The End…?

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Wow. It feels like I was sitting in my bed at home typing my pre-departure blog just yesterday. But here I am, four months later, sitting in the same position, writing my final blog. My experience studying abroad in Ireland was fantastic! I can genuinely say that I loved everything about it (both the good and the bad). However, I am so glad to be home. Before I begin reflecting on my experience, I want to tell you a story. In my Medieval Literature class, we read an Arthurian legend called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Here’s a very simplified version of the story:

Our story begins with King Arthur in his court celebrating a Christmas feast. The feast is interrupted by a mysterious Green Knight who offers Arthur a unique proposition. The Green Knight’s proposal is simple: Arthur can strike the Green Knight’s neck (unchallenged)– if the Green Knight dies, Arthur wins the axe, but if the Green Knight survives, Arthur will have to face a return blow in precisely one year. Arthur wants to accept the challenge, but after some deliberation, Gawain decides to take Arthur’s place. Gawain takes the axe, holds it high overhead, and THUNK! The axe passes cleanly through the Green Knight’s neck, and his head is chopped off. Blood spurts everywhere, and as you can probably imagine, it’s a very gory scene. But here’s the thing– the Green Knight stands up, picks up his head, and says to Gawain, “See ya in a year!” and rides away on his horse. As you can imagine, Gawain is terrified. About nine months pass, and then Gawain sets off to find the Green Knight’s castle to receive his return blow. On his journey to the Green Knight’s castle, he faces several trials and tribulations (I won’t spoil them for you), and he eventually meets the Green Knight to receive his return blow. Spoiler alert: Gawain survives. Gawain returns home from his quest triumphant, but when he arrives back at Arthur’s kingdom, he feels like something is off. He’s gone on this great adventure, learned much about himself, survived, and even though he’s looked forward to returning home, his home feels uncanny. He feels out of place among his friends and family. And that’s how the story ends.

The reason I retold that entire story is because I feel like Gawain. Everything has been surreal and uncanny since returning home about two weeks ago. Sometimes, it hasn’t felt like I’m even at home. Other times, I’ve felt like a stranger in my homeland. To apply a modern term, what I and Gawain have experienced is called “reverse culture shock.”

Supposedly, it can be worse than standard culture shock, but I have yet to experience anything worse than the culture shock I dealt with in my first two weeks in Ireland. Most of the reverse culture shock I’ve experienced involves little things here and there. Here are a few examples:

  1. Paper towels. Paper towels are in public restrooms here! The bathrooms in Ireland only had air dryers, which I dislike. Yes, I understand it’s better for the environment, but my hands don’t get dried unless I stand there forever. God bless America and her paper towels!
  2. Single-use plastics. There were some single-use plastics in Ireland, but not nearly as many as in the United States. I would encourage you to count how much plastic you use daily. You’ll probably be shocked. I’ve noticed that I use more plastic in the US, mainly because I’ve been drinking coffee after coffee from my Keurig. 
  3. Water in the toilet bowl. The toilets in the US have SO MUCH water in them that’s unnecessary. Toilets in the US have probably five times the amount of water as toilets in Ireland. I don’t understand why there’s so much. It’s wasteful, and quite frankly, it splashes.
  4. Traffic. Galway has the worst traffic in Ireland. Ireland has some of the worst traffic in Europe. Although I never drove in Ireland and rarely rode in cars, I was constantly surrounded by traffic. Driving in South Dakota/Minnesota has been weird. I drove 14 miles on Highway 14 at around 10 am on a Friday without seeing a car. I’m genuinely from the middle of nowhere– and I’m okay with that! On a side note, I’m enjoying the silence of being at home. Instead of waking up to the sound of traffic in the morning, I wake up to birds chirping.

Shifting gears, I’d like to reflect a bit on my experience by answering some questions that I’ve been asked to answer:

  1. What are you most proud of?
    • I met an American girl in my study abroad group. I could not stand her from the moment I met her. She drove me up a wall and pushed my buttons. We had very differing views on several things. I wanted to avoid her, but instead, I forced myself to try to get to know her and enjoy her presence. Guess what? I ended up getting along with her and now consider her a friend. I’m very proud that I didn’t take the easy way out by avoiding her. Instead, I tried my hardest to show her Christian love and was rewarded with a new friend.
  2. What would you do differently if you could?
    • I mentioned earlier that I loved everything, both the good and the bad. While that is the truth (because I don’t believe in wasting time on “what ifs”), if I had to change one thing, I probably would’ve picked a bigger city to live in. By the second weekend I was in Galway, I had seen everything there is to see in Galway. If I had gone to a bigger city, there would’ve been more great things to explore and see. 
  3. What will you incorporate into your life back home?
    • I kept a daily journal in Ireland and plan to continue to journal daily. I did a poor job when I first arrived home, but I’ve been getting back into the habit in the past few days. In my daily journal, I wrote a prayer each day, and the most sensational experience I’ve had is reading old prayers and seeing how God has answered them.
  4. What are you most grateful for?
    • I am most grateful for the opportunities I had to travel at the end of my semester. I visited London, Madrid, Rome, and Florence in two weeks. I loved London– there were so many cool things to see– and my favorite was seeing a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in the Globe Theater. 100% worth it. Madrid was charming, and I loved my time with the best tour guides I could ask for, Sarah and Alaina! I did not care so much for Italy. While I loved the history, ancient landmarks, and artworks, I despised the infrastructure and the tourists. Yes, I know I was a tourist, but there were simply too many people. I also found the cities to be dirty and the air quality terrible. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all of my experiences traveling.
  5. How have you seen God’s hand in your experience abroad? What unexpected blessings or provision have you seen?
    • I saw God’s hand everywhere, especially in answered and unanswered prayers. It surprised me, but when I think of the times that God felt the furthest away from me, he tended to be closer than ever.
    • Some unexpected blessings were the opportunities to make good Christian friends and learn about other Christian beliefs. After interacting with Christians of various denominations, I became more convicted of my personal beliefs. Also, changing my major to the pastor track was entirely unexpected!
  6. What advice would you give future semester-abroad students?
    • Do your research. I went into my experience without knowing much about where I was going. I also didn’t know much about the university I would attend. I would’ve benefited from more time exploring the internet and learning about where I would live for 3.5 months.
    • Know yourself. I think one of the keys to the success of my study abroad experience was making sure that I prioritized what I needed to do to take care of myself. For example, I always made sure that I had plenty to eat. I made sure I slept enough. I made sure I set aside time for reading and writing each day. I went to the gym multiple times per week. In other words, I developed a routine and stuck to it. By having control over my daily routine, I could deal with many of the uncontrollable aspects of studying abroad with grace and a clear mind.

