Friday, May 4, 2012

La úlitima blog post...


La última blog post…

I officially leave Spain in a week and a day. You know how people tell you that time flies and you nod your head in agreement but don’t truly believe them? Well, I won’t be doing that again; they are completely correct. Before I continue my sentimentality, I want to write a bit about my Ireland adventure…it deserves the time and space.
If I had to describe Ireland in three words, which would I choose? Hospitable, rugged, and wet. *laughs* Wet might be an understatement. We arrived in Dublin at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, having caught a plane with my friend Rebekah’s brother, John. I met Rebekah in church, and when I asked her where good places to stay in Dublin were (she is from Ireland), she told me to stay with her family! So Sarah and I get there in the early morning, and food has been left out for us. Let me tell you, that was our Wednesday/Thursday/Friday morning; the family fed us breakfast, offered us tea, and saved us dinner. They were truly the most hospitable family that I’ve met in my life, and it both floored me and challenged me to live in a similar manner.
When we woke up Wednesday morning, we officially met Vinny, a student in his late 20s who is studying for a master’s in chaplaincy. Vinny has been living with this family on and off for months, because he lives across the country. Instead of going home each week, they let him live there (wasn’t kidding about hospitality!). He was heading back to Galway, but he offered to show us around Dublin and proceeded to do so for the next three hours. And when he heard that we were bound for Galway during the weekend, he volunteered to show us around. Irish hospitality=inescapable.
Where does “wet” come in? Wednesday it poured for about 10 hours straight, with winds that turned your umbrella inside out just to laugh at you. We more or less acclimated to the wet clothes/shoes and visited the Guinness Factory, did a bit of shopping, drank lots of coffee, and went swing dancing! So so fun…now I’ve danced in Spain, France, and Ireland. Approve.
After another day of touring, we went down to Galway; Vinny made good on his promise. What a sweet, sweet man. He took time out of both Friday and Saturday to show us the cathedrals, take us to coffee, drive us out to the rugged land of Connemara, dedicate a song to us in an Irish pub, read us poetry, and just share life with us.  This deserves pages, but I can’t adequately describe it now, so I’ll leave it at the fact that God truly blessed us through him.
We also went on a day tour of the countryside, and I was floored. I chose “rugged” because while there are portions of Ireland that are pastoral, my favorite parts were undoubtedly the coasts, the hills with jagged rocks, the ocean crashing against my beloved lighthouse…*nods* It was incredible.
Also, I have to give a shoutout to the most PRECIOUS B&B ever. Roncanalli House, run by a 70+ year old couple, was the cutest little place with lovely food, cheery rooms, and just a sense of peace surrounding it. The man would walk around the house singing, and the woman, Carmel, was as sweet as her name. *smiles*
Everything couldn’t be perfect, though—that’s not fair, right? *laughs* Sarah and I got SICK—we had a long day of traveling interspersed with more rain and a bus breaking down at 12:30 a.m….didn’t get home until 8:00 a.m. By that time, neither of us could hear a thing; when we went to the doctor, we found out that we both had ear infections. She has bronchitis, and we both have pink eye. Ha. TOTALLY worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Now I’m leaving Spain…a month ago I thought I was ready for it. However, now the language is beginning to flow, and I’ve developed in my character. I’ll risk more, ask more questions, be the fool in order to get things done. Now I speak Spanish with my dear friend Manu, who is so patient with me as I ask him countless Spanish grammar questions. I’m realizing that while I still am yearning to go home, this has become a home to me as well (I NEVER thought I’d say that—I was a Sevilla hater for the longest time =P). It’s going to be hard, guys. Really, really hard.
On the bright side, I’m excited to see everyone in a week and a day...