update #20: shedding all that I'm not

"Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about un-becoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place." -- unknown

Stormy seas in Nerja, Spain

This last year plus in Spain has been challenging, eye-opening, healing, insightful, and everything in between. It was an opportunity for me to come to head with who I really am, and confidently step into that. In the most difficult moments, it was like shedding all these extra layers I'd been wearing for years.
Things I'd claimed to value over the years.
The way I wanted friends & family to see me.
The way I wanted to be perceived by anybody I met along the way.
The way I wanted to see myself.
But, when it came down to it, I broke down and couldn't continue to be this person I am not.

I recently read a blog post in which the author shared from a friend's book, "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying."

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so much.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

NUMBER ONE regret! Why do so many of us feel that we can't live out who we truly are? I understand that there are societal norms and pressures. So maybe my question should be: why can't society accept that we are all unique and should be able to freely live true to ourselves?

...

I enjoy being with people, and I do deeply value relationships, but I am not an extrovert. I am an extroverted introvert. I need healthy boundaries with limits to "people time" just as much as I need people contact nearly every day. I can't work in a setting that is entirely relational, as this job has been. I need a balance of people time and task time. I wouldn't be able to handle either extreme.

Through many personality assessments I've taken over the last 5 years, I've learned over and over that I'm balanced between task-oriented and people-oriented. But somehow I got it in my head that I'm supposed to be all about people all the time. Because I'm a caring person, I "should" be working with people all the time. Because of some other aspects of my personality, there are plenty of people-related things that I "should" be doing. That I should want to do.

Waves crashing in Nerja, Spain

But it was exhausting spending 80-90% of my weeks with people. And I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. Why was I so exhausted at the end of my weeks? Why was it painful to even think about socializing with friends on the weekends?

Last summer, I hit a breaking point finally began the process "un-becoming" all that wasn't truly me. (It's an ongoing process that will probably last a lifetime, but I feel like there has been enormous progress and major steps forward in the last 10 months.)

I began shedding this expectation I'd put on myself of being a people person. I freed myself from feeling like I had to pretend to enjoy meetings more than I enjoy analyzing things from a computer screen. I prefer engaging different parts of my brain that I hadn't been putting to use in recent years. I soon became released from these heavy chains I'd put on myself of who I thought people had wanted me to be.

The process was difficult. It still is. There are a lot of tough moments of realizing that I'm so different from all of my co-workers. I'm different from a lot of people in this line of work. And that sucks. It's incredibly lonely, and made me question what I'm even doing here. But I'm surrounded by some great and supportive people here who showed me how my differences add so much to our team that would (obviously) otherwise be lacking.
I fill in the holes that nobody else wants to do. And the best part: I ENJOY doing those things!

I have experienced great freedom in coming to understand who I am and what I can contribute. I've been able to take on some life-giving tasks, which has ultimately given me more desire & energy to spend time with people. I feel much more balanced now that I'm able to live out who I was meant to be.

I am ending this season well, able to look back and see that I've had an impact, that my time here was well-spent, and also move forward confident in who I've "un-become." The layers continue to shed with each new experience. Difficult, but always worth it.

Malaga as seen from El Palo

♥
mk

update #18 - visiting the Motherland

"the ideal is to feel at home anywhere, everywhere" -- Geoff Dyer

Feeling at home anywhere, everywhere is something I've always longed for - and I feel is a lot of what prompted me to travel as much as I have. There was a desire within me to explore all these places and feel at home in them. To be easily adaptable. To embrace living cross-culturally, and to allow parts of those cultures to seep into who I am.

Stockholm, September 2016

That's why I wanted to stay longer than a week or two in each city or country I visited.
Why I wanted to stay with locals, eat like locals, live like locals.
Why I wanted to learn their language.
Why I wanted to learn their customs and culture.

And yet, no matter how much desire I've had to learn all those things and live like locals, I have rarely felt at home in all the places I've traveled. Some cultures are too different from my home culture. Some languages are too unlike those I've studied for me to even attempt to communicate. Some customs are too foreign for me to understand.

There can be a lot of barriers to not feeling at home in a foreign place, which is what makes it so amazing when you find a place in which you do finally feel at home.

Village walks in Dalarna

Despite the fact that I spent my first 18 years living in America, I struggled to feel at home in that culture. Part of that could be moving across the country when I was 8 years old. Even though the move was still within America, there are some vast cultural differences between Pennsylvania and Washington state. I might not have been aware of it at such a young age, but I definitely went through some serious culture shock after that move. I put all of my energy into resenting my new "home" and longing for my old one.

Throughout my teens, I had several opportunities to travel to countries in Europe and Latin America. I loved each visit. It was fun communicating in a different language and practicing that skill. Though I hadn't been raised in those countries, something felt right about those places - those cultures. I felt more at home there than I felt at home in Washington.

There's always time for fika in Sweden

More than anything, Sweden felt like home. I remember being there for the first time at 18 and thinking I'd never felt so at home since leaving Pennsylvania. I spent a year in that country, in the land of my forefathers, visiting the town of my people, and exploring a bit of the beautiful countryside. I fell in love and was determined to go back, no matter how long or what it took. There was something within me calling me "home," despite not having been born or raised in Sweden.

I continued to travel and seek opportunities to get me back to Europe, but it took nearly a decade before I was back in Sweden. Many adventures between then and now, including a move to Europe, have made it more and more clear that it is difficult to be at home anywhere and everywhere. Despite my desire for that to be true, it was not easy to feel just as at home in Uganda and Nicaragua as it had been in Sweden. Even moving to Spain has had its challenges for me. I've come to realize that Sweden is a land filled with people who share so many similar values, with whom I can easily relate (since they're a country filled with introverts ;) haha), and is a huge piece of my identity.

Visiting the family home in Dalarna

In the three years (off and on) that I've lived in Spain, I've been able to visit the Motherland 3 times, each with wonderfully unique experiences. This last visit (nearly 2 months ago now, oops) brought me so much joy and made it that much harder to leave. I spent a quick weekend up north of Stockholm, visiting some relatives and seeing places of great importance to our family history.
It was beautiful in so many ways. A refreshing taste of Fall weather. Laughter-filled connections with distant cousins. Peace and quiet in cozy homes with incredible views of Swedish landscapes & lakes.

Family history & fika time

I love that place, more than words can explain.
I love my family. I love that culture. I love the green beauty. I love that it SNOWS there. I love that the days are really short in the winter and extremely long in the summer.
I love those things because they are part of who I am. I can't explain it any other way. Sweden is my home, whether or not I ever get to live there again. The Swedes are my people.

I still love to travel and learn about new cultures. But maybe this idea of being at home anywhere and everywhere has more to do with taking with me the parts of Sweden that make it home. I live in Spain for now. Who knows what the next 5, 10, 20 years hold. But what I do know is what a gift it's been to have gotten so much time learning about and experiencing Swedish culture over the years. Those are the things I can take with me, wherever I go.

Saying goodbye on a gorgeous Fall day

At the top of Lake Siljan with the lady cousins

And so, with my dalahäst, I can be at home anywhere, everywhere. ;)

Family group shot outside the dalahäst factory

♥
mk

update #17 - resting

"sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest" -- Ashleigh Brilliant

Rest is a pretty important thing that I think we too often take for granted. It's so necessary, our bodies require several hours of rest every day in order to function properly. Imagine how much we're denying ourselves if we don't find a way to *properly* rest every year, month, or week.

Lake Constance, Germany

Living in Spain, I've come to realize that even something as basic and simple as rest is valued differently in each culture. In America, it seems to be "work as hard as you possibly can for as long as you possibly can so that you can rest later... maybe" while in many European countries, they take an entire month off work every hear to vacation with their families, close shop at least one day a week (usually Sunday) to rest, and even have shorter work weeks. And it turns out all these things make for more efficient employees who have happier lives. Crazy.

So why is it still hard for me to prioritize rest?

How can I be better about fitting rest into my weekly routines?

And what does rest actually look like?

German wildflowers

For some, rest may be as simple as having a few hours to themselves to read a book, listen to some music or a podcast, go for a hike, or even go shopping. For others, it may require a lot more planning and time off in a completely different setting. I think we actually need a little bit of both - taking time to rest every week and going on a vacation. Those vacation days are meant to be used. You don't want to deny them of their purpose, do you? ;)



So a couple of months ago, I knew I was in need of a more of a "vacation rest," which meant leaving Spain. Thankfully, there are a bunch of places I can get to on a dime because of budget airlines in Europe. I chose Germany because it was close enough that travel time wouldn't eat up most of my short 3-day trip, it was a language I didn't know so I could mentally zone out when I was in coffee shops, and one of my best friends happened to be studying abroad in Munich the same weekend I was looking at going. There was basically no reason not to go.

