Life's Perspective

I am SO blessed and I should be eternally grateful for my second chance at life!!

GOD IS SO GOOD

Casero Dulce Casero (Home Sweet Home)

I'm back in Uruguay and I am SO busy doing many things! I won't list them because that would take up precious time.

I went to Argentina with some friends this spring break and had a bLaSt!

We were nine stereotypical, loud Americans on our ferry crossing into Argentina. We got into B.A. and I started off the trip with an interesting cab ride. My cab driver drove quickly with hazardous control. This cab driver must have thought the cab was a race car! My first meal was a really good sandwich that had tomato, egg, cheese and ham accompanied by a Hawaiian licuado (smoothie) of mixed fruit. 

Then, we made it to the best hotel I've ever stayed at.

This hotel was amazing; you had to be there. It was a classic hotel with rooms (and even the floors!) that had character.

But it gets better.

The bathrooms. The bathrooms consisted of mismatched tile floors, a shower with no curtain and a toilet that was in the shower. It was quite an experience. On viewing this marvelous sight, I was captivated by this hotel's charm. 

Taking a shower standing on broken, clashing tile right next to a toilet is most definitely an unforgettable experience.

Besides the break dancers performing right outside our hotel, an equally awesome thing happened: my cab ride with a drunk passenger.

No worries, though. He happened to hop in the cab when I got in so we both rode around Buenos Aires at night. All was well. He was very friendly, in fact. As I was about to be dropped off at my hotel, he offered to pay for my cab fare, said he didn't know english that well (he did, though) and he decided to give me a hug. I found the entire thing hilarious. The next day we went to an awesome mexican food restaurant and we went back to the hotel to watch some Uruguayan music videos. Those videos were really good! 

A couple days later, we visited a couple ships that were not in service anymore but had stories to tell.

One ship rescued another from Antarctica and the other sailed the distance it would take to sail around the world 40 times. These ships had pictures and clothes of its past crew. It made me think of my grandpa and how he was on a ship in the Korean war. Both of these ships were preserved and open to the public.

We didn't go across the world to Korea but we did go across Argentina to the mountainous city of Mendoza.

It's actually kind of a miracle we got there. Our overnight bus was stopped for over six hours in the middle of the night by agricultural workers who were on strike. That whole ordeal delayed us a lot even though I was asleep and oblivious through pretty much all of it. We took horseback rides one day and I went rafting another day. Both were beautiful and amazing days. 

What made my rafting trip beautiful and amazing was how I was greeted by some Argentines. I was pretty cold after the intense, chilly raft journey through crystal blue waters so some kind strangers offered their coats to me. I externally warmed up and was internally warmed as well. The Hebrews 13:2 verse about 'entertaining strangers when they could be angels' immediately popped into my head.

No, I was quite sure that they were the angels, not me. A random act of kindness can go a long way. It is such a neat experience for others to extend kindness to you even though you can't fully speak their language. Although the spring break times I mentioned were only some of my ten day experience, I will cherish the memory of 'rafting angels' the most.

I am so thankful my spring break was full of good, fellow students, interesting cab rides, efficient showers and a rewarding raft story. 

Look for pics and video later.

Spring Break March 13(1/2)-23

Thought you might like this picture.

hehe

I chose to visit Buenos Aires again for my spring break. I'll also be going to Mendoza, Argentina; a bus trip 14 hours away. 

Yeah, I know.

The 6 of us will be leaving tomorrow, Thursday, at 5...ish. Anyway, I'll be in Argentina for over a week passively looking for a novia (joke) and reading many books for school. Actually, tonight the group of 14 students going to Maccu Piccu watched the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark because the opening scene is set in South America. ;) woo 

Paz

Video Link etc.

As the video thingy doesn't seem to work on here for me, here is the video of some of the past few weeks events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6HpE5hajaw

 Here are a couple things I have put off...

until now.

So I went to McDonald's recently. I had before been impressed with their higher quality food selection so I actually found myself

craving

a McDonald's hamburger. Weird. So I walked in and ordered a 'Doble cuatro libro con queso'; a double quarter pounder with cheese. Hey, I was hungry. I got it and was disappointed when I opened the little container to find a greasy but appetizing morsel. I mean, it was alright but it was fattier than I was expecting. 

Blah

Surprises can come at you even in ordinary times.

To switch gears completely, I went to see 'No Country For Old Men' the day the oscars were on tv in the states. That movie is 'Sin Lugar Para Los Debiles' in Spanish. After watching that movie in english, I did not think that this movie should win best picture.

It did.

I guess i'm a pretty big fan of the Coen brothers. But this movie was a disappointment. Yeah, the bad guy, actor Javier Bardem, deserved the oscar for best actor, but the movie did not deserve best picture. I could go on and on roasting this movie, but I'll spare you the fiery details by simply saying that this movie just plain confused me with its smoky story line.

Paz 

Spring Salutations

This picture depicts when the students see how to surf while the 70 degree, humid weather persists in La Paloma, Uruguay. 

I suppose my backpack was stolen about this time. As I surprisingly sustain social struggles, I set sail my spring break schemes. I've planned to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina again and go to another town called Mendoza. I suppose the semester is about halfway done now and I already know that I will definitely miss this place. 

Needful Backpack?

We're back from a little excursion to cabo polonio in central Uruguay. Tired and sunburnt we return to obligatorily resume the whole school... thing. 

I'm glad it's an obligation though. What we talked about today actually tied in to what happened to me this weekend.

While several students picked up their surf boards for surf lessons, I was filming and pre-occupied with joyfully documenting this thingy. I guess that was when my backpack was stolen. In all reality I didn't lose that much. The two things of utmost importance were my back up glasses and my bible. Other things along with those two items were in my backpack but I quickly figured out that all I really lost was my glasses. My back up glasses, mind you. My bible? I had an extra in my room. Yeah, I lost my iPod but that wasn't really something I needed. 

Today in my Luke class, we were going over possessions in Luke. We all talked about possessions and my backpack fiasco (haha) was mentioned. I mentioned how I really didn't lose that much. It then branched off into possessions; how we should have only what we really need. My philosophy was and still is that we need only the bare necessities life requires. It actually ties into many parts of Luke.

Anyway.

It's still humid, dreary and overcast here. Man, it's already March! And it's colder in TX/OK. Ha!

...welp