¡Habana, acá yo vengo!

Believe it or not I am wrapping this adventure up in the next 15 days. It's unreal. I sat down the other day to write out the major things I have learned about life, God, people, etc. during my time in Latin America. These things were planted in me because of something I've seen, conversations I've had, or other experiences. They go deep and I am going to be thinking about them for a long time. Most of all these are the things I really want to stick when I come back. It might seem like a random list and I definitely don't expect everyone to understand them all. But here they are...the 15 major lessons from my semester in Latin America:

1- You don't know everything. You can't control everything. You are going to mess up. It is okay.

2- God is bigger than religion.

3- Ask good questions. Is what you are asking small? Does it really matter?

4- “How can I love my neighbor?” is a good question. Do it. Be creative.

5- Be a learner for the rest of your life.

6- Don't make a single judgment until you have seen things from their perspective.

7- Stand for justice, peace, and dignity in your words and actions.

8- Tranquilo.

9- Take risks. Also take time to dream.

10- Integrity and authenticity go hand in hand.

11- What I buy and the amount I buy effects others.

12- Listen to people first.

13- Drink coffee and have a lot of snacks.

14- Sometimes charity gets in the way.

15- I'm not supposed to live overseas for an extended period of time (I think I need to elaborate on this one). I have always thought about doing missions, or joining the peace corps, or doing something where I have to move overseas. But it's not for me. I think I can be the most effective doing whatever I do within my country. I am not saying I will never leave the country...short term trips are great...I could even do a 4 month thing again. I am talking about picking up and living there. I was not expecting to learn this at all- and who knows- it might change...but I don't really think it will.

That's all. If you have questions hold them till I get back. I would love to talk about it. You should all watch Dirty Dancing Havana Nights in memory of me this week. Also be warned- expect a political blog for the next one. It will probably be written after my seminars on Cuban history, politics, and my initial reaction of Cuban life.

¡Nos vemos pronto!

It is REALLY Latino here.

“They teach me that being is more important than doing, the heart is more important than the mind, and doing things together is more important than doing things alone” -Henry Nouwen (This is exactly the life I have been learning in Latin America, and life I want to bring back home with me).

It has been a while since I've been able to get online but it has been so great at the same time. The past couple weeks have been so relaxing, so refreshing, and exactly what I have needed at this point. Life is so slow here but it is so great. I live in the middle of a coffee field with a river and mountains and it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of beautiful places.

It is really ethnic...if that makes sense. Everything you ever imagined that is ¨Latino¨its here...and I am starting to fit into it all...so when I come back...if you see a girl that looks and talks and acts like Shakira...its just me. haha.

I like the school I work in, and I am getting used to teaching and grading papers in Spanish. The other day my supervisor came to see how I was doing and he stopped me in the middle of conversation to ask me if I realized I was speaking fluently. While a lot of people have a lot of definitions of “fluency” it was so encouraging to hear that.

I do a lot of nothing when I am not at the school. It gets boring and there have been times that I have gotten really lonely...but like I said...I think it has been really good for me. It has been so refreshing to be absolutely away from everything. I play outside with my “cousins” a lot, we go to the river, and run through the coffee fields (there are five of them under the age of nine). The other night I had a dance party with them. It was sweet.

We didn't have school for an entire week because I was here during “Semana Santa” which is like Easter all week. It is one of the most important times of the whole year, and we eat a lot of food that is special to this week. We also go to Mass a lot. A LOT.

I have an 19 year old hose sister named Estephany who has been so great. She has made me feel so at home because she pretty much just makes fun of me a lot. I also have a really cute host brother named Diego who is 23 but only comes to the house on the weekends because he goes to school in San Jose. He is an English major but works as an accountant for a business. He asked me if I dance...I told him I am learning....he said that we can practice later....I am really hoping that happens.

Showers are freezing. I decided that warm showers should be on the list of human rights. Bathing in the river in Nicaragua was better than freezing cold showers.

I can't believe that this journey is almost done. After I return to San Jose (April 15th) I have three days to pack everything up, get last minute stuff, and head to Cuba. Which I'll be honest, I have been looking forward to Cuba more than anything this whole trip.

I have been thinking about home a lot (home as in Bloomington and Knoxville) which may or may not be a good thing. I still have time here and I need to soak up every moment I can.
Love you all a lot!
Molly

If you don't read any of the above...read this...it is another quote from Henry Nouwen that I loooove and puts into words exactly what has been going through my head:
“You must make the connection between prayer and life. The closer you are to the heart of God, the closer you come to the heart of the world, the closer you come to others. God is a demanding God, but when you give your heart to God, you find your heart's desires. You will also find your brother and sister right there. We're called always to action, but that action must not be driven, obsessive, or guilt-ridden. Basically, it's action that comes our of knowing God's love. You want to be with the poor because with them you're not trying to please the world and be accepted.
That's my big inner struggle: to be so convinced of God's love that I don't need all these human affirmations. I want to enjoy being with people and not be anxious over whether they like me or not. I believe if I'm drawn to the heart of God, then I'm free to really care for people without wanting anything in return. Our spirituality should come from living deeply with the poor. A spirituality of being with vulnerable people and of being vulnerable with them- that's the great journey!”