1. Erik and Grammy and Grandpa took the girls school supply shopping! We had gotten their lists of scissors and compasses and notebooks, and they expanded their vocabularies figuring everything out. Plus, remember how fun it was to choose your own school supplies? Ours doesn't do that at home so they were thrilled.
2. We had a guided tour of the great Cathedral of Seville, the largest Gothic building in Europe. It was astounding, and our favorite part was seeing the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Just yesterday we had seen the very room where he met with Queen Isabel to debrief her when he returned from America, just this morning Erik and I ran along the river where he set sail (Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan sailed down the same river, incidently), and then today to see where he is buried (along with one of his sons) was so fascinating.
 |
| Lindsay and Grammy at Columbus' tomb. The four kings represent the four kingdoms that united to become Spain (Castile, Aragon, Leon and Navarre) |
 |
| We hiked up to the top of the bell tower (which used to be the the minaret when it was a Mosque in the 1100's), thinking about the prayer callers hiking up those same ramps. We wondered if they ever got busy doing something else and lost track of time and had to run up to the top for the call to prayer. |
 |
| Grammy and Grandpa are architecture experts and explained flying buttresses to Lindsay - I had heard about them but didn't know why they were such a big deal! (And of course there were many jokes to be made about buttresses). :) |
3. Stoney and I had some one-on-one time (which I have really missed with each of the kids), and we walked to the girls' school to get some papers and ask them if they had any recommendations for places we could look for a preschool nearby. Everyone I have talked to has told me it would be impossible for him to find a spot - there is a record number of four-year-olds in the area (love potion in the water in 2007 I guess). When I signed the girls up, I asked if there was a waiting list and if they would call me if they had a spot. He was very kind but said it would take a miracle. Well, we walked into the school to get papers and as soon as he saw me he grinned and said, "I was just going to call you - we have a place for your boy!" I started jumping up and down and clapping - "Es un milagro!!!" It's a miracle! I'm so happy. I really wanted him to have a place to play, meet kids, and take advantage of this opportunity to learn Spanish. And to have him at the same school as all his sisters will be so comforting for him (and me!), not to mention convenient. I am THRILLED!
4. Tonight we were invited to the home of a lady we met at church on Sunday. She and her husband met at BYU, where they both graduated (she is Spanish, he is from Singapore), and they are both fluent in English. Their 21-year-old daughter babysat Stone last night while we went to the Flamenco show and she was fantastic. They made us a delicious Chinese meal from scratch, and it was so calming to be at a home where we had so much in common. It is a wonderful experience to be with people who think and behave and live in a different way - there is so much to learn! - but it feels like a relief to know you don't have to explain that you don't drink, or that you pray before you eat... and just the underlying awareness that we know the same songs and hang the same paintings of Jesus on our children's walls was a great comfort. And then on top of all that, we found out he was a Film major at BYU and as he and Ed and Elayne (Theater and Communications Majors) started naming Professors and friends, it turned out they had an unbelievable number of mutual friends. We were all laughing that we were sitting in an apartment in Seville, Spain, where we have lived for 6 days, not knowing a single soul, sharing stories about Elayne's college roommates. I really appreciated that element of Mormon Life tonight - when you're Mormon, no matter where you are on the globe, you're never alone.
Oh, and tonight to get to their house we had to ride the bus for the first time - walk to a bus stop, hop on the right bus and ride it for awhile, then hop off, walk to another stop and catch another bus, then get off and walk to their apartment - 45 minutes total. We did great and I loved that my kids participated in that experience. Some of the most important learning happens as we have to figure out how much things cost and which coins are worth what amount, and how to get places when Google Maps on my phone gives us wrong information. The kids see me constantly asking strangers for directions, help, advice, etc.... and I'm hoping that makes an impression to make them unafraid to talk to people, ask questions, seek help, and do new things they've never done before! Our next step is to make them do the talking. Lindsay has a few times but (surprise, surprise!) Lucy doesn't like to. Yet. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment