Viajero

No se porque continuo asistir a una iglesia en que no soy conocido. Sabes? No hay nadie en esa iglesia que me conoce. Casi nadie sabe ni mi nombre. Hize la misma cosa en Mexico, pero pense que lo hize en Mexico porque no habia una iglesia mejor. Pero ahora estoy en EEUU, el pais "cristiano," el pais de mil millones iglesias, y todavia no puedo encontrar un lugar en que no me siento como extranjero. Que hago? Busco esa lugar, busco mi casa, pero por el momento, me siento viajero.

Teaching English

I have arrived at a few really tough decisions. I am torn between these things:

-learning Chinese by teaching English for a year in Taiwan but having my Spanish and ASL suffer from lack of use
-improving my Spanish by teaching English in Mexico, but losing a great opportunity to learn Chinese and having my ASL suffer from lack of use
-not wanting to be gone for a whole year because of a couple very important relationships that I don't want to suffer from absence

I don't know exactly what I should do. Both teaching options hold merit. I know my Spanish isn't as good as I want it to be and part of me says it is foolish to move on to learning Chinese before I have really mastered Spanish. Another part of me recognizes the great opportunity I have to learn yet another language. I LOVE languages and cultures. I am gripped by a great desire to learn other languages so I can communicate with more people. You may know that I am quite the talker and the more people I can talk to, the better. Ideally, I would take a split between the first two options. A semester in Taiwan teaching, then a semester in Mexico (or another Latin American country) teaching.

I also have to recognize the fact that I do not want to be a teacher. I like teaching in theory, helping others learn something new, but there is a butt ton of work that goes into it that I do not want to do. I think I could swallow the negative aspects of teaching for an overseas, temporary teaching job. But that still leaves me stuck between Mexico and Taiwan... I hadn't even thought of teaching English in Mexico until two days ago. Life was blissfully less complicated before I did. I think, however, that finding a job that starts in the Spring in Mexico will be harder than finding one in Taiwan. Or what if I were to do both? What if I did a year in Taiwan, and a year in Mexico? That is not my first choice and presents entirely new problems.... ugh. Why must I yearn to learn so?! GAH!

Graduating

I was asked recently if I am actually aware that I am graduating, if the reality of that event is still far off or if I know it is close. That is a strange question to try to answer (and the asker knew it). The whole thing is made even more difficult becasue I am planning to go overseas for the Spring to teach English *crosses fingers and thinks good thoughts*. I am really fine with the whole "real world" concept, with working, and such. I thought I wouldn't be, but I think the last year has really changed me a lot. I was afraid before of graduating and losing a lot of friends, being alone. I realize now that the ones I would lose have already been lost, and those who will stick with me will do so whether I am graduated or not. Being in Mexico and coming back did a lot to show me who was in each of those groups. I have, in the last few weeks, become very comfortable with the idea of graduation. There are still a few anxious points: will I actually be able to maintain friendships with people who are still in school?, I will miss school, the learning, but think I will also have an opportunity to learn a lot of things I couldn't before.

I have some difficult choices to make in the coming weeks and months, and I would like the prayers of anyone who reads this (I only actually know of one person who has ever looked at it, but maybe there are more of you I don't know about). I am well.

Militants

So I read a news article this morning on a Hispanic news source that kinda bothered me.
In case you might be able to read Spanish, here is the link.
http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=2073807
So, under that picture (which I LOVE) there is a caption that says "Militants that oppose [Obama's] health care reform plan took to the streets with their whole arsenal." That pisses me off. No wonder the international community thinks so much of Obama, thier news sources are all painting him to be a hero, some sort of Saint. Meanwhile, his approval rating is dropping in the US, despite the fact that all our own news sources are praising him left and right. At least the American people are starting to see through some of the things Obama is trying to do. Even congress, that we all (including Obama I dare say) thought would be in Obama's pocket, is starting to say "hang on there chief..... what was that you were asking us to do?" He is our president, that is a fact. Another fact is that he is OUR president, we are not HIS people. We elected him, that means he need s to do what WE want, not the other way around. I truly hope that his insanity prompts people to begin fighting for their rights, their representation in our government, and hold the government accountable to the will of the people.

That is all.