Brazos abiertos

Hola todos! Well, it has been about 15 days since I arrived here in Sevilla, and it feels like a lifetime. I've finally had time to explore more of the city and do some really exciting things! It'll take some more time, but I'm actually living the Spanish life a little bit now! Let me describe some of the things I've been up to.

Numero 1- I signed up for that half marathon! So, (Lord willing) on March 21 I will be in Lisbon running 13.1 miles. That said, I have a long way to go to prepare. I've been running almost every day, and I got Miles Oneill (our Campus Crusade director at UNC) to send me a link to a training program as he has run marathons before. I'm a little nervous, but one way or another I think it will be good for me!

Numero 2- I booked a flight to Milan! I am absolutely stoked to go visit mi amiga Rachel in Milan and have some REAL Italian food and watch an AC Milan soccer game! This will be a lot of fun, but I'll have to wait until the end of March to get there (boo). This leads us to...

Numero 3- I discovered that I will not be visiting all of the 50 places in Europe I want to go. This is just not monetarily feasible. At all. So, it looks like we're gonna have to prioritize and be as conservative as possible with our dinero.

Numero 4- We went and visited 2 more sites in Sevilla:
We saw the Real Alcazar like a week ago, and it was pretty interesting. It was the Moorish Caliph's residence when the Muslims ruled southern Spain, and it was converted into a royal palace for the king of Spain whenever he would come stay in Sevilla after Sevilla was reconquered. The gardens were huge and cool, and the palace was about as regal as it could get.

Yesterday we visited the Cathedral of Sevilla, which is the 3rd largest Christian cathedral in the world. I have a video of some of the sights that I will hopefully (internet permitting) post later tonight. The cathedral was enormous, and we got to see a lot of cool things on the tour, including the supposed remains of Christopher Colombus. After viewing most of the cathedral, we got to climb the tower, which had 35 floors. The view from the top was of pretty much ALL of Sevilla, and it was one of those views that just knocks you off your feet. Unbelievable.

Numero 5- I went to an awesome evangelical church on Sunday called Hope for Sevilla. This was an amazing pick-me-up after a rough couple of days, and I am really excited to try and get a little involved while I'm here. The only problem is how far away it is, but it's worth the ENORMOUS walk. Loved it.

Numero 6- I am considering going to a Sevilla FC soccer game on Sunday!!! It's versus Valencia CF (#6 vs. #3) and I'm pumped!!!

Numero 7- I'm hungry and it's almost lunch time. So, I'll continue to post updates later on what is becoming a very exciting time!

So...why am I not at UNC again?

So, it's now been a week and a half in Sevilla. Things are still going well, and I'm enjoying some nicer weather; it's really temperate when the sun's out and gets a little cold when it goes away. I went for a jog today, and it was a solid 45 minutes running, which makes me very happy. I can't remember feeling that good running but once or twice before in my life. The bad news is I feel remarkably fat. I don't know why (hmmm could be all of the food I've had that's been dripping with oil) but it's annoying. Outside of exercise, I've been doing school work and reading, finally getting some quality time to read and think and pray. Class is going well, but there is work involved (what a surprise). Tomorrow we're going to italica to visit some Roman ruins. What else is going on in my life...oh yeah, I might sign up to run a half marathon in Lisbon in March. If I do, then I'll definitely be running more often.

So, besides the activities and such, I've had a lot to think about. This feels SO WEIRD. Where is Wyatt? Where is Scott? Where is Josh? Where is Torren? Where is my family? Where is CHALMERS? Where are Lindsey, Stuart, Britt, Michelle, Natalie, Ryan, Ben, Caroline, Parker, Talley, TK, my project friends, my bstud guys? You get the point. It's just incredibly odd not having them around. And so here inlies my dilemma: Everything that I know and LOVE with all my heart back in North Carolina is clearly not going to be around for the next several months. What do I do with that? Well, I'm certainly not wallowing in sadness; I'm grateful and excited for the chance to do things and see things and meet people and go places that many people will never have--a half marathon in Lisbon, for instance. Still, I am just now beginning to understand the cost of this grand semester abroad. There's always a cost to change.

It's 3 PM and my senora has not served lunch yet. I'm starving, and I miss Cook Out and Bojangles. Excitement is not the emotion that fills my veins right now. However, there are things to be excited about, and this semester is going to be AWESOME. But for now, I need food. Hasta la vista.

Cordoba Video

So I figured out how to convert the video. It's not very high quality, but here she be:

A little update

So, just so you know, this post was going to be awesome. I made a video from my trip to Cordoba yesterday and spent about an hour putting music to it, cutting clips, adding effects, etc., but then I found out that Windows Movie Maker is homosexual and only saves it in a format that can be used by that program only. I can't upload it. [So, maybe instead of homosexual that makes it celibate?] Anyways, it was gonna be awesome. Now it's just words.

