The fall weather is beautiful here... and hopefully this weekend will still be beach weather! I cannot believe my parents board the plane in a WEEK to come see me. I also cannot believe that I (along with my twin sister) will be turning 25 so soon. Unfortunately, Laura cannot make the trip down here, nor I up there, to celebrate our quarter of a century mark together, but I get the parents! My friends here said I have to throw a party, but they also told me no one is here during Holy Week, so I have to choose another date for the party. So, I will be celebrating my birthday for a while... starting with yesterday when I received a birthday card from Sarah, a volunteer in Mexico! Not only did she remember my birthday, but she got it out with the slow mail system in mind! THANKS, Sarah!
In the church, a student housing facility has started up. There are now seven students living here, and I feel much more comfortable with the growing activity throughout the evening in the large church building. A few times we have cooked together or just hung out.
I feel like this week, I haven't had any free time, but I dont think that will change until I get home.
What has been tough is missing out on babies being born and weddings happening while I have been here. It never gets easier thinking about the things that I am missing out on while I am here. I love sharing in moments like those with my friends and family. I know I have missed 8 months full of activities that I regret not being able to be a part of. However, I have had and continue to have an experience that is shaping me in ways that I could never have imagined.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Many apologies
I can come up with a bajillion excuses as to why I haven't updated this blog the entire month of March. I will start by apologizing.
The biggest news right now is that my parents are coming to visit in a week and a half! I am very excited for them to come see me and for them to get a taste of Uruguay. It is one thing to write blogs and tell people about my experience, but I feel like words do not do justice to everything that I am learning and seeing. For them to come will be a great experience for all of us... and I kind of miss them.
After 7 months out of the United States, I find myself with mixed emotions as the last 2 1/2 months fly by. It seems like everyday goes by faster than the day before.
The beginning of the school year marks the beginning of a new year in La Obra Ecumenica and a lot of excitement! There are many new faces in La Obra and new activities starting there. I am still working in the Study Center and the Children's Club. I enjoy recognizing faces from last year and seeing how La Obra functions in the begininning of the year with all of the planning. It was hard to understand how everything was run when I arrived in September, because they were in the last months of the schoolyear. Now, I can participate in the beginning of the year and have a better idea of all of the work and decisions made to prepare for the new year. One thing that I have really enjoyed is the field trips they take the kids on. They get the opportunity to see lots of Montevideo through La Obra and really see parts of the city they otherwise would not get to see. This March is dedicated to taking the kids to different parts of Montevideo. In April, activities like English, music, crafts, cooking, Italian (new this year with an Italian volunteer) will start.
I am amazed at how much I understand in the Spanish language now. I can finally feel a difference in my willingness to participate in conversations without fear of using incorrect grammar or being misunderstood. I recently went to the birthday party of my Spanish teacher whom I had not seen since mid-December and she and her husband were surprised at the difference in my Spanish.
The church Nuestro Salvador continues to prepare for its trip to Minnesota along with starting up all the regular activities for the new year. We have had a good group show up for Wednesday Bible studies on Ruth the past few weeks.
In other news, I started tango lessons last week. I go once a week for an hour and a half. Last week I proved to have two left feet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
The biggest news right now is that my parents are coming to visit in a week and a half! I am very excited for them to come see me and for them to get a taste of Uruguay. It is one thing to write blogs and tell people about my experience, but I feel like words do not do justice to everything that I am learning and seeing. For them to come will be a great experience for all of us... and I kind of miss them.
After 7 months out of the United States, I find myself with mixed emotions as the last 2 1/2 months fly by. It seems like everyday goes by faster than the day before.
The beginning of the school year marks the beginning of a new year in La Obra Ecumenica and a lot of excitement! There are many new faces in La Obra and new activities starting there. I am still working in the Study Center and the Children's Club. I enjoy recognizing faces from last year and seeing how La Obra functions in the begininning of the year with all of the planning. It was hard to understand how everything was run when I arrived in September, because they were in the last months of the schoolyear. Now, I can participate in the beginning of the year and have a better idea of all of the work and decisions made to prepare for the new year. One thing that I have really enjoyed is the field trips they take the kids on. They get the opportunity to see lots of Montevideo through La Obra and really see parts of the city they otherwise would not get to see. This March is dedicated to taking the kids to different parts of Montevideo. In April, activities like English, music, crafts, cooking, Italian (new this year with an Italian volunteer) will start.
I am amazed at how much I understand in the Spanish language now. I can finally feel a difference in my willingness to participate in conversations without fear of using incorrect grammar or being misunderstood. I recently went to the birthday party of my Spanish teacher whom I had not seen since mid-December and she and her husband were surprised at the difference in my Spanish.
The church Nuestro Salvador continues to prepare for its trip to Minnesota along with starting up all the regular activities for the new year. We have had a good group show up for Wednesday Bible studies on Ruth the past few weeks.
In other news, I started tango lessons last week. I go once a week for an hour and a half. Last week I proved to have two left feet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
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