The End of Church!

While in Korea, the worst day of the week has usually been in Sunday. The second day in Korea Justin and I ignorantly agreed to teach Sunday School at a church. We soon discovered that the hour drive there, combined with all Korean services, poor translation (if any), having to stay there for almost all of the day, and discovering from from the translation we did receive that we wouldn't go to this church if it was in the USA made for a lot of boredom and annoyance. We probably would have tried to quit during the semester, but the church bought a car and donated it to the university so we could drive to the church every week (cutting the 2 hour public transportation commute in half). So, we stuck it out through the semester and informed them that we would not be returning after break. This means that today was the last day and that we are now free from our bondage! However, mthe people at the church are really kind and generous, so it is a little bit sad to be finished. My Sunday school class, composed mostly of university students and young adults, gave me a pair of shoes today as a gift! The shoes I have now have "lasted" two years and should have been thrown away 5 months ago (the entire toe folds back to reveal my sock on one, and there is a big hole in the side of the other). It was super generous of them, but they got the biggest size...they were 9.5's! hahaha! oh well, it's the thought that counts! :) They're going to return them.

New Entries

Hello all! I just added some new posts, but they are below the modeling one so you have to scroll down. Sorry. :)

Hilarious Phone Call

Saturday night I was sitting on a beach, looking out at the ocean, and talking with one of my friends named Judro. We were just talking about a lot of different things when my phone rang. It was my assistant, Andrew. Andrew is a pretty fun guy, so when I answered the phone I was expecting him to be out on the town and wondering if I would join him. I answered the phone and Andrew went into his usual flow of "Hey man! Yo, what's up man, whatcha doing? Where you at, man?" The guy watches a lot of MTV, so his English is pretty much like an MTV show; it makes me laugh everytime. Anyway, after the usual small talk he says, "Hey man, you want to be a nude model?" Yep, you read that right: a nude model! "My friends need a nude model and I thought of you. They'll pay you 40,000 won (about $40) for 30 minutes." After turning him down and then exchanging some text messages I found out that his friends are art students (photography!) and they needed to take photos of a "muscle" man for their upcoming exhibit in Seoul. HAHAHA! What an awesome phone call! I said no, but if it would have paid more...maybe I could have been the modern Statue of David. :)

Dog, it's what's for dinner!

For thanksgiving, Justin and I wanted to have a special meal. We made some big plans, but they had to be postponed for a day. So, on Friday, the day after thanksgiving, we ate DOG!! It was delicious! It has a similar consistency to beef, but much more tender and flavorful. It might have been some of the best meat I have ever had. Plus, it gives you energy! :) I definitely suggest a serving of dog to anyone feeling fatigued. Seriously, everyone should at least try it once!!! MMMM!!!!!


Gary and Joseph: two great friends and men with great taste!



The dog soup-mmmm!



Not much better than a little dog with your best friend!

Daegu!!

A few weeks ago we went to Daegu with a guy named Glory. The weekend was a lot of fun, partly becasue of our activities and partly due to some substantial language barriers. :)

Friday night me ate at an all meat buffet! I think we had about 10 plates of raw meat that we cooked. When this picture was taken I was already full, I think there are 6 or 7 plates.



That night we slept at a Jimjabong. It is a big public bath house (men and women seperated) and then a joint area with saunas and sleeping areas. They sleep with blocks of wood for pillows. Definitely not me best night of sleep. This is Glory in front of some slumbering Koreans. :)



The next day we explored Gaegu and saw the sights. I found Justin interesting. :)

Fan Death: A Korean Killer!

Lately, there have been some very good hearted people telling Justin and I to be careful. Why? FAN DEATH!!! Yep, fan death! Aparently, if you leave a fan on while you are sleeping it will suck out your soul and leave a lifeless shell on your bed. OK, not quite that extreme, but a majority of Koreans do believe that you will die if you sleep with the fan on! Some say that it must be a small room with the windows shut; I tell them that that is called suffication. It's pretty ridiculous though, they really believe you will die. One girl said she saw it on the news; she said a very old woman died in her sleep with the fan on. So one person died in their sleep in all of Korea and happened to have the fan on. I took that opportunity to explain that Santa and the Easter Bunny do not exist, and the WWE is fake. But no, they insist it's true: FAN DEATH!!!! I just want to share this to tell you all to be careful, really. Fan death is not a joke.

