Happy Days in Aranjuez

Hello beautiful people!
I have extremely busy ever since my most recent move to Aranjuez!  I am now living with an American who works in the company and her family.  What a beautiful family she has - three sons and a precious baby girl.  All of them speak just enough English to be able to practice with us, and we get to have wonderful Spanish practice.  Her husband also cooks the most miraculous dinners - the freshest gazpacho, the most succulent chorizo, the meats are to die for, and we have the freshest fruit for dessert every night.  The family also blesses the table and gives thanks to God before every meal which is so comforting!  On Tuesday I got to go to her sons' music concert that was the most precious thing I have ever seen.  Imagine an elementary school auditorium filled with about 30 children dressed as pirates and the stage decorated like a pirate ship.  Then imagine a play all about a pirate expedition in Spanish complete with songs from the piano, guitar, and a rock band.  It lasted 2 and a half hours, but I loved every minute of it! The rock band even sang songs in English which was SO fascinating.  I'll have more comments about the presence of globalization here soon!

Aranjuez is the safest city in Spain, did you know that?? It is a medium sized city outside of Madrid and it's in the valley so guess what...it's GREEN!!! Yes, lots of trees and grassy parks.  This weekend Kaitlyn and I are going to explore the Royal Palace and its gorgeous gardens.  Oh yes, Aranjuez has a Royal Palace, AND you can see the palace from the house.  The house I am staying in is at the top of the hill so I can see the entire city and the mountains.  I also still get to be with golden retrievers - two of them actually! Luna is 9 years old and Osita is 3 years old.  Osita means "teddy bear" in English!

My job is starting to get really interesting!! I am doing research for the company about their competition in digital innovation, and I also got to translate bible stories from an entire textbook for 4th level Primary and simplify the English.  So, I basically got to do the initial writing of the text - so cool!! I am also translating interactive activities online for secondary level textbooks.  My thesis research is going swimmingly - such a miracle that I got to come here and have so many wonderful, enriching interviews.

Oh! I have to tell you all about a miracle that happened yesterday.  The lady we are living with had to go to a conference for the day yesterday and said she would pick us up around 5pm.  Well 6:30pm rolled around and we still hadn't heard from her, so we decided that we needed to take public transport home.  We walked outside and right as we got to the driveway, she pulled up!! That saved us about 2 hours of time on public transport home.  Miracle?? You better believe it!!

To close out my blog post, I would like to mention the miracle of Spain's VICTORY yesterday!! I love watching the EuroCup here!! Pictures of Aranjuez to come soon as well as my musings on the cultural aspects of Spain!!

Days that Renew your Faith

This post is going to be short and sweet (what?! short and sweet from Kristina?! yes, yes it happens from time to time...)

Today I had a beautiful day, a day that I truly needed after a very, very long week.  I don't wish to elaborate on why this week has been terribly long, but I do long to tell you about why today was especially miraculous!

I have been struggling to see the improvement in my Spanish here, but today I got the opportunity to have an interview completely and successfully conducted in Spanish.  Then at lunch today I saw a woman sitting alone and decided to sit with her.  She ended up being one of the friendliest, most heart-warming women I have ever met, and we spoke in Spanish the entire time - 45 minutes straight!  The Spanish seemed to flow so naturally for the first time.  I knew that there was this barrier between me and the Spanish language that I needed to cross.  A barrier that, once crossed, would allow me to more fully understand the language.  Today I feel like I'm finally beginning to cross that barrier.  Oh joy!

I am moving to Aranjuez this Sunday to live with an American lady I work with and her family for the next three weeks.  I am very much looking forward to seeing the city - it has a Royal Palace and everything!

Here's to sunshine, renewed hope, and little daily miracles. <3

I love the color green.

I never really realized how much I loved the color green until now.  I have gone a full month without seeing green grass, so when I had the chance to travel to Asturias, a northern region of Spain, I just knew I was in for a treat.  Northern Spain is full of green mountains and grassy parks, and I was truly in heaven as my bare feet touched the blades of grass.  This feeling is one of my childhood, running around barefoot in my backyard and smelling that sweet scent of freshly cut grass.

Kaitlyn and I traveled to Oviedo where a professor of mine lives during the summer, and this city was filled with gorgeous European architecture and churches dating back to the 9th century.  Each building was different with every shape and color imaginable lining the streets.

Just a little glimpse at what these streets look like!

We met my professor in one of the town squares and she took us on a tour of the town.  One of my absolute favorite sites in Oviedo was the cathedral.  It looked just like the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford only about five times bigger! Let me show you what I mean:

This is the cathedral in Oviedo... 

