Chapter 2

Hi everyone! I need to apologize, I just now changed it so that you don’t have to have a google account to post on here. I didn’t realize you could change that! lol thank you Daniel for pointing that out!

Okay I’m gonna start where I left off. So they took us to the hotel and we had to check in and they gave us a cell phone if we signed up for one and then we took all our luggage to our rooms. There were some students in the lobby and I remember wanting nothing more than to see Joanne because with the cell phone box it was not fun trying to carry everything. I didn’t see her but after dropping the cell phone box once I made it to my room. I had a really nice roommate that night who also has a roommate in her host home who has already been her. I did finally find Joanne after our orientation meeting and met some nice girls that she had been hanging out with. They all were already speaking Spanish so that was fun. Some people went out that first night (how after that flight I don’t know) but I was exhausted so my roommate and I went to bed after somewhat early. I slept very very well hehe. We had a walking tour around some of the area near the hotel and to the center that morning.

Then came the scariest part so far. I had heard rumors that we just kinda had to find our host family’s home by ourselves (sometimes the taxi driver can’t exactly figure out where it is and they just have to drop you off somewhere in the area...) but the itinerary implied that we would be accompanied by members of the administration. Maybe I just couldn’t read Spanish because that definitely didn’t happen. They just put us in taxis and sent us merrily on our way. Which was fine for the girls with roommates at the orientation that could ride together but I was all alone and terrified. I let a lot of people go in front of me when they were yelling "Siguiente!" (next) for people to get in the taxis. Finally, when they started getting impatient when those of us who were stalling I went. The lady told the guy my address and I got in. God is so good, He helped me not freak out too much because it really wouldn’t help anything. He also had the taxi driver find exactly where my apartment was. Then came the other part I was nervous about...I had to ring the bell to the apartment and say...I had no idea what to say. "I’m here"? "I’m the American you are waiting for"? Luckily "Soy Laura Dingley" was enough and she came down immediately. Magdalena is my host mother’s name and she was so welcoming. She said she was wondering where I was...little did she know I was stalling when obviously I had nothing to worry about. She helped me take my luggage up to her second floor apartment and showed me my room. MY room. I have my own room!!! That was a gift from God, too!! I had really wanted my own room just because I knew I would already be getting used to a new country, I didn’t want to adjust to a new roommate as well. And it’s just nice to not have to worry about bothering someone else. Of course, it’s about the size of a large closet, but I decided then and there that I no longer have the slightest bit of claustrophobia and I LOVE it! Hehe. And it’s actually not that small, I have a comfortable bed, a large armoire, and a small desk. It’s perfect.

And Magdalena is wonderful too! God totally proved Ephesians 3 for me: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” I had half-heartedly prayed for a good host family, but I knew there were more important things so as long as they were tolerable I would be fine. I felt like I was asking too much. But my roommate and I have decided that we have the best host mother one could ask for!! She is very nice and very motherly. She reminds me of you Mom, because one of the first things she said to me was that I must be cold and I need to put something on my neck! She told me that she will treat us like her own daughters and she wants us to be a family. Her husband passed away ten years ago and she only has one son who is in his 30s so she said that she loves hosting girls because she enjoys the company! She showed me cards and notes that she had saved from other girls she hosted and they really mean a lot to her. I am so blessed to have a “señora” who cares so much and who hopefully I am able to be a blessing to as well! She is very patient with my Spanish, too. She spoke kinda fast at first and I did a lot of smiling and nodding, and she said my Spanish was really good. But then I think she realized how little I was understanding lol. She speaks a little slower now and repeats herself as many times as we need her to. When I don’t know how to say what I want to say and if I seem to get getting frustrated she always says “Tranquila! Traquila!” which means “calm” and she helps me to say what I want to say. Her cooking is wonderful too! I am eating much more than I usually do in one meal (which isn’t usually that much) and things that I would never eat at home but most of it is very delicious. She gives us a lot and always notices when we don’t eat, just like a mother hehe. Hiromi you would love the food here—eating big meals made me think of you because you would probably scarf it down like I do! Hehe as I’m sure anyone would with this cooking.

So yeah, God did above and beyond all I asked with my room and definitely with my host mother. Or maybe it was just that some of you guys were praying more specifically than me :) hehe

Oh, funny story. So the first day when I got there she make me a lentil soup and a salad (Spanish style, so good!) and gave it to me in the living room (they have this table thing with a heater under it that is wonderful) and went back into the kitchen for a while. Naturally, I started eating because I didn’t want her to think I didn’t like it! By the time she finally came back I was completely done with my soup. And then I realized she was carrying her own tray of food!! I felt so bad, I would have at least eaten slower if I knew she was gonna eat with me! She was like “Oh, you ate so fast!” hehe I felt bad but she just thought it was funny. Oh and then she took me to meet her sister, Cipri, who lives on the floor below and told her the whole story too. So yeah…and then I found five dollars…(hehe meaning that wasn’t quite as funny typed out and it needs more of a point) Anyway, she normally does eat with us which is good because I get to practice my Spanish. And her sister is really nice too, as well as some of her neighbors who she introduced me to.

Well, I think that is quite enough for now. I have so much more to say but I will save it for another day! It’s like 9:15 pm which means we need to go home for dinner soon :)

Thank you so much for the encouragement y’all have been already! Love and miss you!