Making Headway

So i've worked two 8 hour shifts, and the campground is starting to fill up for the weekend. The tours office (where i work) was actually almost busy today. We had many people come to rent bikes and several people book either horseback or rafting tours for tomorrow. It was a little stressful, but not near as bad as I thought it would be. It doesn't really feel like 8 hours while I am there, because there is usually someone to talk to and customers to help.
Right now, i'm sitting outside because it was really nice when I walked back from work, but it just started to rain a little bit.
Tonight we are having a movie on a big screen for the campers, so I'm looking forward to going to that and meeting some of the campers.

One day at a time

I arrived on the Cherokee campground today at about 3pm. It was about a 4 hour drive, but it went a lot quicker than I thought it would. I didn't do much but get unloaded and go on a golf cart tour of the campground. It's a lot bigger than I imagined, but I guess that's a good thing, because there is a lot to do. I'll try to take pictures on my first day off, but I don't know when that will be for sure yet. Tomorrow I start work, and I've been told that I should be working in the tour center. It's basically a job where I will sit inside a little hut thing and rent intertubes and book people for tours to different places around Cherokee. It should be fun, but i'm ready to check it out for myself. The cabin that we are staying in is also a little smaller than I figured, but it should be manageable for the summer.
For dinner tonight, we went to the church that our activities director is a youth paster at. We sang a few songs with their congregation, then had a potluck dinner for a man that just returned from jail. It was really cool to get to meet some people from the community, and the food was AMAZING!!!
We walked to the adult center when we got back to the campground and some of the other summershiners are playing risk. Allison and I walked outside and are sitting on the porch with our computers. It's a really nice night, and i'll be really happy if it stays this cool!

It's here...

...and I'm scared out of my mind.
The trip that I will make tomorrow is going to be completely out of my comfort zone, and there is no way that I could do it without God. Tomorrow morning sometime, I will be leaving to spend 12 weeks of this summer in Cherokee, NC. I've talked about it before, but it's finally here. I'm really excited, don't get me wrong, but I have no clue what to expect or even what to pack. My mom is driving up with me, so if i take too much, she can always bring some of it back for me. I'm still really nervous about what will happen tomorrow as i give myself up to God and let Him take control of my summer! I'm sure it's going to be amazing, but i hope my nerves don't get the best of me first.
Please pray that God will use me to impact the lives of many people over this summer, and that I will completely rely on Him for all my needs and worries.

Pura Vida!

Costa Rica is so amazing!!! We've seen most of San Jose because we live here and have had several field triips here, but I feel like there is so much more to see! On our field trips we have gone to several places, including a volcano, the rainforest, the gold museum and the national museum. They have all been pretty cool, but my favorite had to be the volcano. It was really beautiful, and i'll be sure to put up pictures as soon as I get home.
I'm starting to get adjusted to life here. It's still a little weird to be living in someone else's house, but they do kinda feel like my family because they make us feel so welcome. The food here is pretty good. Some of it is a little bland, but its still pretty good.
School has been going well, i feel like I am learning a lot, even though I have only had class for 4 days so far. There are 5 girls in my class including me and our teacher's name is Gustavo. He's a good teacher, and he lets us play lots of games which are pretty fun!
So far, i've been suprised by the american influnce that is found here. Most of the resturants around the school are all american (Subway, Quisnos, Pizza Hut, Wendys, McDonalds, you get the idea). It's kinda a bummer though, because we don't get to taste as much of the typical food.
Tomorrow, we are going to isla tortuga, which is a beach about an hour and a half from San Jose. I'm really excited to see the coast and get some sun!!
I'll try to keep you updated, but i usually only have 15 minutes a day on the internet during the short break we have in class.
Oh, and pura vida means "pure life" it's a popular "tico" phrase.

Costa Rica

We arrived safely, and are having a blast!! I don't have much time, but I just wanted to say hey and hopefull i'll get another chance to fill you in on everything happening here!!

Preparing

It's hard to believe that freshman year is completely done with!! I'm back at home, enjoying a few days of sleeping in and trying to get everything in my room organized again. I miss my school friends, but it's nice not having to worry about classes or homework and being able to just relax.

Tomorrow night I leave for Charlotte, then Saturday morning is my flight for Costa Rica. I'm more excited now than I was, because I've found out more information about where we are going and what we are doing. The language school that we are going to is a lot different than the one we would have gone to in Mexico. It's going to be more hands on (museums and traveling) instead of just classroom time. It should be interesting, and I'm sure I will learn a ton of Spanish. This will probably be my last blog until I get back on the 23th, because I won't have my computer with me. I do plan on keeping a journal while I am there, so I'll have lots to share about the trip. I tried to start packing, but it's more difficult than I thought it would be. It's been over two years since I've been out of the country, and I've never been gone for two weeks. I guess I just don't know what to pack because I'm going to be gone for so long. I'll figure it out sometime before I leave though!

Just a few days after I get back from Costa Rica, I leave for Cherokee, NC. I'm so excited about it, and can't wait to see how God is going to use me and the rest of the staff this summer! I should have my computer there, so I won't be completely out of the loop on everything. It's kinda sad that I don't get to hang out with my friends as much as I did last summer, but many of them will be away as well.

It's going to be an AMAZING summer, I can't wait to get going!!!

Life Gives you Lemons. Make Lemonade.

Due to the swine flu, my Spanish class trip has been moved to Costa Rica!! While I'm sad that we aren't going to Mexico, I'm rather excited about going to Costa Rica. We will be doing the same thing there: staying with host families and going to a language school near by. The excursions that we had planned for the weekend will also change, but I'm completely ok with that if it's going to prevent me from getting the flu. I leave a week from today, and I'm so excited!!!!

Exams have been going on since Wednesday, and people leave when they are done. Most of my friends won't be done till Monday (I'm here till Tuesday...), but one of my friends finishes today and is going to pack up and go home when he finishes his test. It's kinda sad that all of my friends will be in different places and we really won't see much of each other over the summer. I'm very glad to be going to Cherokee, but it's going to be really hard at first.

I've taken 2 of my exams, so now I just have a Calculus exam and a project to do for my Spanish class left. It seems like freshman year has just flown by... I was worried about my first 2 exams, but now that they are over with, I just have to wait till I can pack up and leave on Tuesday.

I'm so grateful for the friendships that I made and the times that we have had. It's been a great freshman year, and I wouldn't change a thing.