I've been in my city for a little over 3 months, which means 3 months of studying the language of this country. All day. Almost every day.
In some ways it feels like I never graduated, although it is nice to not have to worry about exams or papers!
At this point I'm starting to get a grasp for the language. I can talk about my day, go to shops, and communicate with the friends I've made here! But its still not easy. For example, a waitress just came over and asked me something and I have literally no idea what she said... Luckily I've gotten really good at making the whole thing a joke when I explain I am still learning and don't really speak the language!
All in all I've loved my time in the city so far! It's been amazing to build friendships as my language ability grows and talk with these girls about things that are truly important to me, like my father and his love. It's also been great getting to know my team and see what type of work I'll be doing once my language learning phase is done!
On that note, super exciting news! Next week I'm allowed to take a break from studying to travel to a different city in the center of the country to teach English to the refugees there! I'm going with two of our other teammates, and I can't wait!! I was able to meet a few of the refugees when they were in town last weekend and it was so much fun and so encouraging to spend time with them. On sunday we're flying to the part of the country where they were settled to teach, and spend time at the church there. I'm preparing for that now. I'm a little bit nervous sice I've never taught English before, but I trust my Father will be with me and use those times! I'll write more about it when I get back!
Julie