I'm taking a cultural anthropology class this semester (and a lot of other classes that I should be doing homework for instead of writing this), so I thought that I'd title this blog in anthropological terms.
The truth is, I'm pretty glad to be in an anthropology class because it's helping me readapt a little better and more fully process my time in Bolivia. Bolivia....I miss it so much right now. Last night I spent four hours working on my Spanish homework and then went to Spanish class for another two and a half hours, and by the time I came home it was like I was floating on a cloud. It felt so good to be reimmersed in the language, to see my shortcomings but also all the ways I've improved since my last Spanish class last spring. Thinking in Spanish here makes me happy and sad. As I was walking to class after all my homework, my mind was still processing my assignment and so I was thinking in Spanish. A girl that I know passed me, and "Hola!" was halfway out of my mouth before I changed it to "hey!" I felt so sheepish and happy.
There have been hard times, too, though. Watching cute kids play or not seeing any cute kids for a long time makes me miss my boys at Talita Cumi so much. The other night "ya tu sabes" came out of my mouth and I really missed Tiburcio. I hate that I was getting so close to Ester and then I had to leave. Sometimes I really want to have a good conversation in Spanish and no one is there. One night I just started talking to a guy who works in the Nest at my school because I knew he spoke Spanish, and then I laughed at myself because he totally still doesn't know who I am. I pretty much used him for his Spanish abilities. Seeing the giant quantities of food we throw away or my closet FULL of clothes is hard and convicting. I also hate paying the cost of a nice piece of land in Bolivia every semester for tuition.
So, in all this I have seen how God is so good to allow me to study at a great school, to be in a Spanish class, to have had my experience in Bolivia, and ultimately to have grown in Him in both places. I know now a taste of how I will feel when I'm a missionary somewhere and I come back to the US. Praise God for my increased desire to see His glory spread to all nations, and pray with me that I will be very attentive to His will in these following few years.
I'm including a few Christmas pictures that I recently got. All the boys from Talita Cumi are in it!
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