update

I’m so sorry I haven’t updated this in so long, it’s difficult without internet at home. But I will try and remember everything that has happened. I will have to put it briefly or else you’ll still be reading this next week!

1. I have moved into my new apartment and I feel far more at home here, it is just up the road from my closest friends here, Lorena and Jaime. Most evenings now, as I pass their house on my way home, I drop into their house to chat to them and their mum!! Perfect Spanish practise (although even Jaime says sometimes his mum uses words that not even they understand!)

2. Amanda has gone back to Canada to study and so I live by myself. At first this was hard and I cried the first few days, but after that things went back to normal here. I’m used to being here alone and so just got back into that mode! The church know she has gone and so I am getting all sorts of invites from people and families to go to their houses and people are asking to come and visit me!! So, although I am very sad Amanda has gone, at least I am getting to know more people.

3. My Spanish is improving suddenly. Living by myself means I don’t talk English at home (well apart from my thoughts!) and so I am speaking far more Spanish! Tonight, a friend came round and we talked for 3 hours trying to sort out their life , (and not a word of English!) It is wonderful to know I can have deep, meaningful conversations in Spanish.

4. Football continues, and I continue to go each Sunday to watch. It’s great – if I want to chat to people I can and if not I can just stand quietly and watch whilst having people around me!

5. The political troubles in the country are calmer for now, as Mel Zalaya is in the USA!

6. I am on vacation for the whole of July and am LOVING it!!

7. Last Friday night my group from Youth Group all came to sleep the night in my apartment as we had planned to go to Santa Barbara at 5am Sat morning. Oh my!! In the end only 9 stayed here, 4 stayed at Lorena’s and 3 stayed at home and came early on Saturday! SO much fun. I was determined to keep my bed mind you – although I had to share it with Sindy and Yesenia. However Yesenia snored and so I ended up on the floor in the other room with the guys!! I didn’t sleep at all – they had all the cushions! We then left at 5am to Santa Barbara. Fredi’s friend needed help in her house there. She had been in a car accident where her husband and baby died. She is left with a bag in her stomach and other problems and just needed encouragement! We turned up and cleaned up the garden and then I went with her and a few of the others to the grave and cleaned it all up with her. That was hard to do! It was so humbling to go and see this woman, probs not much older than me and see her coping with everything. It was a great time to get to know the others better too. Next Saturday we are re-roofing a house near the church.

8. I am so so blessed and lucky to have my friends here. I love them to pieces!! I think in this last week my friendships have really deepened with them all. I’m also meeting new people and getting to know them too.

9. All last week someone kept breaking into our garden here. Abner – my neighbour upstairs gets more scared than me! The dogs go mad, I think sometimes they are just barking at an animal – but not every time, I heard the person when they entered too. But it is a huge garden and they don’t come near the house – nor would the dogs let them! The first time I heard someone in the night, and then heard gun shots. I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. Apparently, the gun shots were in my garden!! Abner called the guard of the school down the road when he heard the robber who came and fired warning shots! So, I have put bolts on my doors. The one it had was so flimsy you could open the door! I have friends lined up to come help if there is trouble, we’ve put up more outdoor lights and Abner is going to buy a gun so he can warn people off! It’s really not as bad as it sounds!

10. Hopefully I will go to Tegus this week to finally get my residency card. Yay.

So that is a brief summary of what has been happening! I think most of you got my newsletter. If you didn’t get it and would like a copy please let me know your email address and I will send it to you. Sorry there are still no pics. It takes too long to upload them from here. I use internet at different places so as not to keep bothering the same person. Now I am in Texaco Cruz gas station!!! Free internet whilst they are washing my car (sounds a WHOLE lot posher than it is!!!)
So.. life is good! I’m a happy girl!