Planes, Plans and Just Plain Perfect!

GETTING TO GRANADA (WITH CUBAN CIGARS AND A STOP AT THE BEACH)

Some people don’t like surprises. They get nervous when plans change or when the natural order of life is disturbed. Now, when I had to repack my bags before flying out of JFK, I was not a happy camper and fit somewhat into this category. However, I think the Spanish way of life is starting to calm down this five-foot-whirlwind-walker-pre-planner, and all for the better! It is a wonder how even the best-laid plans can float away with even a small breeze. Our breeze was not even a strong wind. What we experienced was a typhoon that changed every step during our trek to Granada.

First, the bus that picked us up from the hotel to take us to the airport was not nearly large enough for the luggage of 15 overloaded international travelers and one resident program director carrying a single suitcase and a tough-as-nails attitude. Jorge told me that he has been overseeing UD students for 20 years, and it is sure a good thing that he knows what he is doing. He was fit to be tied at this first glitch on our journey. We did fit on the bus, but we had to bring some of our bags on the seats with us (I was fortunate enough to sit in the shot-gun seat next to the driver). What a way to the airport!

Upon arriving at the airport, we checked our luggage and looked for our departure gate. The funny thing was that there was no such flight to Madrid from Barcelona like our boarding passes and tickets indicated. That’s right, our flight was headed to a much further destination—Havana. Of course, our plane had a connecting flight in Madrid, New York and Washington, D.C. before Cuba, but Jorge was extremely irritated that we could not fly directly from Barcelona to Granada. Furthermore, the plane took off over a half and hour later than the departure time. We were cutting it rather close.

Our plane landed in Madrid (unfortunately, I never got to meet Fidel Castro or Desi Arnez in Cuba like I had hoped), but the flight attendant directed half the group to the right and the other half straight ahead. I went straight with Jorge, but being with the man in charge made no difference. We all had to trek to the complete opposite side of the Madrid airport to terminal HJK (approximately 26 minutes from where we landed). Here’s where things started unraveling: we were split up into the two groups, security made several of us go through the checkpoint a second time because our computers were not in separate bin from our other items (no other airport during our entire trip required this), and we had to hustle up and down escalators, through long hallways and onto airport trains to make our flight. Then, somewhere about a hundred feet in front of us, like the first glimpse of a pool of water in a desert, we saw Gate K55 (one of the last in the ENTIRE terminal)! The water, glistening on the horizon, however, turned out to be a mirage. Despite the fact that our plane was sitting outside the gate and all 16 of us were standing there, we were not permitted to board because we had missed the last boarding call.

We missed the last flight from Madrid to Granada on Saturday, and I heard quite a slew of strong words from everyone around me. I think everyone had reached boiling point after all the issues surrounding the pre-trip and the current conditions: miscommunications with UD staff about our visas this summer, the sight of our plane still sitting at the gate, and the refusal of Iberia from letting us board even though it was their previous flight from Barcelona that was late and made it impossible for us to make the flight out of Madrid. People were hungry and worried about their luggage and whether or not it would arrive when and where we needed it.
Somehow, I was not at all bothered by our change of plans. Sure, it would have been nice to head straight to Granada, but I believe the peace of God was with me in that airport. I could have been upset that I forgot to pack a change of clothes in my carry-on bag. I might have been upset that the woman in the Barcelona airport never gave me my luggage receipts/tags when I checked my bags and my entire luggage could have been lost. I could have even complained that I was hungry, since I ate a very early breakfast. One of the guys in our group called me an optimist. Honestly, I needed to be calm amidst the sea of frustrated folks around me. And that, I must say, was the God’s hand at work.

Ultimately, Jorge, who was angered by the incompetence of UD and Iberia personnel alike, managed to get us on a flight to Málaga, where we then took a bus to Granada. That is how I made it once again to the Mediterranean, to the city where I lived and studied two years ago. For the first time during all my travels, I was assigned a window seat on the plane (hooray for breathtaking views)! Additionally, taking a bus provided the opportunity for me to take pictures en route. Plans may change, but I believe that plans made by human hands are prone to err. The plans made higher up are those so perfectly made!

UN BESO SANTO
I met Carmen, my host mother around 22:00 on Saturday evening. She welcomed me into her beautiful apartment where her first order of business was to feed me. A Spanish tortilla and a salad was enough to do the trick, and I must say that she is an excellent cook! I am certain that I will never go hungry in Granada. I have my own bedroom and bathroom since I am the only student staying with her this semester. It was so nice to finally unpack everything and have some space to call my own (besides two square suitcases zipped to the max). Indeed, I cannot help but smile—I do feel welcome and at home.

Carmen is probably in her mid-sixties and she loves to watch the television. From the news, to entertainment gossip channels and American dramas like NUMB3RS and JAG (dubbed in Spanish, of course), this woman is a character! I enjoy speaking with her, although because I speak well, she is under the impression that I can comprehend just as much as I talk. The rate at which the words come from her mouth can be overwhelming at times. She assured me, however, that after a week, I should be just fine.

The apartment is one block away from the cibercafé, one block from El Parque de Frederico García Lorca, a fifteen-minute walk from El Centro de Lenguas Modernas (where I will study this semester), and two blocks away from La Iglesia Evangélica (the church). Another UD student lives in the apartment building and most of my other friends live on neighboring streets. I am amazed at how perfectly everything came together.

On Sunday morning, I attended the church and I can finally say that I understand the command from 1 Peter—to greet one another with a “holy kiss.” I was welcomed into the church by more people than I can remember their names. In addition, there were more than a dozen international students there who I met today and hopefully will continue to get to know this semester. Imagine an InterVarsity large group, but spoken (and sung) entirely in Spanish and with even more enthusiasm!

I returned from church, ate an enormous lunch and went on a walk around the city with Lauren, the other student in my building. We took the long way around town and walked all the way to La Alhambra and La Alcazaba. We returned about two and a half hours later, exhausted, but glad to have seen the city. I climbed the five flights of stairs up to my apartment, had tea and cookies with my host mother, and took a quick nap before dinner.

This is by far the longest not I have written of my travels. There will be fewer unnecessary details later on, as soon as I am in a routine and have less to describe. Before I close, though, I just want to say how blessed I have been. I had a wonderful roommate in Barcelona, I made it safely to Granada, and my accommodations here are beyond what I could have imagined. God is very good and I am content.

Your happy traveler,
Diana (my name in España)

“Confia de todo corazón en el Señor y no en ti propia inteligencia. Ten presente al Señor en todo lo que hagas, y él te llevará por el camino recto.”
Proverbios 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6