I have arrived!
Technically it hasn't even been a week yet. However, I feel like so much has happened already and so many people ask me the same questions. This seemed like the best solution to getting things off my chest and answering everyone's questions without having to repeat myself.
I left my dearly beloved Glasgow and so many people I love on Wednesday, 4th of September, and arrived at my final destination of Zaragoza on the 5th, Thursday evening. It has been quite a transition. I've been here for quite a few days now and I've yet to find sweet potatoes! This may seem insignificant to you, but since I gave up meat a year ago they'd become the main ingredient in many of my dishes. I thought about leaving my friends and having to adjust to a new language, but having to change my diet in such a way never crossed my mind.
Believe it or not, that was not the biggest issue I've faced so far (insert a sense of sarcasm; of course lack of sweet potatoes hasn't been my biggest worry). Friday morning I realized that I had just a bit over a week to go before I am supposed to start my course at the university of Zaragoza and that I hadn't been contacted by the University at all to let me know of my timetable. Long story short- I accidentally missed the deadline to register for my place here by mere two months. After a few email exchanges where I was blamed and accepted my fault completely and lots of prayers by friends and family, I was told they'd make an exception and let me start on the 16th, as I had originally planned. Those four hours in between emails, waiting for them to authorize this change were some of the most stressful hours of my life.
Overall, it's been an emotional roller coaster. Some days I walk around the city and keep falling more and more in love with it. Others I cry because of how much I miss home (and by home I mean Glasgow because home is where the heart is). To be completely honest, this wasn't some days and others, both of these happened simultaneously within hours. It became quite overwhelming and got to a point where I had to make sure I really looked after myself. Have I eaten enough? Have I been active enough? I've found that when I look after the most basic needs of my body I'm in a better state mentally. It's crazy how easy it is to neglect yourself without even realizing it. So today, when I was really down, I made sure I had my dinner and went out on a short walk to the closest decent-looking park. Or so I'd thought. It ended up being the most beautiful park I've ever been to. I look forward to coming here as often as I possibly can now. I look forward to bringing my friends and family here.
The lesson I learned today? Look after yourself, you never know what blessings await if you just take that walk, take that one step to make your day better. Zaragoza wasn't my first choice for my year abroad, but God knew what I needed better.
Philippians 4:6 New Living Translation (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
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