Here are some photos from the whirlwind (yet restful) trip:

View right outside the Sbahn station - Marienplatz

Reunited after over a year!!

Munich mimosas with the best!

Taking a peaceful walk along Lake Constance

Exploring Memmingen, Germany

On this trip, rest looked like a lot of different things: getting some quality time with Laura, exploring some new places, having some quiet time to myself spent reading, and being out in nature that was GREEN.

When it was all said and done, I wished I could have stayed longer. Even just one or two more days would have been nice. But I did come back feeling pretty refreshed, which was the purpose of the trip. And so I think I will be a little more intentional about seeking out times of rest - whatever they might look like - on a more regular basis.

There will (nearly) always be work to do, but shouldn't have to go through life running on fumes. We should enjoy every aspect of life - both work and rest - and that requires a balance of the two.

So, rest up.
Go adventure. Try something new. Go for a hike. Read a book. Explore a new place.
Do something good for your body and soul.




♥
mk

update #14 - seasons

"everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn" -- elizabeth lawrence

Snow in Stockholm

Living in Málaga, I often miss the winter. I love snow sports, looking outside and watching the ground get covered in a blanket of white, seeing snow-capped mountain tops, sipping hot chocolate by a warm fire after a walk through the snowy woods... There's so much magic in that season.

I do also love the summer. And here, I get plenty of that. It's not sunny and hot all the time, but the weather is pretty pleasant for most of the year here.

So maybe what I truly miss is the change in seasons. Having spent 10 years of my childhood in Seattle, you'd think I would be used to the lack of change. But that is one of the things that led me to travel and explore other places. I wanted change. I wanted something different, something new.

How often do we find ourselves wanting change? It seems so prevalent in society today - we need new phones every 2 years, new clothes every season, new haircuts, new cars, new jobs, new apartments, new whatever. Are we so unable to be satisfied or content with all that we have?

Yes, it's good to have motivation to push yourself and grow, but at what cost? If we're always thinking about the next new thing, the next goal on our list, are we ever being present and enjoying the moment?

I'm here in Spain for a season. There are no certainties of how long this season will last - months, years, decades? But I might as well enjoy the summer while I'm here, instead of longing for winter.

A sunny "winter" day in my neighborhood

I can embrace this season, seeing the gift of each day, every conversation, each friendship that's forming...

So, rather than dwelling on what I don't have or what I'm missing, I choose to make the most of this season of my life. I know I'll miss it when it's over, so I might as well enjoy it while I'm in it.
 

A Málaga sunset

♥ mk

update #13 - stories

"I am interested in personal stories because that's when people become expressive, spontaneous, and heartfelt." -- Anna Deavere Smith

I stopped on the corner of the street and asked my friend how he was doing. He's someone my co-worker and I first met while serving lunch at Amfremar (the local soup kitchen in our neighborhood) and have since gotten to know at our English club. He's been looking for work since the end of the summer. Without any family nearby, he has been forced to find alternative housing (read: living in a tent in the foothills just above our neighborhood). He makes a valiant effort, though, dressing in nice, button-up shirts during the day and selling birds of paradise flowers on the side of the street to make ends meet.

Every time I see him, I stop to say hello and ask how he's doing. He's quite a positive person, given his circumstances, which often reminds me of what's truly important in life.

It's not so much about the things we have (beyond our basic needs), but the relationships we have - and how we can share the things we do have with other people in our lives.
It's not about noticing what we have (or lack) compared to other people, but more about coming together as a community and realizing what we all have together.

It's a joy to be able to work in community development because most of my weeks are filled with stories like this that make me pause, re-focus, and re-center on what matters most. I honestly believe that if each of us opened our eyes to see the people we pass on the streets every day and took a moment to listen to their stories, we'd all have weeks filled with encounters and stories to shift our perspectives back to people, relationships, and community.

Who can you talk to this week?

There's a chance it could make their day.
And an even greater chance it could have a lasting impact on your heart.




♥ mk

update #12 - perspective

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

In the last five weeks, I've spent the night in 6 different cities spread out between three countries on two continents.

I'm back to living out of a suitcase.

Enjoying the snow in Sweden

It's difficult to feel settled when constantly traveling. And even more difficult when the place where I want to feel settled isn't my home culture. I'm still adjusting to life in Spain. Then I go and explore Sweden (which was just wonderful) and come back to Spain for a week and a half and then jump on a plane to Morocco for a coaching training.

