España :)

This last weekend was spent in the wonderful land of España in the beautiful city of Madrid. At the beginning of my adventures in Morocco some of the girls going through the University of Minnesota program looked into going. This weekend was good because we had no other trips planned through ALIF (Arabic Language Institute of Fez). I'm glad we chose a weekend near the end because being in Spain really made me long for America as it is very similar. We found cheap Ryan Air flights for $70 round trip and a hostel for $20 a night. We were super excited!

We left Fez Airport on Friday at 1pm and arrived in Spain around 3:30 we arrived at our hostel around 5pm, changed then hit the town! And by that I mean we found the nearest restaurant that served Sangria and that was close to the movie theater so we could see Harry Potter. It was fun to sit, relax and enjoy our drinks and food without worrying about being called at or harassed in any way. After HP we went back to our hostel and passed out.

Saturday I woke up early and was able to catch up on emails but we all headed out around noon and found the closest Starbucks then we were typical girls and went shopping. Not souvenir shopping, but a typical American shopping trip. We apparently picked the perfect time to go to Spain because they were having their twice a year sales. Most countries in Europe allow stores to only have sales twice a year for a week or two and one of those times for Spain was this last weekend. Also, who knew Madrid is the shoe capitol of Spain!! Aka I was in heaven! Such cute sandals! After this a few of the girls took a nap while a few of us went out for a late lunch and to the Reina Sofia Museum. Saw Picasso's Guernica! So amazing!

After that we met back up with everyone else and went out for dinner and drinks. The other girls wanted to go out late after dinner but I didn't want to partly because I was tired, but mostly because Jesus calls me to live a righteous life and I don't think clubs are the scene to live righteously in. I instead went back to the hostel and got into the Word.

Sunday since our plane didn't leave until 1:30 we were able to sleep a little later and get Starbucks, again :) We got back to Fez around 2:30, Christina, my roommate, and I went home and just relaxed the rest of the night. It was fun coming back to our host family and realizing I missed them a little bit, and I think they missed us too.

It's crazy to think that I will be back in the states in 12 days! Looking back, I have really lived it up. I took every opportunity I could to experience as much as I could and I'm so full of awe and wonder at how much God has blessed me with. I'm excited to come home, but I will miss life in Morocco. Especially my host family. I love them dearly, even when they're noisy while I'm trying to sleep :) Also, I was reflecting back last night on my times in the Word and how every time I open my Bible God directs me to exactly what I need to hear to feel encouraged, strengthened and full of joy at life. This whole adventure has strengthened my trust and reliance on the Lord because most of the time He is all I have who will understand exactly what I am dealing with. God is just so good all the time!

If you all could pray though that I get seriously into my studies, I have done fairly well on everything but I am getting nervous for the final exam. I know that I will do well if I discipline myself to study well. Thanks so much for reading!