is it spring yet?

It is said that when the weather is good, it's GOOD and when it's bad it's BAD. Well, I am ready for the GREAT! It is still a bit cool here and coats/jackets are still on stand by every time we leave to go out. Today it looks and feels more like fall- gray skies, windy, and brown. These are the days I wish to be back in the states, where in the south shorts are being worn and boots have been replaced by flip flops. Flowers have been planted and the grass is green. More than anything I wish I were home to celebrate our risen savior with the family I love and miss so much. I have been lonesome for a church family- where the excitement over this season and what it means to our faith is absolutely contagious. In this culture, church attendance is an obligation and there is no joy. Most of the cities have processions but they all depict the death of Christ and the weaping Mary. I am looking for the celebration!!! We reflect upon the death of Christ and what it means to us and what it accomplished for us- but in this culture it pretty much stops there. I want to praise my risen savior who is alive and working in and amongst us. This holiday season, I pray for opportunities to tell the rest of the story......He lives, he lives, Christ jesus lives today- He walks with me and talks with me.

To Busy to Blog!

Whew! It has been a wild few months. Things have been good but crazy. Ian and I are working about 25-30 hours combined at the Chat Room as well as trying to meet with people to practice Spanish and keep up with our personal studies. Due to budget shortfalls the company has had to make several cuts and our language budget was cut, so we are on our own. It has been difficult and we have definitely noticed a difference in our progress, but God is good to us and we will get it....it just might take a bit longer.
The girls are doing wonderful. It has been hard to tell how much progress that have made because the will not speak Spanish to us. Someone told us that children relate languages with relationships and so for us it will be English. Since the weather has been nicer we have had more opportunities to be outside with them and have seen them interact more with their friends on the playground and we are so happy with what we see. They are getting along wonderfully- of course they make mistakes but they are being understood and seem comfortable using what they know. At a recent teacher-parent meeting the twins teacher mentioned in front of all of the other parents that our girls were the best Basque speakers in the class. While it was a bit embarrassing it was nice to know. Bianca was invited to a birthday party last week and I was a bit nervous about just dropping her off. I had to work that afternoon so Ian took her, but I made her put a piece of paper in her pocket with our cell phone numbers....just in case. She did fabulous and had a wonderful time.
Ian has started training for a triathlon. He has been interested in doing it for years and now he has finally taken the plunge. He is doing well in the running and biking, but the swimming is kicking his butt. He is reading lots of blogs and training advice on line and I know his hard work will pay off.
I have finally gotten back behind my sewing machine. I had to order fabric from the US and pay almost 30 dollars for it to be shipped. I paid the equivalent of 10 dollars for 5 yards of elastic and there are not any stores that offer pleating services. I will not go into all of the details, but it took me 2 days to pleat a simple garment. In the states it may have taken me 10 minutes. So while I am sewing again I do not see myself cranking things out as quickly as before.
Well,that is all for now- will try to do better with updates.
Love to you all,
Katie

Thanksgiving in the Basque Country

This weekend our Txat Project hosted a weekend in english at a farm house. The theme for the weekend was "Giving Thanks". We had a semi-traditional meal with a brief history of thanksgiving and all of the Americans that were there with us shared with our Basque friends our individual thanksgiving traditions. Our Basque friends are very into differences in cultures so they were very open to trying to new foods and hearing about our family traditions. I think they were amazed at the amount of food and the number of desserts. We also used the leftovers today for lunch and shared with them about how we eat the left overs for DAYS and some of the creative things that people do with the meat. I think they appreciated that we didn't waste what they perceive as an unnecessary amount of food. I think that the weekend was a success and that our Basque friends Ana, JoseMari, Miguel, Ainoah, Asier, Maider, Josetxo and Corro had a great time improving their english and getting a taste of all the good food we have to offer at Thanksgiving. Thanks to our friends at Keller BC in Texas for coming to help and bringing some special items so that we could have some of our favorites this Thanksgiving.

