"You never know what is just around the corner..."

I cried the entire way to the airport. Bursts of emotion and sadness came the weekend before leaving - they came in waves. It hit when my sister and her husband left the house in Raleigh after their last visit. It hit the last time I tucked in and kissed the little boys I babysit for. It hit in strong, sudden, uncontrollable waves. During one of these overwhelming times, Kelly kindly comforted me. I doubted my decision to move to Spain at all.

"Why am I doing this to myself? This is so incredibly stressful. And I love my life here and my family and friends here - why am I moving halfway across the world for a year? I don't even speak Spanish fluently, and I don't know a single other person going there. Why am I doing this?"

Kelly wrapped her arms around me. "You're doing it because change is good, and it means growth. You're getting ready to do an amazing thing, and you never know what is just around the corner. There could be something really great for you there."

Her words comforted me slowly and steadily. You never know what is just around the corner. You never know what is just around the corner. I found a steady and optimistic sense of comfort in this.

And oh how Kelly's words have rung true during my past two weeks here in Sevilla. I met two extremely warm and friendly Spaniards on my flight from Philadelphia to Madrid - a mother, Sonja and her teenage son, Martin. We talked about Spain - about the sight to see and things to do. We even exchanged contact information and have been keeping in touch some - I'm hoping to head to Madrid or the northern part of Spain to visit them during my time here.

After the nice, and exhausting, flight across the Atlantic, I safely arrived in Sevilla on Friday, September 11th. Although I safely arrived in Sevilla, my luggage got lost in the traveling process. Thankfully, I put in a claim for my two lost bags, told the CIEE program director about the luggage issue, and received both of my bags within two days. :)

The people in my program are AMAZING! Before coming to Spain, I prayed that God would bless me with a good set of friends here. God has blessed me with an incredible number of kind and friendly people in my life and also with many Christians friends. I continue to be amazed at how when we simply place requests before God with sincerity and faith, he will provide more, much more, than enough for us.

I am currently living with a senora, Manoli, and another CIEE student from the four week immersion program, Stephanie. Manoli is a petite, vivacious, blonde hairdresser with an incredible sense of optimism and depth. She comes form a large family, and she is best friends with her sister (which of course made me think of my sister and me!). The common area in the apartment is donned with beautiful pictures and paintings created by Manoli's deceased brother, Rafael. The other day at lunch Manoli share more about Rafael with Stephanie and me.

"He was born with one leg shorter than the other which caused him a great amount of pain in his side. He couldn't walk or get out of bed for the first nine years of his life, which is when he learned how to paint and draw so well. When he was nine, they him a special shoe that helped him to be able to walk and move by giving his shorter leg some extra height. Yet later in life his leg and hip was still in a lot of pain, so they decided to perform a big operation. There was a blood transfusion, and I don't know exactly what happened, but I think they gave him the wrong kind of blood...and he died."

Tears streamed down Manoli's face. Stephanie and I were speechless - we would hardly know what to say to someone in English in a situation like this, so trying to find comforting words in our limited Spanish seemed impossible. A tear ran down my cheek as I rubbed Manoli's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Manoli." More tears flooded my eyes. "But he is in your heart."

I am not sure if I should attribute Manoli's openness to her individual personality or if the Spanish culture is simply more open, but I always admire people who are willing to share those real and sometimes painful parts of their lives.

Classes have been going well and although my Spanish still has a long way to go, I can tell that I understand much more now than I did a week ago. :) We are taking classes for four hours a day at CLIC, an international language school in the centro (center) of the city. It is so interesting taking classes there because people from all over the world are studying at CLIC with the common goal of learning Spanish. Last week I had classmates from Norway, Brazil, Austria, and Turkey in my class! I also met a few people from Germany and Switzerland during one night out. It is so exciting and fun to be able to learn not only about the Spanish culture but to also be able to learn more about other cultures around the world.

As for Sevilla itself, it is an absolutely GORGEOUS city! Words and even photos simply do not suffice as accurate descriptions. My CIEE friends and I have spent several afternoons walking around the city, eating helado (ice cream) in the plazas, window shopping and observing the Spanish fashions, walking by the river, and of course, drinking cafe con leche. :)

I leave this Saturday morning to move to La Antilla, the town where I will be living and working for the year. La Antilla is a small coastal town (popluation approximately between 3 - 4,000) set in the southwestern part of Andalusia; it's merely 10-15 miles from the Portugal border. I am very excited to finally see the place that I will be making my home for several months, but I must admit that I am also nervous and sad. Nervous because I am the only CIEE participant in my town, and I am very well be the only English speaker and/or American there. I also learned in class that the accents in the small pueblos of Andalusia are MUCH thicker than in Sevilla, and therefore the people are much more difficult to understand. I have a feeling that I am going to be asking people to please repeat themselves and to please speak more slowly very, very, very often. :) I also feel sad about leaving Sevilla because I have become very close with several of the other people in the 2-week immersion program - it kind of feels like we're a little family! We are all sad about being apart from one another, but we know that with Spain's train and bus systems, visiting each other shouldn't be an issue. :)

I still have not heard back from my school, and I still have not found a place to live. CIEE told us that it will be much easier to find a place to live once you get to your town - many thing sin Spain are arranged through knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone. That being said, I think talking to as many people at possible once I get to Antilla will be the best way for me to find a safe and affordable place to live. Not having a place to live is a little nerve-wracking, but CIEE has arranged a hotel for me to stay in for five nights once I get to Antilla (and I think the hotel is on the beach!). I also have complete confidence that God will provide a place for me to live in Antilla; He has taken me this far in this great adventure, and he has already blessed me with so much. My heart is certain that with prayer, faith, and persistence, He will more than take care of a place for me to live.

I think of all of you constantly, and I wish that you were here with me to share in this experience. It is extremely difficult to try to condense all of the conversations, sights, and and experiences I have had so far into one blog entry, but I hope that I have allowed you at least a glimpse into my time here in Spain so far. Thankful, humbled, and excited are the best words to describe how I feel right now, and as I head off to Antilla on Saturday I will be sure to remember

You never know what is just around the corner.... :)

With all my love and gratitude,
Brittany :)