algun dia...

Well good friends...
It has been about 5 weeks since we got back from the good ol America del Sur. All week I have been thinking about Uruguay like crazy. I mean the whole time since I've been home, not a day has gone by without something of the last semester popping into my mind. But this week...it's been like that TIMES A MILLION!

I have started to blog several times since I have been home, but I haven't been able to get very far. I am always thinking about things I want to say on here and thoughts to share, but there are too many so I always feel overwhelmed. I have put this off so that I can sit down and collect all my thoughts and write one really long post. Well, this is me throwing that idea out the window. There will never be a time when I can just think about everything I've learned from being there because I continue to learn from being back. Last semester will continue to teach me for the rest of my life-just like my semester in Oxford. There are constantly things I think about from that trip as well. So this Sunday afternoon, I decided to light some candles, listen to "Jesse y Joy" for a little Latino inspiration, and camp out on the floor of my bedroom to collect just a few of the thoughts that have been racing through my head.

My goal for today's post: To compare my feelings from leaving Oxford to leaving Montevideo.
There we go- that last sentence was mainly for me. I tend to go on tangents so if I can clearly see my goal then maybe, just maybe I can stay close to that topic. I'll let you be the judge.

People ask me all the time, "So which did you like better? Oxford? or Uruguay?" I thought by the end of the semester I would be able to give an answer. But the truth is, the experiences were both literally and figuratively worlds apart. When someone asks me that question they might as well ask me which I like better, chocolate or cheese. Impossible. I like them both for different reasons and I eat them at different times. I would never fill a plate with chocolate and cheese and enjoy them at the same time. Yet separately, I can thoroughly enjoy them and I can certainly compare them, but I couldn't tell you that one is better than the other because they are two completely different types of food. They accomplish different purposes, so to speak. Wow- I kind of can't believe I'm using this as my metaphor. Hopefully you can sort of see the point I am trying to make. God used both Oxford and Uruguay at different times in my life to accomplish different purposes.

The experience I had in Oxford was fabulous. It was an enchanting place to live, almost mystical. The group of students I went with became family to me and to this day many remain my closest friends. I traveled to eleven different countries and experienced cultures from Morocco, Africa to Greece, Portugal to Sweden, and many places in between. I traveled almost every weekend and bonded so closely with the other ACU students. We saw the world together, or so it felt. Those people will never be forgotten, and the places are moving pictures in mind. I saw the beauty of Almighty God all around me. As the semester came to a close, I was sad to know that these deep friendships and connections were forced to part, at least a little. There was no denying that those dynamics would never be the same again. It was the sad but true reality. I knew we would all still love each other so much, but we wouldn't be living life together. I could no longer run over to House 9 to the "GSP room" and Jam to music with Ben Rogers and Jason Toy. I couldn't sit with KrisAnn Christian in the empty room of House 10 and sing and play guitar. I couldn't make breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my precious roomy Daley Niederhofer. I coundn't sit in the stairwell until the wee hours of the morning just waiting for passer-byers to snag and chat with until they were sick of talking. I would no longer have two houses full of students to complain with about the papers we had to write because we had just spent the entire weekend in another country. I could no longer make midnight runs to Ali's for burgers 'n chips with Grant Vickery. I would no longer have Zach Smith to make sure I made all my buses and flights and had all my confirmation numbers and important documents. Little did I know, however, that I would STILL have my precious little Jessalyn with me...I miss you already mi compañera de cuarto. (I have only seen her twice since we've been back. It's rough.)

I could go on forever about the things I continue to miss from that semester in Spring 2008. I loved every moment of it. I didn't even want to leave. I felt like I could come back to the States, spend some time with the fam, and head back to Oxford and keep living with the same people, in the same house forever. It was truely an incredible experience and I learned so much about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses. I learned about art and architecture, government, war, and the common threads that tie history together. I saw God in some of the most beautiful places my eyes have ever seen. It truely was altogether beautiful.

