Days 44 & 45.. not quite the end of the Summer! Couple of hours to go! #45daysofsummer

Well I'm not quite finished as there is still one more evening left of the summer! And I've not yet posted about yesterday either! So here goes..
Yesterday will be summed up in more photos than words (but a picture paints a thousand words though, right?!) and today's events as well as an overall (short!) summary of my entire summer follows at the bottom..

Laura gave me a brief but detailed tour of Bilbao in around 2 hours! I decided that if I would live anywhere in Spain (although of course I haven't been to every place in Spain) I would live in Bilbao. I loved it there! The atmosphere, the buildings, the river. Everything. We started our tour at what I think is the Old Square.

And walked round to the New Square (which didn't look that new to be fair, but was wonderful and was lined with cafés and bars and later on there was live music here!)

The library was rather modest and hidden, I felt. But had a grand door that was worth a snap.

A tiny little stage for the City Orchestra.

Live music in the street! This was on one of the main streets in the city, and had lots of shops and gorgeous little pastelerías (cake shops).

We reached the Guggenheim Museum! Selfie necessary.

A giant puppy made from flowers. Why not?

The Spider in the distance... Can you see the bride and groom in the distance having their wedding photos with said spider? Weird.

And the exterior of the museum was enough to look at without having to go in! 

The spider...! Crazy. Weird. Bride and groom finished and moved on to some other unusual spot for the rest of their shoot.

View down the river.

Arty bridge.

We went for a quick bite to eat in a gorgeous little Tapas bar in the New Square.

 

There was sooo much to choose from!

 Really, so much!! But the kind Spanish waiters helped us decide what to have and poured my mosto (grape juice) for me in a wine glass with ice, an orange slice and an olive on a stick. Wonderful.

Basketball World Cup fever - this year it is held in Bilbao!

There were loads of people milling around and taking part in all the activities in the streets.

We got free balloons :) yay!

And then, after a spot of lunch, and really all to quickly, I caught the bus to the airport.. Where my case was 26kg instead of 23kg and I had to get rid of some stuff and move some things around in a fluster as the queue for the Vueling desk was huge and out the door of the airport! After misunderstandings about hand luggage and being sad that my last proper Spanish conversation was a total muddle, all was well in the end and I reminded myself of my competent and lengthy conversation with Juanma the previous day, and my entire time with Laura which was almost totally in Spanish!! I landed back in London last night where mom and dad met me to take me home! Phew! (We did get lost in the countryside looking for a pub to eat dinner in, but alas gave up and ended up having pizza in Oxford services.) Home and bed. Yes.

Today, on my last official day of my Summer, I had a well-needed lie in, before heading to church at Zion. It didn't occur to me at the time, but thinking about it now, it was very nice to be sat in an English service, to be able to understand everything without my brain working on over time to try and translate. And how good to worship, and let God revive and refresh me. And don't get me wrong, I'm still tired and I'll be hitting the ground running as I start back at work tomorrow but I am so excited about what He is doing in my life at the moment and how clearly I can hear Him speaking to me, challenging me, encouraging and inspiring me. I hope and pray that in the busyness of this new season, I will still be able to hear Him and make time do so. 

This afternoon, we celebrated with some close family friends of ours. Two birthdays and three wedding anniversaries in these past couple of weeks! How exciting to be able to celebrate 55, 52 and 25 years of marriage with those couples, in a world when so often marriages have broken down. What a blessing to share with them in their celebrations today :)

And finally tonight, a brief but detailed and very exciting meeting about the future plans at church and about where God is leading us as a community in terms of our building plans!! 

Sadly no time for Grey's Anatomy tonight (soon I hope!) because the last 1.5 hours of this summer, I intend to be sleeping in order to be up for an early start tomorrow!

But what an incredible Summer it has been. Of adventure and challenge. Of learning and growing. Of new places, new people and new opportunities.

