Downgrading for an Upgrade

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin today. The internet hasn’t been working much so I haven’t had a chance to get online. Things are going really well still but we’re definitely busier nowadays. I loved our classes this week. The teacher was absolutely amazing; her eyes and her smile radiate God and are absolute proof that she loves Him and she knows He loves her. I aspire to have that in my life…simply amazing. This whole week was about intimacy with God. She talked to us about how much God loves us and different ways we can grow in our intimacy with Him. I wish everyone could be here to hear what I am learning. It’s so wonderful and it’s only been one week.

Yesterday was an exciting day, but my first ‘hard’ day. I was feeling a bit homesick and in major need of some alone time. Nonetheless, it was a good day. We planted flowers in the morning to symbolize us planting roots here and growing. We also did a small kid’s outreach in a neighborhood about an hour away. It was fun to see how excited the children were to see us, but it was also very frustrating for me because it’s still hard to communicate with them. I will hopefully have a chance to post pictures on Facebook in the next few days.

It still amazes me the way the people drive here. You can basically do whatever you want yet there are all these unwritten rules. Railroad crossings don’t have barricades or lights so you just have to watch and listen for trains. Many people run stop signs. Motorcycles are everywhere and constantly weave in and out of traffic. No one really uses turn signals. You definitely have to be an aggressive driver if you want to get anywhere. Being here is just so different. Everything is different. Life here is so expensive; I’m really happy I brought as much as I did so I don’t have to go out and buy very many things. I live in a really old building with rats and cockroaches. I use a bathroom that smells pretty horrid because we can’t flush toilet paper so it just goes in little trash cans. I have mold growing just above my bed. It rains every day. I have hardly any alone time. I take a lukewarm/cold shower every day at 5:15am. I have to wake up at 5am Monday-Friday because I have to get breakfast ready then clean up when it’s finished. There’s no luxurious bathroom with outlets and mirrors to do my hair so I shower, put mousse in it, and let it dry on its own…talk about a curly mess! I don’t have a working cell phone. I don’t have a car. I eat rice and beans every day, usually for both lunch and dinner. Sound like I’m complaining? Nah…I’m growing. These are all things I would normally complain about and be completely unhappy, but I’m happy anyway! I am out of my comfort zone and realizing that I am okay living in these conditions because there are other things that are of far greater importance. I am guilty of having a ‘princess, stuck-up’ attitude in America. I have more than I could ever need yet still want more. Some of my friends here are from third-world countries and say that their families get by with the bare essentials. I come from a home that had at least 4 or 5 TV’s at any given time with more food than we could ever eat. And I complained because ‘there’s nothing to eat’?! Talk about getting back to the basics and being pulled off my ‘high horse’, I think this is just where I need to be.