¡¡España!!

Hello to all! I have returned from my travels to Spain! Things are hectic, as usual, and I'm just trying to stay afloat in a sea of books, notes, pencils, and pens. I have about 6 weeks left in this semester, and I can't wait for it to be over, lol!

Spain was awesome! I had never been to Europe, so it was definitely a new experience. I was very surprised to find that I really had no trouble understanding the Spanish in Spain at all. I was afraid that the accent was going to throw me, but I did alright. The only exception was an incident I had in a pastry shop where this grouchy, old Spanish woman thought I was trying to cut her in line when I was clearly there first, and she proceeded to chew me out for it. I still have no clue what she was saying to me, and another grouchy, old Spanish lady behind us just kept saying that I didn't understand, and I did understand that, lol. It was frustrating because I had been doing so well up until that point. Oh well, I know I'm not fluent, yet, so there will be times when I don't understand something. The rest of the trip went off without a hitch, and I was able to understand the majority of what I heard.

I saw incredible cathedrals and mosques that were over 500 years old, and I enjoyed some very nice sangria in Sevilla. All in all, it was a marvelous trip! I can't say that I want to go back to Europe anytime soon, however, because the Euro against the dollar makes everything quite expensive. Still, I'm glad I went!

My next journey on the horizon is a 6-week stay in Mexico!!! I got the internship I had been praying about, so I'll be spending 6 weeks in Alamo, TX/Reynosa, MX doing mission work. I'll be working at an organization called UTRI-Upon This Rock International. They do a lot of amazing work right there on the border. Their website is http://www.utri.org/. If you have a chance, check it out!

So...hopefully I will make it through this semester with sanity still left. I'm in the process of writing a 20-page research paper, making a 10 minute Spanish presentation, and trying to keep up in my German class...whew...I'll make it through somehow, lol.

Here's a few links to my photos from Spain if you want to see what I saw! :-)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066081&id=52702346&l=a5045530f5

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066087&id=52702346&l=2d7faeb439

Hope all is well with everyone!

Amor,
Amelia