Happenin' Hamburg

Anja and I had a fun visit in Hamburg recently, to see old friends and meet up with Vera, on staff with Connexxion. What a modern -looking campus!We went out one night with friends who used to live & study in Jena or Braunschweig... and have moved to Hamburg for jobs after graduation.

Does this photo below look like a campus to you --or a park? wow!! It's the TU Harburg (Technical University, in a suburb outside of Hamburg).

Right beside the campus is a Baptist church (Evangelisch- Freikirchliche Gemeinde). They are offering their cafe to host events for university students. For example, this week the university is having a meet & greet event for all the new freshmen (first semester students).

Here is the outside of the church in Harburg.Our first meal was in the student Mensa (cafeteria)-- yummy!

Vera is starting a brand new Connexxion Christian campus group. We're all very excited about this "cutting edge" project!

more fun sevilla moments

More scenes from a great 12 days in Sevilla... helping with a big WOW Week ("week of welcoming") to start off the new semester!

hanging out for coffee, ice cream and a bit of shopping with Leti (short for Leticia; do you like my new Palestine scarf?)

Saturday lunch with Abraham, his friend Narjis, and his mom Angelica...

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she cooked two very typical spanish fish dishes including sardines with potatoes (left)

"Merienda" (light supper/ snack around 6 p.m.)... and afterwards playing card games in my old apartment (Inma, Johnny, me, Hendrik, and Abraham pictured here)

Lots of bus rides to get around town

at our park afternoon, a group of medical school students kept inadvertently kicking their soccer ball in our direction... so finally Lauren went over to meet them, and met the whole bunch! (she's front left, beside the birthday girl Rosa)

Inga passing out our WOW flyers with gummy bears, here outside the Rectorado (one of several main campuses connected with the Univ. of Sevilla, where you can take classes for liberal arts, languages, geography, art history, etc.). We passed out about 1100 of these!

English Club-- we had 2 simultaneous groups meeting on the lawn this day... Manuel is a computer science prof, and Annie in the back speaks great English!

one of our semester start parties-- i was so excited that Inma's mom, Paloma, came as well as her brother Paco (Johnny, Paloma, Paco, Loyda, me, Inma). Inma is my good friend who visited in Germany this summer!

Rafa, Hendrik, Arias, Abraham & Roberto... most of whom study computer science. We are so blessed to have Hendrik and his wife Maggie who joined our Connexxion staff, as of this fall!

sevilla-- a world away

Unforgettable-- a whirlwind trip of 12 days in beautiful "chula" Sevilla! It almost seemed like I was back after the summer break-- but alas, just for a visit... great to catch up with friends...Elena and I walking to her suburb of Triana, across the Triana bridge... she has been super helpful getting us a classroom for English Club!
Pedro and Alex having a good discussion at our "Back to School" party... I was amazed that Alex loves poetry and philosophy, while also being good at sciences (studies environmental science).

Alina and Carlos and I on my first weekend back... about 2 a.m. or so after a party!

Lauren with Pedro and Erasto -- she met them about 18 months ago, along with their entire kung-fu team, on a plane coming to the USA from Spain.

hanging out on the balcony with Leti, Daniel and Lluvia (her name means "rain"-- this was the first time I've met someone with that name-- it's lovely!). I've known Dani since my first semester there...

Our first semester -start party, hanging out with about 18 friends including Carlos, Hendrik, Katie, Abraham & Johnny.

In language difference, culture, customs, "feeling"-- Spain is truly a world away from Germany, or America for that matter. But a true breath of fresh air...

Above: Wednesday evening in front of the Rectorado (old tobacco factory) after our Bible discussion group "Charlemos," & on our way to the international fair at the Prado de San Sebastian

A part of me feels really free in Sevilla, and resonates with the vibrant nature of loud, casual, coffee- drinking, street-cafe- life, friendly Andalusia...

Above: A Friday late-night party to kick off the new semester, in my old apartment, with the theme: "Back to School"-- so we wore white shirts, reminiscent of school uniforms. Here I am with Maggie (from Germany, on staff with Connexxion), Lauren (who just moved to Sevilla), and Inga (who helped me for 8 months starting the Connexxion group, in 2008/2009).