I'll meet you in the morning // when everyone is sleeping...

Here's a few highlights of the week:

Abraham decorated CIEE for Halloween this week. And not just a few pumpkins. We are talking a lifesize coffin, fake bats hanging from the ceilings, large photos of typical Halloween icons, and fake blood for the Language police. CIEE never ceases to surprise me.

Frankenstein, etc. hanging from the ceilings.
In the bottom left corner you can see part of the life-size coffin.

Fake spider webs and ravens everywhere...

Spiders and bats hanging from some the center of the patio.

Yesterday I visited la Casa de Pilatos, which is basically just a gorgeous private house in Sevilla that was converted to a museum because the owners have such an intense collection of sculptures. The house is gorgeous and every room is named after an element of the Passion of Christ.

I finally managed to snap a picture of our good looking tour guide, Alejandro. You can't help but start singing Lady Gaga every time you see him ;)

Absolutely beautiful ceramics EVERYWHERE

Last but not least, the weather has been getting colder here. At 7 PM its only 75 degrees. Rough life, right? However, since our houses are designed to stay cool (because of the heat during the summer) it has been pretty chilly inside. Thus, my señora recently whipped out her latest tool to fight the cold (after the warmer clothing, robe, blankets)...

She thought it was so funny that I was confused when she first brought it out. Then she proceeded to tell me I needed to take a picture of it. So this one's for you Marguerite, now everyone knows how you keep your feet warm :)

I'll meet you in the morning, when everyone is sleeping //
I'll meet you in the evening, when my soul is tired...
And everyday, your name is on my lips //
Everyday, your mercy is holding me up...

For the past (almost) two months, I have watched the sun rise on my way to class. Monday through Thursday, whether I'm cold or filled with a warm fuzzy feeling, tired or brimming with the excitement of the day, as I put one foot in front of the other I get to watch the most beautiful skies be painted right in front of my eyes.

This semester I have had time to just be. I have had time to enjoy the world around me in a different way. I watch the sun rise, I linger over meals, I go out with friends on 'school nights'. I have had time to "Be still and know that I am God." (Yes Hope friends, I just caught up the BE chapel on my podcasts.)

Often when walking around Sevilla, my friend Molly comments the same thing to me: "The sky is definitely bluer here." And as a look up to see a sky that seems sapphire or cerulean, I can't help but agree. Every day and every night the sky is such an incredible color that I don't even want to photograph it. Some days I'm afraid someone will reduce Sevilla to its photos. And although they are an excellent way to share my experiences, it doesn't explain what it smells like or feels like to be walking down the street.

This past Monday when Molly commented about the color of the sky, I thought to myself, Do I even know what the sky in Holland or Hershey looks like on a daily basis? Probably not. In Holland I'm too absorbed in my to-do list or watching out for ice on the side-walk so I don't face plant. In Hershey I rarely walk places unless everyone else is out and I have responsibility for Sookie.

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."
- Miriam Beard

I'm trying to prepare myself for next semester. I know the culture shock will be so much worse returning home and to school than it was adjusting to the leisurely lifestyle here. So dear Hope friends, if you see me rushing to class, looking down at the sidewalk next semester, please remind me to take a moment to check how blue the sky is that day.

Be.