Artichoke

Have you ever had artichoke? I don't think I ever had before my sister in club, Vanessa, intorduced me to it. I know I've heard of it, and I might have had it inside a dish, like a casserole or something....but I've never eaten a whole fresh artichoke.
Most of you who know me, know that if I have the oppurtunity to eat something enw that I've never eaten before, even if it sounds really weird and maybe gross...I'm gonna go for it! Some people tend to say "I'll try anything once". I don't like that saying because to me it means that whoever says that expects not to like it and will only have it once in their whole life. I just say "I'll try anything and I'll probly like it."
So when Vanessa and I were talking about food and she started talking about how she eats artichokes, I was like "Thats so weird! I want to try it!" SO we went to the store together, bought two apparently huge artichokes (i didnt know they were huge cuz i didnt know what a regular size was) and went to my appartment where we boiled them. When they were soft, we got them out and atr them. The eating was such an interesting and fun process! First you take the outer leaves and eat out the piece of meat/fruit that is hidden within the leaf at the end that is attached to the vegetable. But first you dip in ranch to give it an extra bit of flavor! When you've eaten all of the leaves (you dont eat the whole leaf, just the soft part inside), you're almost to the heart. You spoon out the prickily stuff cuz that would hurt to swallow down. When you've done that you can basicly just eat the rest...the heart and stem (of course still dipping it in the ranch if you like that extra flavor....or any other sause of choice).

I think that's a good attitude to have, not only when visiting other cultures where they might get offended if you dont eat there food. Many people seem to forget how exciting it is when we can try new things and hear and see new things even with people who are from the same culture as us and who seem to be a lot like us. Everyone is different and might have weird habits, whether its eating habits or something else. If someone wants to share one of their weird habits with you, go for it and be excited you get to try and learn something new. Everyone has their own family recipes that they like to share with others. Don't be afraid to share you weirdness with others or to try someone else's weirdness.

More pics on Flickr!

my Rwanda team

I realized I hadn't posted a picture of our Rwanda team yet:
The back row is Holly Hixson, Rusty and Onawa Linden, I'm in the middle, Michael King, Adam Blackerby, then between Adam and me is Alex Volpe, and then on the other side of me is Bryan Hixson with their two daughters Grace (in his arms) and Alexis (next to me).

my volunteer work

Every week I go to a school and help a little 5-year old french boy named Hugo in his american kindergarten class. I not only translate things that he doesnt understand, but I also help him be motivated and have fun and enjoy class even though he doesnt understand everything and the other children dont understand him.
Here's a picture of Hugo and me. (I'll post more on Flickr)

I'm using Flickr now!

I've added a link on the sidebar to my new Flickr account that I just set up so you can see more of my pictures. So far I've only uploaded 6 Rwanda pics. But I plan to put more on later.

I'm still alive

Ok, so i'm realizing more and more that just because I want to do something it doesnt mean I have to do it...if I did, my days would consist of 48 hours each and I still would not have enough time to get the amount of sleep that I would like. I've been saying for a while now that I'd prefer to be just a little too busy than bored. And that's still true, but I do needa raelize that after I've said that a few times is probably not a good time to take on something new unless I'm going to drop something else out of my schedule.
However, I dont think this busy schedule is something I cant handle because I feel God working through me and He gives me strength to get through everything and get things done. I'm still getting good grades, but not only that, I'm really enjoying everyone of my classes. If you asked me which class that I'm taking now is my favorite, I wouldnt be able to tell you. I might be writing a one-act play for my modern drama class! Does anyone out there with experience have advice about that??

I think I learn something new about America every day. Whether it be about the history, the people or the culture, something usually grabs my attention. A while back I started noticing the biggest difference about grocery bagging. Its not that they have someone bag yur groceries for you...I already knew that. But when they bag your groceries, they categorize everything! And I mean overcategorize....so much to where you end up bringing home about twice as many bags as you normally would need to! I also learned during superbowl weekend that its not just our family who would enjoy watching the superbowl merely because thats when the best commercials are shown. It seemed as if most people here are crazy about football, but really, when it comes to that last game, not as many people are actually interested in the game itself. It depends on who's playing. But everyone pays attention when its commercial time. Oh yea, talking about football...I had no idea till I moved here that its tradition to watch football with the fam on thanksgiving day!

I'm gonna try to remember more of those "what I've learned about America" experiences and hopefully you all will enjoy them.

ok, I'm gonna give a quick Rwanda update. First of all, praise the Lord! Because two of our guys have already gotten all their funds in. One of them was the most worried about it because he had never gone on a missiontriip, so he didnt have any idea how it would go. SO far the plan is the same. We've been working on preparing the lessons. We all think about open-ended questions to ask with each parable were going to read. We've also been working on team dynamics by getting to know each other better. We took an online "what are you spiritual gifts?" survey and discussed it. Rusty and I have also been telling them about the culture and showing them pictures because we were there last year and it would help them to prepare.
Right now our main concern is the Jenkins Visa. Its supposed to expire soon and because they havent allowed him to register the church yet, he cant get a more permanent visa. I'm not exactly sure what all the details are, but I'd like to ask you to pray about that.

well, I hope you all have a wonderful day!