Last night I felt the culture. I drove a gold Chryseler van down curvy roads to a peach stucco subdivision of duplexes and homes. They all had high walls, the most private duplexes I've ever seen. The yard was closed all the way around the house, and the walls were growing thick with huge leafed ivy. Very intimate and pretty.
Another American lady and I arrived at nine a little early, so we helped set up the table and put olives and potato chips on plastic plates. The ladies from the church started arriving over the course of the next hour with a kiss for each cheek and an "Hola, Que tal?."
They brought tiny little plates of food, occassionally a big salad. These are portions so petite I would be embarrassed to bring that small of offering to a potluck at home. Good to know for future fiestas - don't kill myself making something huge.
Food: a dark colored sausage sliced in pieces on one plate, a couple tortillas (a potato omelette type thing), bread spread with some kind of creamy cheese and jamon (cured ham/prosciotto). Salads with raisins, ham cheese, corn, and lettuce (iceberg). Store bought flat foccacia looking stuff with onions on it, and other bread puffs that looked like pigs in a blanket - turned out to be some kind of tomatoe stuff in there, not bad. An eggplant spread with vinegar, good. Very interesting. We ate around 10 pm and there was no line everyone just crowded around the tables and jostled around til it they had something. Tiny little plastic cups the size of a small sytrofoam cup at home only skinnier. (I'm always thirsty.) No wine in sight only soda and water. A couple ladies went around with dessert. One was a cake in an 9x12 type pan - no icing, cut in little 1.5 inch cubes. It was sweet but mildly so like a muffin, not like a rich American dessert. Another tray had something like pound cake and some chocolates on it. Not very much for so many. Looks like they minor on dessert.
The young girls, teenagers, were there too some ladies brought gradeschool age girls too. Older ladies who had to be careful when they walked came too.I thought it was interesting that a women's ministries type event included all girls. The teenagers were respectful and hung out together at one end; they seemed happy to be there.
Everyone sat in a big circle on the patio. We weren't really ever inside at all. We walked around the side of the house to the back. After eating, we were shushed several times and the pastor's wife gave a talk. Something about the older ladies and mothers being an example and holding up the younger girls. At the end everyone was to pray with their daughter or someone younger (I didn't understand that part). The American lady and I prayed together. We decided a common language was close enough to the instructions. It was 11 when the talk got over and then the coffee came out. It was almost 12:30 when I got in bed. We were one of the earlier departures.
I'm glad I went and I would totally do it again. The ladies were all very forgiving of my really bad attempts in Spanish and one or two were trying to learn English so we exchanged words. I said things like - many years past I study Spanish in university. I am here to learn Spanish with Gabriella (our teacher goes to this church too). So my conversation is a little limited, but I understand some so it was fun.
16 July 2005
12 July 2005
Como se dice...?
Language school is intense. One teacher two pupils, Dar & me. Lots of attention to every syllable that comes out of your mouth. We are both finding we remember way more from college than we expected.
The schedule is pretty serious. M & F we are with the teacher the whole six hours, except for our one break. T & Th we do videos and dvds while another pupil has teacher time in the morning. Afternoons back to us and the teacher. She's a fiesty lady about our age or probably younger; she seems fun, laughs easily. Today we learned the questions we want to ask or need to ask in Spanish, so it's to always be in Spanish now. (yes, after 2 days). Como se dice (How do you say...) Que significa... (what does X mean) etc. I can't keep going I already finished my homework and my brain is tired. Wednesday, did I forget to mention Wednesday? First we have culto - that's Spanish for service as in church service. We will be leading that service in Spanish within the month, something terrifying to look forward to. Then socialize in Spanish with the guests who came for culto. Then an hour of all the past and present students asking the teacher questions/clarifying things. Something else social I forget right now, and we end it up with an academic video regarding Spain. We don't just watch these videos. Watch twice, read the transcript, watch again. Take each paragraph and write down each word you don't know, look it up, and memorize it. And watch the video again. Basically.
