Week 10

Well, well, well...now that I have your eager attention while you are anxiously awaiting the post for week 9, I´m going to throw you a curve ball. I DIDN´T WRITE A BLOG FOR WEEK 9. Wanna know why? Because I was having so much fun experiencing week 9 that I didn´t have time. What could have happenned that was so amazing you ask? Well, for one, my family came into town. The weekend was all a blur--all I remember is a lot of food, many pastries, no running, a lot of shopping, my mom crying about having to walk so much, and my sister crying about her boyfriend she missed at home. She had to keep using the internet to ¨check on her applications for school¨haha I´m kidding I just wrote that because I know she´ll read it and get mad... HAHAHAHAHA!! No really, i owe you 5 euros meg dont let me forget. So after that amazing time with my family (they are just to crazy) I played soccer and went home. Then this week we had Thanksgiving dinner with our group here--it was so fun. It was a type of turkey on the outside, beef on the inside dish with veggies and mashed potatoes. Not to shabby if you ask me. I mean it doesnt hold a candle to Granny´s dumplings but you know they do what they can. Friday night we ¨boutelloned¨with cookies and milk in the plaza (normally boutellons are done with a lot of alochol but we are to hardcore for that--we skip straight to the milk). Walking home, Barbara and I got to pass a nice young gentleman hiding behind a pole who preceded to flash us. Thank you, España. We went shopping all day Saturday--that was lovely. (Hence all the weird shopping pictures). We at lunch at Barbara´s house on Sunday...her parents cooked us an AMAZING meal and I was so full. It was great. Her parents are hilarious.
So...the best part of this blog. God has really been opening Barbara´s heart to Him. We had a nice long chat about where she is and what she believes. She was excited about going to church sunday and loved it when we went. It´s so amazing to see Him working--I just love hanging out with Barbara but I´m doing nothing. Just these past few weeks I have been preoccupied with a lot God laid on my heart and Barbara and I hadn´t even talked about God in a while. I still prayed for Him to work and was I amazed when Barbara asked me if we were going to church Sunday. Then she told me about her thoughts and it was beautiful. Beautiful to see that God can do all things--He uses us for people to see Christ but it´s really God who opens people´s hearts. He is just incredible. He´s shown me His continuous love that I can´t totally ever comprehend. I honestly will never NEED anything in my life except to know that He never fails. Well...I must go now because our teachers decided to give us a ton of work to do in these last few weeks. Be fighting for this country in prayer. It´s a beautiful thing to be here seeing God work! PEACE!

Week 8

Hola!! Weeeeeell...this week was wonderful!! Did all the boring school stuff during the week and this weekend we went to Barcelona!! What an incredible city! There is a ton of architecture by Ghaudi and it was really great--then we saw the Picasso museum which was equally amazing. We got in Barcelona Friday and took a bus tour, then me and a couple of friends took a little jog around the city and got pretty lost! It was great. My roomie was sick so I stayed home with her Friday night and just kinda hung out and read. Saturday we toured a lot of places in Barcelona and just had a ton of free time. There was a museum of chocolate in the city and we went---it was HEAVEN!!! We were served a cup of just pure chocolate with dipping sticks. It was so good and I felt like I was going to die afterwards. We went back to the hotel after walking around Barcelona and hung out. Soon after I heard the news of the Auburn defeat I was devastated. A bunch of people were going out but I was so sad...I just couldn´t do it. Instead, me and my friend went to Pizza Hut and had an eating contest. I would just like to say that I ate a sandwhich and an entire package of cookies before this eating contest and I still tied him by eating 6 huge pieces of pizza. Needless to say, I felt worse after we ate and I was still full when I got up Sunday morning to go running. Things have been so crazy here and I just need a day to reconnect with God--you know sometimes you just know that you need to hang out with someone who you feel a little distant from. I just haven´t been putting in enough time with Him and I just need some good God chill time. I´m going to plan out a day just for that because I think things will be better after that. I can´t wait to get home--we´re on the downhill slope with a lot of things planned for the next few weeks! I´ll keep you guys updated but just be praying for this country and opportunities to do what God wanted me here to do! Love you all! MAL

