There's nothing quite like a Friday-flavored Thursday

Hey world!  I know it's been a long time since I wrote you.  Sorry about that.  I guess I thought it would be easier to come here and write when I got to Argentina.  It's actually a little more difficult because A) I'm doing so much here and 2) It's hard to come across a good internet connection.  But Right now I'm in my roommate's room and he's got some pretty good internet most of the time.  So anyway...how's your life?  I'm doing great here in Argentina.  Today was a Friday-flavored Thursday, as are all Thursdays this semester because I have no classes on Fridays.

It was a really great day!  I had my Digital Graphics class this morning and that was pretty fun.  I learned how to mess around with light and color on Photoshop and I'm supposed to do something like that with at least two pictures by next week.  I also met a couple Porteños who were really nice.  Today, I also had Español Profundizado B (which is my Spanish class) and my professor was especially helpful.  I was literally the ONLY one in the class and it was great!  It was like having a personal tutor.  I feel like I got a lot out of the class.

Another great thing about today was that some of us ISA students actually planned a trip and are leaving tomorrow.  We're going to Rosario, Argentina, which is where Ernesto "Che" Guevara (and my host dad) were born!  We're leaving tomorrow at 6 in the afternoon (yeah it's still the afternoon to the Argentines).  But I'm really excited because we have a long weekend and we actually have a game plan! :)

I also ate at a Mexican restaurant today and that was really good!  Just thought I'd mention that.

But yeah that's the lowdown on today and the near future.  I also am missing a certain someone, not to mention my family.  (Skype definitely minimizes distances!)

Any special requests?  I can't guarantee anything or that it will be soon but comments are always fun to receive. :)

¡Cuidese!

P.S. This picture is one of 165 that I took yesterday at the Cemetery in Recoleta for my Photography class.

Empiece la aventura

Hello world!  Aquí estoy en Buenos Aires.  I've been here for a little under a week now.  It's been so great thus far.  I got here last Saturday morning.  The days have been full of orientations, meeting friends, and walking in the cold to the few places that I know how to get to.  Today was the first day that I could actually wake up without an alarm.  It was nice to be able to sleep in.  Now I'm just hanging out in the house today.  I don't really have anything specific that I have to do today but I think some of us are meeting at the ISA office to go to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts).  That should be fun, plus it'll give me something to do!  So I'm pretty excited about that.  Being with some other people around lunchtime maybe I'll actually eat something this time.  Yesterday I didn't eat anything for lunch and I got pretty hungry so I don't plan on doing that (on purpose) anytime soon.

It's been quite freezing here.  Actually today my host mom told me that it's supposed to be below freezing.  The wind reminds me of being in Boone in the Winter.  That's what really makes it so cold.  Oh, and the fact that I didn't really bring a scarf, hat, or thick jacket could also be a contributing factor! ;) Other than the freezing cold life has been pretty stellar here.  It'll be nice when I know my way around a little better.  Right now the only places that I really know how to get to from my house are the ISA office, UB (where I'll be attending university), my friend José's house, and a few small cafés and stuff like that.  I bought a cell phone the other day but don't have many (if any) minutes so I'm sort of limited as to where I can go.  But you know what?  I'm just kind of going with the flow while I'm here.  If plans come up (and it's not freeezing cold) I'll most likely go with them.

Life is good.  Hope yours is too!  If there's something you want to here about my life as a Porteño (inhabitant of Buenos Aires), please just let me know.  Have a great day! :)

¡Cuidase!

Visions and Waffles

Hey world! I'm right here! You found me! ;) How are you? I'm great! I just got done with my first closing shift at Dairy Queen. I've worked here on breaks from school for since May(ish) of last year and this is the first time I ever closed. Crazy isn't it!?
Anyway, enough about that.
Tonight I think God let me see a little more of where He wants me to be going with this life that He has so generously given me. I really have a passion for relationships. I also love speaking Spanish. I have a particular love for people of Latin American descent. It's not that I only like them or put them above others..well I try not to..but I just think that that is a group of people that I really enjoy being...relational(?) with. I want to show these people the amazing things that when we trust God. Actually, they are the amazing things that God does through us. Also, I want to show them (and other people that I come into contact with) God's amazing love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, etc to infinity (and beyond)!
I don't know how I can achieve this but I want to start something to help immigrants to the United States. I feel like this requires a lot of prayer and planning. Also, it requires a lot of business knowledge. I don't really know that sort of stuff. So...what can I do here? I really feel right now that this is something that God wants to do through me sometime after I finish school. How soon? I don't really know. I've had some inklings of this in the past year but something tonight really just hit me. I really think it's God showing me this. It feels so amazing!
I really wanted to share that with you. I hope it finds you well!

As always, comments on my Blog are like peanut butter and chocolate on a waffle, they aren't necessary but they sure do make it taste a whole lot better! :)

¡Cuidase!

