth the early mornings and busy schedule to be able to work in a school with such wonderful people.

In addition to teaching English at the school, I´ve also been giving some private English lessons to two kids here in Burgos. Every Saturday morning, I go over to their house and spend time with Adrián, age 8, and his sister Sara, age 5. Their mom, Ana, is also very, very nice and tries to practice her English with me, too!

This past Saturday was my last lesson with them, and we were able to have a lot of fun. The kids were sad to see me leave and asked if I would ever be coming back. Ana, their mom, wanted to get my address, my Skype name, and my phone number to be able to contact me once I’m back in the United States. She even told me (as she has told me multiple times before)  that if I ever want to come back to Burgos, I have a home with them. I think Ana had tears in her eyes as she walked me to the door. It’s been such a blessing to get to know this family.

Everyone (including Ana’s family, the teachers at the school, people at church, and my Spanish friends) keeps telling me that I’ll have to come back to Spain someday. And really, I’m not sure if that will ever happen. I hope to return in the future, but I don’t know. Whatever happens, though, I know that the plans the Lord has for me are good, and that the future is going to be one amazing adventure.

Mari-Sol has a huge house, with a big room that’s perfect for a large group gathering. (In fact, many times when people visit the house they refer to it as a palace or a mansion.) Mari-Sol told Tim that yes, the students could have their Thanksgiving dinner at her house, but only if it was THEIR party. She would provide the room, the fireplace, plates/silverware, and coffee, but they would have to do the rest.

Ever since that year, the group from Western has celebrated Thanksgiving with a big fiesta in Mari-Sol’s house. And every year, students have fond memories of the meal, their friends, and a very special time together. Since I’m fortunate enough to be living with Mari-Sol this year (I couldn’t ask for a better host mom!), it was my job to help plan and organize the party! Everyone agreed to bring a dish or a beverage, and many of us invited Spanish friends as our guests.

When we began to plan the party she told me that she had a friend from her tango classes who had never been invited to the American Thanksgiving celebration and who really wanted to come. (He is also single and significantly younger than her – my guess is that he’s in his late thirties.) Anyway, Mari-Sol gave me Curro’s phone number and told me I would be calling him to invite him, even though I had only met him once before! She also told me it would be a good idea to invite our favorite professor, Pilar, the coordinator of our study abroad program, who had come in previous years. In addition to those guests, my friend Patty and I invited our good friends Carlos and Samuel from church. Other American students invited Spanish friends or members of their host families.

Earlier in the week we went to a special supermarket in a different part of town to buy two turkeys, which were not only huge, but also very expensive! Mari-Sol had learned how to cook the turkey during the first celebration a few years ago, so we prepared it together. Before this, I had never prepared a turkey for Thanksgiving – my grandma always did that! For a couple days before the celebration, we worked on locating tables and chairs for the party, bringing them into the room, and setting the table. I made place cards for all of our guests, too.

I felt a little flustered and overwhelmed in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and especially as everyone was arriving, since it seemed like I had to organize everything and that everyone was asking me questions all at once! The celebration didn’t start until 9, which is normal dinner time in Spain. Everyone came, brought the food that they had prepared, and came together at the table. As the hostess, I started the night with a little welcome speech in Spanish and a prayer thanking God for all of our amazing friends and experiences here. There were between 25 and 30 of us all together, and we spent the night talking a lot in both languages, laughing with each other, and counting our blessings.

All of the food was delicious, and the quantity was overwhelming, especially for the Spanish guests who had never celebrated Thanksgiving before. As of right now, I think there are enough leftovers in my fridge to feed me until the time I leave for the U.S.! I made a dessert that included ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter (I used up the last of the peanut butter I brought from home, since they don’t really have that here in Spain!), and my friends Hannah and Patty, after tasting the dessert, told me that I’ll make a very good wife someday.

