Roommates, college, and going home

Ahhh! Exactly three weeks from this moment I will be on my flight to Mexico! I can't believe it has come so fast. I'm still just as unprepared as I was on the last post... the lack of a car makes shopping a bit of a difficulty... BUT! I'll be back home in Meridian in a few days and then I can start my mad scramble to get ready. Anybody have any ideas about how to choose what you'll need for a four month long trip? Because I am most definitely at a loss.

Anyway, all my finals are over and my parents will soon be here to take me back home for Christmas. As I leave my first semester of college, I had some thoughts (sorry they have little to do with Mexico, but they're important nonetheless!)

First of all, ROOMMATES!

Kailey, Nichole, and Alex

All of us - shout out to Jacob for being so patient through the taking of this!

These ladies seriously mean more to me than I ever imagined they would. Coming into college my biggest fear was probably that I would have hard roommates, but I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to spend this semester with! Whether it was Alex teaching me about Mexican culture, Nichole and I sharing a hilarious moment that no one else was immature enough to notice, Karlie and I stuttering over our words because we're both too tired of studying to think anymore, Rachel with her amazing food, or Kailey and the craziness that is how similar we are, I had so many amazing, hilarious, and unforgettable moments with each of them! They've become my best friends, family, and everything else I lost when I left home. I don't think they know how much I'll miss them! I'll certainly never forget all of the great times we had (awkward eye contact!)

Second of all, COLLEGE.

This is where I live! Pretty, isn't it?

Man alive did this one throw me for a loop. When I left home, I was sure I had everything all figured out and was totally prepared to dominate in college. Ha! Those first few weeks were so hard! But this semester stretched me and helped me to grow more than anything else could have. I learned so much! Some serious, some funny, but all true!

1. This was definitely the biggest and most important thing I learned: Heavenly Father wants you to succeed! No matter what it is, He will help you. I can't even tell you how many times I prayed for help just to get through Spanish class or for help finishing all of my homework. And it made all the difference. If you're ever going through a rough patch, just pray! Nothing else can make such a big difference.

2. Don't start a conversation with your roommates and think you can walk out whenever you want and continue studying. You will be there all night.

3. You can survive on canned food for a very long time (thank you Grandma!). It's cheap, easy, and lasts forever. GET SOME.

4. I didn't make this one up, but it's so true. College offers you three options: Good grades, sleep, and a social life. The catch is you can only pick two. Good luck!

5. You can do hard things! Haha that was the theme for a trek that my ward went on a few years ago, but I didn't realize the truth of it until this semester! After the first two days of college I was ready to throw in the towel and head back home to community college, but I stuck it out and it turned out great! Things don't usually turn out the way you want, but they do turn out as long as you work hard and do your best!

And finally, GOING HOME.

Good ol' Boise. Oh how I love you.

Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about this one. It's been almost six months since I've been home and I have no idea what to expect! Will I love it and not want to leave? Will I have a hard time living in my parents' house? Will things be the same between my friends or will we all have changed too much over the past semester? Who knows. Either way, it will be nice to have someone else making my food for me and to sleep in my own bed. And to have a car at my disposal to help me get ready for Mexico.

I think it'll be good. Just different.

Anyway, sorry this is so long again! I love you all and I'm so grateful for all the support I've gotten for this trip. BYU people, if I didn't mention you here it's only because there's too many of you to mention by name! But all of you have had a huge impact on my life and I'll never forget how awesome you made this semester!

Three weeks from today I'll be starting the greatest adventure of my life! Espero que venga muy pronto :)

Adios!

Training!

First of all, welcome to my blog! I'm not usually one to do stuff like this, but I figured a blog would be a good way to share my experiences without having to tell the same story a bunch of different times to everyone. And to hopefully keep my family and friends from feeling too neglected... If you know anything about my long distance communication skills... Let's just say they're lacking! So here we go :)

Yesterday and today I went to training for Mexico! I didn't think it was possible to be any more excited for this experience, but training probably raised my level of "I can't wait" by a thousand percent. We learned all about the teaching method, the culture, what to expect, everything! I won't bore you with the details but here were a few of my favorite pieces of advice:

1. If you get lost, find a woman with a baby for directions. Most importantly, don't ask the mafia for help.

2. Never, I repeat NEVER, accept a gift from a Mexican man. Apparently this is a cultural green light to keep the advances coming.

3. If you don't like something, just say it's too spicy for you (even if it's not). I guess it's better to lie than to criticize a woman's cooking.

Just a few that stuck out to me :)

And finally, for any of you that may be a bit confused about what exactly it is that I'm doing in Mexico, let me explain.

I'm traveling with International Language Programs (ILP), which has been around for twenty years and has been very successful. Their volunteers pay (yep, I'm paying for this, not vice versa) to travel to another country for 3-5 months and teach English to children in a local school. The way their method works is you only speak English in the classroom, and you basically just play with the kids! Obviously making sure to talk a lot along the way. Because they are having fun and want to interact with you, the kids pick up English without even realizing they're learning! It's super cool. If you want to learn more just go to www.ilp.org.

So that's what I'll be doing. I will live with a host family, so I get to speak Spanish and learn about the culture there, and then teach English for around four hours a day. We also get opportunities to travel and experience more of the country! It's an amazing program.

Oh, and for those of you that are worried (and I know some of you are, because you've told me) I will be perfectly safe! ILP works with lots of different organizations, including the State Department and the local people, to ensure that their volunteers are never placed in dangerous situations. Tehuacan is not Juarez. I'm not going to get kidnapped by a drug dealer :)

So the point is, I'm really excited! A bit overwhelmed with all the preparation I have left - packing (probably my least favorite activity in the world), buying supplies (aka shopping, my second least favorite activity), etc. but it will all be worth it when I get there! I'm hoping the next six weeks fly by.

Adios amigos!