By the grace of God and definitely not my own.

(these new posts are late, but I wanted to finally get these memories down.)

The weekend before my last week in the schools, Ashley and I took a QUICK trip to Paris, France. We left late Friday, and after a delayed flight arrived in Paris at 11 pm Friday night. When we got there we had no idea where our hotel was or where anything was for that matter... we headed out on this adventure blind. When we arrived at the airport we asked a lady at the information desk to help direct us to our hotel. Well, she didn't know where it was either. She called the hotel and got directions wrote them down and told us we needed to take the metro to the hotel then walk from there, however, she couldn't give us a map of the city nor could she give us a map of the metro, because she only had 1 of each. So we ventured off without. We got on the bus that would take us to the metro, where a French woman (who spoke English) told us if we don't scan the ticket we just bought it is like we are riding for free and could get in trouble... when arrived at the Metro we were not sure how to buy a ticket, seeing as neither of us speak French so we asked the lady for help. She helped us buy our tickets and got us some maps then sent us on our way. Thankfully she was taking the same train and making the same transfer as us or I don't think we would of ever made it. When we made our first transfer there was an accident or train breakdown or something on our line so we had to wait, again thank God for this woman because the warning was in French so we would of been freaking out. We finally made our transfer and she told us to get off at the Torcy exit so we did... we finally made it to our hotel after slight wandering at nearly 1 am. We got to our hotel, found our room and settled in for the night, it was now 1 am and we had to be up at 5. we took showers and slept in the sketchiest hotel ever, with a bathroom barely big enough to turn around in. When we woke up in the morning we went out to Disney Paris, just to see it, this is where I bought the most expensive cup of coffee EVER. My cup of regular coffee cost 4 Euro, about 6 dollars but I needed it real bad... After that we asked the guy at the metro booth to buy a ticket and he told us that if we were buying 1 to town and 1 back we might as well get a day pass, with the student rate it would be cheaper. So we did and then we headed out to the city.

So we get off the metro and walk upstairs turn a corner and there it is, The Eiffel Tower! So we are taking pictures and walking through a park trying to get closer... Ashley asks me to take a picture of her in front of the Eiffel tower. In an attempt to get more than just Ashley's head in the picture I lean back....A little too far and with one step backwards I fall over a little 1 foot garden fence, OUCH!!!!! I didn't realize until several hours later at lunch that I had MASSIVE bruises on the back of my legs. they were UGLY. After falling we went and took more pictures around the Eiffel tower then went and bought tickets for the Botabus, which was a boat tour that made stops at different "must see" places. We traveled around and saw as much as we could in like 12 hours, ending our day with a trip up the tower, We stood in line for 2 hours to buy our tickets and met an awesome Irish couple standing in front of us. The lady tricked one of the con-guys selling illegal Eiffel tower key chains and told him that his friend said 5 for a Euro so he sold her 6 for a Euro. Right after this happened we saw a guy get busted and taken away. Then several others get chased out of the square. So we made it to the top floor where we met 2 other Americans a doctor from NY and a lady from Texas. We talked to them and because a little "Eiffel Tower Family" we made all the way to the top where Ashley was FREAKING out because of the heights. Then when we got back down the Tower was all lit up for the night. Paris at night is scary, guys selling things and yelling at you everywhere, lucky our new Tower Family "dad" walked us to the Metro. Normally I would be totally sketched out by this, but we got to know him and trusted him more than the men in the streets. He walked us to our train and normally by now I would be getting creeped out but he got us to our train and said I am going to walk back to my hotel, I don't want to make you two uncomfortable by getting on the same train. Some how my day metro pass got demagnetized and stopped working, I was running low on money and not about to buy another pass so I decided to jump the metro. We got back to our hotel, two jumped stalls later (if I got caught there is a HUGE fine and I could of gone to jail in Paris). We took showers, packed our bags and checked out within 15 minutes and made it back to catch the last metro of the night back to the airport (I flight left at 6 the next morning) keep in mind my pass still doesn't work so I slide under a turnstile, then when we get off at the bus stop they have the things that open and close rather than a turnstile, so I tell ashley I am going to go right behind her, the thing shuts on my arms, I pull my arms and backpack through and finally no more metros, we are in the home stretch. Well we walk up to bus stop to find out the bus stops running at midnight, not 1 like the website said...she after a small freak out we get a cab and take it to the airport. 35 Euro, or 50 American dollars later we arrive at the LOCKED airport, its closed, 2am and FREEZING! we are standing outside for about a half hour before anyone lets us in. We try to sleep until it is time to go through security. Once we get on the plane I pass out and wake up an hour later to ask Ashley what is taking so long why haven't we taxied off yet...she says Lauren, you passed out right away we've been in the air for an hour.

