october thus far

howdy dear friends! i am learning to become more and more grateful for each experience and friend that comes my way. i have had a rough time (hence no recent updates), but am on the upside of this rough time. i have learned a lot i feel like in the past few weeks and know that i will only be learning more as each day comes. i experienced a bit of culture stress/shock, teamed up with some homesickness, and had a nice bout of loneliness during this rough patch. i have definitely learned a lot from each of these incidents and even more when they were all combined together. i have learned that it is okay to rest. it is okay to take care of myself. it is okay to let others know what is going on. and how to maybe better prevent these occurences in the future. so, thanks for thinking about me and again, for journeying along with me. here are some photos to share about what has happened in this neck of palm trees.

i was really excited to attend an art exhibition on the opening night and later take my lang helper to view the show. a fellow student was the photographer of this show and has some incredible talent. it was just really nice to get a little dressed up and take in this cultural experience. also, a local friend of mine was there that night as she works in partnership with this gallery--that was so great to see her!
we had quite the birthday bash for 4 students studying either here in our city or one close by. there was a good group of us folks that went out to TGIFriday's. i had the fried shrimp in case you were wondering:) above is one of the birthday gals, me, and my roomie (from L to R).

more fun happened when my roomie and i headed to this Korean dance program. we got free tickets (as did everyone else that attended i think), so it was pretty hard to pass up. it was a lot of fun and we were both excited to check out the Mo 5 Theater here in town. it was a great facility. larger than AR Hall at HSU actually. then it was off to my friend's house to celebrate mama's birthday. it was a fun, yet interesting time as i have been over to their house several times now, so my status has shifted some from guest to now part of the family. they of course still insist that i eat, eat, eat, but i ended up watching how the family reacts to certain situations and that was honestly hard to see. it was a bit mind-boggling, but it has given me an immense about of insight into the people here--especially how birthdays are celebrated, how families may deal with disagreements, and even more about the relationships between family members. the cake below was huge and i don't think the picture really gives it justice. all and all the visit was good. i am grateful for this friend for sure.the next day, my roomie, a couple of other students and myself went to visit a gal and her family. we had met this gal and her family at the night of power during r-dan. they were amazing. the father was so pleasant, gracious, and very funny. turns out he used to work with the big cats at the zoo here! below is the lunch they served us! it was amazing. the friend is very sweet and we are excited to get to know her more. she is so patient in her talking with those of us that aren't as far along with our language learning. that is great for sure.so, i have been told that it is fall and i have been told that it is winter here. no matter which season, it involves much rain! which is a great thing as this place has been troubled by drought for years past. rainy, rainy days ahead of us is what i hear. and it gets cool, too. fun! you will have to check in on me every once and while as i can be a pretty sun-dependent kind of person:)
one night my roomie cooked up some delicious steaks!! yum, yum. we teamed them up with some oven cooked potatoes and green beans. this was a delight for sure. i am back to counting my points with the Weight Watchers program. i have realized that the pounds were creeping back on me, so i decided to get back to the accountability--i need it:)

it has been good so far. this last week i actually lost almost a kilo! i just had to get honest with myself again and not myself go back down the sense-less eating road. another lesson i was reminded of during the rough times i had recently.

so, this is a fun one! i am already thinking about how much i am going to miss the locally grown, super cheap produce here whenever i go back to the States. look at these peppers! it really is a gift to have such good food available here and i am thankful to have healthy and fresh options available, too.


so, i hope you enjoyed this update. lots of pictures, but i hope lots learned, too. it has been an up and down time with my language. i know last week i was feeling really out of sorts with language, but this week i have been really encouraged and feel better about what i am learning in class. also, i got to meet up with some of my local girlfriends a few nights ago. these are the gals i met right away--when i knew nothing! well, they were so excited to see my progress and it was honestly just refreshing to be able to really have a conversation--not just throw in a few words here and there. plus, they are so great--they try to use words that i would know and even slow down for me. i have a nice big smile on my face right now just thinking about them. i can't believe this month has already flown by as it has. wow!

thanks again for plugging along with me. i am grateful!