I made it...

more to come...

love,
mel

On my way...

I'm sitting in Heathrow airport waiting to board my plane to Uganda. Ive been in London for several hours now -- needless to say, I'm become well acquainted with Terminal 4. I just wanted to write a quick update before this robbery of an internet cafe eats my bank account away...

As just stated... i am officially on my way to Uganda! I am so excited, slightly nervous, and also very exhausted... but i am definitely anticipating stepping off of that airplane.

The last few days have been wonderful and thought provoking.. ive had several moments where i just knew God was preparing my heart for whats ahead - through unforeseen events and emotions... I'll elaborate more later as the time on this computer is about to expire. I just wanted to briefly capture the moment and let everyone know that all checked out and i am officially on my way to Lira, Uganda. :)

Thank you for your prayers.

I will write more when i can... hopefully soon.

Love you all,
Melody

Surprise Birthday in Spain!

(I had to do some magical editing to that photograph.)

My friends are the greatest! seriously. How else would you explain the surprise birthday party they threw for me last night? Yep. They really did. I love them!!

We spent the day shopping and sunbathing... a perfect way to turn 22. Little did I know, that all day long (behind my back) they were inviting people - locals, tourists, police men, you know.. the obvious invitees.

At night, we got all dolled up, had a delicious midnight dinner, and then... they told me they had a surprise for me! Surprise? Was Raul proposing?! (don't hold your breath... it wasn't christmas. )

Without further ado, they blindfolded me, told me not to ask any questions, and began parading me through the city. At one point, Emily, who was holding my arm (kinda like my own seeing eye dog.... she'll die when she reads that) started to talk quietly to the other girls about if it was a good time to turn the corner yet or if she should distract me longer. I was like, "Emily, I'm blind, not deaf!" We all had a good laugh and they decided it best to turn the corner. Shocker.

Just as we rounded the turn, they escorted me into Cafe Burunda (our favorite little bar here) and as my blindfold came off, everyone started singing "Happy Birthday"... well, that and some other strange and wonderful basque song. :) Aren't these girls amazing?

Needless to say, we all had a fabulous last night together!

Sadly, almost all of them went home today. Em and I are the only ones left. We both board our planes tomorrow. Em heads back home, and I'm off to Africa. I can't wait!

I'm so thankful. Truly. God has blessed with incredible friendships...

Hopefully I'll find time to write before I board my plane...

love you all so much,
mel

BarTHelona

The girls and i are in Barcelona right now, aka ¨Barthelona.¨ this city´s pretty sweet. there´s all this art and crazy archictecure all over the place by a guy named Gaudi. he´s responsible for all these mosaics and these insane looking buildings, including one enormous cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, which we visited today. Gaudi died 80 years ago, during the building of this massive project... and it´s STILL NOT FINISHED. they are projecting it´s completion date to be sometime in 2025. im telling you... ive never seen anything like it. It´s breathtaking.

Gaudi was also really into mosaics... and for those of you who have been inside my backyard back home... think that kind of art all over a major city. My mom is quite the artist herself - she and Gaudi would have been good friends.

tomorrow morning we head back to san sebastian for our last few days here. Sam, kayli, kari, and ashley all fly out on wednesday - which makes my birthday our very last day together. (em leaves on thursday, as do i.) im getting old this year. a little nervous about it... not gonna lie. i mean, the next big celebration isnt until im 30, huh? 30! that´s crazy. but at least the night life here will allow for a seemingly extended celebration this year. hehe... no one even goes out to the discos until 2 or 3 in the morning and then stays until 7am... it´s ridiculous. but it should come in handy on the night of the 13th. which by the way.. you know how Friday the 13th is bad luck in America? yea, well tuesday the 13th is bad luck in Spain. go figure....

and the whole sleep schedule thing... with sunsets sometime after 10pm.... dinner at 11:30pm... dancing at 2:ooam... and bedtime at 6:30/7am.... just totally verifies my spanish bloodline. it´s all starting to make sense. now when people give me a hard time about my sleeping habits im going to explain to them how they are, in fact, discriminating against me. hehe.


