Paris!

I went to Paris March 8-11, the weekend right before my midterms! And even though I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to study for my exams, it was worth it because Paris is one of my favorite cities so far!

I traveled to Paris with Lauren and we met Liz there in the hostel! We stayed in a hostel a little bit out of the city but it was right by a Metro station so it was a great location! In Paris, you take the Metro everywhere and it was really easy to use! It reminded me a lot of the subway system in NY. As soon as we got checked in, we went to this cute Crepes place by our hostel. It may have been a little bit overpriced but everything in Paris was so much more expensive than what we are used to here in Sevilla and the crepes were really good! Then we met up with one of Lauren's friends who is studying abroad in Paris, Bailey, and she took us to the Louve, where we saw the Mona Lisa, The Wedding Feast, the Napoleon Apartments, Venus de Milo and much more! Everyone said that when they saw the Mona Lisa they were really disappointed because it was really small, but I was not disappointed at all...I thought it was absolutely incredible!

Then we went to a cute cafe called Angelina for their famous hot chocolate. It was extremely rich and was 7 Euros for one cup! I couldn't even finish the whole cup but it was really good! For dinner, we went to a very French restaurant by Bailey's apartment and I ate a Madame, which was bread, cheese, eggs, and ham with french fries and a salad. It was delicious!

The next day, we signed up for a 4 hour free walking tour through the city! Before this long adventure, we got sandwiches and took them down by the river and had a little picnic. They were very good and it was a good change to have meat on the sandwich, unlike here where it's basically all bread and maybe one slice of turkey or ham. The tour was awesome! We saw so many sites, including the Locks Bridge, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Pont Neuf, Palais Royal, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Napoleon's Tomb, Arc de Triomphe, and a couple more stops along the way. I loved the Locks Bridge because it was something I had always wanted to see and it was so cool being there! Here is a picture of me on the bridge.  On the tour, we found out that there were orange stickers on some of the windows of the Louvre and these were the windows that could be broken into if there every was a fire. This was definitely my favorite random fact of the day :)

Later in the day we went to Galeries Lafayette and did some shopping and Lauren's friend Carly who is studying abroad in London but was also in Paris at the time came and met up with us! We ate at a cute pizzeria for dinner. The waiters loved us and made us pizza in the shape of a heart! They also brought out a life size pepper shaker! After dinner, we went to the Eiffel Tower to see it when it was lit up (it sparkles for the first 5 minutes of every hour after 6PM)...and little did we know, we were on the same train as the LaBrasca's! They were also going to the Eiffel Tower and we were able to go there and experience it with them, loving life! This was such a blessing :)

The next day, our final day in Paris, we went to the Eiffel Tower again (to see it in daylight) and climbed and took the elevator to the top! It was gorgeous to see the city and be on top of the Eiffel Tower, which is the #1 most visited tourist destination! I got goosebumps every time I saw it, just feeling so blessed to be there and experiencing it!

Then we took the Metro to St. Michael’s Fountain and got sandwiches again from a different restaurant and went to a bakery and I got an apple dessert. We also got chocolate crepes…so many sweets in one day but France is known for their bakery items and crepes! We then went to Paul’s (Liz’s favorite café in London) and Liz got coffee and we waited for Bailey and Carly to meet up with us. Once they met up with us, we went into Notre Dame and saw some of our friends from our program in Sevilla. We talked with them outside for a little bit and then we went uptown and saw Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill) and that was really cool! Then we went to the top of this hill that overlooked the entire city and there was live music and this guy doing crazy soccer tricks on a platform. On the right is a picture of Liz and I with the soccer guy! Everyone was just chilling and hanging out with their friends! This reminded me of Summerfest and got me really excited for the summer! We then went back to Bailey’s apartment and made dinner there…cheaper and healthier J Then we headed back to the hostel and got to bed because we had to be up at 6:30AM the next day to catch our flight home to Sevilla! It was definitely a successful trip to Paris and I am so blessed to have friends like Lauren and Liz to share that with!

The Future...

Just wanted to share something else God has been teaching me :)

God has really been speaking to me about surrendering everything I am to Him. When I was in Uruguay last summer on a mission trip with Campus Crusade, this is what God taught me the most and He has really been putting it on my heart again just in these last few weeks. I want to live my life centered around God and spreading His good news, however that looks in His plan. I've been able to really look at my future from an outside perspective while I am here in Spain and am traveling and this has been really cool. Once I get back from Europe, I have one more year that's planned, then it's my open future...filled with so many possibilities and opportunities. Where will God take me? I want to be fully surrendered to be ready for His plan. I really need to trust God with my day-to-day activities and life. He is the only thing that goes beyond death- the only thing worth living for.

xoxo, Rebekah

Granada!

