The Italian Job and the Passage of Time

Let me first just say that I'm terribly disappointed that the Italian Job is not uploaded to youtube in its entirety.  Believe me, I've checked, and after getting back from Venice, it's exactly what I want to watch.  Italy was lovely, of course, but it didn't blow my mind.  It definitely deserves a redo-- the weather (cold, rainy, very wet) was awful and I think it made a huge impact on my enjoyment as a whole.  But I met this guy who attends a Philadelphia church plant of the Village, and I got to ride on the Grand Canal in Venice, and I saw Juliet's balcony in Verona, and I saw the Pantheon and the and the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  I am excited to return sometime when it's warm!

So there's a week left till our overnight bus to Madrid.  I feel like the time has simulatneously crept and flown by.  It seems like yesterday that we were in that awful hotel in Toledo, having our meeting, or that I was getting off the bus and apprehensively meeting my host mom, or that I was sitting in the sun in La Plaza de Espana getting my purse stolen.  And yet, it also feels like years since I've driven a car, eaten a decent Oreo, lived with my roommate.  It's been a great three months, and while I'm a smidge sorry to see it end (no more runs in the park, no more walking by the Cathedral, no more chestnuts being sold on the side of the street, no more Maria Carmen), the majority of me can't wait to get back.  I've learned so much here, though.  I'm more flexible with my yogurt, for one thing, and may end up buying the store brand from now on instead of my expensive yet iconic Yoplait.  I can now tolerate apricot jam, and I've learned to make a tortilla.  I'm now the queen of navigating maps and metros.  I can now step into a foreign city and handle myself, provided of course that there are maps and signs in English (please don't drop me in Baghdad and watch me flounder).  My Spanish has definitely improved, and my accent has also gotten better.  I've learned that I'm not as brave as I thought I was-- going alone to some random country to fight international sex slavery sounds awful, and not because of the danger, but because of the loneliness-- people are home.  But through it all, through the missed flights and the stolen purses and the exploding computers and the tricky weather and the language barrier and the days where I've felt so lonely I could crawl up and cry, the Lord has been there, and he is bigger than all of it.  That's a good thing to learn, I think.

The Joy of the Lord is our Strength

I'll get to Paris soon enough, but this first part of this post is going to be Serious Business.  This weekend hasn't been the easiest, but it has been full of the Lord's goodness, which I know I will take over "simple" any day.  As most of you know, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, from the cooking to the eating to the fighting over ads (Jonathan is an ad hog) to the planning of Black Friday--it's my holiday.  And while obviously I knew I would be gone for it this year, it didn't make it any easier when Thursday rolled around and I was sitting in culture class.  But the Lord is so faithful!  My professor made my day by changing his facebook status to a children's handprint turkey and announcing that he was a turkey, and I was constantly reminded of the Lord's goodness throughout the day, and that Thanksgiving is totally irrelevant apart from the love of Christ.  And Paris, how lovely of a city-- more to come-- but so great!  And then the last few days, I've had the best conversations with people that I am so blessed by, and I've had the most incredible amount of love showered on me.  So yes, what love from what an amazing Lord.

So, Paris!  I loved it so much more than I ever expected to do.  Granted, it's easy to see why: lots of dessert, lots of free art, a river, super friendly people, Hillsong Paris (be jealous, friends).  I had some great tips from a good friend who had lived there before, and I had such an amazing time.  It was unbelievably cold (walking around in 30 degree weather all day...not a fan!) and the Eiffel Tower took years to get through, but I won't complain too much.  It was inconvenient not to know any French, though on the plus side I now know what "egg" is, and can forever avoid them on food I order.  I can't even explain it well, but for some reason the whole weekend just seemed right, including the two girls from Baylor I ended up sitting next to at church.  I am ready to come home (21 days), but am so blessed by my opportunities here.