Three drastically different cultures. All within two weeks.

Visiting the souk in Casablanca

I think I'm just now recovered from all that travel and have registered that I'm actually back in Spain and here to stay for the foreseeable future. And you know what's amazing? All that travel, despite the fact that I was living out of a suitcase and constantly on the go, ended up helping me feel more settled here. 

Spain feels more like home to me now. My piso is a restful place that I come to take a break in the middle of my long days meeting with people, volunteering, and helping run our English club. I'm recognizing more and more of the faces I see in my neighborhood. My teammates are my extended family. I look forward to going to the soup kitchen and serving my (homeless) neighbors I often see on the streets selling flowers or asking for spare change. I'm excited to build relationships with the people in my neighborhood, investing in them as leaders, entrepreneurs, community members, and global citizens.

Maybe this feeling of being settled would have come eventually without all the travel this past month. But I'm grateful I got the best of both worlds - visiting one of my favorite places, exploring new cultures, and then coming back "home." 

Sunset on the Mediterranean

There is still some unfamiliarity to this life in Spain, but it's becoming more and more comfortable. And despite the frustrations that are part of adjusting to a new culture, I'm happy to be right where I am.

♥ mk

update #9 - loving my (homeless) neighbors: Spain

"great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." -- sally koch

The last couple of weeks have been very full for me. Full of places to be, full of things to do, full of new cultural experiences (good and frustrating), full of wonderful conversations, full of people. Being an introvert, weeks like that have the potential to be very exhausting. But, while I did feel very tired at the end of most days, it was a truly fulfilling couple of weeks.

Filling bags with food to hold people
over between lunch and breakfast.

Now that I'm a bit more "settled in," I have the energy to be able to meet with more people during the day, which has been so great. The time I've been able to pour into new friendships has allowed the relationships to grow deeper, which, in turn, has helped me feel a bit more settled. It's amazing how much of a difference it can make to feel known in a foreign place. Even just to feel heard can be quite helpful.

In the last couple of weeks, I've been able to spend some time volunteering at Amfremar*, the soup kitchen in our neighborhood that serves breakfast and lunch to my (homeless) neighbors. Before leaving Spain last year, I had the opportunity to serve there for a couple of months and have been really looking forward to being back there, tangibly loving my neighbors.

Since going back there, I've started to recognize more faces on the streets as I walk through my neighborhood. People I never would have guessed might be struggling financially. People who have a story. People who have something to share.

I can't fix their problems, but I can offer a listening ear. I can give my time to help prepare and serve lunch. I can treat them with respect. I can tangibly love my neighbors. All of them.

The video below is a news story about Amfremar:

(For those who don't understand Spanish, the story shows and explains that Amfremar serves between 30 and 40 people two meals a day and sends them with a sack dinner at lunch. There is one cook in the kitchen, so during meal times, volunteers and a couple of office staff will come help serve the food. Amfremar also offers a place to sleep for up to 10 people, as well as counseling services to help these people get back up on their feet.)


*Amfremar stands for Amigos Malagueños de Familias Rehabilitados y Marginados (Malagueñan Friends of Rehabilitating and Marginalized families).



♥ mk

update #8 - frustrations

"if you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."  -- mary engelbreit


So many frustrations today.
So many things not checked off my to-do list.
So many tasks pushed out yet another day.

I started writing out - in great detail - each event and situation that frustrated me so much throughout the day and, as I was writing, I went through a big up and down of frustration. At first, it made me more irritated, just thinking through how I felt in the midst of each moment. Then, as I was recounting the stories, I realized how silly they all sounded. 

Being woken up by rain at 3:00 in the morning.
Going to (yet another) Spanish government office and being told (again) I don't have all I need.
The restaurant my morning meeting was at was closed today.
The (brand-new) bike I bought last week already has issues.
I had to walk in the rain. (Poor me.)

I mean, really?! Come on, Mikaela!

It was obviously a really trying day for me. ;)


Seriously, though. I can hear how ridiculous those complaints sound. Not that my feelings of annoyance and irritation weren't justified, but I was reminded - yet again - that so much of life is about our perspective.

A lot of what bothered me today was completely out of my control. There honestly wasn't much I could have done to change each of the situations themselves. But I did have control over how I thought about it. Unfortunately, most of today was spent thinking negatively about those moments.

But the day isn't over. 

This day doesn't have to end on a negative note. Nor do I have to remember those situations as frustrations. I can choose to shift my perspective away from the darkness and into the light. 

