Week 2 Update

Wow. I am continually amazed by how fast time goes! 

I have officially been here for exactly 2 weeks now! So crazy. 

Updates on the last week:

1. I had my first full week of classes!

 I am taking all "intercambio" classes, which basically means that I am only with other international students, and that the teachers know how to speak Spanish so that we can actually understand! :) I'm taking all Spanish classes, but I also have a fun dance class and one called "Taller cultural" where I will get to ride horses and learn how to make food, etc! I'm so excited for that one. During class, I can understand about 90% of what the professors say, but as soon as I stop paying attention, it takes me a bit to get back on track! Overall, my classes have been good. Hardly any homework, which is always a plus!

2. I had my first weekend here! 

Because I'm in intercambio classes, my weekend starts Thursday evening! holllaaaaa!!! So this past Thursday night, Flor (my host sister) invited me to attend an art exhibition for her friend. I went with Flor, her friend Mariano, and one of the other international students, Allen. Here's a pic of us at the gallery:

Here's a link to their facebook page, if you're interested: https://www.facebook.com/KosovoGallery/photos_stream

Side note about the picture: 

We almost knocked the painting down, which is why Mariano is looking the wrong way! haha! 

The actual gallery was really interesting! Very abstract art that was difficult to understand. At the end, we finally asked the artist what one of the symbols was on almost every one of his works, and we discovered that it somehow was a symbol of the antichrist. Allen and I decided that we really didn't like the artwork anymore!! So weird!

After the gallery we went to an event called "Español y Cerveza."It happens every so often at a hostel in downtown Córdoba. Because it's at a hostel, people from all over the world can be there! At first is was super overwhelming because there were a ton of people there (all crammed on the roof). Eventually I found some friends, and it got better. But I was definitely starting to get really tired and frustrated. I was so discouraged because normally a social gathering like this would be really fun. I would enjoy getting to know people from all around the world and socializing. But instead, because my Spanish is lacking, I could hardly have a quality conversation with anyone. Everything was very "surfacy", and once my limited questions ran out, I would have nothing to say. 

The struggle of identity here is something that I guess I didn't think about a lot beforehand. When I'm with only Spanish speakers, I honestly cannot be the person that I truly am. I can't ask good questions, I can't be funny, I can't tell stories, etc. They probably think I'm this shy girl who can only talks when she needs to! haha! It is honestly a very frustrating experience though. 

Anyway, the rest of the night at "Español y Cerveza" was fine. I met a guy from Minnesota though! So that was SUPER exciting!! Other than that, we got home around 3ish (which according to Argentine time, is early!) and I was just so emotionally exhausted. Listening and mentally translating Spanish all day long is very draining. I am so ready for the day when conversations will just come naturally! 

3. I still love ice cream!!!! 

One of the best things about this country is the abundance of ice cream! It is literally on almost every corner! It is also super cheap, making it very dangerous for an ice cream lover like myself. :) 

4. I finally got to be in nature!! 

It was incredible. On Saturday, we hopped on the Intercórdoba bus, with very little knowledge of how we were actually getting to our location, but with an eagerness for adventure! We (me and 4 other friends from my program) ended up meeting 11 others at Dique La Quebrada. It was about an hour bus ride away from Córdoba. The group ended up being mostly Argentineans and then just a few of us international students. It was perfect though, because there were several in the group that knew what they were doing and were great guides! We hiked for about an hour and a half to a waterfall. The actual hike wasn't very challenging, but the humidity made it look like we were all working super hard! The whole time I just kept praising God for His amazing creation! At the waterfall we swam, chatted, and of course, drank mate! It was a great time of relaxation and enjoying our surroundings! I was exhausted by the time I got home that night (we were gone a full day), but it was so worth it! 

                                        

                          

                           

                                       
 
                            

                                         

                                   

5. I found a church!!!!

This was honestly such a HUGE answer to prayer. I had been searching on the internet for a church and was having a hard time figuring it all out. There seemed to be lots of churches, but I couldn't find good ones that were close, or I couldn't figure out the times, etc. This past Sunday, I was planning to try and find one my host family knew about (however, they didn't know the times or the name) and when morning rolled around, I was just exhausted. Later in the afternoon, I started listening to a sermon, when all of a sudden, I saw that I had a message on facebook. It was an invitation to go to church that night from one of the girls in the exchange program who I hardly know! I was so surprised and was honestly so close to crying when I read it! What an answer to prayer. 

I ended up meeting the group downtown. (This was also the first time that I've ever traveled by myself there and back!) We then had to walk a while to find this church. Almost right after we got there, we met a girl from the States that is an intern there! She invited us to do coffee and hang out after the service with some of them. I also learned that the pastor and his wife are from the States, but have lived in Argentina for 20+ years. So cool.

Anyway, the actual service was so amazing. The worship was my favorite part. I knew almost every song (well, the English versions), and so it was just powerful to hear them in Spanish. I was on the verge of tears the whole time and felt God's presence so strongly. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling, being surrounded by other believers and knowing that God understands my praise even when it's in a different language! So cool. 

After the service, I wanted to stay and meet people, but the rest of my group wanted to get going. As soon as we left church, I started to feel discouraged, because once again, I felt alone in my faith. I can't really tell where the other students are in their faith, but it doesn't seem to have quite the same importance for them. So I guess my main prayer request right now, is that God would put other solid believers in my life as well as just good friends. I know that He will continue to take care of me. He has already made that clear over and over in the past, and I know that He will do the same in the future. Now I will just wait for His timing! 

                                        
 
                     

    (These are some pictures of the church that I snagged from their facebook page!) :)