An Overview...

Winter clothing is quite excessive, I must admit... leggings, socks, pants, long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, winter jacket, gloves, scarf, hat and boots. The end.

Going outside is an entire ordeal. I have to prepare myself to spend 10 minutes getting ready to walk out the door, making sure I am properly attired. And no, this doesn't involve a preoccupation with fashion; it's a survival mechanism. I used to consider myself an outdoors kind of person and now I'm beginning to reconsider.

Could it really be that I was enjoying tropical sun only two weeks ago? Have classes really been going on for almost two weeks? Ah, humans… creatures of habit. I’ve fallen into habits and routines that pertain to life here at U of Illinois. Class, friends, food, sleep, church, friends, class and when it’s convenient… sleep.

This post will mostly be an overview of my life and what I should be doing this semester.

ACADEMICS

I’m excited for what this semester holds. True to my nerdy self, I love all of my classes this semester. Below is the list of my classes:

- Arabic

- Portuguese

- Comparative politics of developing nations

- Civil society, NGOs and international social movements

- Comparative world literature: cross-cultural examination of love and death

- Modern Dance II

Yes, I am taking a dance class. And yes, I’m pretty bad at it. But it’s fun… I have to remember to just relax and laugh it off.

Everything else is quite fabulous, though… I’ve met some Colombians in my Portuguese class. It’s amusing to try and speak Portuguese with a Spanish accent. More than anything, though, I’ve really enjoyed meeting people who speak Spanish fluently. It’s refreshing.

SPIRITUAL

I’ve begun going to TCBC’s (my church) youth group. I believe I’ll be helping out as a middle school girls’ small group leader. I’m looking forward to the opportunities to speak into the lives of younger girls and encouraging them to run after God with all that they are.

At the end of last semester I began to feel disenchanted with Cru (Campus Crusade). For a variety of reasons, I decided to try out other Christian groups on campus this semester. I went to Navigators last week and will probably go for a couple more weeks. After that I’ll try out InterVarsity or Axiom (Campus Christian Ministries). I’m looking for a group where I truly feel the community of Christ and where I feel I can use my gifts best to serve others.

SERVICE

I’m thinking about joining a coed community service fraternity this semester. I miss doing service projects and I figured that I should start being intentional about finding those opportunities. I’m hoping to join this semester so that I can learn of the service opportunities in the area