But ya gotta have friends....

I need to take a minute to brag about my friends....


Ok, seriously? How in the world do I get blessed with so many of the world's greatest friends?  Is it really fair for me to get the world's greatest boyfriend/best friend plus 47 [ok, maybe not quite that many] other incredible bestest friends? 


Homework has taken over my life lately so hanging out with people today has just made me wake up and re-realized how unbelievably blessed I am. Started off the day right with brunch and Prison Break with Jordan. And then Andrea came over to work on Spanish and even though we were doing homework, it was just refreshing and wonderful to get to hang out with her again. Also, my roommate is the best and we got to go to the city museum together tonight. Plus, if there were such a thing as a remedy for the pain of the homework I've been avoiding today, it would probably be laughing and eating ham and cheese sandwiches with Megs. The other day I went into Jo's and I almost cried because of how long it had been since I'd seen Hannah Ruth. Fortunately, we're gonna hopefully double date at Hibachi's and road trip soon. Road trip to see Sarah Dawn. Gosh I miss that girl. And Corrie and my DR peeps. AND, I really miss RACHEL. Rach, you should probably come back from Costa Rica. Soonish. Like real soonish. And hanging out with Kelly Baker on spring break was wonderful. The list goes on and on and on.... 

Soy Dominicana...un chin

Sitting in Pauline Epistles today made me realize how Dominicana I've become...


We split up into groups and once we got situated, I looked up from mi yogur congelado, prepared for a laid back conversación, to see all my group members with paper out and labeled to take notes. Whoops. I'm still a little out of my element here, trying to be in traditional student mode. But I'll get there.


Guess. What. 


I just got to talk to my Dominican bros on the phone!!! Wonderfulness. Chi-Chi asked me when I was coming back. I don't know yet, but I can't wait :)


Also, I'm so glad Jordan's car is fixed. I didn't know if that guy was going to make it out of the shop alive this time. And I was worried. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. So thank you Chad. 


Now its time for a little letter-writing and hulu-ing and relaxing with my Megs.

Started Preschool Again Friday....

and it was really weird to speak in English. I mean, it was nice to be able to say whatever I wanted, because I happen to be fluent in English, but it made me really miss these kids:

Almost cried in Spanish class today. Dad played Eres El Rey and we sang that at mi iglesia out in Mata Gorda and I wanted to go back SO MUCH! Someday...

I hope I don't use up all of my calling card minutes by calls that don't go through. I need to talk to my little bros. And SOON.

I wanna share some exciting ideas for my preschool class here soon, but for now I am going to return to some of the most productive hours of my life, while I'm iced in my room here....

where do my Achiever and Discipline go when I need them?

Started the full load of spring semester yesterday.
Classes and homework are still somewhat of an abstract concept for me. 
Hence the blogging instead of doing homework.


Starting Spanish class yesterday and listening to a Spanish worship song right now has me missing my other home. Especially my little bros. I almost cried the other day when I found videos of them singing and dancing and being ridiculous.

So about this homework thing being really hard for me. The Dominican was so not homework oriented. I mean, we took classes and did homework, for about 5 weeks. But 5 weeks and a whole semester of studiousness are a little bit radically different. And a couple of the classes down there were more independent study-ish. With some deadlines that have yet to come. And I need to just get those papers done. Because I hate having things hanging over my head. The problem is I just keep finding much more worthwhile investments of my time. Like getting pizza and hanging out with my friends. Or going on a snow walk with Jordan. Or drinking iced coffee and watching Parenthood with Megs. But I'll manage. It's just another phase in the re-entry process. 


I just really need to get a calling card and call my families. Because I miss them. 


Alright, here I go. I'm off to write a paper. Wish me luck.

daaaaaa bears

Chicago Bears games in the snow are a beautiful thing...
And Matt Forte and Greg Olsen are studs.
Really everybody just showed up yesterday. Jay getting things done. Offensive line steppin up. And of course Urlacher and gang shuttin em down, especially in the first half.
Gotta love Bears football with my fam.

......

I have been back in the states for a month now.

Kinda hard to believe.

But at the same time, it feels like forever since I was in the Dominican Republic.

Life moves a lot faster here. Thats for sure. 

But as much as I miss it, and as pumped as I am to go back again someday, hopefully soon, it is absolutely wonderful to be home. And I am really excited about my schedule for the spring, hectic as it may be after a semester of laid-back life in the DR. 


Also, I hate it when my broski gets sick.
It kinda almost makes me want to be sick with him so he doesn't have to suffer alone.

Don't know what completes a dorm room like a Borders and a purple DR hammock...

I just read blogging as one of the things in Stuff White People Like [hilarious book and website if you haven't read any of it yet]


This makes me not really want to blog.


But, I've also missed blogging....


....so I'm going to anyway, as much as I hate to fill stereotypes...


But then again, I don't have all that much to blog about at the moment. Except the fact that it is wonderful to be back on campus and walk places with Jordan again and live with Megs and play cards with my friends and have class with Hannah. And the fact that today was a good day. The beginning of it had a little too much presentation homework for my taste, especially considering my current inability [or really just lack of motivation] to get back into the traditional student mode. I really had no problems adjusting to learning through hiking mountains and coloring and speaking Spanish with 3 and 4 year olds. That I can handle. 
But, I had a really good evening because I got to listen to two of my favorite professors on campus be wise and share insightful, inspiring thoughts. And then eat delicious ice cream and pretzels with Jordan. And since I was inspired, I'm hoping for thoughtful, deep reflection time soon. But, in all honesty tonight I just had to break the silence, because the pressure was building. If I haven't blogged in forever I feel all this pressure for the new one to be something really good. But then again its good for me to stop talking sometimes and just listen. To God. To other people. To the silences. To life.

The 5 [or 7] standard ballet poses

We just hit 50%.
12 of the 24 people in my family here are/have been sick.
Yikes.


But, aside from the illness running rampant, celebrating Christmas with these people has been the best ever. As anticipated. It's crazy how natural it is just to get right back into the swing of things. I know I'm not quite there yet, because break is not the normal swing of things, but because of how they prepped us for coming home, I was picturing a more difficult transition already. I guess that's good. I just don't want it to be such an easy transition that the Dominican Republic becomes an amazing dream [which it sometimes feels like] rather than the life-changing adventure it was. I want to hold on to what I was supposed to bring back with me and leave there what was meant to wait until my next Dominican journey.


How is J.R.R. Tolkien so brilliant? I know I'm a nerd, but The Return of the King is on tv right now. And sometimes I just have to stop and marvel at the genius of that guy and his epic trilogy.


Also, I just figured out why I'm not struggling more with the transition. Because I have the best family/boyfriend/friends in the world. So it makes sense that it wouldn't be difficult to come back to them and all their wonderfulness.


Highlights of my day so far: 

• winning Compatibility with Haley
• watching my little cousins tell Jordan stories on skype
• painting nails with Maggie and Ellie...and using four different colors for each of them, one for each hand and foot....hey, you only live once 
• witnessing my family's good sense of humor even despite the sickness
• Squabble and Psych with the older cousins

I hope this big group family time happens again before next Christmas...