As kids we are taught not to talk to strangers, but does that really apply as adults? It would seem like we all think so. But the cause of this probably isn't so much "talking to strangers" as it is the world in which we live. We are all so busy and wrapped up in our own world we can sometimes neglect the world around us.
I am guilty. In addition to the "business" of life, I am a shy person. I don't really know what to say to people I don't really know. I am horrible at remembering names --not even five minutes after someone introduces themselves, I am trying to remember their name.
Yesterday, a friend and I were taking a walk around the lake at Craighead Forest Park in Jonesboro, Ark. We passed some other joggers and walkers and a few even said hello. About a quarter of the way through we ran into two people who were fishing, said hello and continued walking. My friend commented that it looks like she caught something and I said, "I think thats just a lure," and laughed. A few seconds later the lady said something back to us about the fishing. So we stopped and we talked, not thinking anything of it.
It was just something small but as we prepared to continue walking she actually thanked us for stopping and talking with her. The conversation probably could have gone on all day. It was one of those moments that made me stop and think how something so simple as just talking to a stranger can brighten someone's day.
Two times in less than 72 hours, I have narrowly escaped nasty accidents. Both times, if I were alone in the car, I probably would have been dead or in a hospital. But I wasn't alone, I'm sure of it.
The first time was Friday evening after I got off work. I needed to fill my car up with gas before going to Jonesboro the following morning. The best way for me to get gas is taking exit 7 for Pratt Road off of I-530. It had rained some that day and the road was damp and oily. The exit is short and involves a very sharp turn. Of course, I was going 70 when I hit the off ramp. I tried to slow down but began to hydroplane. "I'm about to crash and it is going to be ugly," I thought to myself as I let off the break and tried to gently turn into the curve so that I would be on the inside. I felt the back end sliding. I made it around the curve and stopped by he end of the ramp. But I knew that I was about to go flying off the road at 50+ miles per hour and into a tree.
The next one happened this evening. I didn't have any problems going to Jonesboro, but the trouble was on the way home. For some reason, there always seems to be a wreck around the I-40/I-30 interchange. Tonight was no difference. I had to speed up to 70 to get into the lane I needed, as a car was letting me in, even though they were speeding. Probably 20 seconds later, everyone was slamming on their breaks, including me. I wasn't slamming hard enough and swerved into the far left lane, narrowly missing the car in front of my by mere inches. That would have probably been at 50+ mph as well and been a multiple car pile up.
Those stories said, I am very thankful to have avoided both accidents and firmly believe I was not alone in the car.
Senior year came and went. Of course I remember it the best because it was the most recent, but a lot of noteworthy stuff also happened.
After spending the summer in Washington, D.C., I looked at the credits I had. When I returned to ASU, a week before the semester started, I talked to the Department of World Languages and Cultures. I finally, after three semesters and a summer semester of Spanish classes, declared a second major. It would actually show up; I would get a second diploma.
I would take all of my classes but one, each of my last two semesters, in Spanish. That was 15 hours first semester and 12 the next. One of the classes my last semester was an internship.
In November, I applied for a program in Spain where I would help teach English for a year. By April, I knew that I would be going. I have been working with that for a while and continue to work on the requirements.
In February I began dating Asuka. And in May I graduated with both degrees, from ASU.
I was awoken from my nap a little after 5 last Friday when my phone began ringing. I had left it on the other side of the room which isn't a normal thing when I sleep. I usually keep it by my bed with an alarm set, but this time I didn't even set an alarm. Usually, if my phone rings while I try to sleep I will ignore the call and call or text the person later (unless of course they leave me a text or voice mail, then I might respond a little more quickly). But something important caught my attention on that call.
The area code was 501. I didn't know who the caller was but I had an idea before I answered and thought to myself it would be in my best interest to answer, so I did. And I was right. It was good news, the news I had been hoping to hear.
I went to Little Rock a week or two before that for a job interview with Heifer International. It is a humanitarian organization that I actually would love to work for one day and they had a summer internship position open for journalism majors. I quickly applied when I found out it was also a paid internship. I didn't want to get my hopes to high, but was even more excited when I found out they wanted me to come for an interview.
