Step by Step

I love tutoring. I learn so much more in it than I do in class, however, I missed class today because of it. Oops.

I like that I can photocopy a full chapter of a textbook from East Stroudsburg University for .50.

I felt accomplished today.

The ocean and Valpo looked non-existent tonight thanks to the fog and darkness.

:) It was a good day.

How are you living your life?

A friend yesterday told me that his biggest doubt currently is wondering whether or not his biggest dream is something plausible or a silly ambition. He said that he wanted to leave a mark on this world, in history. I don´t know what kind of mark he is aiming for but his life definitely is an example for all to follow.
It makes me wonder sometimes if we sell ourselves short in our dreams. If we only focus on the big large changes and miss out on the small but more important impacts we make on each other.
Jesus gave it all for us. He didn´t think of himself first. He led by pure example and by story. He carried his cross when he really didn´t have the strength to take another step. He took the time to converse with all especially the neglected ones.
Are we losing sight of that in this world? Our focus has become so narrow minded and the word of the day is always...ME. But what about them? A simple smile, a prayer, a kind word of encouragement is all it takes to make some sort of impact on anothe´s life.
So when you think about the word ME, think about Jesus carrying the cross. He died for you, now live for him.

Email Obsession in Cloudy Valpo.

Waiting for an email is like waiting for a pot to boil, the more you watch the longer it takes. Its alright though I guess, I definitely was able to share a piece of my mind and my thoughts to a land far away, Texas. It is my hope that through my words they see the impact they have had on my life with their decision making. Though, in whatever case, I feel much better for expressing how I feel and how upset I had been.

In other news, I led a group to pick up our Chilean ID cards today. :) It was fun to be the leader, even though for a few minutes I didn´t think I could remember how to get there :) But it all worked out and I got a stellar new ID card.

Today I´ve been just sitting around in the office, reading for class. I´m super sleepy, I stayed up way too late last night and shortly after I fell asleep the ground decided to wake me up. Oh dear ground, you like to move. But yeah, anyways, reading. It brought back some eh not so pleasant memories of Jterm (for the record, I did enjoy Moral Education during the second half..)

One observation I made today: It is completely possible to have a blue sky in Viña and a huge cloud cover Valpo. So strange.

Did I mention there were epic games of Dutch Blitz, Set, Telepizza eating, sunset watching, catching up with friends, enjoying life times yesterday??

Me gusta tu hablamiento :P

:) thats all.
I´m extremely blessed here and have found a tranquility in my heart that I haven´t experienced in awhile.

hay cosas que nada ni nadie pueden cambiar porque dependen solo de Dios... ♥

Dear Chile,
What an adventure you have given me so far. You have given me the opportunity to watch myself grow with each passing day. You have allowed me to really feel confident for once about the Spanish language and you have surrounded me by some of the most incredible human beings on the planet. You have tested my faith and strengthened it. You have made into quite the baker and given me a big heart to share. You have allowed me to lead but taught me to remember to follow. And you've started to teach me about the things that matter the most in life. Though, each passing day brings me closer to the end, I know that things are in the trusty, faithful, forever wonderous and strong hands of God, the one that holds the world.

Today is the 1 month anniversary of the quake. For everyone's info...no aftershock can be considered an earthquake unless it is over 8.8...:P

I will be forever grateful for fresh bread, ripe avocados, banana milk, crazy micros, old classrooms, graph paper, and all things that make you completely unique.

Since I last updated, many things have happened. I have begun the process of forgetting my own language, English. And started classes.

This semester I am taking:
Espanol Escrito (Written Spanish)
Poesia Contemporanea de America Latina (Contemporary Latin American Poetry)
Antropologia (Anthropology)
Procesos de Adqucision de Lengua Materna (Acquisition Processes of a Native Language)
Pensamientos Pedagogicos Contemporaneas (Contemporary Educational Thoughts)

Writing class, we seriously just spend time writing.
Poetry, we actually will learn something I think but we read a lot. Thankfully, I've already set up tutoring ;)
Anthropology, well its like philosophy and theology and all tied into one. I'm excited to see how it goes I think. And thankfully Nico (Andres's brother) had this class w/ this prof so he might be able to help and there is a kid from my church in my class too...score!
ProcesosI have a strange professor who corrects my English. Her nickname is Cherry Lips, she was old when Lizette had her.
Educational Thoughts I don't know what this class is about haha

What else is new in my life? Well...for the month of April I can attempt to get the student rate on the micros!!! Though, there was a stupid micro yesterday that saw my paper and completely blew me off, LOSER.

