I'm taking a homework break. (Which, if you would like the literal translation of that statement means: I'm over studying for this test tomorrow! I can only take so much review of Second Language Acquisition!!) So instead of studying and making flash cards (I also have a Spanish vocab quiz this week. AND an Anthropology quiz! Sheesh! Three quizzes in one week!) I am wasting time on the internet. Story of my life....always seems to work out in the end for me though! And since I don't have anything horribly exciting to write about...you get random updates from my life right now! Yay! :D You don't have to read them. I'm just tired of homework. So here goes....
1) Today it rained. But since I recently caved (I resisted for a long time. I couldn't decide if I liked them or not) and requested/received rain boots for Christmas I was good to go! I actually enjoyed splashing through the puddles with my rain boots and rain coat. My roommate always laughs because it seems like every time I put my rain coat on it stops raining, or I get caught without it in a downpour, but today I successfully wore it in the rain! I was pleased. (Don't judge. You know you love splashing through the puddles.)
2) Due to a recent start in our off season workouts (lifting and such) I have sore muscles that I forgot even existed! You don't use all your muscles every day, and every time I start again with a sport or new work out regimen, I hurt all over!! At least this time, it's the whole girl's team that is having trouble getting out of bed and up and down stairs, and not just me. I suppose I don't really mind too horribly much. I just have to keep reminding myself of the end results!
3) I finished Don Quixote! I started the 982 page book over break. It was on my list to read and I figured I would have plenty of time to read it during my long winter break, right? WRONG! I just now finished it, and while I wasn't able to read it as much once school started, I read every chance I could. And it still took me forever! It was good, but honestly! How many adventures can one hidalgo get himself into???
4) I spent the day Saturday playing in our indoor soccer tournament. Long day. But fun. Greenville had two teams- Orange and Black. I was on orange, and we beat Prin! But that was about it. It's ok though. We fought hard all day! AND I scored. :D Black ended up going on to the semi-finals and winning the tournament for the second year in a row! Hooray!! Good job girls.
5) Though I'm really quite terrible, I've been playing my guitar lots lately! And even though I fumble over the notes and chords, I get excited every time I do make something work the way it was intended to! Someday I'll be able to actually play. But for now I'll keep stumbling my way through, and be pleased with the small victories I have. It's a work in progress...
Anyways. I should probably get back to my homework now...So... later gators!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Guatemala 2012!
My dear friends and family,
I have exciting news to share with you all! Decisions have been made!
Since I declared a Spanish major during my first semester here at Greenville, I knew that I was going to have to do a semester abroad. I had thought, at that time, that I wanted to do said semester in Spain. The chance of being able to spend a semester in Europe, going to Barcelona, seeing some of the European soccer teams play, and everything else that Europe entails just seemed like an opportunity I couldn't pass up. For various reasons, I was sure that going in the fall to Sevilla, Spain was clearly the option for me. Once I got over the initial excitement at the prospect of spending a semester in Spain, I began to have doubts. It costs a lot money, it's a long way from home, I'd miss a season of soccer, it costs a lot of money...etc. But I also kept having doubts that maybe this isn't where I was supposed to go. One big issue that I kept trying to push to the back of my mind was that I knew that if I intend to work with the Hispanic population in the United States (which I do) Spain Spanish was not going to be as beneficial as learning Spanish in a Latin or South American country. I tried to justify it in my mind that I would still be learning Spanish, and I would be able to pick up the different feel when I was back in the States. This is probably true. I would still learn Spanish in Spain. And I would probably be able to communicate just fine with people from Latin/South America. But I knew that it would be a completely different Spanish than I would probably be working with in the States. Despite these doubts, I told myself I was excited to go and I started telling everyone that that was my plan (Don't get me wrong. I was excited about going to Spain. There was just this lingering feeling that maybe I should look into different options). I told my coaches that I was going to have to miss my junior year of soccer (something I was willing to do to go to Spain), my parents and I started figuring out financial issues, and when people asked me I told them that I was going to study in Spain. I had it all figured out. So I thought.