That Friday, I got ready after my 11 a.m. class and drove to Little Rock. The interview lasted about an hour and included an editing exercise along with questions. A few days later I send a thank you email and two links, one to a website I designed in internet communications (click here to view), and my Youtube account.
Then the wait was on. Of course, I had applied earlier to a different organization for an opportunity to intern with an Arkansas Newspaper. I heard that I might be able to work at one in El Dorado or Pine Bluff. I said Pine Bluff would be the best option because it is close to my family. But I still hoped to hear back from Heifer International.
Thankfully I did receive that call from Heifer telling me I got the job. I look forward to being able to work with them and getting to help make a difference in the world.
This isn't the first semester that we have dealt with tornado warnings at Arkansas State University. I can remember several instances, all the way back to my freshman year. Freshman year was the first experience of a tornado I had away from my family. It was the time that a tornado stayed on the ground for over a hundred miles. We had to take cover in the basement of Kays Hall.
In other semesters I remember going outside to watch the sky during the storm. One time it was on the third floor of the parking garage. Another time we stood outside North Park Quads and saw building 4 get struck by lightening.
Then there was tonight. We have had several warnings tonight. But at least only one caused a stir. The university police department sent out emergency warnings. I was in the library and they forced us all into the basement there. That was even more unpleasant than freshman year. The funny thing is, all those storms were north of here and moving northeast.
About 15 minutes later another warning was issued southeast of here. That storm was also moving northeast, but no police warning was issued. No "relocation" was required, even though it was more of a threat. Now I just have to stay in the library another 45 minutes and allow the rain to stop.
I recently applied for two internships, one through the Arkansas Newspaper Association and the other at Heifer International. I am qualified for both internships. Both internships are paid. Both internships have their advantages and disadvantages. Both will be great opportunities.
This summer I have to work. At the same time I can't go straight into a great job. In September I will leave for a year and go to Spain for an teaching internship there.
The ANA internship could be anywhere in the state and will pay around $3,000. The Heifer International internship is also in communications. I know it is in Little Rock. It would probably pay about $2,500. It is also a company I would love to work for in the future. I love their mission.
The problem with all of this: I hate waiting. I don't know if I will get either internship. I don't know who will notify me first. I don't know if I should go ahead and start looking for other jobs in the meantime. I don't know if I should just continue to wait patiently and hope for the best.
I guess I just have to wait to decide. That kind of sounds like procrastination.
Spring Break this year was more than I originally expected. First, Asuka and I went to stay with my mom and Step-dad in Sheridan. The next morning (Friday) we got up and went to Hot Springs for the day. Saturday morning we got up and helped them with moving a little before heading to Memphis to pick up Asuka's mom at the Airport. The next three days I spent driving around Jonesboro and we also went to Little Rock.
Tuesday night was a night without much sleep. We had to leave for Memphis by about 4 am. I didn't intend to sleep at all but decided to take a nap. I reset an alarm (or so I thought) and then I get a call from Asuka. I look at the clock and it says 4:30. I start scrambling around and rush out the door leaving pillows, blankets, a hairbrush, and other items that I would need for the next three days camping, only to get to my car and find out it is 3:40. Oh well, too late now...
The adventure would soon begin. We dropped her Mom off at the Memphis International Airport about 6 in the morning. Then we started off toward Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton, AR. We stopped at a rest area in Arkansas and slept until about 9:30 in the car. It was one of those places though-- I couldn't go into a deep sleep. I always felt like someone was watching me. We got to Petit Jean and set up camp before hiking to the waterfall. The weather was amazing, probably in the upper 70's or lower 80's. We got back to camp and cooked dinner, went to shower, and went to bed by about 9 p.m. Then I woke up at midnight. The temperature had dropped about 40 degrees in the past four hours. I was shivering.