So, it's been only about 4 days that I've been here, but it feels like forever. Really, it does. I guess it's so different over here and so much has changed that it seems like it's ben longer than it has. The first night we went out to dinner with just the SAS (advanced program) people and slept at the hotel. The next day we met our Senoras, who will be cooking for us and housing us for the semester. Mine is named Marisol. The first day freaked me out because I could barely understand anything she was saying. I've gotten a little better at this, but I still need to amplify my vocabulary immensely. IMMENSELY. Oh yeah, as it turns out, Marisol was Andy Bravo's senora when he came to Sevilla.

So, my activities since I got here have been pretty simple and mostly centered around the program. I've needed my free time to catch up on the sleep I lost. I got a cell phone here for 30E (approx. $45--yeah) and have only explored minimal amounts of the city. It's decently large, I must say.

Yesterday we got up early and ledt for Cordoba. On the walk to meet up with everyone, my roommate and I ran into Kate and Lily, and Kate had just been robbed. Someone snatched her purse, which was accross her body, breaking the strap and taking off with it. Needless to say...that sucks. But she didn't lose her passport, thank God.

Cordoba was amazing. We went to the Mezquita, which was a giant Arabic mosque/palace or a Catholic cathedral, depending on who was in control of Cordoba at the time. The mezquita was HUGE and beautiful. It was one of those structures that you will never see anything like. I really enjoyed my self there. Afterwards, we went to a couple less interesting places and then were set free to eat lunch and roam Cordoba on our own for a few hours. I hauled it and went probably halfway around the city. I really enjoyed it; the city was similar to the Santa Cruz district of Sevilla, which has tight streets, old architecture, and lots of commercial activity. I tried to get in to Cordoba C.F.'s soccer stadium, but it was closed. Oh well. After a long walk, we headed back.

Spanish culture is pretty interesting. I had some sangria yesterday, and it was pretty decent. I had paella, and it was likewise. The vino tinto de verano was pretty good though. Classes start tomorrow for me, but I don't actually get started in any classes at the University of Sevilla until mid febrero. I get 2 breaks during the spring, both close to a week long, and I am trying to decide how to spend them. I want to find a good balance between not spending money and having a great time...it's really a unique opportunity. Stay tuned for more updates or pictures or whatever. Me voy, vale? Hasta luego!

Llego!

I have arrived in Espana and am safely in Sevilla. I might have nabbed an hour or two of sleep total in the last 33 hours. I am half dead. As such, more detailed updates will follow. For now, I bid all a wonderful night and any joy that is to be had in knowing I am here, safe and sound.

Hasta luego! Vale!

The Night Before

So, it is the night before I leave for Spain. Hard to believe, impossible to process at the moment.

First, a quick recap of break. It went by really quickly (too much so) and I got to see a lot of my friends, but I missed seeing a few that I really wanted to visit. On a lighter note, I did get to see Chalmers for an unusually large amount of time, which was a highlight. I also got to spend a night with Phil up in Greensboro, which was a great time with a great guy, despite getting punked at a Mexican restaurant. Hint: NEVER TRUST $1 TACOS; THEY WILL BE TINY. They were shrimp tacos--not to the extent that they had shrimp in them. They were shrimps of tacos. [No bitterness or anything; we just got an entree afterward. It was solid. But those tacos, man, let me tell you: Punked.]

Nevertheless, break was a good time with family and friends, old and new. Last night I spent time with both, as I visited with Michelle and met her boyfriend; I was really happy for them both from what I saw. Great people.

I guess the most prominent event that happened over break was Jan 7th. Scott and I were going to hang out in Charlotte and watch the Bama-TX game at my house. I invited several other people, but nobody confirmed, so I just figured it was Scott. Lo and behold, we meet up at the arranged time for dinner and there stands Scott at Portofino's with 8 of my close friends from UNC. I really can't express how appreciated that made me feel and how much I will treasure that time for years to come. I have never really felt as loved by a group of friends as I did that night. I usually don't place much stock in feelings, but that was something special, and I am so grateful for all of the amazing people that put in the time to make it happen. That was one of the best times of my life.

What I think can be taken away from this is that even the small efforts we make for others' benefit can really mean something. In a world that in which reality, purpose, and significance are elusive, the slightest gestures of appreciation, compassion, or self-sacrifice can have an impact. When we stop being consumed by selfishness and look for opportunities to reach out, who can see a limit? If my close friends had such an impact on me from a simple farewell visit, who is to say that my self-sacrifice will not have a similar impact on others?

