Belleza!

I got a chance to hit the slopes this past weekend. Shreddin pow pow is south Spain who would've thunk it! The Sierra Nevada mountains really surprised me. Going skiing this weekend meant going back to visit Granada, and this time my high school buddy Josh Stansell was there. Granada is a pretty cool place. If you take Asheville and throw a bunch of college students at it and then add a couple thousand years of history and then move it to Spain you have Granada. We went to a tetreia on Friday night. A tetreia is a Moroccan/ Arab style restaurant, that specializes in Tea. We had to try the tea and hookah in this dim and rosy atmosphere. Getting to hang out with Josh reminded me of when I first moved to Greenville from Ohio. He and a few other neighborhood kids showed up at the door one day with BB guns and asked my mom if I was around because they wanted me to go hunt Sasquatch with them. ha! I was nice to grab some tapas with an old friend.
I also caught the Spin England match this past week. What a experience! Europeans are so serious about there futbol. We really have nothing that compares to it in the states. I'm so glad that I got the chance to experience this. The Spanish fans all cheered in unison, and the stadium was shaking like a Polaroid picture, but to be honest it gets louder in death valley back in tiger town. That being said it is still was quite the experience.
One really cool thing that they have in Spain and not in the states are huge light switches on the walls. These come in handy and should be adopted back home. Unfortunately I spent a few days over Christmas break changing the light switches in our house, so I don't think this would be very responsible move for the Clayton family.

Leo continues to make wonderful/large meals. I'm getter more chances to practice my spanish both at home and out and about, and I'm starting to loose the fear of messing up with the language, which I'm guessing must be necessary in getting better.

much love

-rob

Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart

psalms 37:4

Greetings from across the pond!

So my Buddy Ryan is also sharing his Spain story with friends and family back home. The title of his blog is La Vida Dulce or “The Sweet Life”. I think that this blog title is a pretty accurate picture of my time spent here so far. The challenges of adapting to a new place are fading away rapidly, which making the small victories that much sweeter. I haven’t even been here a month, but I have experienced quite a bit, and I’m looking forward to more.

These structures, painting and works of art are stupid cool/incredible. I was talking to a friend recently about all these amazing things and how I don’t really grasp the concept of time. By that I mean I can really only imagine what 100 years might be, and anything past that it is difficult to wrap my mind around. It’s almost unfathomable thinking about what it must have been like in the 4th century when the Romans were still hanging out on this peninsula. Thoughts and conversation like this cannot help but lead to the topic of eternity. Focusing on things that will last forever is something that I’ve been convicted of lately. How often do we talk about the weather or the score of game and fail to really connect with people. I guess it’s out of ease or the desire to avoid a potential awkward situation that our conversations stick to arbitrary things. I know this last week I’ve really connected conversationally with a few new people, something that I have not been particularly comfortable with in the past.

So as you may know there is a tradition in Spain called Siesta! Siesta generally happens between 2 and 5 in the afternoon. This is a time were most businesses shut down and people go home for a long lunch and maybe a 30 min power nap. I guess I had in my head that the nap was the most important part of la siesta. After 2 days of napping for over 2 hours Leo (my spainish Madre) gave me a hard time. She told me that I couldn’t be doing that, with a sweet joking tone. Needless to say I’m learning more and more from this Culture.
I'm starting the process of planing out some trips, and I’m finding that there are a lot more details than I thought in all this mess. Fortunately I’m not going it alone. Mr. JD Stark has already trotted some of the grounds where we will be heading, and Mr. Viner is a straight ninja so I’m sure we’ll figure it out.

Miss ya'll

Paz,

-rob

p.s. If you get a chance to watch The Spain England Match tomorrow I think Its 4 O'clock eastern. I'll Be the one with Red and Yellow face paint wearing the Spainsh Flag around my Neck as a Cape.

Vale! Venga!

Sorry for the long delay. Let me fill you in on life in Sevilla.
I arrived here a little over a week ago and have not quite fully adjusted to Spanish city life, but I’m getting there. I don’t mind using public transportation, staying out late, sharing a very small room, and living with a very sweet older Spanish lady named Lenor. Actually these are some of the things I really enjoy about this place.













There is a comfort in the chaos that is public transportation. I really never know what I’m going to get when I step on the bus, but a lot of the time I have the chance to practice a little Spanish and meet new/interesting people. It has been great.

As far as going out goes, the Spanish really know what they are doing. The last two nights I’ve gone out I didn’t leave the discothèque until 5 a.m. and the places were still jam packed. It’s frowned upon big time to be intoxicated so no worries mom and dad, I’m trying to give Americans a better image over here. One last thing about going out to dance clubs, none of the Spaniards really know how to dance. Maybe I’m going to the wrong places, but this has really surprised me. That being said I’m trying to share the wealth of dance knowledge that my friend Story so graciously shared with me.













So a lot of people told me that everything is smaller in Europe, due to the large amount of people in a small area I guess, but it still has been a shock. The cars, showers, supply of hot water, and even the people (not many fat people here) are all examples. The only thing that’s a lot larger here are the sugar packets you get with your espresso/café con leche. I mean huge! So the room is a little smaller, but not bad at all, and I’m sharing it with a fun guy named Andrew who is from Virginia. We have had a good time exploring the city together.

And Lenor! Muy Amable! She is really taking care of me. The meals are very different but they have been amazing. I have liked everything except for the rice pudding, and Andrew ate the rest of mine so Leo (Lenor) wouldn’t know. This past Thursday I was enjoying all there is to enjoy with a full stomach, when I told Leo how much I enjoyed the meal. She gave my belly a little pat and said “te gusta mi cocina” you like my cooking. Si claro. Ha she is great.

















One thing that I have missed dearly is the community that comes from being around other believers in Christ. Ryan and I met yesterday in Plaza de Jerez to pray for our time here and also to listen to a pod cast. I left really challenged and refreshed. I’m stoked to have Ryan and JD along for this adventure.

Sevilla is a large City, but even here the Spanish way of life over rules the fast paced life that normally accompanies a city. At first I was somewhat frustrated with the way things were done here. Maybe frustrated isn’t a good way to describe it. Unproductive/inefficient are the words I used to describe it to a friend. But my new friend JD helped me see it from another light. It’s not really that they are inefficient they just value different things here and one happens to be not rushing. Who am I, a 20 year old America, to say the Spanish have it wrong. I think I have a lot to learn from them.

In short it’s very different than Clemson, South Carolina, but I’m really growing to love Sevilla, and I know I have a lot to learn while I am here.

Thanks for the prayers

-rob