This week has been so exhausting! Not only have I been getting too few hours of sleep, my days have also been full of mind-bending conversations and thoughts. While I LOVE these kinds of challenges, I've never experienced anything quite this intense before. I've had discussions about missions, theology, education, poverty, religious traditions, and application of what I've learned and seen this semester. I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea. Its lots of fun for me to turn these questions over in my own thoughts and through discussions with small groups and other individuals, but after so many days straight my brain just needs a break. The discussions started at the end of Spring Break and it seems like I haven't had a single conversation since then that hasn't turned into deep contemplation about something.
LASP this morning was a good example of this. We spent two hours discussing what North American involvement in Latin America should look like. With a group of 6 people, this first required a lot of defining terms and examining the consequences of North American involvement that we have seen since being here. It was a long conversation with some concrete conclusions, but we still have a long way to go to complete our project. All of the groups met this morning, so over lunch and on the walk to ICADS, many people spent time comparing group discussions and working towards conclusions. It was a little overwhelming, and while I really enjoyed the discussion, I also found myself completely lost with a spinning head at times. On a lighter note, my ankle is feeling a lot better today!
The same two students were absent from my ICADS class again today, but I felt like I really learned a lot from our lesson again. I'm getting to the point where I just need to be talking and using my Spanish as much as possible, so the little chats we have in class are really helpful.
I stopped at an e-cafe on the way home again to call Monica, my previous host sister to talk to her about getting together with her and her mom for dinner sometime before I leave San Jose. She emailed me a few weeks ago to see if I could come over for dinner, and I'm just now getting settled enough again to be able to make those kinds of plans. Anyway, we decided that tomorrow night would work the best for all of us, so it will be fun to see my previous hosts again then!
I got home just after my current hosts finished their cafecito, and I have to say I was relieved to have missed another portion of food. I just can't believe how much I've been fed since coming to Latin America, and its getting to the point that I look forward to any chance I can get to not be eating something.
Mami and I had a really good conversation about Ash Wednesday and the rest of Lent. We also talked about the importance of being truly committed to your faith and acting in ways that serve others rather than focusing on whats best for yourself. I REALLY enjoyed talking to her about those things, and it felt awesome to be able to carry such a conversation in Spanish. When we finished talking, I started in on my reading for LASP tomorrow. I had to read an article about Liberation Theology, and it took me forever to get through. For a while Melany sat next to me at the table highlighting her story books while I highlighted the article. It was so cute!
The days are just flying by! I only have10 more full days here in San Jose before my internship starts! I'm anxious to find out what my internship will be and what kinds of things I will be doing. I'm excited to get out of the city again and experience something new. For tonight though, what I'm most excited about is spending a few hours in blissful sleep, not thinking about a single controversial or challenging topic.
P.S. Happy Birthday, TJ!
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