02/28/10

Javier (son-in-law of MJ) arrived unexpectedly today and indicated I was supposed to come with him. In this family, most of my days are filled with trips to unknown destinations, I just ask what I need to bring and follow like a sheep!

It turned out, he took me all round the neighborhood, so I could find things on my own! So considerate! We saw 2 parks (un pequeno y otra muy grande), all of the Catholic schools in existence, the barrio de medico (my name for it, not real. Don’t bother getting a map), the sweetest pisos and casas en el mundo, etc. It was the easiest thing in the world to get around, I’m so thankful he took me! Plus, turns out Javier is super easy to talk to, even with his Ingles and my Espanol being not-so-great. We talked the entire time, about the area, about health care in Spain, Europe and America, how jamon en Espana is unlike jamon in any other part of the world, etc.

At lunch today, Cheryl told me that it would mean so much to the family if I were to help Josue with his English while I’m here; that would be the best way to pay them back for their kindness to me. This family has been so generous and so helpful to me, I’m so glad there’s a way I can repay their kindness!

Javier insists that I try one of every delicacy Spain has to offer. If the battered calamar, bug-eyed conejo and fermented pig aren’t the weirdest foods they have…..Gag, octopus got stuck in my teeth at lunch, ewwwagha.

02/27/10

I have now borne witness and can testify that a rabbit without skin is about the grossest thing I’ve ever seen. We visited the butcher shop today….yugh.

I have made a few important purchases for my time here: a Metro card (subway, underground train that goes all over Madrid) which also includes the bus system and a Spanish mobile phone (un movil) which will enable me to call home for (hopefully) reasonable rates! It’s a pay-as-you-go phone, I haven’t used it much yet.

Today was Eva’s birthday (Eva is the daughter of Maria Jesus, my abuela!) and their family tradition is to go eat a HUGE meal together. I am so fortunate they wanted to include me, it was so much fun! The group was Maria Jesus y yo, Josue (Eva’s 17 year old son), Eva, Javier (Eva’s husband) and Javier’s mom. We all went to a restaurant that seemed to specialize in seafood; as a result of this afternoon, I have now tasted calamar, octopus, lamb, Spanish coffee (muy bien!), and some alcohol-free fruit shot thing. I refrained from trying the shellfish (told them about my crawdad experience in Mississippi) and the clam/mollusk type things they were enjoying. Oh my word, they bought me a steak the size of my face (or possibly bigger), pepsi, ice cream, French fries (patatas fritas), the fruit thing, the coffee…it was a fiesta in true Spanish fashion!

The family has also invited me to Cordoba, a city in Andalucia (south of Madrid) where Maria Jesus owns a house. There has been a lot of flooding in that area lately, which has already affected the olive harvest and has ruined homes only a few blocks from where Maria Jesus lives. She is understandably concerned for her home and anxious for the weather to improve so she can see her pueblo again safe and sound. We are praying the situation improves soon, it’s pretty serious for the residents there.

02/26/10
I’m not sure if its just Maria Jesus or all Spanish abuelas, but this woman sweeps and mops her house every day! Her routine is, get up, eat a small breakfast and clean clean clean! Spanish people put different emphasis on meals than we do in America. Desayuno (breakfast) is small, maybe toast, coffee, fruit. Comida (lunch) is the big meal of the day, muy importante! Dinner (no se la palabra) is also small; Maria Jesus eats fruit & yogurt usually. For me, there’s nothing better than breakfast! This morning, when I made 2 eggs and toast for my breakfast, Maria Jesus was all astonishment at the amount of food I could put away….needless to say I buttered the bread out of eyesight and smuggled a mandarine into my room.

The church I’m attending is a pretty good size for an evangelical church in a traditionally Catholic country! The services are, obviously, in Spanish, I’m really looking forward to the point when I’ll understand more of what’s being said! Youth group tonight was fun, very similar layout to YG in the states. The jovenes (youth) all mingle and we play games, someone shares a message from the Bible and we eat! Everyone brought sandwiches tonight and I discovered one common sandwhich ingredient here is pig liver pate. Still haven’t recovered from that close encounter…

Wow, I’m really here! Last night my plane from London to Madrid was late, due to a French airstrike(?) (or something France-related), so instead of Dan or Eva Anderson picking me up, I was greeted by cheery sign-holders Bill & Gina, a couple serving with WorldVenture as mid-term missionaries. We then were picked up by Cheryl, who has been a missionary in Madrid for 15 years and can maneuver a suv through some of the most ridiculous parking lots I’ve ever seen! Cheryl, her husband Edward and 2 of their 3 kids were having a school holiday celebration that night (my timing is EXCELLENT!) so my first meal in España was pizza & ice cream sundaes! Bill & Gina warned me about the more authentic delights to come, including, but not limited to, anchovy loaf. I’ll be sure to send recipes to all interested parties.