We went to Granada for 2 days with our program and it was so nice because they organized everything. I stayed in the hotel with Alyssa and Lauren and it was such a refreshing night away. The food in the hotel was buffet style and it was awesome! I was so excited to actually be able to pick what I was going to eat for my meals for a couple of days! Granada was the first city that I've been to that I thought, wow I could have studied here too because the people were so nice and the city would be a great place to live.

The first day we went to the Alhambra (the largest attraction in Granada). It was in the mountains and was just gorgeous...beautiful old buildings and awesome scenery. I can't get over how much detail went into every ceiling, floor, wall, patio, garden, etc...it was incredible! My sunglasses broke when we were entering one of the buildings so I had to buy new ones that day! After the Alhambra, we went shopping at these small souvenir shops...they had scarves, hand-painted dishes and lots of random stuff. I bought lots of gifts and I may have stopped in the Long Champ store and bought a purse for myself on the way back to the hotel. I wasn't expecting to buy it on this trip but they were a good price so I just had to. I couldn't decide between navy blue and black but after 30 minutes in the store and 6 of my girlfriends opinions, I went with the black. I experienced post purchase dissonance and immediately skyped my mom when we got back to the hotel. Luckily she said she would have went with the black...I instantly felt better. A mom's opinion is the only opinion that counts :) We then went and got tapas (appetizers) and in Granada it is customary to order a drink and get a free tapa with it so we got 3 rounds of drinks and 3 tapas for only 6E each...such a steal or as my dad would say, sticking it to the man! Then a lot of people went out but it was already 12:30 by the time we got back from tapas, so Alyssa and I called it a night and hopped in bed!

The next day we walked through a pueblo of Granada and saw all of the unique and gorgeous buildings. We learned that the streets were built so close together to provide shade to the people because of how hot it gets in the summer and that the streets are really confusing to provide protection because only the people who live there know how to navigate the pueblo. Then we stood on a hill and had a great view of the Alhambra and while we were taking pictures, I noticed a girl wearing a love life band! I got so excited and ran over to her and asked her how she knew Holly. She explained that she was roommates with Ashley Stewart at Boston College and she had hung out with Holly in the summer. It was such an inspiration to spot another love life bracelet in Spain. Holly touched so many lives and it was such a blessing to have this encouragement to keep loving life! After this beautiful moment, we went to the Real Capilla de Granada and saw where Isabel and Ferdinand were buried. They were buried in Granada because this was the last city they had to conquer and did conquer in 1492. You can pretty much call me a history buff now! It was surprisingly really cool to see this because of how much influence they had in history. 

I love CIEE trips! And the next one is to Morocco so I am getting even more excited for that! But Lauren, Liz and I are going to Paris this weekend so be sure to keep your eyes open for a blog post coming up next week about that :) I have midterms next week Wednesday and Thursday (I know, I haven't talked about school at all so you probably forgot I was "studying" abroad but the reality of that will hit next week). Until then, we're going to Paris!

xoxo, Rebekah

I am so weak

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

The week after coming home from Italy, I was at Encuentro (the weekly Christian meeting I go to) singing the song above when I realized how small and weak I am. While being in Sevilla, I have been trying to be so strong and independent because I am truly on my own. But God really spoke to me that no matter where I am or no matter how far I am from the people I love and rely on, He is always with me and He is all I need and He will never be far away. I don’t know why I’ve been trying to live here in Sevilla by myself and do life on my own…but I just have to learn how to rely on God wherever I am and in whatever situation I am in. This was just such an encouragement to me. I don’t need to try or pretend to be strong when I am weak. I can find and will only find all of me in Him. 

Just wanted to share one aspect of how God has been working in and through me while I have been here!

xoxo, Rebekah

Italia!

I went to Italy last weekend with Kristen, Lauren and Yessica. Kristen and Lauren are two of my really good friends here and we didn't really know Yessica going into the trip but got to know her and it ended up being awesome! Here goes my longest and most expensive trip of the semester...

