I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race, even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy, no,
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race, even while I wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will not faint
And I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on you, Lord
Friday, March 20, 2009
While I'm Waiting
Found this on another site, and I just fell in love with the song. I've posted the music video on my facebook page as I couldn't figure out how to do it here.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Home
I have for sure decided to come home early from Guatemala. I am soooo homesick despite my best efforts. I have learned a bit more Spanish, as well as some phrases I'll need for work. Not as much as I have hoped, but I struggle so much with languages, I am impressed with what I've learned so far.
Anyway, I changed my flight to the 17th. Not sure of the times yet, I'm still waiting to hear back from the travel agent.
I decided to make a trip up to Tikal with some people from my school this weekend. Its rather a whirlwind trip as we leave at 4am Saturday morning, stop at a couple of places on the way to Tikal, spend the night, and then come back the next day, stopping at a few more places before arriving in Antigua at 9:30 pm. Maybe not as long and relaxing as I would want, but it fits in my timeline.
I'll take lots of pictures of Tikal and will share them when I get back. Its too hard to upload photos here, as even with DSL, its SLOW.
For those people who feel I might be missing out by leaving early...I appreciate your concern, but I honestly feel like its a the right thing to do. I've stretched, done what I need to do, and I am ready to come back home. I have no regrets about leaving early, just excitement to be back home.
Anyway, I changed my flight to the 17th. Not sure of the times yet, I'm still waiting to hear back from the travel agent.
I decided to make a trip up to Tikal with some people from my school this weekend. Its rather a whirlwind trip as we leave at 4am Saturday morning, stop at a couple of places on the way to Tikal, spend the night, and then come back the next day, stopping at a few more places before arriving in Antigua at 9:30 pm. Maybe not as long and relaxing as I would want, but it fits in my timeline.
I'll take lots of pictures of Tikal and will share them when I get back. Its too hard to upload photos here, as even with DSL, its SLOW.
For those people who feel I might be missing out by leaving early...I appreciate your concern, but I honestly feel like its a the right thing to do. I've stretched, done what I need to do, and I am ready to come back home. I have no regrets about leaving early, just excitement to be back home.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
TGIF
TGIF folks, TGIF! I had a big test at school today and got a 79%, which is about right for me. I did real good on some parts and then awful on others. We have moved on to some easier things, for which I am most thankful.
I was awakened this morning to the sounds of a mariachi band playing in the living room right out side of my bedroom. Quite the way to wake up. I'm trying to get pictures and some video up, but my computer isn't cooperating this morning. I will try again later.
For those who have been wondering what my days have been looking like this week, here it goes:
6:30 wake up and shower
7:15 breakfast (fruit, juice, bread, and runny eggs *gag*)
7:30 leave for school, where I pass a beautiful old church, of which I don't know the name.
7:40 get to school early for 2 reasons 1)check my email and 2) I am an overachiever who must arrive early
8:00 classes start
9:00 2 minute coffee/tea break
10:00 Morning break where I check email, read blogs, visit with other students
10:30 classes start again
11:00 ready for classes to be over as my brain is full
12:00 classes end.
12:10 colapse on my bed and rest until lunch
1:00 lunch which is usually soup, meat, beans, and tortilla
1:30 take a nap
2:30 study before I forget everything I learned that morning
3:30-4:00 read
4:00ish go for a walk around town
Wednesday only (leave for church) at 6:00
7:00 dinner is usually beans, tortilla, tamales or some other meat
7:30 read
8:00 start a movie on my laptop
8:45 fall asleep during the movie
9:30 wake up and actually go to bed
That is my day...boring so far. Hopefully, it will be more interesting after I change houses and get more involved in the church. I actually just heard from the office that I will be moving tomorrow instead of Sundaym which actually is nice as it will give me something to do tomorrow.
I was awakened this morning to the sounds of a mariachi band playing in the living room right out side of my bedroom. Quite the way to wake up. I'm trying to get pictures and some video up, but my computer isn't cooperating this morning. I will try again later.
For those who have been wondering what my days have been looking like this week, here it goes:
6:30 wake up and shower
7:15 breakfast (fruit, juice, bread, and runny eggs *gag*)
7:30 leave for school, where I pass a beautiful old church, of which I don't know the name.
7:40 get to school early for 2 reasons 1)check my email and 2) I am an overachiever who must arrive early
8:00 classes start
9:00 2 minute coffee/tea break
10:00 Morning break where I check email, read blogs, visit with other students
10:30 classes start again
11:00 ready for classes to be over as my brain is full
12:00 classes end.
