Journey’s End

“And as I return, my thoughts turn to homecoming: Journey’s end.

Because in a sense, it’s the coming back, the return which gives meaning to the going forth. We really don’t know where we’ve been until we’ve come back to where we were. Only, where we were may not be as it was because of who we’ve become.

Which is, after all, why we left.”

~ Bernard Stevens, Northern Exposure

Update:

About one month ago, my semester in Spain came to a close. And after over a month of being home, I still don’t think I have fully realized or grasped just how truly blessed of a semester I have had, and how much I have learned. Looking back, I know that I have achieved my goals of improving my Spanish speaking skills as well as being immersed in a new culture by living with a host family, taking Spanish classes, traveling throughout Spain and interacting with the people of Toledo…but it has been about much more than just achieving these goals. The lessons I learned and my overall experience abroad is something I will take with me throughout the rest of my life.

To conclude my One Chance blogs about my study abroad experience in Spain, I would like to say a few “thank yous” to those who helped make my experience so incredible.

Thank You:

My Spanish family: Whom I miss and think about every single day, thank you for your hospitality, your laughter, and your joy you blessed me with as I lived in your house for three months that went by too fast. Thank you for giving me a home across the world, and for always reminding me that I am welcome home at any time. I miss you all very much.

My friends: Both near and far, I will always remember how we went through the semester together, whether it was traveling, classes, or walking around Toledo and telling our host family stories. Thank you for providing an ear to listen, and sometimes being a slice of home and familiarity with me while in Spain. With this common experience under our belts, I can’t wait to see where we will all go next.

The Fund: For being the best international school with the best professors, program coordinators and staff. For teaching me that I am capable of Spanish all day every day, and for providing the support we needed to make our experience in Toledo the best.

Travels: For all the amazing sights and memories, and for teaching me that I am capable and independent. Thank you for blessing me with the travel bug to get back out there and explore more of this beautiful world God created as soon as possible.

TOLEDO: For being a medieval city unlike any other place I have ever seen or experienced, and making me feel like I was back in time as I walked your streets. To the people, the places and the sights - all of these aspects made my experience complete.

Most importantly…my supporters, my family and friends back home who were cheering me on and praying for me the whole semester. You know that I couldn’t have done it without you!

Not the end, but the start to a new beginning

Upon returning home, I thought, “alright, now what.” I have had this amazing experience and learned and gained so much, and couldn’t stop thinking about where to go from here.

I am happy to be home in Minnesota with my family, friends and familiar places, but I am serious when I say I think about Toledo, my host family, and some aspect of my experience there every day. Thinking back makes me miss it all a lot, but also makes me feel very grateful and blessed.

I have gotten into my summer routine with my job and other weekly activities, and made some summer goals I hope to achieve. I have trips with family and friends planned and in the making. With the intent of being adventurous and making time with the people in my life, I know it will be a busy and blessed summer. Summer is my favorite time of the year, and I plan on living it to the fullest. I don’t know what is in store for me once summer ends, once school rolls around again. After a semester abroad, people have told me that this upcoming fall semester will be challenging, and I believe them. But I have been challenged and stretched, and God has shown me that I can do it, that through Him I am strong enough.

Like I said before, I am still not sure all I have learned and how I have changed­ after a semester abroad, but I know a few things for sure: I am capable of anything I trust God with and put my mind to, and time goes by really quick, so enjoying where you are at in the moment is so very important. With these things in mind, I will go day by day where God leads me, enjoying every new adventure and opportunity that He blesses me with.

My adventure has just begun. My One Chance is not over.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

Until my next adventure,

Sarah 

Last Hurrahs

Zamora y Camino de Santiago

For my last weekend of my study abroad experience I went on a last school excursion to Zamora, Spain and also to Portugal to do part of the Camino de Santiago. It was a more relaxed travel experience, with lots of free time to just explore the little towns we visited and to hang out with friends. Here are some of the highlights from the trip below:

We took a guided tour of the city of Zamora (all the buildings were beautiful except for the brown river, that wasn’t so pretty):

One of our last times in a Spanish café – I tried an apple dessert this time (delicious) and of course café con leche:

The next day we drove to Portugal and did part of the Camino de Santiago. We walked for about 3 hours on a beautiful day – my only complaint was I wish we could have done it longer! The Camino de Santiago is a famous trail that people do for spiritual reasons, you can walk it for days, even weeks!

