Italia and some pilgriming

The past month has been so full of learning! I feel bittersweet about going back to Texas. Spain is so much fun, but I miss doing normal American things.

The Camino!

I kicked off our two weeks of Easter vacation with a bit of hiking along the coast of Northern Spain. What an awesome 4 days of  fellowship and experiencing more of God's magnificent creation! The Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, is a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain, where supposedly the remains of the apostle James are buried. There are several different pilgrimage paths all across Europe and this is a very popular trip to take during the Easter holiday. We started in Irún, which is almost in France, and finished in Deba. The most influential part of the "Camino", for me, was talking to my friends from Florida, Ireland, Colombia and Bilbao. We all come from different backgrounds but we are children of the same God and I have learned so much from these awesome women! It is also cool to think about what our hiking gear represents while on the pilgrimage. The backpack is the weight that we, as humans, carry on our shoulders. The yellow arrows that we follow to stay on the correct path symbolize the way that God has prepared for us. The water bottles that we carried to quench our thirst...I could go on and on. It was beautiful.

Venice :)

I spent the second week of our Easter vacation in Italy. All in all, I like Spain better! One thing I have learned about traveling is that you spend lots of money. My friend, Danairy, and I went to 7 cities in 7 days with a large group of tourists from Spain. At several points throughout the trip I found myself asking, "why am I here?" I am a 21 year old college student just livin' it up in Italy. I felt so spoiled and undeserving of all the opportunities I have been blessed with. I really loved Italy and would love to return to Venice one day on a romantic getaway :)

Here are some little "cuentos", or stories, 
that I would like to share.

Day trip with Chus and the dog, Tara

On Sunday, Chus took me to see the famous "Puente Colgante", or Hanging Bridge, in the town where she grew up- Portugalete! It was so much fun! We talked about how much I still have to learn and she motivated me to keep trying because I still have a few weeks to practice speaking Spanish! It is so easy to talk with Chus about EVERYTHING. It would be against my better judgment to write these conversations in my blog. :)

Uxue came into my room the other day to read Cinderella in Spanish. She is learning how to read. It took about at least 30 minutes.

Bonus Picture! Chus and the kids on the balcony

I discovered a new plaza by my house the other day that I had never seen before! I think this is a sign that there is still SO much to learn here.

The other day, my friend Brianna and I were trying to find this bookstore in a pretty confusing neighborhood and we ended up making an 85-year old friend! We asked this lovely lady for directions, and she showed us the church where she was baptized, told us about her neighborhood, and introduced us to her friends. Talking to the locals is so rewarding!

My last day of class was today, but they moved it to 10am instead of 12pm without my knowledge so I missed it! Great way to end the semester. Ha.

Today, I danced with Chus in the kitchen and learned some karate from the kids.

Two things I am extremely excited about: One trip to Madrid with my super cool sisters. One trip to the rest of Europe with my pretty cool friend who is a boy. Woohoo!

This weekend I am hanging out with lots of Spanish people, saying more goodbyes to American friends, and studying, of course. 

Hasta Pronto!

Michelle