The other night we tried to teach the Chileans how to play Dutch Blitz in El Guaton because we were going to eat in a place called the Trolley Bar but it didn't have food therefore it was a fail.

Everyday I am convinced that I live in the prettiest place in the world. Today we went to Horcon and Zapallar. While the weather left something to be desired, the ocean still displayed all of its glorious colors for us. The flowers were goregous too. As my friend said, who else but God could have created such beauty. I have never seen so many gorgeous colors in flowers in my life :) And did I mention how beautiful the water was, it was a mixture of all sorts of blues from dark to crystal clear blue. I think I'm in love with this place. The ocean also gives us delicious empanadas :D well the ingredients...I ate a shrimp one and a razor clam one :D

I've noticed I have an obsession with avocado.

I love my little room and my crazy host family, though they eat all of my brownies as soon as I finish making them. We eat tasty food.

Everyone is making travel plans for the next 2 weeks (next week is Easter and the following week is some freshman week without classes) but I think I am just staying here. Too expensive to travel...though I'd love to.

I kill spiders in my room and get bit by fleas.

I like walking around Vina and Valpo and am in love with the sunsets here.

I'm not in agreement with some new rules. It takes a lot for me to anger. This has angered me. But luckily, I like to make waves. So tomorrow, I'm making waves.

Great song: I translated it for you all.

Cuando llames quiero responder
(When you call I want to respond)
cuando hables quiero escuchar
(When you talk I want to listen)
cuando escuches te quiero adorar
(when you listen I want to adore you)
mi riqueza eres Tu
(my treasure/riches are You)

En tus brazos quiero descanzar
(In your arms I want to rest)
tus palabras quiero yo beber
(I want to drink your words)
mi cuerpo tu habitacion sera
(Your room? is my body)
por siempre estar en ti

CORO
Jesus, quiero ver
(Jesus, I want to see)
tu gloria sobre mi caer
(Your glory over my falls)
Jesus, te deseo... JESUS
(Jesus, I want you....Jesus)

Mi alma anhela tu presencia
(My soul longs your presence)
Espiritu de Dios
(Spirit of God)
ven sobre mi.
(Come over me)


Yep, that's all I can think of right now.
Sending much love,
Shaina

Live everyday with childlike faith.

I will update soon with the musings of my life but for now I just want to say that we should live everyday with childlike faith and trust and hope. Never be afraid to try and never be afraid to love with all you have.

Fracaso.

Sometimes things fail and fall apart, but the thing to remember is there is a lesson to be learned.

Today was slightly rough. I've been going to bed relatively late and getting up relatively early. A mini tremor was my alarm clock this morning in fact. But anyways, today I was running extremely late like usual, there was no hot water, made lunch, and disappearing keys. It was a fracaso grande. However, I soon learned that everyone else (minus Karisa) was late too.

I've been running around, trying to keep everyone on the same page. Trying to help everyone to the best of my ability. I love it but it sometimes takes a toll on me. Like today. I felt like I started to lose my footing. I am thankful that things went well and I got to explore more of Valpo and talk to my favorite chicas of ISA but I just got to a point of exhaustion almost.

But I realized something. I began to lose myself because I was losing sight of my faith. I can't trust in myself.
I can only trust in God. For in Him and through Him all is possible. He gives me rest. <3

Vamos, vamos Chilenos....Esta dia, vamos a ganar!

It is incredible to watch how this country has so much pride. I remember going to the soccer game last October. The entire stadium dressed in support of its national team. They sang and sang and chanted and chanted. For those few moments during the game, the country united. The uniting force of the soccer game is ever more evident now during this difficult time for the country. "Vamos, vamos Chilenos." Just watching everyone come together is incredible especially the college students. I've been trying to spend time thinking if this is what it was like in the US after hurricane Katrina. And yes, I think the country pulled together too but just watching this country sing together and try to sing still is wonderful. I want to help too. This coming week I'm going to help with collection efforts at Catolica in Valpo.

