Today was Gordon's graduation. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch both baccalaureate and commencement on Gordon's live feed. Watching it made me sad to see the seniors leave, especially the education majors who I have had so many classes with. Congratulations Class of 2012!
It's weird to think that just a year ago Hannah graduated and next year it will be my turn. What do I want/need to do before graduating? How can I use what I have learned here in Buenos Aires back at home? Being in Argentina has made me lose track of time and the reality that next year I will be finishing up student teaching, finding a job and probably a place to live. This is SOOO scary because inside I still feel like a little kid and am not ready to grow up. However, I am trying to just live in the moment and not worry about those things because I know that God has a plan for me.
This week has been filled with mixed emotions. I am so glad and blessed to be in Buenos Aires and it was so great to see my parents this past week. Even in 3 months my Spanish has come so far. I now understand when Marta and Ariel talk to each other and can converse fairly easily with them. I am not completely lost in my classes and find them interesting (the hw readings are rough though). I sometimes am surprised to find myself reading Spanish with some fluidity (even though my comprehension still needs work).
Today I wrote my "essay" for my application to be a GEO Ambassador (someone who represents and recruits for study abroad). Here is a clip:
In my time here I have felt God’s love and faithfulness. The first weeks here were hard, mostly due to the language barrier and my frustration with my inability to communicate or allow my personality to shine, but through prayer and patience everything changed. I now joke around with my host family, prefer to read articles online in Spanish because I can understand them, and am able to let my personality shine. My experience abroad showed me how to step back and enjoy where I am or as Gordon would say, “be here now.” Many times things don’t work out exactly how planned here, but I have learned to be flexible instead of always having to be on a schedule or thinking there is only one way to do something. I will never get another opportunity like the one I have today, so it’s best not to focus on the challenges, like learning Spanish or having plans fall apart, but on the blessings God gives me each day like being able to learn about life, people, and God’s faithfulness.
There are times when I am overwhelmed by God's love and His blessings. I have seen so much of His beauty in nature these past 3 months: Patagonia, Jujuy, and Iguazu
There are other times when I miss home (my family, cooking, my room, my car), school (friends, the accessibility of everything being right there, my church), and camp. Many of my friends this week are done with exams and heading home to start the summer (it's quickly becoming winter here). However, I still have 6 weeks of doing a lot of work. Today I spent about 5 hours studying for my history midterm on Wednesday (which probably will be one of the hardest tests I have ever taken), and know that tomorrow I will have to spend all day studying more. My classmates are finally getting a break from school, and my workload is just starting. Other friends and my campers are getting ready to go to my favorite place in the world, Chop Point, for the whole summer. I am a little jealous and in a lot of ways wish I could be there with them. However, soon enough I will be there (I get to spend 4 weeks at camp after I return home).
Despite my mixed emotions, above all I am excited to see what God has in store for the remainder of my time here. I also can't wait to get back and see my roommate and other friends and hear about their semesters in all the corners of the world.
Please continue to keep me in your prayers, especially with my history test Wednesday. Thank you for following me on this journey
Love,
Bot
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