Chai Tea Latte Heaven.

The title says it all. Seriously, I was like a child begging to go to a candy store today WHEN I found out STARBUCKS OPENED! I was very giddy and still am. I'm not a Starbucks addict but to know my I could savor a Chai Tea Latte...I was in heaven. It was slightly pricey but VALE LA PENA! (worthwhile!)

Today I started my volunteer placement in my colegio. Its a semi-private Catholic school. I got there early of course AND my Spanish pretty much failed me once I got in the door. However, despite the professor forgetting that I was coming, it was worth it. It was really cool to observe three distinct grade levels in one day. In a Spanish setting at that. The kids still refer to the professor as Tia like in the Jardin. But the teachers here demand a lot of respect from their students; they stand and greet the teacher, etc. However, I think there is more freedom in the classrooms. I observed 6th grade, 5th grade, and 2nd grade English. 6th grade was all independent book work (listen to a radio voice; fill in answers) and the kids were slightly interested in talking to me. 5th grade, the kids were like amazed at me and wanted to "talk to me" I think they were shy and preferred to crowd around me and stare. It didn't bother me; it was cool actually to see that they were interested in knowing more about me and the language. They too listened to a radio and filled in responses but the professor went over the answers with them and taught them more.Segunda basica is my favorite. Second grade is just fun. :)

I'm just high on life lately and want to share it with everyone. I think when you let yourself realize what you have and forget to dwell on the not so cheerful moments, life is great. While miscommunication and such is dumb, I'm not going to let it stand in my way of falling in love with what I have here. Life is better that way.

And on top of falling in love with my program and my wonderful friends, I absolutely love the church I go to. I don't know if I can reiterate that enough. It'll probably be the thing I miss most (aside from my friends) about Chile. I learn so much there. I walk away feeling like 'woah, that's important. Or wow that song taught me something.' Maybe its because I have to focus so much on everything but being there changes me. Its less about routine. Its more about faith and worship and love and hope and just so much. I'm so thankful for it because I learn about God there. I want to share it with the world. Today we talked about identity. And it really opened my eyes because I find myself searching for identity in all of the wrong places; I forget who I truly am most of the time.

That's a theme for another night.

But there is one song I want to share before I go...it stands out to me. The group wrote it one night when they were on a camping trip and it really has left an impact on me. It talks about the BEAUTY of the Earth.

El cielo, las estrellas.
La tierra, las montanas.
El trueno y las olas

Muestran tu majesta
Demuestran tu poder.
Grandisimo Senor.

Thanks. Good night.