Kid's Class

Everyday, Monday-Friday, I teach 12-15 9 and 10 year-old Korean kids a liitle bit of English. I teach objects, and simple sentences like "I like babnanas." Sometimes they listen, sometimes not. Some of the kids are really sweet, some are funny, and some are crazy! Sometimes they teach me some Korean. Often they teach me patience. :) Some days are exhausting, but most of the time the kids are a ton of fun and they always make me laugh. Except for the one that keeps farting. It's not funny!


Kirby and Esther

My Korean Nemesis!

While in Korea I have experienced some defeats and frustrations, but not too many or any too large. However, I have one foe, whom I met on the first day here, that has succeeded thus far in getting the better of me. The First day at Kosin I attempted to use this strange toilet; it was a disaster. I ended up naked, awkward, and unsatisfied. I swore to accept defeat and never return. I kept my oath for over two months until the other day I found myself in a peculiarly adventerous mood and unhealthily full of confidence. I walked into the bathroom and faced my nemesis head on! Disaster? No. Victory? Definitely not. This time I left only feeling slightly awkward and whipped, not severely beaten. I have not braved this stall again, but maybe someday. I often say that I'll try anything twice: I've done it twice, and that may be enough. Maybe...

Football!

Tuesday night we played football/soccer with the English department, students and professors. It was a blast! I almost scored a goal...on my own net! :( However, Justin scored from over 50 feet out on a beautiful shot, lasering the ball right past the goalie! Immediately he was surrounded by a mob of cheering men. Justin became a hero to many that day. What a guy, what a guy!

The ballers.




The man!




The friendship.

DUKE

Justin and I got a new roommate last Saturday. His name is Duke. He's beautiful, but he has been making my fingers hurt; they actually feel tender as I type right now. :) I hope we become good friends, but selfishly, I hope I become his master.


Serenading the camera.

I Love the Students!!!

Here are two reasons why I love my job!



"Adam Professor" by Bora



From Amy


It's easy to be a blessing to someone, give it a try.

Happy Reformation Day!

Today, 490 years ago, a guy named Martin Luther nailed a peice of paper onto a church door. It was an act of love, and step towards change; and that is what it did, it changed the world. The definition of the verb reform is: the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. Maybe today is a good day to reflect on a lot of different things: personal, family, work, church, society, friendships, beliefs. What needs reforming? Along with some reflection, which should always be followed by action, join in the other great tradition of Luther and eat some candy! :)

Professor Shim and I


Justin looks huge on the subway! :)


Kimchi!! mmm!!


Carolyn and I at the restaruant that looks like her "Grandma's scrapbook threw up!"


We finally found syrup for pancakes!

The Waves Are Crashing

It turns out that there is actually quite a lot of work involved in being a professor at Kosin. At the beginning of the semester I didn't know what to do with my time, but now that assignments are being returned for grading and mid-term tests are right around the corner the days have become quite long. However, grading and planning are not the only reasons for long days. As the senester has progressed I have een getting to know a lot of the students so more and more have been stopping by my office, or wanting to eat lunch together, or inviting me to play basketball with them. I really love my students; they are so kind, and generous, and fun-loving, and overall funny people. Sometimes it is very draining to communicate with people in broken English for hours a day, but it is usually a really fun experience.
Besides university related activities, Justin and I went to Seoul last weekend to meet Professor Shim and see a bit of the city. Seoul is so huge that it is hard to see much of it in 2 days. We did see part of the Berlin wall though, there is a section in downtown Seoul, so that was pretty cool. Seeing Professor Shim was definately the highlight though. If any of you reading this are still at Dordt, take the opportunity to talk to that man! He is very humble and honest and full of great wisdom; basically, he's the man! We also met with Carolyn in Seoul. It was great to see her again, kind of refreshing actually. It is fun to talk to someone with a similar background and get their perspective on Korea, plus she is just a really fun person! We ended up going to a resaraunt with her that she described as looking like "my grandma's scrap book threw up!" The restaraunt was really small with pink, flower print booths, fake flowers all over, pictures of couples on the walls, and random toys and books. It was a pretty funny place, but the food was solid. we also saw a weird harvest festival with Carolyn. There were dead pigs, some guy dancing and chanting, and people putting money in the mouths of the pigs. It was pretty odd to me, I'm not sure if it was a Buddhist festival or not.
Well, that's pretty much all from this guy's life. I better continue plugging away at the mid-term planning and test making!

Japan, Mountain Top View, and Buddhist Temples!

So, I write too much. Enjoy some Pictures!

Justin was quite sad after his attempt to bake banana bread in the microwave didn't exactly turn out great.




