I have to cram in the last of what’s happened because I leave in a few short days and will return the laptop to Laura soon. So here are some bullet points of what’s left! In my dream world, I’d elaborate on these points post-Spain. Regardless, here’s the...cough... “short version” hee hee:
- School with Olga round II was fantastic. We connected so much better the second time around, and I also felt such a better connection with the kids.
- On May 20th, I took an official Spanish exam (DELE) in
- I celebrated Javi’s birthday with him and his family at their house on May 11th, and I just love spending time with that family. It also felt special to sing happy birthday in Spanish AND with a family. I miss doing that and look forward to celebrating birthdays with my family again!
- I’ve really gotten close to the other teachers in the ZER, especially in Pira and Barberà. Cristina, Cati, Laura (another Laura), Anna Maria...not to mention the English teachers and, well, everyone!
- I saw some of a feria (fair) in Montblanc with Carmen Torres and family, which included Montblanc’s famous giants, a king and queen. It was neat...but sooo hot that day! Later that evening, Anna Maria and I went to four different villages. It was a special time with her (we also saw her village), but it was pouring down rain later on!
- The English course we took on Wednesdays was fun and helpful overall. I now have some certificates and lots of teaching tips, and I develped a good relationship with the American teacher, Ruth. Several teachers from the ZER and I also presented a lesson on the Three Billy Goats, which was time-consuming and fun. :-)
- Tutoring increased a LOT in May! Paula and Josep Maria have been my “steady ones” since I first got here, and Anna Maria and I started back up again...but this time with two other teachers from the ZER and another English teacher I met in the English course. Also, I started playing with a little boy named Joan in English. His mom is a friend of another ZER teacher, and they live in Montblanc. The parents are so sweet, and they have another little one on the way. The first few times with Joan (2 or 3 years old) were dreadful, with him crying...but in the end, we became good friends and had a good time. He’s obsessed with all things Sant Jordi and giant related, as well as music...that kid can pound on drums and blow recorders all day! Hee. They gave me a cute children’s book in Catalan about Catalan traditions on my last day, and we exchanged contact info. They were really sad that we hadn’t met in October when I could have spent the year with Joan, and they said that if I ever come back, I have a “job” with them! :-) Great family.
- Church: such a blessing. I’ve gotten together with many friends these past few weeks for Sunday lunches, and it’s been great to just talk to believers! I also met another auxiliar from
- Specific names of people I’ve either eaten with or spent time with at church that I’d like to talk about more someday: Jorge, Elisabet, Miriam, Barb, Yolanda, and Edeli, and Pablo.
- I was able to see Dani and Miriam’s wedding, which was so neat! There are several differences from US weddings, but most importantly, it was so special to see these two great friends get married.
- I saw Jorge get baptized as well!
- Edeli told me about a “young people’s” Sunday School class, and I’ve been attending that since spring or so. I know this topic is debatable, but I have to say that it’s been so helpful and refreshing to attend a small Sunday School class designed for people my age. I never realized how much I missed that until I experienced it again. And to do it in Spanish? I love it! Pablo teaches the class usually, and he’s just great. He leads the music, preaches sometimes, teaches this class, is a lawyer by profession is super nice and has helped me grow spiritually so much, and is the dad to fun Miriam, one of my best Lleida church friends. I really hope to talk about them more sometime!
- Last days:
- The last day in Barberà was so special. The only downside was that Olga had a major migraine. But the kids all made things for me and gathered in a big circle outside with me in the middle. Cristina said some parting words (which almost made me cry!), and each class went up to give me their gifts (a booklet of drawings and pictures, a poster of the US flag, a diploma, a group picture, hearts with special phrases written on them, flowers, etc.). We then had a BIG group hug and went inside for some snacks, which specifically included
- My last day in Solivella included everyone gathering in one room, shouting “surprise!” and giving me a notebook full of drawings and pictures. Later we had some snacks, and there were a lot of hugs!