Finally 7:30 came around and I got up and stumbled into the cold morning air, with a cotton blanket wrapped around me. Two and a half hours later we were on the road to Oklahoma. We had a picnic at the visitors center; I found a geocache and we visited the log cabin of Sequoya, before heading back in to Arkansas.
We drove to the University of Arkansas, enemy territory, so that Asuka could see their campus. It was rather large, and I have to say I am glad I chose ASU over UA. I paid for an hour and a half of parking and the meter expired before we made it back to the car. I was beginning to think we might have to call campus police to help us FIND the car. We finally found it and headed to the store to buy more groceries for the camping that night at Hobbs State Park. Timing had other plans.
When we drove through the park, I had no clue where camping was and the visitors center was closed. I searched points of interest with the GPS and found a camping area not far from Eureka Springs which was to be the first stop for the next day. We arrived and it was a safari park with a lot of big cats, and an RV park. I decided it wasn't the best tent-camping spot and headed on into Eureka Springs for Lake Leatherwood. When we got there, it was abandoned. No one was in the cabins or the campgrounds. The office had a sign "will return at 9am." So we went to a campsite with water but no electricity. We got out and the bathroom had a sign that said, "closed for cleaning; use other side." I went to look and it was dimly lit and dirty. Another aged sign said "please shut the door so the pipes don't freeze." That was too much; it gave me the creeps. It looked like the scene from a horror film. When I got back to the car, Asuka was being cornered by the geese and quickly agreed to find somewhere else. We ended up in a Hotel. The attendant there said he worked at the BCM in Fayetteville at one point, so I asked him if he knew Arliss. Small world.
The next day I showed Asuka the Crescent Hotel, Christ of the Ozarks Statue (from the Hotel), and downtown. Then we headed to Branson. We camped at Tablerock Lake State Park. Finally, a place we could have a camp fire. We set up, paid, and then went into Branson. We got back and cooked in the dark which was an interesting experience. We'd planned on cooking the night before so our fish was soggy. It was cold so we weren't really in the cooking spirit. We ended up with Teriyaki rice, green beans, corn and mushrooms mixed together, and Teriyaki fish ticks. The fire didn't do much to keep us warm. We gave up and went to bed.
At about 6am cold turned to cold and wet. I began seeing white flashes and knew it was a storm rolling in. About 6:20 it got loud with thunder and rain. It was time to evacuate the tent and head for the car. We slept for the next four hours in the car with heat and soft chairs, until the rain stopped. When I went to check the tent I found our clothes, and sleeping gear soaked. There was at least one pool of water.
We cooked and broke down camp, knowing that it would be a long night of cleaning up when we arrived back in Jonesboro. We went to eat at a fish and steak restaurant at Branson Landing, with a little fear of being turned away for the clothes we were wearing. There was no problem, with the exception of being cold. We ate and headed for Jonesboro.
When we got back I unloaded the car. Later Asuka and I set the tent back up in the living room of my Collegiate Park apartment (luckily, all of my roommates were still out of town). We dried it, inside and out. We washed the dishes. We washed the clothes and towels and pillows. Finally at midnight it was time for bed. Spring break would soon be over.
[I will add photos as soon as I have a chance to get them on my computer.]
Out of my entire 7 semesters at ASU, I believe that my 8th and final semester has the craziest schedule of all my semesters. I have had some poor schedules and some great schedules. This one is in between and minus one thing would probably be my best schedule.
I am taking 15 credit hours this semester. Nine hours of in class Spanish, three hours of in class Journalism and Spanish Internship. I also have a lab for the Journalism class. The Internship and Lab were both TBA on their time and place. That is understandable to some degree. The internship we schedule around our classes. The lab we would probably sign up for some number of events in the community to cover. I expected to skip my Tuesday evening class a time or two. However, when I got to the class I found something out that was not pleasing at all.
The Journalism class has most of the events assigned. It seems the entire class will be there including the teacher. If we walk in late, it is an automatic letter grade deduction. If we leave early, same thing. We were told that most meetings would be on Mondays and Tuesdays. After class I ask for an estimate of how many would be on Tuesdays. Someone else asked times. I was told most meetings began at 6 or 6:30 and most would be on Tuesdays.