As is usually the case, God had a far different plan that anything I could come up with. I had been praying and praying that he would show me for certain if I should go to Spain or not, and there kept being this little thought that No. I was not supposed to go to Spain. But where then, God? Where? And when? (Because I kept finding out things that would need me here in the fall over the spring, classes and such.) Well. I went to talk to my advisor about some scheduling stuff and we started talking about the semester abroad and about the different programs available and the classes being offered in the fall that would be more beneficial than those in the spring...I started to see that spring was obviously going to be a better option than the fall. He also mentioned a semester abroad program in Guatemala that included studying half the semester, and working with Student's International for half. Student's International is the group I went to the Dominican with last January, and as soon as he mentioned this program I started to get excited. I researched the program and began to see that Guatemala was going to be a much better fit for me. I prayed a lot about it, talked to my parents, talked with several good friends, talked with my coaches, prayed some more and decided that the deciding factor would be if my second advisor thought it would work with my second major (which also needs a semester abroad). So I went to talk with her yesterday and she loved it! She was excited about the classes I would get to take, and how the whole program would fit into the International and Cross Cultural Studies major. I didn't need any further conformation!
So, my dear friends and family, I am going to Guatemala. In the spring of 2012. I will be spending half the semester living with a family while I study in Antigua. The studying portion will include intensive language training, cultural classes and history classes. I will also spend half of the semester living and working in a different city with Student's International. I am so excited to be able to spend time serving as well as learning, and this was really the deciding factor. I now get a chance to do something I LOVE while I learn the Spanish language (and a Spanish dialect that I hope will be much more beneficial to whatever I end up doing after college). Since I heard about the Guatemala program I just knew that was where God wanted me, and after praying about it and talking with my advisors, I really feel that God placed this on my heart. I prayed that he would make it obvious to me if this was the right decision, and everything fell right into place! God is so cool! This is going to be an amazing opportunity, and I'm so excited to see how God will use me and how I will be changed as well. I still want to go back to Spain someday, but for now I am sure about this! Guatemala 2012 here I come!! Thanks everyone for your prayers as I made this decision.
PS. The whole time I was thinking about going to Spain I was super terrified of the idea of being in a different country for a whole semester. I kept thinking "I don't speak enough Spanish, I won't know what's going on, I'm not going to like my host family, this scares me, that scares me, etc." But since I heard about Guatemala and made my decision, I haven't felt any of those fears. I'll still be in a different country for the semester, but I'm not scared about it at all! I'm not scared about my speaking abilities, the schooling, the host families, none of it! I think it's because I know this is part of God's plan for my life. He's in control now. Not me. :D YAY!
I have exciting news to share with you all! Decisions have been made!
Since I declared a Spanish major during my first semester here at Greenville, I knew that I was going to have to do a semester abroad. I had thought, at that time, that I wanted to do said semester in Spain. The chance of being able to spend a semester in Europe, going to Barcelona, seeing some of the European soccer teams play, and everything else that Europe entails just seemed like an opportunity I couldn't pass up. For various reasons, I was sure that going in the fall to Sevilla, Spain was clearly the option for me. Once I got over the initial excitement at the prospect of spending a semester in Spain, I began to have doubts. It costs a lot money, it's a long way from home, I'd miss a season of soccer, it costs a lot of money...etc. But I also kept having doubts that maybe this isn't where I was supposed to go. One big issue that I kept trying to push to the back of my mind was that I knew that if I intend to work with the Hispanic population in the United States (which I do) Spain Spanish was not going to be as beneficial as learning Spanish in a Latin or South American country. I tried to justify it in my mind that I would still be learning Spanish, and I would be able to pick up the different feel when I was back in the States. This is probably true. I would still learn Spanish in Spain. And I would probably be able to communicate just fine with people from Latin/South America. But I knew that it would be a completely different Spanish than I would probably be working with in the States. Despite these doubts, I told myself I was excited to go and I started telling everyone that that was my plan (Don't get me wrong. I was excited about going to Spain. There was just this lingering feeling that maybe I should look into different options). I told my coaches that I was going to have to miss my junior year of soccer (something I was willing to do to go to Spain), my parents and I started figuring out financial issues, and when people asked me I told them that I was going to study in Spain. I had it all figured out. So I thought.
As is usually the case, God had a far different plan that anything I could come up with. I had been praying and praying that he would show me for certain if I should go to Spain or not, and there kept being this little thought that No. I was not supposed to go to Spain. But where then, God? Where? And when? (Because I kept finding out things that would need me here in the fall over the spring, classes and such.) Well. I went to talk to my advisor about some scheduling stuff and we started talking about the semester abroad and about the different programs available and the classes being offered in the fall that would be more beneficial than those in the spring...I started to see that spring was obviously going to be a better option than the fall. He also mentioned a semester abroad program in Guatemala that included studying half the semester, and working with Student's International for half. Student's International is the group I went to the Dominican with last January, and as soon as he mentioned this program I started to get excited. I researched the program and began to see that Guatemala was going to be a much better fit for me. I prayed a lot about it, talked to my parents, talked with several good friends, talked with my coaches, prayed some more and decided that the deciding factor would be if my second advisor thought it would work with my second major (which also needs a semester abroad). So I went to talk with her yesterday and she loved it! She was excited about the classes I would get to take, and how the whole program would fit into the International and Cross Cultural Studies major. I didn't need any further conformation!
