it's been a few days... sorry.

Madrid, Spain

La Casa de Santibanez
El 4 de Febrero, 2008
7:11pm (12:11pm Denton time)

I’ve got about 45 minutes between teaching Eduardo and dinnertime before teaching veronica tonight. I’m studying a bit and thought I’d blog for a moment as well…

Please pray for Caitlin. She is very ill right now. She was throwing up all last night. I think she got whatever it is from her mom since that same thing was happening to her mother when she was here. Caitlin spent quite some time in the hotel with her… whoops… pray for a quick recovery and for comfort there in her home.

Spanish class was terrible today. I’ve decided that I’m going to try a lower level class tomorrow. I didn’t understand half of what the teacher was saying and her explanations, in Spanish, were pointless because I obviously don’t speak Spanish so it was just plain frustrating…. I know that them only speaking Spanish is helpful for our ears, but I’m thinking that course level is just a little too high for me… so I’m moving down. I hope tomorrow is better… I’m studying a lot of the book and workbook tonight starting at the very beginning so hopefully that helps a little bit. I just need to be really diligent in studying and have a good attitude going in to the class. I can do this… I can…right? I mean surely I can… I made an A in Spanish IV only two years ago… ugh. 2 years ago. Crap… haha. I forget so quickly… bah.

I think it would be really cool to keep going to Spanish classes when I get back to the states. I know I can’t afford it, but I would really like it… if I’m spending so much time and effort to learn this I don’t want it to just go to waste as soon as I get home and other than that I don’t really have any way of practicing…also I would just like to get better. I’d like to be pretty proficient in another language if I ever have kids. I’d love for my kids to be able to speak more than one language. I think Spanish is a great language to learn. Especially us being to close to mexico! J

Michelle, my teacher at the academy reminds me of you. She looks a lot like you. She’s so cute J

Ok. So I think that things are getting better at the house… last night teaching went really well. I really didn’t feel like I was pulling teeth the whole time. Haha. And tonight was not bad with Eduardo. It wasn’t the easiest night, but it wasn’t bad once we got started. I think things are getting better with Paloma, too. I’ve decided that I just need to be more assertive with her and stop being so quiet around her. I’m just going to push my way into their lives and make them like me ;) haha. Well, try to anyways. in my experience, the more you know about someone and the more they become a part of your everyday life, the more you grow to love them…no? Well, we’ll just hope this to be true here in this house. I’m at least making myself more available for these opportunities. Not quite so much time outside the house. I’m not going to hole up inside here, but it’s been so cold and damp out lately that it’s just plain miserable, so I’d rather be inside anyways… Besides a massive amount of the glorious gift of cramps… yeah. Nice. Everything points to being here. So her I remain… J

I worked out my inner thighs last night. I can’t remember the word for that muscle… you work it out with that machine that you can switch to do the outer and inner muscles…dang it! What is the name of that muscle! Kelley! Help! Anyways… I’m sore… haha. Good story. Aaron, you know you miss those good stories. Don’t lie.

Ok. I’ve got to study more. Bah. Good “bah” though. Don’t get me wrong… this learning another language and trying to be proficient at it is tough stuff… it’s different when you’re just taking the class for a grade… there’s a lot more pressure when you’re really trying to learn in order to understand the people around you (like when they make announcements in the metro station telling you that your train in not coming… I didn’t know what they were saying! Ah!). getting there…

Peace!

-d

p.s. Also: kind of random, but I want to share a quote from something I read from a friend of mine recently. It’s one of the most blunt, beautiful statements I’ve read in a long time. She spoke of her final decision to make sure that she does her part to bring a stop to anything that encourages actions less than pure between a man and woman who are trying to live a physically pure life in the midst of our human, sinful, fleshly desires. Absolutely beautiful. Hopefully you see it the same way.

“I am a princess of the King. I will not be another dirty confession from [any] man's lips.”

Amen.