12:10 colapse on my bed and rest until lunch
1:00 lunch which is usually soup, meat, beans, and tortilla
1:30 take a nap
2:30 study before I forget everything I learned that morning
3:30-4:00 read
4:00ish go for a walk around town
Wednesday only (leave for church) at 6:00
7:00 dinner is usually beans, tortilla, tamales or some other meat
7:30 read
8:00 start a movie on my laptop
8:45 fall asleep during the movie
9:30 wake up and actually go to bed
That is my day...boring so far. Hopefully, it will be more interesting after I change houses and get more involved in the church. I actually just heard from the office that I will be moving tomorrow instead of Sundaym which actually is nice as it will give me something to do tomorrow.
To...much...spanish...in..my...head
Seriously, I don't think I have any room left. My poor teacher this morning...I couldn't remember hardly anything from Monday or Tuesday. I still can't speak um hardly at all. I have to literally think of one word, translate it, think of another word, traslate that, etc, etc.
There is a reason why I am done with school...I dislike school imensley and am too old to have the memory to capture this information. I know, I know..29 isn't THAT old. I unfortunetly have inherited my mothers memory, which is, well, not great.
I went to Bible study last night and met a nice Canadian woman named Debbie, who incidently reminds me of my mom. She volunteers at a home for kids with CP and other deformities and plays with them, feeds them, etc. I'm going with her today to see if I can volunteer a few afternoons a week. It was nice to be in a group of believers again, although I miss my CG back home. I'll be going to church on Sunday as well.
I was able to switch my homestay family to the lady I had wanted in the first place. I'll be moving on Sunday. I still don't know if I'll stay for the full 4 weeks; I really, REALLY miss home a lot.
There is a reason why I am done with school...I dislike school imensley and am too old to have the memory to capture this information. I know, I know..29 isn't THAT old. I unfortunetly have inherited my mothers memory, which is, well, not great.
I went to Bible study last night and met a nice Canadian woman named Debbie, who incidently reminds me of my mom. She volunteers at a home for kids with CP and other deformities and plays with them, feeds them, etc. I'm going with her today to see if I can volunteer a few afternoons a week. It was nice to be in a group of believers again, although I miss my CG back home. I'll be going to church on Sunday as well.
I was able to switch my homestay family to the lady I had wanted in the first place. I'll be moving on Sunday. I still don't know if I'll stay for the full 4 weeks; I really, REALLY miss home a lot.
Sunday and Monday
Well, I’ve survived my first full day in Antigua. My head is spinning!
I had a really rough time Sunday after arriving in Antigua. I was met at the airport by an odd looking man, who, if he hadn’t been carrying a sign with all my information on it, I never would have gone with. We loaded into the van and off we went to Antigua. For a while I wasn’t sure if we were even heading in the right direction, and then things looked familiar and their were signs, so I felt better.
We arrived at my host family’s house and was told that the place I had requested was full so they put me here. The wife met me at the door and I was ushered into my room. I have a private room and private bath, and after paying today, have been charged accordingly, even though I asked for a shared bathroom as that cuts the price. Anyway, she showed me my room, told me when meals were the next day and then left. I unpacked and then realized that I was almost out of water to drink and wasn’t about to touch the tap water with a 10 foot pole. I wandered around, but wasn’t sure what part of the house was ok for me to go to. So I decided to charge my computer, only to find that my three prongs don’t fit into the 2 prongs they have here. At this point I sat down and had a good cry. I then decided to go and find some food, as my family doesn’t provide anything on Sundays. After wandering all over town trying to find something that looked familiar, I came across a Subway. I was relieved until I went in and realized that I couldn’t read the sign, nor did know how to ask for anything. I mimed to the man what I wanted and between my miming and his limited English, I was able to get my food. I then wandered all the way back to my house and proceeded to have another big cry.
After laying down for a bit, I felt better and wandered around the house some more. Finally, this girl from Denmark walked in and said hi. I picked her brain for a bit about drinkable water, laundry, and plug converters. Her and another girl were leaving for the week, and weren’t sure if they were coming back or not, but I at least felt better and had something to drink. I ended up going to bed at 8pm and slept a solid 9 hours.