So, my dear friends and family, I am going to Guatemala. In the spring of 2012. I will be spending half the semester living with a family while I study in Antigua. The studying portion will include intensive language training, cultural classes and history classes. I will also spend half of the semester living and working in a different city with Student's International. I am so excited to be able to spend time serving as well as learning, and this was really the deciding factor. I now get a chance to do something I LOVE while I learn the Spanish language (and a Spanish dialect that I hope will be much more beneficial to whatever I end up doing after college). Since I heard about the Guatemala program I just knew that was where God wanted me, and after praying about it and talking with my advisors, I really feel that God placed this on my heart. I prayed that he would make it obvious to me if this was the right decision, and everything fell right into place! God is so cool! This is going to be an amazing opportunity, and I'm so excited to see how God will use me and how I will be changed as well. I still want to go back to Spain someday, but for now I am sure about this! Guatemala 2012 here I come!! Thanks everyone for your prayers as I made this decision.
PS. The whole time I was thinking about going to Spain I was super terrified of the idea of being in a different country for a whole semester. I kept thinking "I don't speak enough Spanish, I won't know what's going on, I'm not going to like my host family, this scares me, that scares me, etc." But since I heard about Guatemala and made my decision, I haven't felt any of those fears. I'll still be in a different country for the semester, but I'm not scared about it at all! I'm not scared about my speaking abilities, the schooling, the host families, none of it! I think it's because I know this is part of God's plan for my life. He's in control now. Not me. :D YAY!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Dame tus ojos
One of the beautiful things about learning another language is that you get to experience worship in that language. Sometimes I get caught up in the "Englishness" of being a Christian. I read the Bible in English, I pray in English, I sing in English, I do all the Christian things in English. And I sometimes forget that God's love is for everyone, and his words are available to everyone (well almost. I know that WYCLIFFE Bible translators are hoping to have the Bible into every language by 2025. There are still people without the Bible in their own language, but that number gets smaller every day.). Revelations says over and over "To every nation, tribe, language and people." The Bible was not written in English, nor are it's words only for speakers of English. I'm saying this as much as a reminder to myself as to everyone else.
Anyways. So in learning Spanish I've had the amazing opportunity to experience worship in Spanish. The Truth is the same. The words are just slightly different. One of our Spanish professors has been leading Spanish church Sunday mornings before regular church, and it's been a really cool time of worshipping and learning to worship in another language. One of the things I like best about this time is every week Profe says "God doesn't care about the grammar. He knows what you are trying to say, even if you end up saying it wrong." Praying and singing in another language is hard! It's a completely different set of words that you don't ever use in normal speak, so it can be kind of intimidating. But Profe's right. God knows what's on our hearts. So what if it comes out poorly as far as grammar is concerned?!
The other thing I really enjoy about Spanish church is our music worship time. We usually just find some songs on Youtube and use those as the base of our worship. It's been cool for me to see my personal growth in learning Spanish as I begin to understand the songs and not have to mentally translate all the time. If you've never tried learning a different language, this might not make sense to you. But when you learn you go through stages where you mentally translate, and then at some point there's a breakthrough and you suddenly understand the language in that language. It's hard to explain. It becomes more than words, and more...natural? I don't really know what I'm saying....Anywho. So I've been able to see my Spanish capabilities grow as I am able to worship easier. I actually understand the words I'm saying, and how the language works in a musical, worship sense. Again, it's hard to explain. I wanted to share two of the songs we sang today with you. And since I know that most, maybe all of you don't speak Spanish, I'll try to make a translation of them. It'll be a loose translation, because somethings just don't translate well. But I'll give it a go.
Dame tus ojos Give Me Your Eyes
Dame tus ojos , quiero ver Give me your eyes, I want to see
Dame tus palabras, quiero hablar Give me your words, I want to speak
Dame tu parecer Give me your essence (being? Self?)