He's got the whole world in His hands!




What great beauty contained in the depth of the iris! :) (taken in Japan)




Justin overlooking a bay full of resting ships.




Justin wishing he could soar on the wind over the beauty below.




Overlooking the harbor and part of Busan.




Prayer room/shrine.




Hiking in the rain on a trail of boulders and flowing water!




Prayer rooms/shrines.




A gorgeous temple.




Yep, it rained and we hiked. :)



Carolyn and I in front of a Buddhist temple.

Stuck

It smells like rain. This morning it was pouring, now it is only raining heavily. I often dislike rain; I don’t like being cooped up inside as if I were an animal. I would rather be out exploring the streets or playing basketball or spending my Saturday outside doing nothing in particular. At this moment I am feeling antsy; if I were at home I would maybe watch a movie, or maybe bake a cake (probably chocolate). I should probably study the Korean letters. Justin told me I should start writing a book. I actually just finished reading two books today; perhaps the rain is good for me. I had been working on “The Practice of the Presence of God” by/about Brother Lawrence for a couple of weeks. Brother Lawrence was a monk who worked in the monastery kitchen. He didn’t accomplish anything that would end up in history books or do anything that Hollywood could make millions off of; instead, he simply lived in “the presence of God” at all times through constant thanks, praise, confession, and general conversation with God: simple, yet difficult. Brother Lawrence was a devoted servant of God who sought no praise or recognition for his work, humbly carrying on his tasks and serving others as though he was serving God Himself with every action. He also did not see great value in the classic idea of pietistic Christianity, believing that he was just as close to God when washing pots and pans as during set times of prayer. Humbly walking with God at all times: not a bad way to live your life.
The second book that I read was “The Old Man and The Sea” by Hemingway. I must confess that I began to read it so that I could say that I had read a classic. I don’t read many fiction books and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a “classic” before. I don’t think I’m very good at analyzing the meanings and undertones of novels, so I’m not exactly sure about all of what Hemingway was trying to convey to his readers. I do know that it was a book about relationship, a book about the deep desires within us, a book about fighting to attain and the cruelty of losing the things we’ve worked for, a book about what makes life worth living and the stuff that really matters.
I should write a book? With all of the brilliant literature available in the world, with so many books written by authors with great depth and insight, what would I write that would say something new or worth reading? No, I think I shall read books for now, or at least until I am struck with a genius idea. I have heard it said that many of the genius minds in the world were also a little crazy. I’m not sure what comes first: the genius or the crazy; but it’s still raining, which means I may be traveling quickly down the path of crazy. Let’s hope that genius follows, or maybe that it just stops raining.

I am 12 days into my life in Korea: still amazing! Last week classes were a little hectic as I was still pretty confused on what I was teaching and confused about how things run at the university. That confussion still remains, but I have a better handle overall on classes and the functioning of the university. One of my classes is a conversation class that meets 4 days a week; I'm pretty excited about it as there are "only" about 20 students so I can get to know them better and have more fun in the class. One class has over 70 students so that could be interesting.
My time outside of class has also been pretty fun. Justin and I hung out with President Kim and his wife again all day Sunday. He told us that the best way to learn Korean was to get a Korean girlfriend; I told him that I didn't think Jenni would like that too much. For some reason he found this pretty humorous and started making jokes about my classes shrinking and Justin's overflowing; he also went ahead and told the pastor of the second church that we visited about his hypothesis. That wasn't really a big deal except for when the pastor introduced us during the service and went ahead and told the congregation about it; this resulted in much laughter and many young ladies giggling and staring at us. It was pretty hilarious! President Kim wants Justin to marry a Korean girl and stay at Kosin so I think I'm going to spread the word that Justin is single and wants to learn Korean. :)
Besides hanging out with the president, I played basketball yesterday with some students in my dress clothes, tie and all. It was really fun, it had been a while. Justin and I also went to one of the main shopping areas last night. I had a list of 3 things to get with brown shoes being the priority; however, Koreans, in general, don't have feet that require size 12's. After asking at about 10 stores and being disaoppointed 10 times I gave up my search for the night. I'm not really sure what the solution to that problem is, hopefully I can find a 'Big and Tall' store or something like that.
Anyway, life in Korea is good. It has been a great experience so far and I anticipate it to only imporve as we explore the city more and become more comfortable in our classes.
Here are some pictures of life so far.

Deciphering the root of the main verb in the Japanese phrase.



First day of class (we didn't know if we were teaching or not that day) as we are leaving the hotel.



