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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Catching Up

Hey Everyone!

I like to imagine that my hoards of faithful readers have been desolate without me. Well, not desolate, really, since I don't wish sadness on anyone, but still. It does a body good to know someone's wondering what's up with you.

Anyway, it turns out that the month of February did indeed bring great changes. I moved into my own apartment halfway through the month and I've been there ever since. I share the place with a woman named Caterina who's a little older than me, much more of a neat freak and generally very nice. I keep things neat in the kitchen and bathroom, but I will admit the room door stays shut. Still, my mother will be pleased to hear that you can regularly see the floor.

The month of March brought my first full month of real life living. Cooking my own meals has its charms but there is definitely some ramen space in my food budget. I also turned 23. Yay! My students were just wonderful, and I had a surprise bday party in the middle of a lesson on Ebonics (Awesome, I know...). Here I am waxing poetic about Black English and slang and the next thing I know, students from another class come in and start erasing the board and then start writing "Happy B-Day!" If I were a fish, in that moment I'd have been a really big pufferfish. I imagine that by that evening, after my second birthday party with some students, colleagues, and friends I had met through church and Bible study, that my ego was quite puffy. I had three birthday cakes, various presents, and a free liter of beer. A day to remember. :)

Then with Easter, I'd say that everything God had been telling me was confirmed. It was a time of spiritual awakening, refreshment, and then purpose. I found my prayer partners, my fellow warriors in intercessory prayer, and boy has God been moving. It's amazing how much more of the Bible you read when your laptop finally breaks and the only interesting thing you have in paperback to read is your Bible since you just finished reading The Help for the second time.

Now we're in April, and the month is almost done, what with another school break coming up.  I am, as usual, on the cusp of some possible romance. However, at this point in the game I'm still not sure if it's worth it to start anything with anyone.
Well, I went to Ireland as a chaperone with my students, and that was awesome. Dublin reminds me of Boston and for a bit it felt like going home. I needed that. Coming back to Milan was almost painful. Nothing against Milan but there's no place like home, and the closer you can get to it the better. I guess Milan doesn't feel like home yet. I think I just feel so foreign all the time. In Dublin I could forget a little that I was a foreigner. It felt like it didn't matter all that much. I was just a friend of the family (really awesome family hosted me. more like I was a friend of a friend, but whatevs.), just another person walking by. Sometimes anonymity is a blessing.

I think I'll have to do some extra updates but this is everything in a nutshell. It feels so strange that the school year is almost over. I've been getting really tired and looking forward to vacation time a little too much I think. The next break that comes up, I'll try to take care of myself a bit.
But yea, working two schools, doing the whole grown up thing with ample help from family and friends, and generally enjoying life. Well, that and missing my family and friends like crazy. Next travel plans include college buddies.

Better updates with pictures on the way as soon as I get a new laptop and have time to settle everything.