- My last day in Rocafort (the final two weeks were with Laura) included more s’mores, another special booklet of drawings and pictures, me playing the Star Spangled Banner on the keyboard (thanks to Montse, the music teacher! It was a lot of fun. :-)), more hugs, and a promise to send a picture of me in
- My last day with the entire ZER (all four schools) was an epic excursion in Barberà. We watched a film, made bricks from straw and mud, visited Barberà’s castle, listened to a man talk about Arab culture (and tried tea! Oh, and I HAVE to talk about the questions the kids asked that poor man. So hilarious!), a theater performance of the 1st and 2nd graders in Solivella (alternative story of Sant Jordi), a performance of the 5th and 6th graders in Pira (Cinderella), and finally...as all nearly-200 kids, 30-some teachers, workers, and parents were together in the theater, Javi and all three English teachers were up front and asked me to come up. My first reaction was to sink down in my chair, but after prodding from some nearby teachers, I walked down to chants of SARAH! SARAH! SARAH! They presented me with a beautiful plaque, which they so didn’t have to do, and I gave some parting words to everyone. Wow. It was just so...embarrassing and special! And there were so many hugs from the children afterwards! It was SO wonderful to have a last day with everyone together. And it was even more fun than the castanyada in October...because this time, I knew ALL of the kids! :-)
- Last day in Pira: this marked my very last day in the schools, May 26th. The school as a whole gave me a notebook with drawings and pictures during the recess break the day before, with everyone gathered around. I showed each picture to the kids and said things like, “Oh, and who is THIS?” and the little ones would chant back, “Mariona! Albert! Arnau!” etc. It was so cute. :-) Afterwards, the teachers met in the room where we eat together and had snacks and, um, champagne. Laura didn’t drink any because she’s pregnant, and I was like...sigh. People still try to get me to like alcohol in this culture, and it’s just gross. Sorry. I did my typical Sarah sip that I do in similar situations, but the main thing is to do the “ching ching” with everyone. :-P Anyway, it was a nice thought, but I so snuck water later on! Haha. The REAL last day was extra special. The little ones (my favorite little ones are in Pira) were all prepped with the news since Anna Maria is their teacher, and we had a fun last day together, singing songs, telling stories, etc. They were also VERY talkative that day and told me all sorts of random things...how many teeth they lost, how many siblings they have, asking what I’ll do in America, declaring that they saw my plane to America yesterday, etc. So cute! The 1st and 2nd graders, another one of my favorite classes, were soooo affectionate. Hugs, kisses, high-fives, little ones plastering themselves on me begging me not to go...and then most trying to figure out the exact moment I’d leave for
- Thanks to Mom and Amanda back home, I had English certificates to give to everyone. They were a big hit and a good way to make my last days special for the kids. And to this day, the 3rd and 4th graders in Pira are obsessed with getting my autograph, so it was a good excuse NOT to sign 21 papers and arms that day. See! I signed it, right here! Haha. Ah, and this class also tried to give me their soccer ball, which Laura informed them that they can’t give away school property, so we compromised and I wrote a message on it. :-) There’s no way I’d be able to fit that poor dirty ball in my luggage anyway! :-D
- After classes, we had a teachers’ meeting, which is stuff I’ve gotten used to. It was mostly to talk about the upcoming school trips (that I won’t be apart of...I really wish I could’ve finished the school year with them!) and practice a song for the upcoming party for the ZER. The ZER, which is all four schools combined, is celebrating 20 years this year, so all sorts of fun things are planned. They chose a song, Hold My Hand, and Javi wrote some beautiful Catalan lyrics to it. We practiced it several times during the meeting, and as I sang this Catalan song that I could almost perfectly understand and ALMOST sing it all, I looked around at these teachers I’ve grown to love...and boy, it was hard trying to blink back tears! It was a good way to end my time with them.
- Based on clues I’d been picking up, I thought there would be a dinner or something for me after the teachers’ meeting. There wasn’t. I knew that the English teachers and I would all meet on Monday the 30th, so I mentally figured that THAT must be the “surprise” dinner. Javi said that I needed to stop by their flat later that evening to sign some papers, and I honestly and truly believed him...
- When I came by their house later on, I was a little weirded out that they didn’t have me come up. Instead, Javi came down and proceeded to wait around with me by his car until Cati was ready. Okaaay. I was still thinking “sign papers” mode, but I thought that maybe Javi and Cati wanted to do something special with me afterwards. Cati came down eventually, and I was shocked when Javi told me to get in the car...because we had to drive to “look for” the papers. This was getting weirder and weirder! It was a good 5 minutes in the car when it dawned on me that this was all a set-up to take me to the surprise dinner. AHHH...I love these guys. Apparently there were teachers driving in front of us and Carmen Torres behind us, but I was totally clueless. When Javi parked and we walked out, I told Cati that I was pretty sure we were NOT signing papers. :-) She chuckled in her quiet way and tried to be vague, but as I walked in the fancy restaurant with my close-enough-to-Spanish-parents, I was welcomed by the majority of teachers from the ZER grinning and clapping. So fun and awkward!
