I have been feeling very blessed lately - it was such a wonderful weekend and so many things seem to be going right! I know we tend to grow closer to God through struggles and hard times, but he seems close in the really good times too. =)
In spite of having been here less than two months, Dylan and I have four jobs between us - tutoring, subbing, D&O, and teaching English. We're already making a start on Arabic - I can tell a huge difference in my confidence level after just 3 classes. We're involved at church and in the community. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to accomplish all that in 6 weeks.
Of course, a big part of making that happen was that we already had connections here through Dylan's family. We've been missing Dylan's dad, Dan, as he's working in Afghanistan, and Johnny, Dylan's brother, as he's studying at Bowdoin College in Maine. Up to the time we moved here I had spent roughly 5 weeks with the Costers spread out over 5 years, so it's been really nice for me to spend more time with Abby and Ann at least. =)
This weekend we spent Friday at the ballpark where both Dylan and Abby had successful games. As you might imagine the ballpark here is especially dusty and hot, but otherwise it reminds me of where my dad used to play softball when I was little - what I can remember of it anyway.
Saturday I got to help lead worship at church and really really loved it. I think most of your readers have gone to church with me at some point, so you know how much I like being up front singing praise songs. =) After church we got to hang out with some friends for dinner and a movie (we watched Lord of the Rings - the first one) which was really fun. We had puppy chow and popcorn and it was just like being in the States for a few hours.
Sunday is always a great day because Dylan and I have the house to ourselves while Abby and Ann are at school. We did some baking and played some games and just got to hang out together-alone.
Monday was my second English class and it still went well. I panicked for a bit when students kept coming and coming - I had 11 students compared with 7 the last class - but it worked in the end.
And the highlight of the day today was that I walked from the church office to a bookstore on Road 9 and from there back to our apartment without getting lost once. Yes, I studied a map thoroughly beforehand and I've been driven that way a few times, but I've never done it on my own without a map or anything. I was so pleased with myself. And it was a really great bookstore too!
In spite of having been here less than two months, Dylan and I have four jobs between us - tutoring, subbing, D&O, and teaching English. We're already making a start on Arabic - I can tell a huge difference in my confidence level after just 3 classes. We're involved at church and in the community. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to accomplish all that in 6 weeks.
Of course, a big part of making that happen was that we already had connections here through Dylan's family. We've been missing Dylan's dad, Dan, as he's working in Afghanistan, and Johnny, Dylan's brother, as he's studying at Bowdoin College in Maine. Up to the time we moved here I had spent roughly 5 weeks with the Costers spread out over 5 years, so it's been really nice for me to spend more time with Abby and Ann at least. =)
This weekend we spent Friday at the ballpark where both Dylan and Abby had successful games. As you might imagine the ballpark here is especially dusty and hot, but otherwise it reminds me of where my dad used to play softball when I was little - what I can remember of it anyway.
Saturday I got to help lead worship at church and really really loved it. I think most of your readers have gone to church with me at some point, so you know how much I like being up front singing praise songs. =) After church we got to hang out with some friends for dinner and a movie (we watched Lord of the Rings - the first one) which was really fun. We had puppy chow and popcorn and it was just like being in the States for a few hours.
Sunday is always a great day because Dylan and I have the house to ourselves while Abby and Ann are at school. We did some baking and played some games and just got to hang out together-alone.
Monday was my second English class and it still went well. I panicked for a bit when students kept coming and coming - I had 11 students compared with 7 the last class - but it worked in the end.
And the highlight of the day today was that I walked from the church office to a bookstore on Road 9 and from there back to our apartment without getting lost once. Yes, I studied a map thoroughly beforehand and I've been driven that way a few times, but I've never done it on my own without a map or anything. I was so pleased with myself. And it was a really great bookstore too!