I've managed to find the comfiest booth in the library. I may sleep here tonight. Why am I in the library you ask? Well, it's exam time of course! I have four exams this coming week to take. I can't wait for them to be done, so I can head on home for my month long break from this place called Knoxville.
I am actually feeling like I will do fine on these exams, it is probably the least stressed I have even been about exams. You see I was always a cram-the-night-before kind of girl in high school. But, for these exams, I started studying Tuesday, and have been working a little bit each day. No cramming, just good, old-fashioned learning! I wouldn't have decided to take this strategy if it hadn't been for my Art History class. I do not know why I decided this class would be a good idea, but nonetheless, I started it so I am gosh dang it going to finish it.
I am really liking my strategy this year though, I might have to use it in the coming years. No cramming and less stress is always good in my book.
While I was walking to the library this morning, I was mulling over the reflections I had just read in the book my Aunt gave me for my birthday, In Conversation with God, (a great book by the way, you should read it) and I realized that my exam study strategy is all to similar to what my life is supposed to look like.
We study, study, study for the one big exam. We prepare, memorize, read, and study some more. Then, the day comes, we don't know exactly what we're going to get, but we have an idea. On the big day, we sit down in front of that paper our teacher has given us and our preparation is judged. We are held accountable for all our time in that class; for all the reading and work we were expected to do. If our preparation is good enough, we pass. On to the next thing. That is what we hope for.
Does it sound familiar? Our time on this earth is a lifelong preparation for the one big day--that day Jesus comes back and we are judged for our life.
We prepare, prepare, prepare for the one big test. We spend our life living our the word of our teacher: helping others, feeding the hungry, forgiving, loving, and loving some more. Then, the day comes, we don't know exactly what we're going to get, but we have an idea. On the big day, we stand in front of the Lord and are judged. We are held accountable for all our time on earth; for all the things Jesus told us we must do. If our preparation is good enough, we pass. On to Heaven. That is what we hope for.
Will we have put in enough time, will our actions be enough?
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
livin' the college life
Oh man, it's been a while hasn't it?
While I am not in another country, or doing anything particularly cool, I do think that college life does deserve at least one post. If you don't want to read about it, then please don't. I give you permission to skip this and only read about the cool things I plan on doing with my life later on.
University of Tennessee, who knew that I would end up being a Tennessee Volunteer after all those years of vol hating. It feels like I have been here forever. The things that seemed cool and new to me when I first got here are so routine that I can't even remember which ones they were.
There's a start, I really do love UT. I know that the orange is probably the ugliest color in the world. I definitely do not bleed orange, even on game days. UT football. It is certainly an experience. It poured my first game, and lets just say at the second game, the guy sitting behind my group had a little too much pre game fun. The fun went all over us. Get the picture? Needless to say, I have not lasted through a whole game yet. Although I do find the school spirit amazing, I tend to get bored after halftime. We usually stay through the half time show by the good old Pride of the South Marching Band, and then hit the road.
I have learned something about football though. I joined the Catholic Student Association Flag Football team, better known as Charlie's Angles (our priest is Father Charlie). I am told that the first position I held is called "being on the line." I also ventured into some offense, but it really wasn't a great fit. Most of the time, I just ended up ducking so that my teammate could throw the ball to the person on the other side of me. After two of our games, I managed to snag the position of rusher. I was meant to be a rusher. I you ever watched me play basketball, you might remember that I had a hard time not running into people. Most of the fouls I got were because I was being too rough...so, rushing the QB turned out to be the perfect job for me. I even managed to get his flags once before he threw the ball!
The Catholic Student Association, or CSA, is the made up of some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Between, Bible study, our weekly CSA meeting, inter murals, and other things, I am most likely found with some member of CSA every night after I get done with work. If I'm not doing something organized then you can probably find me in John 23 studying. John XII is the Catholic parish that is actually located on campus. The BCM (Baptist people), and John23 are the only two ministeries that aren't owned by the school. The building is located about 2 minutes max from my dorm. It is pretty much open at all times of the day, and there are endless rooms to study in and a lot of the time there is food up for grabs. It is a truly wonderful place, that I have come to fully appreciate.
