Monday and Tuesday have brought with them a whirlwind, and I’m not quite sure where to start with this little post here. I guess Monday would be a good place.
I was pretty discouraged on Monday to find out that the expectations for my literature paper did not exactly meet up with what I wrote over the weekend, and I’ve been struggling to understand exactly why. Basically, the professor wants us to answer each question in a separate section rather than relating ideas in a fluid paper. So, later this week I’ll be going back and writing an explanation of where each question is specifically answered in my paper. I’m pretty frustrated because I hate to dismantle a synthesized paper, but as that’s the assignment, that’s what I’ll be doing.
This disappointment in the standards in my classes has been a recurring theme of my Spanish life, and this most recent, most significant disappointment has brought me to my knees in prayer for peace and understanding. I’m not sure what else to do with it…I feel helpless and without influence in the situation because I’ve already talked with the professor and know that it’s very unlikely that any changes in standards will be made. I don’t want this type of letdown to turn my last few weeks into a disagreeable time, so I’m working on coming to terms with the situation, dealing with it, and moving on. However, this has proven to be a true challenge for me, and prayers for a smooth, peaceful next couple of weeks would be truly appreciated.
After class yesterday, I met with a group to work on my last presentation for the semester. The group project went long enough that I didn’t have time to go home for lunch before heading to Mision Urbana, so I finally grabbed lunch at the restaurant next to school that I’ve been wanting to try all semester. I ate and did some homework in the park near school, which was nice, and then I caught the metro to my service project. I recently discovered that the place where I’ve been working on Mondays and Wednesdays is actually called Mision Urbana, NOT Mision Nervana…I have no idea where that confusion came from, but the name now makes a lot more sense to me. Anyways, because I lost my public transit card and had to buy a new one, I ended up missing the bus that I have to take after the metro, so I arrived about 15 minutes late. It ended up being alright, and the kids loved having something to tease me about.
Like always, we worked on homework for the first two hours and then had a snack. During the last hour of fun activities, I helped a girl one-on-one with her homework because she just couldn’t get it done during the group study time. I loved having the chance to work with her, and it was fun for me to watch her gain understanding as we progressed. Luckily, I did my homework for the evening in transit…I arrived home exhausted and ate a quick dinner before crashing.
Tuesday has been another very busy day. My group met again to finish up our presentation about our service projects, I had a couple of Skype sessions, and I went out for ice cream with some girls from church. I managed to squeeze in all the homework for tomorrow somewhere in-between that all, and we actually had to give our presentation today, so that took up quite a bit of time as well. I really enjoyed going out for ice cream with Corinne and some other girls we’ve met here. We went to this little ice cream shop on a small side street that one of them had run into one day, and there we ate the best ice cream I’ve had in a long time. It was good to get out of the overwhelming world of wrapping things up here for a little while.
I’m starting to work a little more seriously on plans for Paris, and I cannot believe we’re leaving for that trip already on Friday! It seems surreal, and I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to get everything done before we leave, but I know God is a good provider of time and an excellent planner, so I’m trying to leave it up to Him. Ultimately, the more I worry the worse things will be…God is teaching me so much about patience and trusting Him and helping me grow every step of the way. Dependence on Him is what I long for, and I pray for His guidance and assurance of His presence as the rest of the week unfolds.
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