(taken just before sunrise. i was missing raul, and kayli... well.. we're not sure, either.)

and to change pace once again...

i could definitely use everyones prayers as some plans for Uganda have changed around a bit.

as of now, i will be the only Westerner there upon my arrival for at least 5 days. George, the national we have partnered with, is scheduled to pick me up from the airport and bring me back to the village.... i am not worried that my safety will be anymore in jeopardy without my american comrades, but needless to say, i am expecting my comfort zone to be stretched quite a bit. i figure the latter is okay to walk into... and thankfully the first isnt being compromised by the absence of my friends in the beginning of my trip.

i am actually overwhelmed with excitement... maybe a little nervous excitement.... but mostly just confidant that it will be an exciting adventure. i am trusting that God knew what would happen all along... and if He´s not surprised, then it comes down to me reevaluating and making sure His timing is still aligned - and then trusting Him, and walking forward. As of now, im flooded with excitement and anticpation about the forthcoming experience... but my moms blessing is also important to me - and she is slightly more rational than I and has yet to arrive on the same page as me. We are both aware of the risks at hand when anyone enters eastern Africa... Uganda is in the middle of a civil war, and there is a rebel army lurking in the bush, etc... but i have faith that God is the one leading the way.

For my heart to receive this burden to go so deeply is something that doesnt logically line up with how i would have foreseen my life. and yet, there is a passion behind it that is only explainable by God having given it to me. My life has always known God´s faithfulness and redemption. Every single day. As i sort through questions and thoughts and frustrations - i know i can faithfully follow as he has always proved to be on the other end. This time should be no different.

All that to say, while i am still open to changing my plans should it appear wiser, i am currently planning on leaving on thursday. and i would definitely appreciate your prayers. we serve a big God. if you can believe, there is still more to say... but alas, the internet is closing and i must pack to leave barcelona in the morning.

these last few days especially, i have been overwhelmed with gratefulness. these girls here are amazing, the adventure ahead is thrilling, and im blessed to say that i can also look forward to my friendships and family back home.

im thankful. very thankful. i would love to hear from you guys if you get a chance. tell me whats going on back home and in your lives. i miss everyone.

i´ll only be able to check my email up till wednesday night my time ( which is like wednesday morning california time).... so if you get a chance to shoot me an email, please try to send it before then so i can reply. :)

so much love,
melody

basque police officers make great tour guides

Did i mention we made friends with 3 san sebastian police officers? We did... Mickey, Joxean, and Aitor... (basque names)... they are so nice and have taken us all over the place.



Last week, they drove us up the coast to these itty bitty seaside basque towns. all the towns smelled like fish, had colorful little buildings along the water, and stretches of sand with nude locals.



one place we went had a ¨road¨ leading from the shore out to an island in the middle of the water.. when the tide is out, it is shallow enough to carefully walk across (as moss and sea urchins have grown all over it)... While making our way to the island, i remember feeling so surreal. It was beautiful... i felt like i was inside a painting of some wonderfully talented Creator. And then remembered, i was.



Later that day we went to another city that is famous for its own island....



There is a bridge that take you across to the island followed by 239 stairs that take you to the tippy top!!!



Sitting at the very top is a beautiful church from the 1300s.



my friends and i were practically the only people there.... we kept ringing the church bell, taking it all in, and exhausting our tour guides by handing them multiple cameras every 5 seconds. it was just before sunset... the view from there was stunning. It probably would have been my favorite stop if it weren't for my bias...

:::my favorite stop:::

on our way back to san sebastian, we made one final stop in a little seaside town called, Mundaka. This is where my grammy was born and raised before she moved to New York as a young teenager!! Today, this quiet little town boasts one of the longest waves in the world... making it extremely popular in the surfing world. Surfers aside, there's not many tourists. It's very small with generations of families occupying its little streets and old homes. i've never had a chance to do anything like that before -- that is, sought out my family roots like that, and im so glad i did! it was a very cool experience. (next stop, beirut, lebanon. time to explore my grampy´s family history.)

love you all mucho mas,
melodia de gozo

Basque Country

Did I mention I'm quarter Basque?? True Story.

So in the words of my people, Kaixo! :)

(or as I am slightly more familiar with, Hola!)

San Sebastian falls in the part of Spain known as Basque Country. Most everyone speaks Spanish, but they also speak Euskara... which is the language of the Basque people. It is unlike anything else i have ever heard. It seems like almost every word has the letter ¨X¨in it.