CRAZIEST 24 hours of my life. This trip was truly protected by our father, he was looking out for us at every turn. This trip was obviously by his grace and seeing as I fell over a fence not by my own!

A day in the life..

It is about 1pm in Spain and I have my free period for the day. The only day I do not have a free period is on Thursdays. On a typical school day, I teach 4 of the 5 class hours and have a 30 minute break with the teachers in the middle of the day, while the kids have recess. I teach anywhere from 3 years old to about 13-14 years old, with the exception of 1 16 year old. I work with 4 different English teachers in 3 different schools. Each teacher brings a different aspect of growth to my experience. I think the biggest struggle for me is I am naturally a fast speaker and when I feel like I am speaking slowly they say I am speaking too fast. Also, the teachers say I am too quiet, I am pretty sure I even whisper loud, but Spanish people are definately louder than I am.
Now that I have hit the midday the teachers aren´t letting my lack of Spanish speaking ability slide anymore and I have to atleast try and speak to them in Spanish because they have no idea what I am talking about unless the English teachers translate.
However, I am not really sure why when I feel like trying to speak in Spanish I don´t seem to have much problem, with words I know or have learned here, however when someone askes me to Speak in Spanish I seem to forget every word I have ever learned in Spanish and I stumble over every sentence. But I am learning and trying and I am definately getting better at Speaking and even better at understanding Spanish.

Midday, already...wow!

Today, Feb 28th, 2011 is officially Midday, it is day 45 of 90, this trip is half way over.

So let me tell you about what has been going on.

Last weekend, my friend Christina came to Segovia, and stayed with my family... we made an American meal and my family took us to the sights.

This past week, I had an entire 10 minute conversation in Spanish, on the car ride home from school last Thursday, I was soooo proud of myself. Nothing was in English, I understood the whole conversation and I spoke, and yes more than si, vale, etc... I asked questions and responded and told Ruben, the music teacher, about my family too! I am learning, I am really learning Spanish. :)

This weekend, I went to Avila Friday night and Saturday Christina and I walked around Avila. Sunday morning we got up early and took the train to Madrid to go to the outdoor flea market thing that opens on Sundays in Madrid. It was a great day. On the way back we had to take separate trains because I was going back to Segovia and she was going back to Avila. My train left about 10 or 15 minutes before hers did and when we were looking to see which of the 20 platforms I was on none of the signs were saying which platform my train was on and so I nearly missed the train as I finally found a sign that didn't just say the train was leaving in 2 minutes. I ran out to the platform jumped on the train and text Christina saying, I made it, I hope this is the right train. It was.

Today, Monday, I brought peanut butter and jelly to school for the teachers to try, and most of them loved it!

Well Happy midday everyone, see you in a Month and a half!

When you are in a foreign country...

When you are in a foreign country you try new food, like cured ham, fish with the head still on it, strange salad without your favorite dressing etc...and you REALLY miss the foods you are a custom to, for example ramen noodles, PB&J, and other such things that can conveniently arrive in a care package

When you are in a foreign country you see new things, like cathedrals, castles, palaces, and other things of the sort...and yet you still miss the sites at home... even though they are not nearly as cool

When you are in a foreign country you meet new people who will probably be a new friend forever and when you leave you will miss them because they were the ones to show you around and talk to you, and even though you were scared to try speaking their language they still try to speak yours to make you comfortable or you stare at them blankly while they talk to you in their language, until you kind of understand what they are trying to say...

When you are in a foreign country you start to learn how to understand what they are saying, but yet, you still can't respond more than yes or no or ok because forming sentences is pretty difficult.

When you are in a foreign country, you have a lot of fun but you miss the customs and ways of life at home

When you are in a foreign country you freak out in depression to your friends and normally they tell you everything is going to be ok, but once in a while they tell you what is up and at first it will really make you cry because you are already depressed in a foreign country but then after a little while and a good talk with that friend you take what they have said for what it is you store it away in your heart and you thank them for loving you so much, that they are willing to not sugar coat it just like everyone else does, even when you tell them that is all you wanted was a sugar coated answer that will numb the depression for about 5 minutes!

