New Week, New Adventures

{A}

Life has been really crazy! 

I don't know how but time has just passed by and I didn't even notice.

Im so behind on the bloging thing I am going to try to catch up soon

{B}

My parents came and visited this past weekend

It was nice to have home here for a few days

I got to spend the weekend showing them around my "home" for the semester

We went to a neighboring city, Santiago and explored around Vina all in 2 days and my feet are feeling it!

but it was wonderful to have them here

{C}

Im getting ready to take off traveling

Im super excited about all the places I'm getting to visit and I can't wait to share them will yall when I get back

{D}

Spanish is getting better

I'm learning slow but I'm learning and that's all that matters

I'm already planing on going somewhere next may for the month 

Hopefully a orphanage in Guatemala 

{E}

Ephesians 4

read it.

love it.

live it.

10 Years Later

Its hard to imagine that it has been 10 years since 9/11. It so mind blowing to me to think about I can remember that day like it was yesterday. Its probably one of my most vivid childhood memories.

My account of 9/11:
I was in the 6th grade at the time In Mrs. K's class. We had just returned from the library when the front office called for me to go home. I thought it was so weird because I didn't have anywhere to go. So I thought maybe I was getting checked out for a fun surprise. I got up there and it was my dad checking me out and that instantly made know something was up. My dad didn't tell me anything when he got me we just drove over to my moms school. I think the minute I knew something was really wrong was when we went to my moms school and he told me we were going to stay there for a little while. When I walked up to the front door they had a police officer standing there, strange. So once we got there I knew immediately that there was some bad stuff going on but didn't quite know what yet until I went to go see Mr.Crow and I saw the TV. I don't think I really knew what was going on I saw the towers burning and at first I didn't think it was real. But then the I watched the First tower fall on the TV and the reactions around me told me that this was real and it was serious. I was immediately scared. The school put me to work there were so many parents coming and getting their kids that they were sending me to go and find the kids. Finally once the school day was done we all went home. I remember going home and sitting in my room watching the news in just pure shock  We live in America things like this don't happen here I was so scared. I remember hearing that they had targets in Atlanta. So all I could think about was someone blowing up my neighborhood or my school. Later that evening Chase, Jeremy and I were sitting down at the bottom of my hill and talking about what was going on. I remember laying back on my back and looking at the sky. I can still see that sky in my head now. I can still remember the fear I had for weeks after when I went to bed. I didn't know anyone in New York City at the time but I think like every American we all mourned the loss of all the innocent people from that day. Not a week goes by without 9/11 crossing my mind. 

Walkin In the Clouds

So on Saturday Tawni, Jesse, Kyle and I ventured off to a national park about 45 minutes away from Vina. It was such a beautiful place!
The day started off really early, 8:30 to be exact. We had to take a train for about 25 minutes and then a bus the rest of the way. We accidently got on a but that didn't drop us off right at the park entrance and we had to walk a pretty good distance to get to the park when the bus dropped us off. Lets just say I was already huffin and puffin with just the little walk just to get into the park!
I didn't really know what to expect with the park. I just thought oh a national park it will be like Sweet water park near my house in GA. Well this sure was not like that at all. It was a huge mountain and I was not prepared for that!! I didn't wear the right cloths or bring the right stuff with me!
We didn't have a set route for us we just kind of picked which way as we went. Our first stop was only about 20 mins in and had a old mining cave and views of the big ol' mountain that we were about to hike. Jesse and Kyle went off into the caves and used the flash on their cameras to see where they were going. Tawni and I opted to stay outside and "rock climb". We took off next up the mountain and hiked for a good 3 hours up. We didn't make it all the way to the top that is about a 9 hour hike and we didn't have the time for that before the park closed. Our goal was to get up to the clouds but we just didn't think it was going to be possible because they were pretty high up. But at our last stop they just sank down and we got to walk up in the clouds for about 10 minutes. It was so beautiful and quite up there! I loved being able to hear the river flowing blow us, that is one of my favorite noises!

It was a super long day but worth the blisters on my feet!

One Month Mark

So we hit the one month mark this past week.

My thought so far:

{A}

Its been such a different experience than what I expected. I'v loved every moment so far. But its definatly not what I thought in terms of spanish. I gave my self very unrealistic goals for learning. I'v only studied spanish for 2 years back in the 10th and 11th grade of high school. I really dont even think that I really learned anything back then. I always ended up in the "bad" class. To this day I still think that the class I was in in 11th grade ran the teacher off. Becasue right befor we left for a holiday some smarty pants told the teacher to go back where she came from and when we got back from that break she was gone. So needless to say my 2 years of learning wasn't really learning. Anyways back to my unrealistic goals. I kept telling myself "your going to get down there and learn in a month and be fluent by the time you leave". Well one month has come and gone and guess what I wasn't even close to my goal. Now dont get me wrong I've learned alot just at A LOT slower pace than what I expected for my self. 

{B}

Bouts of homesickness. 

I've never been the one to get home sick and I dont know if you can even consider my feelings as homesickness. I just crave everything from home. I want to be around my friends, I want to eat my favorite foods (Chick fl A), I want to be stressing over studing for a test. I feel like im missing something here. Communcation with my friends has been really limited. Im used to the talk to you two or three times a day thing. Not once every two or three days.

Facebook dosn't help either! I get on and see pictures of my friends visitng each other and I have not even talked to them in weeks just dosn't help.  

I guess you could say im just home longing for everything home every once in a while

{C}

I didn't expect to come down here and make such amazing friends so fast!!

I was just talking to Monica and Tawni today about how wierd it was that we've only known each for a month. I feel like I've know them forever. My friendships have such a differnt depth to them since we have become such great freinds so fast. I love that God put these people in my life. Already I've been encouraged and learned so much from them. I've definitely made life long friends here! Its going to be so so so sad when december rolls around and we have to part ways. I don't even want to think about it now.

{D}

Im learning so much about myself.

I don't know if I it can put into words quiet yet

but im definitely learning so much about myself and what my future may hold.

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I know most of those didnt sound positive but I really am loving everything here. In life most things don't turn out the way that you expect them to and thats what happened here. I took it upon my self to "plan" what I thought it should be like. Well like eveything in like God had a plan and it definitely wasnt anything like my plan. It was far greater that anything I could dream up.

I saw this verse today and it so fits my life right now

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will recieve all that he has promised

Hebrews 10:23

I love this so much

patiens is what I need right now

and this is such a reminder of that

If im sitting here complaining about this and that then I'm not doing Gods will for my time here in chile.

I need to confidently trust that God has a plan here for me and that He has put me exactly where I am for that specific purpose.

I hope everyone back home has a wonderful Labor day weekend and enjoys the last few days of summer and I enjoy our last few days of winter!!