Fun Times with Family

Over the weekend, we all went camping in Yankton. Pictured is Grandpa and Grandma Conrad, Dad and Mom, me and Matt, Hanna, Josh and his girlfriend Casey Krueger.

Me and Hanna (14) and Josh (20). Chris DeJabet took these photos in the dark!

My little cousin (Mark and Stephanie's daughter) with Josh's new dog Copper

Time for a bike ride! Please admire Grandma's new bike.

Grandma and Grandpa. With the blustery wind, we couldn't ride very far that day!

Hanna and Casey

Grandma and Josh. We love picnic dinners!

I love Copper. He's so cute and cuddly.

Fathers Day Dinner at Grandma's. Roast beef and the works. YUM!

Wee bit late :)

Hello to all of our readers, once again! Sorry it's been so long since we last posted, but we've kept rather busy and are looking forward to some stability now. Heather is working at the East Asian Institute and I'll be working at eTelecare again this summer, an apparent repeat of the last summer - without the marriage and planning for our country hopping of course! We've moved into an apartment in Vermillion, not too far from school or work, and are slowly but surely unpacking and finding a home for our stuff (some find a nice home in the big green bin outside). We now have internet at home and each has a cell phone, so we should be accessible if you need us.

We'll keep you posted on what else happens as it happens! Thank you all for your prayer and support, life is impossible without you.

Final Blog from Spain (2007)

Hey all! We are leaving Spain this Saturday and get to Omaha on Sunday night, so this will be our last blog before we leave. Thanks for reading! We'll keep posting on here, but it might change a bit.
The last few posts were all written on the same day, but they were posted late, sorry!

Canoeing in the Asturias

Sunday morning was just as beautiful as the day before and we were very thankful because we were about to jump into canoes on the icy river! We were all fitted into a wetsuit and were given a lifejacket that fastened on the sides, and of all things, it had a strap that went from the back in between the legs to fasten in the front. The canoes were made of brightly colored plastic and were meant to seat two adults, but Matt and I went with Leanne because there was an odd number of people. Oh my! How we struggled to paddle in rhythm with one another while avoiding skimming rocks on the shallow parts and trying to fight the current that often carried us into the riverbanks. Finally, we got the hang of our boat and its movements and we slowly paddled along while enjoying the beautiful scenery and the peacefulness of the day. Our group was far ahead of us when we decided to pick up the pace and follow the current; not more than a few minutes later, we found ourselves bearing a hard left along with the rushing water, heading straight towards a large tree trunk along the bank jutting into the water. What happened next is a bit fuzzy, but somehow all three of us knew we were about to hit that tree, and yet none of us anticipated the strength of the impact or the pull of the current. After the crash we briefly struggled to pull away from the bank and the trunk, but instead we were tipped over into the icy water. Leanne and I were trapped under the canoe while Matt was quickly above water, just in time to realize he had lost his prized canteen in the boat’s capsizing. He then made a quick decision and left the canteen for lost and aided us girls in pulling off the canoe and catching our breaths before we scrambled for the oars, the boat, and the tub with our lunch. We were sitting in the boat, wet and shivering cold, when Evaristo called, “HEY you guys! Are you alright?” It’s funny how a person thinks. Leanne answered, “I lost my shoes!” and Matt yelled, “Catch the tub! It has our camera in it!” The rest of the trip was much more calm and we took our blessed time and made various jokes teasing each other, like, “Hey Leanne! I think I see your shoe floating over there!” And that was it. When we finished we ate yet another sandwich for lunch and took showers before heading back to Vigo. We had fun chatting in Spanish with Evaristo on the way home and that made the hours pass quickly. We were back in Vigo by 10 pm; today, we felt just fine, no muscle pain or anything (I mean, very little). You know what? This morning with Matt’s binoculars we saw Leanne’s shoes floating in the harbor. What a pity Matt’s canteen didn’t come along with them ☺