- My last evening with them was fantastic. It was an Italian restaurant, and I had pizza that lasted a good 2-3 meals and tiramisu for dessert. I sat next to Cati, and I think we had the best conversation we’ve ever had...or else have had in a long time. I was able to ask her all sorts of questions I’d been wondering about her...what it was like to live in Soria, central Spain, and move to Catalunya, learn a new language, adjust to a new culture...anyway, I just had a fantastic time with her.
- Then came gifts and games. They gave me a personalized certificate saying that I acquired a certain level of Spanish among Catalans (haha), and they gave me pretty much the best thing ever...it was so sweet, so personal...it was a stuffed animal cat with a little ZER Conca tag on it. It was so me...and more importantly, it just showed me how well these people knew me.
- The game was hilarious! Anna Maria and Laura worked on a version of “Pasa Palabra,” which is a famous game show in
- Javi was getting bored later on and somehow ended up with my ZER kitty. He pretended to make it drink wine, talk on a cell phone, and then he proceeded to toss it around to the other teachers. Somehow that started a game where a teacher caught the cat, said a phrase or word I use all of the time, and then would toss it to another teacher. It was like...like summing up my life in
- Last day with the program director and the American teacher: Carmen Tinoco is the “boss” of my program for the whole
- After my time with them, I met up with Carmen Vielba again, and we went to McDonald’s to meet Javi and Elisabet, the other English teacher I would have been with had it not been for her accident (and she still has trouble with that hand!). It was good to see Elisabet one last time, and I ended up going home with Javi.
- Last time with Anna María: she’s been a special and helpful friend since the beginning of my time here, and she has no “obligation” to do so. I mean, Laura and Olga are English teachers, and Javi’s the school principal. But Anna Maria? She’s done things with me, invited me to dinner, let me call home...all because she’s super sweet and nice. We met for the last time, and she and Oscar gave me a little booklet in Catalan about happiness. I said goodbye to Oscar, and Anna and I drove up to a high village where you can look out and see Montblanc. Unfortunately, it was really foggy, so we didn’t get to see much. But the village was still nice, and a little further down, we could see Montblanc. Mostly, I just liked being with her one last time. And when we got back to Montblanc and faced each other in the street by her house, about to say goodbye for at least awhile and maybe forever, she started to get teary, and that made me get teary...and that made her cry...and that made me cry...and we just stood there crying and hugging each other. It was the first time where I was actually crying in public like that! The funny part was that Anna’s father-in-law, who is exactly like Oscar in personality, looks, and sense of humor (just, you know, a little bit older), came by and saw us crying together in the middle of Montblanc. He was like...uh....are you two okay? :-D Anna had to explain that this was our last time together, and I think he took it upon himself to cheer me up. I left shortly after that, mostly so Anna and I wouldn’t cry harder, and Oscar’s dad walked me partially home (which is all of 50 seconds away). He kept talking about random things and then went on about how I could always come back or Anna and Oscar could visit me in
- Last(ish) time with Olga: we were planning on going to the beach on Saturday afternoon, but the weather was just bleh enough to change plans. So instead, I went with her and her family to see a festival in L’Espluga. All about carquinyolis, a VERY crunchy cookie-like thing that I don’t really like and described it to Laura once as a sweet rock. However, it was good to hang out with Olga, say goodbye to Jordi and Pau, see more giants and hear more Catalan music, see Josep Maria play the drums, try food, and wander around L’Espluga for the last time. I also met some of Olga’s older aunts and relatives, and one woman asked me in slow, exaggerated Spanish, “Entiende español?” (she might have said castellano, which is what everyone says here, but now I’m forgetting). I sweetly quipped back in Catalan, “I català també!” (“and Catalan as well!”), to which another elderly aunt chuckled and said “TOMA!” (take that!...more or less) to her sister or sister-in-law. Tee hee.
