recent happenings and some thoughts about them

so im going to try to be more consistent in updating the blog. i honestly dont know why i dont do it more often....

the past few weeks have been fun and full. we have had a lot of time with the students which has been great. parties, bible studies, english club and such.

we welcomed a new teammate on wednesday. his name is luke and he's a fun guy. he's gunna be checkin out Valencia for the next 2 months or so, we are looking forward to having him here. the night he got in(around 1130 Wednesday night) david and i went to pick him up in Caracas(about 2-2.5 hours away depending on how you drive). all went well. on the way back at about 330 in the morning and 15 minutes form our apartment our taxi broke down. T.I.V....
haha we called christian at about 430 and he thankfully answered his phone and came to pick us up.
it was one of the more interesting car rides ive had in a long time, not quite the way we were hoping to welcome luke either, but its all good. he didnt seem to mind too much. it's jsut one of those things that we will remember for a long time to come....
**on a side note about 3 minutes into the taxi ride to go pick up luke form the airport, i texted david who was sitting in the front seat something to the effect of "this car is going to blow up". if you know me, you know i know diddly squat about cars. so if i could tell that this car was in trouble, you know it was bad...just sayin**

this past weekend we went and played soccer with one of the students in a neighboring town. the field was dirt, rocks and glass. the goals were lean-to pipes. so it was quite different form the turfgrass/rubber field at ohio state, but it was awesome. i got to see some pot-bellied venezuelan men and came about 3 inches from netting my first goal in venezuela(it was a header that missed high, so disappointing) and i came away with a pretty rad scrape on my knee/leg(which i m kinda hoping turns into a rad scar). for the next 2.5 hours we played i tried to pick off the numerous pieces of glass/large rocks to make sure that the didnt become lodged in me somehwere....

it's been a blast, but tiring at the same time. it's been a struggle sleeping well the past few weeks for whatever reason. i dont really know why(jsut kidding, i think i knwo some of the reasons), this seems to happen once in awhile to me. i feel as though i need alot more sleep here than i do back in the states. it might be tha ti just wake up 2 hours earlier than i used to as well because of the sun.

the country has also undergone some interesting times in the past few weeks.
our electricity and water is begin rationed here. this means that about 2 or 3 times a week for afew hours we may not have one or the other. it honestly isnt that big of a deal. it's something i feel like we have adjusted too pretty quickly. i had a close call with beign stuck in the elevator(not a fun thought). i happened to avoid it by about a minute(i was on the way to the bathroom too. lucky me) i suppose if this was my home country it might be more frustrating.
recently the national exchange rate for the US dollar also went up which seemed like it was going to cause a ruckus, but has not really effected thing tooooo much, less than i originally thought so far.

it's interesting talking to people(mostly students) about the state of their country. there are so many different ways it effects them.
it effects their schooling and when the students try to do something about it and make a difference there are often strikes and protests which either cancel classes or postpone them.
in afew other cities students have even died as a result of some of these demonstrations which is ridiculous. as one student described it "it's a cycle that sucks". the students try to exercise their rights and one of them ends up getting hurt or worse. as a a student im sure its not a fun thought to have to worry about your safety when you head to class every day.
many of them do not trust the future to hold much promise either. they talk about their concerns working and raising families in a country where these things happen and how it' so easy to lose hope.
so i take their situation here and compare it to mine while i am here. as an outsider, as a temporary resident here. yes i see and feel the effects of so may of the same things as they do. my apartment sometimes doesnt have water or electricity, my day gets rearranged when there are not classes. but for me it is so easy to think about how temporary this situation is for me. i have a different home to look forward to where these kinds of things dont really happen. i have more "security" waiting for me back in the u.s., but when i honestly think about it, do i? are these kinds of things worthy of my hope? for some people, it may be all they have to hope in.
but even in so many of the Venezuelan people i know here, while they are concerned for the state of their home country, and for their family and fellow class mates across the country, they also take comfort in the knowledge that these things are not what give them hope. not all of them, but many of the students in know.
and in much the same way, as i have a knowledge of a home that has so much more to offer me, there is a Home that has infinitely more to offer. and it's there where their and my Hope really reside.
it's been an interesting series of events to see unfold and witness how different people have handled it. to think about where my hope comes from and what it is in.
just one of many many things ive been learning and growing in this year and im sure this reality will continue to change me as the year goes on. and im looking forward to see how Hope will continue to change the students of UC and how they, as the future of the country, will bring that same Hope wherever they go.