Things are returning back to normal now. Temblores are less and less frequent (which is good because wow after they happen you feel like you have just got off a boat for a few hours :P).

The entire situation has given me a lot of time to think about the important things in life. Like where do I put my hope? Where am I headed?

Its incredible to think that within 2 weeks, I have grown that much more in my faith. I know where my trust is and where my hope is found. I know that wherever I am, I am surrounded (completely surrounded) by those who love me. This situation has made me appreciate relationships more and especially appreciate the Chilean culture- the closeness of the people. You never realize just how important a hug or a tap on the shoulder is. The people show their care for each other here. Being close and sharing everything is what it is all about.

I love my host family too. I think I love them so much more because this time we spend time together, eating, watching TV, reminding ourselves that tomorrow we are going to eat apples, and just sitting around in the living room. I feel so much closer.

My Chilean friends have done so much to make my US friends feel welcome too. I am so thankful for them. I am so thankful for my youthgroup. I'm thankful for the support, the love, the praises, the honesty, and a place to feel like I belong. And despite the little cracks in the walls of the church, Sunday we will have services there ;)

The funny thing is too, I have a lot of Chilean moms here. And they all support me. Of course, I love my real mom the most but it is nice to know that I have so many looking out for me here.

While the earthquake was scary and caused a lot of problems in the country (please donate money and PRAY!), it brought me that much closer to those around me. We really don't know when God is going to call us home, but the most important thing is that through it all the hands that are holding the world are holding our hearts. So when we leave this Earth, it may hurt those around us, but that means we were loved that much more. Leave a mark here. And remember that our highest goals cannot be achieved here on Earth. The greatest prize comes when we get to heaven. That's our goal, that's where our hope should be. The things of the Earth can be replaced.

You said.

You said ask and you will receive, whatever you need. You said, pray and I'll hear from you from heaven, and I'll give you rest....

I really think my term from last semester, everyday is an adventure, is still applicable here.

I mean think about it. Every morning I wake up to new possiblities. New things to do, see, and experience. Yesterday afternoon I headed out to meet up with Andres and Laura, got on a Micro, got a phone call from Lizette saying Karisa was alone in the office, met up with her, took a trolley to Plaza Victoria (wait, no another plaza, in front of Ripleys), walked a bit, took an acensor, and explored Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepcion. The views, the colorful hills, the character, and culture of the place still never cease to amaze me. It was so refreshing and relaxing just to walk around with my friends and see the world around us. I received the nickname Lizette too apparently because I'm always concerned about what's going on and making sure everyone is safe, together, content, and happy. :) That's ok though. I really do like making sure things go smoothly, etc.

I had a strong craving yesterday for empanadas. I really need to find an empanada.
Though, the fun part was last night around 11:00 my host mom, my little sister, and I ordered pizza and watched a good movie. It was a lot of fun. I really like this family a lot.

Its definitely helpful and fun to have a little sister.
And I've learned, no matter what the situation is, you have to always make sure you find something to celebrate, there is always a positive. God is with us no matter what and that is the most important thing in the world.

Danza conmigo <3

No hay otro como tu. Grande eres tu.

:) I keep thinking about how incredibly blessed I am here in Chile. I've been provided with so many wonderful opportunities. And yes, there continue to be aftershocks but they are not nearly as bad as what we have already experienced. I continue to be in good spirits. We are doing well where we are. If I had other thoughts, I wouldn't be here. It is wonderful being able to help out the other students and to be able to relax and to be able to be with my Chilean friends. I just love seeing how God is doing good things in this mess. I pray that the rest of the semester continues to go well. I have been talking to many people lately and I am thankful. < 3

Doesn't matter where you were or the situation you experienced, for 2 minutes all of Chile felt the same terror.

3/2/10

What an adventure life has been lately. Wow, just goes to show how things in life can change so fast. In the past two weeks I have learned to be so much more thankful for the things that I have than I had been before.