The whole reason I am taking a night class (5-6:15 on T/TR) is because the class I really needed for my Spanish major met at the exact same time as Public Affairs Reporting. So the department works with me and allows me to substitute a Special Topics course for it. I am in every Spanish class that I have not already taken (other than grammar) this semester. There are no other options for classes to take. And now I find that we are required to go to a lot of meetings at the same time I am already in a class.
My plan is to let my Spanish teacher know I will be skipping and/or leaving class early frequently on Tuesdays and tell him why. Most meetings are downtown so I have to go back to my appartment to get my car and drive there.
My second option may be to talk to the instructor and department chair and see if I can substitute a class in place of public affairs.
My updated calendar for the semester is at the bottom of the blog or at the link with this post.
The first day of finals are done and gone. I had three today. The third was for my online class. I missed 24/75 multiple choice questions. That means I got at least a 66% on the test overall.
After taking the test I did some calculations to see what I needed to get a 80% in the class and what I needed to get a 90% in the class. All I lacked to get an A is 10 points. I would need a perfect score on the test and all 10 possible bonus points to have the A. The funny thing is-- I chose not to do one homework assignment for the class and it was worth 10 points.
Thanksgiving break is coming to a close, but that doesn't mean ASU has some of the main buildings open. The Union is closed. The library is closed. That made studying a little difficult until today.
Yesterday we tried to go to the park to study. It was too cold. I did manage to get my Public Relations assignment done but my hands were freezing by the end of it. Later I did everything but study.
Today we came to The Edge Coffee House. I am here every Wednesday for Tertulia but very rarely come on my own. But today it provided a nice environment to study. I bought a soda and a hot drink and spent four hours there. Nice environment. Nice beverages.
Unfortunately, tomorrow it is back to the library.
Although it was a rather boring Halloween weekend, today started out pretty good. The Japanese Student Organization hosted "Little Japan" today and I was finally able to attend one of their events. Before going to my class I got to watch a Japanese dance, try some Japanese food and learn to fold a throwing star from one of my Japanese friends.
Then came class which brought with it discouragement. I love to speak in Spanish and I have been practicing, trying to read Spanish short stories. In order of proficiency, I am probably: Speaking, Writing, Reading, and listening isn't even on the chart. When it comes to the last two, I am not always exactly sure what I am reading. It doesn't always make since and what I think is happening isn't necessarily happening.
I said the character dies in the end of the story. The teacher shakes his head no and asks the class, "What do you think, does he die or not?" No one can answer and he says to have an answer for the next class. He speaks slow and I get the gist of it, he speeds up and I don't even try to take notes. He says this is how they actually speak in Spain. I believe him.
It isn't uncommon for me to ask my friends to repeat themselves when speaking Spanish. Or other times I just make up an answer and hope I understood correctly. I began asking myself, should I apply for this job in Spain that I want to get so badly? If I get there and I can't understand the majority of what they tell me it is going to be very difficult.
If English is the hardest language to learn, I hate to imagine what so many of our international students must feel like every day!
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him. ~ (Matthew 18-20, NIV, Bible Gateway)
We are called to be fishers of men. In Matthew 28, known as the great commission, he tells us to go and make DISCIPLES in all the nations. He is with us everywhere we go. It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.
This command is part of the reason I am still at Arkansas State University. My freshman year I wanted to go home. I wanted to quit. Then I met a group of Christian friends who were also trying to answer that call. I got involved with them and one of the opportunities gave us were these "fishing trips."
That is how I met the group. Two of them came up to me in the cafeteria and began to witness. I had heard it before and knew where they had learned the style from. And in the future, I would be out there with them.
I know God doesn't need us. He could make everyone know the truth, he could take away our free will, but he doesn't. He CHOOSES to use us. He chooses to speak through humans. How great of an honor is that that he chooses to speak through us, sinners, who also have to be saved through the blood of Christ!