Look for the ray of light in the midst of darkness
(Photo: Monachil, Spain)

The rain that woke me up is nourishing the ground that doesn't often get the rain it needs.
I got to practice my Spanish with the lady I talked to at the government office. (And she was extremely patient with me throughout the situation we were both trying to figure out.)
Instead of eating out for my morning meeting, my friend/life coach and I got to cook breakfast together, which was really fun.
If I can't return my bike, this was a good learning experience for what not to do. ;) Plus I'll get to meet some new people at the bike shop I'll take it to to get fixed.
(I don't like to admit it, but) I actually think it can be totally freeing to walk in the rain.

Maybe next week my update will be entirely positive. For now, thanks for reading and supporting me from wherever in the world you're reading this!



If you can't change something, try changing the way you think about it.
It's worth a try.


♥
mk

update #7 - the return to Spain

"there is a difference between arrival and entrance. ...You can arrive at a place and never really enter it; you get there, look around, take a few pictures, make a few notes, send postcards home. When you travel like this, you think you know where you are, but in fact, you have never left home. Entering takes longer. You cross over slowly, in bits and pieces. ...It is like awakening slowly, over a period of weeks."  -- jamie zeppa

I have arrived in Spain.
After nearly 15 months in the States, it's surreal being back here. Surreal, a relief, frustrating, exciting, fun, exhausting.

So many different emotions going through me these days. A lot of new things coming to light this time around. Maybe it's because this isn't my first time in the country. Maybe it's because my commitment is for a longer stay this time. Maybe it's because I'd gotten used to American culture again without realizing it. Either way, culture shock is hitting me harder than I'd expected.

I thought I'd experienced enough of Spanish culture last year to be aware of how I'd feel being back here. I had set my expectations at what I thought was a realistic level to adjust back to this way of life within the first couple of weeks. But in these first couple of weeks, as I've worked on applying for residency, I've been slammed in the face with surges of frustration at how slowly things move here. Why must these offices close so early that I can only get one thing done each day?! How can anything get done in a timely manner around here?

But the slowness has really been a beautiful thing.

It has forced me to pause, slow down, and take in each of these experiences. I'm not here for two weeks, trying to see all that I can in a short amount of time. I have years to see it all, so maybe I should actually embrace the slowness of this culture and take that extra time to allow myself to settle in a bit better, to get to know the people I keep seeing at the market and coffee shops, to walk a little slower through my neighborhood and take in the sights, smells and sounds. When am I going to get this kind of opportunity again? Spain will only be new to me for so long, so why not make the most of it by taking on a bit of their culture and doing life at the pace most Spaniards would do it? (Novel concept, I know.)

The most important thing I need to remind myself to do is take things one day at a time. I'm still learning and adjusting. It's a process.
It happens in bits and pieces,
in conversations,
in walks through the city,
in meeting my neighbors,
in daily life.






I have arrived in Spain.
Arrived, but not yet entered. In time, probably without even realizing it, I will have entered. For now, one day at a time.


I'm off to the market...





♥ mk

the gift of uncertainty

Lately a lot of things have felt completely out of my control. Even more than normally are. I've known throughout this whole process of getting ready to move back to Spain long-term that I don't know the day I'll be funded enough to purchase my plane ticket, or the day I'll hear that my visa application has been accepted - let alone the day I can even apply for my visa. But throughout this journey, I've felt incredible peace.

Peace in the midst of uncertainty.
In the midst of frustration, anxiety, questions.
So many questions - from friends, family, supporters, myself.

Why am I still in the States?

When am I going to leave for Spain?

What am I doing while I'm here?

Some of those questions have a (relatively) easy answer: it takes time to gather together and invest in the people God is calling to financially partner with me. And honestly, I'm SO thankful for that time! I want to know those who are supporting me in this way, and I want them to know me. My desire is for a mutually beneficial relationship; one where we can support, love and encourage each other. I'm still in the States because God has me here - to show me who He has for me on my support team, to heal me from past brokenness, and to fully prepare me for this lifestyle He's leading me to in Spain.

And can I just tell you how amazing it's been? How amazing He is?! Not that there were any doubts, but wow - experiencing HIM is ... I don't even know how to explain it ... true peace, unfailing love, eternal joy. The fullness of who Christ is. No more, no less.

I've gotten questions I can't answer. But one thing I've known for certain: Christ lives in me.