Shopping in Nampo-Dung

What a Welcome!!

Koreans, at least the ones that I have met at Kosin, are some of the most generous and giving people I have ever met. Saturday morning Justin and I arrived in Busan; we were met at the airport by one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. Professor Park (one of many, many Parks) is the Dean of International Affairs and had the job of welcoming us and showing us around Kosin a little bit. During the car ride from the airport he informed us that we were going directly to the university where President Kim was eagerly waiting to meet us. The first thing that we learned about President Kim is that he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Dordt College. Along with that, he loves the reformed worldview that Dordt teaches; this meant that our first job was to edit the english version of a pamphlet about Kosin, correcting gramar and adding reformed perspective.
After our editing session and some conversation, which involved the Dordt Diamond, Justin and I teaching Bible study and preaching, and a possible trip to the Philipines, we went out for lunch with the President, Dean Park, and two Mongolian students: it was amazing food! The rest of the day involved some shopping for necessities, more Korean food, and settling in to our hotel room.
On Sunday, President Kim and his wife brough us to a church that wanted Justin and I to teach English Bible study at. We recieved flowers during the service, ate lunch in a special room with the pastor and elders, visited the church retreat house, and had a meeting in a special room of the church coffee house. This meeting consisted of the men speaking Korean and looking at Justin and I. About 45 minutes in to the meeting we were informed that, because the church was a 2 hour bus ride from the university, the church would buy us a car and give us gas money to come and teach at the church every Sunday! Yep, Justin and I recieved a car after being in Korea for less than 2 days! That night President Kim and his wife took us to a big fish market where the fish are swimming around in tanks and buckets. He proceeded to point to 2 kinds of fish and 2 lobster; yeah, we had lobster with the President! It was really good (well, the fish were raw and had a crazy, chewy texture), but President Kim told us to eat the meat where the legs connect to the body; that pasrt tasted like pond. :)
On Monday we showed up at the university at 9, recieved our class schedules and textbooks, and then discovered that classes started that very day! Oh, and we couldn't plan at all because we had an assembly at 11 to welcome the students and introduce the new faculty. When Justin and I were introduced the Vice President said we were both bachelors from Dordt College; this was responded to by applause, screams, hoots, and hollers! We had no clue what he had said, but we definately felt like rock stars. :)
The assembly ended at 12:30: Justin went straight to class, I went to lunch and went to class at 1. My class was a freshman general English class consisting of about 25 freshman Korean girls who giggled A LOT and only spoke English to ask if I had a girlfriend and tell me that I am handsome. :) I was a little surprised and very unprepared; class was very short.
Monday night we moved in to an apartment, but we will be moving into a new one in about a week. The one we are currently living in is about a ten minute walk up hill to Kosin, the new one is located directly beside the campus. We are really looking forward to the new apartment as our Tuesday morning walk caused immense amounts of perspiration and resulted in enormous back sweat marks and pitting out! :)
On top of all the other amazing acts of generosity, Justin and I each have our own offices (each twice the size of a faculty office at Dordt), leather computer chairs, brand new Samsung desktops, and an ocean view! The details surrounding classes and lack of planning have been frustrating, but overall everything is amazing here and I am loving Korea.
Alright, time to prepare for class.
Yours truly,
Professor Van Gelder (It still makes me laugh.)

Off to Korea!

At this moment I am crossing over the Bering Sea on my way to Tokyo Japan. I know, it's crazy After returning from Spain 2 months ago I am off to Asia with my best friend to teach English at a university! We have no clue about our classes and we begin teaching on the 27th (we think). Excitement is welling up inside of me. I wonder about the food, the people, the experience of being a professor, the friendships I will form, the lessons I will learn. There is so much that lies ahead of me that I have no clue is coming, that will change who I am and how I live my life. It's crazy.
Of course, moving to Korea to experience new adventures means saying good-bye to friends and family once again. I am not an extremely emotional person when it comes to good-byes; perhaps it is because I have done it quite a lot, or perhaps I am just cold hearted. :) I feel like most of my good-byes are simply 'see you laters' and that some day I will see all of you again in a joyous reunion when we can share stories and laugh and delight in one another’s presence. Because of that, now, at this moment, sorrow is not present. That being said, I do care about you all as I leave and would love to receive emails about what is going on in your lives. [adamvangelder@gmail.com]. That is also crazy; I'm going to be half way around the world and can still cultivate and deepen relationships with friends in Iowa, Arkansas, Spain, and anywhere else in the world.
But the craziest thing about this all has not been mentioned yet. The craziest thing is that I am sitting inside of this giant metal object full of hundreds of people, bags, and who knows how many pounds of fuel, cruising at 37,000 feet at a rate of 500 mph. Now that is crazy! The fact that something this big can actually stay up in the air is amazing; a lot more amazing than some college graduate heading off to Korea.
Anyway, Justin and I have the important task of making friendly conversation with the stewardesses so we can get our hands on a piece of the first class cheesecake that is sitting in some cooler in the back of the plane. Mmmm!