Hiking in the Asturias

On Saturday, we were happy to sleep in and were content to meet for breakfast at ten in the morning. The hostel prepared a nice, abundant breakfast for our group: bread, butter, jelly, coffee and milk. I was a bit disappointed, honestly. We needed bacon and eggs for energy! Soon afterwards, we drove even higher up in the mountains for another hour and half more and parked in a small tourist village at the head of the trail. The hiking was amazing; the views were spectacular and the weather couldn’t have been more pleasant. We hiked until midway and stopped for our much needed lunch break and never, ever has a ham and cheese sandwich tasted so good! We also had yummy raisins, yogurt, and a bit of chocolate, so afterwards, Matt and I felt much more energetic. We took lots of photos and enjoyed good conversation with Leanne, our friend from Kansas City. We arrived back in the village 18 kilometers later, happy, exhausted and full of fresh air. What a good feeling! After going back to the hostel and showering, our group went looking for a nice restaurant to eat supper, only it was 11 pm. As expected, no one restaurant could seat and serve thirty people, so we split up into groups and chose according to our preference. Of all things, Matt, Leanne, and me ended up eating pizza, which was totally mundane and uncool, but it was the cheapest and at one of the few places still serving food. We did try the famous Asturian apple cider known as sidra and then went back to the hostel to enjoy some well-deserved sleep – it was almost 2 before we even got back! What do you think of the photos?

Getting to Asturias

It’s been over a month since we’ve last added to blog, and for good reason too. Our beloved computer suffered a screen meltdown (of sorts) so Matt dutifully trekked to Santiago to take the computer to the Apple service center. In the meantime, we stayed busy reading Don Quixote, which we recommend to everyone because it’s funny and silly and smart at the same time, hanging out around Vigo (we saw Spiderman with Jenny and Johnny!) and spending a weekend with Gabriel and his family near Ourense. Then we began to prepare for a weekend trip to the Picos de Europa, which is in the Asturias, with a group of international students. We met at Plaza Espana on Friday night around 8 in the evening and left town just before nine. We made a fun car parade – five in total for our group of thirty. Matt and I were happy to ride with our friends Evaristo and Isabel, whom we met on our first hike earlier this spring. It turns out Europeans are fast drivers, despite the disadvantages of a dark night and curvy mountainous roads. In fact, the Spaniards drove most dangerously, but the cars of French and Italian students certainly kept the pace up. However, I must admit that European cars are much more conducive for driving recklessly because all have stick control and run on diesel fuel and are small and compact. Matt says they weren’t driving too dangerously…just incredibly fast: at times, Evaristo was clocking at 140 km. Around midnight we stopped for a break and I happily believed we were within an hour or so of the hostel in Cangas de Onis, but yet I couldn’t stay awake in the car, and neither could Matt. Somehow I was sleeping deeply and comfortably and yet I was aware of the bitter cold air of the wind when Evaristo would open the windows for a few moments to jolt himself awake. At three in the morning I was woken up by the neon lights of several policemen on foot in the middle of the highway. It turns out, they were conducting a random drug and alcohol check and they chose the very last car of our parade to search: the Italians. Evaristo jumped out of our car to help the Italians with Spanish if they needed it and then he told us the funny story when he got back. The police demanded all forms of ID and licenses and heard the story of their studying abroad and then asked, “Do you have drugs in your car?” Evaristo made a joke, “YEAH! We are from Vigo! What kind would you like?!” As to make fun of two things: first, because Vigo is infamous for drug traffic due to the busy harbor, and secondly, who would admit to having drugs in the car anyway? Consequently, the police opened the trunk and searched the bags and finally were satisfied and let us on our way after more than ten minutes. Thankfully, we arrived at the hostel within the next half hour and Matt and I found our bunk beds and were out for the night. That is, after the Italians decided to go to bed because all Italians are loud, happy, boisterous and active and most of all, they like to party. I mean, if we were to use stereotypes…

Semana Santa y Pascua en Vigo!

