Martes (Tuesday) in Spain

FINALLY got a good night’s sleep last night!! Between my full night of rest of my full cup of Spanish coffee this morning, I started the day feeling like a million bucks. We went to the church mid-morning to do some set-up and make some shopping lists. For lunch, we went to their version of Wal-Mart. It is a store called Carrefour and it literally felt just like good ole Wally Mart back home. There was a McDonald’s (to which I said pass) and a Spanish-style cafeteria where we ate lunch. It was certainly nothing to write home about, though I was not very adventurous. Call me crazy but would you order any sort of seafood or meat products from a cafeteria inside a Wal-Mart?? No thanks. I opted for rice and veggies with a salad, which was about as exciting as it sounds. But at least it was safe and identifiable! Afterwards, we walked around the store shopping for fun prizes and giveaways for the kids. I had a lot of fun picking out candy and little toys that went along with the themes for the upcoming days. I went to pay for it myself and Stephanie said that we had the budget for things like that as a team. I told her that I didn’t mind paying because I really wanted to do something special for my cute, crazy little bunch. She said, “Nicole, let your supporters support you.” Well put. So for those of you that supported us on this trip, I wish you could’ve seen the looks on the kids’ faces when we played animal bingo tonight with brightly colored caramelos (candies) as place markers. I also got a package of little plastic puzzles that were maybe 8 for $1, they kind you would put into a grab bag at a kid’s birthday party. They loved them so much that I was barely able to keep them focused on the lesson after they won their premios (prizes). Thank you my sweet supporters for giving me those precious moments.

After Carrefour, we got to rest a little before heading back to the church. We didn’t have time to nap and I didn’t really feel like I needed one. Instead, I spent some time checking in on Facebook and Skyping with my little girl. It’s amazing how well we (I) have done being so far from her for so long. Skype has certainly helped and she seems to do well with it. I think it helps that we often FaceTime with her papa and aunt Krista at home so it’s not a foreign concept for her. But she has actually been interactive and seems to enjoy talking with mom and dad on the computer. Of course I miss her but it doesn’t hurt my heart like it did in Cabo. I don’t really know why it’s different but theories abound. It could be because Cabo was the first time away from her or because that was purely selfish (though essential for the long-term health of my marriage). It could be because I am so incredibly far away that I have no choice to surrender to God’s will. It could also be because this stage that she is in has really left me needing a break so badly that I’m actually enjoying it! Or it could be that God has answered my prayers by giving me His peace that transcends all understanding. Either way, it has been fine. Loving on all the sweet little Spaniards here doesn’t hurt either!

Class tonight was a little bit more fun than yesterday, though yesterday was great. Today I knew what to expect a little bit more from my group and we rearranged the room a little so it wasn’t so loud. We had one more little guy join us tonight, Manuel. He’s the youngest at 5 and the tiniest. But he rocks the cutest little fohawk on the planet. We talked about animals, ate candy, and took some cute pictures.

For dinner, we tried to get some tapas close to the church but were unsuccessful at our first place. Even though it was past 10 when we sat down, it was still way too hot to sit outside with the misting fans that a lot of restaurants around here have. So we moved to a place with one of those and a more promising menu. The one dish we got was supposed to have a mix of pork, beef, and chicken. I had also asked for a separate plate of just beef with tomatoes. (I actually didn’t know the word for beef so I literally asked for cow with tomatoes.) They did not bring my cow and the “mixed plate” was really 4 different kinds of pork. I feel like the guy from My Big Fat Greek Wedding when he tells the family he’s a vegetarian and they tell him, “That’s ok, we have lamb.” I tell the server that I don’t like pork and he says, “That’s ok, we have sausage.” Luckily the salad and bread were delicious as always. I also had some patates bravos (essentially Spanish steak fries) and some more tasty salmorejo (a little, cold tomato soup that puts gazpacho to shame, in my meager opinion). If I come back skinny as a rail, it is not for lack of trying to stuff my face as often as possible.