This Last Month...

Wow, I knew it had been a long time since I posted, but I didn't realize that it's almost been a month! Crazy how fast time flies. This month was pretty busy with out of the routine things. The first 2 weeks, I had language lessons and taught as usual. I'm learning more and more about the language and the culture every day!

The middle of December, I went to Singapore to renew my visa and then on to Thailand to visit one of my best friends. She's definitely more like a sister to me, and I can't imagine how I would've made it through the last several months without her! Here is a picture of us together in Thailand :)

We explored the city she lives in together and had a ton of fun just catching up and pouring into each other. When I got home, I had a few days of holiday from language and teaching, so I caught up on sleep (much needed after hardly sleeping at all in Thailand!) and little errands, including Christmas shopping.

Christmas was relaxed and fun. I talked with my family and then just hung out with my "family" here, playing games, eating dinner, and exchanging gifts. A few days after Christmas, we went swimming for the first time since I've been here. Although it made me miss the Fuentes family and Sarah Beth, it felt amazing!

Yesterday I went back to language lessons after almost 2 weeks off! I was a little scared because I knew I had forgotten quite a bit just by being away from the language for the few days in Singapore and Thailand. But, my teacher said I spoke well, so that's good :) Hopefully I'll continue gaining back the words I lost!

This week I've had fun with one of my friends here, walking all over the city, trying new foods, practicing the language, etc. I keep learning how roads here connect to each other and where each road goes, which if you know me, makes my heart very happy! She teaches me the daily slang of the language in order to balance out the formal language I learn in school. It's like 2 completely different languages! She and I ran together tonight for an hour, which was amazing! Lots of hills. Great workout--by far the best I've had since being here :) Grateful for her adventurous spirit and willingness to hang out with me.