Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Home in Mexico

Hola! Me llamo Teri. Yo hablo Espanglish. Which means... my Spanish is coming along oxymoronically: slowly but in leaps and bounds. I already know a lot more than when I got here, but it is still painfully slow for me (and probably for the people talking to me too). Spanish is a lot easier than English, but I still feel like I'm in kindergarten. I am in level 1 in the SSL (Spanish as a Second Language) school. (I just made that abbreviation up.)
For those of you that will be shocked, I now have a cellular telephone. I carry it in my pocket and people text or call me on it. It is a very strange sensation. But everyone here has one and I need it, because Guadalajara is a big city.
I live with a wonderful lady and her daughter, and a variety of other family members that are visiting or live nearby. It is very good. We speak slowly. It is good. I am learning. (Yo estoy aprendiendo.)
There are a lot of cultural differences, and more as you get to know people. So far my favorite is the greeting: a kiss on the cheek. But only for girls. Guys don't kiss guys. And when you enter or leave a room, you greet or say goodbye to everyone. (If you don't know someone, you shake hands.)
There is a palm tree outside my window. I see it in the mornings when I wake up.
Prayer requests:
fast learning of the language
rest (learning another language is very tiring)
Gracias.

I was born for a reason
I am here for a reason
I was called for a reason
I am breaking for a reason
Breaking, broken, emptying
God disciplines those He loves
I trust God for a reason
However faint it seems at times
He is the one who calls the stars

Isaiah 40:26: Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

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