Another highlight of the day was exploring the little town of Braganza, Portugal – we explored the castle and ate some really yummy Portugal desserts!

Our last stop of the trip was to Sanabria, Spain where we did a boat tour on a lake! There aren’t many lakes in Spain, so this is one of the famous ones – it was cool being out on the water and to think, wow I am on a lake in Spain, it was kind of like a taste of Minnesota in that way! But this lake had a beautiful scene of mountains surrounding it, unlike the ones in MN.

Us Minnesotans: 

Graduation

On Wednesday, April 27th, the night before I hopped on a plane back to the U.S., we had a closing ceremony at school. It was a fun night with all of our program coordinators, professors and host families. First we had a short ceremony where we were all called up to receive our diplomas - we graduated from international school!, and then after there was a bunch of tables set up with food for dinner. It was a good way to end a great semester in Toledo. That night I had to say goodbye to some friends and the program coordinators at the Fund. Then, the hardest part, I had to say goodbye to my host family that night because I was leaving so early the next morning and had to sleep overnight in the residence hall. They promised that it wasn’t a goodbye, it was a see you later, and that I was welcome back to my home and family in Spain anytime. I tried to say thank you for everything, but I started crying so it was hard to get any words out. I squeezed Carmen extra tight and didn’t want to let her go, I cry just thinking back on this moment, but this shows once again just how great of an experience I had with them – now it is not if I come back to Spain to visit, it is when am I going back!

Mis mejores amigas – ¡Vosotras estáis la leche!  

Los mejores coordinadores de la programa en el mundo (Yuki, José Luis, Paco, Javi), (not pictured: Miguel, Mila y otros):

Carmen, María Jesús y yo:

Mi familia -  ¡Os quiero muchísimo!

2 week mark. Finishing Strong.

I have finished my last week of classes at school – next week is finals week. Tomorrow we have a class trip for my art class to a museum in Madrid, and two friends and I are going to see el Rey Lion (the Lion King) at a theater in Madrid. It is my last weekend in Toledo with my host family. After finals are done, I am going with my school to Zamora and Camino de Santiago from the 23^rd to the 26^th, the “graduation” ceremony at school on the 27^th, and then my flight back to the U.S. is on Thursday, the 28^th. Wow my last two weeks are going to be packed!

As may be expected, I have very mixed emotions about finishing the semester abroad and going home. I am truly excited to go home because I am excited to see everyone. I am excited for summer to come and to be outside, and to see lakes and grass. Also, of course, I am sad for leaving Toledo – this place is like nowhere else and I really do want to return someday, especially to see my host family. My host family – I have been really lucky to have gotten so close to them during this semester, especially with Carmen. Even though she gets mad at me sometimes or is a little sassy/bossy when we are playing together, I think we still have a special bond and I am going to miss her. I am also going to miss school and classes and all the program coordinators at the Fund, they are all so nice. And just walking around Toledo, oh Toledo. So am I excited to go home? Yes. Am I very sad to leave Spain? Yes. So many mixed emotions, but I know one thing for sure – I am very blessed and this has truly been a once in a lifetime experience. I also know that my journey is nowhere near finished, God has much more in store for me, more than I could ever imagine.

Here are some (definitely not all though) of the “little things” I am going to miss from my semester:

My Spanish family: eating dinner together every night; watching Disney Channel with Carmen and Carmen always getting mad at my host mom for talking while we are trying to watch; listening to Carmen practice violin and piano; playing together or playing with the rabbit with Carmen nearly every night; learning to peal oranges with a knife and still epically failing at doing it; Javi’s responses to some of the things Maria Jesús says; just listening to their conversations and trying to follow along; laughing because all of them are laughing, even though you don’t know what was funny, or the opposite, laughing at something and they look at you weirdly because you definitely misunderstood what they were saying and you are laughing at something that is not funny at all; joining them for a quick run to the bread shop or the supermarket; going on walks in the park by the apartment

My friends: speaking Spanish with each other, sometimes more like Spanglish, especially during lunch at the Fund; walks in Toledo; telling each other stories about our host families; our mutual love for café con leche; seeing each other at school every day; laughing a lot because everything seems to be funnier when told in Spanish; my intercambio and how she helps me with my Spanish and then when we switch to English forgetting she is not a native English speaker because she is so good at speaking English

The Fund: all the program coordinators always stopping to say hi and talk, but at the same time running around the building doing their job of making our experience here the absolute best; the librarian always coming into classes to fix technology problems and the way he says “nada” before he leaves; Yuki’s service learning class and Araceli’s Master Painters class; the reception guys always asking how you are when you are signing up for classes; sitting in the cafeteria doing homework with café con leche