Home for a moment and then off to South Korea

So, since getting back from Spain I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life. After 2 weeks of part time work I have discovered 2 things: being a waiter is incredibly fun, and I would never want to work at a gas station for long term. Good stuff to know, but not very helpful for "career" type plans. As I continued to throw around ideas and get nowhere I recieved an email from Prof. Shim; it basically said "do you and Justin want to go to South Korea and teach at a University?".
4 days later I said yes and now am going to Pusan, South Korea on August 23rd to teach at Kosin University. I guess when God lays a great opportunity in front of you things can move along rather quickly.
Anyway, my blog has now switched from a place where I share my experiences in Spain to a place where you can read of my next year in South Korea. Enjoy.

Maria Jose & Fernando

Here are some pictures of my Senora and her lover.

To Barcelona and Beyond!

Gather around and let me tell you a tale, a tale of a stupid little boy traveling through Europe. We will pick up the story as the boy, whom we will refer to as Fredrick, begins his journey from Oloron Sainte-Marie in France to Barcelona...
On the first of June, a cloudy day that many would blame for seasonal depression, Fredrick walked toward the Oloron train station. He was excited for his journey as he was headed toward the beautiful Barcelona. After buying a train ticket to Pau, Fredrick sat and waited for the train; he had a positive disposition and 65.16€ in his pocket.
After a lovely little train ride he arrived at Pau, went to the ticket counter, and proceeded to buy a train ticket to Barcelona...or at least that is what he was going to do. The ticket to Barcelona was 65.90€, so Fredrick simply slipped his debit card out of his pocket to purchase the ticket. What horror, his card expired the day before! What was Fredrick to do?
Horrifying thoughts of being stranded in France with no money and no way to reach Barcelona circled through his colorful imagination. But Fredrick was not one to give up easily. He began to search the sidewalk for coins, hoping to find the remaining 74 cents. After no luck he began to ask other travelers for some change, still nothing. Finally he returned to the ticket counter, and after asking for a student discount (or even a senior discount) the woman at the counter offered to pay the remaining amount. What relief! He was off to Barcelona!
Upon arriving at barcelona with absolutely no money, and a still tender left knee, Fredrick walked from the train station to the Sun and Moon Youth Hostel. Of course, when he arrived he could not pay for his lodging, thoughts of homelessness in Barcelona weighed upon him. However, the man at the desk, who had been a little short with the costumers before, was incredibly gracious and allowed Fredrick to call the USA and get his parent's credit card number. Praise God! Fredrick would not need to be homeless for 4 days in Barcelona.
Yet, a problem still remained; Fredrick was in Barcelona, one of the most expensive cities in Spain, without any money and only enough food for one day. This was not an overly huge problem as the hostel served breakfast, but it was a great inconvenience.
I would love to tell you that everything turned out well, but I cannot, everything turned out incredibly well! On Sunday Fredrick met a wonderful women named Jenni from Indianapolis who saw him putting extra pieces of toasted bread into his bag at breakfast. They hung out for the day and then Jenny bought him a pita falafel for supper, it was amazing!
The next day an angel named Debi from London, who was promoting activities in Barcelona, had pity on Fredrick and gave him 2 euros. With this money and 13 extra cents he found he was able to eat a 1 euro meal at a bar on Monday night and buy 2 bananas, a baguette, and some cookies on Tuesday. Fredrick didn't eat well, but he ate.
Stupid little Fredrick was truly blessed to have met such kind people on his journey from France and during his time in Barcelona. On Wednesday his brither arrived and Fredrick felt like a king, able to eat well rounded meals and ride the metro. Fredrick was no longer in dire need and went on to enjoy an amazing week of hiking in Spanish national parks and haning out in San Sebastian with his brother before heading home to the United States.