The Eveningsun wrote a nice article about my experience in the Chilean Earthquake but I'll do a quick summary of my experience.

I arrived in Vina Feb. 18th. I spent a few days in MOU (MisionOperacionUrbana). It was such a great experience. We basically had mini conference sessions about various bible topics, sang, had quiet time, went out in the streets to hand out papers about the bible and Jesus, danced, and enjoyed each other's company while eating good food, sleeping on the floor, and taking quick showers. I felt so welcomed there. It was slightly scary but I felt so energized when I got to talk to some people.

After the conference I went back to Valpo to spend a couple days with my friend Bedsabed. Her house isn't anything extravagent but wow, I felt welcomed and at home there. It made me look at my own life and the stuff I have in a new way. She shared whatever she had with me. It didn't matter if the bathroom wasn't the cleanest or the sheets the most comfortable, all that mattered was that they had the stuff they had. I don't think I had ever eaten so many potatoes at one time though :P We also spent time in her house in Loncura. I think that was probably my favorite experience in my time with her. Once again the house was small but the town was small too. The people were so friendly and so welcoming to me. The dirt roads, small stores, the fresh bread, the mini carnival/games of fooseball, ice cream, and just the feeling of closeness made me appreciate life in Chile so much more. I felt so content there and I am thankful that we could go for a short time. I think it is important to leave the city once in awhile to see things from a new perspective. It really is refreshing.

Wednesday night (before I left for Santiago) I had the opportunity to go to the Festival de Vina del Mar. Basically it is the biggest international music festival in South America. It was so fun. I went with Bedsabed, her sister, and Andres. We all had fun :) It was chilly and went from 10pm until 3:00am but it was awesome. There was a comedian that I couldnt really understand and two music artists: Raphel? and Mirando (?). But anyways, we danced, sang, etc. I only slept an hour before I packed up my things and took a bus to the airport to meet up with the ISA group.

When I arrived in at the airport, I first felt proud that I easily made it there by myself :) and I felt so welcomed and so mature because I could help the staff and be a resource for the new students.

Our experience in Santiago was shortlived as we only spent 2 nights there. But we played lots of Dutch Blitz, ate yummy italian, and I had the opportunity to meet some great people.

t was about 3:30 in the morning and I had just gone to bed about an hour before it happened. My roommates and I were on the 9th floor of our hotel in our room. At first I thought my roommate was just waking me up to ask me a question but then I realized it wasn't her. My next thought was that it was just a tremor because they happen quite frequently in Chile. However, I quickly realized that what was going on was much stronger. It was an earthquake. At first, I really didn't realize what was going on. It was completely dark in my room. I really didn't want to leave my bed. The adreneline overtook me though and I quickly realized that I needed to get up and go to the doorway. My roommate and I basically ran there. It was so hard to walk in the dark because I later realized our TV had fallen. I was a bit scared and disoriented. It was the strangest feeling I had ever experienced. I was also worried about what was going to happen to us and the building. Then I was worried about everyone else. But I knew that I was ok and so were my roommates. I just hoped that somehow we'd get through it. My roommates and I were a bit freaked out and we started to hear a bit of chaos outside. When things calmed we met outside with the rest of the group and our directors from International Studies Abroad. The group from Messiah College (my home college) and I met up and played a game we called "Escombros" aka: Rubble. Basically it was spoons with pieces of dry wall from the building. We were all thankful, in good spirits, and in great hands. We went through a period with limited internet access and switched hotels because there was fear that ours was not stable enough. The resort was goregous. I felt bad though that we could be there comfortably with running water, electricity, a ton of food, pools, etc. but it was for our wellbeing and a good place to debrief and regroup. We had limited internet access but unlimited icecream ;)And beautiful views to see. Monday we moved into our host families.

Things are getting back to normal now. Everyone is still precautious because there are frequent aftershocks. The water has returned to my host family today but they still continue to work on it so it can turn off at any time. Communication means are slowly coming back together too. Where I am we are thankful that things were not worse. Though, people feel for those who have lost family members, homes, etc. It is a "pena". But seems like people are in good spirits.