When I first sit down to think about the two experiences, I realize it was harder to leave Uruguay than it was to leave England. En serio, I realized that the last few weeks we were there. I wondered why I so badly wanted to stay and I realized what set this semester in Montevideo apart from the semester in Oxford was the relationships with the Uruguayan people. I had incredible relationships with the people on my trip to Oxford, but those people were coming back home with me. True, I didn't want to leave that wonderland with those people, but I knew I would see them again. This time, there was no guarantee to see my precious friends again. Not only was I leaving place and experience, I was leaving relationships. Strong, tuggin'-on-your-heart-strings relationships. When that reality began to set in the last few weeks, it made me want to stay there even longer. It made my heart even heavier to spend time with them. I didn't want to leave. I don't know when Jess and I will get to take Mikaela to a Spanish movie. When will I play volleyball with Mathias in the courtyard again? When will Andrea, Martin, and I sit and laugh in our room impersonating the "gangstas" of Montevideo? When would Morgan, Lawson, Stefanie, Ema, Grady, Diego, Jessalyn, Rachel, Andrea, Martin, and I go back to the steps of the banco to take mate and watch Diego dance? When will we get to go spend the night at Andrea's house? When will I ever go back to the Vino Nuevo Church and sing songs and play guitar with Pablo and Andree? Every day I think about one or more of those times. A few nights ago I stayed up until 2 a.m. just watching video from the semester. Why would I do that to myself??? SHEESH! And no, I did not tear up...

The pretty places I visited all across Europe and into Africa were incredible. The moments I shared with those people from ACU, I would not trade for the world. The things I learned about the world outside the United States and the sheer knowledge I attained while abroad in England are invaluable. It still makes me sad to think about times I shared with people there that, even though we still go to ACU together, life and circumstances don't allow the same types of bonds and memories to be created. (I realize that last sentence is poorly structured, but I don't feel like thinking about how to rearrange it- thanks for your understanding).

The relationships with the Rodriguez family, Andrea, Emanual, and the people at Vino Nuevo are eternal friendships. I am confident in that. We will remain friends and will think upon each other forever. Sure I still talk to them via email and facebook, but it's hard because you can only go so deep with a computer screen. There was just a peace about when we were all together that just fit. It just made sense that we would be close. And those of you who followed us all semester know so many of the things these people taught us that are things I never would have learned had I not "done life" among them. I am eternally grateful to my Uruguayan friends.

It's funny because when I got home from Uruguay I spent the first few days in Abilene. Guess who the people were that I first went and visited after family time...my fellow Oxfordians. The people I went to Oxford with are the ones who I've talked to most this summer. I have found they are the most interested in my excursions to Suramerica. They ask questions about what it was like in comparison to our semester together in Oxford. Then we laugh and tell stories of OUR excursions abroad and make fun of each other for all the embarassing character quirks we uncovered about one another- all in good fun of course. And there is a depth with those friends that I don't have with others.

SO...I did a pretty terrible job at telling which was "better." The truth is, I was swept off my feet by both experiences. I have grown tremendously and a lot of that growth is simply realizing how much more growth I have to go! Isn't that exciting? I'm halfway facetious, halfway genuine.

Throughout the summer, as Jess and I go through more pics and video we will be posting more goodies for you faithful followers. Actually, I have one video already in the making and I plan to work on a lot more stuff on the 20th during our drive to Port Aransas, TX for a little family vacation. I mean, IF I'm not thoroughly enjoying the 7 hours of all 7 us sitting on top of each other in my momma's Suburban. So keep checkin back for more fun Uruguayan LOCOS!

home again home again.

Well here we are in the U.S. of A. Home again you could say, but that is a hard line to draw these days. Adjustment is hard, the pain of missing friends is real and we all left to our respective homes to deal with the changes without one another. Not only are we missing our friends who we will see again in the fall but we're missing the people we left behind that we won't see for an amount of time that only the Lord knows.

Leavin on a jetplane

Hiya guys!

Well it's 10:20 a.m. and we are packing up to head out. We have a devotional at 11, lunch at 12, and the bus gets here at 1.