This is what we ate (some substitutions were made b/c of what is available:

Roasted Chicken, Baked Ham, Cornbread Dressing, Green Bean Roll Ups, Macaroni & Cheese, Creamed Spinach, Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower, Rolls with honey butter, cranberry sauce, Carrot Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Chocolate Pecan Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Long time....no update.

Hello friends and supporters! We have just been horrible at updating, but it is only because we have been really busy. Everyone is doing really well. We have had parent meetings with both of the girls teachers and we got great reports from both. The twins teacher, Amaia, told us that they are both very caring and not quite as selfish as many of the other kids their age. That is always nice to hear. Bianca´s teacher, Maite, said that she was really enjoying her friends and doing great in her studes. Both teachers said the girls were doing great learning their Euskera and picking up some Spanish as well. They have their first field trip this Friday so they are really looking forward to riding on the big bus- they use huge charter buses for school buses here so to a preschooler it looks like a carnival ride.
Ian and I are also progressing in our studies. We could both use more opportunities to speak but we do alright when we need to. Everyone keeps telling us that it will get better with time. We have started working some at our Txat Room and getting a chance to meet with clients. It is a lot of fun and we just want more opportunities- as soon as we get out of lang. school we will be working there more and be more valuable to our team. We are getting ready for a weekend event with a volunteer team from Texas this month as well as a team retreat.
I have invited one of my friends over for Thanksgiving. Her mother was an American and I thought she might like to experience this holiday with her American friends. My friend, Cristina, says she remembers how hard it was for her mother when she first came here and so she wants to be my friend and help me- I love that! Ian's mom is coming for Christmas so we are looking forward to having our first visitors. It is the rainy season right now so I hope it all stops before she gets here and we can get out without getting soaked.
Ian will be testing for his Spanish drivers license this week so you can think of him as he finishes studying and taking the exam on the 10th. I am also hoping for some changes in my learning situation so you can remember that also. I will let you know the specifics once I know something definite.
Thanks again for all your support-sorry the updates are so infrequent, but while we are busy, the days are fairly predictable and their isn't much new going on. Love you all!

For our friends in Boca Raton!

Wow! I am just realizing that we have not blogged in over two months. That is horrible...We have a lot going on. Some good and some challenges. After 6 very long months we are finally in our destination city of San Sebastian. I continue to be amazed at how beautiful it is here. We found a great apartment only about 300 meters from the beach with a great view. From our terrace we can see the water and the mountains around but not the beach. There are lights on the mountains and at night the view is nice as well. The temperatures have been in the high 60s ans low 70s. We have had a few days int he 50s but those are rare.

The girls started school about 3 weeks ago and they are doing well. I think they are understanding more everyday. They are actually being taught in the Basque language (Euskera) and that has been...interesting. The public schools teach exclusively in Basque but the private school the girls go to teaches in Basque until the 5 yr. old school year and then they do a few subjects in each language. So right now the girls are learning Spanish on the playground and from their friends in class. The school day is pretty long and they are happy when the weekend comes and we all get to be home together.

Ian and I started back to school this week. It has been boring. They assigned us to a level 2 class and we are a bit higher than that. We are requesting a change for next week so we pray our request is granted. One of our teachers has spoken to the director and agrees we should be moved to the next level. I hope next week is more challenging. We need to move forward and get this language. I feel like we are in a bit of a valley with our speaking. It is so difficult and when we try to speak the words seem to get jumbled and just fall out of our heads. Or we know the words but can not get them in the proper tense or person. You should totally give grace to everyone you know who is not a native english speaker- it is very difficult to learn and live in a second language. I have meet one girl who is the mother of another set of twins in our girls class. She is half American and wants to practice her english. She was raised here so Spanish is her native language- we meet once a week for a language exchange and she has been great at helping me know what is going on! Sometimes I feel like I am walking around in a fog- I am hoping that the smoke clears soon.