- Last(ish) day with Carmen Torres and family AND Javi and family: Carmen Torres lives in L’Espluga as well, so we met in the plaza and I went with her to her family’s house, where everyone minus Josep Maria were going to eat together. Marta presented me with a professional photograph of their family and me at the medieval dinner. And like all of my close friends who know me well and give me things, they always say that “this doesn’t weigh much!” :-)
- Carmen Torres, her husband, the two girls, and I drove to Cambrils, a fairly elite beach area. I played several games with the girls in the car, and it was there that Marta, the youngest at 7, found out that it was our last time together. Poor little sad face! But we keep saying that I really need to come back sometime...or they could come to the
- Javi and family arrived later on, and Javi proudly showed us a cup/trophy that the girls’ soccer team won (from the ZER). This was also the big night when Barça played
- We ate at a nice place literally on the beach. We shared tapas and just had a great time talking and laughing. We just get along really well, and it was also hilarious to see Javi, Sergio, and sometimes Marta jump up and run towards a nearby sports place when people farther away were shouting from watching the game. And Barça won, making my friends supremely happy, the streets INSANE with crazy happy people, and me feeling special that Barça won the highest title in
- After eating, all of us wandered around the beach area and a nice area for walking. We saw some neat sandcastles, I touched the sea and then wiped my wet hands on Segio and Marta, making them giggle, I talked to everyone, I asked Sergio about English class, and it was just another special evening. We stayed out really late, and I ended up going home with Javi and family. I said goodbye to Carmen and family (I’ll most likely see Carmen for a little bit on Monday though), and I was okay...but I could see tears in Carmen and Josep Maria’s eyes...and even the girls looked pretty bummed. I spent a lot of fun times with that family, especially this past month, and I learned so much about the Catalan language and culture from them. I’ll miss them!
- Sergio slept in the car, and I talked to Javi and Cati off and on and then ended up falling asleep as well, haha. They dropped me off around 1am (with church the next morning for me!), and I had yet another goodbye to do: this time with Cati. Javi said that we’d see each other later, but it was my last time with Cati. She looked misty-eyed as well, and from all of these many goodbyes I’ve had to do, I’ve realized how they’re done. Okay, so the typical greeting and farewell is to give two kisses on either side of the face. We still do that. But when it’s a special, special goodbye, you also give each other a nice long hug. That’s what we did.
- Last day at church: last week was part one of goodbyes, because several of my good friends wouldn’t be there my last week. But it was still a special and bittersweet day today. Eli, a good friend and Miriam’s sister (the newlywed) gave announcements and asked me to come up. She said some things, gave me the opportunity to say some things, and I suddenly found myself in front of the whole church with a microphone in my face, having to say goodbye to these dear people...in Spanish. A good preparation for this was last week when I was taken by surprise and asked to help collect the offering. Whoa! Yes, females are a lot more involved in this church. :-) It’s going to be weird to NOT see this back home! Anyway, one man prayed for me (another good friend) after I said some stuff (mostly mentioning that my only contact with believers was on Sundays here, so the church was super special to me and has helped me so much. I also said that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we don’t really have to say “goodbye”...it’s more of a “see you later!”. I think that’s what made the church parting so different that other farewells. Even if I never see these dear people on this earth again, I’ll see them again in heaven!) I heard some sniffles during my speech, but overall I felt okay throughout the day. I got a little teary singing in Spanish in church for the last time or what could be a looong time (I still love every minute of that experience!), and I also got a little teary when people were hugging me and giving me well-wishes afterwards, but only if they got teary first. Really, most of it was a kind of happy day...and it was good to connect with newlyweds Miriam and Dani!! They gave me a pretty bracelet as a thank-you gift for a wedding gift I gave them. It was also good to connect with Miriam and another girl who just recently got back from spending several years in the
- Last day with Laura, Jordi, and Quim: we met for an hour or so in my special cafe in Montblanc this evening. They gave me a pretty bracelet (that doesn’t weigh much, hee hee), and it was good to see them again. Jordi, naturally, had a kind of “sum up your time” discussion with me and had his typical round of difficult questions. His main questions were 1) of everyone I met here, who made the biggest impression on me and 2) who was the weirdest person I met, from the perspective of an American. Who just wouldn’t fit in the
- Saying goodbye to Jordi was fine, but poor Quim was sobbing when he realized what was going on. We calmed him down by saying that we’d keep in touch, and maybe I’d come back to visit him and his little brother, or maybe they’d come and visit me and my family...in the end, he was okay. I think he was also tired, so I don’t want that to get to my head too much, haha. But I really have grown close to Laura’s family.
- And now...after eight months...I’m actually at present day. This very moment. Typing some final thoughts at 12:30am with a laptop I’ll be returning tomorrow. I leave Tuesday afternoon to
- Tomorrow is a final lunch with all three English teachers, and I think I’ll see Carmen Torres and Javi sometime that day. I also need to finish up packing....yuuuuck!
- So...eight months, three countries, several regions of Spain, good friends, special church, adorable children, Spanish and Catalan...so much has happened! Final thoughts:
- Favorite city in
- Montblanc is an amazing place to live. I just wish I had a car.