Now that I’ve returned from Ireland, what’s next for me? Well, I’m headed to work. I’ve started working in the warehouse at Millborn Seeds (my family’s business), bagging seed mixes and preparing shipments. I worked there in high school all the time, and (surprisingly) I’m having fun “reliving my glory days.” Not only am I working in the warehouse, but I’m also helping my Dad with some cowboy work. I’ve tagged along several days to help check cattle and help with anything my Dad might need. Sometimes, it’s as simple as opening a gate; other times, it’s holding a ferocious calf in a chute to prevent it from kicking me. I love it all. It is gratifying to do honest work with my hands.

I’ll continue to work for about a month until I leave for Buenos Aires, Argentina, for my second Spanish immersion trip. I’ll be spending five weeks studying Spanish literature this year, and I’m incredibly excited. Once I return from that trip at the end of June, I’ll move back to New Ulm, where I’ll be house-sitting for Professor Degner and bartending at the New Ulm Country Club. Once August hits, I’ll return to school, beginning my studies in Greek, Hebrew, and Theology. I’m thrilled for the future.

Finally, I’d like to end with a special treat:

“David, you’ve read all those books (33.5 in total). Which ones would you recommend?”

  1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous
  2. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
  3. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
  4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  5. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  6. Stoner by John Williams
  7. Summertime by J.M. Coetzee

Thank you for reading my blog(s). I enjoyed writing them as much as I enjoyed studying abroad. I found all of the writing and reflection that I did valuable for my experience.

Photos explained:

  1. My view in the Globe Theater
  2. Passing time with my lovely tour guides in Madrid
  3. Teaching my friends about Donatello’s Marble David in Florence
  4. A photo from checking cattle

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

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If I am being honest, one of my biggest fears going into my study abroad experience was how my faith life would change while studying abroad in Ireland. I must confess I have a track record of being a weak Christian and not always taking my faith seriously. As I prepared to leave for Ireland, I thought about my first semester of college.

I was a freshman at Iowa State University studying Agricultural Business. Like most people at that age and in that position, I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I had moved hundreds of miles away from home, had no friends, and wasn’t in the best frame of mind. To keep a long story short, my first semester of college was a terrible experience, and one of the only things I remember is the constant pain of loneliness that I felt. I knew the answer to my problem at the time: go to God. Yet, for whatever reason, I didn’t turn to him. I floundered. I forgot about God. I skipped church. My prayer life? Nonexistent. I was on a downward spiral and losing my faith quickly. By the grace of God, I was able to get back on the right track.

Considering that that period of my life was the only significant length of time that I hadn’t been surrounded by fellow believers, I was nervous about how my time in Ireland would go. Therefore, I entered my study abroad experience with a plan for my personal faith life. Here was my plan of things to do to help nurture my faith:

  1. Daily Bible reading. I have been reading a daily Bible in a year plan since October of 2023. I continued to do my daily readings and reflect on them.
  2. Daily prayer entry. Not only did I journal daily, but I also wrote out a prayer each day. One of the most significant flaws with my prayer life is that my mind tends to wander. I’ve found that my mind stays more focused when I write my prayers. It’s also fantastic to read some of my prayers from throughout the experience and see how God answered them.
  3. Devotions. As a way to practice my Spanish and grow in my faith, Time of Grace ministries offer their daily email devotion in Spanish, so I’ve been reading those each day. I also took the opportunity to write a couple of devotions for fun.
  4. Reading. If you’ve kept up with my previous blogs, you would know I’ve read many books this semester. As of now, I’ve read 33 books. A couple of these books were Christian books. Most Christian books are practical, easily accessible, and present God’s Word in an easily digestible way.
  5. Church. Living in the age of live-streamed church services is excellent, but it’s nothing like attending a real church. Watching church online is fine, but it robs you of the opportunity to engage with fellow believers. Since COVID, many Christians have forgotten the great benefit of encouragement from seeing fellow believers every Sunday. I knew I needed to seek out a church, so I did some church exploring during my time in Ireland.

Overall, all of these things together have proved to be beneficial for my faith. My personal devotional life has never been so consistent and ardent. I can honestly say that my faith grew this semester. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes from hearing the message”– the more the message about Christ was in my daily life, the more joy, hope, grace, and love flourished within my life. I also found a change in my mindset about my faith occurred. I began to stop looking at my faith as a monotonous checklist of things I needed to do. I quit seeing my faith life through “transactional” eyes. For example, by integrating more of God’s Word into my daily life, going to church on Sunday morning seemed less of a chore. Rather than seeing church as something to get through or “clocking in” with God, I was looking forward to worship. I suddenly found myself wanting to worship God. It was a radical change for the better, and I know the only reason it happened was through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

I mentioned that I went church exploring in Ireland. As I mentioned, I wanted to find a church because Christian fellowship is vital. I also approached visiting these churches with differing doctrine as an opportunity to learn about other Christians’ beliefs and how to defend what I believe. Here’s how the process of church exploring went:

