Preparing for the Summer

This Friday marks the end of the school year here in Concepción which means the library will offer summer activities for the next two weeks and possibly again in January. The students will come in the afternoon and we will provide activities accompanied with time spent reading. I am not quite sure how many students will participate, but looking at pictures from the previous year it appears we will have a good turnout. This is very exciting.

The following week I am hoping to begin classes for computer computation which will last through the summer months and possibly extend into the school year. Much depends on the level of interest within the community. Various persons have expressed interest, but I will just have to wait and see. I am also waiting on the materials to be purchased in Santa Cruz and sent to Concepción. Sandra, who works with the library program for MCC, is looking around for the materials but has expressed difficulty in finding them. So classes could be delayed another week or two.

I feel more adjusted to Concepción which feels as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Definitely a wonderful feeling to move past the initial feelings of being lost. However I still anticipate returning to the city once a month to reunite with the other SALTers and MCC volunteers. Having the MCC office only 5 hours away is a blessing. These weekends allow me to recuperate and provide me with the opportunity to use SKYPE. Previously I haven´t been too thrilled during my bus ride back to Concepción, but now that I am more accustomed to the town I anticipate future returns to be easier.

Spanish flows much easier at the moment compared to when I first arrived in Concepción. Definitely a gradual process and I still need to broaden my vocabulary, but being able to engage in deeper conversations makes this experience a lot more fun. I am nowhere near fluency, but at least I have more to offer than confused head nods and awkward silences. As always, thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. Blessings.