Full of Festivities- Week 5

 Hola!

In wracking my brain for something specific I have learned this week, I really could not come up with anything, but it later hit me that I was ignoring something that the Lord has been teaching and reteaching me constantly in the past few months... and that is the concept that He does not withhold anything good from those he loves and that he provides everything we need when we need it. 

   Day 30:

It feels kind of odd to start this out with Tuesday but here it goes. Tuesday I had class by myself again and we worked on one of the past tenses in Spanish. It always bewilders me the fact that they use so many different tenses in the Spanish language. Like why do we need 3 different past tenses?? and how do kids learn which one is used for what?? Maybe it is different if that is all you know and I bet people who learn Spanish first are confused by how few tenses we use in English so I guess that is just how it goes. Tuesday evening we had a gals potluck at one of the apartments. This was such a sweet time. We all brought something to share and then we also could see the festival parade from the balconies. Wildly, there was a sudden lightning storm that started in the middle of the parade, and this being a town that does not receive much rain, the streets started to look like a river. It didn't last super long so they were able to finish the parade as you know, the show must go on. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in the traditional outfits that they were in as it started to pour. Thankfully because of the festival, the streets were covered in tented areas for people to enjoy food and drinks, these tents doubled as rain shelters for the time being. Anyways, there is just something about sharing a meal together that makes for the best conversations and laughter. We also played a few games and watched a movie that night. I almost fell asleep on their couch but did manage to make the 5-minute walk home so that I could sleep in my own bed. Next time, it would probably be smarter for me to just stay there though. 

p.s.- don't judge our food selection, I swear we had broccoli too, not just carbs and fruit lol

   Day 31:

And just like that, I've lived in Spain for a month now. That is wild to think about. I think sometimes a month seems like a really long time and sometimes it feels really short. It's funny how time is relative like that. This was our first official day of the festival so we didn't have classes. It honestly felt kind of weird to not have to be somewhere. I stayed in my bed reading and watching The Well service that I had missed the weekend before and only got ready when my host mom came in to see if I wanted to walk to some of the Hogueras and run an errand with her. This forced me to change out of my pjs but it was definitely worth it. The Hogueras for those of you who do not know, are these massive paper-mâché sculptures that the city works on for the entire year to create. Each neighborhood puts down money to pay for theirs and there were 200 of them around the city. Most of them make some sort of statement whether that be political or otherwise. I had to guess what a lot of them were saying as all the signs that described them were written in Spanish or Valencian. These were amazing, you'll have to keep reading to find out what they do with them at the end of the festival. Another part of the festival is that at 2pm every day they do what they refer to as mascallettas (I have no idea how they spell that, but you get the point) This is a series of firecrackers and bombs being set off sort of like a firework show but in daylight. It is really quite a sight. On this day, my plan was to meet my friends and watch it from their apartment, but I left my apartment way too close to when it was going to start and ended up stuck in the crowd of people packed in the plaza, like sardines. What normally takes me 5 minutes, I couldn't get through in 15. It was honestly really overwhelming, but I finally decided to stop trying to get through and just stood there and embraced it from the streets. After it ended I made it up to their apartment and then we decided to walk around the shops for a bit and then I went home to get ready for the next thing. Skylar and I went to the Bullfights that evening, and let me tell ya, I do not regret going, because it is a big cultural experience, but I never feel the need or want to go again. We stayed for only half of the event and then decided that we were done. I really do not know what I expected it to be like but that was not it. We took our time walking on the streets back into random stores including a thrift store that didn't really have anything great in it but was certainly fun to check out. Then I went home and had dinner and went to bed early as everyone else had gone out!

   Day 32:

This was an extremely long day! I started off the day pretty slow but met up with Skylar at a coffee shop that we have been trying to go to for weeks now but had not been able to figure out the hours of and I go the best croissant filled with cream and strawberries. It was heavenly. We figured out some more details for our trip next week and are getting really excited and slightly anxious about that. There is so much we want to see and not much time, but I'm sure it is going to be great! I got to spend time video chatting with Riley and Ellie about wedding details which let me tell ya, it is insane to coordinate three different time zones like this but was so much fun! That night we had tickets for a club that is on the water and had decided that we were going to stay out until sunrise. I was wary of this decision but was told it was an experience that I had to have at least once while I was here and since people are leaving next week it was really our last chance to go out with them. Just before sunrise, we got churros from a street cart and walked over to the beach where people had been participating in the bonfire tradition involved with the festival. Apparently, people gather around a bonfire that they have made on the beach. Then, they write on one piece of paper the bad things that happened in the past year and throw that in the fire. On another piece of paper, they write the things they are hoping will happen in the next year, stick them in their pockets, and then have to jump over the fire for it to come true. I guess it kind of reminds me of how we blow out candles on our birthdays, but definitely more dangerous. From the beach, we watched the sunrise and then headed home. I did not get home until 6:45am. I then slept from 7 until 12 when I woke up to a band playing in the neighborhood very close to mine.