  1. The first Sunday I was in Galway, I attended a Methodist church. It was a small church with about thirty members. When I first walked into the church, I was greeted by an amiable lady, and I felt welcomed instantly. However, you can imagine my surprise at the start of the church service when that same lady walked to the front of the church and began to lead the worship service. Aside from the female Pastor, the service was okay. It had some liturgy, but it was mostly singing and a sermon. At the end of the service, I talked to some members about what the church believed and discovered they had very theologically liberal beliefs. Needless to say, I didn’t return the following Sunday.
  2. In my first week in Galway, I attended Catholic mass in the Galway cathedral. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “A Lutheran went to Catholic mass?!” Yes, I went to mass. I was curious to observe it because I had never attended a Catholic service. I was surprised by how similar the liturgy of the service was to a Lutheran service. But I didn’t really care for the veneration of Mary, so I didn’t return.
  3. I inadvertently attended a Pentecostal service. The University of Galway’s campus had posters for a Christian society called “Believers Connect.” With a name like that, it sounded like a great place to meet fellow Christians and potentially make new friends. I found their meeting time and place and arrived a bit early. I entered the meeting space and talked to some people who seemed normal. The service started with a guy on a Yamaha keyboard playing random chords and constantly repeating the words of Philippians 2:10-11 “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.” This went on for about ten minutes before it finally ended. Then, someone else walked up and said that we would be doing “group prayer.” When I heard that, I assumed that someone would lead a prayer. I was wrong. “Group prayer” meant that everyone said their own individual prayers aloud. I didn’t participate, and I couldn’t even focus amid the chaos of several people all saying their prayers. Then, out of nowhere, a girl started pacing back and forth and began speaking in tongues! I was severely uncomfortable and probably should’ve left, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I stuck it out. Once the prayer time ended, the Pastor of the church showed up. Honestly, the rest of the service is a blur. The Pastor free-styled the “sermon” for 45 minutes, and I quickly got the impression that I had entered a church not with Jesus Christ as its head but a church with that Pastor as its head. I promptly left after the service, disgusted with the heresy and prayerful that God would cause the members of that church to realize the folly of their church’s teachings.
  4. Despite the atrocious experience with the Pentecostals, I wasn’t deterred from checking out another Christian society on campus. I attended my first Dochas Christian Society meeting and immediately realized that fellow believers surrounded me. They were welcoming and kind, and I quickly felt like I belonged. I met Eli (whom I interviewed for my previous blog), and he invited me to attend his church on Sunday. Curious, I went, and Covenant Christian Fellowship became my temporary church home for the semester. Covenant Christian Fellowship is a Reformed Presbyterian church, and while I do not agree with all of their doctrine, I did agree on the essentials and got to hear law and gospel every Sunday. I got involved in the church, and I like several aspects of it. It cannot be overstated how friendly and welcoming everyone was; they had a true community of believers. The members were also Evangelicals, and our shared belief in the importance of sharing the gospel was a common ground we could meet on. I appreciated the Pastor. He was well-trained in the scriptures, and I thought he was a strong leader who exemplified the characteristics of a called worker very well. While we did have a lot in common, the church had some differences that made me appreciate the WELS even more. First, they had a doctrine of the Sabbath, which essentially meant that they didn’t conduct worship services on any other day besides Sundays– I missed having an Ash Wednesday and Good Friday service to go to. Their services were also quite different– they were organized, but they didn’t have a liturgy, and they didn’t sing hymns. Instead, we sang psalms acapella, listened to scripture readings, and VERY long sermons, frequently as long as 40 minutes, often meaning that the average church service would be 1.5 hours. While I appreciated the in-depth exegesis that the Pastor did for each sermon, it was usually hard to pay attention if I didn’t take sermon notes. I also missed parts of the Lutheran liturgy, especially confession/absolution, reciting the creeds, and hymns. 
  5. Finally, I got involved in the Dochas Christian Society, which has helped me in various ways. I made lots of Christian friends, and I was able to interact with them each week. I met so many people with very different backgrounds than my own, and it was interesting to talk to them about what they believed. I also got very involved. I did some street evangelism and led a Bible study on the book of Jonah! I loved learning about other Christians’ beliefs and sharing my Lutheran views. It surprised me that no one had ever really heard of Lutheran theology and what made it different from most Protestant theology. I underestimated how unique my beliefs are, especially concerning the sacraments. I’ll be honest: I did a terrible job explaining my beliefs, and I wasn’t always “prepared to answer” (1 Peter 3:15). Meeting so many people with different beliefs than mine forced me to research and consider why I believe what I believe. As a result, I became much more confident and assured that what the WELS teaches is correct.

My time in Ireland was edifying for my faith. By God’s grace, I grew in my faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. All these experiences and time spent in God’s Word caused me to reflect on what I’m doing with my life. After careful consideration and prayer, I decided to change my career path. So, when I return to MLC in the fall, I will not be studying to be an English teacher; instead, I will be training to be a pastor! I want to be very clear that I did not have a “vision from God” or hear the voice of God in my head, but instead, I believe that God placed certain things in my life to cause me to think about how I could best serve him. After all of the experience that I gained in Ireland, I can genuinely say that there is nothing that I’d rather do than serve God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. God has blessed me with gifts and talents to be a pastor and a teacher. Both are excellent ministry opportunities, and I believe I could serve God well in either capacity. However, similar to the old adage about rectangles and squares, all pastors can be (and are) teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. Therefore, if I trained to be a pastor, I would be opening myself up to even more opportunities to serve God, and I could maximize the use of my gifts and talents.

