Back Home

Much has happened since I posted on this blog nearly two months ago.  I returned from Nicaragua on July 27, after spending exactly 4 months there.  Overall, I had a good experience, but it is also very good to be home.  One of the challenges was working with the in-country coordinator, and unfortunately that seems to have tempered some of my fun and very positive experiences.  I think one of my favorite parts was interacting with the 22 students and seeing them grow and change over the three months.  There positive comments and good experiences made all the hard work worth it. 

I ended up not speaking Spanish very well, since Keri was basically fluent and did most of the talking when we needed to communicate with host families, the phone company, the taxi driver, or anyone else.  I worked really hard on learning Spanish and never got it to a level that I was comfortable with, but I also don't have the energy to spend any more time learning it.  It has been nice to not feel like I need to spend any free time working on Rosetta Stone or studying Spanish.

The week after I returned to the US was a time of relaxing and re-orienting myself to Goshen and US culture and routines.  I didn't have to go back to work until August 6, so I filled my work off with a haircut, massage, reading, time with family, First Friday in downtown Goshen, and some time at The Hermitage. Since returning to work, my time has been filled with lots of detail work updating the college budget for the upcoming academic year.  It's nice to be back at work doing work I enjoy.  Nothing like being away from it for four months to give you good perspective! 

Now I am planning a trip to see my friend Susie in eastern Europe, probably in late October/early November.  She was home in Goshen this summer but I wasn't here (of course) to see her.  She is beginning her third year of living and working over there, so it high time I get over there and visit her!  After that I plan to stay in the US for a good long time, and have some vacations a little closer to home.