Loving Spain and Missing Ohio

I'm writing this blog now without knowing what I really want to write about. I don't know why I'm still up when I have class tomorrow, but I just don't feel like going to bed. I'm really sad for some reason, really missing everyone and everything back home. I'm loving my time here, but I still get random "waves" of homesickness, like right now, when all I want is to be at home with a really close friend talking and sipping a cup of coffee (in Starbucks!). I just want to be with someone who knows me well in a familiar place where I can feel completely comfortable.

In spite of homesickness, the past week has been really awesome and I've made some good connections with a lot of people here. The past weekend I want on a retreat in the mountains of Malaga with some of the youth from the church I've been going to here. There were probably about 50 of us there, so I got to know a lot of people I didn't before. The weekend was filled with less teachings and more time to relax and hang out, to get to know each other--typical Spanish style, right? They really know how to have fun with each other just hanging out, doing nothing in particular. It's nice not to have a strict schedule all the time like I'm used to back home. Time seems to go slower here because of that, and it reminds me that the most important thing is not what I'm doing, but the relationships I'm forming. The theme for the weekend was "Atrevete" which means "dare yourself" or "challenge yourself," and the teachings were focused on living your life to the fullest, being who Christ made you to be. It was good, and I think fitting for me, considering all the ways I've changed just since I've been in Granada. I guess that's what this whole trip has been about--changing to be more like the person God made me to be. Of course this is always hard but worth it! Overall, the weekend was really fun and refreshing, and like any retreat, complete with a talent show! A 3-hour long talent show at that. After that we had a dance party till about 4 in the morning. I don't know how they always stay up so late here. It was definitely a fun night though! I'm in the mountains there in the picture to the left.

So, what else have I been doing....Hanging out in Granada a lot, getting to know the city better, exploring places I haven't seen before and revisiting favorite spots. My favorite thing is just to walk around because there are so many hidden, interesting places in Granada. I always find something new! A few days ago as I was walking around shopping I walked by a store filled with Christmas decorations and it made me really happy but really sad I wasn't in Ohio experiencing the holidays there! Last weekend I was on the retreat over Halloween--not that they really celebrate it much here anyway--and I won't be traveling with my family to Missouri like usual for Thanksgiving. Our program is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for us since we'll all be missing our families and the plates full of food so much! I think Angela, Andrea and I are going to attempt to cook some good American Thanksgiving food for our family, which I'm really excited about! We'll see how our cooking turns out...haha.

Speaking of cooking, we're planning on making homemade American brownies this weekend with our Senora, which I'm stoked about. :-) I really can't believe how close I'm becoming with this family, especially our madre and hermanita Elena. She calls herself my shadow or "mini-kyla" and she makes my heart melt! I'm not as close with her twin sister Maria, but she cracks me up! She loves imitating people, especially her teachers, which is always great entertainment for us. Earlier tonight she put on an "espectacular" for us, imitating a famous singer here and her music teacher from school. It makes me smile just to think of her with her mom's glasses on the end of her nose, her arms spread wide as if conducting a choir, singing out of key "Mariiiiiia es...la madre de Jesus y mía también...." We couldn't get enough of it, and our laughter only spurred her on more. I love our family! haha. There's a picture of her to the right, doing her imitations.

I should get going since I have class tomorrow morning! Noooo! I guess tomorrow morning I'll also know the results of the election...some friends are going to a place in Granada to watch the results live until the morning, but I don't think I would be able to take it. I'm really nervous just thinking about it! This reminds me of another topic I need to post a blog about later--the difference between Americans and Europeans and how they view America and so on. That will be a really long blog, so I'll do that in a few days.

Hasta luego. Os quiero todos! Os echo de menos mucho.