Portugal/Rome

Hello friends,
I am so sorry I have really been delayed on the blogging, too busy living in the moment! But I will try to do a quick recap of the past three weeks. Portugal was probably one of my favorite places I have been so far. We went to Lisbon for a weekend. The views were just breathtaking, from the red rooftops to the sparkling sea, it all was amazing. We got to visit a cute little town near Lisbon called Belem where we toured a monastery and got to eat pastries form the Belem Bakery which is known as one of the best bakeries in the WORLD. I must say, it was the best pastry I have ever tasted. They are famous for their Pastel de Nata, which is like a baked custard cup served hot out of the oven with cinnamon sugar on top. In addition to this delicacy, I also got a chocolate croissant. Basically heaven in my mouth. My friends and I bought our treaties than wentto a park and sat down while enjoying the beauty of nature and sweets. We walked to the harbor near by and saw this incredible sculpture and overlooked the bridge in Lisbon that resembles the Golden gate bridge. Later that day we went on a private Yacht ride along the coast of Lisbon. It was so much fun to have a couple hours to relax and enjoy the seaside. We were served some champagne, appetizers  and just sat and talked while taking in the relaxation. That night I got to go out and experience some of the night life with a couple girlfriends. It was a blast! Basically everyone in Portugal speaks English so we made alot of friends. We went to the famous pink street which is painted,you guessed it, pink. Portugal was a city that will not be soon forgotten and holds many great memories.
The next weekend, I met up with one of my dear friends Denia who is also traveling Europe right now. Me and my friend Jana caught the puddle hopper to Rome and met here on Italian ground. It was out first "solo" trip where we planned everything from the hostel to the food and I must say it went incredibly well. We stayed at a Hostel called La Contra which was really nice and pretty central to everything. We walked around the city at night and went to an Italian Pizzeria in center Nueva. The pizza would literally melt in your mouth. I was so excited just to be in Italy, eating at this little hole in the wall Pizzerea with pictures on the wall and a sweet old Italian man as our waiter who maybe spoke 2 words of English. Afterwards we walked around more and just explored all the architecture. Romans do it big. Huge fountains around every corner and 1000 year old structures in the streets. Surreal would be a perfect word to describe it. We conquered Rome in a day. In one day we went to the Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Vatican City, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish steps and had time for more pasta, pizza, gelato and went out to explore the night life. We packed everything in and had the time of our lives exploring.  I can't believe that I only have 4 weeks left! I am trying to make every last minute count here. Besos! <3

MARRUECOS! (Morocco)

This past week was possibly the craziest adventure I have had yet. ISA took us to Morocco for 5 days and we traveled into the main city of Fes, the Sahara Deseret and Meknes. The journey to Morocco took a day alone including 8 hours in a bus and traveled over the strait of Giblitar by boat. The first day we went shopping in the Medina which is the center of the city of Fes. The Medina is much different than I pictured in my head. There are over 8,000 alleyways within the Medina and is the biggest human maze I have ever been in. We were in a guided tour, thank God, because I would have gotten lost within 5 minutes. I must say, there was so much trash everywhere it was ridiculous. There were dozens of hole in the wall shops and people everywhere. my nose went on a roller coaster of smells. It smelled like trash, then to spices, then to roasting meat, than to fresh spices, than to human body odor then repeat the whole cycle once more. We got to see some amazing architecture within the city, to the high arches that signify the Islamic architecture and all the mosaic colors on the walls. We went to a gold shop first, where they hand made everything, than to a scarf shop where they weaved by hand on an old fashioned machine held together by wood and yarn. Next stop was the medicine man, he had a little shop full of concoctions from spices, to Mur, and all natural body products. That was my favorite stop where I bought lots of gifts for people ;). Afterwards, we went to a tannery, or a leather making shop. We were given a tour of how the leather was made which is soaked in vats of pigeon poop and than transferred to be dyed in colored vats of urine. The stench was unbearable. But what was even worse were the men working to make these luxury items who were sitting, standing and up to their knees in filth all for a paycheck the end of the day. We ended the day by seeing a traditional Moroccan show featuring music and some belly dancing. I was pulled up during the middle of the show to try it and got to dance which was really fun.

