The Price of Impatience + New Discoveries

    In general, I would consider myself a fairly patient person. And normally, I enjoy doing laundry-crazy I know. But when you're down to your last pair of underwear (tmi? so sorry) and you spent an hour doing Zumba and it's now 8:30, trucking outside to the washer and dryer was not high on my list of things-to-do last night. But cleanliness took precedence and I gathered up my clothes, towels, and pillowcase to be washed. However, I was not thinking clearly. At 9:15 I realized that I was wanting to go to bed but all my clothes were in the washer. So in my impatience, I decided to stop the washer before it had completely finished. Yes, my clothes were sopping wet but I didn't care...my thought was that I would just run the dryer for a long time. Stupid! So at 10:30 I run outside and reset the dryer (my clothes are still soaking wet) and decide to go to bed without a pillowcase. I wake up the next morning and check the clothes in the dryer. They're dry....awesome! Success! As I pull them out I realize something is wrong. My dress, which is normally white on top, is now tinged blue along with my towels and two tank tops. Apparently sticking sopping wet dark jeans in with the rest of your laundry causes the dye to bleed. Well, I guess that's the price I have to pay for impatience.


    This weekend I took note of some new discoveries. We had a fellow teacher from school, Minerva, over for the weekend to hang out. While she speaks some English, it was a great opportunity to practice Spanish. I am now calling it 'my weekend in Spanish' because seriously, this weekend, I talked more in Spanish (which meant I didn't say all that much) than I did in English. 
         So Discovery #1: I love love love weekends spent in Spanish! While my head hurt, I learned a lot and it's always good to force myself to speak. I still get so nervous!


Discovery #2: The top of El Avila may be my new favorite place. Also, enclosed cable cars....not so scary. 
    Also, Saturday we (Kayla, me, and Alli, along with Minerva) joined friends from church to check out the teleferrico (suspended cable car) at El Avila (the mountain that borders the coast). They met up with a group (which turned out to be 27 people) from their old church. I thought I would be scared riding up the teleferrico, but I loved it! It was our first experience in a month with colder weather. We enjoyed fresas con crema (strawberries with cream) and amazing hot chocolate while enjoying the beautiful view. Again...more opportunities to speak Spanish. Most of the people we were with speak little to no English, except for our church friends. I promise to edit this post with some pictures very soon. There are a bunch tagged on facebook but posting them here means poor quality. 
         
 Discovery #3: I am much more of a people person than I had thought.
    I also discovered some interesting things about my personality this weekend. Normally, I would consider myself an introvert, someone who craves time alone and recharges by being by myself. Since being in Caracas, I can't seem to get enough of being with people. I love the weekends and hanging out with friends outside of school. I get excited about opportunities to speak in Spanish and meet people who are different than me. As much as I love spending time with my students, I look forward to the weekends and hanging out with our Venezuelan friends. 
       
 Discovery #4: Bye bye space bubble!
   This one will shock those who know me well. Venezuela, like most Latin American countries, is a very 'touchy' culture. They love showing affection through physical touch. I, on the other hand, have a space bubble and like to keep people at an arm's distance. However, I am quickly adjusting to this culture. The other day I was feeling a little lonely and realized that I hadn't been given hugs or besitos that day. It's crazy how a good hug or besitos can make you feel welcomed and loved.      


Discovery #5: Bring on the veggies!
   In the States, I hate vegetables. Seriously, I'll eat carrots and potatoes, but other than that veggies disgust me. Here, vegetables are one of my favorite things to eat. I have discovered a love for zucchini, fresh green beans, and red peppers...but of course it must be sauteed in garlic and oil first. Plus, all this walking and veggie eating is making me a little more toned which makes me love vegetables all the more. 
       
Discovery #6: A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl finds her place among the Venezolanos. 
   This one many of you won't like but all the same, it's a reality. There are days that are becoming more frequent where I wake up and feel like I'm home. Before I couldn't tell you where home was: Taylor, Ohio, Indianapolis, who knows? I know I am where God wants me to be and I feel at home. 
      


Prayer Requests:


1) A lot of sickness has been going around the school. Two of my students were out today. Our wonderful Bible teacher is getting over dengue fever and still feels pretty weak. 


2) There is a lot of discontentment and conflict amongst the students because of the changes made this year. My devotion for them today was from Philippians 4 on content being 'learned.' I love my students, but they really struggle with change.    


Spanish word of the day: 'aprendiendo' from the verb 'aprender' It means 'learning' which is how I feel about Spanish, my job, and this culture....still learning but loving every minute of it.


Miss you all! Thanks so much for the emails...keep em coming!