Spain is amazing and I have a NEW TOOL in my toolbox!

I've been here is Spain for about two months now, and let me just tell you what an amazing experience it has been! I'm feeling so blessed to be here. It took me a few weeks to adjust and be able to understand people. I'm still not understanding everything yet, but I'm getting along just fine. When I go on tours with my class, I'm often the one translating for people who don't understand enough Spanish, and that makes me feel really good about my level of Spanish. 

The first six weeks of classes was really intense. The first two weeks was a Spanish intensive that really tested my grammar. It felt like trying to drink from a fire hose. The next 4 weeks were a review of everything I've already studied the past two years, and I'm really glad we did that. I struggled through because I was the only one in my level at that time, so I had to be tuned in every second, and it was exhausting. 

When Charlie Kirk was shot on a campus near my home campus, I was really upset about it. It was traumatizing to me, and it affected my health negatively. I ended up not being able to go to school regularly, but I went as much as my health would allow. Being stuck at home in bed didn't help with the loneliness I was already feeling at all. It took a couple of weeks for me to get on top of things again, and I'm thankful to report that I'm feeling a lot better. 

New material started this week, and I have seven classmates! I'm so thankful to be with other people again. I was getting a little worried for a while there with the loneliness getting bigger than me. It has really been giving me a boost to be around others again. I'm also feeling better physically, so I'm able to get out and about more. I'm thankful for that. 

My equipment was really struggling with the rough terrain here in Spain, so I had to order a front-end power attachment. That came this week, and it has been SO much nicer. My body and my equipment isn't taking the beating that it was before. Accepting the tools you need to live a full life is all part of the game when you live disabled. It's an expensive game, but you do what you have to. Here's a picture of the new attachment. I'll be sure to share about our coming adventures! 

Firefly 2.5 Front-end Power Assist