The next day we went by 4x4 to our camp in the Sahara Desert. We camped there for two days and roughed it. No showers, cots and blankets, little running water and the desert was our toilet. But I loved it! It was so fun to immerse myself in the environment and really enjoy my surroundings. We had two nights of dancing, looking at the stars and taking night walks on the dunes. The next morning began with a 5AM wake-up call to watch the sunrise. Than we rode Camels into town. That was the craziest thing I have ever done. It was pretty scary but also so excited. We rode them to a sand dune, and hiked up the 90 angle to the top to overlook the desert. Than we rode our camels to town to a hotel where, unbeknownst to us, a pool was waiting. It was so nice to jump in after being in the 90 desert weather. We spent the last night on the dunes hanging out and some of the local Berbers, who lived 5 minutes from the camp in their desert town and were always surrounding the camp eager to make new friends, especially female, offered my and Kelsi a ride to Algeria which was only 2 hours away and "Very safe". Dont worry fam, We gladly declined. But overall, the Desert time was by far my favorite part of Morocco. God's hand in nature was evident everywhere. From the colors of the sunset, to the starry sky at night, to the orange sand dunes that were as far as the eye could see. 

Moroccan culture was an interesting culture to observe and be immersed in for a short period of time. In the cities, women were few and far between. Women were not allowed in any cafes, and usually had to be fully clothed. Men stared at all of us girls like pieces of meat and I felt very discriminated against. I felt less observed than other girls because I wore a scarf on my head the majority of the time which I was thankful for. The Berbers in the desert were an interesting people group as well. They were all men ranging form 8 to 40 years old. I found out that their wives stay at home, cook and clean and the men marry not for love, but learn to fall in love with time. The average age for a girl to marry is 17, for a man is 35. It is a very Islamic patriarchal system that is in place in Morocco. My heart broke knowing that many of the Berber men had never spent a day in school, or knew how to fully respect a woman. One night we had a band come in and the men could watch but the cooks, who were women, needed to be invited in. When women came to do our Henna hand tattoo, they all looked under 25 and probably were married to 40 year old men. The inequality within this society further proved how this world not only needs a true Savior who had created man AND women equal, but an open heart to accept change. How I wished I could spend more time and really get to know the lives of these women and see life from their point of view. Maybe God will give me another chance. One thing that gives me true peace in knowing that although I cannot change the world, I can try and spread awareness of this issue and be a light. But most importantly, my Father loves these people more than I do and will provide justice and mercy to them. 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives    and release from darkness for the prisoners." 
Isaiah 61:1 

Besos, Lauren

Vamanos! (Let's Go!)

What a crazy week it has been! With each passing day Seville is becoming more familiar to me and I am feeling more like a local, despite the fact that everyone else stares at this blonde, blue eyed girl like a foreigner not matter how hard I try to fit in. I have simply accepted the fact that I will never be able to walk down the street without the looks or the occasional second looks from the male species. Every day I have to remind myself to really be in the moment and take in all the sights, smells, languages and experience Seville for all of its beauty. I can't believe it is already October! And while I am missing the pumpkin patches and organic pumpkin spice lattes, this really is an awesome season here.
This week I spent a couple afternoons in thee Plaza de Espana sketching and talking with Emily. Did you know that Star wars was actually filmed here? I can definitely see why. I am not sure which is more impressive, the intricate mosaic work or the grandness of the moat around the entire building! Our art and architecture class went to the Archaeological Museum here in Seville which is located in the park Maria Luisa Park and got a private tour of all the statues, paintings and mosaics. The rich history is simply stunning, I saw roman statues which are centuries old that were found in a neighboring farmsby chance. On our day excursion, ISA went to Malga to visit the Picasso Museum and the beach. Malaga is located on the Costa Del Sol on the Mediterranean and is known as Pablo Picasso's hometown. I loved walking through the museum and seeing the masterpieces he painted while knowing that his house was right next door. We than ventured to the cathedral and saw the world's second largest organ which is 400 years old and has 2000 keys (I took a picture just for you grandpa!) Afterwards we headed to the beach for some fried anchovies, which are the specialty of the Coast, and to see the ocean. The anchovies were actually quite tasty but I definitely had a stomachache afterwards. The beach was beautiful! I definitely reminded me of home and I even found some plumeria trees and stuck a flower in my hair (just for you dad). For the weekend I met up with some friends and we put on our skirts for a night out. We went to a street called Calle Alfalfa which is basically a cobblestone street packed where young people hang out and bar hop. It was fun to meet some locals and then we went dancing at a discoteca called Tokyo where we meet some other study abroad students from Germany. It was super fun to talk with them, teach them some american dance moves such as the YMCA and hang out. I had a OMG IS THIS REAL LIFE moment when Bailando, which is a Spanish song from one of my favorite singers Enrique Iglesias, came on in Tokyo and we were all in a big circle dancing with our new Spanish friends while in Spain at 3 am in the morning. It was pretty awesome.  Sunday I went downtown to the Plaza Nueve which is the center of Seville with my friend Kelsey to sketch the Giralda which was built under the Muslim influence but then was converted for the Catholic church. We sketched on a rooftop pool that had a view of the church then got gelato (of course). It was a great week! I am leaving for Morocco this Thursday to Wednesday, pray for health and safety!
Besos, Lauren

