Juan Muchacho es muy muscoloso

Well. I'm back, after almost a full month on the road I made it back to Denver. Everything was good. Chicago was great, Minnesota was awesome, and Peru was too good for words. I love Peru. I love everything about Peru, and I felt sooooo happy being there. I find myself daydreaming about when I'm going to get to go back. I'm really really really considering doing an internship down there at the English language institute. I would do it as soon as possible if I could, but I think for now, God is telling me to wait. I think I'm supposed to finish school first. However, I've been weighed down with a lot of thoughts lately about what I want for my future. It's weird, I've got sooo many thoughts running through my head, too many to sort out now, but pray for me, to have patience and to have wisdom and trust to listen to God's perfect plan. Well, I said I would post more about Peru when I got back, but I don't have pictures yet soo...now it's your turn to wait for it with patience. :)

Un poste rapido de Peru

Ahora estoy en Perú! Things here are going very well. Some turbulence back in the states for me but I'm not going to think about it now. I'll probably post a long thing later complete with pictures and all that good stuff, but for now, I just wanted to say that I'm here and I'm safe and I'm loving it. The memories are flooding back from when I went here with Ruth the first time, and I've gotta be honest, the first thing that came back to me was the smell of Lima. I totally forgot what it smelled like, but as soon as I stepped out of the airport and was met by the huge crowd of taxi drivers, it was like an instant memory brought to life. I love being able to feel comfortable in a foreign country, and alot of my Spanish has come back to me! No one in the group speaks Spanish and I'm surprising myself alot when I'm able to translate for others, it makes me want to go sign up for a Spanish class right now so I can be completely fluent. Well, like I said more to come later, probably when I get back. I cannot wait to get back home and just relish in Colorado once more. I miss it soooooo much and though It's wonderful down here, I really need to get home. I'll post pictures when I get them, so, until then Bendiciones de Dios a Usted!

Alma! Check your battery...

Why do I always end my titles with ellipses? Ellipses are the most intruiging of all grammatical punctuation I think. It's like I'm trying to entice you to keep reading, because maybe, just maybe, there will be some earth shattering material or some amazingly eloquent prose that might just change your life, (even though most of the time, my entries aren't really worth seeing to the end). Oh well, did you fall into my trap today? Probably. I would have too.

Well anyway, I'm still here in Chicago and it's good to be in a real city again. I love city life, I love the sights, the sounds, the smells (the good ones anyway) and one of the things that I love about being in big cities is that there is always something new to discover or explore. I suppose the same is true for smaller cities as well, but I like to have alot of options. When I take walks around a city, I always like to look for signs of nature and life and how it has adapted to the city. If I were a photographer, I would do a series of nature in industrialism. For instance, the lilac bush that's growing out of the crack in the sidewalk or the bird that is scavenging on the highway median or the vines that are wrapping themselves around fire hydrants and street signs. It wouldn't be a political or social statement in favor of nature over machinery or anything, but it's always been something that has interested me. I'm torn sometimes, because a big part of me is sad when I see how man's "progress" has destroyed God's creation, but I suppose I'm also a product of my society and get excited about big cities and lots of people and living the big city life. I'm a paradox to even myself sometimes. Anyway, Tulips. That is one area in which Chicago has excelled. The tulips here are pretty darn amazing, the blooms are as big as grapefruits and the colors are just spectacular. I have a picture of them as my phone's background and it makes me happy. Alright, well, I didn't really have too much to say today, but I'm getting really excited, because tomorrow, my brother and I leave for Minnesota where we will be spending 5 glorious days with my second family, the Siefkes, and our dear friends the Correas will be there too. The unholy trinity of Missy, Ruth and Gillian will manifest itself once more in Mankato, MN and then after that, I will be heading to Peru. I'm beyond looking forward to going to Peru and doing missions there and all that's left for me to do is be patient for the blessing that is to come. I hope I can talk to people before then, give me a call if you have time, otherwise, I'm going to try and send a letter with some pictures when I get back. God's blessings everyone. Stay tuned....


...Just kidding. No more ellipses for today =).

Inner thoughts of an exhausted girl

Well my sophomore year is done, thank God. Most people had their last two week sprint to the end, for me it was more like I stumbled at the beginning of the last 2 weeks, I fell, then rolled a few times, and I skidded face first over the finish line. But that doesn't matter because I made it to the end. I ended up with decent grades 2 Bs and 5 As, and I'm sure you can all guess which 2 classes the B's were in. I think Ms. Martin really just thinks the grading scale only goes up to a B. Anyway I won't bethink on the semester too much, it doesn't matter now because my 4 months of blissful freedom are here. I'm supposed to do nothing but relax until August. So why aren't I relaxed right now? Well probably because I'm going to be a Nomad for the next 3 weeks, and I'm going to love the places I'm going, but I really just feel right now like I am a weary vagabond that needs home but can't quite get there yet. I think I might still just be tired from school though. I feel like a balloon that's been completely depleted of whatever air supply I was given at first, and now Im just on the floor, sad and being stepped on by some snotty nosed kid who doesn't want a broken balloon. Ok just kidding about the last part, but I am tired. Anyway, well I don't know what to write, I'm feeling alot of things right now. I'm happy school is over with for now, I'm sad that I had to leave my friends, I'm happy to see my family, I'm apprehensive about when I'm going to get sleep before everything begins to take place, and I'm glad to be getting home, but wishing I were there now. Sigh... Life...I think that's all I can say about that

Well anyway, Here's a question, If you were to be described by people with one word, what word would you want people to describe you as? Just curious...I would want my word to be inquisitive. I want people to see me as always on a quest for knowledge and experience and just hungry to soak in my surroundings Don't ask me why, but I hope that's true for me. Well I gotta go my battery is about to die. Hope everyone is doing well!