The Streets of Sevilla

What is it like to be back in Sevilla?

Two and a half years have passed since I left Sevilla, and over three years have gone by since I first arrived, back in September of 2009. Depending on how you look at time, three years is a long time. A lot happens in three years.

My first day back (Monday) was full of seeing people again and just trying not to crash from the 24-hour trip. My German sister Lea found me in the airport, and then she and I hauled my luggage to the car where Martha (my mentor and dear friend) was waiting for us. As we drove into the city, it was hard to believe that I was back, but it was also just as I had remembered it. I felt like I hadn't been away at all. When Martha dropped us off near my Spanish friend Inma's house, I even remembered how to get to her house from the main street. That's amazing to me because Inma lives in Santa Cruz, an old Jewish neighborhood that has such narrow, winding streets that it is easy to get lost.

Lea and I, while we were waiting for Inma's parents to arrive, walked farther into downtown Sevilla to see the people from the program I had studied at. That too was pretty much exactly the same. I remember everything - the streets (and many of their names), how to get from one place to another, where certain stores are, etc. It's all familiar and it all feels like home. The sounds of the cars honking at each other even though it won't do any good, of the Sevici bicycles' bells letting passers-by know that they are about to get run over if they don't move, of the train (like the Max) as it starts up and slowly passes you by, of the Cathedral bells, of the motos, of the people chatting away in Spanish, of glasses clinking as waiters clean tables... all of that is the same. And the general smell of Sevilla is just as I remembered it.

Monday and Tuesday were wonderful days, days full of friends and just an overall joy at being back. Wednesday too was wonderful, but it was also the day where jet lag and reality both slapped me upside the head. As I had been walking through Sevilla, I had started to realize that yes, it is the same city, but that no, it's not the same as it was three years ago. I have memories of my friend Jake in literally every part of Sevilla, and memories of Tyler, Carolina, Rosie, Elizabeth, Fatima, Geethu, Swathi, Marta, Phil, Jenn, Jamie, Katie, and SO many more in many different places. So many of my European friends are still here, but we are at different etapas, or stages of life (as my friend Abraham described it) than we were three years ago.

All of those memories mixed with the realization that I could not go back and then topped off with the fact that I was dead tired made me quite emotional and sad. This trip has been so incredibly joyful and happy, but I think that it will also be bittersweet but very healing. I am a different person than I was three years ago (have grown up a lot), so I should expect that my friends too will have changed. They love me the same, but that doesn't mean that the memories will be the same. In many ways that is good and very healthy. Our friendships have not only been maintained, but have grown as we stayed in touch from far away, and now it fills me with great joy to see many of my friends here walking with the Lord and loving the people that God has placed in their lives.

In these next two weeks new memories will be made. It will be hard to leave again, but in many ways I will have more hope and peace, because I know that God has me on a good path, and that He, if He so wills it, will provide a way for me to return again. Sevilla was the place where I learned to trust Him more than I ever had before, and I hope it will also be the place where I learn to enjoy the quality time that I have with people and to take advantage of the God-given moments of blessing, peace, and rest.

Sierra's Adventures Continue in Spain

Since I technically have two blogs - one I started in Spain and one I started in Oregon - I really wasn't sure which one I should put this post in. However, since I am back in Spain, I guess I will go back to my old blog and write my new observations.

This is now my fourth day in Spain, and I really do wish that time would slow down a bit. These two weeks are going to go by quickly. So far the days have been full but not terribly overwhelming. My literal day of travel (a full 24 hours) was pretty exhausting, but I am glad to find out that I can travel by myself and figure things out just fine. I spent 6 hours in the Dallas airport, which is a huge airport, but it went by fairly quickly. I had to doze a bit from time to time because I was so tired, but I also didn't want to sleep too much because I wanted to get on Spain's schedule. I called my Grandmom and two of my aunts, and let them know that I was fine.

My flight to Madrid was LONG. Oh my goodness, that flight really tested my patience. I could not for the life of me sleep very well, partly because planes are not built for tall people. And some of my neighbors snored louder than my music on my iPod. I was quite stir-crazy, but we eventually got there. While in Madrid I realized that I still had no way of exchanging money, and therefore couldn't call anyone from a payphone. That worried me a bit, but then I just decided to relax and know that everyone knew when I would arrive and that it would all turn out okay. I DID sleep on the last quick flight to Sevilla, mostly because I was incredibly exhausted.

Traveling is tiring but full of adventure. I was able to meet a young Israeli couple that was heading back home, an older couple (British man and American woman) that live in Panama but that were visiting friends in Spain, a young Texas man that was visiting his American girlfriend that lives in Spain, and another young guy that reminded me of a guy I went to high school with (no relation though).

After arriving in Sevilla I had to praise the Lord, because I didn't lose anything or have anything stolen, and because my suitcase arrived without any problems. I made it through customs just fine and then excitedly walked through the gate and scanned the crowd for my friends. I couldn't find them, so I hauled all my suitcases around looking for a place to exchange money - and there wasn't one. So I gave up on that and finally collapsed on a bench and watched and waited. All of a sudden a girl with blond hair walked through the door at the end of the room and started asking people something, as if she were looking for someone. My first thought was, "That's Lea!" but then I thought, "No, it's probably not her..." When she finally looked my way, I realized, "Oh my gosh, it is her!!" Lea's grin was unmistakable as she ran towards me and enveloped me in a bear hug. That's when I knew that this whole trip was real, that I was back in Sevilla, that I had come back to my home away from home.