I personally feel thankful and extremely blessed. I am extremely happy to be surrounded by so many people that I love here and that all of my friends are doing well. Though, I feel sad to see the news of those who have lost so much. It is hard to see and to think that could have been me. I want to help them. I will finish out the semester. I am very excited to do so. I also hope to return in the future to visit.

Through God's grace we were carried through this situation. Everyday things keep improving. There is still some fear and some unease that the afterschocks will be strong for a bit. But things are being reconstructed. With prayers, good spirits, etc. things will be back to normal soon. My semester will continue as normal but I think the best part of this whole scary situation is that I learned a lot and started to appreciate the people I have in my life so much more. I am thankful for all.

This is my second semester in Chile. The country means a lot to me. It is a big part of my life. I love the culture, the relationality the people have, and the language. I have a great group of friends and feel like my Chilean families are sincerely my family. I am connected to a great church Union Cristiana in Vina del Mar and am extremely blessed to be apart of the International Studies Abroad Group (they have cared for us so much and have made sure all of our needs have been met and have been sincerely concerned about our safety). I feel like my experience has taught me so much and will continue to teach me more. I am growing more independent and into who I will become. It has been wonderful.

SO yeah. I appreciate all of the prayers and concern. We definitely were blessed.

I love my new host family and my little sister.
Today I had the opportunity to spend some time with the chicas de ISA (whom I love so much) and LORNA!!!!!!!! We went out for lunch and had a great conversation. She is probably one of my best friends. ♥ I also was able to be a resource for people too. It was nice feeling independent and like I could do everything on my own. And I got to showerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! And I spent time swinging outside under the stars and got to eat watermelon. ♥ Life is good.

This explains how I feel.

DANZA CONMIGO
LLENA MI CORAZON
EN TU DANZA

DANZA CONMIGO
RENUEVA MI CORAZON
EN TU DANZA

MIENTRAS ME LLEVAS EN TUS BRAZOS
MIENTRAS ME LLEVAS EN TUS BRAZOS
ABRAZAME Y GUIAME EN TU DANZA
CONMIGO


I had such a wonderful, powerful time at MOU (Mision Operacion Urbana) this past week. I'll update when I'm less tired. <3

Sliding into the nieve...

So here I am sitting in Mountain View 110 at Messiah College. Before today, I was super excited to be sitting here anticipating this large snowstorm. However, now I am having second thoughts. I am bored. Yes, very bored. This whole not being productive thing is taking its toll on me. I've had way to much time to think AND do nothing. Its bad. Last night things got complicated with going back to Chile early. I'm going back during the middle of a conference which all of my friends will be at. Sounds great, however, no one told me the details. Its an overnight thing for a few days. I do not have a sleeping bag and I don't have my summer clothes. I just want to be able to get into Vina, settle in, and relax some. I am excited about the conference but there are way too many details that no one has filled me in on. Fail.

And I've just had way too much time to think about too much stuff.

I had this tug on my heart the other day. I still don't know exactly what it was about because what I thought it was about ended up hurting me.

I'm ready to slide back into Chile life again.
What will this semester bring me?

Nada, nada limonada.

The phrase: Nada, nada limonada, has really taken hold in my life as a frequently used one as well as "Its in God's hands, esta en las manos de Dios."

In other news, Jterm was one heck of a ride. Probably the most challenging 3 weeks I've had in a long time. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to scream, I almost gave up, I learned, I grew, I pushed, I stayed up all hours of the night, I loved, and I lived. It was about dancing through the rain- "when it rains it pours." I thought some nights my Moral Education class would never end. Don't get me wrong, I love education...philosophy is what gets me. It was such a test of patience for me. I haven't had a class that challenged me to see how much endurance I had. By the end of the class, I finally started to catch on and enjoy it. Too bad at that point it was too late for me to fully engage, but that's ok I pulled out with a surprising A- (not bad for someone who hated the class ;) ) and a support system I never knew I had. It was incredible to see who I became closer to.

I tried to take the old me, mix her with the new me, failed. Then I tried to let me grow again and succeeded. I'm learning its about balance and enjoying things. Sometimes what we thought we had planned for life really aren't what we had planned at all.

It's in the hands of God.