life never gets easier, have you noticed? working through a bunch of stuff, struggling to enjoy my last weeks here in vélez, looking forward to traveling with my dad. life keeps moving, always stretching us to the limit.
two songs from the david crowder band are encouraging me this week. note these lyrics:
You're everythingI could want / That I could need / If I could see / You want me / Could I believe? / 'Cause You're perfectly / All I want, all I need / If I could just feel / Your touch / Could I be free? / Why do You shine so? / Can a blind man see? / Why do You call? / Why do You beckon me? / Can the deaf hear the voice of love? / Would You have me come? / Can the cripple run? / Are You the one?
What can I do with my obsession / With the things I cannot see / Is there madness in my being / Is it the wind that moves the trees? / Sometimes You're further than the moon / Sometimes You're closer than my skin / And You surround me like a winter fog / You've come and burned me with a kiss
Chorus And my heart burns for You / And my heart burns...for You
And I'm so filthy with my sin / I carry pride like a disease / You know I'm stubborn, Lord, and I'm longing to be close / You burn me deeper than I know / And I feel lonely without hope / And I feel desperate / Without vision / You wrap around me like a winter coat / You come and free me like bird
if you're reading, say a prayer for your friends far away...they need it.
22 April 2008
01 April 2008
no foolin'
had to put that because it's april fool's...even though they don't celebrate here!
had a good vacation with my cousin and since i have discovered that a few of you still occasionally read this, i thought i would update how it all went. plus, i am excited that only 9 weeks remain of teaching! yipee! and then i'm off to new adventures (yeah, same old same old with me...lol).
anyway, highlights:
Tangier, Morocco--just a 2-hour ferry ride from europe and it's a major culture change. beggars, bartering, etc. found out i was pretty good at bartering in spanish--better than my mexican-american friend who went! enjoyed the sweet mint tea and the picturesque coastal village (assilah) they take the tourists to, as well as the crowded market and the many scarves, costumes, and scents. didn't enjoy not being able to drink the water (since i drink a lot of water) and the extra attention from the guys (my cousin even got a marriage proposal!).
Cadiz--historic town on an isthmus (say the name like you have a lisp at the end and you sound like a native). my cousin and i got drenched first by a rainstorm and later by the tumultuous sea as we ran to see a castle. but the neat winding streets were very picturesque.
Gibraltar--highlight climbing up to the top of the rock, seeing the views and imagining what it would have been like to explore the caves during WW2...bummed they didn't give me free access to explore now. ripped off by the exhorbitant exchange rate if you go to a restaurant and try to pay in euros--worse than anything ever tried in morocco ironically. sigh. monkeys are entertaining--think they were winning 10 to 2 against the stupid tourists when we left.
Frigilliana--maybe i've already mentioned this pueblo, but i took my cousin there since it is my favorite (and my fourth time there). beautiful warm white cobbled streets, lovely vino dulce and views of the rolling greenish hills and the sea in the distance...if only i could afford a cottage...
Torremolinos--spent an evening here annoyed by the insane number of tourists, including the idiotic drunk (at 8pm on a monday) british tourists who claimed to love the american accent (yeah, and i have a tower of london to sell you...).
Granada--ah, the crumbling remains of the moorish empire, also known as the Alhambra. the place you must see, or so they say. the buildings were ok--except we had to share it with some 3200 other tourists. but the gardens were by far the best. the sultaness had quite the prison in Generalife, with beautiful wisteria and lovely redwoods among trickling fountains and cool shrubbery. the albayzin was also interesting, with it's climbing walkways and breathtaking views of the alhambra with the sierra nevadas peaking out of the haze in the distance. had a nice hike on the last day above the alhambra by myself, finding secret ruins surrounded by a fence conveniently downed by a tree in one section. of course i explored it, what else would i do?
now i'm getting back to the grind, trying not to count the days and trying to figure out what to do friday to celebrate by myself...maybe a nice walk on the beach since i'm under a budget crunch!
hope you are enjoying spring wherever you are!
had a good vacation with my cousin and since i have discovered that a few of you still occasionally read this, i thought i would update how it all went. plus, i am excited that only 9 weeks remain of teaching! yipee! and then i'm off to new adventures (yeah, same old same old with me...lol).
anyway, highlights:
Tangier, Morocco--just a 2-hour ferry ride from europe and it's a major culture change. beggars, bartering, etc. found out i was pretty good at bartering in spanish--better than my mexican-american friend who went! enjoyed the sweet mint tea and the picturesque coastal village (assilah) they take the tourists to, as well as the crowded market and the many scarves, costumes, and scents. didn't enjoy not being able to drink the water (since i drink a lot of water) and the extra attention from the guys (my cousin even got a marriage proposal!).
Cadiz--historic town on an isthmus (say the name like you have a lisp at the end and you sound like a native). my cousin and i got drenched first by a rainstorm and later by the tumultuous sea as we ran to see a castle. but the neat winding streets were very picturesque.
Gibraltar--highlight climbing up to the top of the rock, seeing the views and imagining what it would have been like to explore the caves during WW2...bummed they didn't give me free access to explore now. ripped off by the exhorbitant exchange rate if you go to a restaurant and try to pay in euros--worse than anything ever tried in morocco ironically. sigh. monkeys are entertaining--think they were winning 10 to 2 against the stupid tourists when we left.
Frigilliana--maybe i've already mentioned this pueblo, but i took my cousin there since it is my favorite (and my fourth time there). beautiful warm white cobbled streets, lovely vino dulce and views of the rolling greenish hills and the sea in the distance...if only i could afford a cottage...
Torremolinos--spent an evening here annoyed by the insane number of tourists, including the idiotic drunk (at 8pm on a monday) british tourists who claimed to love the american accent (yeah, and i have a tower of london to sell you...).
Granada--ah, the crumbling remains of the moorish empire, also known as the Alhambra. the place you must see, or so they say. the buildings were ok--except we had to share it with some 3200 other tourists. but the gardens were by far the best. the sultaness had quite the prison in Generalife, with beautiful wisteria and lovely redwoods among trickling fountains and cool shrubbery. the albayzin was also interesting, with it's climbing walkways and breathtaking views of the alhambra with the sierra nevadas peaking out of the haze in the distance. had a nice hike on the last day above the alhambra by myself, finding secret ruins surrounded by a fence conveniently downed by a tree in one section. of course i explored it, what else would i do?
now i'm getting back to the grind, trying not to count the days and trying to figure out what to do friday to celebrate by myself...maybe a nice walk on the beach since i'm under a budget crunch!
hope you are enjoying spring wherever you are!
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