Week 13 - Bienvenido a Tenerife!

Monday (11/3/14)
Cleaning. Packing. Blogging. Tamara's mom came and helped tag-team between watching Svenja and cleaning. She also brought treats :) cause she's the best.

Tuesday (11/4/14)
Our flight wasn't until the afternoon, so we had plenty of time in the morning to take care of all the last-minute preparations and we STILL left rather early JUST in case we ran into traffic. I was a little apprehensive about how Svenja would be on the plane... My stereotypical thinking beforehand was that the only good thing about flying with a toddler was that you get priority boarding. Not gonna lie, it WASN'T the worst flight I've ever had. She was a little fussy at times, but it could have been WAY worse. At one point Tamara had asked me to walk with her in the aisle. I felt really awkward walking up and down the single isle of this tiny plane, trying not to touch or disturb any of the other passengers. But it was either that, or a potential screaming, crying baby. Thankfully none of the people seemed to mind. 
When we landed we grabbed some food and water at an airport cafe (you can't drink tap water in Tenerife, unless you boil it) and then got a taxi to the house.

Algäu Airport - Memmingen, Germany

Isla de Tenerife, Canarias, España

Serious flashbacks of living in Hawaii

Wednesday (11/5/14)
Today Tamara, Svenja, and I went out and walked around for the majority of the day. Tamara showed me around so I was able to get a pretty good lay of the land. 

View from my balcony.

People have amazing talents.

Sand baby! :) 

The clouds may look ominous, but the cloud-cover is a
welcome shield against the hot sun.

Thursday (11/6/14)
Peter arrived today! He left a couple days before us in the van and drove all the way to mainland Spain to hop on a ferry to Tenerife so we could have a car with us here. Also, we were able to pack a lot of stuff to bring over IN the car. Major bonus :P 
We all went to dinner later, and afterwards baby girl found some toys... 

Too cute!

Friday (11/7/14)

This morning we went to breakfast to try an authentic English Breakfast at Hemingway Cafe-Bar. 

Hemingway Cafe-Bar

English Breakfast: toast, egg, beans, tomato, sausage, "bacon"

I was not a fan of the sausage. It was like... bready. And I'm picky about tomato's so I didn't touch the canned one provided. Everything else was good though :) Also. Bacon. Bacon here is just like a slab of ham. It's not thin, or crispy. And I keep forgetting. I miss real bacon... 

Mountain view

Confession. I totally had a meltdown today. Tamara and I had a small misunderstanding later in the afternoon, and Svenja had been fussing and crying with me ALL morning, and I was pretty sure I'd already made Peter annoyed or upset earlier, so when Tamara got upset, it was like the last thing I could handle and though I tried with all my might, I couldn't fight back the tears. So I went into the bathroom and turned the sink faucet on and just let it out whilst trying to get back my composure, but when I came out Tamara was there and asked if I was ok and that she'd heard me, and then I started bawling again. *facepalm* I HATE crying in front of people, and crying in front of your BOSS is like the epitome of embarrassment. So we sat down and talked (everything's fine), then I took a break and went and showered, STILL crying (what the heck man?! Turn it off!) and then I fell asleep for awhile before getting back to work. 
I think we are all a little jet-lagged and Peter and Tamara have a lot of stuff going on with the houses so they are stressed, and I'm worried about my dad and missing Switzerland, and we're all trying to figure out the new routine etc... We're all a bit on edge. 

Sunday (11/9/14)
Today I went to church, of course! The barrio (ward) meets in Los Cristianos, right by the big guagua station. It's about a 15-20 minute drive. I ended up taking TWO taxis because the first one dropped me off NOT in the right place. The second taxi driver was really nice. After learning I was going to church he started talking with me about God and how he didn't believe in God. So I totally pulled a Count of Monte Cristo spin on him and said it was ok, cause God sees him... to which he said he was fine, he has a job and works, but God should see the poor children that need help etc... I felt so sad that he obviously had no clue how to see or know that of course God sees them, and is aware of them. Of all of us. Anyhow. I finally managed to get to the right street. I thought the building in Switzerland was humble. This place looks like some kind of rundown classroom building. Doesn't matter though. The Spirit can be present, no matter the circumstances :) Everyone was really friendly and welcoming, but I couldn't help but miss the Kreuzlingen ward. There really is something so very special about that ward. Anyway, they also seemed pretty surprised that I could speak Spanish, and fairly well haha. There's 2 missionary pairs; some Elders AND some Sisters! I didn't catch one Elder's name, but he's from Peru. Then there's Elder Saltzman (Utah), Sister Thunborg (Utah), and Sister Rojas (Colombia). After church I went back to the area where we're staying and walked around until late in the evening.  

