senioritis, round 2

so maybe blogspot took off the last post I put on here that had cute Halloween comics? was that copyright infringement? hmmm...maybe. anyhoo...

So, remember that convenient little disease that swept your high school senior class year after year, and that you, too, caught when you were a senior? News flash: it happens in college too. Senioritis. You got it baby.
I'm not entirely sure that I got over the last bout of it...but it's back!

A small group bible-study member said something that piqued my interest tonight. Kate, who I really hope has a blog somewhere because it would be interesting (skip next paragraph to avoid a tangent...ha ha, that makes it sound like "choose-your-own-adventure" blog...woops, a tangent)

(tangent: I don't like asking people if they have blogs...it's much, much more fun to find them as you're browsing...and also, half of the people I do wish have blogs don't...does anyone else ever run into interesting people and sometimes think "wow, I wish you had a blog because you're: hilarious/intelligent/such an internal thinker/practical/fill in the blank"?)

when we were going through Acts 15 and talking about idols, commented that sometimes people claim wanting to avoid making family or schoolwork (i.e. being a student) an idol in their lives, but what they really end up doing is just making excuses to not spend time with a family they don't get along with that well, or not do as well on their schoolwork as possible (though God has gifted them with brains to be great students). Where, she asked, do we draw the line between making something an idol and making excuses not to do something that God has actually called us to do well? That can be gray sometimes. I think, no, rather, I know that this year I have not been the best student that I could be (it hasn't had a lot of effect on my grades yet, don't worry mom & dad if you still read my blog), and part of it is that there are just a lot of things that I'm seeing as being more important than having a gramatically correct Spanish paper, for example. But have I turned that into an excuse to say it's ok if I don't do my homework and instead spend time with a friend? I hope not. I know that God wants me to spend time with Him and with people, but I also don't think that he gave me intellect that is not to be used. Sure, the way that I'm using it right now is pretty structured, within the classroom setting anyway,

(tangent: my Myers-Briggs personality type, I just found out recently, struggles with structured education...I would much, much rather study things as I want to study them, and delve deeper into the topics that I find interesting, rather than studying the books/materials that my professors choose for me. I'm working with a system that works against my mindset)

but it's also used a lot outside the classroom. Is it fair to say that my studies as a student are not nearly as important as the relationships I develop with those around me? Yes. But is it ever ok to say "sorry, schoolwork trumps relationships tonight" because I have an exam coming up? I don't feel comfortable saying that. And where do the two meet?

Ok...not a lot thought out there. Sorry. Homework (or sleep?) calls...

funnies

it took me a little bit...but I got it...




<--my family does this thing every year where we carve pumpkins...maybe I can do something like this...

randoms...

I like to think a lot (maybe too much?) about what I want to post as I'm walking across campus...and exactly how I want to phrase what I'm writing. Random thoughts:

"cell phones = sometimes another tool for getting ones' self out of things you said you would do...that ability to cancel last minute is perhaps too convenient...and wrong."

"the [ongoing] list of things I'd like to do before leaving ann arbor or before I'm too old:
1) use the self-composting bathroom in the Dana Natural Resources Building...I just heard about it this year, and I've never been in that building
2) get rush tickets for something that you absolutely must wait in line overnight for (i.e. camping in line)
3) while walking past a group of Campus Day prospective students (and their parents) as they are on the Diag hearing about the "no-stepping-on-the-M-before-your-first-bluebook-or-you'll-fail" myth, go up, stomp on it, smile, and walk on."

...that "10 Simple Things" list...

Or rather, life's 10 simplest pleasures which I enjoy - hats off to Kat for the tag.

1. warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks on a cold-ish day
2. finding pants that fit perfectly, especially if they're of the Salvation Army variety
3. hearing the beginning of a song I know all the words to on the radio, accentuated if I'm surrounded by people who happen to know the same song and are in a mood to belt it out loud
4. bonfires and the people that are at them
5. the Johnson-girl laugh (as demonstrated by my mom & aunts)
6. playing some intense Ultimate frisbee and then going for Bubble Tea (or other Ann Arbor commodities)
7. Receiving a letter in the mail from a friend/family member (and being impatient enough to rip it open as I stand at the mailbox)
8. getting a baby to smile
9. catching myself poring over old family photo albums/letters/memoirs/documents when I'm supposed to be doing something else
10. reading an old favorite book

I tag galiatovi, smore_parfait, artiststaresback, Ellieeeeeeeeee, jooohnn, amyshep, lil_tig_babi, sashafoot, anna_carlyon, emm43/emilie : make a list of 10 of your own, and then tag 10 others...and I will be checking up on you all to make sure it's done, so no slackin!

readjusting + random things

so, I'm back stateside. Sorry for all of you I have not contacted since I got back...as I wrote in an email to a friend, it's been a little bit of a shocker this past weekend with a wedding, church and a family get-together, to get used to being around large groups of people that I know fairly well (and who know me fairly well) and who don't speak solely Spanish...but I am glad to see them all again, and I hope to catch up with each of you all soon :)

I might nearly be driving my family nuts with the Latin pop CD's that I'm listening to almost 24/7 (though Becky says she likes them).