Matt and I have enjoyed our spring break: a week without school to celebrate Semana Santa, or Holy Week. We began the week by working steadily on a paper for our Latin American literature class. The paper involves three Spanish authors and has taken a lot of time and patience. In fact, I’ve become a translation dictionary pro and can flip through and find the word in seconds, milliseconds really! Sometimes it’s a nice surprise to learn a word we really ought to know, like “Aha! So that’s how you say convince”! Anyway, we took a long break and enjoyed time with our church family out in the countryside near Santiago. We met up at the church Thursday afternoon and traveled with a group for the hour and a half drive to the church retreat center. I was listening to a heated conversation between a woman from Argentina and a man from Brazil about which country’s soccer team is better, and of course each supports their native team. I wanted to show I was both listening and understanding so I asked if they like the team in Vigo. Unfortunately, I used the wrong word: equipaje instead of equipo, and so I asked if they like the team’s uniform, not the team itself. The poor man stopped and looked at me before saying hesitantly, “Yeah, I like blue and white,” before carrying on with his debate. I had a terrific laugh that night when I came home and looked the word up in the dictionary! On Friday, we went with our Spanish friends Veronica (Vero) and Bruno to Vero’s family home in a small town in the mountains. Their home is truly beautiful; a peaceful little house situated near a river and within walking distance of other family. We went for walks by the river and sat in the sunshine and froze during the night because the temperature drops quickly when the sun sets. It felt really good to cuddle in fleece blankets! All weekend long we ate delicious meals that Vero prepared for us and we even sampled five different kinds of cheese. Our new favorite is Queso Manchego, which is made from sheep milk. It’s strong but tasty. On Saturday evening we went to a Catholic mass and met the priest who was so kind to us and happy to have us experience the traditional service. We were back in Vigo on Sunday afternoon and so we had a quick rest before going to our church’s main service at 7 pm to celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Our church is so delightful; the church service and songs were meaningful and heartfelt and we appreciated the comfort of an Easter message similar to ones we knew our families were hearing at home. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to call our families and so the day, and the weekend, ended on happily. Tomorrow we are going back to school - ah carumba! We hope everyone had a blessed Easter and we still love and miss everyone with all our hearts.

Easter Church Retreat Pics

From top: Matt & Danielson (from Brazil) playing a competitive game of foosball, which was apparently invented in Galicia; some of the very kind people from church; Matt in front of the beautiful green area; Heather in front of the area church camp resort; beautiful typical Spanish town (pueblo); PowerPoint of music; the band they threw together by asking for people to play or sing right before we started.

We Love Our Church

Matt and I have the blessing of attending a Christian church in Vigo that is warm, friendly, and biblical. I think it’s quite similar to the church I grew up attending and it’s also comparable to Grace Baptist in Vermillion… I mean to say, it’s probably most like a Baptist church. The main service begins at 7 pm Sunday evenings; we usually leave our apartment around 6:45 and arrive at the church about five after, which is just perfect because nothing begins on time in Spain and we are still early until a quarter after! As we walk in, we kiss hello and ask Que tal? (To mean, hey! How are you doing?). Then we smile when we can’t hear because of the conversation noise mixed in with music or can’t think of the Spanish words quick enough. Thankfully, everyone understands our difficulties and we feel warmly welcomed before sitting in our pew three rows from the back. The first hour of the service is for singing. The music is beautiful and is accompanied by piano, trap set, violins, guitars, and African drum. We are able to sing along with most of the music because the words are projected on a large screen and are accompanied by pretty PowerPoint designs. The first songs are vibrant and fast and sometimes we can’t follow word for word because the sounds and stresses seem to trip over each other and we can’t make our tongues follow so quickly! Then the melodic worship singing begins and usually after every song someone from the congregation or one of the singers up front prays. After an hour or so has passed, we are invited to sit and a man prays before passing around the offering plate. Then the pastor begins his sermon by naming the lesson’s passage and inviting us to stand while he reads it out loud. Matt and I use English Bibles and sometimes must think hard to match the name of the books from Spanish to English (San Marco is Mark, for example) but we enjoy reading in English while hearing the Spanish. Sometimes the pastor, Juan Marco, uses a PowerPoint presentation, which helps us tremendously because then we can both hear and see the words. He preaches for almost an hour while the children have their own class in a room off to the back (we can always hear their little voices and classroom noise). At the end, he prays and announcements are given before the closing song. At this point, the conversation is just beginning, and we are a little nervous. Little groups form and Matt and I are finally comfortable enough to join in on the kisses and chatter. Soon snacks are served and we have the choice of purchasing pop and finger food to raise money for the church in Ourense. I just love the friendliness; Matt talks with the men while I chat with the women about their families and school. Just last Sunday I was at church by myself because Matt was at home with a bad cold. I was talking with a man who asked where Matt was and I was describing Matt’s symptoms to him. Within a minute, Fernando pulled out a doctor’s prescription pad and wrote out a note for Matt. I didn’t even know he is a doctor! Then my friend Puri walked with me to the late-night pharmacy (only a few are open on Sundays) and helped me talk with the man behind the counter. Thanks to their kindhearted help, Matt enjoyed a speedy recovery! I had another happy moment on Sunday when a lady didn’t believe I am American and asked Juan Jose if it’s true, to which he replied, Si! Ella es Americana propia! Meaning, Yes, she’s American born. The thing is, I was wearing leggings and a Spanish style dress and ballerina flats, just like the Spanish girls do, and I hadn’t spoken much Spanish to the woman. I was so pleased! I look so American and have never been mistaken for una Española until then! Anyways, the church is so wonderful because of the people and the steady biblical teaching and we are so blessed through it. Perhaps we’ll take some photos or video…talk to Matt about that!