Cords of Human Kindness

Well hey there! I know I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that. But I just wanted to share this verse that I found today in my daily reading of the Word.

"I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them."
*Hosea 11:4*

That's God talking about Israel, but it can be about us too. I really like the phrase cords of human kindness. I want to use that somewhere. I also want to be a part of a cord myself.

That's it for now! I've got to go to work! Have a great day!

¡Cuidase!

See Less Expect More

Hey world.  How are you?  Life in Argentina is only getting closer!  I've been working a lot lately..again.  But hey..that's fine!  I also made some calendars of this month and the next for fun.  Just thought I'd share them with you.  Anything new going on in your life?

¡Cuidase!

P.S. Sorry, there isn't much here this time...maybe next time!

A Non-mathematical Tangent

Well hello there.  How are you?  I'm pretty great!  I leave for Argentina a month from today!  Basically a month from right now I will most likely be in the air!!  I am soooo excited!!!  It's crazy that it's really that soon!!  Until then I'm working about 30 or so hours a week.  It's good.  The Lord's providing me with some money for my trip.  Hallelujah!

It's nice talking with people through video chat on the computer.  Especially people that I don't get to see very often! :) I did that tonight!  Got to talk with la Princesa Paraguaya! :) I talked with Emma, Meredith, Gianni, and a little bit of Will and Carol.  Fun stuff! :)

Also, I had home group with my parents tonight.  That was fun.  We talked about home groups and a few other things.  But tonight was just about sharing life together and being there for each other.  Nearly everyone was there and there were also a lot of prayer requests.  It was great to see how we can support each other.  That's something that Christians should really be more about.  I mean it's really what we're supposed to be about but I don't think enough of it truly happens. We also listened to a song called "The Real Me" by Natalie Grant.  It was pretty good.  The lyrics were also very good, talking about how we don't need to wear masks.  Being ourselves is what it's all about.  Wearing masks and hiding our real selves is pointless.  It's something that many, if not all, of us do.  But why do we do it?  I think one of the main reasons is fear.  Fear of being found out.  Fear of losing our pride.  Fear of being truly known.  And so much more.  But the truth is if we go out without all of these masks and disguises it is so freeing.  Yeah, it's really scary putting ourselves out there for people to see but having someone to trust and be able to share everything with is crucial.  It is really healthy, both spiritually and physically.  Keeping stuff like that inside can really hurt and although we may think it will only hurt more letting it out, that pain is very temporary.  The freedom that comes in confiding in someone is hard to describe.  It's fantastic!  If you don't have someone that you can share your life with, the ups AND the downs, I suggest that you find someone.  It's great to share with God, but so is having a physical person to share your life with.  God can use this relationship to both of your benefit.  It's also usually best if this sort of relationship is with someone of the same sex and around your same age so that you are better able to relate with that person.  This may not be the case in every circumstance though.

So..there's my two cents..who knows where that came from?  I didn't really know what I was going to write when I came here.  Maybe that was God speaking?  I'm not really sure...

¡Cuidase!

Getting Better

Hello life!  It's me again.  Just hangin' out and holdin' on.  Well, actually I'm doing more than just holding on.  Life's going well.  I've just been hangin' out and enjoying the Summer.  We got home from our two week (ish) vacation late Thursday night (technically early Friday morning but who's counting).  It's good to be back.  I haven't had to work yet but I start back up tomorrow, Tuesday.  Today I hung out with Glenn and we watched Defiance which was a good movie.  Not much to say about it though.  Fun hangin' out with Glenn though... :)

After that I decided to go to Best Buy since I was already close.  I got to talk with a guy who was working there named Lawrence.  He came over to me, introduced himself and asked me if I was involved in Young Life.  I guess he figured it out because I was wearing a Knoxville Young Life shirt.  It was a nice little conversation and I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me about halfway through the conversation to ask him if there was anything I pray for him about.  He said about the passing the certification for some stuff there.  He also asked me what he could pray for me about.  It was a great experience.  It was great to see God at work and to really feel it and know it was Him! :) :)

Also, driving today I noticed that that's one of the times that I really feel like I can worship.  I get to worship God as loud as I want in the car.  I was listening to a live David Crowder Band CD and worshipping the Lord while driving.  It was really excellent!  So all that loud singing can be so much more!  It's a great thing!  I'm glad that God showed me that! :)

I've been staying up a little later than normal lately just talking with a friend of mine.  I just met a really nice young woman from Paraguay.  I met her at my cousin's house in Iowa a couple weeks ago.  I'm hoping to be able to go spend some time with her after studying abroad in Argentina.  We'll see how that goes.

So yes...life is good..dare I say great!  I dare! :)  Hope life finds you well!  Remember God loves you more than you know! :)

¡Cuidase!