And what an incredible God I serve, who takes away, but who also gives in abundance. Who mends and restores what is broken and lost (and is continuing to do so). Who I don't always understand but who I am learning to trust more and more. Who makes my paths straight. Who sings over me and whispers words of love and truth to me at the times when I most need to hear them. Who is faithful to His promises. Who has said 'yes' to much more than He has said 'no'. Who has given me so much more than a great Summer. He has given me hope. He has given me Jesus. He is all I need.

#45daysofsummer #blessed

Now, what's next?!

Los Últimos Días.. helado a medianoche, haciendo las fundas y probando la morcilla. Días 41 y 42 (y hoy, día 43) de mi #45diasdeverano

Don't worry, the whole post isn't in Spanish - just the title!

I haven't had as much time to write recently as the days have been full (yet restful, hurrah!) On Wednesday we went to León for the afternoon, where Betsy and I enjoyed yet more Tapas. I have been told my a few people that I need to try Morcilla, as it's typical Spanish food and a typical Tapas choice. Morcilla, for those of you who don't know, is blood (and vairus other parts of a pig). The time we went for tapas I didn't even consider trying it and flat out said 'no'. But Betsy convinced me to at least try it while I am here. And so, I have to admit here, I did. Needless to say, it was gross. And just the thought of knowing what it was made from was enough to make me dislike it. It's appearance didn't do much to help either:

La Morcilla. Bleugh.

On the way back, we all went via the new church in León, which is in the process of being built. We had a tour of what is currently there and were updated on how the process is going. They have a number of supporting churches in the US who are helping to fund the building and have even had sponsors from the Catholic church in the city (who apparently wanted to be seen to be a part of it, because it's been such a huge talking point in the city!)

The baptism tank.

The work is still very much underway. They think it will take another year to complete.

This is upstairs - the rooms for the kids and youth.

The group wandering round having a look.

Manuel (the guy in the middle, in the hat, he is one of the elders of the church) explaining the process, the plans, and after this we prayed together for it all.

That night, Betsy and I went late night exploring (originally to find somewhere that sold ice cream but we ended up giving up and simply walking and exploring!) We managed to find a perfect spot where the village lights were hidden by trees and we could see multitudes of stars and  constellations. I said, when we were there, that we should have taken some blankets and hot chocolate! But we weren't there for too long and said perhaps tomorrow night! We walked far enough to find the edge of the village though which I found quite exciting (admittedly, this was not far as the village is quite tiny!)

Looking a bit wild but wanted a picture with the sign at the end of the village!

But while we were taking pictures, creatures started moving in the darkness of the bushes. Perhaps snakes, perhaps frogs, but creatures making usual noises and even the smallest of innocent little beings can sound scary in the dark of night out of reach of help. So we made our way back fairly rapidly!

Yesterday, we spent an hour at a market in Valencia don Juan (the same town that our big concert was in a few weeks back). It was heaving with people, very hot and smelled strongly of fish. It wasn't one of my favourite experiences..

Antique-looking objects

Fruit and veg looking fresh and tasty (loads better than the fish stall!)

But later, while some families went to the water park (weather was much better yesterday!), some of the ladies were doing crafts and being creative down in the basement, so despite being in swimming costumes ready to go, we changed our plans and Betsy and I got creative instead! Here were some of our finished products:

Not quite finished - Betsy midway through making her 'leather-style' case.

Mine :) Rosa y amarillo con los corazones.

Another example from one of the women there! I love the big buttons but there weren't many left of the same colour.

Again, another - with a mariposa (butterfly)

I decided to make another for my notebook, with buttons!

Betsy's first one, it inspired me to make some too!