Monday
First day of school! Got up and had breakfast, which unfortunately almost made me gag. I have a lot of food issues, but one of the worst is soft fried eggs. What was the main item on my place?? 2 very soft, runny eggs *gag*. Thankfully, there was bread and fruit. I managed to eat a few bites of egg and after almost hurling, stuck with the bread and fruit.
I then walked the 6 blocks to school where I met with a most wonderful teacher named Izabel. We covered 4 different verb forms in my four hour class time. I of course can no longer remember anything I studied this morning, but hopefully, it will come back tomorrow. I realized that I can understand most of what is being said, but have the verbal skills of a slow 2 year old. Anyway, she as very patient and there were enough breaks that I didn’t feel overwhelmed.
After class I headed back home for lunch, were I met two new students who had just come in. One speaks Spanish very well and is from Taiwan, and the other is a very young 15 year old from Alaska who is only here for 1 week and speaks hardly anything. We had a good lunch of Asparagus soup, chile releneo, guacamole, rice, and tortilla. It tasted good at the time, but is making me nauseous just thinking about it now.
After lunch I headed back to the school to pay for this week and leave for an activity. As I was paying, I realized that they charged me more for the school as I wasn’t paying for the full 4 weeks at once, AND they charged me for a private bathroom, even though I didn’t request one. I had already signed everything when I realized this. I requested to be moved if a spot opened in the house I had requested, and they said maybe next week.
After this, I met up with three other students from the school and we were driven to a coffee farm, where the whole tour was in Spanish, which none of us could really understand. We then went to a macadamia nut farm, which was beautiful, educational, and had good samples J After some time there, we drove to an artesian center in San Antonio where we were given a review and demonstration on Mayan fabric creation and customs. They walked through the traditional clothes, how it is worn, and then had us dress up as a wedding party. There was a married couple in the group, so they got re-married. I was the mother of the groom and the other lady was the mother of the bride. The clothes were amazing, although very hot. We got to mimic all the fabric costumes associated with marriage and the new family.
Such as: the girls start weaving/embroidering a shawl for their future mothers in law when they are 14. This is presented to their mother in law on the day of the wedding and she must wear it the whole day. If she takes it off, it is a sign that she doesn’t like her future daughter in law. The mother of the groom makes an apron that she presents to her daughter in law after the ceremony. They then have to make coffee and tortillas together before the bride can go to bed. The mother-in-law also makes a special blanket for her first grandchild that is used as a sling. Anyway, all sorts of cool things.
The real kicker though, was that it was almost all in Spanish. I was miraculously able to understand about 75% of it and translated for the others! This is where I really realized that I understand a ton more than I can speak. Afterwards, the tried to get us to buy things. I was almost tempted to buy one of the baby blankets/slings as those things rock! I didn’t bring enough Quetzales with me, so I go back if I can’t find one cheaper here in town.
Back to the school we drove and now I am at home typing this as I am waiting for dinner at 7pm. As I don’t have internet at the house, I will type now and send tomorrow at school. I’ll also try to get some more pictures up tomorrow.
Please keep praying for me as I am really lonely and unsure. Part of me just wants to hop on a plane and come home, but another part knows this is good for me. I’d love to have e-mails from home! Letter mail and packages take up to a month or two to get here, depending on customs, etc, so they aren’t really an option (thanks for the thoughts though).
Much love to everyone back home!
I had a really rough time Sunday after arriving in Antigua. I was met at the airport by an odd looking man, who, if he hadn’t been carrying a sign with all my information on it, I never would have gone with. We loaded into the van and off we went to Antigua. For a while I wasn’t sure if we were even heading in the right direction, and then things looked familiar and their were signs, so I felt better.
We arrived at my host family’s house and was told that the place I had requested was full so they put me here. The wife met me at the door and I was ushered into my room. I have a private room and private bath, and after paying today, have been charged accordingly, even though I asked for a shared bathroom as that cuts the price. Anyway, she showed me my room, told me when meals were the next day and then left. I unpacked and then realized that I was almost out of water to drink and wasn’t about to touch the tap water with a 10 foot pole. I wandered around, but wasn’t sure what part of the house was ok for me to go to. So I decided to charge my computer, only to find that my three prongs don’t fit into the 2 prongs they have here. At this point I sat down and had a good cry. I then decided to go and find some food, as my family doesn’t provide anything on Sundays. After wandering all over town trying to find something that looked familiar, I came across a Subway. I was relieved until I went in and realized that I couldn’t read the sign, nor did know how to ask for anything. I mimed to the man what I wanted and between my miming and his limited English, I was able to get my food. I then wandered all the way back to my house and proceeded to have another big cry.