The pace of getting things done here (other than studying) is so different. By the time we get out of school and do one thing it ends up being early evening. It's just a slower pace (read that long lines). Supposedly some of this gets better when the tourists go home in September. We've been eating dinner at 8 and 9 the last couple of nights. Perhaps we'll get the hang of the schedule and the pace and be able to plan accordingly. The free time of last week is now gone.
The schedule is pretty serious. M & F we are with the teacher the whole six hours, except for our one break. T & Th we do videos and dvds while another pupil has teacher time in the morning. Afternoons back to us and the teacher. She's a fiesty lady about our age or probably younger; she seems fun, laughs easily. Today we learned the questions we want to ask or need to ask in Spanish, so it's to always be in Spanish now. (yes, after 2 days). Como se dice (How do you say...) Que significa... (what does X mean) etc. I can't keep going I already finished my homework and my brain is tired. Wednesday, did I forget to mention Wednesday? First we have culto - that's Spanish for service as in church service. We will be leading that service in Spanish within the month, something terrifying to look forward to. Then socialize in Spanish with the guests who came for culto. Then an hour of all the past and present students asking the teacher questions/clarifying things. Something else social I forget right now, and we end it up with an academic video regarding Spain. We don't just watch these videos. Watch twice, read the transcript, watch again. Take each paragraph and write down each word you don't know, look it up, and memorize it. And watch the video again. Basically.
The pace of getting things done here (other than studying) is so different. By the time we get out of school and do one thing it ends up being early evening. It's just a slower pace (read that long lines). Supposedly some of this gets better when the tourists go home in September. We've been eating dinner at 8 and 9 the last couple of nights. Perhaps we'll get the hang of the schedule and the pace and be able to plan accordingly. The free time of last week is now gone.
10 July 2005
Sunday - Day of Contrasts
It was sunny and nice so we decided to take a walk on the beach. NOW I know why they call this one the naked beach. Oh my, saw more male and female anatomy than I care to convey in print. Up til now there had been the occassional bikini top removed. Today I saw a middle aged couple strolling the waves - starkers, both of them. Yes, thanks for sharing. The good news is this was limited to one short stretch of beach that we passed as nonchalantly as we could and moved on. The other beaches we walked to seemed more family oriented with only the occasional missing top for the ladies and the more frequent naked babies, not so disconcerting to look at.
I spent the afternoon actually unpacking. I guess it took my brain a few days to accept the fact I wasn't going anywhere for awhile. Turns out my belts all got sent on the container...guess I'll be waiting a month or so to wear anything that requires a belt. At least, I hope they're on the container.
Church in Tarragona is only on Sunday night, so we got dressed and were picked up about 6:30, still very sunny. Drove to an industrial park where one of the warehouses has been converted into the Iglesia...I've forgotten the other words in the church name. I'll be back so I will learn it. They sang several songs that I recognized - Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is filled with his glory...another: I want to see you Lord, and maybe one other I knew. It's weird even though I knew them I couldn't think of the English words; I guess because my brain was trying so hard on the Spanish overhead. Santo, Santo, Santo was the Holy, Holy, Holy part of one song I figured out. It was contemporary, loud, not dressed up though no shorts, a few spantz (see Dar's blog). Mostly young people only maybe 5 or 6 older people - 2 were a pastor's parents visiting from Argentina and the other 2 were the senior pastor and his wife (he's Spanish, she's from Sweden). I liked the idea that the young people here are hungry for a new taste of God, not settling for what was in the past, but I'm so used to the mix of generations at our home church that I missed it.
The people were friendly - you haven't been to church if you leave after service the missionary told us. It's expected that you stay and visit. It's always cool to be with a new body of believers somewhere, but here we couldn't understand the words much. The heart was evident and ernest. I did feel like I'd been to church though the sermon went completely over my head. Don't even know the topic. At the end, everyone stood in prayer and cried out for the city and for more people to come to know Christ (I know this because it was translated for me). It was a powerful moment - loud prayer I couldn't understand with my brain, but that I could join in wholeheartedly. Cool.
Our current supervising missionaries have asked us to participate in an English speaking outreach two weeks from now. Participate musically - that's Dar's department, so we'll see what happens. Nice to be involved in something already.
Language school starts tomorrow. Where's my brain?!