La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días

Some African ladies accosted me, then took
a RIDICULOUS amount of money for this
stupid braid that I did NOT want. Ugh. 

Free food. Waiters love me. Long story short, waiter hit
 on me as I was walking past, gave me free food, then his
phone number hahaha. No, I didn't call him.
No, I'm not going to call him.

I went to Restaurant Martini for dinner. I felt SO awkward being in there alone. Just throw a glowing neon sign over my table-for-one in the corner of the balcony haha. Whatever, I know how to treat myself! :) It was probably one of the fanciest meals I've ever had, and it was SO cheap. OMAHGOSH. SOOOOOO cheap. 

~ Halibut, veggies, and Canarian potatoes with 2 sauces (not shown) ~
They brought the fish out covered in sea-salt lit on fire, then
the waiter cracked open the salt and prepped the fish in front of me.
Faaaaaaaaaancy.  

Sad version of a chocolate lava cake, with ice cream

They gave me a glass of champagne on the house after I paid,
then when I told them I didn't drink alcohol, the manager
had the bar tender whip up a non-alcoholic beverage.
I'm pretty sure it was just watered down grenadine,
but 'twas pretty! :) 

xoxo,

     Rebecca

Another Brief Overview

1. 
   

   Spain a.k.a the Kingdom of Spain

   
   

   "Plus ultra" 

   ~ Further beyond ~

   
   

   Government: Unitary parliament, Constitutional monarchy

   Official Language: Spanish

   Currency: Euro

   Predominant Religion: Roman Catholic

   Time Zone: Western European (Canary Islands) 

   "Spain (/ˈspeɪn/; Spanish: España [esˈpaɲa]), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish:Reino de España),^[a][b] is a sovereign state located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with France and Morocco, it is one of only three countries to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Spain's 1,214 km (754 mi) border with Portugal is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, three exclaves in North Africa, Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera that border Morocco, and the islands and peñones (rocks) of Alborán,Chafarinas, Alhucemas, and Perejil. (The Spanish Empire with its peak in the 1600s had included much more territory - see world map.) With an area of 505,992 km² (195,365 sq mi), Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fifth largest country in Europe." (Wikipedia.com)
   
   

   I will be living near Costa Adeje in Tenerife Sur, Canarias, España.

    

   

   
   

   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

   
2. Total Church Membership: 51,192

   Missions: 3

   Congregations: 140

   Temples: 1 ---> Madrid Spain Temple 

   Family History Centers: 55

   xoxo,

        Rebecca

Week 12

Monday (10/27/14)
Tonight some of Tamara's old work employees/friends came over for dinner. We had "Raclette." OHMAHGOSH. SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. All you need to really know is that if given the choice between fondue and raclette, CHOOSE RACLETTE. Basically, it's like a mini-grill in the middle of the table (that grey rectangle thing in the middle of the picture below). So you have an assortment of meats, vegetables, and cheeses and you can grill your meat and veggies on the skillets on top and then beneath there's mini-frying pans you put the cheese in so it melts and when it's done you can put the cheese on potatoes or veggies or whatever (or you can put it in with the cheese before you melt it). It is ridiculously delicious. And it's also tons of fun! Just Google it. Try it at home! Have a party!  

For dessert we had some fancy flavor infused pears and vanilla ice cream (a.k.a. eis or glacé). There were three different kinds: vanilla, caramel, and red wine. I didn't have one of the red wine ones, but of the two I did try, vanilla was the best. 

Tuesday (10/28/14)
My dad has had some complications from his surgery; please keep him in your prayers.