Tickets Back

Hey guys! I just wanted to write quickly and let all of you know that we have our tickets back, finally. We're flying from Madrid on May 27 at 10:40am and get to Omaha at 9:15pm. We can't wait to see you all!

Matt hits a tree. (No joke)

We’ve been busy adventurers lately! What a change of events! Last Thursday Matt and I went with a few other students to a fútbol game (soccer) in Vigo. We got on a bus crowded with townspeople and quite a few other international students and rode to the stadium on the edge of town. We paid for nice seats and ended up sitting right on ground level, perhaps even a bit below the field, and so we had a great view among 20,000 other spectators! Vigo played a German team and we cheered both teams on for the game’s duration. It ended up a victory for our friends the Germans, 1-0. It was fun to watch the Europeans play their sport; we were chilly and yet cozy in the stadium; but unfortunately, games aren’t equivalent to popcorn and hotdogs…I missed that. Overall, it was a fun evening and an experience we wanted to have before returning to the States. Then, over the weekend, our weather vastly improved! Saturday morning we woke up to actual sunshine and warm temperatures, so much so we went to the beach that very afternoon. I was comfortable in a long sleeve T-shirt and Matt was in short sleeves and jeans, but there were children running around without clothes and even grown-ups stripping various layers. Matt and I soaked up the sunshine in the sand, went barefoot in the water, which is still freezing, and finally climbed some rocks jutting out into the ocean to sit and watch the waves. We were there on that rock for quite some time when Matt remarked, “Looks like we should be heading back to the shore. See those waves? I think the tide is coming in.” I was too comfortable to move, however, and only said, “Oh really?” without making an effort to do more. Accordingly, it wasn’t even ten seconds later when a giant wave walloped over the rock and soaked me head to toe and splashed Matt too, but I was at an angle to protect him from the wave’s main front. Oh brr! That water was miserably cold and salty! Not long afterwards we got on the next bus back to the city and Matt was smiling with his advice, “You should always listen to your husband!” The next day we woke up and met friends at Plaza España to go for a daylong hike. Our Spanish friends from the university drove us international students with two of their Spanish friends to a forested area north of Vigo. We were a fun group: four Spanish people, Matt and me, two guys from the Czech Republic and Italy respectively, and two girls and a guy from Poland. The day was just beautiful with sunshine, perfect temperatures for hiking, and a light breeze. The hike was not difficult so we fully enjoyed the fantastic views, each other’s company, and a picnic lunch sitting on rocks overlooking a waterfall. We continued with a 2 km hike later in the afternoon and stopped for ice cream before heading home. The day was perfect, delightfully perfect. Then on Monday, we met up with Matt’s friend Eloy. Eloy is a man Dad’s age whom Matt met swimming at the pool at the university. They’ve built up a friendship and Eloy invited us to come for a country drive. He picked us up at the university in an old work truck, old but powerful, and just like any man’s work truck from the States. I climbed in the back and rattled around with the steady jerks and bouncing while the men sat up front and discussed the 4-wheel drive and whatnot until Eloy commanded, “You drive!” Poor Matt attempted to talk his way out of it, since the truck is stick shirt and the steering wheel commands muscle to move an inch and he hasn’t driven since coming to Spain, but nonetheless, the Spanish are forceful people and Eloy was already jumping out of the drivers seat as Matt protested. We were on a rocky, curvy, not maintained mountain road. Matt did wonderfully and quickly picked up the stick shift idea and was driving with a smooth rhythm over the rocks of the road. Eloy wanted him to pick up speed, so Matt increased to third gear and we commenced rattling through the forest at a frightening pace until we came to a pivotal curve in the road. At this point, Eloy told him the road to the right led to a pretty place, but we were going to follow the road’s curve to the left. Unfortunately, he was pointing to the right and due to the noise of wind and driving, Matt couldn’t fully hear and thought Eloy wanted to make that right turn. So Matt jerked the wheel as Eloy shouted No! NO! Then Matt jerked the wheel back to the left but the truck didn’t respond quickly enough so that we were in the middle of the junction heading straight for a…tree. At this point, we weren’t moving quickly, so when we hit that tree, the crash was indeed minimal. I sat in the back laughing until tears streamed down my face. At the next stop, Eloy continued his driving and we tore through the forest and mountainous area, places you wouldn’t expect a horse would make it through but there we were forcing our way through with a truck. It was exhilarating, fun, and we did it again on Tuesday! Can you believe all this? I promise it’s true and Matt and I can barely tell the story out loud due to the excessive giggles!