I did, however want to post again and let you all know that you should still keep looking at the blog occasionally over the summer because we will be posting some follow-up blogs. Maybe even a video, and some photos.

It's been a crazy couples of days...well- weeks really. Lots of tears. Lots of laughs. The usual. Such is life, dear friends.

We have been blessed beyond measure this semester. I hope that we've been able to bless Uruguay in return.

Pray for our safety so we can be sweetly reunited with family and friends.

We just found out that some of our friends are riding with us to the airport. We are some of the more excited people on the planet.

It's hard to believe that a year ago this time we were preparing to leave Oxford. It feels like forever ago. As Jess and I have talked, we feel that the transition back home will be harder to make this time. We have both been learning so much here and have encountered and been a part of this culture at a different level than we did in England. We have deep personal connections here. It seems that the more we change homes, the less at home we feel in any one place, because we are always missing a little piece. But, hey- our citizenship isn't on this earth anyway.

We are excited to see the faces on the other side of that plane ride.

Hasta pronto,

Face

and a month later...

I give up. I hope this video isn't such awful quality that it's unwatchable. (made that word up.) Brazil

no lo puedo creer...

Still in a state of unbelief down here in UY. A week from this moment I will have been in Texas for almost 12 hours already. Nuts.

Just wanna give a rundown of this week. We have been so busy with preparations for finals, dinners with friends, and activities with the group. They are keepin' us busy down here. Jessalyn and I both have already started packing things up and setting aside piles of things to leave here. Today Andrea came over and I happened to be putting some things in my suitcase. She made a sad face with eyes pleading me to stop, so I quickly kicked the suitcase back under my bed. Jessalyn told me today that she's really hurting for Andrea because Andrea told her that she doesn't even want to meet people anymore because they always leave. I don't claim to know exactly how she feels, but I do know how it feels to leave many relationships. Leaving Oxford, to name one, was extremely hard. Yes, some of those people I went to Oxford with are still some of my best friends and all of them will remain close to my heart, but the reality is that things are never going to stay the same. You get close to people, learn beautiful things from each other, and then take those things you've learned with you and sow them into the next relationships and the next places you go.

This time last year I did NOT want to leave my house on Canterburry. It didn't even seem fair that people would move into MY home, only a week after I left. They shouldn't get to call it home...They surely could not feel about this place the way I feel for it...These are the thoughts I had. But the truth is, it was someone's home before me and it would continue to be after me. It's crazy how, in four months time, I can be so in love with a place and a people I hardly knew existed before my arrival. But that is how I felt about Oxford, and that is how I feel about Uruguay. I call them both home. And though things and circumstances were very different, they are both places I will never be able to completely separate myself from.

Okay...we need to quit talking about these things for a bit. I can only handle so much. I need a break from my mind because I seriously think about these things all day long. It's rough. Today was especially bad because I went out walking. Note to self-don't go walking while listening to your "chill" mix on your ipod while in an emotionally unstable state unless you want a bunch of strangers to stare at the tears rolling down your cheeks. Especially if you have no sunglasses to cover them up.

By the way, I wrote a song yesterday morning. Also, I decided I am going to record some of my songs and the Spanish versions of them on CDs to give to some of my friends here. Shout out to Garage Band!

This blog is a whole bunch of randomness, but that's how things get when you are about to leave home. Things get hectic and crazy and if you don't make notes to yourself as you go throughout the day, you will never remember everything you need to get done. That's how I feel about this blog. There is no theme. There are only things I do not want to forget to say. So I will deliver them as they come. If the lack of fluidity bothers you, get someone else to read it and summarize it for you or something. In fact, I'll just go ahead and outline some of the highlights.

LAST NIGHT- we had an evening tea at a fancy little tea parlor and we invited all of our teachers and lab professors, as well as Raquel and Mariella. They all looked so beautiful and so did all my little classmates. We all joke that we are not going to recognize each other around campus because we will actually have make-up on and wear clothes other than our PJ's to class. And if we are feeling really crazy we might even take showers and do our hair. Okay, so we're not that gross down here. All the time, at least. Anyway, all that to say that everyone looked lovely last night. Not that they don't always. But... uh....ok I'm diggin' a ditch.

