Monday, August 29

Hello world!
I'm slowly and slightly reluctantly making my way back to the blogging world. Its been a whirlwind of a summer, and I can hardly believe that I am about to embark on another semester abroad. Before I dive into my next semester abroad, I think it might be fun to write a quick snapshot of my summer. I'll try picking up right where I left off in my last post. I made it home from Latin America at the end of April and found myself right in the middle of my nice comfortable life. The only difference was all of the growth I experienced while away and my new awareness of the world around me. It has been a struggle to get back into the swing of things and get used to the patterns of life here again, and mostly I feel like I just threw myself back into life full speed ahead.
I spent most of my summer nannying for the wonderful family I have worked with for three years now, and I had a blast going to beaches, pools, and parks with the three little girls I watched. I also took a few summer classes, which were not quite as fun, but it feels good to have them out of the way. Between work and class, I spent lots of time with my friends and family, and I started going to Zumba classes at the gym in town, which I absolutely loved! It seems like the summer flew by, with family gatherings and weekend trips thrown in here and there, and now my final project of the summer is upon me…packing everything I will need for four months of life into two little suitcases.
While I might be "slightly reluctant" to be getting back to blogging (because its hard to imagine writing every day again after having taken some time away from it), I am looking forward to my upcoming semester in Spain. It will be difficult, but in different ways than Costa Rica was, and I'm looking forward to the new challenges and the eminent growth that will come out of them. One of the biggest challenges, which was a huge part of my experience in Costa Rica, is simply being away from home by myself for so long. Sure, there will be other students there with me, and I'm looking forward to building up those relationships, but it is difficult to go away from all of the incredible people I know and love here.
My next post will likely be written from Seville, Spain, my home base for the next few months. In Seville I will take classes like Spanish Literature and The Three Cultures of Spain. My course load will be at least 16 credits, and if I am able to add on a 2 credit service learning class, hopefully I will finish the semester with 18 more credits under my belt. I'm so excited to use Spanish again every day and to experience everything God has in store for me on this journey. As always, your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me, and I can't wait to share this adventure with you!