Hmmm anything else? Classes? Their fine. Nothing too mind blowing, although my Art History is rather mind numbing. I struggle daily to stay awake in that class. My advisor today said that I could continue on with it next semester and I had a hard time not laughing out loud. If I wanted to torture myself for an hour three times/week, then Art History would be the first class on my list. We got to write a dialogue in my Child and Family studies class last week about how to change a baby's diaper while talking a normal amoutn and more than normal. After that, she said we could act it out if we wanted. We didn't.
On a completely different note, 40 Days for Life officially started Wednesday. Fast, Pray, and Pray some more for an end to abortion. If you live in Nashville, there is a pretty awesome group of people praying outside of the abortion clinics there. GO JOIN THEM! Click in the website and sign up for a time slot! I will hopefully be doing the same in Knoxville soon!
I'm gonna wrap this up now, its getting pretty late. Here are a few last notes:
1. It's fall break. I had to stay here for the first two days because I have to work during the week. The campus is deserted. I walked to my advisor meeting today and saw 6 people, 2 of which were maintenance.
2. Since there are no people here, the cafeteria dosen't open until 10:30am. This is way past my breakfast time. But I'll live, don't worry.
3. You would think that they would reduce the amount of food they cook accordingly to the amount of people on campus. They don't. There was so much food.
4. Usually, you have to wait for the elevator, but I don't have to this weekend!
5. People must have been a lot smarted when they built their dorms, because the mailboxes are impossible to open unless your really smart.
6. It never takes as long as I think its going to take to get to class. I always an at least 10 minutes early.
7. One of my favorite people, Sara DePhillips, is now in Honduras at the Farm of the Child. Here's her blog if you are looking for something to read...I highly recommend it.
While I am not in another country, or doing anything particularly cool, I do think that college life does deserve at least one post. If you don't want to read about it, then please don't. I give you permission to skip this and only read about the cool things I plan on doing with my life later on.
University of Tennessee, who knew that I would end up being a Tennessee Volunteer after all those years of vol hating. It feels like I have been here forever. The things that seemed cool and new to me when I first got here are so routine that I can't even remember which ones they were.
There's a start, I really do love UT. I know that the orange is probably the ugliest color in the world. I definitely do not bleed orange, even on game days. UT football. It is certainly an experience. It poured my first game, and lets just say at the second game, the guy sitting behind my group had a little too much pre game fun. The fun went all over us. Get the picture? Needless to say, I have not lasted through a whole game yet. Although I do find the school spirit amazing, I tend to get bored after halftime. We usually stay through the half time show by the good old Pride of the South Marching Band, and then hit the road.
I have learned something about football though. I joined the Catholic Student Association Flag Football team, better known as Charlie's Angles (our priest is Father Charlie). I am told that the first position I held is called "being on the line." I also ventured into some offense, but it really wasn't a great fit. Most of the time, I just ended up ducking so that my teammate could throw the ball to the person on the other side of me. After two of our games, I managed to snag the position of rusher. I was meant to be a rusher. I you ever watched me play basketball, you might remember that I had a hard time not running into people. Most of the fouls I got were because I was being too rough...so, rushing the QB turned out to be the perfect job for me. I even managed to get his flags once before he threw the ball!
The Catholic Student Association, or CSA, is the made up of some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Between, Bible study, our weekly CSA meeting, inter murals, and other things, I am most likely found with some member of CSA every night after I get done with work. If I'm not doing something organized then you can probably find me in John 23 studying. John XII is the Catholic parish that is actually located on campus. The BCM (Baptist people), and John23 are the only two ministeries that aren't owned by the school. The building is located about 2 minutes max from my dorm. It is pretty much open at all times of the day, and there are endless rooms to study in and a lot of the time there is food up for grabs. It is a truly wonderful place, that I have come to fully appreciate.
Hmmm anything else? Classes? Their fine. Nothing too mind blowing, although my Art History is rather mind numbing. I struggle daily to stay awake in that class. My advisor today said that I could continue on with it next semester and I had a hard time not laughing out loud. If I wanted to torture myself for an hour three times/week, then Art History would be the first class on my list. We got to write a dialogue in my Child and Family studies class last week about how to change a baby's diaper while talking a normal amoutn and more than normal. After that, she said we could act it out if we wanted. We didn't.
On a completely different note, 40 Days for Life officially started Wednesday. Fast, Pray, and Pray some more for an end to abortion. If you live in Nashville, there is a pretty awesome group of people praying outside of the abortion clinics there. GO JOIN THEM! Click in the website and sign up for a time slot! I will hopefully be doing the same in Knoxville soon!