I have spent a lot more time with Betsy again this week, and it has been really good getting to know her a lot better (and talking about loads more than food, weather and whether I'm happy haha). We are two of only very few here without their families, so have ended up spending lots of time together, exploring, being each others family and fumbling our way through deeper conversations in Spanglish. She wrote me a beautiful letter this morning, which she left on my bed. In her broken English, she wrote down some of the experiences we've had, some of her hilarious English words and phrases, her thanks for various things and generally lovely words. I wrote her back this morning too, in Spanish of course and left the little letter wrapped in some Union Jack ribbon that I brought with me for gifts! It didn't take me long to write a page or so, which just shows me how much I have advanced in the past four weeks, in vocabulary of course but mostly in confidence in the language! I don't think I would have really known where to start this time in July!

Oh and last night, we managed to find ice cream after La Noche de Talentos! Finally!!

Helado a medianoche (ice cream at midnight!)

This afternoon, I didn't have enough time after lunch to say goodbye to everyone so I ended up addressing the whole camp while they finished there food and said a few words of thanks and apologies that I couldn't say goodbye to everyone individually. Before I left as well, I spoke with Laura on the phone (the girl who's house I am now at!) to confirm travel details and make plans for tonight. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but actually, it was my very first phone call in Spanish :) and I was reeeally nervous about using the phone but it was actually really fine! She spoke very slowly for me but it was way easier than I thought it would be! Hurrah!
Juanma drove me to the station in León. We left with like 38 minutes to get there, and it is about a 25minute drive. Ok, not exactly necessary to panic but more rushed that i would have liked. Of course, the only time in my four weeks here that I experience traffic is the journey to the station with not much time to spare.. A lot of praying occurred. But it was all OK in the end and I got on the coach! Actually, the journey with Juanma was really cool because he was the first person who I met in Spain, he picked me up from the Airport on my first day here. Our first conversation on the drive to the camp was almost totally in English. On our drive to the station, for him to drop me off on my penultimate day here, our conversation was almost entirely in Spanish! Woo!! And it was really comfortable. We both commented on how it is a sign of how much I have learnt these past few weeks!

My bus journey to Bilbao was about a 4.5 hours. It wasn't much like the buses I have previously caught here - more like a near-luxury coach to be honest, with black and gold seat, far-reclining chairs and loads of room. Very nice!
And I am now here in Bilbao, lush and green (it was raining when I arrived - preparing me for my return to England I think!) And here I will spend the night and the first part of tomorrow exploring Bilbao with Laura (who I met at the Music camp and who speaks only a little English!) before my flight back to England tomorrow evening...
Oh wow. #45daysofsummer nearly done! Mañana, England here I come!

(I have also updated my post of Day 39 with a picture of Josué and the snake at the lake (that wasn't meant to rhyme!) for those who are interested to see it..)

Day 38 & 39 - Baptisms, Rock jumping, and catching wildlife. #45daysofsummer

Last week was my intended week of rest, but it has actually turned out that this week is looking more like that. There is a lot of room in the schedule for time to rest (descansar). I'm really enjoying it so far! I've had time to read (I'm reading A Thousand Splendid Suns at the moment and it's heart wrenching but really good and so I love that there are a spare few minutes every so often, which means I can have a quick lie and down and read of another chapter or two!!)

On Sunday, a few of us made the journey back to León for baptisms at the church there. 8 people were baptised, including Bianca and Robert (the daughter and son of the family I stayed with). It was quite formal and there were definite differences between baptism services that I have previously been too (for example, they all had to dress in white, and they can't take communion until after they are baptised so that was their first time taking it) but there were also lots of similarities (the baptism tank was under the stage, they all shared their testimony of how God has been at work in their life and why they are getting baptised, they also say the same phrase only in Spanish, 'on confession of your faith, I baptise you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit'). Interesting service (although also very long - just over two hours) but a good experience!

Bianca sharing her testimony

About to be dunked.

Robert giving his testimony.