The basque people are actually very detached from Spain - in fact, they have been trying for years to claim their independence from spain. they have a different culture, different language, and even different food. everyone talks about basque food being really good -- but all i know is that everything has ¨Iberian Ham¨ in it and it really freaks me out.

All the bars (which by the way, spain has more of than any other european country according to one source) have ¨tapas¨on the counter... they´re these little plates of food with all sorts of strange combinations... ham, egg, fish... and lots of other things. im branching out -- trying weird things... im really working on the whole picky eater thing... but i still prefer to skip out on the meat when i can. The potatoe, tortilla, & egg bocadillos have become my favorite little meal aqui. yes, im really growing up. :)

everyone here is so friendly, welcoming. accomodating, helpful, and just genuinely excited to share their home with us. so far, it seems that theyre not even operating with ulterior motives, simply a lot of refreshing sincerity.ive seen more men with children here than a years worth in california. dad´s are always out on walks pushing strollers, holding their children, buying them ice cream, taking them to the beach... it´s great. the men are very paternal... very polite... very non-homophobic. occasionally one will walk inside the disco who smells like he just got done fighting a bull, but minus those few exceptions, we´re all impressed by the nice basque boys.

oh yeah, i fell in love last week. With a spaniard, or shall i say basque man. And he doesnt speak a lick of english... so you know it´s pretty serious. :) I told him he was muy guapo and i think he said that thats what his mom always says. Gosh i love him. Im wondering if i prioritized english too high on the list of necessities in a relationship. any advice??

hmm.... if i dont come home... look for a gorgeous basque man named Raul.

seriously. dual citizenship would be my dream come true.

only half kidding,
mel

San Sebastian!

I'm here!! With a handful of my favorite girls on the face of the planet. . . enjoying God's beautiful scenery in this tiny corner of Spain. :)

Paris wound up being a blast... i met enough random people to last me a good while and i also thoroughly enjoyed wandering the streets alone all day. It´s a great city to purposefully get lost in.

But when it came time to leave, i was even more excited because i knew my friends were already in San Sebastian.

Quick side note: I dont remember if i mentioned how i got ripped off on my cab ride in NYC.... but yeah, the stupid driver charged me $80.... ya, $80 to get from JFK airport to the hotel! The girls told me later they only paid $45. And i thought the driver was just so nice... we talked the whole time... about india, christianity, hinduism, his ex girlfriend, the yankees,... i mean, i really just thought it must have been normal to be so expensive. he was so nice. Err...
and THAT about sums up what sometimes happens in New York.

I say that because when i landed in San Sebastian, i had absolutely no idea which direction to start heading towards to find my friends and my ¨pension amaiur¨ -- (kinda like a glorified hostel.) I didnt know if i could walk there, or should find a bus, or take a cab... the map was really unclear. So I opted for another cab ride to be on the safe side. While waiting, a nice man and woman offered to share their cab with me. I was stoked.... well, turns out the man spoke really good english and helped our cab driver find my place. Then, I went to pay for it, and he told me not to worry about it... i insisted, but he put my money away, smiled, and said, ¨Welcome to San Sebastian.¨
and THAT about sums up what sometimes happens here.

(Dont get me wrong... NY is great... you just gotta stay on your toes.)

All the girls from NY, plus my old roommate Emily and my friend Liz were all waiting for me here... in this fabulous little beach town we are all quickly falling in love with.

I'll write more about San Sebastian next time... but for now, i'll leave with this fun fact:

If ever there was a time my immaturity totally superceded my self control it has been here. For those of you who havent heard before, or maybe were like me and thought it was just some exaggerated myth.... i tell you the truth - EVERYONE has a lisp. Ok fine, Almost everyone.

and it gets me everytime!!

I´m constantly biting my tongue and doing my best to be respectful and decent and appear unaffected... but it takes everything in me to keep from falling over from laughing so hard. How do you take someone ¨theriouthly¨ when they have a these thick lisps? At home I usually never even notice when someone does... but for some reason - maybe just because ¨Thi¨and ¨Grathiath¨are words i hear all day long - i just cant get past it.

Thintherely,

Melody Wilthon