I'm gonna wrap this up now, its getting pretty late. Here are a few last notes:
1. It's fall break. I had to stay here for the first two days because I have to work during the week. The campus is deserted. I walked to my advisor meeting today and saw 6 people, 2 of which were maintenance.
2. Since there are no people here, the cafeteria dosen't open until 10:30am. This is way past my breakfast time. But I'll live, don't worry.
3. You would think that they would reduce the amount of food they cook accordingly to the amount of people on campus. They don't. There was so much food.
4. Usually, you have to wait for the elevator, but I don't have to this weekend!
5. People must have been a lot smarted when they built their dorms, because the mailboxes are impossible to open unless your really smart.
6. It never takes as long as I think its going to take to get to class. I always an at least 10 minutes early.
7. One of my favorite people, Sara DePhillips, is now in Honduras at the Farm of the Child. Here's her blog if you are looking for something to read...I highly recommend it.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
not home for long
I made it safely home yesterday after about 12 hours of flying and 4 hours of driving. I am happy to be home, I've opened the friseg multiple times just to look at our normal food. Seeing my family, minus my dad who is out of town, has been really great. I didn't realize how much I missed them.
Now, I'm getting ready for school. I packed a lot before I left, but there is still a trail of things around the house that need to be packed. I think I'm going to go up to school today with some of my stuff and my mom is going to come up tomorrow with the rest and officially move me in. The plan was to go up tomorrow, but it turns out I need to be at something the school has planned for freshmen tomorrow or I will fail my freshmen class. Going up today means that I'm not going to get to see my dad! I haven't seen him for almost a month now. Well, I'm off to go pack!
I may be home, but there are still some really big things in the works Peru-wise. Keep checking back!
Now, I'm getting ready for school. I packed a lot before I left, but there is still a trail of things around the house that need to be packed. I think I'm going to go up to school today with some of my stuff and my mom is going to come up tomorrow with the rest and officially move me in. The plan was to go up tomorrow, but it turns out I need to be at something the school has planned for freshmen tomorrow or I will fail my freshmen class. Going up today means that I'm not going to get to see my dad! I haven't seen him for almost a month now. Well, I'm off to go pack!
I may be home, but there are still some really big things in the works Peru-wise. Keep checking back!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
his plan
Not being able to see my babies from San Antonio's until Monday has turned out to be a blessing in disguise I've gotten to spend the past three days getting to know little Naylee better. I don't know why I worried about it in the first place, I should have remembered that God's plan is always the better one.
He's really shown me over the past year and a half not to worry, but to have faith. Not getting into UT until second semester, ending up going to Peru, being at home by myself for six months, and being back here; I really believe all these things have God's hand all over them. I have grown so much through all these things.
My college story is a long one. But put simply, I applied to ten schools. I got into them all, but for various reasons I didn't really want to/couldn't go to any of them. As I was about to hit accept to a college I wasn't 100% happy about, the week of the deadline, my college counselor called and said if I applied to UT I might be able to get in. Thinking that this would be better than all of my other choices, having visited UT and liked it, and that it was "ment to be," I accepted the opportunity.
As God would have it, I didn't get accepted for the fall semester but I did get accepted for the spring. Not knowing what I was going to do now that the deadline had passed for accepting any of the other schools, and with no school in line for spring, my mom suggested I volunteer. I took this suggestion to heart and found IVHQ after applying for a few other programs and finding them full. I think that my mom's idea of volunteering probably took place a little closer to home and for a shorter period of time, but I had my heart set on Peru. I signed up for four months, got my shots, packed my bags, and stepped on my plan to start a life changing journey.
You know what I did here that first time if you read my blog. I loved what I was doing. Although I struggled with some issues part of the time, I loved the work most of the time. I absolutely fell in love with the people. Lidia and her family were so welcoming and open with their home, that by the end of my second week, I felt completely at home in their house. I also met some extremely exceptional children. Naylee, Joni, Jessica, and Joselyn; all of these people left huge imprints in my heart. Some of them I may not see again, but other I will. But they all have changed my life in drastic ways. They made me so much more thankful for the special people in my life, and made me much more aware of the problems in our society.