I spent the afternoon actually unpacking. I guess it took my brain a few days to accept the fact I wasn't going anywhere for awhile. Turns out my belts all got sent on the container...guess I'll be waiting a month or so to wear anything that requires a belt. At least, I hope they're on the container.
Church in Tarragona is only on Sunday night, so we got dressed and were picked up about 6:30, still very sunny. Drove to an industrial park where one of the warehouses has been converted into the Iglesia...I've forgotten the other words in the church name. I'll be back so I will learn it. They sang several songs that I recognized - Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is filled with his glory...another: I want to see you Lord, and maybe one other I knew. It's weird even though I knew them I couldn't think of the English words; I guess because my brain was trying so hard on the Spanish overhead. Santo, Santo, Santo was the Holy, Holy, Holy part of one song I figured out. It was contemporary, loud, not dressed up though no shorts, a few spantz (see Dar's blog). Mostly young people only maybe 5 or 6 older people - 2 were a pastor's parents visiting from Argentina and the other 2 were the senior pastor and his wife (he's Spanish, she's from Sweden). I liked the idea that the young people here are hungry for a new taste of God, not settling for what was in the past, but I'm so used to the mix of generations at our home church that I missed it.
The people were friendly - you haven't been to church if you leave after service the missionary told us. It's expected that you stay and visit. It's always cool to be with a new body of believers somewhere, but here we couldn't understand the words much. The heart was evident and ernest. I did feel like I'd been to church though the sermon went completely over my head. Don't even know the topic. At the end, everyone stood in prayer and cried out for the city and for more people to come to know Christ (I know this because it was translated for me). It was a powerful moment - loud prayer I couldn't understand with my brain, but that I could join in wholeheartedly. Cool.
Our current supervising missionaries have asked us to participate in an English speaking outreach two weeks from now. Participate musically - that's Dar's department, so we'll see what happens. Nice to be involved in something already.
Language school starts tomorrow. Where's my brain?!
08 July 2005
Day two brings a little drama
Suddenly I'm Dust - I want to post everyday. You guys are going to be like enough already! But here goes anyway.
We forced ourselves out of bed relatively early to try to make the adjustment. We watched the water, read on the patio and waited to be picked up for a lunch appointment. Thankfully they haven't made us drive yet. The roads are narrow, and you have to drive kilometers out of your way to make a left turn by making a right and changing direction on the road...hopefully it's easier than it looks.
They took us into Tarragona's town center where we walked the new ramblas. Ramblas is apparently a major walking/shopping street that every town has. I had heard of the cool-ancient ramblas in Barcelona and didn't realize every town has something of the sort. They drove us through the old city - roads not really wide enough for cars but maybe one can squeeze down it. We drove on the sidewalk twice to get past things.
So we got to lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the new ramblas. (There's an old one too.) We got to try out our fledgling Spanish, ordering Chinese food, and saying thanks in Chinese. Where am I?
We were two tables from the open doorway. Two ladies came in and I didn't look at them but noticed they were standing behind the lady I was talking too, not taking a seat or anything. In my peripheral vision, one of the ladies standing reaches over and I see the purse strap of my dining companion swing into full view. The ladies talking over their cell phone leave the restaurant. I said, "Is your purse okay?" to S. Nope, the purse if gone.
S. gets up and chases the ladies who I am yelling went left out of the restaurant. S. catches up to them, says in English, "hey give me my purse back." She grabs it and makes it back to the restaurant - suddenly feeling shaky after the instinct to go after them wore off. We were all very thankful it was resolved that well.
On a lighter note, we visited a Roman aquaduct. The Roman soldiers built them in the winter to stay in shape and bring water to new areas. They said when Paul, the apostle came to Spain he probably came to Tarragona the then Roman seat of power here. Paul drank water from an aquaduct I walked on today. How weird is that? IT was very high in the air and I got vertigo and Dar pretended to fall off, so I could get completely freaked out.
We forced ourselves out of bed relatively early to try to make the adjustment. We watched the water, read on the patio and waited to be picked up for a lunch appointment. Thankfully they haven't made us drive yet. The roads are narrow, and you have to drive kilometers out of your way to make a left turn by making a right and changing direction on the road...hopefully it's easier than it looks.
