Thursday, May 27, 2010

Yo estoy feliz.

FOURTHSEMESTERISOVERRRRRRRRRR

My semester ended today with another 8 hour long exam. It was an optional exam for me, so I had debated about taking it. In the end decided that the practice would be more beneficial than detrimental for me. I did a better job of planning the breaks and keeping my blood sugar up, but this time I struggled the last half due to a horrible headache, so another lesson learned...make sure I'm prepared with drugs. I also took the exam because I wanted to make the end of the semester final. Without it, I'd go from studying one day to studying the next. Really no significant difference. Now I feel I have a reason to take a break. When I got home for the exam I stood in front of my closet brain dead for about 3 minutes before realizing that I was just standing there and not actually changing out of my whites like I was supposed to be doing. A few friends and I went to the mall and ate in the food court then stayed there and played some Dutch Blitz. Probably wasn't the best location as Dutch Blitz tends to have a certain effect on you when you play....you get loud and tend to shout...a lot! but it was fun.

Our class has a yahoo group set up and it's how mass emails are sent out and whatnot. Everybody's been stressed, been upset, everybody's been sitting watching as our futures are being tossed out the window, and finally this week, our last week of the semester, after being told "Tomorrow" one too many times with tomorrow never coming, people started losing it. And for some reason they decided to lose it in mass emails. People were bickering back and forth over nothing really. I'd read through the emails, some in Spanish, some in English and chuckle in disbelief. I knew they didn't really mean to be writing the emails they had just had enough...more than enough.
But then good news. On the last day of class the looooooong awaited news finally came that the petition our class had compiled has been accepted. The part of the petition most applicable to me: 5th semester starting date has been pushed back to give us time for approval to take the step and then to take it. The guardias that we start 5th semester with have been moved to the end of 5th semester. So in other words, we'll get to go to 5th semester but as a result, have to give up our Christmas break to do so.
The roller coaster that we've all been on for the second half of this semester has really kind of drained me. I'm all emotioned-out!
I'm cleaning tomorrow. Then going to Ixtlan for the weekend. I'm soooo thankful for this short break. Thank you Jesus.

Hasta!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Yo me estoy dando cuenta la importancia de agua.

I've always, well not always, but for a long time now, been under the conviction that ~98% of the world's population is walking around dehydrated. Short of picketing, been a strong advocate of the "Drink More Water" campaign. (A campaign I just made up.)
Today listening to Clark Stoller's afternoon service I heard him suggest standing too close to a bonfire on purpose, going a couple days without water (a.k.a. fluids in general). I picked that up as I just had a real life experience of that yesterday.
I ran out of my drinking water Saturday morning. A scary thought for me, but no worries at the time as Saturday is a delivery day. I lined up my empty containers by the door ready to be exchanged. There's no set time for water delivery, but at the earliest it's 9 and normally around 10. I waited, and waited. Water didn't come, and didn't come. The hours ticked by. I couldn't focus on my studying as I was constantly listening for the 'Agua Santorini' call signalling the truck was here. I didn't want to go to the bathroom afraid that that would be the moment the truck came. I had to of run to the window at least 5 different times thinking I was hearing the truck come up the road, only to be disappointed. The water did eventually come, but the point I'm making was that the extra waiting, the thought of being without water, was agony for me. At the time I joked to myself, that I was acting like one addicted to a drug and had gone too long in between fixes. Especially after I realized that once I did get water, I had done a little dance to celebrate.
I wouldn't last two seconds in hell, let alone eternity.

Lord, Fill Up My Cup!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Yo estoy necesitando una vacacion.

It's been a whole week since my last post!? That's it! I've got to come out of denial! My life has ceased to be interesting. It is now simply one long doldrum of a day after another. Hmmm? What's that you say? That's all it's ever been?!! Ouch!! What did I ever do to you? Yes? Bore you with these blog posts you say? oh.....ok, you got me there.

In all seriousness, my life is rather boring these days. It's become a game of see how far I can push it without crossing the breaking point. Up to...but not over. I tried going over a few times and ended up slamming the book closed in frustration. Really the brain is a marvelous creation, and it's best to work with it, because against it.....it will win. Unless of course you use drugs, but that's cheating, and in the end the brain enters learned helplessness anyways. And then are you up a creek, and let me clue you in.....you've left the paddle on the shore.

It's Friday, and I feel as if I've forgotten how to enjoy this time. It's supposed to be relaxing after making it through another week, but I just feel myself trying to think up things to keep me from reading. and unfortunately there's only so many times a person can wash their dishes without having to claim OCD.

Financial Aid sent out an informative email which enabled everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever loans we had lined up will be honored through December. So in other words, it just prolongs everyone's loan scramble for another six months. But that's what they are saying today. Six months from today may be a completely different story.