Thursday (10/30/14)
Tonight was my last German class (for now). Bittersweet. We played some "Memory" at the end and I won. BOO YAH! :)

Friday (10/31/14)
Tamara let me have the day off, so I slept in (wooo hoooo!) and then I blogged for the majority of it. You're welcome. haha. Later in the evening after dinner, some of the neighbors came over and we had a little Halloween party. Music, snacks, fire... they made this special hot wine drink which was cool for them; I obviously didn't have any of that. They DO celebrate Halloween here, but it's not quite as big a deal as it is in the States. One of the neighbors was telling me that 10 years ago no one even thought about it, but gradually it's become more and more popular. Who doesn't like an excuse to get together with friends and family? 

"When witches go riding, and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers, 'tis near Halloween."
- Author Unknown 

I decided to dress up as a doll! :)
It's always my "go to" for a cute and easy last-minute costume. 

Saturday (11/1/14)
We are leaving for Tenerife next week! Holy cow! So I'm trying really hard to make sure I'm as caught up on my blog as possible, and seeing what I need to pack etc... I also took some time to go out and explore Frauenfeld a little more in depth, since my bus pass expires after today! I decided I'd start by finding the church that's out there so when we are back in Switzerland, I will know where it is if I want to check it out sometime. On the way, two missionaries hopped on at one of the stops. It was SO weird to see missionaries that I didn't recognize haha, but also whenever I see a pair of Elders I can't help but beam a huge smile. It's such a simple little thing, but what a great reminder that we're never alone. Even in those places where it seems we are very much on our own. Anyhow, finding the church was RIDICULOUSLY easy. I was severely misinformed about how much harder it is to get to that building. I got on the bus, got off at the stop, and it was right across the street. No transfers or anything. So to go to the ward in Frauenfeld or Kreuzlingen is about the same amount of time and both trips are SUPER easy. What a huge blessing!

There it is, behind the flags and trees...

So, that ended up being a lot easier than I had planned on. I waited for the bus to go to the city center in Frauenfeld (where the bahnhof station is) and then I wandered around for a few hours as an unapologetic picture-taking tourist. 

BEST part of my day. I love accordion music.

I love to see the moon during the day; there's something so
special to see both the sun and the moon dancing in the sky.

I found the Secret Garden! ;) haha

During my trek, I saw a church steeple. I thought I'd go take a quick look, and I happened upon the most gorgeous cemetery I have ever seen in my life. The whole church was surrounded by gravesites and the individual graves were all so beautifully kept.

Sunset 

Sunday (11/2/14)
Elder Roberts translated for me today, as best he could. And there's a new Elder (Elder Strauss' replacement), Elder Hassley - prounounced Hass-lie, not Hasslee. He's SUPER nice. Everyone is really excited to have him around. AND I found out that he's 25 which is awesome and makes me feel less old haha. So selfish. Anyway. I asked Elder Roberts if they had time to give me a Priesthood blessing sometime during church, which they were happy to do for me. I ended up asking Elder Sanft to give the actual blessing (he was already standing up; I would have been completely comfortable with any one of them doing it.) It was SO great. I feel the most clear correspondence with Heavenly Father through Priesthood blessings. It should be that way with personal prayer, but I'm still working on that. Even so, sometimes my brain gets so muddled with thoughts, concerns, questions, etc... that sometimes it takes some help from an outside third party to clear things up. 

I'm finding myself less willing, more and more, to just ride on other people's testimonies and take other people's words for things, religious or otherwise. There are things, even after being a member my whole life, that I have questions about. And I expect answers. I'm tired of people using broad answers to try and suffice things. If you don't know, say you don't know. But we are told that if we seek we shall find, if we knock, the door will be opened. So why are we all so satisfied with answers from peers that leave us hanging in doubt? Don't you think God will hear and answer you, if you come to Him sincerely?

If you are struggling, spend time with the missionaries. Have them over for dinner. Go with them to teach an investigator. Sit by them in church. If you can obtain a missionary mindset, you will find answers to your own questions. For isn't it so, that the "one sheep" you bring to the fold which will give you great blessings, is yourself? We cannot forget that we too must become "truly" converted.

I'm going to miss this ward, these people, these FRIENDS, so much. And not just the people, but the land. The country. I've fallen in love with this place. I'm already counting down the days of our return... but I'm also looking forward to see what Spain has in store for me. 

xoxo,

     Rebecca