You don’t talk a lot about the loneliness before you leave. Everyone assumes it will be there, but you try to let it rest somewhere in the back of your mind, focusing instead on the exciting things, the big picture and the little details, everything else. The loneliness is inescapable. It’s just a fact. Part… Continue reading Home Sick | Morning | Evening
Marathon Year
I’m calling this year The Marathon Year. Why? Because I’m planning on running a marathon in November! Pretty exciting, huh? Also, I feel like the word “Marathon” represents something that is huge, a lot of work, incredibly rewarding, and an amazing accomplishment to look back on. That’s what I want this year to be. I’ve… Continue reading Marathon Year
Who’s The Boss
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust… Continue reading Who’s The Boss
Beloved
Christmas is a great time to be a single twenty-something. Not. It’s like absolutely everyone you know decides to get engaged in the same five days. Istanbul. Paris. Dallas. Seattle. No city was safe from the scourge of diamond-bearing young men. I do not begrudge these happy couples anything. I hope this is an amazing… Continue reading Beloved
Light Bulb Moments in Language
Three weeks in, and the light bulbs have started to go off! It’s so exciting to have been in the country less than a month and to already be making connections. It’s also often surprising; you never know when something from a random vocabulary exercise is going to spring up in every day life. For… Continue reading Light Bulb Moments in Language
It’s Alright to Cry: Surviving GPA Day 1
This is a post about the Growing Participator Approach, the language-learning method I am using. There may be some terms that are unfamiliar to you. I explain them a little at the bottom of the post. You can read more about GPA here. I don’t know why I always start crying when I’m in the… Continue reading It’s Alright to Cry: Surviving GPA Day 1
Fighting the Tide
It took me a minute to figure out what this sudden wave was after it hit me. Today I feel lonely. I feel disappointed in myself, and I feel like I don’t know whom to trust. My to-do list stares at me with reproach while Switchfoot pours through my headphones, quietly soothing my heart. The… Continue reading Fighting the Tide
First Impressions
I made it. The first 10 days have streamed past, and somewhere I’m finding normal. The city sidewalks are over-full, dumping people into the streets between the cars. The people are perfect urbanites, demure, focused, and too busy to mind you. The decade I’ve spent developing my city-scowl has paid off well. The people are… Continue reading First Impressions
Six Months of Summer
Wow, that sounds like such a good name for an indie rom-com. Or maybe it’s already been made. My summer lasted 178 days. April 15th I flew out of Washington DC with two suitcases, a guitar, and a plan for the next six months. Almost right away things started changing. Some things went as I… Continue reading Six Months of Summer
The Life You’ve Always Wanted
I’m sleeping in a bed tonight. This wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but it’s the first time it’s happened in a week. I have tested out five different couches in the past six nights. In the past two weeks I have driven 1,953.5 miles, mostly alone, and I have several more hours on the… Continue reading The Life You’ve Always Wanted