Wednesday, July 10, 2013

De vuelta en la tierra que tiene mi corazón

As I have been so thoroughly enjoying this summertime lack of writing, I have been absent from the blog a while. But I do want to resume the habit for this fall at school, so I thought I'd better summarize the end of the school year and my summer adventures up to this point.

Due to a tough bout of homesickness in March and April, the year's end in May was quite welcome. Finals not so much, nor all the goodbyes, but both of those things are only temporary and I survived. I am very content at Templeton/Eastern, and already look forward to the coming school year. Not so much that I'd be willing to shorten my summer. No, not at all!

Speaking of summer, it's not been going as I had planned it would all last semester. That is only because God saw right through my plans and decided to give me something much better, as he is wont to do. I had originally arranged for an internship in Argentina, shipping out from Chicago on 30 May, to return in August. This sounded wonderful and exciting, being back in what I presume to be my field of study, with my boyfriend and good friends, and eating and drinking wonderful Argentine delicacies, for several months. But God, of course more familiar than I with my horrible homesickness, decided to grant me more time at home to tare my emotional scales back to balance. So my internship was cancelled and I just went home for the summer.

The Lord still, in his infinite grace, arranged some wonderful things for me. He found me, after some broad searching, a position in an assisted living center for people with Alzheimer's/dementia. And he let me love it. I love the personal interaction, the tenderness of their vulnerable trust, the stories I get to hear, and how many hugs and "You're so cute. Isn't she adorable?" comments I get a day. I also work on loving the opportunity to wash and dress residents, tidy their rooms, do their laundry, and smile at everyone--coworker and resident alike.

So that was settled--a constructive, money-making, time-occupying activity. Next, God helped me settle the matter of an intense desire for international travel and Gabi's kisses. I can't guarantee that the desire was evenly distributed between those two... :)

When I asked for a Buenos Aires visit, God provided not only that but also a trip to Guatemala. How, you may ask? Well, because of another previously received blessing: Central Presbyterian Church in Norristown. In other words, my friend P (the pastor's daughter) and her family invited me to tag along on their family vacation. They'd invited some of the youth group along, and were happy to add to the party. I have added another country to my list of travels! And I've fallen in love with Latin America all over again.

My goodness, there aren't really words to describe the joy of being back here. (I am writing from Buenos Aires, and remembering back to Guatemala. Either way, it's the Latin world I'm talking about.)  When we were descending in the plane from the clouds to a closer proximity to the Guatemalan landscape, my grin started. It hasn't stopped since.

I got a tour of the town the pastor and his family are from, met some extended family, took a road trip with everyone to see Mayan temples (increíble!), spent an afternoon in Antigua, and drove around the capital. Also, as per usual, I ate and slept well. Most of all, I made new friends. My friend's uncle is the mayor of their town, and so we got an insider's glance of Guatemalan municipal politics. His family (wife, daughter, and son) all welcomed us gringos wonderfully. His son I quickly wooed, and he remains a bit smitten with me regardless of the distance, I hear. His skin is of a darker tint, and so when we got to the stage of holding hands, I told him, "Look, together we make an Oreo with our fingers intertwined!" He's the cookie, I'm the creme. I miss him already!

Since leaving Guatemala (SADLY), I have been in Buenos Aires (HAPPILY). I am living with my good, best, loveliest Argentine friend V and her fantastic boys. I love daily life with them and treasure the chance I have had to re-immerse in this friendship. She is such a solid, hopeful, strong, perseverant, caring, crazy, hilarious, beautiful woman and I cannot imagine how sad I would be if she were not my friend. We barely sleep for talking. Also we run around, play, and wrestle with the boys. We cook and eat well, watch movies, organize the apartment, go on walks, visit other friends, and celebrate birthdays. It's been a wonderful time this past week. I lament only having one more...

Also, I've been with Gabi, my colombianovio. What a blissful time. In the first few days, the exhaustion of the overnight flight and switch to new food and water and cultural body clock prevented me from fully enjoying being back together. But, as God knew, being here with Vero makes everything easier. For one thing, it was easy and speedy to get here from the airport and get settled. And the two of them are good friends, so conversation was easy and plentiful. We've been cooking, playing with the boys, walking to the park, and planning. I feel fully treasured and blessed to have him as my boyfriend, and he's done a jolly good job of spoiling me. We went to a fair on Sunday, Feria de Mataderos, and spent a lovely afternoon looking at all the artisan crafts and jewelry and food, listening to the typical music and dance of one town, Catamarca, featured that week. And we ate. Thank heavens I found someone who enjoys eating as much as I do, and enjoys that I enjoy good food. :)

Anywho, that's the gist of it. In short, I'm completely content. Let's wait and see, maybe God has other marvels prepared for me even today.

I don't doubt it in the least. xox