Dehydration Station

I am not quite sure how to put the past week into words...

The one thought constantly in my mind is, "Where are all the water fountains??" There are no water fountains everywhere. Wine is cheaper to buy than a bottle of water. I fill up my plastic water bottle at the bathroom sink at my school :) it's a great time over here.

Full trains and a night in Madrid

Originally, our plan was to land and immediately take a train to Linares. That train was full when we booked tickets, so we took a train the day after.

After our plane landed we took a taxi to a coffee shop that was not big enough to fit our suitcases. As a result, we were humbled by the streets of Madrid. We wheeled our 70-pound suitcases around until we found the train station. After laying around for 4 hours we were able to check into our Air B&B and take a nap.

The rest of the afternoon was incredible. Jana and I walked to a park that took my breath away. I have never seen that many people out and about before. There were hundreds of couples, families, runners, bikers, and people walking through this park in the evening. In the center of the park is the Palacio de Cristal, which is a beautiful building made of glass with a pond out front. On our way out of the park, we walked through a rose garden. We also met up with Jana's friend Sam from high school for dinner. For the beginning of the day to be as long as it was, the afternoon was simply picturesque and perfect.

Trains and Taxis and Hotels... Oh my!

In the morning we walked to the train station. We figured out where the Refe train check-in was, found our platform, and boarded our train. When we arrived at the Linares train station we had to call a taxi. Unfortunately, my Esim did not allow phone calls, so I had to text the Head Teacher of my school to call one for me. She was so kind and told the taxi driver where to take us. We took the taxi to our hotel which held our bags.

We toured two apartments and decided on one to rent. Our landlord is so kind and is letting us move in and get settled before signing a contract. She'll come by with it later this week. We had to talk exclusively through Google Translate which was very silly, but it is good to know we have a friend and someone to look out for us while we are here.

Jana and I picked up our keys the same day we toured and then went back to our hotel. We ate granola bars for dinner and went straight to bed. We slept for 12 hours that night! Bye-Bye jet lag

New friends!

Jana and I met up with other Language assistants in our town. One is from Scotland, another is from China. We are a diverse group! It is interesting to not really be able to choose your friends, but they are a gift I cherish.

The teachers at my school are seriously so kind. They make a massive effort to translate their conversations into English when I am around, and they go out of their way to talk to me. The amount of teachers at my school who have said, "Please call me if you need anything" is too high to count on my hands. They are one of the biggest comforts of this experience.

Teaching

On Wednesday I taught a 1b English class on my own. They are the youngest at the Secondary school (around 12 years old). They speak very little English and I speak very little Spanish. The substitute teacher in there with me did not speak any English either.

Teaching them was SO MUCH FUN!! I would say what I knew in Spanish and English, and the students would fill in where they knew how. We practiced pronunciation of the continents and months of the year, and we made family trees. It was a joy and rejuvenated my soul to know that I love what I do. The Lord gives little nuggets of comfort here and there. Today's lesson was one of those.

Prayer requests

Sleep has been really difficult for me the past few days. I go to bed so tired but have been waking up in the middle of the night very dizzy. Part of it may be the altitude change... Ubeda sits a little over 700m in altitude. For comparison, Dahlonega, GA sits a little over 400m. It could also be the change and food and times that I eat. Or maybe it's the winding country roads I drive every day... Regardless, I need good sleep desperately. Also, pray for Janas and my banking. Trying to get $500 into Euros while already in Spain is proving to be difficult considering my bank thinks it's fraud. We get paid at the end of October.

Well...

In conclusion, this has been the most difficult thing I have ever done. But I know I will never go back to not knowing what I've learned so far. So here's to being a sponge, and to taking it all in. A friend of mine who served internationally for 17 years put it this way to me in an email. It perfectly encapsulates how I feel:

"As you move it will be exciting and discouraging and full of joy and sorrow. It will be harder than you thought, and as you daily submit to God's authority, it will be more profoundly impactful than you can imagine. There will be many times you feel like you're dangling at the end of your rope. It is THERE that God will meet you and blow you away with His outrageous provision. God is trustworthy - He is WORTHY of our TRUST.

As you trust and obey Him in the hard times and good, you'll find Him faithful over and Over and OVER. There is much good ahead for you. Praying for courage as your mind absorbs new EVERYTHING - new sites, new smells, new sounds, new tangled streets, a completely new way of living - be encouraged that He is holding you up each step of the way!"

(a picture of my town while I was on a walk yesterday)