Travels: taking a simple bus or a train ride and you are in a whole new place; trying to figure out where you are because the paper maps are either hard to read or aren’t even accurate; sitting down at a restaurant not really knowing what to expect but ready to eat anything because you are so hungry from walking around all day; seeing new things and new places; feeling very incompetent and unknowledgeable, but then again confident enough to just travel with a group of friends and experience new things together; the fun times outweighing the challenges you had to face to make those memories

TOLEDO: there are too many to name, I love this place - my favorite coffee shop; my house; my school; the streets; the natives; the buildings; the view; my home across the world 

Daily Life

I thought as my time here is winding down, I would create a quick post on what my school and home is like with some pictures!

This is my apartment building from the backside where there is a little playground - our apartment is the two balconies on the right, second floor! 

I live pretty close to school, only a 20-25 minute or so walk, but all up hill on the way there – it is good exercise! I also have the option to take the bus. I usually spend the day at school, eat lunch at school, and return home when my classes end a little after 6. My school is right in the Casco of Toledo, which is so beautiful, so I usually go on a walk each day between classes. I have plenty of time to finish my homework during the day, so when I get home I like to spend time eating dinner with my family and playing with Carmen!

This is my home; my room, the living room and the kitchen, respectively.

And can’t forget our ham leg!!!

Here are some pics of my school - the building isn't that big, but it is perfect for the amount of students there are in the program. And my favorite part is definitely the reception guys and the program coordinators - they are the best!

My school is kind of hidden - once  you get here you have to go up the small alley way a couple steps to the right of this building (the tree is blocking where the alley way starts).

And here's the entrance, the cafeteria and a classroom!

Daily life here is more relaxed, and less stressful. I love coming home each day and just being able to relax with my family – I want to try and adapt this relaxed way of life more when I get back to the States.

Volunteering

As part of my Service Learning class, I volunteered every Wednesday morning throughout February and March in a public school. I helped in a second grade class and a sixth grade class. Mostly, I helped them with whatever they were doing in class, and since they were learning the subjects in English, I got to read out loud a lot of times so they can hear my American accent. The first time I read out loud to the sixth grade class they were so impressed and said, “Wow, your accent is better than the computer’s!” Most of the time when they listen to speaking activities, it is British English, so I think they were surprised to hear what an American accent sounds like! I also got to plan some class activities, and one time I read the “big, hungry caterpillar” out loud to the second grade class (see picture). Volunteering was a lot of fun and such a blessing to get to know the kids and the teachers at the school. On my last day, the kids in the second grade classroom got into groups and drew me drawings to give to me – how cute!

I also got the opportunity this past Monday, April 4^th to volunteer at an event for kids called “Let’s Play in English” in the Public Library in Toledo. It is exactly what it sounds - basically all we had to do was plan some games for the kids, only speak English with them unless we needed to explain something, and encourage the kids to speak English too! It was so much fun, and the hour flew by so quickly. I would definitely do something like this again!

School Excursion, Segovia

Friday, April 8^th

Segovia was beautiful. It was a little chilly, but I loved the views of the mountains. During our trip, we visited the Alcazar, walked down Calle Real and saw the Cathedral from the outside, and then, my favorite part, the HUGE aqueduct. Very impressive. 

My Families

My Sisters

Similarities between Rachel and Carmen…

1)      Intelligence!

Carmen studies every night, and her homework isn’t that simple for a 9 year old! She does math homework, writes about a topic nearly every night, and also memorizes long poems and passages. In addition, she is learning English, so she works hard on that. Like Rachel, she finishes her homework very quickly! Rachel works really hard at school, and she is good at it. She wants to be a nurse, and she also knows Spanish really well! Rachel and Carmen are two smart cookies!

2)      Musically Talented

Carmen plays the violin and piano, and loves to dance. Rachel also plays the piano well, knows how to play the flute, and has a beautiful singing voice.

3)      Confidence

Carmen is very sassy to her parents, and she is confident in her abilities. She isn’t afraid to show me her talents. Rachel is also very confident in her abilities! It’s a good thing; confidence (and a little bit of cockiness).

4)      Like to watch TV on the couch with me

Many times after dinner, Carmen and I return to the couch to watch Disney Channel some more. We share a blanket and put our feet up on a chair. Sisterly bonding. I am not the biggest “snuggler”, but times like this make me miss how Rachel and I like to sit next to each other and watch TV or a movie together.

