Even though Christmas has already passed, imagine you opened your last gift today and you got 3 Months handed to you on a big silver plate, filled with whatever you want. That’s where I am right now. So far on my plate is a big slab of Spain with a mound of new friends to one side, a city at my disposal on the other, and all of it sprinkled with a heavy coating of Spanish speaking. Now I’m in a new country with a ‘different, not weird’ culture, as Quique our director likes to put it.
Stepping off the plane after an almost full 24 hours of traveling with little sleep under our belts, my friend Stephanie and I walked off the plane and were the last passengers to set foot on solid Madrileña ground. We had finally made it after a funny start of going to three different terminals and dragging our 50+ pound bags up and down too many escalators to count. We were in Spain! Since we were a day and a half early for the gathering of our study abroad group, we set ourselves up in a hostel in the city. 
Once we were both in our respective taxis (one taxi not being big enough for our luggage combined) we soon began the nail-biting ride as we watched the taxi’s meter keep going up, not knowing when it’d stop, or what we’d do when it did. It was already at 15 euros, 20 euros, 25 euros—not what we anticipated: maybe a 6- or 7-euro taxi drive. However it turned into a 26 euro ride, per taxi. Combined, we had maybe 40 euros. That left us short 12 plus tip! (didn’t learn until later that Spaniards don’t really do the whole tipping thing). However, after trying one ATM machine, only to find it out of service, I finally climbed in the taxi with a man to whom we still owed money, and left Steph to watch the luggage and confirm our reservation at the hostel. 
Together we drove for 10 minutes up and down streets as my driver explained the various characteristics of Spain to me, one of them being, when you need to find a bank, they are nowhere in sight, but when you no longer need one, they pop up everywhere! And that definitely was the case. Finally we found a machine and as I stood in line to get money, I looked around the bustling nighttime crowds that filled the plaza, and I realized, what a strange world. One morning you wake up in your bed. The next night, you’re staying at a hostel on a narrow street in the middle of a city that doesn’t speak your native language. Needless to say, the taxi driver got paid, (and tipped) and we settled into our bunks for the evening.
We met up with our group later the next day and after a meeting and a dinner, a few of us headed out to see what the city of Madrid, ‘the city that never sleeps,’ had to show us. What we found was a perfect night setting: walking through a stone archway, only to step onto a great big floor of space, bordered by tall balcony-clad apartment buildings, and stars up above. Only big leaves made of Christmas lights hung between the sky and us, and we walked—a comfortable band of 3-hour-old friends and a man playing the ‘símbal’ in the background.
The next morning, we found that the sun stays asleep longer, and it was still dark at 7:30 in the morning when we set off for a brisk morning run. 
The moon and stars still smiling above us and they lit our way as we ran around and through empty parks that looked as if they’d been stolen from medieval times and plopped down in the middle of a modern city. All was calm, peaceful and quiet, and we rejoiced in the freedom of the dawn. The last thing I’ll share was inspired by the trip we took today to the Prado Museum. And one painting by El Greco has since clung to the image library of my head. In the painting it shows Mary holding Jesus just following his birth, and all those who look upon him are illuminated by the light coming from the baby. There is no other source of light, but the Wisemen’s faces and Joseph and all the others there in the painting have bright faces as they look at baby Jesus. Because of his light they shine, or reflect his light of purity, innocence and promise. 
Something I smiled about in thinking about the Christ idea, and how it can cause us to shine just by looking to it. All of a sudden, Christmas has a new meaning for me today. So, Merry Christmas again!
mols!
keep up the good work.
inspire, inspire, inspire!
learn, learn, learn!
i love you!