We were in Rome for two days, Florence for one day, Monterosso for one day and Pisa for one day. In Rome, day one, we went to the Colosseum and saw the Ruins, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. My favorite was the Trevi Fountain because of how gorgeous and romantic it was, followed by the Colosseum. Day two, we went to the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel. We got tours of the Colosseum, Ruins, Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. It was extremely helpful having a guide tell us the history and explain to us what we were looking at. We also climbed to the top (551 stairs) of St. Peter's Basilica. We manage to climb to the top of the tallest building in every city we go to and get the best view of the city--great for sightseeing and the muscles in my legs :) We got lunch with Kelly and Emily after our climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica and it was so great to see them! I always love seeing familiar faces :) On the Spanish steps, we met some Spanish boys...what a coincidence! They were really nice and it was great to practice our Spanish since we had been speaking English all weekend. We hung out with them for a little while then went and got dinner. The pizza and pasta we got while we were in Italy, and especially Rome, was incredible. Italian food is my favorite and I loved experiencing it as authentic as it gets. I looked forward to every meal in Italy...although my stomach did not because of all the carbs!  While in Rome, we stayed in the cutest bed and breakfast...so much more comfortable than a hostel and cheaper than a hotel. I felt very comfortable there and it was really close to everything in the city.

We then went to Florence! When we got to our bed and breakfast in Florence it was nighttime and we were all starving because we hadn't eaten dinner. The restaurants around our bed and breakfast were closing (because they are not on Sevilla eating schedules--11 or 12PM for dinner) so we ended up at McDonald's! I haven't been to a McDonald's since I have been in Europe but I do have to say the chicken nugget kids meal tasted pretty good. It was definitely more expensive than in the States though. The next day we were all pretty tired because of our two 12 hour days in Rome and it was raining and a bit gloomy, but we stood in line for two hours and went to the Galleria degli Uffizi. Even though none of us are big into art, it was really cool to see The Birth of Venus and Primavera by Botticelli, works by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. I also really liked a painting that was called an Open Book. It reminded me of keeping an open mind, especially when traveling to all these different countries in Europe and experiencing all these different cultures. It was a great perspective to keep in mind while I am here. We also got lots of great pics by the Duomo, Florence's cathedral. We then went shopping and met up with Andrea for dinner!! I got to see her apartment after dinner and we were able to catch up. It is amazing how it feels like we've lost no time when we're together because we have been so close since 7th grade. I am truly blessed to have Andrea as apart of my life and it was such a blessing to see her while in Europe!

Then we went to Monterosso and this is where it gets a bit crazy. Lauren and I were told from former study abroad students that Monterosso was one of the prettiest places they visited and of course we bought our train tickets to go there! It is their off season (February = winter) and it was a ghost town! We couldn't even find our hotel when we got there and when we tried to ask people if they knew where it was, all we could understand was something about a landslide! An hour and a half later we found our hotel. We only booked the hotel for 2 people because the price doubled for 4 people and was way out of our price range. Since there was no one in Monterosso, they let us all stay there for the original price! Even though it was a ghost town, it was gorgeous and I'm really glad we went there! We went on a little hike through the mountains and sat outside on the beach for the day. Then at night we went to the cutest little restaurant right on the water. And...this restaurant had wifi which I got very excited about because we didn't get wifi anywhere else in Monterosso...I'm not even sure they had a signal anywhere. But the password wasn't working in the restaurant so I had to wait until I got back to Sevilla to get the Internet..false alarm! When we were coming home from dinner, we got locked out of our hotel. Luckily the lady answered her phone after a while and let us in...otherwise it would have been a cold night on the beach for us.

We left the next morning and headed to Pisa! I loved seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We got some great pics pretending to hold the tower up. I couldn't believe how much it was actually leaning. And then we got McDonald's salads for lunch (una vez más) and headed to the airport to go back to Sevilla. After every time being away, I always love coming back to Sevilla. And I think this is how I know how much I love living and studying abroad here :)

xoxo, Rebekah

Kiwi Winner

I'd first like to tell you about my mad kiwi skills. The day before I left, my dad, John and I had a kiwi peeling contest and I may have come in last place. But due to being on my own and therefore having to peel my own kiwi, I have drastically improved my skills. So I challenge dad and John to another contest when I return. The results are sure to be different!

I have also become much more daring...trying seafood and OCTOPUS! This was not voluntary; Liz Hiz and my intercambio Jose made me. And I hated everything about it but at least now I can say I truly don't like seafood nor octopus. Liz was here visiting this weekend and it was so great to be able to see her and show her around Sevilla! Jose was our tour guide the whole weekend and showed us "the secrets of Sevilla". It has been really fun hanging out with some more locals. I am so glad I got an intercambio who wants to show me around the city and practice English/Spanish. It kinda makes up for having an older host family who can't do as much.

