An Interesting Week

I knew yesterday as I was walking to my first morning class, eating a bag of pre-popped popcorn for breakfast, that it would be an interesting day. As it turns out, it has really been an interesting week in its entirety. The last week of my junior year. Crazy.

Considering the interestingness of this week, as I began to pre-sketch blog ideas in my head [or rather on my hand, as in today's case] I decided that my best option is to summarize all the things that have been running through my head.

So, this is Thursday's Random Dozen:[Kinda random like this picture above. See me?]

1. Yesterday afternoon, the very same day that I had popcorn for breakfast, I realized that I went to chapel and my morning classes in two different sandals -- a brown flipflop, and a very dark brown flipflop. As I was putting on the dark brown sandal I thought, "That's interesting... I thought I forgot these puppies at home this weekend." You see, I went home on Saturday evening to welcome Mom home from Haiti, and I had indeed forgotten my dark brown flippy floppies at home - or rather only one dark brown flippy floppy, and one just brown flippy floppy. That means, since Saturday evening, I had been wearing two different sandals. Yes, for FIVE DAYS I was seen wearing a brown sandal and a dark brown sandal. Thanks "friends" for not informing me of this!!!

2. I had a conversation in Urban and Rural Development class this afternoon [my LAST Urban and Rural Development class] with my friend Abby about our proposed development strategy papers. She wrote about housing in Russia, and I wrote about youth empowerment in Cambodia. I said "Why Russia?!" You see, I have zero interest in ever visiting Russia or really anything Russian. Then Abby says, "You know, I have the same idea about Cambodia." I thought, "Wow. I'm glad God called me to Cambodia, and I'm glad He is calling Abby to Russia, because it certainly isn't my cup-of-tea."

3. My to-do list has decreased tremendously in size, even just in the past two days. I had given two presentations this week, finished my development proposal for Youth Empowerment in Cambodia, and turned in all my journals, notes, and paperwork for a fourth class. With only one more day of classes and three days of exams, I only have a couple more things to finish, but they are significant - 3 exams, 1 test, 1 paper, and 1 lab report. Then of course it's pack up, move out, and go to Africa!

4. Considering it's April 22nd, I am presently very disappointed with the amount of sunshine that has been blanketing (or NOT blanketing) campus this week.

5. On Tuesday afternoon I got an email from Prof. Kern stating that Exam 3, which was scheduled for Wednesday evening, would instead be given as a take home exam and would be passed out in class Wednesday afternoon. I instantaneously threw a dance party and I danced like I never had before. It was a happy moment.

6. I have been encouraging encouraging encouraging myself to remember that academics are not the most important thing. While it is important, I cannot let myself get lost in papers, books, and exams while forgetting my relationship with God, friends, and self. In previous semesters I have been hospitalized twice because I have let stress affect me physically, and in only one week, I have friends graduating and spreading across the globe (as most students do in the Intercultural Studies and International Community Development divisions) - friends that I likely won't see for years, if not forever.

7. God is my constant. As I think about the past semester, the past three years, and the past seven years, I realize that the only thing that has been constant is God. Friends have changed, interests and passions have changed, my lifestyle has changed, and in moving away to college, even the idea of family has changed.

8. I'm trying to balance my emotions of anxiousness to meet my niece or nephew, and gratitude because he or she has not yet arrived. For about three weeks the reality has been, "any day now." While I would love love love to see this little baby before I leave for Africa on May 6th, I realize the implications of being premature. I want to hold the little baby hands, and poke the little baby feet, but not through the holes of the baby aquariums in the NICU.

9. Somehow I only have nine meals remaining on my meal plan. Usually I still have at least twenty after the semester is over. So I'm trying to figure out how to preserve nine meals over a seven day span. Mostly I'm relying on the kindness of others who still have meals swipes left.

10. Thanks to Ashton for swiping me, I had dinner with my old Cambodia team tonight. I love love love those girls!! Between weekly meetings, a weekend retreat, and three weeks in Cambodia, we experienced a lot of things together that really brought us close. We've cried together, slept together, [almost] tried fried tarantula together, etc. I'm hoping we can have a "weekend getaway" next semester too!

11. I was accepted as a Global Partners missionary intern this week, which means I have a lot of paperwork to fill out in the next less than two weeks before I go to Africa. Exciting stuff!!

12. Oh my gracious, tomorrow is Friday!! You know what that means.

Aunt Sue's Tea Room and Ivanhoe's icecream!!

[See yesterday's post HERE.]