What Has Happened and What's to Come?!

What Has Happened:
1) This week I graduated from my Spanish Class at ICADS ( Institute for Central American Development Studies). I got a certificate and everything! I spent five weeks and eighty hours learning Spanish and wow, I can't believe it is over! I had a presentation on Thursday. I spoke for almost 10 minutes all in Spanish about poverty! I hope it went well.
2) I met the coolest, most experienced old man in the world. He came to speak to us in Core Seminar on Thursday. He has been a missionary to Costa Rica for almost 50 years. The coolest thing about him was he actaully met and had a meeting with Fidel Castro. They talked about Revelation ( a book in the Bible). Can you imagine meeting Fidel Castro and discussing the bible with him just like he is an old friend? He told us story after story about his life adventures. He is one of those people who has done it all and experienced everything he possibly could. What an inspiration.
3) I went for a run today with two of my friends. We went to the same park that I go to every time I run. Guess what we found? A TRACK MEET. I felt like I was in heaven. I had no idea how much I missed running and being at meets with my team. We didn't actaully see any running events but we saw the introduction of all of the athletes. If I didn't have a paper to write, I would have stayed there all day. I took for granted going to meets and being with a team because now as I am sitting here I am really missing being with the team and competing in track and cross country meets. Go Messiah Track and Field!

What is To Come:
1) Next week is my last week of Core Seminar. I have my big research paper due on Tuesday. I am frantically trying to write it today. It is about the relationship between the United States and Nicaragua. It is actually very interesting to research. At Messiah, I am getting used to writing papers for my major so this is a stretch because I have to write about something that I don't know ANYTHING about.
2) March 2, 2009- March 13, 2009: LASP (Latin American Studies Program) will be traveling to Nicaragua. I am not completely sure what we will be doing but I do know that it will be an eye-opening experience. Once I know what we are doing I will be sure to update!
3) For the last couple weeks in March and a couple of weeks in April, all LASP students will be splitting up and doing something completely different then we are doing right now. There are three concentration in the LASP program. ALL (Advanced Language and Literature), LASC (Latin American Studies Concentration) and ESC (Environmental Studies Concentration). I am in the Latin American Studies Concentration. There are something like 20 of us. We will be all spread out throughout the country of Costa Rica, working in some sort of community project and living with a different family in a very rural area. All I know about my community project is I am working in a school. I have no idea what age group or if I will be teaching. I do know that I will have some sort of interaction with the kids. I am also aware that I will be living with an elderly woman who works at the school. One of my professors said that this is one of his most favorite projects.
4) When I return from my concentration, I stay in San Jose for a bit with the family I am currently living with and then I go to Cuba (April 19-April 27). More to come about this trip!

I hope you feel informed about what I am up to these days and what I will be doing in the coming days. Even though I gave you a tenative schedule for the next couple of months everything might and probably will change. LASP always tells us to be flexible!