We met all sorts of people today. Aaron and I went to tailgate city before the football game to talk to people. The first man that I talked to was saved. Not only did he know the gospel, he told it to me and then he turned back to me and asked me if I knew where I would go when I die :). This was the first person we talked to today and it was encouraging. The second was a group of two guys and Aaron talked to them. He used the same tract as I did, the survey with trick questions. After a few silly questions it was time for the serious questions; they had heard the gospel before. There seemed to be some conviction when you looked at their faces and listened to their voices.
The next person was an older lady. I asked her a few questions and then moved to the serious ones. She said you got to heaven by doing good things. Aaron asked her if everyone went to heaven. She said she never really thought about it. And then I told her the bible says works can't save us and she responded about Jesus. I know know if she believes or not.
After we talked to her we went in prayed. After praying we got up and started again. We started using the million dollar bill and asking "Have you heard the million dollar question?" We were able to talk to one member of the Methodist church. After that we went to the student side of Tailgate city and I talked to what appeared to be a family. I went through the gospel with them and they had heard it before. Again, I don't know what they believe and they are not involved with any churches or anything.
I think my favorite was with an alumni behind the stadium. He and his wife were here for the game and he knew the gospel as well and was saved. He was from Helena and we actually had a conversation about changes. He talked about how Satan had gotten a foothold here and there was a lot more violence and drugs on the campus that when he was a student. One of my teacher's family members plays the piano where someone in his family goes to church. It is a small world!
In total I think we talked to 8 people and/or groups of people. Afterward we went to the cafeteria and ate with two other friends. One I don't know what he believes. The other is Catholic. We were able to discuss religion and different beliefs as well as international and domestic policies. It was a very educational lunch.
I also had the opportunity to witness to one of my good friends last night, and pray for some others. God is moving and I can't wait to see what else he will do on this campus and in this community and in my life.
I had an interesting yet fun hours tonight. It was not an average night by any means. A friend and I took off about 8:20pm and got back to campus at 12:20am. We took a 9.5 mile hike, but not in the mountains or hills or even in the woods. This was a far more dangerous hike. This was a hike across busy roads, down dark roads, and roads without sidewalks. This was a hike from Arkansas State University, down Matthews to Stadium to Harrisburg Road to S. Caraway Road and back to ASU.
Once we got to Stadium Blvd., the fun began. Many areas don't have crosswalks. Some have crosswalks but no signal lights. Where there are signal lights, as soon as they tel you to walk, they start flashing the red hand to stop. They don't give enough time to cross a road. Of course, in Washington, D.C. we just ignore the signs all together. If there was no car coming we went. I'm not sure how Jonesboro Police would feel about that around here.
I don't even know how many ridiculous things people were doing. Countless cars blew their horns for no reason. Even more had their windows rolled down and started to yell at us. I don't know what they said. It was annoying is all I know. The weirdest was when we were almost back to campus, someone yelled my name.
There were a few times I was walking on the shoulder of the road-- NOT a turn lane-- and a car tried to run me over. Of course, there are almost no sidewalks in Jonesboro so we had to walk through ditches, yards, in the road, and on the shoulder of the road. Jonesboro needs more public transportation but I think they need to work on some major sidewalk and pedestrian improvements first. Even if we had the transportation, there is nowhere safe to walk. Yet there are students and other people around here that have to do it almost every day.
Want to walk down the sidewalk from your dorm to the Union? There's a fee for that. Want to go to a single football game? There's a fee for that. Fees, fees, fees. Everywhere a college student turns, there are more fees. They seem endless. Most of them seem pointless. Where is all of this fee money going? Probably not to the wisest places.
Students at ASU are charged an athletic fee. When we go to the games we don't have to pay which is nice, but for those of us who go to maybe a baseball game, and four or five football games the fee is much higher than what we actually use.
Living in an on campus apartment or dorm? I don't think there is a specific fee for laundry, but it is built into room and board. We have a certain amount of money on our student ID to do laundry each semester. It does not roll over from year to year which is unnecessary anyway. There is way too much money to use. I could probably do my laundry and a friends laundry and still have money left over. But I don't get a refund.
