Um . . . are we in a gay bar?

Um . . . yes we were.  lol.  And it's not like I have a problem with gay bars, it's just that we had no idea until we'd been there probably like a half an hour.  Oh well, it was still the best piña colada we'd had, as well as the best atmosphere.  Oh the adventures you seem to have when your less than proficient in a language :D

Good Morning! Have a shot!

That's right.  A shot.  Of tequila.  At 10:30 in the morning.  Lol.  It's my abuela's husband's birthday (who I have yet to meet) and a neighbor brought over some traditional "ponche" or tequila aged with pomegranate.  Yep, so she brought it into the kitchen, and she was like, "You have to try it!"  She explained to me that is is a very traditional drink in Mexico, usually drank at Christmas time as well as on special occasions.  So we drank.  And it was STRONG.  I'd never taken a shot of regular tequila before either, so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, lol.  But I took it like a champ, and she was like, "Did you like it?", and of course I was like, "Yes.", and she was like, "Oh, you'll have to take some home to your family!"  Lol, merry Christmas Jessica!!

Wonderful Teaching Methods

So in one of my classes we are reviewing "los mandatos".  So one of the ways were practicing is by also learning the body parts and then telling other people how/what to move.  It's a good way to practice.  But then my teacher was like, and now were going to have a modeling competition.  So she broke us into groups and then the groups decided who was going to be the model.  I fought it tooth and nail, but unfortunately I could not get out of it; my group chose me as the model.  So I was asked to leave the room with the other models while our groups prepared they're commands to try to make us mimic a model from an advertisement.  When all the models came back in, my teacher made my group go first.  Ugh!  So I'm just standing there waiting to be told what to do, and the first command was to place my foot on a trashcan they had put in front of me.  Naturally, my first thought was Captain Morgan pose--not because of any alcoholic tendencies--but because of the ships and sailors game we play with the kids at work, lol.  So anyway, I said it out loud and lots of people chuckled, but I was kind of embarrassed (at least more than I was just from the situation in general) because I was really just thinking it, but it came out of my mouth too.  Anyway, I thought to myself (self) ((my tiny blog tribute to good ol' Mr. King)) as embarrassing as this was, it was very entertaining, and also a very good teaching method.  I need to steal this idea for my eventual class.  So I wrote it down so I would not forget :)

Sometimes You Have to Learn the Hard Way

I had lunch with my abuela today, like always, but today went a little different.  Normally we just sit and eat and talk a little, but today we were talking about vocabulary, and she was like, oh I can help you.  So she left for a minute and came back with a huge box of flash cards.  They were for her grand daughter to practice English, but they work for my Spanish too.  So we sat there and she quized me, and did know lots of them (but really there like a first grade vocabulary, so I should know them)  but there were some I didn't so now I have a huge pile of them to look up and add to my flash card deck on my computer.  (Also, my abuela was very fascinated by this app.)  Anyway, in addition to the vocab lesson, I also got to have "agua de Jamaica" today.  It's this juice/ water from a flower from Jamaica--thus the name.  After I had that she asked me if I liked tamarind, and I said I didn't know, so she got some out for me and was like taste it.  It's sour.  But she said it in Spanish, so, "Pruebalo.  Es acido."  But I didn't know what "acido" meant.  I mean I guess I could have guessed, but I wasn't really thinking about it.  So I tried it, and obviously it was very sour.  And, in English, I was like "Oh! That's sour."  And my abuela was like, "Yes, I told you.  Es acido."  So I guess I'm learning lots today.  Some the easy way and some they hard.  lol

A Facebook Convo. to a Scotty Who Had Already Signed Off

I know your off line now, but i wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that your the best thing God every put in my life and your are the only thing I desire.  In class today we were working on the subjuntivo, and the teacher asked us what we desired, and all I could think of was to be with my novio, to merry him and be by his side forever.  This is the most painful thing we've every had to do.  It's not even the days we've already spent apart because those are few, but it is the looking ahead into the prolonged future that is the next 15 weeks.  And wondering what will become of the love I have for you that is burning so passionately now.  I think I know that it will only grow stronger.  But then the doubts creep in.  I pray to God that this time apart will only bring us closer.  You are my best friend and the love of my life, and after God so wonderfully introduced you into my life, I can't bear to live without you.  I miss you more than you can know and the only thing I desire is  (you + me) = same place.

( I wrote this to Scotty right after he signed off for the night because I just wasn't ready to let him go yet.  I didn't mean for it to turn into that, just a quick I love you . . . but that posted above is what poured out.  I only posted this because it is raw, and real, and part of the journey for me.  One can not know joy without pain, so I figured I may as well keep these alive.  I knew that this trip would not be easy, and that is becoming even more evident now as I continue to look forward.)

I can feel God working in my life . . .

Okay, so a quick story I wasn't sure if I was going to share it on my blog, but now I figure it's my blog and I can do what I want (lol)--so here it goes:

When I left Scotty on Saturday for the last time until I see him in December (which was obviously excruciatingly painful and very tearful and awful in every way imaginable) the song that was on the radio when I finally got in the car was "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller, and if you don't already know it, you should listen to it.  It is so scarily applicable to my situation (at least I think so).  I don't know, I guess I've just kind of felt the whole time while I was planning this trip like it was going to be more than a just study trip for me, especially after my good friends John and Connie told me how they felt about my trip.  And that some how, despite the pain of being separated from the love of my life, I would find a way to serve and glorify God.  And it all kind of came together yesterday because when I went to school, I was informed that they have two volunteer programs, one at an orphanage and one at a hospital, that I can work for twice a week.  I haven't gone yet, because it doesn't start until Thursday, but I really think that this is part of the reason I am here.  I guess we shall wait and see. 

(Those were just my thoughts on this personal issue.  I know it's not really a narative of awesome adventures or anything, but this is also personal journal for me, and I felt these feelings and thoughts were worth writing down for my own sake.)

I had class today.

I had class today.  It was mostly just talking and a little bit of review over present subjunctive, because somehow, no mater how much I study it, I always seem to forget.  Anyway, I think it is the most diverse class I've ever been in--which is really refreshing.  There are only nine people, and the breakdown is like this: three Japanese, one Korean, one German, two English (both from London), and two from the U.S.  But we didn't have any homework today, so I didn't have a whole lot to do.  Luckily, the other girl from the U.S. in my class also lives just two blocks away from my house, so she, her roommate and I hung out for a couple of hours this afternoon.  We went to the dollar store to buy school supplies, and then stopped at a corner store for pops.  It was good.  We spoke English the whole time though which I kind of regret, but hopefully soon we'll feel more comfortable conversing in Spanish.  And that was all I did today.  Oh I signed up for the latin dance class and also volunteering at the orphanage at the school though, so hopefully those will be fun and take up some time.