We had three weeks off for Christmas and New Years, which was a much appreciated and needed break. To start the trip off, I traveled to Guatemala for a week with two friends - Jesse, who is one of my housemates here, and Taylor, one of my close friends who is working with Manna in Ecuador this year. It was an amazing trip - we went to some really beautiful places, drank way more coffee than anyone should in five days, and just enjoyed relaxing and chatting and being tourists. The picture above is Taylor and I in front of Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
After Guatemala, I spent a week in Michigan with my parents for Christmas. It was great to spend time with family and with friends who I hadn't seen in a while - it's always fun to reconnect. It's especially fun to reconnect when there are new babies to meet - the picture is my friend Stephanie's new baby boy, Lucas, who I am so glad I was able to meet and cuddle with while home!
The next location for my break was Houston, and it was fantastic to catch up with community there. I have realized even more since being away from my community in Houston how much of a blessing it is. Being surrounded by people who challenge you to grow while still being incredibly loving and supportive is something I don't take for granted, and I am excited to be back in the same place as my community of friends this summer! The picture above is some of my friends (and youth ministry teens) after Mass - I love and miss them all!
After getting back to Nicaragua, we had a lot of visitors in the house. My boyfriend, John, was able to visit for a week, and it was really great to show him around my communities here and also to travel a little bit. Here we are at the top of a hike near Matagalpa, a town in the north of Nicaragua.
We're back in full swing on programs now! Here are some of my beginner's English students, who are also in our teen English class, hanging out by our car after class. These boys are amazing - I'm looking forward to visiting in a few years and hearing them speak great English!
This is my kid's English class, which actually just ended. I'm a bit sad to see it end, but these kids are great! Enjoy their silliness!
This last week is probably the most fun - a kid in Christin and my English class gave us this post card a couple weeks ago. We're still unclear on what it means...let me know if you have any ideas!
I hope this was at least a decent update on what I've been up to for the past two months - expect more regular updates in the future for sure!
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