[Mi Vida] Yays/Yucks

As I described before, we learned at our mission training how we will often experience the Paradox of living life abroad. The positive things you experience are the yays, and the negative things are the yucks. It's totally normal/typical/okay to feel both of these things at the exact same time: To know that God has called you to a place and be happy about that.... while at the same time being super frustrated with all the negative things that keep hitting you in the face. I'm going to share a few of my yays/yucks now. PS- another longish blog post coming up. Sorry! 

Yays

• A few days into staff training, I re-fell in love with Makarios and God confirmed how much his presences is intertwined in every piece of this organization and the people who work for it. 

•The fact that I'm going to once again need (capital N-E-E-D) to rely on the Lord every single minute of every day. (For spanish speaking abilities, for the ability to not scream on the top of my lungs when I get another mosquito bite, for the ability to love like he loves me, for safety, for health,  etc. etc.)

•The fact that I'm going to experience what I experienced in Peru. When my bible reading became "alive" to me. When I was able to read a passage and then pray, walk in, and live out the words that I just read. 

•Cold showers. For those of you who have traveled to other countries and not stayed in a resort, you've more than likely experienced the coldness of water. It's a complaint I've had in my past mission trips.. but NOT here. After a super humid day outside, a cold shower is the biggest present you could ever ask for.

•The Makarios team is absolutely AMAZING (capitals emphasized). I honestly could not have asked for a better staff. I'm going to aim to introduce members of the staff individually in following blog posts.. so I won't take up more space here explaining how great they are.

•Spotify works ABROAD! 

•The warmth of the people here is absolutely amazing. Erika and I went walking around Los Ciruelos yesterday to advertise for the ESL class I'll be teaching, and we ended up being out for 3 hours talking to families/kids about everything and anything. It's common for people to just invite into your homes, ask you how you're doing (and really care about your answer), offer food/drink.... and this is all when you come UN-invited. How much of a culture shock is it going to be when I return to the states and show up to my friends homes (unexpectedly) expecting all the same things ;)

•Going to the beach as our Sabbath. I'll never stop getting used to that.

Photo example of a YAY: Our staff (that is amazing) playing icebreaker games.

Yucks

•Having busy staff days (work 8-4) and busy afternoons (apartment hunting, grocery store shopping, etc.) and THEN wanting to just crash on your bed because you're exhausted from speaking a different language most of the day, learning 2 million things about a new country/culture, and doing your job. Then you have the choice to make: crash and… not finish up your to do list of: thank you cards, blogging, figuring out student loan deferments 

•The humidity. 

I'm told that I will get used to it. And I believe it.. when I feel the sweat dripping to my toes, only to look over at my Dominican/Haitian fellow staff members whom (because of lack of sweat) appear to be as if they are in the midst of an air conditioned room. But for now, until I get used to it… it's a yuck. A big time yuck.

• LOS INSECTOS (bugs). Okay so huge praise to God, I didn't see many bugs in the beginning days. Yes there was the spider incident, yes I saw the flash of a cockroach.. but overall there weren't many! That was all UNTIL I started to receive 2 mosquito bites per day, there was another tarantula found outside the Mak house, and moths began to attack my computer/me late at night because of its bright light. If you know me well, you know that I am legitimately terrified of all bugs. Like it's right up there with getting a terminal disease.  This is a huge yuck. A yuck that I'm hoping will eventually subside as I live on a tropical island. But a yuck nonetheless. (PS- The two tarantulas I've seen now have both been in tuperware boxes to be the kids "pets." Pray that I NEVER EVER EVER see one in real life just crawling around here.. because you will hear my scream for hours and hours upon end.)

•I've been missing a few things lately. (This act of missing falls into my yuck category.) We were encouraged at our Mission Training that it's okay to admit to missing some of the more "shallow" things that you'll be letting go of once you leave the states. So here goes:

• Netflix, Hulu, Pandora-- these all don't work outside of the states
• Fall (my absolute favorite season). Oh how I miss Autumn, and all it entails. The leaves changing colors, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans & converse sneakers, bonfires, my Steve Madden fall boots that I got on super sale and was only able to wear once because the Syracuse snow kicked in early last year, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin ice-cream, (really pumpkin flavored anything), flag football, flamingo football,   60 degree weather etc. etc. etc. 
• Syracuse.. everything about it:  24/7 access to my best friends, CRU, Juice Jam, college life, dining hall food choices (who would have thought I ever said that), Famous Artists- who is performing IN THE HEIGHTS this year,  NY State Fair, upcoming basketball season, the quad.. etc. etc. 
• Air conditioning
• The lack of bugs the US has.

Photo example of a Yuck: A tarantula (that the Menold Family caught outside). A THOUSAND TIMES YUCK.

(PS- Everytime I say a thousand times ___.. I always think of Pride & Prejudice. You know, when Jane says yes to Mr. Bingsley proposing.. Anyone?)