Sunday, October 24, 2010

week in photos.

monday: my linguistics t-shirt, complete with my name in the phonetic alphabet
tuesday: package from my mother!! complete with candy, brown sugar and bananagrams
wednesday: playing bananagrams by myself instead of doing homework
thursday: a view of a typical dashboard on the micro. you get used to it.
friday: aleksandra and sayuri - two chicas at deporte y vida. i love aleksandra's smile.
saturday: amelia resting because her eye was bothering her. after a delicious italian lunch.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

family.

i love my family. they are a big part of who i am today. i am a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, and aunt. they have taught me what a family should look like. and it looks like love. and that love looks like helping each other out, driving around grandkids, watching movies and making popcorn, helping with the dishes, going fishing together, laughing together, praying before dinner, taking care of each other, watching sports games, playing hide-and-seek, and the list goes on. my parents are the ones who set the example with their godly relationship. i greatly admire them for raising five children over the years.
i can confidently say that i am where i am today because of the sawyers. they are the reason that i decided to go to gordon - i wasn't ready to leave them. i wanted to be around and be an aunt to my nieces and nephews. and choosing gordon lead me here to peru. and one of the hardest things about peru is that my family isn't here with me. peru is becoming a part of me, just like my family is, but the two don't mix. family is way up in massachusetts (and a little over in ukraine) and peru is down here. it's hard not being able to join the two, but i think i've found a way to balance it out. i've found a family down here. not just in my host family, but also a family of believers, of brothers and sisters in christ. which is what will make peru be difficult and good at the same time. i'll be returning to one family but leaving another behind. it will be really nice to go back to the sawyers. i'm missing them big time.
and today is a special day for the sawyers, it's drayton's 10th birthday. it may sound cliché but i really can't believe that he's 10. i totally remember going to the hospital to meet him for the first time. i was in sixth grade when i became an aunt for the first time. it's been great watching them all grow up and change from little babies to actual people with personalities, abilities and interests. and one of dray's personalities just so happens to be black spiderman:
HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY DRAYTON!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

right now.

right now i am happy.
want to know why?

-i did my exposición - it went relatively well.
-did my anthropology essay.
-there is now only one major project separating me and BUENOS AIRES.
-gelato tuesday.
-package arrived from mom today
-goldfish
-brown sugar
-apple cider packets
-hot cocoa packets
-peppermint patties
-tootsie rolls
-smarties
-popcorn
-trident gum
-BANANGRAMS
-clean sheets for my bed.
-strawberry-mango smoothie with dinner.
-peruvian friends.
-american friends.
-my Lord and Savior.
"wonderful, so wonderful
is your unfailing love
your cross has spoken mercy over me
no eye has seen, no ear has heard
no heart could fully know
how glorious, how beautiful you are.
beautiful one i love you
beautiful one i adore
beautiful one my soul must sing!"




Sunday, October 17, 2010

focus.


i'm learning that things tend to look different
depending on what you choose to focus on.


------------------------------------------------
[thanks to my wonderful friend sam for the idea of taking these pictures]

Saturday, October 16, 2010

kittens.and.pancakes.


monday october 11th: a beautiful afternoon at larcomar
tuesday october 12th: the typical parking spot, green grass but with concrete so that you can drive on it and not damage the grass. pretty smart if you ask me.
wednesday october 13th: i ate way too much canchita.
thursday october 14th: ice cream from burger king with sam. complete with shovels as spoons.
friday october 15th: the cute little kitten that spent some quality time on my lap during my deporte y vida.
saturday october 16th: i made pancakes for breakfast.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

here's to happiness.

i've been feeling a bit sad lately.
so i'm trying to focus on the happy things in my life.
so here is a little list of things that currently make me
terribly happy
1. sunshine. just makes the world a bit brighter.

2. when someone tells me that i speak spanish well or
that i barely have an accent any more. i just can't help but smile.
it's just nice to hear someone else say that all my hard work is actually paying off.

3. getting to skype with wonderful people.
(most recently: jennie-rose, laura and sarah mo)

4. this song: Rock of Ages

5. this verse: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

6. The Message's version of the same verse:
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,
letting God know your concerns. Before you know it,
a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good,
will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when
Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

7. the noise my boots make when i walk.

8. canchita serrana.

9. the realization that i am blessed by having wonderful friends
who are actually interested in my life and concerned about how i am doing.
and vice versa - they are people that i care deeply about.

10. napping.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

sometimes.

Sometimes I’m afraid that I’ll sneeze out my nose ring.

Sometimes when I read comments on Facebook in my head I hear the voice of the person that wrote the comment.

Sometimes I actually miss Lane food.

Sometimes I sleep too much.

Sometimes I spend the whole day in my pajamas.

Sometimes I pretend to be listening or paying attention but I’m really thinking about something completely different and unrelated.

Sometimes I don’t want to be here.

Sometimes I never want to leave.

Sometimes I wish I were raised bilingual.

Sometimes I forget how to spell simple words in English.

Sometimes I can’t find a word to say what I want in any of the three languages I know – English, Spanish or French.

Sometimes I pretend I can talk to animals.

Sometimes I make up life stories about the people I see walking around.

Sometimes I would rather be alone.

Sometimes I need people around me.

Sometimes I go a whole day without praying.

Sometimes I consider deleting my Facebook.

Sometimes I hate putting forth any sort of effort.

Sometimes I enjoy a challenge.

Sometimes I eat peanut butter right out of the jar with a spoon.

Sometimes I don’t understand what is going on, but I laugh just because everyone else is.

Sometimes I feel like I’m making progress.

Sometimes it’s like I haven’t learned anything and I’m right back where I started.

Sometimes I don’t pay attention in class.

Sometimes I skip class.

Sometimes I do things I know I shouldn’t.

Sometimes I’m a pirate.

Sometimes I eat ice cream for dinner.

Sometimes I eat pizza for breakfast.

Sometimes I can’t believe how wonderful my life is.

Sometimes I lie.

Sometimes I wish I were a kid again.

Sometimes I cry.

Sometimes I miss my Mom and Dad.

Sometimes I pretend that I have things all figured out.

Sometimes I like walking around campus listening to my iPod because it’s like I’m listening to the soundtrack of a movie of my life.

Sometimes I think that running away and living in the Andes mountains sounds like a very good idea.

Sometimes I cheat at Uno.

Sometimes I eat too much chocolate.

Sometimes I daydream.

Sometimes I'm jealous.

Sometimes I'm funny.

Sometimes my humor doesn't quite translate.

Sometimes I feel like I belong.

Sometimes I feel so incredibly out of place.

Sometimes I worry way too much about what others think of me.

Sometimes I don't drink enough water.

Sometimes I take on more than I can handle.

Sometimes I try to do everything myself.

Sometimes I need help.

Sometimes I forget to depend on God to give me strength.

Sometimes I wonder how different my life could be.

Sometimes I'm afraid of the dark.

Sometimes I sleep with stuffed animals.

Sometimes I talk to myself.