After dinner and dessert, Mari-Sol decided that we were going to start dancing. For a woman who is 69 years old, she has an incredible amount of energy! She proceeded to turn on tango music and dance with about half of the people in the room (mostly the guys), even though we had no idea what we were doing! All of my friends thought my host mom was entertaining and hilarious. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Life is never boring around my house, that’s for sure.

It’s amazing how this group of people that I’ve come to Spain with has become like a family to me. It’s incredible to think that four months ago I didn’t know some of my closest friends. As I’ve been reflecting on Thanksgiving this year and what I’m thankful for, I think the thing that stands out the most is the friendships that I’ve developed over the past three and a half months. I have so many quality new friends, both Americans and Spaniards, that I would never have met if I hadn’t come on this amazing adventure. I’m SO thankful for this experience in Spain, my incredible friends here, and the God who has made it all possible.

On Friday morning Mari-Sol’s daughter-in-law, Nunzia, took us into the city of Sagunto to show us around. My favorite part by FAR was the castle, which was on a mountain overlooking the city. It was built by the Arabic people who once occupied that part of Spain. I spent a long time exploring the castle – the construction was very interesting, and there were beautiful views of the city and the surrounding area from almost every side.

On Friday night I visited the city of Valencia. My friend Lilian, whom I met when she spent a couple weeks in Burgos in September, lives there, so she showed me around the city. It was after dark, and I saw a lot of stuff very quickly, but I was able to spend some quality time talking with her and see most of the city. It was so great to see her again!

One of the things I enjoyed most about the weekend was the chance to be with a FAMILY, a mom and dad and their kids, again. I especially had a great time spending time with Mari-Sol’s grandkids, Melania (15) and Giovanni (7). They were a lot of fun and accepted me right away, even though I had never met them before. Being around a family like that really made me miss mine, and I’m glad I get to see them again in just a few weeks!

On Friday I had the opportunity to travel to Bilbao, a city located about 2 hours from Burgos, with my good friend Hannah. We had a great time on the bus there,  spending time with a friend who lives in Bilbao, visiting the Guggenheim art museum, and exploring the city with friends.

After thinking about what Marisol said (and also because I had been feeling VERY tired in the last couple weeks), I decided that I probably have been doing too much. I’m trying to learn how to rest and fully, completely enjoy each moment I have here in Spain.

It’s incredible to think that I have less than a month left in Burgos. While I’m so looking forward to seeing my family and friends again, I will REALLY miss this beautiful city and the people I’ve gotten to know here. In the past few days I’ve been thinking a lot about this and trying to make the most of every opportunity I have here. I’ve been going for long walks around the city, hanging out with my Spanish friends, and trying to cross off as many things as possible from my list of things to do before I leave. Sometimes I don’t even want to think about it!

The other day as I was thinking about having to leave and how much I love this city, I was sitting up near the castle, looking out at the city (one of my favorite views), and I decided to draw a picture of the cathedral in my journal.

While it’s true that I have to leave sooner than I’d like to, I know that this city and this study abroad trip have changed my life for the better in more ways than I can imagine.

One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is the way my Spanish has improved since I arrived. My host sister told me that I speak MUCH better than I used to, one Spanish friend told me that sometimes she forgets I’m American when we’re talking, and another Spanish friend told me that if I don’t pass my language class he’s going to have to talk to the professor!!

I’m soooo glad this study abroad experience is paying off, not only in language skills but also in the amount I have learned about the world and about myself and in the quality of the friendships I have made. Every time I reflect, I can’t help but feel super blessed.

From afar, it seems like this election season has been pretty crazy. Here in Spain, many people are following the election, and it’s amazing to me how much they know about the United States and about what’s going on in the world. If I were in the US while Spain was having elections, I would have no clue that anything was happening.

Although I’m not a huge fan of politics in general, I did send in my absentee ballot a couple of weeks ago. I consider it a privilege to be able to vote, and since I have this right, I’m going to exercise it, even if I’m on the other side of the world during the election.

