Its the hap, happiest season of all!

Just a little taste of my baby tree here in Spain.

A day to give thanks

So I meant to do this yesterday, but in the midst of buying Christmas decorations, making an apple pie and actually decorating, I forgot. So here it is, a non-exhaustive list of things that I am thankful for (In no particular order):

-I have been blessed to always have food and shelter

-My mom is AWESOME and has always supported me in any decision I've made in my life

-I have recently got closer to my brother and sister...I like it much better this way

-No college loan debts

-Not having college loan debt has let me live meagerly doing some things that I really love and have learned so much from

-God is teaching me every day how much I need him in my life

-GRACE.....simply amazing

-That my parents raised me to be independent, and because of this I've been able to do the things that otherwise I might have run scared from

-I have some awesome friends. Truly. Living so far away from most of them I am truly blessed every time one of them makes the effort to stay in touch...I cannot thank you enough.

-I was able to buy everything I needed to decorate a small Christmas tree yesterday for under 25 euro....its nice to have a little tradition over here

Thats all I can think of right now, but I think those generally cover the bases :) I promise the next post will not be a list. Until then, I hope you're listening to Christmas music like I am!

All for 100 Euros...

-A small white VW that drives like a charm and doesn't fog up once!

-A knot in your shoulder from driving said VW along super windy mountain roads, after not driving for nearly two months.

-Running over your first animal on a windy curve of one of these roads....it was a cool one too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genet_(animal)

-The sweetest little casa rural you can imagine, it looks like it has been transported from 200 years earlier (except for the lights and bathroom), and even has one of those cool doors that can open only half way!

- Learning that you have a pretty good English accent....and being told this by two real live English citizens!

- Taking a sweet jumping picture under the Leon sign.....and five takes to get all five people jumping at the same time

-One of the coolest waterfalls ever.

-Eating biscuits, cookies, and clementines like they're going out of style

-A Roman bridge that is not actually Roman at all, but does offer a lot of fun pictures and a bit of climbing around the base

-A never ending list of questions that mimic with "Do they say '____' in England?" or "Do they say '____' in America?'

-Trying to cook in a barbecue when its freezing outside, your wood is wet, and you have to wait for the neighbor to cook first only to find that you can succeed....and it only takes 45 minutes to cook a chicken breast!

-A birthday hat that looks like a birthday cake with candles and plays happy birthday when you press the button

-Some really beautiful lakes accompanied by wind so strong that if you lean into it it will hold you up

-Cow poop...on a wall?

A great weekend with friends....priceless

Rain, Rain Go Away

I named this blog "With Mountains in the Background" because for the first time in my life I am living in a place where there are literally mountains in the back ground. Any direction you turn there are mountains and they are absolutely beautiful.

Not so beautiful is the cold that comes along with being at a high elevation. I have also never lived in a place that will be as consistently cold as Ponferrada will be this year. I am not prepared. My "winter" wardrobe from North Carolina consists of a few long sleeved shirts (like 3) and a few sweaters...this will not due for Ponferrada, where people do not like to turn on the heat because it is "too expensive." (I personally believe that when your hands and feet are constantly cold it changes from too expensive to a part of life). So, it has become a mission for this week to buy some wintery clothes to add to my two hanging racks (I don't actually have a wardrobe here).

This brings me to the worst part about this cold...the rain! I'm not exaggerating when I say that in the last two weeks there may have been one partly sunny day. I'm pretty sure that it has rained every single day and that combined with the cold makes me never want to leave my house, because if I do leave I have to walk to wherever I'm going and did I mention that I am so not accustomed to the cold?

O Spain, I guess this is what it means to live here, so I will go and take a shower and check to see if I've been paid yet, and if so I WILL shop today!!!

and it begins

So I have finally decided to start a blog, mostly because I had a thought today that seemed important enough to share. I had my iPod playing a genius mix of the country songs during my thirty minute ride home from school today. It was a really good mix, with a lot of songs that made me think of my Dad, and in general took me back to different times in my life. I was sitting near the middle doors, a perfect place for people watching. I really love people watching, it is so interesting. So many different people, doing different things... observing people is an easy way for me to pass the time. But to day it hit me. Each and every one of these people has an entire life of stories, and moments, and feelings that they could tell. The couple giving a quick kiss before one gets off the bus, the stooped elderly woman who walks with a cane and who's face seems more like leather than live flesh.

In my orientation training for Kenya we talked about people being background, machinery or something else that I can't remember (its the good one). Machinery being people who do things for you, ie the lady who sold me shower gel today. And background people being people who are only background objects but don't really register as people. All too often I let people remain background and never really realize that they are real live people, with stories of their own.

I wonder what these people would have to say if I took the time to talk to them? What kind of impact would they have on my life? God only knows. Like I said, it was a really good mix. I probably won't understand half of what they say anyway and I'll never see them again, right?