After laying down for a bit, I felt better and wandered around the house some more. Finally, this girl from Denmark walked in and said hi. I picked her brain for a bit about drinkable water, laundry, and plug converters. Her and another girl were leaving for the week, and weren’t sure if they were coming back or not, but I at least felt better and had something to drink. I ended up going to bed at 8pm and slept a solid 9 hours.
Monday
First day of school! Got up and had breakfast, which unfortunately almost made me gag. I have a lot of food issues, but one of the worst is soft fried eggs. What was the main item on my place?? 2 very soft, runny eggs *gag*. Thankfully, there was bread and fruit. I managed to eat a few bites of egg and after almost hurling, stuck with the bread and fruit.
I then walked the 6 blocks to school where I met with a most wonderful teacher named Izabel. We covered 4 different verb forms in my four hour class time. I of course can no longer remember anything I studied this morning, but hopefully, it will come back tomorrow. I realized that I can understand most of what is being said, but have the verbal skills of a slow 2 year old. Anyway, she as very patient and there were enough breaks that I didn’t feel overwhelmed.
After class I headed back home for lunch, were I met two new students who had just come in. One speaks Spanish very well and is from Taiwan, and the other is a very young 15 year old from Alaska who is only here for 1 week and speaks hardly anything. We had a good lunch of Asparagus soup, chile releneo, guacamole, rice, and tortilla. It tasted good at the time, but is making me nauseous just thinking about it now.
After lunch I headed back to the school to pay for this week and leave for an activity. As I was paying, I realized that they charged me more for the school as I wasn’t paying for the full 4 weeks at once, AND they charged me for a private bathroom, even though I didn’t request one. I had already signed everything when I realized this. I requested to be moved if a spot opened in the house I had requested, and they said maybe next week.
After this, I met up with three other students from the school and we were driven to a coffee farm, where the whole tour was in Spanish, which none of us could really understand. We then went to a macadamia nut farm, which was beautiful, educational, and had good samples J After some time there, we drove to an artesian center in San Antonio where we were given a review and demonstration on Mayan fabric creation and customs. They walked through the traditional clothes, how it is worn, and then had us dress up as a wedding party. There was a married couple in the group, so they got re-married. I was the mother of the groom and the other lady was the mother of the bride. The clothes were amazing, although very hot. We got to mimic all the fabric costumes associated with marriage and the new family.
Such as: the girls start weaving/embroidering a shawl for their future mothers in law when they are 14. This is presented to their mother in law on the day of the wedding and she must wear it the whole day. If she takes it off, it is a sign that she doesn’t like her future daughter in law. The mother of the groom makes an apron that she presents to her daughter in law after the ceremony. They then have to make coffee and tortillas together before the bride can go to bed. The mother-in-law also makes a special blanket for her first grandchild that is used as a sling. Anyway, all sorts of cool things.
The real kicker though, was that it was almost all in Spanish. I was miraculously able to understand about 75% of it and translated for the others! This is where I really realized that I understand a ton more than I can speak. Afterwards, the tried to get us to buy things. I was almost tempted to buy one of the baby blankets/slings as those things rock! I didn’t bring enough Quetzales with me, so I go back if I can’t find one cheaper here in town.
Back to the school we drove and now I am at home typing this as I am waiting for dinner at 7pm. As I don’t have internet at the house, I will type now and send tomorrow at school. I’ll also try to get some more pictures up tomorrow.
Please keep praying for me as I am really lonely and unsure. Part of me just wants to hop on a plane and come home, but another part knows this is good for me. I’d love to have e-mails from home! Letter mail and packages take up to a month or two to get here, depending on customs, etc, so they aren’t really an option (thanks for the thoughts though).
Much love to everyone back home!
Kids outside the clinic at Cipresales
Me and some of the girls from Cipresales
Janie and the hot medical students from several of the local villages. All medical students in Guatemala have to do a 6 month service time in the rural community at the end of their 3rd year.
As we were leaving Cipresales I was able to snap this picture.
Some girls trying to sell Teresa some trinket at a viewpoint stop
Me and some of the girls from Cipresales
Janie and the hot medical students from several of the local villages. All medical students in Guatemala have to do a 6 month service time in the rural community at the end of their 3rd year.
As we were leaving Cipresales I was able to snap this picture.
Some girls trying to sell Teresa some trinket at a viewpoint stop
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