My abuela or host mom for the next 11 weeks is Maria Jesus, a very kind, very patient woman who has offered to show me all of the places to buy food, clothes, the church in La Elipa (our neighborhood) and we may even drive down to her hometown near Cordoba, so I can see her pueblo! She doesn’t speak much English, which will be very helpful to me for immersion purposes, as I will have to figure out a way to communicate as soon as possible! We both wave our hands around alot.

The last thing I did last night before going to bed was plug my adapter into the wrong outlet & blow a fuse. The whole apartment went black, I felt so dumb & all I knew how to say was “lo siento” and “la luz” which I think means light, but anyways…….yeah. Rookie mistake.

This morning Maria Jesus’ daughter, Eva (different than the missionary) came over and we talked for at least an hour and a half. (Please note: the phrase “we talked for an hour and a half” is very different and much simpler than the actual experience of staring at a person, stuttering, waving your hands and consulting a ingles-español phrase book. For over an hour. It was fun but definitely a brain overload!)

I had lunch with Dan and Eva just an hour ago, and they have graciously given me access to their computer so that I can relay information of my safe arrival! I’m still tired, even after a good night’s sleep, but I’m hoping to be on Madrid schedule soon enough.

For those who asked, my address is:

Joelene Arndt

Calle de Montejurra, 10, 1-A

28017 Madrid Spain

It looks a bit different than we’re used to, but if you label envelopes with the information as it looks above, it should reach me!

I’m heading to el supermercado for food & basics, thank you for your prayers! I will send updates whenever I can!

I’ve been journalling constantly since arriving in Madrid, but I definitely want to condense everything into palatable pieces. I’m sending a few excerpts from the past week for your consideration:

02/25/10
The phrase “we talked for over an hour” does nothing to describe the actual experience of talking for an hour in a language you don’t really know! Have you ever spent an hour communicating without understanding? Have you ever sat across from a person from another country and haltingly, painfully tried to extract information from them or decipher the questions directed at you? Talking with Eva and Maria Jesus was not painful, but it was taxing. I kept thinking to myself, “No one will understand what I mean when I say ‘We talked for over an hour’.” They were patient and I was giving my best, but really we spent over an hour determining how little we understood one another! Her questions were countered by blank stares. My inventive mythical phrases were met with quizzical looks. It wasn’t until Dan Anderson appeared that we began to understand one another. Still, it’s the best way to learn!

Thank you to all who have donated their time, money and efforts into getting me this far! Your support is appreciated more than you know!

I’m officially leaving for Spain on Feb 21st, just a few days more! My internship with Dan and Eva Anderson in Madrid will end May 11th, giving me 11 weeks to learn, experience and grow! I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity, though the fact that I will be in a foreign culture next week has yet to sink in. I’m hoping that, though my own experiences of “alienation” from everything familiar, I will be better equipped to understand what immigrant families are going through, like those I met through World Relief in Spokane, WA. For them, going home is not an option. It is one thing to travel to a new place, but how many of us have had to start a new life where even the climate is strange and foreign? I am so fortunate, my family and home will be waiting for me when my time in Spain is at an end. But total cultural immersion – what an opportunity! I’m preparing myself for a very humbling time of language study. ¿Dondé está al baño?

I don’t have contact information to share just yet, but this blog through my church’s website and my Facebook group (aptly named “Joelene’s going to Madrid!”) are two excellent ways to keep informed as to my coming and going. I will aspire for prompt and thorough communication!

There are two women in Homer who really need our prayers at this time. Ann Daigle and Pamela Fraley are wonderful women of God and wives of strong Christian leaders – please join me in praying for their improved health and recovery. I am trusting in God to take care of them; God is good and He hears those who call out to Him.

Again I offer my thanks for your support and interest in this trip I’m taking. I am excited to see where all of this planning and preparation leads!