Week 7

Wow! The days are flying by!! This week was the BEST week I´ve ever had!! Me and one of my friends from my group went to Ireland--it has to be the best country in the world (besides the good ol´USA of course!) We first went to Blarney where I kissed the Blarney Stone...apparently now I have inherited the gift of eloquent speech! Awesome! We then went on to Dublin where I had a blast--being an English Major it was so great to go visit Trinity College where so many legendary writers graduated. I want to go there so badly!! Alas--the instate tuition at Georgia has a hold over me! We ate the typical irish food each day: fish and chips, shepard´s pie, and irish stew. We spend time in Barnie´s (a cute local coffee shop) and also in some Pubs near our hostel. We met some really cool missionary kids from Sweden and a guy from Australia. Then of course you have the random drunk guy--we had no idea what he was saying half the time he was talking!! It was a great week--I want to live there so badly--everyone was so nice so it´s weird being back in España where the culture is just...not like Ireland haha. I´m on the home stretch though--so close to going home and getting to spend time with my family! I can´t wait! Things are still going great here...learning a lot from other people and just letting God use me whenever He can. Waiting on His timing is hard but I´m developing more patience haha. It´s been raining here for the past few days which is different than the Paradise of previous months but I love it!! Well not very much to say due to the AMAZING Ireland trip but I love and miss everyone!!

Week 6

Man this trip is about to start flying by...and it´s actually a shame because I´m just getting comfortable and used to all these crazy kids. I had the BEST weekend here that I´ve had so far. Friday day we went to La Albufera and it was a huge freshwater lake that meets the salt water ocean on the coast of Spain. It was beautiful! We went on a boat ride and had lunch and a fish JUMPED in our boat hahaha. It was hilarious. Then Friday night we hung out at our spanish friend´s house and threw a surprise party for a few people we knew who all had birthdays that week. We just sat around and ate and played truth or dare...it was so much fun haha. Satruday I slept til about 10 after getting home at 5:30 in the morning and ran 10 miles. It had been like a month since I´d done a 10 miler and my dad seems to be getting pretty fast and I can´t have him beating me now can I?? I have a lot of catching up to do when i get home...Saturday night we went and hung out at another friend´s house and just all talked and watched a movie. I got home at 4:30 am and slept til about 3 in the afternoon. Then I ran to the beach and hung out with a bunch of my friends there. We played soccer and threw the frisbee and just talked. We stayed there til like 8:00 at night and watched the sunset and saw the stars over the water. There is just something so powerful about seeing the ocean and just knowing how amazing God is that he made that...among everything else. Gah...it´s insane. I walked back with my spanish friend and we got to talk about where she was in her walk. Come to find out when I had been at her house she read my blog because it was in her history on her computer and she´s just in the thinking process. She mentioned how just hanging out with us she sees that we are Christian but we are the same as her...she said a lot of people in Spain are really legalistic and a lot of that I know is due to the religion. I just wish more people would come and show others how it could be...how it really is with the Lord. I just love so much to see that it´s going to be completely God if she changes her heart to love Him. I love to be here to talk to her and to hear her thoughts but it´s going to be between her and God...I love and hate how powerless I am in this. I love to see that God is in complete control, but I hate that she might not make that choice. And it´s hard. But it´s beautiful. And Peru is rapidly approaching and I can´t wait. There is so much going on here and everywhere and God´s just working and I´m hearing about it from home and seeing it here and I LOVE IT!!! Times like these I wonder how people can´t see how amazing He is and not just want to walk as closely with Him as possible...man oh man!! I´m going to Ireland tomorrow!! Get excited to hear all about kissing the Blarney stone and fitting in with my homeland people! I can´t wait!! I love and miss everyone!! Pray for this country and pray for missions!! So many people don´t know how great it can be with Christ!! LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Week 5

Alright...this is hump week!! It´s all downhill after this week! Then I get to go see my fam!! Okay just another reason why I have the coolest family in the world. My mom sent me this SWEET package complete with candy corn and flavored coffee and a CD and oh man so much more. Mrs. Becky at work sent me marshmallows (oh man they were so good) and my Aunt sent me all this Halloween stuff which I already decorated my room with. It was incredible! Well...this week was great. Friday me and my roomie woke up to NO WATER...I guess they were working on construction or something. So that day we cooked with bottled water from the fridge. We waited for our family to come home for lunch but they never came. Apparently they tried to call us on Sarah´s phone to come eat at the bar but Sarah was talking to her mom. So for lunch (there was no food in the house) I had tomatoes, corn, and red bell peppers. It was wonderful...then it turned into a more normal weekend.. on Saturday we went to La Cuenca. It is a really cool city with a park with rocks made into different shapes just by erosion. I loved hanging out with mis amigos! It was also so gorgeous! Then Sunday we went to a Spanish Church. It was so incredible because the people were so on fire for the Lord. Two girls got saved---man. It encouraged me to just visually see God really working in this country. Our Spanish friend went with us and she said she really liked it and is going to think about things some...AHHHH so pray that God just really pursues her!! Man Spain is pretty incredible! We had a chinese buffett today and I really need to go running...so here I go!! Time to run! I miss everyone and love you guys so so so much!! Pray that God keeps moving among the people in my group because He´s totally been rocking out so far! Love MAL