...and this is St. Mary's in Oxford

Interesting resemblance I think! This cathedral inside was just spectacular with the most beautiful golden and porcelain alter.  We went to a mass here on Sunday morning, my first Spanish mass in Spain, and the songs moved me to tears.  So beautiful!  

After our tour we got to experience some major food culture!  Asturias is famous for their cider, made of green apples and extremely tart yet refreshing.  The bartender takes the cup in his right hand and puts it down by his knee and then takes the bottle with his left hand and reaches to the sky in order to pour the drink from above.  What seems to be theatrics is actually a necessary pouring technique in order for the cider to properly oxidize!  We then met my professor's family and had a typical Spanish lunch that lasted about three hours and we had chorizo soaked in cider, roasted peppers fried and salted, fried garlic chicken, and an entire platter of Asturian pastries! 

With happy tummies, my professor's family drove us to the top of the mountains, what I had been waiting for, and my heart began to sing.

"What are men compared to rocks and mountains?" my favorite author muses in Pride and Prejudice.  Even though I went to the Peak District in England, this is the highest I have ever stood on land, and the breathtaking glory of God's creation stood before me in all its splendor.  I look so small in that photo with the statue of Christ, and finally I feel the deep truth of Austen's words.  What a miracle to behold such beauty!

I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my time in Oviedo and Gijon (a beach town just 30 minutes away), but alas I had to go back to Madrid and to my job.  This is okay though because I have a new and exciting project!  My thesis is researching how publishing companies are handling the move from producing print to digital texts, and so I started to research the competition of the company I am working for.  When the Global New Media Manager heard I was doing this, she requested that I make an actual document of all my findings so that she can use them to develop the company's digital strategy!! It is so thrilling to think that I will help the company make that move to digital texts in some way.  And my research is utterly fascinating - I am looking at six different companies and seeing how they are digitally innovative.  I have had 4 interviews so far and will have another four interviews this week!

I have a little less than four more weeks here.  I love what I have learned so far and appreciate the struggles that have made me stronger and even more empathetic.  Seeing the silver lining in absolutely everything is the only way to live in my opinion, and I will keep on seeing the beauty in everything I encounter throughout the rest of my stay here.  

Then, it will be time to go home, my beautiful home, where, I now realize, my heart truly resides. <3

The Halfway Point

The end of this week marks my halfway point - I have been here for one month and have one more month left in Spain.  I can never stress enough how much Spain has taught me, both about the beauty of life from a different cultural perspective and about the nitty-gritty aspects of adjusting to a different lifestyle in a foreign country.  One of these nitty-gritty aspects: people in Spain don't really hug each other.  The typical introduction to someone here is the two "air-kisses" on both cheeks.  This lack of hugging has really made me see the miracle of hugs.  Hugs foster closeness among people and show affection in such a special way.  I miss hugs so much so that I find that I have to hug myself once every day or so (which is just crazy)!  Fortunately, I have beautiful friends who, when they heard that I haven't had one hug here, reached out and gave me hugs with their hearts.  This love is such a miracle in my life and definitely boosts my strength to continue the dynamic work I am doing here in the publishing industry!

So the moral of the story is: don't take hugs for granted.  Each hug you give and receive is a gift of love.  Try randomly hugging a friend of yours one day - I do this all the time - and then watch their face light up!  A hug is definitely something that counts as a little daily miracle.

Now for the beauties of Spain!  Today after work Kaitlyn and I treated ourselves by going into Madrid and first getting lunch at our favorite tapas place - Mercado de San Miguel! Look what I got!

Drink: Tinto de Verano (claro! red wine + lemon fanta = amor), two croquetas (one with spinach and one with chorizo!), a slice of fresh-as-a-daisy manchego cheese from the specialty shop (heaven!), and finally some marinated pork tenderloin with sauteed onions and peppers on a piece of fresh bread.  SO GOOD!!

This is a bit hard to see, but there was a huge dessert shop in the market with the most amazing looking truffles.  We found a chocolate orange truffle, and this one is absolutely legit with orange zest in the middle! YUM! 

Then we crossed off yet another thing on our Madrid bucket list - taking a tour of the Palacio Real (The Royal Palace)!  The King and Queen of Spain don't live there, but it is their headquarters and has been for centuries.  

The front of the Palace! So beautiful!

And this is the view of the Cathedral from the front of the Palace - gorgeous! 

