I am excited to report that I have made it through the first month and am already into week five. I can't believe that it's already November! YAY!
This weekend was definitely my favorite one in the city so far. I had the usual Flury's lunch Saturday and then went to the bookstore with Katherine for a couple hours afterwards. And I went out Saturday night for the first time since I have been here. I was pretty surprised that the clubs here are pretty much exactly the same as the ones at home. Except here you have more techno, more crazy hand movements, and more sporadic breakdancing than I am accustomed to. All in all though, it was a great weekend.
I am definitely doing better since last week and am feeling much more at peace inside about being here. It's a daily decision to choose joy and to remember that ultimate joy is not a matter of my circumstances at all. It's also not a matter of whether or not I am feeling 100% happy when I am going about life here, but I can say with certainty that God is providing for me abundantly and there are so many things I am starting to really like here. I have been learning to lean on him and to listen to him for direction. I always remember conversations I had with Allen last year about just listening to the Lord instead of always talking. I have a lot on my mind, but I need to just sit and listen. I have also been learning that no matter how much I miss home, normalcy, my friends, my family, etc, that Christ is the one who I have to place my hope in. I have been praying that one of lines to one of my favorite songs would be true of me - "All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength." Thank you so much for your prayers for me! They certainly make a difference.
So, cultural element of the day has to do with the omnipresent existence of the mustache in this city. I have discussed this with a few people, but basically last week it dawned on me that literally every single man has an impressively thick stache. In fact, last week riding home from work I made a conscious effort to count the number of men who did not have one: in the 30 minute commute I counted a mere three on the left side of the road where my efforts were primarily focused. For some reason I have been extremely curious about this phenomenon, and so I asked my friend about it. She immediately reported that here, mustaches are a sign of virility. A word I had never known. A word which means 'the sign of a powerful procreator." Very, very interesting.
Also, if anyone knows me pretty much at all, they know that one of the things I hate the most is sweating. This has manifested itself in different ways throughout the years, but became very evident during the four seasons of high school cross country I took part in. Four years that I spent doing SCJs (slow conversational jogs) instead of really pushing myself. In college, it led me to avoid things like long strenuous hikes, impromptu frisbee throwing activities in the quad on hot days, running unless I was being chased, etc. I have come to announce that I have actually experienced a breakthrough in the sweatage department. I started noticing that when I don't turn the AC on inside or don't have the fan going at its full power capability that my body is getting more used to being warmer. Then, when I go outside and don't experience a 30 degree temperature difference, I sweat less. And I am actually just getting used to being hot and somehow am ok with it. However, I say this realizing that it is getting cooler here and that apparently in May it gets up to 115 degrees. I may possibly rescind this entire paragraph, but I thought it was only right to keep you posted.
Please bear with me as I work on finalizing the abbreve dictionary and reference portal for this blog. I apologize for any inconvenience this might be causing you as you are waiting patiently, but remember that good things come to those who wait :)
LOVE YOU ALL!
This weekend was definitely my favorite one in the city so far. I had the usual Flury's lunch Saturday and then went to the bookstore with Katherine for a couple hours afterwards. And I went out Saturday night for the first time since I have been here. I was pretty surprised that the clubs here are pretty much exactly the same as the ones at home. Except here you have more techno, more crazy hand movements, and more sporadic breakdancing than I am accustomed to. All in all though, it was a great weekend.
I am definitely doing better since last week and am feeling much more at peace inside about being here. It's a daily decision to choose joy and to remember that ultimate joy is not a matter of my circumstances at all. It's also not a matter of whether or not I am feeling 100% happy when I am going about life here, but I can say with certainty that God is providing for me abundantly and there are so many things I am starting to really like here. I have been learning to lean on him and to listen to him for direction. I always remember conversations I had with Allen last year about just listening to the Lord instead of always talking. I have a lot on my mind, but I need to just sit and listen. I have also been learning that no matter how much I miss home, normalcy, my friends, my family, etc, that Christ is the one who I have to place my hope in. I have been praying that one of lines to one of my favorite songs would be true of me - "All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength." Thank you so much for your prayers for me! They certainly make a difference.
So, cultural element of the day has to do with the omnipresent existence of the mustache in this city. I have discussed this with a few people, but basically last week it dawned on me that literally every single man has an impressively thick stache. In fact, last week riding home from work I made a conscious effort to count the number of men who did not have one: in the 30 minute commute I counted a mere three on the left side of the road where my efforts were primarily focused. For some reason I have been extremely curious about this phenomenon, and so I asked my friend about it. She immediately reported that here, mustaches are a sign of virility. A word I had never known. A word which means 'the sign of a powerful procreator." Very, very interesting.
Also, if anyone knows me pretty much at all, they know that one of the things I hate the most is sweating. This has manifested itself in different ways throughout the years, but became very evident during the four seasons of high school cross country I took part in. Four years that I spent doing SCJs (slow conversational jogs) instead of really pushing myself. In college, it led me to avoid things like long strenuous hikes, impromptu frisbee throwing activities in the quad on hot days, running unless I was being chased, etc. I have come to announce that I have actually experienced a breakthrough in the sweatage department. I started noticing that when I don't turn the AC on inside or don't have the fan going at its full power capability that my body is getting more used to being warmer. Then, when I go outside and don't experience a 30 degree temperature difference, I sweat less. And I am actually just getting used to being hot and somehow am ok with it. However, I say this realizing that it is getting cooler here and that apparently in May it gets up to 115 degrees. I may possibly rescind this entire paragraph, but I thought it was only right to keep you posted.
Please bear with me as I work on finalizing the abbreve dictionary and reference portal for this blog. I apologize for any inconvenience this might be causing you as you are waiting patiently, but remember that good things come to those who wait :)
LOVE YOU ALL!
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