All in all, the most valuable thing that happened to me in Ireland was the opportunity that it gave me to reflect on my beliefs and career path. If there’s anything I learned, it’s that solitude and pondering benefit me. I would also encourage others to find ways to “turn down the noise” of our everyday lives and take intentional time to reflect on their beliefs and purpose in life. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad and learn more about myself. I look forward to my future training and gospel ministry.

Photos explained:

  1. A photo of the Galway Cathedral
  2. A terribly blurry photo of me doing street evangelism
  3. Easter Sunday service with the fellow MLC study abroad students!
  4. Photo from inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome!

The Weight of a Conversation

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“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

A couple of days ago, I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite author’s graves: C.S. Lewis. Lewis is most famous for writing the children’s fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis spent a good portion of his life as a strong atheist. However, after many serious conversations with his Christian friend J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis eventually came to faith and became a great Christian apologist writer. During World War II, Lewis delivered numerous sermons at church, the most impactful being The Weight of Glory. The quote above is taken from this sermon.

The key point behind the quote is that ordinary people do not exist. Every single person you come across has a soul. The interactions you have with strangers and people off the street may seem boring or ordinary at first glance, but you don’t know the true impact you have on those people’s lives; only God does. Material things fade and disappear, but humans have souls and will live on in either eternal bliss or suffering. People are far greater than ordinary. 

I have gotten to meet many great people from other cultures while studying abroad. Besides getting close to several Brits, I have gotten to know people from Australia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and Italy. Particularly with my British friends, I have noticed interesting differences in greetings compared to those in the States. For example, whenever my British flatmates come into the kitchen, they say “you alright?” to me. At first, I was confused by this phrase. I was worried that I looked stressed or tired to them, and they wanted to know if I was genuinely okay. Quickly enough, I learned that the British phrase “you alright?” is the equivalent of saying “how are you?” to someone in the States. Another interesting greeting is in how Brits text one another. The British end almost all their text messages with XX. It is somewhat similar to how people in the States use emojis at the end of their texts. XX is a friendly or affectionate way to end a text, showing that you care about the other person you are texting. 

Throughout my time here at the University of Roehampton, I have gotten to know one of my British flatmates, Holly, pretty well. Holly is in her second year at Roehampton. She lives in a small town about 20 minutes north of Bath, England. One thing that has brought Holly and me together is the fact that we are both studying Education. 

Holly had to decide she wanted to be a teacher by age 16. In the UK, secondary school goes on until the age of 16. After that, students take the GCSEs, the US equivalent of taking the ACT. If students want to continue their education, they go on to A-levels from ages 16-18. A-levels are designed to help prepare students for University. Before going into A-levels, students must pick three areas they want to specialize in. In other words, they have to choose what majors and careers they want for their future. Holly said she always knew she loved kids and wanted to be a teacher, but having to choose at 16 was a little scary and daunting. 

Uni (or University) is only three years for UK students, while in the US, it is typically an average of four years. While at Roehampton, Holly takes many methods courses on teaching. She also has to spend several weeks at her placement. Placement is very similar to MLC’s early field experience or clinical. Holly spends time in a classroom teaching, observing, and planning lessons. The only difference is that UK placement is more frequent and lasts longer than MLC’s clinical. Holly is given a placement every year at Uni. For her first year, she spent three weeks at placement; for her second year, she spent six weeks at placement; and for her third year, she will spend three months at placement. Every placement is with a different age level. Currently, Holly is with Year 4 students (third grade in the US). After Holly graduates Uni, she will go on to teach in a school. However, she must teach for two years after graduation to become a teacher “officially.”  

Holly also loves to travel, just like I do. However, the travel philosophy is slightly different in the UK compared to the States. In the United States, most people go on vacation and travel to a different city in their home state or a different state. In the UK, people go on holidays (vacation). Brits tend to get longer holidays than people in the US. Holly has traveled to the US, France, Greece, Italy, and many other European countries. She is also planning a trip this summer to Tanzania in Africa. Whenever I ask Holly about cities in England or tell her about my day trips, she seems less familiar with those areas. She has hardly traveled to many of the cities in England, even though they are only a few hours away. Most people in the UK spend holidays in other countries and spend less time focused on traveling to their own country. This is due to the fact that Europe is so close and other countries are only a cheap flight away. 

I love sitting down and having cultural conversations with Holly. Even though we are of a similar age and are going on the same career path, there are so many differences in both of our cultures and societies. After asking Holly numerous questions about the UK, she responded back with many questions about the US. I spent 20 minutes explaining the US healthcare system to her. She was baffled! In the UK, healthcare is essentially free. Citizens only have to pay a small tax fee every year, and they can go to the doctor and get medicine without having any extra charges. 

I am grateful for the relationship I have formed with Holly. These cultural relationships I have formed here have opened my mind and perspective on the world around me. Sometimes we get closed off to thinking the world is only seen through our own eyes and viewpoint. Sharon Salzberg stated that “Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope.” Billions of people live in the world. Billions of people have experienced different joys, pains, and journeys. Our own journey is a small fraction of the world’s kaleidoscope. 

Highlights since my last post:

  • I took a day trip to Cardiff, Wales
  • I took a trip to Madrid, Spain
  • I took a day trip to Oxford
  • I saw Les Misérables at London’s West End
  • I went to a Queen Park Ranger’s football (soccer) game 

Cardiff Castle in Wales

Street view of Madrid, Spain

I went hiking in Surrey Hills National Park in England

University of Oxford

Till we meet again,

Alison Foxen

Lo Que Quieres

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“Lo que quieres” means “whatever you want.” Our topic for this blog entry is whatever we want it to be about. Honestly, I think this is more difficult than having a topic assigned. I like to know the end goal, especially when it’s an “assignment.” 

I’ve had the opportunity to do “lo que quiero” while studying abroad in Spain. One of the most outstanding, in my opinion, is the ability to travel. I’ve mentioned a few places in former entries, but I’m going to take some time to further detail the places I’ve been blessed to visit.

