Where to Begin?

The last week of my life has been a whirlwind. It’s hard to believe that only a week ago I was in America living my normal every-day life, comfortable with my phone, car, friends, family, and all of my completely unnecessary commodities. And now only a few days later, here I sit in the courtyard of “Casa ACU” on the Uruguayan coast of South America. I still almost feel like I’m just on vacation. This very moment I can hardly move for fear that the smallest shift will irritate my sunburn. Okay, so it’s not that bad. But yep, it’s summer here! And for some reason my brain told me it would be okay to go to the beach for a few hours with minimal sunscreen. And Jessalyn let me! Unbelievable.

The first few days here everyone was a little tired, but that did not hold near enough weight over our insatiable desire to explore. Everyone was eager to get to know this place we would now call “home,” at least for the next 4 months. We’ve ridden buses and taxis, gone to restaurants, cafés, and bakeries, and walked through several different ferrias (open-air markets). My favorite place thus far has been the Ciudad Vieja (Old City). It is so rich with the Latin American culture. There’s a beautiful park there where people and families go to relax together and drink matte- a hot tea-like beverage that everyone drinks here. We’ve all tried it all want to like it, but I think thus far, Zanessa is the only girl in our group who actually drinks the stuff. On second thought, if I dumped a good bit of sugar in it, I could probably suck it down like liquid candy. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Classes commenced monday morning. Would it make me a nerd if I said I was super excited to start classes? Because I was pumped! These past two days my brain has been eating its share of the educational buffet. And there I go with the nerdy comments again. It’s going to happen a lot this semester- it’s just a part of who I am. Anyway, really since the day we arrived I’ve been trying to utilize every opportunity I possibly can to learn Spanish. I’ve always been timid when trying to speak Spanish and I think that’s natural, but we all know that the only way we will learn is by abandoning our pride and giving it a whirl. I’ve been praying a lot for boldness and God really has given it to me. I’m sure not going to quit asking now! The people here are so incredibly helpful and gracious. All we have to say is that we are learning Spanish and they really do try to help. I’ve ridden in the front of about 4 taxi’s by now and I’ve carried on conversations with all of the cab drivers. They love that we want to learn and get better, so they help us. I’m not going to lie, there are many times when they get carried away and start speaking what seems to be faster than an auctioneer and I just say “ohhh si,” but really I haven’t the slightest clue what they were talking about. For the most part, though, I’ve been super impressed with the willingness of the people in our group to step out and learn, even if it means feeling a bit stupid at times.

That brings me to the last thing I will comment about for the evening- our ACU group. I’m getting to experience this culture with such a unique group of young adults. I certainly don’t know everyone well yet, but we are on our way! The past few days eating meals together, playing games together, singing and playing guitar together, and having devotionals together have made me so excited to see what God has in store for this amazing group of young people. I know I have so much to learn from them and I can’t wait to be shaped over these next 4 months by the way they challenge and encourage me.

I could go on forever, but alas! My bed is calling my name! Eight o’clock is going to come soon, and very soon.

Buenos Noches,
Kara