I also met one of the people I still call one of my best friends. I've heard that relationships built on Christ are the best ones, and my friendship with Jade is truly one of these. The first time Jade and I really talked, it was about religion. In the three weeks we were friends, she challenged my morals and faith more than any one person I have ever met. She had a new view to everything I believed, and even though she is Baptist, she made me delve deeper into, and fall more in love with my Catholic faith.
After learning so much and being challenged in so many ways, being home was a relief. I had more than enough free time to think and listen to God about His plans thanks to all my friends being in college. One of the big things that I asked HIm to show me was what He wanted me to do with my life. So many people had asked what I wanted to major in; what I wanted to do when I graduated. But I wanted to know what He wanted. I also did a lot of great reading. I read something one time that stuck. It said something to the effect that to find God's plan, you should look at what really pulls at the strings of your heart. I thought about this and realized what my heart has been burdened with. Some people get really worked up about then environment, others about animals. I have been given a great love for the poor and orphaned. Ask a environmentalist about the environment ad be ready for an intense discussion; ask a vegan about animal cruelty and you will probably be in for a roller coaster ride of a conversation. Ask me about the orphans and poor of our world and you are going to get an ear full.
After a lot of praying, I got the feeling God wanted me here, in Peru. I wasn't sure why, but I said ok. I bought my ticket and got ready to go, and here I am! I'm not doing amazing things, or changing the world in huge leaps and bounds, but I am sharing His love. I'm building even better relationships with my babies; showing them all of God's love that the parents they don't have will never show them. I'm building a beautiful relationship with a girl named Jocelyn, whom I have never really known before. He even sent a friend on the trip with me to share in the experience. If this is all He wanted me down here for, I would be happy. I just want to do His will.
I like to have everything planned out perfectly. I like to have goals, and know exactly how I'm going to get to them. Look in my planner and you will find every single step to every single day written down. Doing this whole life thing God's way dosen't exactly give me a stop by stop map of where I will be in the next few years. It is really hard at times. Many times I want to take things into my control, mapping out my life the way I want it to be. But, I think that if I give God the control over my life, I'm going to be much happier. It will not always be the easier way; I'd rather be home at times with my family. It may not be the most fun way; my heart is being broken into a million pieces each day here. It may not be the fastest way even, but it is the best way. I'm sure of that.
He's really shown me over the past year and a half not to worry, but to have faith. Not getting into UT until second semester, ending up going to Peru, being at home by myself for six months, and being back here; I really believe all these things have God's hand all over them. I have grown so much through all these things.
My college story is a long one. But put simply, I applied to ten schools. I got into them all, but for various reasons I didn't really want to/couldn't go to any of them. As I was about to hit accept to a college I wasn't 100% happy about, the week of the deadline, my college counselor called and said if I applied to UT I might be able to get in. Thinking that this would be better than all of my other choices, having visited UT and liked it, and that it was "ment to be," I accepted the opportunity.
As God would have it, I didn't get accepted for the fall semester but I did get accepted for the spring. Not knowing what I was going to do now that the deadline had passed for accepting any of the other schools, and with no school in line for spring, my mom suggested I volunteer. I took this suggestion to heart and found IVHQ after applying for a few other programs and finding them full. I think that my mom's idea of volunteering probably took place a little closer to home and for a shorter period of time, but I had my heart set on Peru. I signed up for four months, got my shots, packed my bags, and stepped on my plan to start a life changing journey.
You know what I did here that first time if you read my blog. I loved what I was doing. Although I struggled with some issues part of the time, I loved the work most of the time. I absolutely fell in love with the people. Lidia and her family were so welcoming and open with their home, that by the end of my second week, I felt completely at home in their house. I also met some extremely exceptional children. Naylee, Joni, Jessica, and Joselyn; all of these people left huge imprints in my heart. Some of them I may not see again, but other I will. But they all have changed my life in drastic ways. They made me so much more thankful for the special people in my life, and made me much more aware of the problems in our society.
I also met one of the people I still call one of my best friends. I've heard that relationships built on Christ are the best ones, and my friendship with Jade is truly one of these. The first time Jade and I really talked, it was about religion. In the three weeks we were friends, she challenged my morals and faith more than any one person I have ever met. She had a new view to everything I believed, and even though she is Baptist, she made me delve deeper into, and fall more in love with my Catholic faith.