 

February 10 – Toledo, Spain

This was a day trip put on by our study-abroad program. We took a bus there and started the day with a tour from the bus. We drove around the outside of the city, admiring the huge walls protecting it. We visited el Ministerio de San Juan de los Reyes, la Sinogaga de Santa Maria La Blanca, la Iglesia de Santo Tome, and el Catedral de Toledo. In the Church of Saint Thomas, we saw El Greco’s famous painting, “The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.” I also enjoyed visiting the cathedral, which is still in use, and finding the “secret” entrances up to the 3 large organs. 

 

February 16 – Segovia, Spain

This was another day trip, but I only went with Alaina and Sarah this time. We took the bus there, and our first stop was los acueductos, which are amazing to think about historically. We wandered the streets, and Alaina and I found a bookstore of a former host-dad. When we visited Spain about 5 years ago, the dad of our host family showed us his bookstore, and after all this time, we could find it again. Unfortunately, it was closed when we walked past it. Our next stop was at an adorable bakery for a snack on the way to Plaza Mayor, where el Catedral de Segovia is located. Our tour of the cathedral took us up 190 steps to the top of the bell tower. From there, we saw breathtaking views of the Alcazar, the mountains, and the villages. After the tour and lunch, we visited the Alcazar, which inspired Cinderella’s castle in the Disney movie. We climbed the tower here and admired the views once again. We splurged on some churros with chocolate and walked along the wall to admire the sunset. 

 

February 22-25 – Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal

 Technically, our trip to Portugal started on Thursday the 22nd, but we only rode a bus for 8 hours, so there was little to share. When we woke up in our hostel on Friday, we were greeted by a rainbow outside our window. It rained on and off during the morning but eventually cleared up. The morning highlight was the viewpoint of Santa Luiza. From there we walked to see the outside of the cathedral. We sprinted through the rain to the Time Out Market and got lunch at Janis cafe. We took a train to the neighborhood of Belen to see el Torre de Belen, a beautiful castle right on the beach. (This was my favorite part of the afternoon.) We also took the historic Tram 28 to see the main sights of Lisbon. Next, we went to el Convento de Carmen. We trekked up a never-ending hill to the viewpoint of Senhora de Monte. We could see beautiful colors in the sunset before the clouds covered it. A little fun note: our waiter at the restaurant we went to for dinner was from Argentina, so we all got to talk with him about that from our time studying there. 

The next day we had a trip to the nearby town of Sintra. We traveled with a few other adults from the States and made some new friends. Miguel, our guide, took us to the “downtown” area and then up to the Quinta de Regaleira, a beautiful palace with a castle and lots of greenery. We explored the gardens and went inside the caves and the well. Next, we drove to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost part of Europe (contiguously, I believe). The view of the ocean was breathtaking as we climbed on the rocky shore. After lunch, we went to Pena Palace, a colorful building influenced by 5 different countries’ styles. And Sunday was another 8 hours on the bus. 

 

March 2-3 – Salamanca, Spain

We stopped at El Escorial de San Lorenzo on the bus ride to Salamanca. This trip through ISA provided us with a monastery tour, followed by some free time to explore the area and get lunch. We would’ve explored more if the weather wasn’t rainy and cold. We drove the rest of the way to the hotel and had the night to explore the area. 

The following day, we had a tour of the University of Salamanca, the oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in Europe. After that, I visited the Museo Art Nouveau, which had some fantastic modern art. After a little more free time, we took the bus back to Madrid. 

 

March 15-17 – Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

On Friday the 15, Alaina, Sarah, and I flew to the south of Tenerife. We took a taxi to a nearby town to get some groceries, but from there, we had to walk in the hot weather to the hostel. We couldn’t check in right away, so we left our stuff and went to the beach, a 5 minute walk away. We were there for a little over an hour before coming back. We made some dinner and returned to the beach to catch the sunset. 

The next day, we walked into the town to get some brunch. We walked along the wall by the beach until we found a little entrance to climb down the rocks. We spent some time in this swimming area before returning to our hostel. We found the natural pools and swam around there for a little less than an hour. We finished walking back to the hostel, played some cards, and ordered a pizza to eat on the beach at sunset. (We went to bed early before we had to be up at 4 am for our flight, but that part isn’t exciting.)

 

March 22-29 – Madrid, Granada, Barcelona, Spain

This was my spring break, and I had visitors! My parents, my aunt, and my uncle came to visit me in Spain. Day one, after they landed, we spent in Madrid. I showed them my campus and walked to the famous Puerta del Sol. Our next stop was San Gines for the legendary churros with chocolate, and we also took a few minutes to listen to the group of 6 strings players. We then took the metro to Retiro Park, the most well-known part of Madrid. The main attractions were the glass palace and the peacocks in the gardens! Later, we tried to watch the sunset at Templo de Debod, a park near my place, but it was cloudy. 

Day 2 started with breakfast at Starbucks before visiting the Reina Sofia art museum, which features some modern art. After lunch (Italian food!), we went to the train station to go to Granada. We walked to our hotel and explored the area to find a good location for dinner. 

After breakfast at our hotel, we took a thin little bus up the hill to the Alhambra. Even after being there before, I still was in awe at how pretty it was. Our tour guide did a great job explaining the history as we went along. We wandered on our own for a bit, then returned to the city for lunch. Next, we went to the Royal Chapel and saw the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella. We continued wandering the area and ordered some dinner since we didn’t want to go out with all the festivities outside the street. Our final activity of the night was a flamenco show. The dancers, singer, and guitarist were all spectacular. 