Yesterday one of my friends and I were invited to teach a class at the university about how American politics work. It was a little intimidating to get up in front of about 30 students, a couple professors, and several reporters, and explain the election process and our political system all in SPANISH. Yep, that’s right, we taught an hour and a half class on American politics in another language.

There were some questions from the audience that we didn’t completely understand, and some concepts (like the electoral college) were difficult to explain to people from another culture and in another language. However, it was a very valuable experience overall, and I’m so glad I participated.

Today we discovered we were on the front page of the paper, along with a giant photo of us! If you’d like to read the article and can read in Spanish, here’s the link:

http://www.diariodeburgos.es/noticia/Z431CEF2B-926A-0401-6DE19B7712596408/20121106/examen/casa/blanca

Happy voting!

Last Friday my group took a trip to Segovia, a city in Spain that is about 2 or 3 hours away from Burgos.

We visited three main places:

1) The Alcázar of Segovia

This is a castle that was actually one of the inspirations for Disney’s Cinderella castle, which I thought was pretty neat.

Isabel and Fernando, the king and queen who united Spain in the 15th century (also the same people that backed Columbus’ trips to America), spent a lot of time in the Alcázar de Segovia. After recently studying Spain’s castles and palaces in class, it was very cool to see the details of what we had learned in person.

2) The Aqueduct in Segovia

Built in the first or second century by the Romans, this aqueduct is both huge and beautiful. Even more impressive is the fact that there isn’t any mortar or cement or glue holding it together! The rocks fit so closely together that it hasn’t been affected by the centuries that have passed, which is absolutely amazing.

3) Palacio Real de la Granja

This was a royal palace located in between Segovia and Madrid, where the kings and queens of Spain would come to hunt or relax, to get away from the stress and responsibilities of life in Madrid. It’s a beautiful palace with tons of gardens and a great view of the mountains in the distance. I really enjoyed my time there, too.

I think this was the best out of any of the class trips we’ve had so far!

Today was my first official day at the high school. I taught two classes of older students in a vocational training program, and then one class of very energetic fourteen year olds. We talked about their perception of American culture, and I also explained American holidays to them. The kids were great, and all of the teachers I’ve met are wonderful, too. It looks like this is going to be such a FUN and REWARDING experience.

As I walked out of the school this morning, I had the biggest smile on my face. Have you ever had the feeling that you couldn’t be enjoying life more, that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be and that you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing? I don’t know if that’s a common thing for people to feel, but that’s what I felt today. Actually, that’s the feeling I’ve had very frequently throughout my time in Spain. I’m super, super thankful that I’m here.

1. My host mom doesn’t correct me nearly as much as she used to.

2. I can follow almost every single conversation I overhear.

3. I can understand what’s on the radio.

4. I don’t have to think as much anymore about conjugating verbs correctly – I just say what SOUNDS right.

5. Unfortunately, I’m now able to understand dirty humor as well as Spanish rap music. (I’m not sure I’m proud of this one…)

6. I used to HATE talking on the phone in Spanish – it felt awful and awkward, especially because I couldn’t see the other person’s face or body language. However, yesterday I had a phone conversation with a Spanish friend that lasted FOUR MINUTES (that’s a long time for me!). And I only had to ask, “What??” once.

7. My host mom’s daughter was visiting us from out of town this week, and when I went to tell her goodbye before she left, she told me something along the lines of, ” I hope you have a great rest of your time in Burgos. And I was going to tell you that I hope your Spanish keeps improving and that you keep learning a lot, but I’m not going to say that because you speak it so well already!”

It’s little things like these seven reasons that show me I’m actually making progress and that this study abroad experience, if only for my language skills, has already been SO worth it.

There’s a group of Spanish students here in Burgos that meets at one of the local restaurants every Friday night to work on their English. Spanish young people and English-speakers from all around the world come together, order drinks, and sit around having conversations in English together. The group’s name is Drink in English, and many of my American friends here regularly participate – it’s really rewarding to be able to help others, and sometimes we’re able to work on our Spanish, too!