Dame tus pies, yo quiero ir Give me your feet, I want to go
Dame tus deseos para sentir Give me your desires so that I can feel
Dame tu parecer Give me your self (not sure how to properly convey this.)
Dame lo que necesito Give me everything I need
Para ser como tu So that I can be like you
Dame tu voz, dame tu aliento Give me your voice, give me your breath
Toma mi tiempo es para ti Take my time, it is for you
Dame el camino que debo seguir Show me the way so I can follow (loosely translated...)
Dame tus sueños, tus anhelos Give me your dreams, your desires
Tus pensamientos, tu sentir Your thoughts, your feeling (opinion? view?)
Dame tu vida para vivir Give me your life so that I can live
Déjame ver lo que tu vez Let me see what you see
Dame de tu gracia, tu poder Give me your grace, your power
Dame tu corazón Give me your heart
Déjame ver en tu interior Let me see inside you (kind of...)
Para ser cambiado por tu amor So that I can be changed by your love
Dame tu corazón Give me your love.
Powerful words. ¿No? Here's the other one:
La niña de tus ojos The Apple of Your Eye (The Child of your Eye)
Me viste a mi You saw me
Cuando nadie me vio When no one else saw me
Me amaste a mi You loved me
Cuando nadie me amó When no one else loved me
Y me diste nombre And you gave me name (You named me)
Yo soy tu niña I am your child (literally daughter)
La niña de tus ojos The child of your eye (apple of your eye)
Porque me amaste a mi Because you loved me
Me amaste a mi You loved me
Te amo mas que a mi vida I love you more than my own life.
*La niña de tus ojos literally translates to the daughter of your eyes. It's similar to the English phrase 'the apple of your eyes.' I really like the picture of being the child of God's eyes. I think there is a special love between a father and his children, and it's powerful to think of us being the children in God's eyes. And he does love his children!
I'd encourage you to look up some worship in other languages. Find the translation and follow along. You may not understand the words, but that doesn't mean they aren't still words of praise to our Lord. En cualquier idioma, podemos dar las alabanzas al Señor. A Él, no le importa el idioma. Y eso es todo para ahora.
Anyways. So in learning Spanish I've had the amazing opportunity to experience worship in Spanish. The Truth is the same. The words are just slightly different. One of our Spanish professors has been leading Spanish church Sunday mornings before regular church, and it's been a really cool time of worshipping and learning to worship in another language. One of the things I like best about this time is every week Profe says "God doesn't care about the grammar. He knows what you are trying to say, even if you end up saying it wrong." Praying and singing in another language is hard! It's a completely different set of words that you don't ever use in normal speak, so it can be kind of intimidating. But Profe's right. God knows what's on our hearts. So what if it comes out poorly as far as grammar is concerned?!
The other thing I really enjoy about Spanish church is our music worship time. We usually just find some songs on Youtube and use those as the base of our worship. It's been cool for me to see my personal growth in learning Spanish as I begin to understand the songs and not have to mentally translate all the time. If you've never tried learning a different language, this might not make sense to you. But when you learn you go through stages where you mentally translate, and then at some point there's a breakthrough and you suddenly understand the language in that language. It's hard to explain. It becomes more than words, and more...natural? I don't really know what I'm saying....Anywho. So I've been able to see my Spanish capabilities grow as I am able to worship easier. I actually understand the words I'm saying, and how the language works in a musical, worship sense. Again, it's hard to explain. I wanted to share two of the songs we sang today with you. And since I know that most, maybe all of you don't speak Spanish, I'll try to make a translation of them. It'll be a loose translation, because somethings just don't translate well. But I'll give it a go.
Dame tus ojos Give Me Your Eyes
Dame tus ojos , quiero ver Give me your eyes, I want to see
Dame tus palabras, quiero hablar Give me your words, I want to speak
Dame tu parecer Give me your essence (being? Self?)
Dame tus pies, yo quiero ir Give me your feet, I want to go
Dame tus deseos para sentir Give me your desires so that I can feel
Dame tu parecer Give me your self (not sure how to properly convey this.)
Dame lo que necesito Give me everything I need
Para ser como tu So that I can be like you
Dame tu voz, dame tu aliento Give me your voice, give me your breath
Toma mi tiempo es para ti Take my time, it is for you
Dame el camino que debo seguir Show me the way so I can follow (loosely translated...)
Dame tus sueños, tus anhelos Give me your dreams, your desires
Tus pensamientos, tu sentir Your thoughts, your feeling (opinion? view?)
