Week 18

Monday (12/8/14)
During the afternoon I noticed some gunk in Svenja's eye. I thought it might just be a wet "eye-booger" so I wiped it away with her scarf and we carried on playing. Later though, I noticed more at which I realized it was pus and I IMMEDIATELY diagnosed it as "Pink-Eye" in my brain. Especially since she goes to a "guarderia" twice a week with other little germy toddlers. I asked Tamara to take a look, but she'd already seen it, and I voiced my opinion as to the diagnosis. And lemme tell you I went into hyper OCD mode. After being sick (and STILL recovering) I was NOT going to come down with pink-eye too. Sunglasses on, so I wouldn't accidentally rub my eyes, and handwashing to the max. 

Tuesday (12/9/14)
Svenja saw a real doctor this morning. Pink-eye confirmed. I win. 

Poor little thing, she's got it in BOTH eyes :(

Friday (12/12/14)
Tonight was girls' night! Dolores, Tamara, and I went out to see "MALIZIA, an adaptation of Rigoletto" and have dinner (bought with the show tickets - was a buffet at a hotel down the street from the performance). I was thinking the production would be like Rigoletto the movie... And of course it was nothing like the movie. It's a musical that incorporated live music, dance (majority Flamenco, duh) and opera. While there were aspects that were spectacular, the overall show was kind of a hot-mess (trying to modernize it with hip-hop was a HUGE mistake; the hip-hop choreography was juvenile and the dancers were obviously not trained in that style). I felt like they were trying to incorporate too much into one thing, that just dragged on and on - the entire show ran about 2 hours. Several dance scenes blew me away and a couple of the operatic singing scenes were glorious; I found the story line utterly depressing however. It was one of those "You're definitely not in Kansas anymore" moments. In the end the bad guy won, the good guys died, and there was no resolution whatsoever. It was... exaggerated realism. We NEVER make shows like that in America. It goes against everything an American hopes, dreams, and believes. Good always conquers evil. The fairytale always ends with the Prince and his Princess sharing their hard-earned kiss of true love.  This was the exact opposite. And it shocked me, but then I remembered I wasn't in America haha and that lots of other countries and cultures love a good tragedy, with no romantic upswing, or resolution. Because in real life, things often go unresolved. I definitely don't regret going. It was a lot of fun and the flamenco was superb.  

We look GOOD :D 

Hard Rock Cafe

No guy, no cry!

Red carpet glam :)

the stage

Saturday (12/13/14)
It's been four months! What!?

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