Has anyone else been inside the new Biomedical Research Building lately (the new building with one side that's all glass, next to Couzens?) Wow!! So beautiful! It's almost comforting to know that with as much money as I'm paying to go here, that this University can actually use it to construct buildings that are aesthetically pleasing (at least, from the inside...the auditorium part still looks like it contains Pringles from the outside, ha ha).

This is a really hilarious link of videos that my sister sent me - it shows people doing crazy stuff around UM's campus...enjoy! I think that more stuff like this needs to be done...this year, even. It is, after all, senior year, eh?

on coming home

This will probably be the last post I write from this side of the border - 10 weeks can go by much faster than one expects. I think the closer I get to leaving, the more I really miss you all...but there will be much here that I will miss as well. And there will be some re-adjusting that I'm going to have to go through, especially as the summer winds down.
Here's what you might be able to expect:

1. While here, I've gotten used to listening to radio stations that only play Mexican pop...I'm gonna miss that when I come back, so if I pop in a CD that's only in Spanish (and of which the only artists you might have possibly heard of are Shakira and Mana) every once in a while and sing along, please just bear with me - and if you dare, ask me to translate it for you :)

2. I may begin using public transportation a lot more than I used to (which I know some people will be happy about). While here, I've gotten used to riding in large buses with people I don't know, and to be quite honest, I find it a lot more interesting (and relaxing) than driving myself around and getting stressed out about the bad driver in front of me. (Plus, I haven't driven in 2.5 months, so I'm kinda feeling like I'll have to get used to that again anyway).

3. I may wear sweaters when it's 80 degrees outside (trust me...110+ degree heat can really change the way you think about the definition of the word "hot").

4. If you speak Spanish (fluently or otherwise), I might often try and have a conversation with you to keep up my language skills. Conversely, if you don't speak Spanish, I may absent-mindedly speak Spanish in front of you with people who do...please do me the favor of interrupting me and reminding me not to be rude.

5. If you are a U.S. visa-holder, I may (if I feel comfortable) ask you questions about your visa, purely for curiosity's sake...I don't know what they all look like, and now that I am more familiar with how difficult it can be to get one, I am much more curious about your own story about what kind of visa you have and what you had to do to get yours. If you feel at all uncomfortable talking about it, please just tell me so.

6. I may find it difficult to get used to not having a place to buy real taquitos, carne asada, enchiladas or really good salsa on almost every block.

7. I will probably, at some point, begin planning a return trip to the southwest Texas/Mexico area, to visit Nuevo Laredo again, and to go further south to places like Monterrey, Veracruz, Mexico City, Guanajuato...maybe even further into Central America, etc. If you have any interest in joining me for even just a part of that, let me know - it's always better to travel with people.

8. Finally, I have gotten a little used to being "on my own", in a place of my own, and being able to make plans pretty much at the last minute, which has probably only served to increase my independent streak. I might have to go through a little adjusting in terms of planning things out a bit more, as well as getting used to actually having people at home when I get back from the "end" of my day again. It's not that I won't like having people at home (trust me, loneliness has been one of the biggest battles I've had to face while here)...it's really just more that I'll have to get used to it again. In fact, I've been craving having my family there when I walk through the door, and eating dinner together - going through lonely times has taught me a lot about what lonely people appreciate most!

So, there you go. These are just the things I can think of right now that I know will be changes - there will probably be more. I really do miss you all very, very much, and as much as I have truly enjoyed my time here, I am anxious to get home! Thank you to everyone who prayed for me, sent emails, letters, packages, phoned, read the blog, commented on the blog, thought of me when spotting a Mexican consulate in Pennsylvania (ha ha S.W.), etc. God really blessed me through hearing from each one of you!

Much love ~ Cat

"what a difference a bridge makes"

...is what my boss' dad said one time. It's really quite true. While Nuevo Laredo doesn't exactly seem to be "hurting" financially, especially in comparison to other Mexican cities (being on the border helps economically - lots of trading to be donw), there's a lot that changes once you cross that bridge. Think of it as something like "8 mile", but a bit more noticeable (and that`s saying something). Clean streets vs. dirty streets, quasi-accessible sidewalks vs. sidewalks certainly not meant for anyone who can´t walk, 1 or 2 farmacias in the downtown (pharmacies) vs. 1 or 2 farmacias on every block.
Actually, semi-funny story about pharmacies. My boss was telling me that Laredo, in some magazine a couple years ago, got voted as one of the top places to live. One of the factors in determining the best place to live was the percentage of anti-depressant drugs purchased anually within the city (because, of course, a city purchasing less anti-depressants must be happier, right?). What they didn´t take into account, however, is that everyone in Laredo can easily cross the border, stop in at the nearest farmacia, and purchase said anti-depressants over the counter, since Mexican law doesn´t hold them under the prescription-drug category. A nice bit o' money for the farmacia owners too.
I think the most noticeable difference when you cross over to the U.S. side, however, is how spread out things are. Whereas in Mexico (and most of the world I think) houses are really compacted together, with little yard space, you really get to see just how much space Americans use when you cross over. Large plots of land, huge backyards, shopping mall parking lots covering miles and miles of turf, distances that require the use of a car (unless you're savvy about the bus system). There are parts of Nuevo Laredo that are like that too, but they're not exactly part of the city, ya know?

Alrighty, time for a sign off...