Week 4

This entry is dedicated to my father, Benjamin Kirkland, who is such a faithful reader of this blog that i received multiple emails upon not updating last week. Thank you Dad for caring so much unlike my sister who never calls me. I don´t even think I have a sister anymore. Tears...Well Spain is becoming AMAZING!! We met some awesome spanish kids and have been hanging out with them and just having a blast. I have been forced to go out two nights in a row until 6 in the morning. It´s a rough life we spaniards lead...haha. In the past coupla weeks I´ve been to a bullfight, a soccer game, and some dancing clubs. I learned the Meringue and the Salsa and I´m pretty much a pro by now! Classes are going well...I have fewer chances to use the computer because it´s expensive to get on the internet but I get on whenever I can. God´s been placing some really cool people in my life. For one, I´ve been blessed with a roomie who loves Jesus...she understands and keeps me strong. Also there are some other people in my group who are really cool. Some of the kids we´ve met don´t believe and it´s gonna be great to build relationships with them and see how God´s going to work. I believe He will prevail! Whoo hoo!! I miss my family and friends so much...there is so much going on back at home that I wish I could be a part of but I know right here I´m learning SO much and meeting some incredible people! Well my time is up here but continue to pray for me and for the people I meet that God just really works in this country. Spain is ROCKIN AWESOME!! Love you guys!! MAL

SPECIAL EDITION: MUST READ

Mullets. They are the topic of many humorous conversations. They are exciting, yet awkward. And most importantly, they are found on many Spaniards who desire the ¨business in the front, party in the back¨look. Wherever you go in Spain you will find mullets. Short mullets, long mullets, she-mullets, he-mullets. If Doctor Suess were alive today he would have a blast writing a book about these miraculous hair styles. In the United States, the mullet is something to be feared and gawked at. However, in Spain, the mullet is something to be desired and loved. Many of the famous actors and athletes sport these wonderous do´s creating a fashion trend unknown to many parts of the world. So I ask you, my fellow man, to not close your mind to such things we Americans view as atrocities. I encourage you to open your eyes and your mind to these wonderful stylistic creations of a genius mind. And next time you see one, laugh, take a picture, and know that someone, somewhere is getting their hair cut in the beautiful style we call The Mullet.

Week 3

Week 3



Well as we come upon Week 3 in España, people continually reaffirm that I am here for a reason. It´s nice to have that reminder everytime I want to be home with my family and friends. However, living abroad teaches many lessons...how to live without the comforts of home, how to appreciate your family and friends, and mostly how God is so incredibly faithful by being all you really need all the time. This week has been full of fun and excitement. I went to a discotech Thursday night with some people from my group. There were brazilian dancers and a bunch of crazy latin music. It was fun but the club scene really isn´t my thing. I ended up turning in pretty early (around 2 am). If you havent heard how things work in Spain...the college kids and families eat dinner around 10 pm. Then the older kids go out and hang in the park or something til about 3 am. Then at 3 am many of the clubs start getting busy and the kids don´t get home until 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning. If you know me then you know that my bedtime is normally around 10:00 at night. Therefore, I am afraid I will be missing out on the night scene...how unfortunate haha. Friday we went to the beach and played futbol (known to the Americans as soccer). It´s really hard to play soccer in the sand and we were basically falling EVERYWHERE and killing each other. It was beautiful. Then we got to run and wash off in the Mediterranean Sea...how lovely!! There was a huge dead fish and Koitchi...one of the guys...threw it on the girls. A man after a girl´s heart right there...haha. Saturday we went to the Museum of Arts and Sciences which was really just a big aquarium inside some sweet architecture. The aquarium has nothing on the one in Atlanta but it was so cute to see the crazy animals. Saturday night I did homework and got to talk to my family including my Aunt, Uncle, and Granny. That was the highlight of my week! And last night was amazing...we went to a Valencia Futbol game! It was so insane...it´s like UGA football in Georgia except with soccer which makes it 20 million times greater. It´s exciting and we definitely pulled the annoying american fan card...but we didn´t care b-c we were having a blast!! I´m slowly getting into my routine here so life is getting easier. By the time I leave I should be adjusted haha. God´s definitely working so it makes it a lot easier to get through the days!! Well a new week has begun so I´m going out to face the day...I love and miss everyone!! Love you! MAL