After learning so much and being challenged in so many ways, being home was a relief. I had more than enough free time to think and listen to God about His plans thanks to all my friends being in college. One of the big things that I asked HIm to show me was what He wanted me to do with my life. So many people had asked what I wanted to major in; what I wanted to do when I graduated. But I wanted to know what He wanted. I also did a lot of great reading. I read something one time that stuck. It said something to the effect that to find God's plan, you should look at what really pulls at the strings of your heart. I thought about this and realized what my heart has been burdened with. Some people get really worked up about then environment, others about animals. I have been given a great love for the poor and orphaned. Ask a environmentalist about the environment ad be ready for an intense discussion; ask a vegan about animal cruelty and you will probably be in for a roller coaster ride of a conversation. Ask me about the orphans and poor of our world and you are going to get an ear full.
After a lot of praying, I got the feeling God wanted me here, in Peru. I wasn't sure why, but I said ok. I bought my ticket and got ready to go, and here I am! I'm not doing amazing things, or changing the world in huge leaps and bounds, but I am sharing His love. I'm building even better relationships with my babies; showing them all of God's love that the parents they don't have will never show them. I'm building a beautiful relationship with a girl named Jocelyn, whom I have never really known before. He even sent a friend on the trip with me to share in the experience. If this is all He wanted me down here for, I would be happy. I just want to do His will.
I like to have everything planned out perfectly. I like to have goals, and know exactly how I'm going to get to them. Look in my planner and you will find every single step to every single day written down. Doing this whole life thing God's way dosen't exactly give me a stop by stop map of where I will be in the next few years. It is really hard at times. Many times I want to take things into my control, mapping out my life the way I want it to be. But, I think that if I give God the control over my life, I'm going to be much happier. It will not always be the easier way; I'd rather be home at times with my family. It may not be the most fun way; my heart is being broken into a million pieces each day here. It may not be the fastest way even, but it is the best way. I'm sure of that.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him - Psalm 37:4,7
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Quick Update
I also picked up my camera toady….IT WORKS!
My first picture!!! It's not of anything interesting, but its still exciting. Get ready for some pictures of Pachacutec and Lima!Thursday, September 2, 2010
The School In Pachacutec
School in Lima is very different than back in the US. Kids here go to school in the morning or in the afternoon. This limits the time the teacher has to teach the kids. At the school in Pachacutec, it always seems as if the kids are running free, just doing there own thing. Ask them why their not in class, and you will probably just get a shrug. Every school here has uniforms. Right now, most of them consist of sweat suites with the school logo on the breast or on the back. Even the poorest public schools seem to find a way to get the kids in uniforms.
Our job is to teach English. We get each class for 30 to 45 minutes once a week. This is not enough time for them to actually learn English. With the coming and going of volunteers, the organization of the teaching program has disintegrated. When I came into the program, there was and still is not a set curriculum. The volunteers are expected to come up with lessons on their own. Giving a volunteer with no teaching experience the job of making and teaching lessons, does not end well. I get the impression that the spanish classes have evolved into singing the "ABC" song and "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" over and over again, which does not teach the kids much English.
The teachers are not too keen on having English classes for their kids. You might ask why not? We see English as something that will help them in the future. Not having the teachers support, makes it hard to teach. But, I understand why they think our classes are a waste of time if we are just singing with the kids. Without their support, there is no way we are going to get more teaching time. And without a curriculum, we are not going to get the teacher's support.
In the time I've been here, there have been a few people who really seem to care about the way the program is going and about the kids. One guy who is a spanish teacher back home, wrote a very rough outline of a curriculum. It is very basic, and only consists of a list of points to hit throughout the year. Another volunteer who is still here, has been helping me and other volunteers write lesson plans, and is helping Lidia, the pogram director, come up with a more in depth curriculum. I think the ideal point that they need to get to to benefit the kids the most is to have a book with lesson plans for each week already written, so that each volunteer can take the plan and teach it. That way, there would be continuity throughout the English classes.
In the past two weeks, since I have been teaching, we have been having concrete lessons. No more singing for thirty minutes. In this time, I reallly think that the teahers have become more welcoming to our presence in the classroom. I hope that if we can get a good solid curriculum, we can then build better relationships with the students teachers, and then maybe one day we could have more time for English. It's a work in progress, but it's happening!
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