Our Saturday night was a bit crazy...we went to Carnival in Cádiz. We dressed up as ladybugs which later we realized means gay in Spanish...so we got some interesting shout-outs throughout the night. These are the little things you need to know but don't learn about in Spanish class! And for the Carnival, let's just say it was Mifflin on steroids and was a bit too crazy for us. There were thousands of people and no where to go! Our train home wasn't until 6AM and we were all ready to leave at 2AM, only 3 hours after our train got there. We were frozen by the end of the night but Lauren, Liz and I were able to laugh about it the next day and it will be an experience we will never forget...you always need some of those!

School has been going well. To tell you the truth, I haven't done much and these midterms are going to come around pretty quick so I have to get on my game and start reading sometime soon! It is just really hard to balance school with the study abroad experience because I came to Spain not really thinking about school!

We (Lauren, Kristen, Yessica and I) are going to Italy this weekend for 6 days! We just booked all of our train tickets and hotels. I am getting really excited because this is the first country I will go to outside of Spain! I can't wait to see more of Europe and eat Italian food!!

It is a daily struggle for me to put God as my first priority but every time I stray away, God brings me right back. It has been a blessing in disguise to feel so alone some days because those are the days I realize all I truly need is Jesus. "When we are in a situation where Jesus is all we have, we soon discover He is all we really need." -Gigi Graham Tchividjian. And I have been really feeling God calling me to go back to Uruguay sometime in my future to do mission work with Campus Crusade. I have such a heart for Spanish people and am really pursuing the language here so I can use it to bring glory to God's kingdom. It has been really cool thinking about my future while I am here because I am so removed from my day to day life that it helps me process through things and really listen for God's voice.

xoxo, Rebekah

Summing Up Madrid

I finished my 3-Credit Spanish class on Friday and three hours later Lauren, Kristen, Katie and I were off to Madrid! We took the AVE high-speed train. It was pretty expensive to get somewhere comparable to the distance of Wisconsin and Minnesota but it was really cool to see. We got into Madrid around 10PM and checked into the hostile. Let me tell you…this was culture shock. Sharing a room with five other people and not having your own bathroom and space is quite an experience. There was an older man in our room and he was nice but I was pretty creeped out sharing a room with strangers. It was also a pain having to lock up all of our stuff whenever we went to the bathroom, let alone left the hostile. But it was cheap and what I will be staying in whenever I travel so I have to get used to it! We went to a really cute restaurant by our hostile for dinner and then checked out a couple of bars. On Saturday, we went to the Reina Sofia Museum and the Museum del Prado (one of the top attractions in Spain). We saw Guernica by Picasso, Las Meninas by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Ribera and much more painters. Contrary to what some of you may think, I have started to gain an appreciation for art! My ticket stubs are pictured below, as proof that I was actually there Blake! :) Then at night we went to Kapital, a really famous club in Spain. There were seven levels with a ton of different bars and areas. Katie, Tico (a friend we made who is from Michigan) and I sang to the “Club Can’t Even Handle Me Right Now.” Needless to say, my voice was a little rusty but it was a lot of fun!

On Sunday, we went to the Royal Palace. It was cool to see portraits up that we had just seen in the museums! We then went to a park and had churros and chocolate. Katie accidently dropped my camera and it broke but luckily there are Rebajas (sales) until the end of February in Spain so I was able to get another one on Monday for a pretty good deal! You can't not have a camera when in Europe! Sorry for the double negative...but it was necessary.

Madrid was just the start to my crazy experiences here in Europe. I can't wait to have more and keep exploring the world!

A couple of random tips:
- The weather is gorgeous here in Sevilla but if you plan to visit (hint hint John and mom and dad) bring WARM clothes to sleep in because it is freezing inside the houses. Now I'm guessing the hotels will be centrally heated but my house sure isn't.
- When you want hot chocolate, don't directly translate it as chocolate caliente because you will get melted chocolate, literally. You need to order Cola Cao, which is their most famous brand of hot chocolate here (equivalent to saying Kleenex instead of tissue).

Tomorrow I am going to Encuentro again..I really liked it last Wednesday! It is with other Americans and it has been awesome diving into a Christian community here. I am going to a church on Sunday that a missionary I connected with here goes to. I am excited to be immersed into a Spanish service and connect with Spaniards.

Love Life! xoxo, Rebekah