I love you all and I miss you...

a reminder from an amazing friend: "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." -Nehemiah 8:10

PB&J never tasted so good...

So today I stayed home sick from school, the past two weeks I have had a wicked cold and still have been going to school anyway, it is just a cold. But this morning I just didn't have the energy so I went back to bed and slept until 2:30... when I was woken up by my entire Spain family holding a package...from...AMERICA. My amazing mommy sent me a care package for Valentines day, now it didn't actually arrive on Valentines day but, I am kinda happy it didn't, because it arrived today when I stayed home sick. Inside the package was cold medicine, hand sanitizer, sanitizer wipes, LOTS of chocolate, poptarts, peanut butter and jelly, a book about the space center, and a card and when I read the card I started to cry, I hadn't eaten lunch because Spanish food just didn't sound appealing so I was going to go without... but when I opened the package I had to have a PB&J sandwich...but first I had to call my mom at work. When she answered the phone at first it didn't sound like her so I said "may I speak to Mary Maxwell, please." sounding a little puzzled she said "speaking" and I responded "momma, you are my hero, and don't worry these are tears of joy, I got my package today and I love you so much.". then after talking to the most wonderful mommy in the world I went to the living room with the boxes of chocolates mom sent for my Spain family and the PB&J... I made my self a sandwich and took a bite, peanut butter and jelly has never tasted so good in my life.

I am so happy my package arrived today and so grateful that I have such an amazing mommy to send me a package from home!

Italian is American, right?

So the past two weeks have been fun and emotionally draining all at the same time.. Every time I step into the classroom I am a little more comfortable and a little more willing to ask the teachers to let me take over...

I got to do valentine's day stuff with the kids and some outside games that helped with the lesson they were learning.. also in one class they are learning about reading a map and directions and I just happened to bring maps of Melbourne and we used those,which they loved because they got to see where I live, and the whole map is in English....

Last weekend my family took me to Pedraza (I think that is how you spell it) and it was this little old town outside of Segovia with only 1 way in and out, really neat with a fort and the old jail house, which we toured. Then on Sunday we went to a womens day festival in the town square where women are in charge of the town for the day...

This weekend I met up with Kim, Ashlee and Krystal in Valladolid...let me tell you Friday was not my day, first the kids asked me if I was pregnant, I was mortified... then at 3:45 the English teacher dropped me off in Carbonero to take the bus to Valladolid, I sat at the bus stop for 2 hours to get LEFT!!!! the bus stopped people got off and he zoomed off before I could get on... so my family picked me up and took me to Valladolid... on Saturday we went to the cathedral and the park, outside the park I was showing the girls how I mimed tripping in class, Friday, and while showing them I actually ate it and landed on the ground. but all in all it was a good weekend with the girls...

We were getting sick of Spanish food so we wanted something familiar to us and one of the girls said "Italian food is American, right??" which after she said it we all laughed and we were like well technically no but we know we will like it...

We ordered "grilled cheese" as an appetizer thinking maybe it was like little grilled cheese sandwiches, it was literally melted matzeralla cheese with bread sticks to eat it with... when we saw it we bust out laughing, because it was nothing like what we expected...but it was tastey.

Oh by the way, those of you who don't know I went to the doctor after Madrid because my foot had been giving me trouble and the doctor said I have a bone spur on the bottom of my foot, it still hurts...Please pray that it gets better soon!! thanks...

Miss you all

street performers and illegal actions

Street performers: The street performers reminded me of NYC, spiderman, mickey and minnie, spongebob, a gold fireman, guys that stand still then jump up and scare you... we have pictures to post later. the street performers, many of them can throw their voices without opening their mouths and so you look around to see where all of these strange noises are coming from...

Illegal actions: on our last day in Madrid we were walking through one of the plazas when all of a sudden we see a group of about 10 men with sacks over their shoulders (like when you take a blanket full of laundry) and they were running past us looking over their shoulders talking in Spanish. I looked at Kim and said it looks like they just did something wrong...a couple of minutes later Belen explained to us that it is illegal to set up a blanket of things to sell in the street (they had DVD's, Calvin Klein underwear, hats, purses, pictures, earmuffs, you name it they had it) so when one of their buddies got busted by a cop they gathered up their stuff and took off running... until they found another street full of people with no cops on it...