Hasta!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Yo estoy mas agradecida cada dia.

Some good news finally :) I was called into a meeting this morning with one of the administration members. At this point all but one of the administration members have given approval for 6 more of us 4th semester students to continue on with our education process...a.k.a. take the step. He acted as if there was nothing to worry about and so we started with some of the preliminary paperwork. Monday the last guy will make his decision. In the meantime, I'm going to continue with the forms as much as possible. This registration should be a fairly simple task, but this is Mexico. Extra forms must be filled out, signatures gotten, copies of forms made, forms delivered to various offices. The current Kaplan instructor told us today that he's not teaching us how to be doctors, but rather how to deal with what we encounter. A few of us got a good laugh out of that. Sir, we don't need any extra help with that, Mexico, and by extension UAG, is giving us a Grade A education in that field without any outside help.

Though we can praise Jesus that I am being helped there are still many many of my classmates struggling to know what's going to happen to them. In addition, with Obama's new federal aid bill going into effect July 1st no one knows how we are going to get loans, or even if we will be able to get loans for the coming school year. Sallie Mae has been the main source for the majority of us and with them out of the picture on federal loans there's a big ? where a $ used to be. UAG financial aid office doesn't even have answers for us. So in other words, we aren't just on a cliff close to falling off we are in fact on a precipice with chances of falling greatly outweighing those of remaining safe. You know....I don't think I could have successfully gotten myself into a worse predicament had I tried. I am greatful to think, though, that when Jesus walks me through this I will emerge knowing without a doubt that I emerged because of Him and nothing I did of myself.


We've got class tomorrow again. Saturday class just douses the warm happy feelings that come with Friday being the end of a week.

We had a huge storm a few nights ago that thankfully cooled things off a bit. Unfortunately, the effects haven't lasted long and it's hot again.
Temperatures rising
It isn't surprising
She certainly can...... ;)
Hasta!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Yo estoy comiendo chocolate.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!

Thank you for loving me. Caring about me. and Praying for me. I love you Mom!

A large group from UAG joined a group of almost 2000 this morning for an 8K race to help raise money for and awareness about Autism and Fragile X Syndrome. A large group from my class ran. I knew I had no hope of being fast enough, especially with the Kenyans there, but I did have a goal. I didn't make my goal sadly, but it was still a great run. My favorite part was the last 800 m. to the finish line all down hill. wheeeeeeeeee! A man in front of me stopped right as he crossed the line, and I was going to fast to do the same, so had to put my arms out in front to stop myself. Probably wasn't too polite of me, but I figured it was more exceptable than the other option of colliding with him.

By the time we had finished the race, gotten our bag of free goodies, and found each other. They were already walking around with newspapers from the run. Here's a picture of the front page. No, I'm not in the picture....probably was already a mile down the road. ;)


This is the medal from the race.

Hasta!

Feliz Dia de la Madre

Friday, May 7, 2010

Yo estoy esperando.

So, no there is no good news. I have instead a clearer picture of what exactly is going on here at UAG, and this is thanks to some investigation completed by some of my classmates, more class meetings, and a few meetings with NASA (North American Student Association).

It of course all boils down to money, but a very long story extremely short.... UAG is implementing a new curriculum and with it a new set of rules. This is actually good news.....if you are currently in 1st or 2nd semester. For my classmates and I however, we are currently finishing our 4th semester under the old curriculum, yet the administration is asking us to adhere to the new rules that would be in place with the new curriculum. After extensive review of our situation, under these new rules there is no way for any of us to be able to advance onto 5th semester this coming July.

Our class president and VP are working hard to create options, and now we have NASA backing us up and fighting for us. Like I mentioned earlier, as of yet there is no good news, but hopes of something good coming in the future. I have thankfully been able to settle into this situation knowing that with the absolute worse case scenario somehow it will still be okay somehow. Perhaps my pride damaged a bit, but that is healthy for one's humility every now and again. A reminder that all things come from a higher power.

Onto things less stressfull: May is Guadalajara's hottest month, and for some reason even though Spring was late in coming heat was right on time. Whenever I catch myself thinking of how warm it is in my apartment I just remember 2 months of frostbit fingers, nose, and toes. I then smile and relish my barefootedness. Plus, the last two weeks of April were absolutely beautiful. Plus, the extra heat drys my clothes in almost no time at all now. Plus, I thought I'd add another phrase, because pluses should come in threes.

It was just a three day week for us this week. None of us really know why for sure, but who's gonna argue with a day off. "Not I," said the chicken! I stayed in Ixtlan till Monday morning last weekend. Today I kind of took the morning off. Went for a run with some friends. Did some laundry. That type of thing. Then got to studying this afternoon. The next exam I have is in three weeks (the 27th). So focusing and praying on that.

Hasta!