Foli is not dead

So, again, I have lagged it on these posts but with a good reason! I had a very very rough week and I was swamped with stuff. So, much has changed. I no longer live on Gran Vía, rather I love with a very lovely girl I met at church:) I started two more classes including portuguese which I LOVE!!! and I finished one course:(

As sad as I was to leave my friend Vicky at the other apartment, it just wasn't gonna be beneficial for me to stay there for several reasons, one mainly being my inability to get sleep and focus.
Aside from the move, I have been overwhelmingly homesick. I think it has much to do with the fact that I wasn't able to really talk to my family the whole week and when I would get a hold of them, they would all be busy. Sometimes it gets really hard when I talk to them because I feel like a spectator merely watching them live their lives. I feel like I am literally on the outside looking in at them while I am over here, thousands of miles away, just watching, that's it. When I see them all mess around, and have some laughs, as much as it pleases me to see that they are ok, it makes me more aware that I am missing out. I guess it really makes a difference when I see my niece and I realize just how much she is growing while I am over here. Same with my little brother. He is definitely not little anymore. He just got his braces removed this past week and he is growing into a young man and I am not there for it. Instead, I watch from my Ipad like if I'm watching a movie except, unlike a movie, as much as I'd like to pause it, I can't. I hate to sound down in a post, but this is really how I've felt. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world and I wouldn't leave now, but I guess I just wish they could be here with me.
Ok, I am done with the sad portion of my blog
moving on to a lighter note
This past week I completed my summer intensive course and my, what an ending. I loved that class and the professors I had. It was really nice because at the end one of them told me to never stop smiling and laughing and to always maintain my positive attitude. The other told me to not stop laughing, but to not die(this was a reference to the asthma attack I had in class 2 weeks ago because of something Gina did). Well what the other professor said really affected me to have her tell me that and I really appreciated it. This teacher was really into telling stories and we would often go off on tangents in class and then finally get back on topic the last 5 minutes of class. I learned so much from her. My other teacher, wow. He was a character. There really is no other description for him other than to say he had swag. The day following the embarrassing asthma attack in class he came up to me and told me that next time I had that happen from laughing so much to try to make myself serious by thinking of something serious. He then told me to think of the satellite in space falling on me with so much seriousness in his voice that I bust up laughing. He just always say random stuff like that with an attitude about him that just made class interesting. For some reason, by the end of the course he gave me the nickname "la terremoto"(the earthquake) and told me that next time there was a hurricane, they would have to name it El huracán Feli. This, I think is hilarious. So far the only 2 nicknames I have been given in Spain have been La Rubia Peligrosa and la Terremoto. I would have never seen myself with these nicknames but yeesh you really have no say in these things. oh well. So, the last day  of class we went out with the two professors we had and just had a nice time talking. I was blessed to have two amazing professors and they really made my first classes in Spain awesome.
Moving on, I am really enjoying the new church family. The people are amazing and there is so much diversity in the group of people that attend. I really do love spending time with them. For the first time since being here, I felt at home. I was with them at one of the girl's house and we had just finished playing basketball and we were celebrating another guys birthday at the same time. I just sat there and as I just watched everything around me, surrounded by these people, I dunno, I just felt like, "ok, this is it, this is my church family, my brothers and sisters that I hadn't met until now and this, this is good, this is ok". I felt so much peace just hanging out with them, playing games, even praying over one of the younger guys who had lost his father that day. It just amazed me. This is my home for a year, and these are relationships I will build that may last me my lifetime. Agh, i dunno, a lot to think about.
So, before I close up, I want to thank those of you who have been praying. Things have been really bumpy but I know that it's thanks to your prayers and the strength only God can give me that I have made it through my first month. I constantly have my family, church, and friends in prayer and I hope everyone finds themselves well.  I promise to attempt to write more frequently and please don't hesitate to comment or ask questions. Love and miss you dearly.

And now, the list continues:
81. Taxi drivers love having conversations with you.
82. It is possible to "die of laughter"
83. Never begin to use your inhaler in front of a friend that will most likely laugh at you, make you inhale wrong, and totally screw you over
84. Playing an air-bass isn't nearly as fun as playing a real one
85. A jar of peanut butter doesn't last a full month, plan accordingly if you are going somewhere without peanut butter...
86. A clean home is a happy home:)
87. I now get really frustrated when people don't wash their dishes right away and find that I don't even sit down to eat without washing mine first.
88. Spanish tortillas are really yummy and not too hard to make, however one slight increase in egg and potato quantity and you can end up eating tortilla for a week!
89. I look a "thousand times more clever" with glasses on, according to the french guy that lives with Marcela
90. Learning portuguese has turned out to be a bit easier than I expected:)
91. Spanish children speak much better at a younger age than american children(without the use of "My Baby can read")
92. Every country has better chocolate than the US
93. People can surprise you, and can totally make your day from thousands of miles away.
94. Bringing only TOMS to this trip was quite possibly the stupidest thing I could do.
95. Grouchy restaurant workers+Foli's dorky wave and smile= Smiling grouchy workers!(proven to work every time!!!)
96. Lacking cash is not good
97. I would have gone crazy without the ability to pray!!! Having a God that listens to me ramble is awesome:)
98. The ability to study without having to work is such a blessing.
99. Spanish movies can be really weird
100. I can eat almost 24/7 and i think this is due to my walking everywhere...