5 Reasons Why This Week is Great!

1. Caitlin officially decided to volunteer in Paraguay with me! She’ll be coming to Albuquerque sometime in January for formation, and we’ll leave for Paraguay in the middle of February. She can only stay until May, so please pray that someone else will want to replace her!

2. I can see progress in my Spanish! After feeling frustrated with not being able to understand or speak Spanish, I could actually see improvement in my comprehension last night at the youth group and young adult sessions at San Jose. Gracias, Señor! Plus, I spoke to the kindergarteners in Spanish on Monday and they understood. Granted, while trying to teach me some of the body parts they told me I had a big nose like a witch, but they’re kindergartners so it was cute.

3. I stayed out past 10 p.m.! Last night, Christina and the group she’s going on a service trip with to the Dominican Republic this summer cleaned The Pit (University of New Mexico’s basketball arena) to raise money for their trip, so I tagged along to help. I finally have people I can talk to about things 20 somethings talk about. Gradually I’m building a social life.

4. I have weekend plans! Mary, a past VOICA volunteer that served in Indonesia, is coming to spend the weekend with me. Sr. Angela is out of town at a conference (in Kansas City of all places), so Mary is coming to Albuquerque to show me around and tell me about her mission experience.

5. My ticket home for Christmas is booked! I’ll be back in Missouri for two weeks beginning December 19.

One Week In

It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been here one week as of today. It feels like it’s been much longer, and I feel more comfortable living in Albuquerque and with the sisters than I would have ever thought possible ­­­­­­after knowing them for just seven days. Heck, I feel more comfortable with the sisters than I did after living with my freshman year college roommate for a month or even my housemates in Ireland after a semester. The sisters’ openness and desire to get to know me has really helped me to feel a part of the community. Plus, Sr. Angela makes a mean pasta, loves desserts, actually encourages me to eat ice cream and thinks I’m a good driver! 

Today I attended a Quinceañera retreat at the Spirituality Center. In the Hispanic culture a girl’s 15^th birthday marks her transition from childhood to womanhood. The retreat was to help the girls recognize the spiritual importance of the milestone rather than just the party. Though a good experience, it was also a challenge. Like at San Jose, the retreat was done in almost all Spanish, and Sr. Marilu speaks fast! After greetings and registration, (I asked girls their names in Spanish!) we did some icebreaker type activities. One had all the girls sitting in chairs in a circle with me in the middle. I started the game by asking someone in the circle a question, and then they said something about clothing or how people looked (for example, wearing a red shirt). Then, everyone that fit that description had to get up and switch seats. The person left standing asked the question again to another person. Since I’ve gone over one lesson on Rosetta Stone about clothing and another on colors, I could, for the most part, understand which characteristics were said. I couldn’t however ask the initial question or understand what people were asking me. So frustrating! Thank goodness Sr. Marilu sent me to get some craft supplies after the game. I definitely needed that time to say a little help me Jesus prayer and to ask for patience. I know being immersed in the language is the best way to learn it, but it’s kind of annoying being lost all of time. If you can, say a prayer for my patience and memory! :)

View of our house.

Our backyard