Happy 2010!!!

Hello everyone! Happy 2010!! Can you believe it's a new decade already?

Well, I know I haven't written in a little while. Because of that, I have to let you know that this is going to be really long. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!! I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year's!!! It was kinda weird being so far away from home and my family for the holidays, but I got to have a few adventures that I'll remember for a long time, so I had a good Christmas time. Last time I wrote you all was right after the semester ended. It was weird having so many people leave, but it was exhausting emotionally, so it was nice to have some time just to hang out at my host family's house for a bit. It's also been nice to have free time and to be able to hang out with my Spanish friends when they have time. On the 16th of December, I went with Fatima to a Spanish Bible study called Charlemos. It was a really neat experience. I had a hard time expressing what I thought in Spanish, but it was cool to listen to everyone else, and I could understand what everyone was saying. After the Bible study, we hung out for a bit chatting and munching on snacks. One of the guys commented on how tall I was, which always cracks me up. Apparently girls that are close to 6 feet tall really aren't that common here or. haha

On Saturday the 19th, I was able to go to a Gospel choir concert (Andalus Gospel) in a small town outside Sevilla. Fatima, Jake and I went and met up with a few other friends to watch this awesome choir sing songs in both Spanish and English. They were really good and really put heart and emotion into their songs. What a neat experience! The next day I went to my church by my house in the morning and then later that night went back to the church that Martha and I had tried to go to the week before. This time Jake went with me, and we made it there in time for the service. The people there are so nice! They really demonstrate Christ's love in their actions toward other people. It was neat to visit the church and to meet some more people - a mixture of Spanish, South American, and European people with a few American students. It's a small church, but it is growing!

The day after that, Monday, I prepared for my trip to Rome. Katie and I went to the store (and got soaked in Sevilla's pouring rain) to get a few things and then headed to our respective houses. Our trip to Rome started out with a little bit of trouble. The taxi drivers here for some reason choose to go on strike at the worst hours. Being that our flight was at 6:30 Tuesday morning, Katie and I couldn't call a taxi, and by the time we figured that out we were too late to take a bus too. So I called around, asking for help, and my friend Johnny was super nice and gave us a ride to the airport!! Thank you God for helpful friends!!

We got into Rome very early that morning and spent most of the day just relaxing because we were so tired. That night ended up being a bit of a nightmare though because we were put in a 6 bed room with another girl and three guys. The guys were nice, friendly Mexican guys that were traveling like us. We got to talk to them in Spanish, which was cool, but those first two nights in the hostel were horrible because two of those guys snore like you wouldn’t believe!! We couldn’t sleep for anything, and we seriously were worried about their breathing. It’s funny now, but at the time… We ended up switching rooms the last two nights and were finally able to get some sleep, which is important for traveling!

The next day was full of adventure! We set out early, got our tickets for the Vatican Mass for Christmas Eve night, and then explored more of Rome, the Eternal City! We got to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Circus Maximus, and the Pantheon. It was absolutely incredible to stand in the middle of so much history and try to picture the Empire as it must have been 2000 years ago. The Colosseum caught my attention the most. The tour guide was explaining all that had happened within those stadium’s walls, and it is a bit shocking all the horrors that people went to see for entertainment. But it got me thinking… we often judge other civilizations and generations for the horrible things they did as a group of people, but don’t we all have our own sins? Can we really say that what they did was more barbaric than some of the stuff that happens now? And I also thought about how in the middle of an empire filled with so much greed and corruption, Christ was born, lived, died, and rose again! And his body, the Church, was started and thrived in the middle of terrible persecution. Pretty incredible!

On Thursday, Christmas Eve, we spent basically the whole day in Vatican City. We went there early to take a tour through the Museum, seeing things like the Transfiguration Painting and the Sistine Chapel, among thousands of other works of art. After lunch, we walked around St. Peter’s Square a bit before deciding to line up early to get good seats for Christmas Mass. We stood in line for SIX HOURS just to get seats!! We actually ended up getting really good ones right near the aisle and close to the front, but man was I tired! We also had to stop people from trying to sneak their way into the line the whole time. It was fun to chat with the people standing in front and behind us and to team up with them to explain to the people trying to cut (including nuns... at a Christmas Eve Mass in a church!) that the end of the line is not here but OVER THERE. Haha Good memories from that one! When they finally opened up the doors, we made it through security and then literally RAN up the Basilica’s steps with 6000 people behind us. What an adventure!

Most of you probably heard that the Pope was knocked over by a woman on his way up the aisle. Yes, I was there, but no, I didn’t see it. We were too far up front to see anything and didn’t find out what really happened until the next day. The Pope was thankfully just fine though, and led the whole Mass without problems. It was pretty amazing to sit there on Christmas Eve night, listening to the Mass in several different languages and to the choir singing beautiful Christmas songs. It’s an adventure that I’ll remember forever.

Christmas Day was a bit strange for me, as I wasn’t home with my family going to church, eating food, listening to Christmas music, and watching movies, and as Katie and I were both tired from the day/night before from waiting and then having a long trip back to our hostel in the rain, but we ended up having a good day. We got to see a few more sites and take pictures of them, including the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Venetian Plaza. I loved the Spanish Steps because they made me feel a bit more at home in Italy. This may sound strange to some, but I really missed Sevilla while I was in Rome. I think it's because I actually know people here now, and it's become more than just a city where I am studying. The day after that we walked back to the Colosseum area to take more pictures of it and of the Arch of Triumph outside and then went back to our hostel in time to head to the airport and head home (well, our home in Europe). What an amazing 5 days!

It has been nice to be back in Sevilla and to have some time to relax. I have been going to two churches on Sundays, my home church in Triana and my new church in La Alameda. Two of my good friends, Swathi and Geethu, just left for home a few days ago, and Fatima left for Alicante a few days before that, so I will now be the only American I know in my Triana church. But it was so nice to spend a few weeks with Swathi and Geethu and a few days with Fatima when she got back from traveling! I am so thankful for the Sundays we had in our church too. Thanks to Swathi for sharing that really sweet message your last Sunday! You practically made me cry!

On New Year’s Eve night, Geethu, Swathi and I went to our church and ate dinner with them and took part in a small church service. We actually changed decades while the pastor was talking, so I didn’t get to do a countdown or eat 12 grapes (tradition here) like I originally planned, which was odd, but it was still good! We ended up leaving there about 1 in the morning and meeting up with our friend Jose Maria to walk around the city for a bit just chatting. It was a good night/beginning to 2010!

On the 3rd of this month, I moved to a different house (just for a month). It’s been strange not seeing my host family every day and having to figure out meals on my own, but I’m enjoying the independence and learning from the experience, and I got to visit my family the other day and spend some time with them, which was really nice. And I will move back to my house with them in February, this time with a new roommate!

Well, I am going to cut this email short and end up sending another email directly after to tell you about the last week and a half. Sorry this is so long, but a lot happens in a month! I hope you are all very blessed. I would love to get updates on your lives if you have time! Thank you for following my adventures! Happy New Year!

Much love,
Sierra