Wednesday, January 19

If I had to chose one word to describe today, it would have to be refreshing. This morning we did not have class at LASP, so I had the early morning off. I decided to get up at my normal time to do some reading and have some extra time to spend with God. Throughout my stay here I have been filled with an unexplainable peace that can only be from God, but I know that I have not been spending enough time investing in my relationship with Him. It was great to have a relaxing morning, and after I showered I just shut myself in my room for a while to be alone with God, the reason I'm here. It was such a relief to reconnect with Him and just rest in His presence, and I'm going to make more of an effort to make this part of my everyday routine. One of the reasons I haven't been doing this is that I did not want to isolate myself from my family, but I've been realizing that there are ways (like doing my homework at the kitchen table or in Monica's room) that I can be more connected with them and still be comfortable having time to myself.

This morning was also refreshing because there was a student-led worship service at LASP. It was the first time we worshiped together as a group, and I really enjoyed it. We sang a few songs and spent quite a bit of time in prayer with each other and individually. I prayed in a small group with a couple of girls that I've been getting to know, and it was nice for all of us to just lean on each other and bring our struggles to the Lord. Worship sessions are scheduled for every Wednesday morning during the first five weeks that we're here, and I'm so excited about that opportunity!

After worship we had some downtime and I worked on reading the 250 page book I have been assigned to read about Guatemala/USA relations. This is the topic I signed up to write about for my 10-15 page thesis paper that is due in about a month, and I'm pretty excited about it, but why does the book have to be so long?! Seriously though, I'm grateful to have a good source to start with, and I'm sure it will be interesting if I ever get past the introduction.

I spent my early afternoon reading that and eating lunch in the courtyard behind LASP. One of the girls in our group (Michelle) sprained her ankle the other day and therefore needed to ride the bus from LASP to ICADS today. I didn't want her to go alone, so we got a group of 4 to venture into the center of the city to take the bus. The ride took longer than I expected, so Haleigh and I took the first bus out of city center towards ICADS while the other girls went to an e-cafe. It was fun talking to Haleigh on the bus, and I'm really enjoying getting to know her and the other students here. We all come from very different backgrounds, and its interesting to learn about everyone's different perspectives.

At ICADS we talked about direct and indirect complements used in Spanish, and I was having a really hard time understanding why some of them are used. I think I was incorporating too much of my English understanding or something...I got really frustrated and then my teacher told me that the things that I was so confused about are not really necessary, just used for emphasis! Problem solved, I guess. I would like to understand the topic more anyway, and I'm cautiously looking forward to reviewing it tomorrow.

On a related note, I bought some medicine for my allergies last night and feel so so so much better today! Because I was feeling better, I was able to be much more engaged in my Spanish class, and I am happy with the amount of Spanish I've been able to use today. After class Haleigh and I decided to walk because it was beautiful outside and because its nice to save the bus money and get some exercise. Upon arriving home I took a quick shower and then started doing my homework at the kitchen table. I'm not sure what inspired this, but it was a much better idea than doing it alone in my room. Why haven't I thought of this before?!

So I did some reading and chatted a bit with my Mamá while she made dinner. As she set the table with heaping helpings of deliciousness (chicken, rice, beans, potato bread, and fried plantains) all around me, I started to notice that mine was the only place set for dinner. Monica was out with her boyfriend and Mamá wasn't hungry, so tonight I had a feast! I was able to talk with Mamá while I ate and I told her about my struggles in Spanish. She said that no one talks correctly anyway and those topics are difficult even for Ticans. Of course, this made me feel a lot better. The rest of my night will likely include much reading about GUA/USA. Luckily, my life is full of amazing people and I have two great emails to read also, so that will break up my homework marathon! Writing this and remembering my day has given me a burst of energy, so maybe this will go quickly and I can get to bed early! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!