4 weeks

Time has flown. I cannot believe it's been exactly16 months since I left Lincolnton, North Carolina to live and teach in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some days I still can't believe that I really left... God has taken me on such an adventure! Some days I think I could stay here forever... some days I miss home so much it overwhelms me.

God is so faithful. I have such a great group of friends at home, and to be honest, I just didn't think I would ever meet anyone like them. I didn't think I would form strong friendships. I didn't think I would be able to REALLY connect with people so different from myself.

I was wrong.

It's amazing how similar we all are. Regardless of ethnicity, language, culture, age, religion/demonination, preferences, personalities, etc... we are all created in the image of the Living God... and that makes us similar. I've come to realize that people are people, no matter what. Friends can be found everywhere. Not that my friends at home are no longer important to me... or that they aren't irreplacable... they are both important and irreplacable! But, my heart has room for many relationships: forever friends and friends for a season. I am no longer worried about the friendships I have that will only last for this season. Instead, I'm going to embrace them... knowing that the time we have here, this friendship of today, is not going to last forever. If I could pause time and soak up the beauty of some of these precious moments with friends, I would. But, it's natural for paths to only cross for a short while. Roads split. Some of us speed up. Others slow down. Some turn. Some take detours. Some take shortcuts. Life happens- we need only to enjoy the journey.

School has been going well. This year (even though I am NEVER caught up, rarely ahead, and only sometimes completely prepared before the day begins), I feel like I can breathe. Last year I had absolutely no time to do anything but teach and breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Adjust to the language. Feel out the culture. Try to form relationships. Heck, try to get to the grocery store without getting lost. These were the tasks of the day. Now, I can LIVE, really LIVE. I'm able to spend more time with friends rather than working all of the time (or sleeping.. hahah). I was SO tired for the first year. And now, I'm still tired some, but it's not constant. I've learned how to cook and bake. I exercise more than I ever have (which definitely needs to be more... haha). I eat vegetables (I know, right?). I'm taking piano lessons, tutoring, teaching myself how to crochet (kind of)... haha... TRYING to learn how to effectively teach a student who came to me with zero English or Spanish. It's been a challenge. But I love it. I've learned that I do need time by myself... even though I LOVE people. God has taken me on a lovely (hard) journey. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

I will be visiting the States for Christmas from December 17th-January 11th. I can't wait! Originally, I wasn't planning to visit this Christmas, as I will be returning in June 2012- for the forseeable future, at least. But, due to a HUGE blessing (my grandfather's kindness).. I will get to visit! YAY! Not for as long as it was last year, as I will be traveling with a roommate for a week and a half before school starts again in February. YAY for travel!

Also, Happy almost-Thanksgiving everyone! I'm going on a trip to Iguazu Falls next weekend (the picture at the top of the page is at Iguazu)... so I'll be out of touch! Hope to see everyone when I'm visiting around Christmas. Love you all and thanks so much for all of your support!! <3