They took us into Tarragona's town center where we walked the new ramblas. Ramblas is apparently a major walking/shopping street that every town has. I had heard of the cool-ancient ramblas in Barcelona and didn't realize every town has something of the sort. They drove us through the old city - roads not really wide enough for cars but maybe one can squeeze down it. We drove on the sidewalk twice to get past things.
So we got to lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the new ramblas. (There's an old one too.) We got to try out our fledgling Spanish, ordering Chinese food, and saying thanks in Chinese. Where am I?
We were two tables from the open doorway. Two ladies came in and I didn't look at them but noticed they were standing behind the lady I was talking too, not taking a seat or anything. In my peripheral vision, one of the ladies standing reaches over and I see the purse strap of my dining companion swing into full view. The ladies talking over their cell phone leave the restaurant. I said, "Is your purse okay?" to S. Nope, the purse if gone.
S. gets up and chases the ladies who I am yelling went left out of the restaurant. S. catches up to them, says in English, "hey give me my purse back." She grabs it and makes it back to the restaurant - suddenly feeling shaky after the instinct to go after them wore off. We were all very thankful it was resolved that well.
On a lighter note, we visited a Roman aquaduct. The Roman soldiers built them in the winter to stay in shape and bring water to new areas. They said when Paul, the apostle came to Spain he probably came to Tarragona the then Roman seat of power here. Paul drank water from an aquaduct I walked on today. How weird is that? IT was very high in the air and I got vertigo and Dar pretended to fall off, so I could get completely freaked out.
07 July 2005
First Impressions
Today I first saw Spain from an airplane. A bird's eye view of the Pyranees mountains with snow bits still on the top dividing France from Spain. The valleys were filled with tan and green patches of rural agriculture. As we neared the city tile roofs came into view and the Mediterranean sea.
Barcelona was only an airport and a freeway. It was good to get here finally. We were delayed three hours in Atlanta by Tropical Storm Cindy.
We came right back to Tarragona where the Language school and ministry center are located. It's wonderful coming to an already established missionary community. The veterans pick you up and hand carry you every where. It gives the attled, jet lagged brain a break. (Though I slept fairly well on the flight and have been functional today, much to my delight.)
We've been in two homes - impressions - marble floors, metal slide down shutters, more contemporary furnishings, small rooms but more rooms than I expected. Square toilets, a variety of flushing methods.
A trip to the grocery store - a big super Walmart type of place called Carrefour. People dress up more here and seem friendly. We bumped into someone from church that the lady taking us knew and they all introduced themselves and their kids. (in Spanish of course). There was a whole isle for yogurt and one whole side of an aisle for varieties of sausage including big legs of hams (including the hoof). We didn't study this because we were just too tired. I couldn't make a decision about how many paper towel rolls to buy, fortunately the woman with us made it for me.
All the traffic signs and brands of groceries remind me a lot of the things we dealt with in Belgium, so it is bringing back lots of memories.
So far a good thing. Looking forward to sleeping in a real bed tonight. Yes, the home we are staying in the next few weeks does actually look out on the Mediterranean sea - I've never lived somewhere like that. It is about a two block walk to what everyone refers to as the "nude" beach. Lovely. We walked down but it was evening and too cool for anyone to be out on the beach. This will be a good place to learn Spanish and look forward to the next step in the process.
Barcelona was only an airport and a freeway. It was good to get here finally. We were delayed three hours in Atlanta by Tropical Storm Cindy.
We came right back to Tarragona where the Language school and ministry center are located. It's wonderful coming to an already established missionary community. The veterans pick you up and hand carry you every where. It gives the attled, jet lagged brain a break. (Though I slept fairly well on the flight and have been functional today, much to my delight.)
We've been in two homes - impressions - marble floors, metal slide down shutters, more contemporary furnishings, small rooms but more rooms than I expected. Square toilets, a variety of flushing methods.