Anyway, Drink in English organized a day trip to visit a bunch of different pueblos around the province of Burgos. It seemed like a great opportunity, especially since I didn’t have any plans on Saturday, so I signed up to go! There were ten of us that went: seven Spanish students, two Americans (including myself), and a Dutch girl.

The goal was to speak in English as much as possible during the day, but that didn’t happen.
(Apparently it’s very normal for a group of Spaniards talking together to lapse into Spanish and stay in that language for almost the whole time. ) I was completely okay with that, though, because it meant that I was speaking and listening to Spanish about 90 percent of the day.

We had such a fun time together talking in the car on the way and visiting six different pueblos. I loved seeing the different architecture styles, the way the towns are set up, and beautiful views of nature. I’m really, really grateful to have made several new friends and to be able to explore this area of Spain a little bit, too.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

One of the things I was most encouraged about from the day was how my language abilities are coming along. I could follow every conversation really well, and I was also told that my speaking skills were really good. I also really, really appreciated being corrected when I messed up a word or a sentence – some people won’t do that, and if I don’t get corrected, I’m not going to improve!

Overall, it was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to more opportunities like this to be able to make new friends and to make my Spanish even better!

Some brief reflections on my time on this side of the Atlantic:

• I really, really like it here. Burgos is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to live.
• I love speaking Spanish, and my speaking skills are definitely improving.
• I love traveling and learning from new experiences. I’m soooo grateful for the amazing opportunities I get every day.
• I miss my family, especially the chance to hang out with my brothers.
• I’m so thankful for friends (both americanos and españoles) and my host mom, who have made this huge transition for me so much easier and more enjoyable.
• Sometimes I miss really random things from home, like certain foods (snack foods like pretzels, as well as peanut butter).
• I’m grateful that some things, like friendship and laughter, are the same no matter what country you’re in.

My daily walk to school, a representation of this beautiful journey I'm on.

I’ve been thinking a little bit about what it will be like to come back to the U.S. in December, and I think some of the readjustments I’ll have to make could be surprising and/or entertaining.

• My classes here, while very helpful and informative, are designed for American/international students, so they are not super difficult and don’t give me a ton of homework. I think  the first few weeks of next semester will be challenging as I try to get used to harder classes and lots of homework again, as well as trying to balance school with working 20 hours a week.
• One thing I love about being here is that I can choose which language I want to speak in with my closest friends! Sometimes my thoughts come in one language or the other, and I’m not going to like having to be restricted to just one language when I get back.
• Here in Spain, the typical way you greet someone is with a kiss on both cheeks. That took me a little while to get used to, but now it’s almost second nature for me. What I’m afraid of is that when I come back to the U.S. and meet someone for the first time, that I’ll accidentally go in for a kiss. That could make some really interesting first impressions and incredibly awkward situations…haha.  : )
• I’m getting very accustomed to my siestas, a nap in the middle of the day almost every day. I don’t know what I’m going to do next semester when there’s not time to rest built into the day’s schedule.
• Traffic laws here are pretty similar to the ones at home, but one difference is that cars here always, always, ALWAYS stop for pedestrians. When I get back I think I’m going to end up running out in the middle of some street in Kalamazoo, expecting the cars to stop for me. But instead of stopping, I’ll just get hit by one of them.
• Sometimes when I’m frustrated with someone or something here in Spain or have something to say to a friend that I don’t want the whole world to hear, I purposely switch to speaking in English (speaking very quickly and quietly), since the average person on the street here won’t be able to catch what I’m saying. However, when I return to the U.S., I’ll have to remember that people can understand what I say under my breath in English…that might be a good thing to keep in mind.

Anyway, I’m still liking it here, and I can only hope the next two months will be as wonderful as the first two have been!