Some Visuals

An amazing cathedral, pictures do not come close to doing it justice.



Plaza de Espana, it's about 3 times bigger than on the picture.



Gerrid and I enjoying our daily wine and tapitas at 2:45, muy bien!

Hola de Sevilla!

Whoa, I've been in Seville for 4 days and i have already seen a ton of amazing things. First, orange trees line the streets; unfortunately they are not good for eating, only making orange marmalade and gun powder. I guess in March when the trees bloom it is gorgeous (unless you are alergic to polen). I have one roommate named Gerrid Mouw from GR Mich and we live with our Senora named Maria Jose and her 26 year old son, Enigo. Our Senora also has a male guest visit quite often, we think it is her boyfriend. Maria Jose loves to watch tv (the shows in Spain that are similar to ET and Extra in the States) and she smokes like crazy in the house (Gerrid usually joins her). oh, and she doesn't speak any english, or at least won't around us. She does, however, cook amazing meals and always gives us a glass of wine and a small appetizer at 2:45;) Meals here are as follows: breakfast consisting of toast at 8:15, wine and snack at 2:45, huge lunch at 3:30, and supper at 9:30ish.
At school we may only speak spanish. I tried the intermediate class for a day but it was really hard so I switched to the beginner class. Es muy facil.
The city of Seville is absolutely gorgeous. It is very old and full of history. We already saw La Plaza de Espana, some beautiful parks, a monsterous and breath-taking cathedral, old churches, the Jewish ghetto, and much more. The streets in a neighborhood called Trianna are cobblestone and many are no more than 12 feet wide. It is really cool.
2 things that are kind of funny: the average sized car is the size of a 2-door Chevy Cavalier or smaller (there are quite a few Smart cars) and everything is more expensive here except for beer.
So far my short experience has been wonderful. Thanks for all of your prayers. Feel free to email me, I should be able to respond whenever.
Adios mis amigos!

Today Upland, Tomorrow Spain!

Wednesday I said goodbye to my family and left NW Iowa for 5 months. My flight to Spain departs from Chicago on Sunday the 21st, so from Wednesday until now I have been on a little road trip in a resurrected 1985 VW Jetta with stops in Upland Indiana and Louisville Kentucky. Kevin, Andrew, and I have slept in the lounge of the library at Taylor Universtiy and showered in a communitty shower with three random students in a random dorm, while Cassie experienced the more standard college life in her sister's dorm. In Louisville we visited The Southern Baptist Seminary, partied with the University of Louisville fans at the Orange Bowl victory celebration on Fourth Street, and walked around the "hippie" neighborhood. Overall, the road trip has been a blast and hopefully a foreshadowing of my semester in Spain. I am really excited to get to Spain and appreciate your prayers during travel and adjustments that will occur.

Preparing for departure

On the 21st of January I will embark upon perhaps the greatest adventure of my life (ok, maybe second to eating Jake's cooking) as I fly from Chicago to Seville. In Seville I will be living with a host family and perhaps one other student (I really don't know much yet). The classes consist of a sequence of four Spanish languge classes taught by professors of the Trinity Semester in Spain program. Beyond that, I'm not sure what to expect. I anticipate extreme frustration during the first month or so with not speaking Spanish very well. I'm sure they will ask for the hot sauce during lunch and I'll pass the dog, but hopefully I can catch on quickly. I guess my goals are to become conversationally fluent in Spanish, to learn a lot about the Spanish culture, and enjoy living in a different part of God's world. Right now I am getting more and more excited to leave and would appreciate your prayers for safety during travel.