Then there is recreation fees and student union fees and the list continues. But one of the fees that I try to make use of is the library fee. It is about 100 dollars each semester. It covers printing for "single, academic copies." Of course some classes require multiple copies, but they are understanding and just tell you to print one copy, then go print a second on another trip. That is fine. But the problem this year seems that the printer is never working.
I make special trips to the library sometimes to print. I have my own printer in my room but I am paying a large fee for printing in the library. I don't want to run my own printer out of ink and paper if I can use the supplies I already paid for in the library. Not to mention I spend more time in the library than my room anyway.
It seems that every time I go to print something the printer is out of order. They finally bought a new printer and they got rid of the other two printers they have had since my freshman year. I wonder what the deal is-- are there more students printing this year? Who knows. I just hope it doesn't continue.
I’ve been having a rough time this semester. Emotionally I have been pretty low lately and there are several reasons why, I think. One is I am having to spend so much time in the library studying for all of my Spanish that I very rarely see my friends. The other is that I am supposed to graduate in May.
I don’t regret double majoring in Spanish. I think it is a good decision and will open doors down the road. The thing is, I am a slow reader in English. When I have to switch over and read in Spanish it takes me hours to get through a page or two. Most of the time I have to study alone to get anything done. Other times I study with a friend and classmate who pushes me to work harder, but it is still too much time in the library.
I don’t mind spending time with my friends in the library, but I miss when I was able to hang out with more than one person there. And I really miss being able to hang out outside of the library. I fear I may lose some friends this semester because I am never around. I miss going to the park. I miss hanging out every night on the weekend. I miss those late night McDonald’s runs. I miss the occasional eating out. I miss movie nights. I miss sitting around the dinner table for an hour and a half.
Then there is the graduation thing. Most people look forward to graduation. They look forward to being done with school and getting started in the “real world.” But I see it a little differently. Don’t get me wrong, I am ready to be done with my studying, but I also see the positive side. I am off on the weekends. I get holidays. I make a lot of friends. And when I graduate I see what I am going to lose. I won’t be able to take classes with my friends anymore. I won’t see my friends very much because we will live in different places, eat in different places and generally be doing other things. Or worse, I will have to move off to find a job. There may not be any opportunities in Jonesboro.
Even if I do stay in Jonesboro to start out, a lot of my friends who are also graduating will move away. The friends who are still in school will eventually graduate and most of them will also move. Many of my friends I fear I will never see again because once they graduate they will probably be on the other side of the world in Africa, Asia, and Europe. I will miss them. I try to tell myself that thanks to technology we will stay in contact, but it doesn’t help. I know from experience that when we go separate ways we begin to lose contact, even with our closest friends. Thinking about not seeing my friends again hurts.
What hurts more is thinking about how many do not know Christ and who I won’t even get to see in heaven. I know the most important thing in the friendship is to share the gospel with them so that they might believe; and pray for them. I want to see them know Jesus.
We are all sinners. There is no one reading this that can say they are not a sinner. Just taking the ten commandments and what Jesus said, I don’t think I’ve kept a single one of them. I have borrowed and not returned (stolen); I have looked at a girl with lust (adultery); I have lied; I have hated (murder), and the list goes on. All it takes to be separated from God is one sin. He is the great, fair, judge. A just judge wouldn’t let someone off the hook when they used the excuse, “I only did it once.” They do the crime, they do the crime.
But God loves us. He wants us to be with him. None of us have done anything that is too bad for him to forgive, through Jesus. He sent him, he lived a perfect life. He was tempted just like any other human, and then sentenced to die on the cross. He died for OUR sins. After they took him of the cross he was in the grave for three days before he was raised from the dead. He conquered death. He died and he rose again! Through faith in Jesus, we too will be raised. We will have eternal life with God, which is good. Being separated from God would be torture enough, the other stuff of Hell I don’t even want to think about. But Jesus paid the price so we didn’t have to. The world needs to know this.