- Best part of my time: THE KIDS.
- Second best part: MY FRIENDS. This includes teachers and church friends.
- Third best part: traveling and using non-English languages. Seriously, if you can get out there and experience other cultures...DO IT!
- Worst experiences: mice in the flat, the luggage issue in
- Things I’ll miss: teaching in the ZER, hanging out with people from the ZER, using Spanish and Catalan everyday, never having to fight over the bathroom, being removed from the blah parts of “normal life” back home, stepping outside every day and being surrounded by European history, flan, crepes, cacolat, Spanish ham, earning money for just speaking English, going to that one cafe every single Sunday in Lleida and having a good hour to eat, pray, and read my Bible before heading to church, singing songs in Spanish in church and even, gasp, clapping my hands sometimes, walking into work with joyful cries of SAAARAAAH and being greeted with lots of little hugs, turning on the TV and hearing Spanish, being able to pop in a train or plane and be in another part of Spain or Europe, and being called “la Sarah” or “Sarita”. :-) Or even just being called Sarah with a Spanish/Catalan accent!
- Things I won’t miss: that stupid buzzer in my flat, hearing the drummer practice down the street, having thin walls where you can hear what’s going on everywhere, opening the squeaky blinds every morning, having a shower with no shower curtain, walking in dog presents, waiting for buses or rides in general, dealing with the overarching Spanish “system” that’s so frustrating sometimes, planning trips (the blah parts of them), dealing with limited or else dreadful internet access, drinking wine during communion (gag), being surrounded by the general alcohol atmosphere (wine at meals, champagne at celebrations, etc.), and trying to figure out if a phrase is incorrect or else British English. Ha!
- Things I’m looking forward to: seeing Amanda, traveling with Amanda, seeing the UK, landing on US soil, greeting and hugging my parents for the first time in eight months, SEEING MY DOG AND CATS, seeing (and probably hugging) my brothers for the first time in eight months, living in a house, seeing the renovations, watching Tangled and other fun movies I haven’t seen or else haven’t seen in a long time, seeing Valley Chapel friends and family, having access to a car, SEEING MY DOG AND CATS, seeing friends and co-workers, hanging out with my family, taking walks with my dad and dog, having a kitty lay by my feet at night or kneed claws in me and purr, having my sister as my roommate, shopping with my mom, showing my family the things I’ve collected from my time in Europe, sharing some experiences face-to-face, playing a REAL piano, growing in Christ even more, and just seeing what God has planned for the future. There’s a lot I don’t know about right now, but I DO know that God knows, and He has the perfect plan for me, my family, my church, and my passion for languages, kids, His Word, and other cultures. I also have a good 8 or so contacts here that have said that I’m always welcome to come back and stay with them, and my “professional” contacts have grown as well. And I truly feel like my time in Spain/Europe isn’t done yet. It feels time to leave FOR NOW, but...Lord willing, I think I’ll be back here again.
- And until I’m settled back home and have some time to kill, so ends this blog. The rest will probably just be tweaking or elaborations, most of which would be done for me rather than an “audience”. I’m sure Amanda and I will write about our time in the
- Thanks for following my journeys, and a special thank you to those who have prayed, sent emails and cards, gave money, commented on my posts, liked statuses on Facebook, and took the time to read these dreadfully long posts. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’d read something like this...so if you keep up with it, thank you! If you don’t keep up with it, it’s okay...but if it’s anything like my time in
And I just want to end with a special thanks and very clear message to and about my God and Savior. I COULD NOT have done this journey without Him, and I’ve seen and experienced His hand every step of the way. Every good thing about me comes from Him and Him alone. He gets the glory, okay? And just thinking through how I got “here” is just so cool. If you don’t know Him personally, you probably don’t understand a lot of what I write about and why I write it. And if you want to know, just ask. I now know so many wonderful people who don’t know Him, and it truly breaks my heart. If I’ve learned nothing else from my time here, it’s that Christ and His Word are THE most important things ever, and being forced to depend on Him for everything is one of the sweetest and hardest things in the Christian life. All the travels, experiences, friends, and cute kids in the world are nothing compared to His awesome plan, power, goodness, love, care, and holiness. Read Romans 8 and John 14. Your life is nothing without Him, and life is everything with Him!!
From the Valley to the Basin...soon heading from the Basin to the Valley,
Sarah
Touching finale! Sounds like you had so many sweet good-byes. Look forward to seeing you soon!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Dea