Adventures on the Beach

This past weekend some locals from the church took our group to a park overlooking the beach. The beauty in the water is stunning. The sun reflecting off the cove and the buildings standing tall following the beach line give a vibrantly unique quality that is often reckoned unnoticed. Memories are made and friendships are planted all along the path of the beach park as many people sit and talk and drink mate. The calm nature of people, the tranquility of not having a rushed schedule, the peace in giving time to people rather than appointments is refreshing. We laugh at our learnings, our mistakes, like when a word is used in Mexican Spanish means monkey, but in Uruguayan Spanish means whore. Or when mate gets spilled. Or when we have no idea what the other person is saying. Laughter, Laughter, Laughter fills the air. It winds up in the palm trees and wisps through the air with the ocean breeze. These are just the beginning of many more adventures to come along the beach. Many more will come with the riddance of winter and the bright comings of spring. Many more spectacular views. Many more growing friendships. Many more laughs. Many more joyful moments.

The Set Up

We are staying at a place called the Casa. In its original form, it was a coffee factory.  Now a church owns it and uses half of it while it rents out the other half to ACU for the use of Study Abroad. There are  two doors to unlock to enter, for safety reasons.  There is a computer room, a simple weight/ workout room, two lofts, a classroom, a large kitchen and dining area, an outdoor courtyard, and then the boys, professors, and directors quarters. The girls hall has our rooms in it. Every girl has at least one roommate; over all the set up reminds me of a retreat. My room is equipped with 2 lofted beds, 2 desks, 2 chairs, and 2 wardrobes. It is small and cozy, especially now that we discovered how to turn the heater on.   I enjoy the simplicity of living here, though I feel if I knew what I knew now, I would have packed much differently, I enjoy not having mass amounts of material things at my disposal like I had in the United States. We do not have a car to use, but rather taxis, buses, or our own feet. We do not have a stocked full pantry, but the food and left overs from each meal. We do not have attics filled with useless junk, but rather lofts to sit and enjoy the people around. We do not have cell phones, but rather the internet for minor communication and each other for the rest. We have what we need, and in that, it is still more than enough.

Checking in: Montevideo, Uruguay

After nearly 24 hours of traveling, we arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay.  It is a city of charm and beauty, perhaps a combination of Paris, for its architecture, and New York City, for its many buildings so tall and close together, and the Bahamas, for the lovely beaches and vegetation. Paradise? Very close, I dare say. What I expected? Absolutely not. It is more modern in trends, yet its style and layout is antique. Mere pictures hardly capture the beauty of this city.
Let's rewind to the beginning though. Traveling went much faster than I anticipated. Though I only slept maybe 2 hours consistently at the most in each setting, I had enough adrenalin (and coffee) to keep me going. Going through customs, going through multiple security check points, filling out documentation, sleeping on the floor, trying to find things in another language all added to the initial experience of my beginning travels. Needless to say, we arrived safely and the day was just beginning.
Once we arrived, we were sent on our first adventure to explore and learn the town. Scavenger Hunt! Learning how and where to exchange money, buy bus tickets, buy groceries, and buy food were the important skills necessary for survival in which we were required to fulfill. Saturday was another day filled with the adventure of bussing to the middle of town and finding our way back. Sunday has been equipped with Spanish church, outdoor markets, and walking to the beach. I feel as if I have learned so much about where to go, what to do, and even how to speak already after just 72 hours.
This new place is not what I expected, it is much better than I could have imagined. I cannot wait to see what new opportunities God will unveil before my eyes in exploring in this whole new world! 

The Night Before Flight

It's the last night I will be spending in the United States for several months. The last night to see our stars. The last night to see familiar faces. The last night to hear normal voices. The last night to hear known worship. The last night to feel anxious with anticipation. The last night to talk though my phone. The last of so many things for so long. However, after so many goodbyes come many hellos!! When the sun mounts one more time, it will be a new dawn with new places, new faces, new graces. How excited I am for all of the "Hola" and "Buenos Dia!"s. Though it is the last, it will soon be the first. And the first step will bring forth a whole new world.

Anticipation

A week and only a week stands between me and the meeting of my new home for the next semester.  I cannot believe it is this close in view! The anticipation is pulsing stronger than ever as the clock has retarded into slow motion.  Each day trickling on feels like it could have be weeks.  My destination is so close within reach, yet there is still a boundary to be breeched.

Everything I have for the next four months of my life has been packed into two suitcases.  Life is going to be very simplified as opposed to the materialistic life I have been living in America.  I am looking forward to this simplification.  In one week I will be rid of my electronic leash that has been bound to my side every moment of every day.  I am looking forward to this simplicity of communication.  No longer will I have a pressing need to talk with someone outside of the room.  I will be able to enjoy my current surroundings to the fullest.  I will be giving the actual faces of souls my full attention rather than a split effort shared with a screened, beeping contraption.  Both the need and desire to be glamorous will fade along with the plastic faces I see daily in our culture.  I am looking forward to the shifting gaze of focus.  Life as I know it is changing.  It floods my body with excitement yet soothes my bones with the hope of refreshment.

An Exhilarating Fall

I am overlooking a cliff about to jump off of it. I know that it will be an exciting adrenalin rush as I fall.  But I know further that when God swoops me up with the means to fly, it will be even more exhilarating.

This Fall, the Fall Semester of 2010, I will be Studying Abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay. There are many things that I am unsure of, many mysteries, many things that I have yet to find out, but I will know what I need to know when the time comes.  For now, I know that I will be leaving for Montevideo, Uruguay August 26 and will be returning the second week of December.  I will be going through ACU with a small group of students, one of which is my best friend, Jocelyn Nederhoff.  I will be staying in a dorm setting, which is called the Casa.  I will be taking 16 hrs worth of college classes, 6 of which will be Spanish.  A Professor from the University will be going down with the group of us students as one of our few instructors.  This is the bare minimum and about all that I do know.  I am very excited for the opportunity to take this step out in faith to try something new and exhilarating.  I appreciate all of your encouragements and prayers.  This is my first post of hopefully many to come.