Dame tu vida para vivir Give me your life so that I can live
Déjame ver lo que tu vez Let me see what you see
Dame de tu gracia, tu poder Give me your grace, your power
Dame tu corazón Give me your heart
Déjame ver en tu interior Let me see inside you (kind of...)
Para ser cambiado por tu amor So that I can be changed by your love
Dame tu corazón Give me your love.
Powerful words. ¿No? Here's the other one:
La niña de tus ojos The Apple of Your Eye (The Child of your Eye)
Me viste a mi You saw me
Cuando nadie me vio When no one else saw me
Me amaste a mi You loved me
Cuando nadie me amó When no one else loved me
Y me diste nombre And you gave me name (You named me)
Yo soy tu niña I am your child (literally daughter)
La niña de tus ojos The child of your eye (apple of your eye)
Porque me amaste a mi Because you loved me
Me amaste a mi You loved me
Te amo mas que a mi vida I love you more than my own life.
*La niña de tus ojos literally translates to the daughter of your eyes. It's similar to the English phrase 'the apple of your eyes.' I really like the picture of being the child of God's eyes. I think there is a special love between a father and his children, and it's powerful to think of us being the children in God's eyes. And he does love his children!
I'd encourage you to look up some worship in other languages. Find the translation and follow along. You may not understand the words, but that doesn't mean they aren't still words of praise to our Lord. En cualquier idioma, podemos dar las alabanzas al Señor. A Él, no le importa el idioma. Y eso es todo para ahora.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
An exciting adventure!
It was a cold and snowy night, and the five lovely girls were beginning to get quite bored. A nasty mixture of snow and sleet had been coming down all day, and the girls had had quite enough of staying inside doing nothing.
"Whatever can we do?" they asked themselves. "We're so very bored, and can't possibly sit through another movie without doing something first."
"I know!" said one. "Let's go on an adventure!!"
They all agreed that this was a fantastic idea. And so an adventure was planned. It was off to Moto Mart. On foot. (For what else is there to do when you're bored, and hungry and can't drive because it's dangerous?!) The girls bundled up in their winter warmest, and off they went on the long trek to Moto Mart.
It was a long hike to their destination. Some of the girls couldn't wait for the delicious treats they were sure to encounter when they reached said destination. So that they didn't starve before arriving at Moto Mart, they had to resort to desperate measures: turning ice-coated sticks into popsicles.
"If you close your eyes, you can't even taste the difference!" said B.
The girls continued their journey. They trudged through numerous snow drifts well over their heads and cautiously made their way over slick, ice-covered roads (slight exaggeration...). All was quiet in snowy Greenville, and aside from the snowplows, the five girls were the only ones on the roads. Well...at least the only ones walking on the roads.
After a long and quite dangerous hike, the girls finally reached their destination. Luckily for them, Moto Mart was open despite the treacherous conditions (they maybe should have checked this before beginning their journey...). After purchasing their delightful treats, the five friends set out for home and movies. With their tummies full of goodies they knew that they would be quite content for the rest of the evening. And so we conclude the adventures of these girls...at least until the next time they get bored in Greenville! (Which, if I had to guess, would probably be tonight!) Stay tuned for more exciting adventures! :D
"Whatever can we do?" they asked themselves. "We're so very bored, and can't possibly sit through another movie without doing something first."
"I know!" said one. "Let's go on an adventure!!"
They all agreed that this was a fantastic idea. And so an adventure was planned. It was off to Moto Mart. On foot. (For what else is there to do when you're bored, and hungry and can't drive because it's dangerous?!) The girls bundled up in their winter warmest, and off they went on the long trek to Moto Mart.
It was a long hike to their destination. Some of the girls couldn't wait for the delicious treats they were sure to encounter when they reached said destination. So that they didn't starve before arriving at Moto Mart, they had to resort to desperate measures: turning ice-coated sticks into popsicles.
"If you close your eyes, you can't even taste the difference!" said B.
After a long and quite dangerous hike, the girls finally reached their destination. Luckily for them, Moto Mart was open despite the treacherous conditions (they maybe should have checked this before beginning their journey...). After purchasing their delightful treats, the five friends set out for home and movies. With their tummies full of goodies they knew that they would be quite content for the rest of the evening. And so we conclude the adventures of these girls...at least until the next time they get bored in Greenville! (Which, if I had to guess, would probably be tonight!) Stay tuned for more exciting adventures! :D
The End.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)