This next week I would like to get the girls enrolled in some kind of extra- curricular. I am looking into swim for Bianca and dance or gymnastics for all three. Any way we can connect with people would be great. I am thinking about joining the gym right next door and I am sure Ian would like to get back into the gym as well. He has been running but has not been out on his bike yet. He finally got his surf board last week so I hope that he will get out and try in the next week or so. I also pray that for him it is "like riding a bike".

We have several events coming up that we would like you to remember: English chat weekend in October and a movie premier for surfers in October as well. Ian and our team mates are looking for a venue for the movie premier, we are hoping that this can be used as the catalyst for some other project in the surfing community.
Thanks to our friends in Boca Raton, Fl for keeping up with us and reminding us that there are people back in the states that love and care for us...even if we do not even know them personally!

PS-If you are on Facebook and we are not "friends" please add us and send us a message letting us know who you are and how you "know" us. This is a great place to see pictures and keep up with us day to day.

Why? Because it's better.

One of the hardest things for me to understand about this culture is why they do things the way they do. I am sure that everyone who has ever lived abroad has asked the same question. I struggled with this for a while because I thought I was being too hard on them and maybe I had a bit too much pride about being an American. I never want to be the American that always thinks that whatever we have in the states is superior to everything else in the world. It's simply not true. I have, however, discovered that for the most part the answer for all of my "why's?" is the same no matter who I ask-" Well, because it's better." I am not exaggerating. They really truly believe, with all that is in them, that their way of living, their food, their health system, their education system, their everything is better. I was talking with my nanny last week about this very thing. When it has been decided that something is "better" that's it. The end.  Nothing is left up to the individual to decide. Take salad dressing. My nanny has eaten only one salad dressing her ENTIRE 26 years. Olive oil and vinegar. There are simply no choices. I have searched. Every now and again I can find a little variety, but nothing to get excited about. It has been decided that oil and vinegar is the only acceptable and healthy choice so that it, end of discussion. 

I know that sometimes people think that we are here trying to make everyone like us- because we think WE are better, but that is really not true. Many of the people here have never experienced anything outside of their own culture- I mean why should they? The best is here - Right? and who am I to disturb their precious apple cart. I think it is important to me that other points of view be considered because otherwise what we are doing is futile. If it is "better" to live a life void of spirituality, living only for yourselves and your immediate family and if they are not open to a new way of thinking then how will they ever be open to hearing the message that we bring. If they won't even consider that MAYBE, just maybe my way of cooking is just as good as theirs will they ever be able to consider the life I am offering. Not a life to be lived just like me or even my way, but God's way. I want it to be understood that we are not trying to make them into versions of "us" only better versions of themselves.

Español Solo (3)

We did it! Last weekend we spent the entire weekend communicating in Spanish. We attended a weekend retreat with the church we have been attending here. We Katie and I did take the liberty to communicate with one another and to the girls in English, but since we were surrounded by so many Spanish speakers, we figured it was okay.

It was a fantastic weekend. We spent each meal with our new friends, and got a chance to eat a bunch of traditional Spanish foods. One of my favorites is morcilla, a type of blood sausage. For our Louisiana friends, it is not all that unlike boudin, except of course for the blood.

Everyone was very gracious, and they exhibited a great deal of patience as we fumbled through sentences and absolutely butchered their language. We attended four teaching sessions throughout the weekend as the pastor who led the retreat took us through the book of Ephesians. We did okay following along, as long as he stuck to the passage. As soon as he would follow a tangent, we would be completely lost. It is amazing how much more one can understand when he/she is aware of the context, in this case the biblical passage. Their were a couple of young teenage girls there who took to our girls. They kept an eye on our girls and let us participate in sessions and talk with people. We greatly appreciated their help in that.

Thanks for all of your prayers for us as we were gearing up for and participating in this weekend. It was a great learning experience, and our we were able to take alot (and not all of it language) away from the weekend).