So really, what else matters?
Why worry about the little details of when, where, why?
What could possibly be as important as actually knowing Christ? Of pursuing His face?

Taking time to be still and listen

So, for a brief update - I'm in Seattle for the foreseeable future. This visa application process and support-raising is out of my control, but I have peace knowing that God is the One who has complete control over it all. He has me here now for a reason. He will get me to wherever He wants me in His perfect timing.

All I can do until then is make the most of this time.

This precious time I have with family and friends.

It is a gift.

When you give up control over all the details that can sometimes be so consuming, you can start to see the gift that every little moment is. Every person. Every conversation. Every sunrise and sunset. Every interaction with something in nature. It's all precious. It's all something I wouldn't necessarily get to experience if I were rushing through this time here, trying my hardest to get to wherever I think I need to be, when I think I need to be there.

How amazing our Father is, constantly blessing us with gifts - whether we see them for what they are or not. May we have eyes and hearts to see His many gifts for what they truly are!

Precious time with cousins

♥ mk

update #4 - loving my (homeless) neighbors: Seattle

"we think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. we must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty." -- Mother Theresa

Last night I went to a local shelter to serve dinner to some of my homeless neighbors. Since it wasn't raining, I decided to walk down to the shelter, which is always helpful in clearing my mind, slowing my thoughts, and preparing me for the experience and conversations I'm about to have.

And I had no idea just what I was in for.

Before the meal, we all sang some Christmas carols together and it was such a beautiful sight, looking at all of these people who are visibly hurt, broken, struggling to make it another day opening their mouths and singing. It's amazing what a little bit of music can do to lift spirits. And to see a room filled with men and women desperate for hope, finding some joy in the moment as we all sang together, gave me an overwhelming sense of love for these people I'd just met.

It keeps things in perspective, really, to meet people who don't have a house or apartment to call home, and yet can smile, finding joy in the midst of such pain. My heart broke for my neighbors there, but I also felt so much hope for them because of their outward demonstration of hope, joy, and peace.

The conversations I had with a couple of them after the meal were such a good reminder to me that these neighbors of mine are just as broken as I am, because we all share in our humanity. And they can also have just as much joy and hope as I can.

And so I gladly and humbly plan to return to that shelter to not only serve my neighbors, but also listen to their stories. There's so much I can learn from them. But, more importantly, when I slow down and actively engage in conversation with my homeless neighbors, it gives them a chance to regain their sense of humanity, feeling valued and loved again. And what greater gift is there to give than sharing in Christ's love with one another? 'Tis the season, after all. :)



♥ mk

the new spaniards

"the more that you read, the more things you will know. the more that you learn, the more places you'll go." -- Dr. Seuss

To help us better understand the historical context of Spain and its people, my CRM team in Malaga has decided to collectively read The New Spaniards.* You know, after living there for seven months, I thought I'd learned quite a bit about the culture through friendships I'd made with locals, foods I'd tried, customs in which I'd taken part, places I'd visited throughout Spain.... But there's always so much more than meets the eye.

Old city wall, Sevilla
(built in the 11th century)

Some conversations I had along the way were very enlightening about just how deeply pained these people are from something that happened in their country's history nearly 40 years ago with the death of their dictator, Francisco Franco. By American standards, that's too many i-pods and cell phones ago for it to even come up on our radar. ;) But for most countries in Europe (and the rest of the world), the 1970s is recent history. And in Spain, it shows.

Obviously generations of Spaniards have been born since the death of Franco, but the stories of what happened during his dictatorship and after his death are passed along from generation to generation. And this country is trying - well, has been trying since the late 1970s - to become more relevant, contemporary, modern, able to participate in the global economy, but it's proven to be a struggle because of it's culturally rich, yet painful, history. As the author of The New Spaniards explains, Spain is a land of "extraordinary paradoxes" between traditional mindsets and contemporary concerns.

As I read this book, I'm amazed at how little I really understood while I was there. There's so much that explains the people I've met and befriended this past year. Yes, each person has his and her own story, but when crossing a cultural divide like this, it's so beneficial for me to try and understand the story of the entire people group, to better understand from where each person may be coming. This book is so insightful and I'm thankful to have it as a resource as I prepare to move back to Spain longer term.

I'm looking forward to sharing some tidbits of information I learn from this book as I continue to read! Look for updates on Wednesdays. :)



♥ mk

*The author of The New Spaniards, John Hooper, is a British journalist who was stationed in Madrid during Spain's transition into democracy.