This morning, God showed me another reason why I felt the way I do. He is preparing me. I keep saying that I don’t know what I will do when I graduate. I say I would like to stay in Jonesboro to work for a while so that I can stay where I actually know people. I don’t want to leave and go somewhere I don’t know anyone. But I also have an opportunity to apply to go to Spain for a few years and help teach English, which is only available right after I graduate. I want to do this. Then there is graduate school, seminary and/or working somewhere outside of Jonesboro and maybe Arkansas. I don’t know what to do.
Well, this morning at church God spoke to my heart. Several missionaries from our church that had returned from the field shared their testimony about what God was doing. The first told us about spending two years in the Journeyman program. (I need to look into that a little more.) She was in France for those two years; sometimes there were teams, other times they tried to build relations with those in the area.
That is when God starting bringing some other scriptures to my mind. He reminded me of those who wanted to go back to bury their family member first to which Jesus responded, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God,” (Luke 9:60 NIV). He also reminded me of the man who wanted to say by to his family. “Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” When I gave him my life, I was giving him my entire life. My life is no longer my own. That means if he calls me to go to a far-off country where I don’t know anyone; I don’t know the culture; I don’t know the language—I am supposed to go. He will go with me. The question is not an if he sends me; it is a where will he send me.
I began studying Spanish so I could use it in missions. It opens up Spain, Central and South America as places I can communicate. But I am willing to go wherever. Through my time at ASU God has placed a lot of East-Asians in my life. We have become friends and I have had the opportunity to get the gospel in many of their hands. There are other opportunities I have missed. But God has really put them on my heart. I wonder if he is not only preparing me to leave all of the familiarity but maybe even calling me to China or Japan.
I will be honest: the thought of going to be a long-term missionary in China, a communist country, scares me. Japan scares me simply because of being a different culture and language. But should I start trying to learn those languages from friends right here at ASU? Which one? God definitely showed me that he is preparing me to leave my friends and my family this morning. I don’t know how. I don’t know where. But I want to do it, filled with joy. Life is a journey. Life is an adventure. It is a good thing that I am not supposed to be the pilot.
Please pray for me that God would ease the stress some and that I could enjoy the friendships while we are right here together. Pray that he would give me the opportunities (and that I would take the opportunities) to share the gospel with them. Please pray that God would tear down the walls in their hearts and that he would grow the seeds. Please pray for me, that God would show me exactly where he wants me to go, when, how and all of that good stuff.
Today was the day: that day that so many students dread, but some may look forward to. Today was the first day of the Fall 2010 semester. Today was the first day of a college career for many freshman. Today began the last semester for some seniors. Today was the day when people began to make more long-lasting connections with classmates and new friends.
To me, it is a bitter-sweet day. I don't mind going to classes (although 7 a.m. is not my favorite time of the day); it is all the homework and studying that gets to me. Classes mean I am learning. Classes mean I get to see my friends. Classes mean I get to make new friends. But then the homework and studying are a necessary evil. But I understand. Even when all the homework and studying, it isn't that bad. I have spent countless hours studying late into the night with my friends in the library.
This semester I am taking 18 hours of class: 15 hours of Spanish and a 3-hour online Public Relations class. Today I had twelve hours of Spanish. There is one person who I have all of my in-class courses with. The first class I was in this morning, the teacher began speaking in Spanish-only when she got to the door to unlock it. I don't think she said a word of English, and I understood 50-80 percent of what she said. When I got out of the Spanish classes, sure enough I was in a mode where I was thinking to some degree in Spanish and had to stop myself from talking to people in Spanish instead of English.
This will be a hard, but fun semester. I look forward to making new friends in classes and during lunch breaks. (There were only 40 people in my apartment this weekend for a welcome back get together. We were surprised that many people showed up, and that they all fit in a 4-person Collegiate Park Apartment.)
Well the semester has almost come to an end. Monday is the last day of regular classes. Tuesday is dead day and then it is finals! This year has flown by.