Afterwards, we hung out with a larger group of the young people from the church as a kind of after party with nibbles, before taking a stroll to the park. Thankfully I had my mini suncream bottle with me so didn't burn because it was so hot. Before getting the bus back to Toral, we swung by McDonald's for a McFlurry (they are pretty much exactly the same as in England only the staff are kindly willing to give you extra sauce so I had Oreo with Caramel sauce (McFlurry de Oreo con salsa de caramelo) mmmm...

That evening, we tried to watch 'In Time' but it was getting really late and some of us were feeling pretty tired so we called it a night.
On previous nithts, we have played games together and I was quite excited to be able to co-lead one of the games (thankful for my experience helping in Resound with the young people at Zion which has meant that I have a bank of ideas for games stored in my head!) I was all ready to explain it to everyone, nervous, but felt I had the words to explain the rules and the aim of the game, but the girl leading the session got a bit carried away and explained it all before I got the chance too.. But the intention was there! And I got to explain parts of it to different groups.

Explaining to members of each group what their task was!

A different game that night - groups had to act out a famous story for people to guess what it was. I think this was my favourite ever rendition of Little Red Riding Hood. Very impressive!

Actually, something else that I've noticed and really enjoyed about the atmosphere here, (and I don't know if it's just because they are away at camp but..) the adults are well up for getting involved with games, activities and action songs! 

Yesterday, we made a one and half hour drive to a 'local' lake (Lago de Sanabria), and in the sweltering heat, feeling rather travel sick, I sure was hoping that it would be worth it.

It was.

The water was FREEZING though. They say 'helada' to describe reeally cold, which is like saying it's as cold as ice cream! We had packed lunches and basically just sat around, chatting, eating (we had yellow watermelon again today - had to take a picture!!), swimming a bit, the kids were catching fish and frogs and snakes (!!) And we swam out to those rocks on the photo. People were jumping from them and I really tried but I just couldn't do it. It's one thing that I hope I will be able to do one day in my life, but sadly today wasn't the day. I'm not frightened to be up at any height really, but the prospect of jumping from that height is just too much and my legs won't move. Even though my head reeeeally wants me to and I can think of how excited I would be after doing it, and how I'd probably really enjoy it, and how it's not really that far down to jump anyway.. it doesn't matter. I can't jump.
Perhaps one day. I hope one day. It is so frustrating but something I haven't managed to conquer yet.

Sandía amarilla. Mmm :)

Joel with the frog he caught. He also caught four fish in a bottle and brought them back to camp, I think with the intention of keeping them as pets. But this morning, I was told that they died over night. Sad times..

Joel's brother, Josué, with the snake!!!

With Betsy, little Elsa and Maria. Look ridiculous in my hat but it's been a necessary burden in my time here, to protect my head as my hair does a very bad job of that!

The journey back (less car sickness this time) had us singing Musicals and Disney songs - the girls singing the Spanish versions and me singing the English versions, and Maria's dad in the front starting off songs by the Beatles and other old school famous tunes!

Today I have heard rumours that we may be going to some kind of water park but it is a little over cast and I'm wondering whether that will still be the plan as sometimes, weather like this is suggestive of a heavy summer storm that hits out of the blue! We shall see..

Day 34 & 35, León Cathdral, Tapas and Romanian history. #45daysofsummer

We went for Tapas last night, because I said that's the one thing I'd like to do while I am here that I haven't managed to do yet! It was quite a different than what I expected. We all scrubbed up (well, the girls at least), and walked in to the city centre where they showed me the cathedral and told me stories about the history of it's construction.

Spectacular building! Shame it was too late to go inside as it was already closed when we're got there. 

Of course - cathedral selfie.

Actually not sure what this was but there were lots of hand prints so we found the one that our hands fit best.

So much detail!

El Topo is a little café / restaurant right outside the cathedral. A Topo is a 'mole' (the animal that lives underground). I think, from the story they told me, the legend is that the guy who build the cathedral found a giant mole that every night ate part of the cathedral or tried to break it down while it was being constructed. And the the skin of the mole is still inside the cathedral to this day? I think they could have been joking with me but that's apparently why that restaurant is there.