A trip to the grocery store - a big super Walmart type of place called Carrefour. People dress up more here and seem friendly. We bumped into someone from church that the lady taking us knew and they all introduced themselves and their kids. (in Spanish of course). There was a whole isle for yogurt and one whole side of an aisle for varieties of sausage including big legs of hams (including the hoof). We didn't study this because we were just too tired. I couldn't make a decision about how many paper towel rolls to buy, fortunately the woman with us made it for me.
All the traffic signs and brands of groceries remind me a lot of the things we dealt with in Belgium, so it is bringing back lots of memories.
So far a good thing. Looking forward to sleeping in a real bed tonight. Yes, the home we are staying in the next few weeks does actually look out on the Mediterranean sea - I've never lived somewhere like that. It is about a two block walk to what everyone refers to as the "nude" beach. Lovely. We walked down but it was evening and too cool for anyone to be out on the beach. This will be a good place to learn Spanish and look forward to the next step in the process.
27 June 2005
Stuff
An old comedy routine talks about stuff. You gotta have some place to keep your stuff, and you gotta make room to bring home more stuff, stuff and more stuff...etc.
Today I watched all my stuff be pulled out of my drive way and down the road. I was cleaning the kitchen and had an idea that I needed to use the phone. When I walked into the living room, I saw a truck hooked up to our container pulling out of the drive way. I thought they'd ring the door bell and give me a seal number or something. No they just hooked up all our belongings and drove off. The next time we see it all will be in a foreign country.
Thanks to you that helped us put all that stuff in the container! Big time! May all that stuff arrive in Madrid safely.
Today I watched all my stuff be pulled out of my drive way and down the road. I was cleaning the kitchen and had an idea that I needed to use the phone. When I walked into the living room, I saw a truck hooked up to our container pulling out of the drive way. I thought they'd ring the door bell and give me a seal number or something. No they just hooked up all our belongings and drove off. The next time we see it all will be in a foreign country.
Thanks to you that helped us put all that stuff in the container! Big time! May all that stuff arrive in Madrid safely.
21 June 2005
Suppose...what if?
Recently we were at a meeting in Texas and there was a lot of discussion of projects we're going to work on and testimonies of people whose lives have been impacted by video or radio presentations of the gospel. It was a moment where God said to me, what if?
In fiction writing, one technique is to say, suppose this happened...or what if (fill in the blank). Then you have the start of a story. You keep doing that taking it one more step and one more step. What if this happened...then this happened.
I had been feeling rather overwhelmed by information and research I've done on Muslim perspectives lately. I'd been feeling like there's no way I could communicate truth to this very different world view. I'm not sure how they can be reached.
A story of a Muslim woman who decided to change her life from watching a Christian television show, struck me. God said to me, "What if I CAN reach these people? What if? What if some lives are changed?" It filled me with hope. While I may not have the ability to get through, God does.
I've been trying to apply the What if principle to all the changes we are about to embark on in life. I tend to get caught up in the worrisome aspects of what might happen, but God is saying, "What if I do something remarkable?"
I'm hanging on to see what if...
In fiction writing, one technique is to say, suppose this happened...or what if (fill in the blank). Then you have the start of a story. You keep doing that taking it one more step and one more step. What if this happened...then this happened.
I had been feeling rather overwhelmed by information and research I've done on Muslim perspectives lately. I'd been feeling like there's no way I could communicate truth to this very different world view. I'm not sure how they can be reached.
A story of a Muslim woman who decided to change her life from watching a Christian television show, struck me. God said to me, "What if I CAN reach these people? What if? What if some lives are changed?" It filled me with hope. While I may not have the ability to get through, God does.
I've been trying to apply the What if principle to all the changes we are about to embark on in life. I tend to get caught up in the worrisome aspects of what might happen, but God is saying, "What if I do something remarkable?"
I'm hanging on to see what if...
11 June 2005
Reality shows for everyone
I'm not a big reality TV fan. I watch a little precariously through Dar, and through you my friends I sort of know what is going on in a given show. I feel connected enough.
I discovered last week that my parents are hooked on a reality show. I would never have expected this in a million years. They haven't watched any of the main network shows and in fact think those shows are dumb, so I was shocked.