They would not allow us to take photos inside the palace, but let me tell you all that the grandeur that I witnessed was beyond anything I have ever seen in my life.  I saw the most regal tapestries and frescoes, ornate porcelain and wooden carvings on the walls, a throne room, and so, so much more!! What a gorgeous day to tour such a breathtaking palace! 

Then we came home to the doggies - we are taking care of them this weekend since my boss is in London for the weekend for business.  Dixie is still my best friend:

 She likes to come upstairs, sit next to me, and put her paw up on my hand like she's doing here! Precious!!

And here is their newest addition: A golden retriever puppy named Joey!! What a cutie-pie with TONS of energy!! I actually caught him in one of those rare moments where he sleeps! 

Puppies are miracles too.  These dogs, though they have such high energy and can get a bit rowdy, are miracles in my day.  They send me off to work with a smile and always shower me with love when I come home.  

Well, my job continues to be dynamic and my thesis research is going well.  I will be doing most of my interviews this coming week!  I may be going to Toledo this weekend and am planning a trip to northern Spain in Oviedo next weekend! Northern Spain is much greener, almost reminiscent of English countryside (!!!!).  I am also learning how to do some Spanish cooking - we made our own tortilla espanola the other day!  It was really good and came out in one piece - yay!  Until next time, keep seeing the miracles in your day, even when things may not be going your way.  Amor Siempre <3

Discovering Madrid

Many tiny miracles have occurred in the past couple days, and I am so grateful!  This week went by quickly for me at my job, but I definitely had no shortage of things to do.  I am still uploading audio files onto the digital books, editing manuscripts, and I will possibly be making my own manuscript of some activities in English for a Religious Education textbook!!  I come alive at the chance to create.  I may also be uploading interactive activities onto the digitized books, so that will be a major tutorial in the technology department for me!  I am also setting up interviews for my thesis which is nerve-wracking but also extremely exhilarating since I am finally starting my primary research.

On Friday after work we went into Madrid and met up with my friend Almu who studied at UD this past year and is from Madrid!  She showed us around her favorite places in the city.  First we got to see El Parque Retiro, a massive park next to the Prado.

Kaitlyn and I by the lake!

Almu and I by the Rey Alfonso XII monument!

We went to the Real Jardin Botanico (The Royal Botanical Garden), but were saddened to see that there were not very many flowers, and the flowers that were there were quite shriveled.  Oh well, we just ventured on and went to the "barrio" of Chueca to a well-known tapas bar in the area called "El Tigre."  What a miracle of a tapas bar, because all you have to do is order your drink,and then they give you three plates of delicious food for free!! We received some paella, roasted potatoes with a tomato-like salsa, and a plate with bread, jamon and queso, AND croquetas!! So delicious!! 

Then, I decided to face my fear of heights and go to the city hall with Almu and Kaitlyn and take the elevator to the observation deck!  Last summer I climbed a 12th century bell tower to see the views of Oxford.  This summer I got to the see the "vistas hermosas de Madrid."  Here is a photo of me at the top of the tower:

Do you see me holding onto that steel bar for dear life?! Yes, I was quite nervous, but very happy that I decided to face my fear anyways.  That's what life is all about right?  Facing your fears and then being blessed with the results - knowing that you can do whatever you thought you couldn't do.

We then walked through the bustling center of Madrid, Sol, and then onwards to the Palacio Real (my FAVORITE area of Madrid by far)! 

Yesterday was a leisurely day reading and reflecting (as always).  In the evening we went back into Madrid to meet up with a young editor from work to go to the Bollywood Festival in Lavapies, a melting-pot of a barrio with many immigrants and a beautiful array of cultures.  After having some drinks, we went to where there was a massive stage set in front of this old structure that looked like a castle!  We saw some Bollywood dancing, and then they played a movie that was in English, but the actors had thick Indian accents, so we actually relied on the Spanish subtitles to understand what was happening!  The atmosphere was contagious - so many people just relaxing and having fun right in the present moment!  This type of lifestyle is so appealing, something I think Americans really need to adopt more often.

We grabbed the last train out of Madrid, and when we got to the train station to get the taxi, there were no taxis in sight.  I became extremely nervous and literally looked up and said "Dear God, please let there be a taxi coming soon!"  And what do you know, two seconds later a taxi comes shooting down the street right to where we were standing!! What a miracle, thank you God, and we got home safe!

This morning I also experienced the miracle of getting my internet back after it decided to go away for a day and a half!! And also, the family I'm staying with just got a new Golden Retriever puppy! Pictures to come as soon as I can catch him sitting still! :)