We didn't eat here, but not too far from the cathedral, we found 'my' bar haha.

Then, getting impacient with hunger, we began the hunt for a tapas bar. What I didn't realise is that they don't just go to one restaurant and order loads of plates to share.. They move from bar to bar and order drinks, and with the drinks you get a few free plates of tapas or pinchos. We ended up going to 5 different bars (not really like bars in England) and ordering little drinks like grape juice (mosto) and fizzy orange (butano) and getting sharing plates of tapas. Then after 10 minutes or so, moving on to the next place! It was such a good night - walking from place to place, getting to know some of the youth of the church and trying lots of different foods! It all felt so Spanish :) even the part in the final bar we ate in, when the waiter sent a waitress over to our table to ask for my number and I (politely as I could in my broken Spanish) said no and explained that I don't live here in Spain. When a different waiter came over to ask again for him, and to ask where I'm from, Betsy got impatient and firmly explained (slightly shouted? I'm not sure - can never tell whether their louder tone of voice is anger or just emphasis!) that we were really hungry and we would prefer him to stop asking for my number and take our order so we can eat. Haha! All very Spanish....!!!

On our way towards home before the final tapas stop. Another lovely building in León - they are some many beautiful places there. It's such a gorgeous city!

Today, Betsy, Bianca and I went round Adolfo's house for lunch - his mum invited us round to eat with them and with some of their family friends. It was a lovely afternoon and after eating we all sat round the table talking (me, listening mostly..), which is something that I have really enjoyed about the Spanish culture. After eating, they sit and chat for ages at the table and it's so chilled and relaxed - well animated and loud at the same time because that's in their nature, but I just like that!
Afterwards, anyway, we walked the dog and watched a movie (Year One, in Spanish..) before heading over to the church for the weekly prayer meeting. Admittedly, I didn't understand much from the meeting tonight - I think I was too tired. So I just read my bible for a while, and prayed for things I understood and simply gave over to God what I didn't understand. I had some good conversations after the service with people who introduced themselves to me because they didn't recognise me. I felt a lot more confident to speak with them because I'm finding that I am still understanding more and more and getting better at that. Frustratingly, the speaking part is still the most difficult part for me.

Betsy said to me tonight, "the only things we talk about are food and tiredness and whether you're happy!" Which I suppose is partly true (there is a running joke that whenever they ask me whether I am hungry / tired, I always answer 'un poco'!) But actually, it's hard when you spend a lot of time with people and have the same experiences as them throughout the day, to then talk together about those things, especially if you're with a lot of people who are fluent in the language and who talk about things as we go! However, with new people or with Bianca's family who I don't see much during the day, we have more to say to each other about the day, different things that have happened etc. But the other thing is that when there are more than a couple of people, the conversations just go so fast that I can just about keep up with what's being said and follow the conversation, but if I start to think about things to say or formulating speech in my head, I can't do that and keep up with understanding everything! I have realised that I can sit and understand pretty much all of a conversation (obviously, not every conversation - but after catching the context and general jist, I am able to follow pretty much the whole conversation!) but as soon as someone asks me a question, it fires a different part of my brain which then can't cope with listening, understanding, translating, formulating an answer and sending that to my mouth in a reasonable amount of time.. Ahh it's so hard!

But tonight on the way back from church, Mihaela and I had a conversation about our day and when we got home, she showed me a map of Romania that they have mounted on their wall. She is originally from Romania but they have lived here in Sspain for many years! She told me lots about different parts of the country, about her city and her family and friends but also about what it was like growing up as a Christian during the time of Communism there. And I was asking questions and active in the conversation, not simply listening. I found that I was hardly thinking about translating what she way saying, I was simply understanding immediately. So that was encouraging. Ooh I love seeing and feeling progress!

The map of Romania in 1938, that's up in their hall.