   Day 33:

Well by the time I woke up at 12pm half the day was gone, but that was ok. I had already planned to meet up with Danielle to help her with what she had missed in class on Monday and Tuesday so I headed over to her apartment after I had my "morning" coffee and pushed through the crowds that were already beginning to form an hour before the mascallettas began for the last time this year. Midway through working on things they began, and because Danielle had been out of town for all the previous days of the festival, she was in definite shock at what was going on and the number of people gathered below her apartment. After we finished going over what I had done in class, I went home to eat lunch

and then I met up with Charlotte to hit the beach for the rest of the afternoon. This was the final night of the festival so that means that they were going to BURN DOWN EVERY ONE OF THE SCULPTURES! We started out at the largest one that they would burn first at 12am, after waiting for what felt like forever with no personal space it was crazy to watch as all that hard work was burnt up in a matter of minutes. I've heard though that part of that is to symbolize how material things do not last and therefore we need not be too attached to them. After the sculpture burns down, it is custom for the people to yell at the firemen, who then respond by spraying the crowd with the huge hoses. Some chose to be soaked and others like myself stay just out of range or move very quickly when they figure out the range is slightly larger than they imagined. The burnings happen in a matter of phases as there are only so many firemen to control them so we spent the earliest hours of the morning wandering the streets and were able to catch four of them being burnt. By the time we got to the last one, it could not have been over sooner. I hit a wall and wanted nothing more than to go home. I ended up getting home around 4am and went straight to bed!

   Day 34:

Being out until the wee hours of the morning meant another day of staying in bed until 12+. Honestly I kind of just stayed in bed the majority of the day. I spent time reading my bible, watching movies, and reading. It was a day full of nothing. Sometimes these are my favorite days even though they may seem boring to many people. It was the recharge I really needed after being around so many people for so many hours. I even got to talk with Nolan for a bit while Ellie was off at a Rangers game with her friends. then I went to bed decently early. That's really all for Saturday!

   Day 35:

Today has been nice. I woke up early to the sounds of Linnea, the Finnish girl that has been staying here, packing up her things to go to the airport. Just as she was heading out the door I got to poke my head out and say bye. Then I climbed back into bed and fell back to sleep. I woke up and had breakfast of jamón serrano on toast with tomato and olive oil and my cup of coffee. While my host mom went to the store to get the things for today's paella I got a chance to sit and talk with her daughter. I commonly in life sit in a situation too scared to ask the first question and then I let the opportunity pass me by. Today I thought about sitting there silently drinking my coffee and just letting it go, and truthfully I did let a chunk of time go by, but then I was determined not to. So I started with a simple question, that honestly, I don't think she understood what I was asking, but started a conversation nonetheless. We talked for probably 20-30 just about travel and her work, but it was really nice. I doubt my ability to interact with others frequently, but that comes from fear and that is not of the Lord. Sometimes it's just a simple step of asking one question. We just finished our lunch of paella with mussels in it and on the side and I am not sure how I feel about mussels but that is ok lol. They are the consistency of clams, but a lot bigger so it takes quite a bit to chew them so that kind of bugged me. At least they are not terrible! I love getting to try so many new things here!

In summation, it has been a long and crazy week with not much sleep but chalked full of culture and fun. Homesickness is getting strong right now as I am about to watch many of my new friends return to their homes and their families, there is a part of me that is jealous of them even though they say they are jealous of those of us who get to stay for another month. I think this is one of those the grass is always greener situations. God is teaching me every day to rely on him and him alone as he provides for my needs and is not withholding good from me. I know that the next few weeks are going to be good for me and I am going to enjoy them but pray for me as I miss home so much right now! Pray for my reliance on the Lord and trust in his plan!

Sending lots of love from Spain!

Adios!

p.s.- Next week's blog will be out late as I don't return from my trip until the 4th and start classes on the 5th but be on the lookout for it around then!