TODAY- was dia de muerte. DEAD DAY. Yesterday was our last day of classes and today was our prep-for-finals/cram study day. Just kidding. We college kids never cram for anything. We are always efficient with our time. But seriously, it's been a fun day. I have been sitting right here on my bed for most of it, editing essays to submit in my Travel as a Narrative English portfolio. We have all been sippin' on coffee and maté all day long. I try to like that maté mess because I think it looks really cool and legit when people drink it, but I'm afraid I don't enjoy drinking something that tastes like grass (sorry Uruguayans... and Jessalyn). Go ahead and dump a handful of sugar in it and I'll sip it down like water, though (Here they say that only women and babies drink maté like that- "con azucar"-Well I'm proud to be a woman, thank you). I did buy a maté gourd but I'm afraid I am only a poser, and I'm pretty sure I'll be sippin' coffee out of it when I go home.
ALSO TODAY- we had a special lunch for Mariela and Raquel. Wimon and Rosalinda, with the help of many vegetable-choppin' maniacs, cooked up Beef Curry as a way to bless Mariela and Raquel for cooking for us all semester. Zanessa made rice crispy treats for dessert (don't worry, Mom- yours still win, hands down) and Lawson saranaded the ladies with a beautiful Spanish song he had learned. What a sweetie.

TOMORROW- we have FINALS! wahoo! Not only that, but the whole town is basically shut down. It's Labor Day here. Uruguayans do it right. Literally NADIE works and NADA is open. Raquel and Mariela made Shepherd's pie for us to heat up for lunch tomorrow since they have the day off. Wimon and Rosalinda volunteered to cook us all dinner if we'd pitch in. They are cooking up some kind of African Stew. They sent us an email telling us not to worry because they would be make a less exciting, more bland pot for the not-so-adventurous eaters in the Casa. So thoughtful, those Walkers.
ALSO TOMORROW- night we have a pajama party at the Casa! There will popcorn, bonding, lots of laughing, and a slideshow that Lawson put together from pictures that everyone submitted. I forgot to submit pictures. But I can imagine myself in most of the pictures- I know pretty well what I look like because, believe it or not, I have lived with me for my entire life. Crazy, I know.

Well, that's about as far as I will go for tonight. I need to get back to revising my essays and then get some good shuteye.

Paz y Amor,

~Face

no need for coffee this morning

This morning I went with Halie and Kortney to the little private school around the corner to teach English. Turns out this 6th grade class knows a good bit of English. I was quite impressed. Many of us here at Casa ACU have gone to help teach and play English games with the kids at the elementary school and have had good feedback from the school teachers. Though we had to wake up a bit more "temprano," the kids were certain to wake us up. I had forgotten how much energy such little beings are capable of exerting. Kortney, who had been to the school three times before, said this was one of the calmer classes- I sure am glad I picked today to go. En serio, this morning was loads of fun and, not to mention, an enjoyable way to earn service hours.

One of the requirements of study abroad is volunteer hours. I think the purpose is to make sure students are getting involved in the community and it ensures that we will work side by side with the Montevidean/Oxfordian people. Some students have volunteered teaching English in an institution called the Alianza. Others have helped with conversation clubs with the Iglesia de Cristo next door. Sweet Sarita has been spending time with a young boy with Downs Syndrome. I have been helping with a church youth group, which unfortunately started only two weeks ago, so I have only just barely scratched the surface with these teens. I wish it had been going on all semester because I would have been able to establish relationships and trust with the girls I've met.

Anyway, this short video shows just one of the many opportunities we've had to get involved in our community. That's right. OUR community.


SCHOOOOOL from Kara DuBose on Vimeo.

From my home on Colonia,

Kara "Face" DuBose

por fin...por FIN!

por fin! tenemos un video! Finally, we have a video. It isn't the best quality upload but hopefully you will allow it to suffice and grant me forgiveness for my insufficiencies. :) !!!