Our flight to Barcelona was in the morning, and from the airport, we metroed (is that a verb?) to get to our VRBO. We explored the area, including a nearby big market, and got lunch. We wandered more (yes, that’s a common time-filler for us) and settled into the VRBO before our sunset cruise. It downpoured the entire way to the dock, which worried us but cleared up. We talked with some people from Canada and our skippers as we snacked and took in the sights. We returned to our neighborhood and had dinner before calling it a night.

A train in the morning took us to a nearby city where we would spend our day. We walked from the train station and continued wandering until we found a spot for some lunch. Next, we visited the Dali Museum. Super cool art; that man was talented. We got some ice cream as a little snack before the train ride. Unfortunately, the entire walk/sprint back to the station was downpouring. We couldn’t even hide from it. The soaked ride back wasn’t the most enjoyable, but we made warm pizzas and played cards at the VRBO.

The next day, we took the metro to the Sagrada Familia. We got brunch and walked a lap around the cathedral. The inside was breathtaking. The stained glass windows had so many colors that illuminated the space. We got to go up the Nativity tower, which gave us a nice view of Barcelona and took the spiral staircase back down. We got some lunch and got our stuff to go back to Madrid. 

The weather wasn’t as good as we had hoped, so we decided not to do a day trip to Segovia. Instead, we got some breakfast and then walked to Plaza de Espana. From there, we took a bus tour of the city. We got off at the shopping area for souvenirs and clothes. We walked a bit more, then returned to the bus for a few more stops. We got off at the Prado Museum, where we spent a couple of hours admiring some of the works. I’ve been multiple times but still haven’t seen all the artwork! 

The next day would be our last one together. We got breakfast at a cafe near my residence and took the metro to the airport. We said our goodbyes, and I started my next adventure.

 

March 29-April 2 – Dublin, Ireland and London, England

After the flight to Dublin, my friend Grayce and I got settled in our hostel and got some dinner. We walked around the area. And, of course, Dublin is known for its Guinness beer, so we tried some. But neither of us like beer, so we gave it a low rating. 

We started the next day with brunch. We wandered and browsed some shops and visited Trinity College. After lunch, we took a (slow!) bus to the airport. Somehow, we made our flight and got to London. We got to our hostel, which wasn’t easy from the Stansted airport, and got some dinner.

This brings us to Easter day! Grayce and I walked with Alaina and Sarah from the hostel to a brunch place, where we met with Allie and David. We caught up and walked to the London mission church. We mingled and participated in our first WELS service since arriving in Spain. Singing “I Know that My Redeemer Lives” was powerful, even with a small congregation. Grayce isn’t religious, so I had the opportunity to share with her and answer her questions. We walked back, taking the path along London Bridge (thank goodness it didn’t fall), giving us a good view of the Tower Bridge. Later, we met David for dinner and went out briefly that night. 

The next day, we got coffee and pastries to prep us for our tourist day. We started with the National Gallery, my favorite museum so far. We saw paintings by Van Gogh, including “Sunflowers.” From there, we walked to Big Ben and saw the London Eye from the nearby bridge. We got some Chipotle (taste of home?) for lunch and honestly didn’t do anything interesting the rest of the day because we had a morning flight back to Madrid. 

 

April 5-7 – Prague, Czech Republic

I never thought I’d want to go to the Czech Republic, but it has been one of my favorite places so far. My friend Emily and I flew out on a Friday morning. After lunch and checking in, we explored our area around the “Old Town.” Walking across the bridge, we saw some of the main attractions from a distance. Back at our hostel, we were provided a free dinner, allowing us to talk with some of the other people staying there. We were able to go out with a few of them that night. 

The next day, Emily and I planned some time with two girls we met at the hostel, Emily (yes, another one) and Isabel. Our first stop was a flea market down by the river. The ambiance was so cute! We wandered around the area looking for lunch as we went to the meeting point for our free walking tour. This is when we saw many attractions: Prague Castle, Strahov Monastery, St. Vitus Cathedral, and Salm Palace. After dinner with our new friends, we walked along the canal and talked for a few hours. Eventually, Emily and I got to bed for our early flight. 

 

April 12-14 – Granada, Spain

This was a 3-day trip with the ISA program. So even though I had already seen almost everything we would see, it would be a bit different because of the people I was with. We took a bus down the Granada and started with some free time for lunch. Then, early in the evening, we had a little walking tour to a beautiful viewpoint. From there, we walked to see a flamenco show in a cave. The dancers, singers, and guitar players were super talented. We had some dinner and ice cream and called it a night. 

The next day, we took our bus to Alhambra. Split into three groups, we stopped at the main parts, including the Nazarene Palace, the most known area. We could’ve walked down to the city, but the weather was hot, so we took the bus and went to find some lunch. We rested in the afternoon and met a group for some Mexican food for dinner. We then met with many people that night to catch up and hang out.

On Sunday, we had a walking tour of the old-town Granada that lasted most of the morning. After a little lunch, we tried the famous pionono, which is a cinnamon pastry. But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be cold and kind of mushy! Not that it was terrible, but it wouldn’t be my first choice next time I have dessert in Granada. 

 

April 18-21 – Amsterdam, Netherlands

I’ll start by saying that I did skip class for this trip. One of my favorite artists had a tour in the US, but he canceled it and kept his few European shows. So Thursday, I flew to Brussels, Belgium, and took a bus to Amsterdam. I rested a bit after all that stressful traveling, then went to the concert. Best one I’ve been to. Jake Scott, the singer, was so close and was very personal with the crowd. Easily the best concert I’ve been to. I even met a girl from Spain there!

The next day, I got to the central part of Amsterdam for a canal “cruise.” By this, I mean I took a little boat along some canals. Thankfully, it had a roof, as the rain was on and off all day. After my water-view tour, I had some brunch and went to catch my bus to Keukenhof. (I’ve gotten really good at saying that now.) This is the most famous tulip garden in Holland. There are hundreds of acres of tulip fields at this place. I spent 3.5 hours just walking around. There were dozens of different colored tulips, accompanied by a plethora of other flowers. Other decorations dispersed among the flora made the place absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t want to leave. But I returned to my hostel and talked with some of my roommates. One girl is from Canada, and the other is from Australia. 3 English speakers with different accents. People we met that night were a little confused!

