This past November, I had the privilege of hosting my family here in Bogotá! It was so exciting to finally be able to truly share my life here in Colombia with them. Now when I tell them (as I do on a regular basis) that "I'm going over to the Santafé mall to drink coffee," they actually know where that is and what it's like.
Day 1: I took them to Monserrate, a famous lookout where one is able to see the entire city of Bogotá.
Day 2: My family came to ECA, met my students, and had the opportunity to help on our Service Trip to Hogar de Paz, a half-day daycare.
Day 2: We spent the day at El Camino Academy helping with our Pilgrims & Indians field day celebration in honor of Thanksgiving.
My students absolutely LOVED my family!! It was so fun to see them all interact.
Day 4: My family and I ventured out to La Laguna de Guatavita, home to the Legend of El Dorado with Beth Afanador.
Day 5: On my final day with my family, we went to one of my favorite spots in Bogotá: La Mazorca, a restaurant up in the mountains. We also were able to go horseback riding (a personal favorite activity)!
Overall, it was a huge blessing to share El Camino Academy, my endearing students, Colombian fruits and snacks, the craziness of Bogotá trancón (traffic), my favorite spots, the beautiful sights of Bogotá, and my experience with my family!
On that same note of traveling and time with family, I was able to spend several weeks at home during Christmas Break. It was so refreshing to be able to be home with my loved ones, visit Target (too many times), drive my car, eat lots of American deliciousness, see friends, and spend time time in Dubuque seeing people from college. It was an excellent time to stop and reflect on the semester. This year has been very challeneging thus far; however God really renewed my energies and reminded me that He has called me to serve in Colombia and love these students as He loves them. Although at times I most definitely fall short and struggle, the Lord has been teaching me that no matter how frustrated I am, how drained I feel, how unhappy I may be, HE IS STILL GOOD... and in that I find my joy!
On that same note of traveling and time with family, I was able to spend several weeks at home during Christmas Break. It was so refreshing to be able to be home with my loved ones, visit Target (too many times), drive my car, eat lots of American deliciousness, see friends, and spend time time in Dubuque seeing people from college. It was an excellent time to stop and reflect on the semester. This year has been very challeneging thus far; however God really renewed my energies and reminded me that He has called me to serve in Colombia and love these students as He loves them. Although at times I most definitely fall short and struggle, the Lord has been teaching me that no matter how frustrated I am, how drained I feel, how unhappy I may be, HE IS STILL GOOD... and in that I find my joy!
As for life at ECA, this semester is in full swing! We have learned about light, fractions, the American Revolution, the eye, what compassion is, writing complete sentences and paragraphs, and perimeter...to name a few. Please continue to pray for my students as this semester we are really working on RESPONSIBILITY in order to prepare for Middle School next year and it is quite a challenge.
Thank you all for your continued love and support. And thank you for reading my post! Hopefully my next one won't be too far off... :)
P.s.: I'll be in Chicago March 18th-25th. I'd love to see some of you!