Sevilla the town of the night

 This marks my first full week in my new home in Seville! Let me say that I am falling in love. Not with a boy but with this city. I love it every more every day! There is so much life and fun things to do I will never get bored. Classes are going really well and I am happy to say that I am picking up Spanish pretty quickly. I have Spanish class every morning which is all taught in Spanish and I get to practice with my loving host family. They have told me that I have improved greatly since the first day which is a major praise. I am still getting used to walking every where but am happy to say that I am becoming more familiar with everything and am considering myself closer to a Spaniard than a week ago.I am slowly getting used to all the looks I get as I stick out being blonde and american. Every day is a new adventure and I want to experience all the wonderful things this amazing city has to offer.
 One of the things I have picked up is running in the Parque De Maria Luisa. Central park does not even compare. Every inch is covered by green tress, flowers and historic monuments. From beautiful gardens, to the baroque architecture to the young love that is in pristine corners, this park is always a joy to run in at the end of the day. Tonight some friends and I went to an authentic Flamenco show. Before we went I had to find this Casa de La Memoria and buy tickets. I had to navigate through the city by myself but I am happy to say I did and had time for gelato before catching the metro to class. Flamenco is the dance of Spanish culture which includes many emotions and is known for its intensity. I can say that it was the most intense dancing I have EVER seen. It was a beautiful strong dance with so much passion and emotion. The male and women dancer were so intense and simply captivating. Watching it made me want to learn more about Spanish culture and proud to be temporarily living here. Afterwards our friends met up  and all hit up my new favorite local restaurant/bar which is all outside in the center of Seville by the cathedral. it is the prime spot to get some good wine, people watch and have great conversation in the open air of Spain.
Loving every minute here! Looking forward to exploring Seville more this weekend. Besos <3

"Vale!" (Okay!)

Finally all settled in my new home for the next three months in Seville, Spain! These past couple days have been very crazy with traveling, lugging around 50 pounds of clothes, a 20 pound backpack and of course my pillow. None the less I am happy to say everything is now stored in a closet and have my pillow on a comfy bed in the apartment I am are staying in. Right after I got off the plane and promptly arrived in Madrid. We than got a walking tour of Madrid, went to the Plaza Mayor, Debod Temple, A giant cathedral and walked through the gardens. It was very beautiful but Emily and I were exhausted after being up for 31 hours of traveling. The next day we traveled to Toledo which is beautiful and rich in history. It was once totally Muslim but after the Spanish Inquisition and the switch of power it was overthrown by the Catholic monarchy. We got to see the fourth largest cathedral inthe world, the Rosary Cathedral, we saw a synagogue, the famous photo done by Grecco and also got a walking tour of the city. Finally we got to Seville and met our families. 

I am living with a mother and daughter named Ada and Anna. It is great because Anna is my age and is very sweet. Our room is super nice and we have a view of the whole city. We live in Nervion which is a central and nice part of the city where the metro is only 5 minutes away and our school is only a 15 minute walk! Today we had a tour of the city and met our mission mentors with Veritas. They are very sweet and welcoming, definitely helps me feel more at home with people who are open and willing to help whenever I need it. It has been a blast getting to know everyone in the program and becoming closer friends with the people in my Veritas group. there are around 90 students in the ISA program and 7 in the Veritas group. I am so looking forward to becoming better friends with everyone! 

Now for the High Low of the experience thus far. The high is that I absolutely LOVE it here (Don't worry mom and dad I am coming back home). I love everything from the food, which is mainly a Mediterranean diet with lots of coffee, to the laid back lifestyle as the normal time for a meal is an hour. I love walking through the city and seeing all the people on the street. I love my sweet little apartment. I love all the history and color Seville has to offer. It has been such a huge blessing for far and God has been so faithful to me. Now for the low. When we first got here I cried like a baby. I was so overwhelmed with the language barrier and with the culture shock. I really do wish that I was fluent in Spanish because that would make everything better! It has been difficult at times to adjust to the differences like eating a 10 at night and being a guest in someone's house. I do miss my family, I wish I could give my mom a hug every morning and than annoy my sister with questions about which boy likes her today, I wish I could go over to my best friends house and have her make me french press coffee than laugh our butts off, I wish I could eat peanut butter (as they don't have it here). But alas I cannot and it is OKAY. I know there many changes that I will need to make and time will help me adjust here better. Sending love to everyone back home! Besos <3