¡¡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

Busiest I've Ever Been!!

So...I know it's been a while since my last post, but as the title "suggests," I've never been this busy before in my life! Here's a brief recap of the past month or so:

I went to Mexico for a week for a mission trip, and it was incredible! I've applied for an internship there this summer, and I'm really praying that I'll get it. I love being able to use my Spanish in those types of situations. Most of the time I feel really inadequate when I speak Spanish, but when people can't understand each other without me, it makes me feel like maybe I can speak Spanish better than I thought.

I turned 22...yeah, I'm getting old. I know in the grand scheme of life I'm pretty young, but I just can't believe that I'm 22. The decisions I have to make in the next year are pretty big ones and pretty scary ones. I just hope I have the discernment to make the right decisions. Hopefully everything works out alright.

I'll be leaving for Spain in less than a month! I'm really excited about this because I've never been to Europe. It's going to be a very busy 9 days there, but I can't wait for the break from school!

Speaking of school...I pretty much hate it right now. I'm only taking 13 hours, so I thought it wouldn't be that bad. Boy, was I wrong. German is killing me because I can't remember any of the German I took over a year ago, and the history class I have, in which I have to write a 20-page paper, requires me to read several books. The one I'm currently reading deals with the views of ancient Jews in relation to Black people. ???? Is that seriously going to have anything to do with my life in the future? I seriously doubt it. So...I'm just trying to make it through this semester. Hopefully I'll be somewhat sane at the end of it.

School, studying, and work are basically my life. I have taken up yoga two times a week in an effort to destress, but thus far, I've just been really sore.

Hope all is well for everyone else out there! I'll try to blog again after I get back from Spain.

Besos y abrazos,
Amelia

The Stuff of Life

Well, I finished out the semester with pretty decent grades and a sane mind, although it was questionable towards the end. I've officially finished my first semester back from Costa Rica, and let me tell you, I really was on vacation while I was down there. It was incredibly difficult to get back into the swing of a university in the United States. Hopefully I'm prepared for next semester now.

I'm currently doing a lot of relaxing, working, sleeping, music playing, and more relaxing...yep, that's the stuff of life. I've played two gigs during this Christmas season and paying gigs at that! It was pretty exciting. I have a band again that consists of me on guitar/piano/singing, a bassist, and a drummer. Our name at the moment is The Monotones, but who knows when that'll change, lol. When I'm not playing music, I'm a-working. I got a job at a local coffee shop about 5 minutes from my apartment, and it's pretty awesome. It should be a good one for a while.

I'm also preparing for the mission trip I'll be leaving for in about 2 weeks or so. I'm really excited, and a little scared at the same time. I've never been on a mission trip, so I'm not 100% sure what to expect. Say a prayer that all goes well if you think about it. I think it will go well, and I'm excited to be able to use Spanish again. I miss hearing those native speakers...

Well, that's just a little update for all of you out there still reading, lol! Hope all is well, and that everyone has an amazing Christmas! I'm still working on buying presents, lol...

Amor y paz,
Amelia