Day 6-MUCHO

Well today was our very first day of class and I am taking Flamenco!  Unfortunately, it's not like we are actually learning how to do it; it's more of a history type class, but hopefully it will still be good!  So I went to our study center early with my friend Elise, and decided I might as well go find out about some churches and to request a tutor (thinking I'd probably definitely need one).  When I sat down to ask the lady about getting one, she asked me what class I was in.  I told her Flamenco and she turned to me and said, "Oh yea...you are definitely going to need a tutor..."--Just what you want to hear on your first day of class right?!?  And yes, today proved to be quite overwhelming.  We got to class
and my professor was super nice and funny, but he was so so hard to understand.  He just started going on and on as I was trying to copy Spanish notes and listen and not fall asleep!  This is  definitely going to test me much more than my classes in America because I know I am REALLY going to have to pay attention and won't just be able to coast my way through.  After class we headed home and I had a delicious meal with my señora.  Today felt like American food day: I had a big plate of penne pasta with tomato sauce! Mm!  While I was eating, my señora randomly tried to assure me that I would not get fat if I eat pasta...haha good to know!  (Guess it must just be from the loaf of bread she sets out at every meal!)  Then I sat and did hours of homework.  We had a bit of a break to go to the study center to meet with different travel groups, which are helpful because they "claim" to offer the cheapest services and will completely plan out trips for abroad students.  We had planned to go to Italy this weekend, but as we tried to book stuff, we literally watched the prices go up by about 60 euros, so we decided to hold off and think we will go to Morocco for this first free weekend.  It is so cool that we get to have these free weekends to explore more of Europe, but it is also stressful because we have so much planning to do and not much time!  Hopefully everything will work itself out!  Anyway, we then headed home and I basically spent the whole night doing my homework :(  I did take a quick break for dinner, which was a hamburger and chips, haha, not quite the Spanish meal I was expecting, but still great!  Then I was back to the homework, and it took many hours because we had to read an article that was rather difficult for me.  It was talking about some politics and gestations, and I don't even know what that means in English, let alone Spanish.  So I sat there looking up many words, which I would not do for a normal class, but I am trying to look at these classes as ones where I know I will have to try very hard, and I actually really want to learn!!!  I mean that is ultimately why I am here right...? :)  It was a bit frustrating because it was taking me a long time and it just didn't seem to be clicking and I just kept thinking that I am not going to do well, but then once again the Lord provided just what I needed.  "I Can Only Imagine" came on my itunes and as I thought about the words,                                             

"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel? 

Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall, will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine..."

It just made me pause for a moment. Think about those words.  What will we do when we see Him?  I know for sure I am not going to be like "Hey, you know what it really stunk when I had trouble understanding my professor in Spain and then I got a bad grade..." and i know He's not going to care!!!  We are to try our best and the reminder of that was so refreshing!  My purpose here is so much greater and how amazing is it to know that God loves me whether I get an A or a C, even if I still hope for the former :)  But once again, it was just a good reminder that I am to try to work hard, but ultimately we are here for the glory of God.  Anyway, then I got to talk to mi padre for a few minutes on skype, read and tried to go to bed.  Unfortunately, it was a bad night for falling asleep and the little buzzing around my ear did not help.  Hoping the mosquito does not get me!  Anyway, finally got some rest and called it a day!