5)      Daddy’s girl

Rachel and Carmen are daddy’s girls at heart! Check out this pic I snapped of Carmen and Javi. I thought it was so cute, and it reminded me of my dad and Rachel.

My Fathers

Similarities between Dad and Javi…

1)      Coffee!

When I first got here, Javi showed me where he keeps the pot of coffee and told me I could help myself. He says that he loves to drink coffee every morning, just like my dad!

2)      Like quiet nights and mornings

A couple times, María Jesús and Carmen have been gone at grandma’s house, so it has just been Javi and I at home. We both don’t mind spending time alone and doing our own thing. A couple nights, we have both been doing our own things and it has been very enjoyable. I don’t think Javi minds not having a lot of action, I actually think he enjoys it. One morning when it was just us two, I stopped by the kitchen to ask him how he was, and he said he was doing very well! He said it was a great day! I think he was enjoying the quiet morning.

This reminds me of my dad, because at nights, he enjoys returning to his man cave to read a book. He also loves a quiet morning, and wishes he could sit around and drink coffee and read for a couple hours each day. During the summers on weekends, he bikes to his favorite Dunn Bros in Excelsior, sits there and drinks a couple cups of coffee while reading his book, and then returns home. Quiet mornings is something Javi, dad and I all have in common.

3)      Very knowledgeable, cracks jokes, and a relaxed personality

 Javi is pretty relaxed most of the time, so is my dad. They are both very knowledgable –Javi works as a mechanic and my dad works as an insurance adjuster (although he knows a lot about civil engineering and handy man work). I think Javi and my dad would get along well if they met each other (and could understand each other with the language barrier).

My Mothers

Similarities between Mom and María Jesús…

1)      Daughter(s) come first!

María Jesús knows Carmen’s schedule down to a tee, and makes sure she gets from place to place on time. She is reminding Carmen to practice violin and piano, and knows when all of Carmen’s exams are so they can study. Mom always knew my schedule when I was little too, from volleyball practice to a school activity. All these activities and events keep us busy, but it is really the moms doing all the work to keep us on time.

2)      Doesn’t enjoy cooking so much, but still makes really good food!

María Jesús would rather have Javi cook, and Mom would rather have Dad cook. But they need to give themselves some credit – they both still make really good food!

3)      Talkative and have a great laugh

I think my mom enjoyed the night with my host family when she was here in Spain. We talked a lot and played games, and there was a lot of laughter that is for sure. I thought it was such a blessing how we could all still communicate despite the language barrier. Even though my mom knew no Spanish, she still talked, a lot. Most of the time my host family could understand what she was saying because they know some Spanish, but sometimes when my mom would ask a question to Carmen I would have to translate. My host mom María Jesús talked a lot, too (like always haha). It was a dinner filled with conversation and laughter, and my mom and María Jesús both definitely played a big part in making it that way!

Writing this blog made me think about how much I miss Mom, Dad and Rachel, and how much I am going to miss my Spanish family. Thanks to modern technology, I can still stay connected where ever I go. I am blessed for such a wonderful family back home, and the opportunity to get to know another family for these three months in Spain.

I could not have pursued this semester without my family, and my semester would not be as fulfilling as it has been without my Spanish family. 

March Adventures in a Nutshell

Sarah, where have you been!?

Sorry I have not been able to post in a while, but I hope this post can sum up what I have been up to! This month, I have had so many fun adventures with some very special people – I feel so blessed for all these memories I have made and all the things I have experienced traveling! As I begin my last month in Toledo, I am trying to soak in as much as I can and trying to spend lots of time with the people I have met here. Toledo holds a special place in my heart, and as much as I am excited to go back home and see family and friends, I am not quite ready to leave here quite yet.

Here is summary of my adventures in March:  

School group trip to Ruta Del Quijote (Friday, March 11^th):

We traveled by bus to small towns not too far from Toledo that are significant in the making of this famous novel, Don Quijote. I haven’t read the book before, but by going on this trip I learned a lot about the story! Some of the highlights include the windmills and the really old castle we went inside of.