The weather was bad this weekend but it provided some great catch-up time. Friday I went to the cafeteria and about the time we were getting ready to leave Craighead County went under a tornado warning. It was time for us to leave the cafeteria before they forced us into the cramped shelter area in the union.
So of course-- we go to the third floor of the parking garage and watch the sky. The tornado touched down in Cash, which is on my route home, but is far enough away we never saw funnel clouds or anything. It was clear where we were and we watched the sky grow darker and darker to the northwest. Sure enough it went around us toward Bono and Paragould. The sirens started sounding about the time I drove up into our parking lot. The weather was bad but we had decided to reschedule the float trip until Sunday at this point. I stayed in my room and worked on paperwork for my summer internship. That was boring, but it had to be done.
Today I spent several hours in the library. I got one page of my five page Spanish research paper finished. I completed all but two questions on my HMM study guide a week before the test. I scanned and emailed the paperwork from Friday night. It was a very productive day. After dinner I began the end of the year task: packing. I haven't packed a lot. But I did take most of the things down off my walls, gathered some leisurely reading books that I never got around to reading this year, packed some extra clothes, and gathered other stuff I won't need in the next week or so. I still have a little bit more I can probably pack, but I have a week to do it. My dad will come up Saturday to get it. After he comes I will be left with very little in my room and only a few days before returning to Conway. Then its time to hit the preparation road hard, getting ready for the internship.
Hope to go floating tomorrow. If not it may be another day of homework, or maybe just relaxing outside in the nicer weather.
As most people at ASU heard at some point today, there was a bomb threat at our library. The police department used the emergency alert system promptly to warn students to stay clear of the building. I had friends in the building at the time and so I asked if they pulled the fire alarms to get everyone out or what. He told me they used the PA system. I went on Facebook and found a lot of status updates. I got probably 10 text messages within 10 minutes from friends. A little excitement around here I guess.
They ended up having to cancel some classes. The library remains closed until tomorrow morning. All because (most likely) a prank. A stupid prank. A news report in The Herald says someone found a piece of paper on the first floor that had the threat on it. Who knows how long it was there. Again I am sure it is a joke, but they have to take these things seriously. Hopefully they can find the person behind it.
A little humor came from The Herald, for which I am a staff writer. The breaking news story finally showed up about 5 hours later on the website. The headline reads something like, "Bomb threat evacuates library, adjacent building." <-- Oh really? The bomb threat evacuated? How interesting. I figured the people would evacuate.
A lot of people are behind because of canceled classes, after already missing several days previously in the semester because of snow. I know I am needing some books to work on a research paper. That got delayed another day. But there is always tomorrow and a late night in the library. Those tend to happen quite frequently here.
The weather is finally warming up and that means time for fun! Saturday night some friends and I went to Craighead Forest Park and built a fire in a grill to roast marshmallows and eat s'mores. It was nice. Then Sunday came and it was even warmer.
Finally, today (Monday) the weather was amazing! I really wished we could have had classes outside. I ended up spending an hour laying in the amphitheater area on campus, just enjoying the nice weather.
I hope the warming up is a sign of things to come. This is one of the best seasons of the year.
Arkansas State University students had a four-day weekend this past week. Classes did not begin until Wednesday!
This time around university officials waited until the morning to cancel classes, instead of 8 p.m the previous night. I know several students kept expecting it at night. I for one think they made the right choice to wait, but why did the even close campus?
Honestly, the roads all seemed to be clear. Class was canceled on Monday and Tuesday. Last week, during round one, classes resumed the following Monday. It was worse then than it was on Tuesday.
I'm not quite sure how they decided to close or remain open but it didn't seem consistent. Oh well. The sidewalks are almost clear again. Snow from round one and round two is still on the ground bu maybe it will melt soon.
The hours of daylight is increasing. Hopefully the warmer weather can come soon. Campus life is a lot more fun spent outside than it is indoors.
. I am qualified for both internships. Both internships are paid. Both internships have their advantages and disadvantages. Both will be great opportunities.
there.
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