On Saturday, I met up with two girls from the ISA program for brunch. We basically had a pancake charcuterie board, which was so cute! Then, I wandered around the area for a bit until they finished their cruise, and I met them to walk around another area. We got some lunch, and I went to the 9 Streets neighborhood, which has the Anne Frank house and museum. We couldn’t get tickets, but the outside was cool to see. Then, I had a restful night with my roommates at the hostel, so I was rested for my flight home the next day. 

 

I’m so grateful that God has blessed me with many opportunities to do “lo que quiero” because it has allowed me to see so much of his creation.

View of Toledo

Los Aqueductos

Tower of Belen

The Pena Palace

View in Salamanca

Sunset in Tenerife

Natural pool in Tenerife

My mom loves Dali’s rooster

My family visited!

Barcelona cruise

Dali Museum- Abe Lincoln or a woman?

The windows at the Sagrada Familia

Positive notes in Dublin

WELS connections in London

Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”

Big Ben

View of the river in Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral

Jake Scott

Windmill and tulips at Keukenhof

Amsterdam canal

The Alhambra

Flamenco show in a cave

Viajes Viajes Viajes – Edición España

/in

Buenos Días 🙂 

For this blog, we can choose what we want to write about! My first thought was to write about my travels here in Europe and Spain since I have not gotten to talk much in detail about them. I am very passionate about seeing the world and I prayed that I would get to see a bit more of it while I was here. One of my goals for my semester abroad was to travel around Spain and Europe in general. Before arriving in Spain, and during the first couple of weeks, I was a bit too ambitious with my hopes for traveling. I had a list of 10-plus countries I wanted to visit with the things I wanted to see and do in those countries. Now that I have spent about two and a half months here, I am thankful for the changes in my mindset about travel. 

While I’ve been here, I have relaxed on trying to plan trips months in advance and instead have just let travels come up naturally. Plans change. There have been so many instances where my original travel “plans” got changed. At first, this stressed me out and made me worried that I would not LOVE what I ended up doing or where I ended up going since it was not part of my original plan. I can confidently say that I have not felt any regret about any of my travels. I have learned to take things a day at a time and see where prices fall and travel goals lie. 

For this blog, I will focus on the trips I have taken so far, specifically in Spain. Keep your eyes peeled for a Part 2.

I’ve kept a daily journal of my time abroad so I thought it would be special to include some excerpts from my journal from each of my trips. Welcome to Alaina’s Travel Journal. 🙂 

 

Toledo: 

About a 40-minute train ride from Madrid stands Toledo, a city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. Toledo was the former capital of Spain and is known for having the three cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews throughout its city and history. Another fun fact is that the famous painter, El Greco, lived in Toledo for a time before he passed away. 

My first trip to Toledo was with my program, ISA. This trip was on February 10th, about 7 days after we arrived in Spain! 

 

Journal Entry: 

“ONE WHOLE WEEK HERE, PRAISE GOD! Today we had our day trip to Toledo, Spain’s old capital, one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is about an hour bus ride from Madrid to Toledo. We left from the bus stop around 9:30 and arrived at 10:30. First, we stopped to pick up our guide and then went to a lookout point over Toledo to see the entire city. Wow…so, so breathtaking. It was super windy when we were looking over the city so some of the pictures we took were funny because our hair was all over the place. After the lookout point, we drove to the start of our walking tour. The first location we visited was called the Monastery of San Juan de Los Reyes, originally built for Isabel and Fernando to be buried in, but they later changed their mind and are instead now buried in Granada. The Monastery had a courtyard in the middle and it was so peaceful and beautiful. The sun was shining in the courtyard at the perfect time as we walked around it. When we wrapped up there, we walked and had a short break for a snack and coffee as well as a bathroom break. I walked over to another lookout point, snacked on some crackers, and stood there while people grabbed snacks. The next location we visited was the Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca. It looked more like a mosque but it was still very beautiful! We then headed to the Cathedral of Toledo. The view both inside AND outside was incredible. Everything is so detailed and hand-painted and carved. It just shows how much time, talent, and effort went into these beautiful structures. There was so much gold decor and so many beautiful paintings. We spent a long time in the Cathedral and then went to briefly see one of the most famous El Greco paintings, “The Burial of the Count Orgaz.”After, we walked to the square and split off for lunch. A group of us ate at a place called, “Nuevo Almacen.” Sarah and I split Croquetas de Jamon and Tacos de Costillas. They both tasted great! After lunch, we only had a bit of time to walk around in some shops so we wandered until it was time to meet back up with our group. The tiles around Toledo were so beautiful…” 

When my boyfriend, Dylan, visited Spain, we also took a day trip to Toledo. I loved this day even more than my first time going. There is something about the sun shining and being with one of your favorite people that just elevates experiences. 🙂  

Journal: 

“…We began our hike up to the viewpoint around 4:45. We took our time and of course, took photos on the way. While we were walking, we both saw this pretty green hill with a super cool view and we both said, “We NEED to climb it!”. (We did on the way down) Dyl was absolutely amazed, which made me smile. I was amazed too. The view was incredible and the the sun came out during “golden hour”, the hour before sunset. It was perfect. We spent a lot of time sitting and looking at the panoramic view of the city. I was so happy in that moment. <3” 

Segovia: 

About 1 hour away from Madrid in the region, Castile-León, is the city of Segovia! Segovia is most widely known for the famous Roman aqueducts that have been standing since the 1st century. Spain’s last Gothic Cathedral is also located in Segovia, along with the Alcázar of Segovia. 