Mom is in Spain! Our trip to Seville! (March 12^th – 14^th):

Mom arrived in Madrid on Friday, and then I met her in the train station in Madrid on Saturday! From there, we hopped on a train to Seville. Seville is gorgeous, and I have decided that it is my favorite city in Spain I have visited (besides Toledo, of course, but Toledo doesn’t really count because it is more like my home). In Seville, some of the highlights were: staying in an old, but nice hotel with the view of the Cathedral from our window, the really nice and sunny weather, going out to eat, shopping, gelato, and visiting the Cathedral, the Alcazar, and Plaza de España.

View of the Cathedral from our window:

The Alcazar – an old royal palace with really cool architecture, and lots of rooms and gardens.

The Cathedral – the 3^rd largest Christian church in the world and has the tomb of Christopher Columbus!

Plaza de España:

Mom and I had a great time in Seville!

Mom and Zach in Toledo! (March 15^th – 17^th):

After our Seville trip, Mom came back with me to Toledo and spent the week exploring where I have been living the past few months! Zach arrived in Madrid Tuesday night, so he spent Wednesday and Thursday in Toledo too! On Tuesday, Mom and I went to the outdoor market near my house and we saw some sights, including the big Greco painting in the church of Santo Tomé, Monastery de San Juan de los Reyes, and the Synagogue before I went to go pickup Zach in the airport in Madrid Tuesday night!

Monastery de San Juan de los Reyes: 

Synagogue: 

On Wednesday, Zach and Mom came to see my school and eat lunch there in between my classes. Wednesday night, we all went to my house to have dinner all together with my host family – it was so much fun! My host family cooked typical food from Toledo for dinner: deer, quail, Spanish tortilla, ham, and lots more! They loved the gifts my mom brought for them, and after dinner we played Uno. It was a really fun night, and so cool that they were all able to communicate despite the language barrier (although I had to do some translating here and there). Thursday, their last day in Toledo, we did the city walk around Toledo and went to a nice dinner that night. It was so cool having Mom and Zach here in Toledo for a few days – I am glad they got to experience a taste of the place I love so much!

Paris and Italy with Zach! (March 18^th – 26^th):

First stop, Paris. What a beautiful city, we had so much fun here! The only downfall was not knowing French and having to ask people to speak English. The apartment we stayed in for four nights was really close to the Eiffel Tower, so every night we would visit the Eiffel Tower and eat our food from the supermarket in front of it! While in France, we also ate lots of chocolate croissants and Nutella crepes – yum! It was a little chilly during our three full-days in Paris, but not bad at all!

The beautiful Eiffel Tower at night:

We saw so many things while in Paris, and by the end of each day we were so tired from walking so much! I love the streets of Paris and the sights we saw were also very cool, I think we saw all the must see and more! More importantly, we had a lot of fun exploring a new city in Europe together and figuring out all the obstacles and challenges that come along with traveling.

The day we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower:

Zach snapping a cool shot of the Eiffel Tower:

 Arc de Triumph at the end of the famous shopping street, Champs de Elysees:

Notre Dame, the cathedral:

 The Louvre:

View of the Eiffel Tower from the ferris wheel we rode:

  

Sacré – Coeur, a basilica that overlooks the city:

Luxembourg Gardens:

Second stop, Italy, specifically, the town of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast!

We flew into Naples, Italy from Paris on Tuesday. The flight was the easy part, getting to Praiano was much harder – we had to take a bus, an hour long metro ride, another hour bus ride, and then a taxi because we ended up getting off at the wrong stop. It was such a struggle, but visiting this place was so worth it! The sights were amazing, and we loved the chance to just take in the sea and relax in the town of Praiano and the place we stayed was great – it overlooked the water and the staff was so kind.

View from our window: 

On one of our full days in Italy, we decided to take the bus to Amalfi and we got to walk the streets of Amalfi, see the inside of the really old and beautiful Cathedral, and also took a boat ride on the sea to another town called Positano! The Amalfi Coast of Italy is full of character and charm, and I would definitely come back again!

The Cathedral in Amalfi:

Other pics of the beautiful views of the coast: 

Zach taking more pictures :) :

We are so lucky to have had the chance to travel in Europe for a full week together :)

The end of vacation/Semana Santa: 

Easter Sunday I went to Mass with my host family, and it was a really nice day outside, so we went for a long walk by the river.

The Monday after Easter, everyone here still had the day off of work and school, so I missed my one class I have on Mondays to go skiing with my host family in the snowy mountains – weird to think you can do that in Spain right!? It was a great time and I didn’t fall once (we only went on the easy hills, but still)! I am looking forward to spending more time with my host family this month!

Me and Carmen (Carmen in all pink of course!):