Jenni: Friend and Giver of Falafel


1 Euro Meal Provided by Debi


Travels in Spanish National Parks

Oloron Sainte-Marie, France

So, the Camino de Santiago did not go as planned. The day I began was cold and rainy; throughout the entire 36km of the day I trecked up and down hills through mud that has clmaimed many pairs of shoes on elementary school playgrounds around the world. I slipped and slid along the path and even waltzed right through a couple of raging creeks. It was quite an adventure. The main problem was that my bag was about 4x too heavy for that kind of hike, so as I powered my way along the trail I began to destroy my left knee and the muscles of my legs.
As I began the second day, through the same mud and cold, my legs were groaning. I went about 10km and then threw in the white flag as I knew I wouldn't be able to continue. I began hiking back to Oloron (the stopping point after the first day) and after about 5km my thumb got me a ride the rest of the way back.
Since then, Tuesday, I have been relaxing in this lovely town of 11,000 French citizens and trying to find ways to entertain myself as I heal. It has actually been nice as I have been able to reflect on the past semester, think about the future, and read a lot of Scripture.
Tomorrow I am taking the train to Pau, France from where I hope to catch a train or bus to Barcelona. I'm actually really looking forward to returning to Spain as I haven't been able to talk with anyone the entire time I've been in France. Once I get to Barcelona the plan is to relax as I await Aaron's arrival on the 6th.
Let the adventure continue!

Malaga

Malaga is a beach city in the South of Spain. That being said, after 4 full days of being in Malaga with 4 friends we have not gone to the beach. It´s not that the weather has been terrible, it´s more that the resort we are staying at is sweet. So far our time has been spent playing mini-golf (i trail by 2 strokes heading in to the final round), tossing, losing, and finding the frisbee, and working on our swim relay (i am the lead leg with a powerful backstroke, followed by Tyler and his graceful breast stroke, with Micah powering us home with his flawless freestyle). We´ve also been making awesome food, serving the girls breakfast in bed, and chillin´ in the saunas at Club Marbella. It´s all been pretty sweet. Right now I am alone as the 4 others have departed; I have 2 more days here and then a 25 hour bus ride to Toulhoose, France, followed by another bus ride to Lescar where I will begin 8 days of hiking the Camino de Santiago, that is if I survive the ridiculous bus ride of course.

The End of a Chapter

The past two weeks since my crazy trip during Feria have been filled with a lot of little ups and downs. The most obvious down has been going back to class; nobody ever wants to go back to school or work after a vacation and i think even less people want to go back to learning Spanish gramar and the subjunctive. However, sandwhiched in the middle of 2 weeks of class was an amazing bright spot: Lagos, Portugal! Last weekend I went to a beach town called Lagos on the coast of Portugal and enjoyed many wonderful things including: sun, sand, swimming in the ocean, good food, laughs, ´light ´em up´, rock climbing, miny cliff diving, and my 22nd birthday. It was an amazing weekend full of fun and friends.
Another up is that I only have one day of class and one test left in college! It´s crazy to think that I´m graduating. That being said, graduation is also a down. Today is the graduation ceremony at Dordt, something I originally didn´t think I would care about missing; however, now I am really wishing I could be there to see a lot of my great friends and share a few last memories together. I guess I feel like I am missing closure in my college career.
Although missing grad is a bummer, I am looking forward to the visit of Jenni Van Wyk in Sevilla next week and after that I have a month of traveling in Spain and seeing incredible things; which will be capped off with 6 days with Aaron in Barcelona and northern Spain. Part of that month, almost 2 weeks, is probably going to be spent by myself hiking a trail in northern Spain. During that time I hope to do a lot of reading and reflecting. As I graduate a chapter of my life is ending, which is sad in many ways, but a new chapter is also beginning and brings with it much excitement. It will be interesting to see where God brings me as I move ahead in my life.
So today, as a chapter closes in my life, I will celebrate my graduation and friendships at Dordt, and also look ahead with anticipation to the future.
Andrew & Justin: wish I could be with you today boys, it´s been amazing and will continue to be!

Mallorca, Madrid, Feria, & Futbol

Here are some images of Feria break. If you want to know some of the details you can read what follows.


Sunrise at our private beach


The trail to our private beach


Tyler and his forest friend Stewart


The first cove that Tyler and I swam in. Wow, that water was gorgeous!


Tyler and I on a mountain looking down on a lake in the valley


Royal Armory at the Palace Real in Madrid


Glass Palace in Parque del Retiro in Madrid


Iowa Cafeteria in Madrid; I don't think these chef's have ever been to Iowa


Sevilla F.C. stadium


Feria nightlife!


Horses and carriage at Feria with some of the "tents" in the background