They are watching Hell's Kitchen on Fox. It's about a mean British (I think) chef who has two teams of wanna-be chefs who are competing for a permanent job in a swanky restaurant (again I'm not totally positive). I watched a little with them. It had all the same tension of the other shows and personality back biting. Gross stuff like how many squid can you skin and de-gut in 10 minutes. And someone gets the boot off one of the teams at the end. My dad likes it because the mean chef reminds him of a kitchen manager at his first job. My mom is a gourmand and I guess she likes it for that aspect.
It just goes to show you there's a reality show for everyone. I just haven't found mine yet.
I discovered last week that my parents are hooked on a reality show. I would never have expected this in a million years. They haven't watched any of the main network shows and in fact think those shows are dumb, so I was shocked.
They are watching Hell's Kitchen on Fox. It's about a mean British (I think) chef who has two teams of wanna-be chefs who are competing for a permanent job in a swanky restaurant (again I'm not totally positive). I watched a little with them. It had all the same tension of the other shows and personality back biting. Gross stuff like how many squid can you skin and de-gut in 10 minutes. And someone gets the boot off one of the teams at the end. My dad likes it because the mean chef reminds him of a kitchen manager at his first job. My mom is a gourmand and I guess she likes it for that aspect.
It just goes to show you there's a reality show for everyone. I just haven't found mine yet.
06 June 2005
Tea Time
Last Saturday my friends threw a going away tea party for me. It was right up my alley. Many of you were there. It was really wonderful. I enjoyed it completely - I am a tea party kind of girl! Major thanks to all who made it so terrific.
In contemplating the party afterwards, I'm amazed that a dozen or more friends from my life could all deceive me so thoroughly. It's very funny that I had no clue and that I fell for every line that was fed to me the last couple weeks! Kudos to everyone for being good at keeping a secret...or should I be questioning my gullibility?! Either way I loved it!
In contemplating the party afterwards, I'm amazed that a dozen or more friends from my life could all deceive me so thoroughly. It's very funny that I had no clue and that I fell for every line that was fed to me the last couple weeks! Kudos to everyone for being good at keeping a secret...or should I be questioning my gullibility?! Either way I loved it!
02 June 2005
It's good to use my brain
Today I have climbed a mountain. Not the ones in Washington State that Doc climbed last weekend, but I do feel like celebrating. I managed to post a website for our missions endeavor. No big deal for all of you techno-crats, but for me it was a huge accomplishment.
I had no idea what I was doing and had to teach myself the program I was using, a little of html, and how to post. It's something I've been working on for more than six months. Not six months straight, but on and off during that time.
It comes with great satisfaction. It's the kind of feeling you get when you solve a really complex problem, or something is beyond your understanding, bing the light goes on and you get it. Since I'm not a computer geek (I say this affectionately as my dad and brother are), I feel an intense, almost high, when I'm able to restore order to the computer universe. Today, I have that same feeling. A little shocked that I managed to pull this off, but satisfied that however disorganized and filled with bad code it is, I did it.
Feel free to go look and gently tell me what's wrong. It's got to have major problems, but today I can bask in completion. Tomorrow I can learn how to fix the problems, maybe talking to some of you. You'll recognize the web journal posts as I stole them from our posts here.
http://www.godwinsinmedia.com/
I had no idea what I was doing and had to teach myself the program I was using, a little of html, and how to post. It's something I've been working on for more than six months. Not six months straight, but on and off during that time.
It comes with great satisfaction. It's the kind of feeling you get when you solve a really complex problem, or something is beyond your understanding, bing the light goes on and you get it. Since I'm not a computer geek (I say this affectionately as my dad and brother are), I feel an intense, almost high, when I'm able to restore order to the computer universe. Today, I have that same feeling. A little shocked that I managed to pull this off, but satisfied that however disorganized and filled with bad code it is, I did it.
Feel free to go look and gently tell me what's wrong. It's got to have major problems, but today I can bask in completion. Tomorrow I can learn how to fix the problems, maybe talking to some of you. You'll recognize the web journal posts as I stole them from our posts here.
http://www.godwinsinmedia.com/
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