On February 16th, Emily, Sarah, and I took a day trip to Segovia together! 

From my Journal: 

“Eeeeeek! Today was so so amazing and almost magical.” 

 

“…After seeing the aquaducts, Emily and I wanted to find our old host Dad’s library shop, from the last time we were in Spain on a school trip. We did find it!!! We were hoping he would be in there but sadly, it was closed….” 

 

“…After exploring around the Cathedral, we had our tour of the tower of the Cathedral at 1:30. There were 190 steps to go up. It was a very winding/small stairway. I was almost getting nauseous and dizzy in the stairs, but I knew it would be worth it. We had breaks along the way too. The last stop was the TOP. The bells were up there and a view of the city from every angle. It was so so amazing. We said, “is this even real?” SO MANY TIMES. I felt like I was looking out into a world from a fairytale….” 

 

“…When we finished our tour of the Alcazar, we went to a place right next to it for churros with chocolate and a cappuccino. I need sweet things to drink, and it was not very sweet so I added chocolate when we were done using it for the churros. We were all SO giggly. We sat, talked, laughed, looked at the incredible views, and enjoyed each other’s company. Once we finished, we took our sweet, sweet time watching the sunset over the Alcazar, walking along the wall of the city. Today was the anniversary of Emily finding out she had cancer 4 years ago. I got emotional because, well, I have been with her through those years and more. It is so crazy to think how 4 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer, and now she is standing next to me, healthy and in remission, in a different country watching the sunset. God is good…” 

 

Tenerife: 

Tenerife is one of Spain’s Canary Islands, located off the West Coast of Africa. It is known for its beautiful dormant volcano and beautiful beaches, natural pools, and mountains. 

This was a trip that was planned VERY last minute, but we all made it work! Emily, Sarah, and I were in dire need of some SUN, so we planned a short weekend trip to the South of Tenerife. We flew to Tenerife, on Friday, March 15th, the day Dylan left Spain. We left Tenerife on Sunday morning, March 17th. 

 

Journal: 

“…After breakfast, we took our time and walked along the coast and ended up seeing a cool-looking cove with lots of flat rocks to lay on and a ladder to get out of the water. We were determined to find a way to get down there. There was another man who had the same idea….We laid in the sun and tanned (burned) for a while, soaking in the heat and sun we missed so dearly. It was so warm and SO beautiful. The water was SO blue. Before the man left, he approached us and asked us if we knew of any places to volunteer at, but we did not. The next thing we know, he was inviting us to his cave. Yes, you heard that correctly. We politely declined, and he left. We finally JUMPED in the Mediterranean! It was just us 3! The water was so cold, salty, and blue. When I jumped in, it was so refreshing. I could not help losing my breath because of how cold it was. After jumping in and treading water, I got used to the temperature. There is something kind of freeing and a bit scary (hehe) about swimming/floating in such a big body of water…” 

 

“….We found the natural pools!! There were more people at the natural pools but plenty of space to lay out and jump in. Once again, the water was SO blue and clear. We jumped in, dove in, and had fun rising and falling with the tide. I really lived out my Mako Mermaid H20 moment….” 

 

“…We took our ordered pizzas to the beach that was a 3 minute walk from our hostel and watched the sunset. We got a spicy pepperoni and BBQ and demolished them because we were so hungry. The sunset was pretty and it was calming to watch and hear the waves crashing into the shore….” 

Granada: 

Granada is a city located in southern Spain, in the region of Andalusia. Granada is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and is about a 40-minute drive from the beach as well! Those who live in Granada have the best of both worlds, mountains and the beach! Granada is most famously known for being the home of the Alhambra. The Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex,  is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world. It not only has Moorish influence in it’s architecture, but also Christian influence. It is the most visited place in Spain. 

Just this past weekend, our program took us to Granada! We left for Granada on Friday, April 12th, and arrived back in Madrid on the evening of Sunday, April 14th. 

 

Journal: 

Friday Night: 

“…At 5:30, we began one of our activities with our program. We walked through the Albaicín neighborhood, a Moorish quarter and the oldest neighborhood in Granada. We walked through these streets up to a viewpoint of the Alhambra. The view was so beautiful as the sun was beginning to set, and the lights of the Alhambra turned on. There was also people clapping and singing, playing live music. We walked to the Flamenco show. It was super cool and I love Flamenco, but if I am being honest, I liked the one I saw in Madrid more. There was an elderly lady who danced and made jokes about being the oldest Flamenco dancer. She was very impressive for her age….” 

Saturday: 

“…It was so beautiful there. The gardens and the views of the city are my favorite part of the Alhambra. I also love all of the details and the differences in architecture. Because we went in bigger groups, we did not have much time to explore on our own, which made me sad because I love taking my time in places like that. I loved the Summer Palace. After our tour was finished, Sarah and I asked if we could stay and explore more, and the guide said we could! She and I walked back to the Summer Palace and just took it all in and slowly walked through it, looking at all of the flowers and detailing of the tiles. Sadly, we were unable to find the entrance to the other garden and decided to get lunch instead since we were very hungry. I hope to take more time there when I come back with my family at the end of my program…” 

Travel Plans for Valencia, Barcelona, and Mallorca: 

I have not yet traveled to these places, but it is my plan! I will be taking a solo day trip to Valencia this Saturday and Sarah and I will be going to Barcelona and the Spanish island, Palma de Mallorca over our break at the beginning of May. I was really hoping I could travel to the North of Spain but it fell through because of money, travel, and accommodations. 

Spain truly is a beautiful country and I adore Madrid. That is why I have been very content to keep exploring Madrid and Spain on the weekends we have left. Time has flown by and I am so grateful for every opportunity to travel and see more of God’s creation.

 

Con Amor,

Alaina Wiedoff