Our family in Vigo

They were all here! Heather’s mom, sister, grandma, and two aunts enjoyed almost a week in Vigo. Matt and I cleaned the apartment so that it sparkled like never before and prepared a big supper complete with a fancy bakery-made cake before we took a nervous bus ride to the airport late Sunday afternoon. My stomach was fluttering with nervous excitement as the sign flashed with their plane’s arrival. Just minutes afterwards, however, it dropped family did not make to beneath the floor when we couldn’t catch a glimpse of anyone. Twenty minutes confirmed our fears…our it to Vigo. After listening to a voice message on Skype, we found out they had been detained for a night in Detroit before their flight to Paris and on to Vigo. How disappointing! It was terribly sad to go back home just the two of us and to place the lasagna in the refrigerator and to spend the night worrying about their safety. Thankfully, everyone and all the luggage arrived safe and sound the very next day. I can’t explain how wonder it felt to hug Mom and Hanna and Grandma and just to see everyone, to be with family and to hear the familiar English, to smile at being with a bunch of ladies who even look like me. It certainly was one of those time-stopping moments! That afternoon we ate the lasagna and despite the rain, walked around the city to visit Plaza Espana, Plaza E, and the Corte Inglés. Everyone got to sleep early that night; just think of the exhaustion of traveling across the Atlantic plus the seven-hour time change! The next day Matt and I woke up early and went to the fruit stand to buy fresh fruit for a breakfast salad, and it was delicious. Mom cut up bananas, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, and apples and dashed a bit of pineapple juice to keep it fruity fresh. Everyone just loved the treat! That afternoon we traveled by train to Santiago de Compostela to tour the gothic church. We all liked the menu del día in the cute restaurant and all tried the famous pulpo: boiled octopus seasoned with paprika. Yum yum! On our way back to the train station, we ran into a Carnival parade and so we stopped to watch the bright floats pass by while listening to the pounding music. That night we arrived home so late that we just went back home, but that was one of the coziest evenings. Mom and I chatted on the couch while drinking hot tea and Hanna and Matt played a game of cards while joking around with each other. The rest of the days we spent around Vigo: shopping on the pedestrian Principe and main street Urzaiz, to the beach Samil to touch the icy cold water of the Atlantic, a visit to our university in the hills plus lunch in the cafeteria, as well as a walk down by the port and an afternoon at the shopping center Gran Via. We were always happily busy! Matt and I were proud of everyone, especially Grandma. She has a difficult case of diabetes and usually follows a strict eating/insulin schedule. Not only did she experience a seven-hour time change, but also the Spanish lifestyle of eating breakfast at 10, lunch at 3, and supper at 9. Grandma managed so well and made the week enjoyable with her good attitude and energy. By Friday evening, we were all tired and content. Everyone had their purchases and little gifts to surprise friends and family at home and Mom even bought a beautiful pair of leather boots! The leather here in Spain is just wonderful, and I don’t think I’d be over generalizing to say that every woman in Vigo owns at least one pair of boots (I do!). On Friday, we concluded with a nice meal at Hollywood and enjoyed those free refills and a platter of super nachos plus our separate meals. Saturday morning we were up at three to make it to the airport with the help of our kind friend Juan José and at six we had to say the difficult goodbyes. What a good week we had! It meant so much to us to be with family. It will provide the strength and goodwill we need to make it through the next few months of school in Vigo. How blessed we are by family and we are looking forward to being home with them.