It has been awhile since my last post so i have decided to blog again, even though nothing too exciting has happened. It is really weird, but life here is just normal, I just happen to be in a different country living it. Last night was Max's birthday party with his friends, he just turned 19. I went to the party for awhile and it was okay but honestly pretty lame. He and his friends were drinking and smoking hookah, and I have to say that you can only say no so many times before you should leave and get out of the situation. So i did. Max was like, "oh yeah, you don't drink alcohol, that's too bad." And I just left and went down to my room, this morning at breakfast, I was feeling good and having a wonderful beginning to my day while he was stuck with a serious hang over. Yeah, that really is too bad. Hmmm... am I sounding a little bitter and sarcastic? Maybe, but mostly I am just feeling good to have standards that I stick to.
I have been missing some crazy things, like things I hardly took advantage of when I was home, I just miss having the option:
Big Walmarts
Target
My puppies
Having many brands to choose from
Library
Being able to call my friends, whenever I want
Texting :) although not as much as one would think
My young women
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
My bike
English
Making Cheesecake
Peanut butter bars (Kristen, they are not fingers)
Fall Colors
A wide music selection
And much more, ESPECIALLY my friends and family
But, besides missing some things, I am having a really good time, I start a Spanish course soon, and I am so excited! It will be great to actually be able to talk to people, I feel like a bit of a jerk not speaking the language here. Which makes me feel serious compassion for people living in America who do not speak English. I think the general assumption is that people who immigrate to America and do not yet speak English, no matter how long they have been here, choose not to speak English because they do not care to learn it. I believe that is far from the truth. The thing is, it is really hard to learn a new language, and when you are first learning, it is scary and embarrassing to practice using that language on those who know it well, and it would not be difficult to let that fear and embarrassment prevent a person from trying at all. But in America we tend to try to shoo those immigrants out the door, letting ourselves believe that they are just being lazy and lack the desire to learn, while here in my experience everyone I have met has been very forthcoming in offering assistance however they can to aid me in learning Spanish or with anything else that I need. So this makes me wonder, why is our focus on their inadequacies and not on how we can help them overcome? Seriously, why aren't we reaching out to our neighbors and being the Christlike persons we say we are? I want to be like Christ, I am learning that I really love people and want to help everyone, and that people are not so different as they seem.
Finally I am making a few changes in my room, trying to make it more, MINE. So far my changes have only been putting a couple of pictures up on the wall, there are already plenty from Antonia but now there are a few from me.
6 comments:
I completely agree with the whole learning a language thing. I am in my 4th semester of spanish and by now I am suppose to be able to just have a conversation in spanish but it scares me to death! I definitely understand that learning a language is hard and scary and people who immigrate are probably doing the best they can. Here at SUU they have a program where the people from the community who are trying to learn english come to a classroom once a week and also the students who are trying to learn spanish come. We talk for 30 min. in spanish and 30 min. in english. It is really awesome and I love doing it. The people are so nice.
Hope you are having fun!
I love your list of things you miss! Because I realized they are things I can't live without! I really miss your cheese cake too!!
Fingers! You even said that last time.
You are such a beautiful, strong woman Rinne! I love you and appreciate what you said about learning a language and sometimes if we just put ourselves in someone's else's shoes it would make our judgments disappear in a second. Glad you are making your room more of you and I love the pictures!
You're awesome Corinne! I love reading your blogs. Good luck with the Spanish Classes!!! It amazes me that you'll be working on your third language. Wowza. :) (Ha ha... that's not a spanish word...nor is it English... in fact, I doubt it's a word. ;D)
Have fun!!! It's so good to hear from you via your blog. :)
I am glad to hear that you are sticking to your standards. I always thought you were a push-over:) Just teasing. I know you are a good girl. You might miss peanut butter bars, but not nearly as much as I do... I need you to come home and make me some!
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