Tomorrow I leave for Sevilla. I don't know what to say.

To all the friends that made this break special: Thanks. You are blessed in my heart. I will miss you dearly.

Vamos!

It occurs to me today that I should take a moment to post one of the most interesting quotes I have heard of late.

"I am not entirely on anybody's side because nobody is entirely on my side. The are, of course, some things whose side I am entirely not on."

This was spoken by Treebeard, a character invented by JRR Tolkien in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The brilliant author Tim Keller takes this quote and applies it to God. God does not act entirely to benefit us as individuals, nor does he intend to harm us or work against our every aspiration. However, there are things that God is entirely opposed to (i.e. evil, sin) and does not abide.

The problem with so many people's spiritual lives today is that they look at the world and judge God based on what they see. Is the world lovely and enjoyable? Then God is good. Is it fraught with pain and suffering? Then God is unjustly working against us. Likewise, we observe the world and our own lives and judge God, declaring that he is "acting" against us (hence "Act of God" has often come to mean an outrageous disaster). We see God as being on our side or not on our side. What's wrong with this picture? (Hint: Finite trying to command infinite...duh-duhduh)

So, how should it be? It is clear. We should seek God, align ourselves to God, and be on his side. The implications of this are vast, but I believe that it only makes sense. This solves so many moral problems. We always look for lines not to cross, what we can do but not be "sinning." But if we are not on God's side, if we do not care to align ourselves with him, what does it matter anyways? If you show no love for someone but try not to offend them for maybe half of your life, is that really going to be good cause for them to be on your side??? Of course not. In the same vein, if we are aligned with God and doing the proper thing to honor God is our first priority, how can we do wrong? It is then that we say, "God works all things to the benefit of those who have been called according to his purpose" and "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

I do not claim to be properly in step with these thoughts, but the revelation has really changed my perspective and hopefully will change my life as well. Tim Keller's The Prodigal God is wonderful if you're looking to delve into this from a more reliable, intelligent source.

Para empezar

You have to start somewhere. Right now, I am starting this blog (what a queer word), sitting by a gas log fire in the basement and enjoying a not uncommon reflective mood and some Schwepps ginger ale. This break has been a simple time of relaxation and catching up with friends. However, unlike most breaks, this has also been a time of looking forward to what is ahead.

For about the next 6 months or so I will be based in Sevilla, Spain and studying at the University of Sevilla. I plan on using this site to give updates to friends, family and anyone who cares.

So, basics and beginnings.
-Why blog?
It's for you guys to keep up with me, but also for me to be able to reflect, process, and verbalize. I feel like that's a good win-win. [Cite cliche about birds and stones].

-Why Sevilla?
It is in Europe, and I've always wanted to go to Europe. It is a larger UNC program, and I know a couple of other people that are going. I am a Spanish minor, and Spain does seem like a wonderful place to learn to speak better Spanish. Finally, Sevilla is beautiful, probably even more so in person.

-Why 6 months?
The program I'm in stays from Jan 12-Jun 12 or so. Yeah, a long semester, but I get 2 spring breaks, so that's not bad.

-And perhaps most fundamental, why study abroad?
A tough question. Life is good at UNC, and I love it. I shall miss my friends and family and I willdefinitely miss out on some amazingly fun times.
Sevilla is an chance for an experience. I have no idea what I'll find. Some people have tried to tell me, but I have only glimpses of what they saw and experienced.
Sevilla is a change of pace. It seems like a way to break the tedious aridity of everyday life.
Sevilla is a window through which I can see another place, people, culture, etc. International travel really appeals to me for reasons I can't explain in the slightest.
Sevilla is an opportunity, and I jumped at it.

If you read between the lines, you might perceive that I am looking for changes, taking an opportunity that I hope will lead to an enjoyable experience and a livelier plane of existence. But the scenery is not where we must look for change, it is internal and so much more essential. So I look for this too as I go abroad--not just a change in scenery but a revolution of perspective and regeneration. Regeneration.

"Empezar de nuevo" is the name of this blog. In English, "To start again," or rather, "To start anew." This is constantly where we find ourselves, especially around Jan. 1. Start over, hoping not to repeat the failures of yesterday. However, even if we are successful in this we find legions of new failures around every corner. Yet hope springs eternal and we ever seek the solace of our soul, whether in one place or another.

~Acts 17:27~

So, I continue the cycle of hoping to break the cycle, delusions of grandeur running at full force just waiting to get knocked to the ground. So to all of the mistakes and all of the loss, to all of the successes and glories, to everything in between, cheers. I won't turn back.