How I’m Doing

Hello

I’m doing well.

I’ve met two of the three exchange students coming to this school. Both are girls; one is from the US and the other from France. They are both friendly, seem like good people, and hearing their stories and opinions have been interesting. I’ve also been talking more with other people around the school, and hearing some interesting things from them. One girl said her family considered moving to Houghton so the parents could work at the university, which I thought was pretty interesting. Overall, I think my social life at school is doing well enough. I think I will have a lot of friends/acquaintances when my time here is finished.

School itself is going well. I have been keeping up with the lessons, even with the language difference. It’s been a bit rough at times; sometimes I will not understand a lesson or even two in a row but by the third everything makes sense and I can move along. My teachers deserve credit for what they do to accommodate me, it’s definitely been a better experience with their help. The lesson structure is largely dependent on the class, and I think it’s sensible. In art, for example, I work independently on a project as instructed by my teacher; in physics and math, we sit in the typical classroom layout and listen to the teacher explain things and work out problems. There is a good deal of student/teacher interaction in physics and math, which is nice. All my teachers have really great personalities and I’m happy to be around them. Overall, I feel comfortable at school. I’ve started to hum/sing quietly when I’m working, which is a good indicator of this (I do it at home when I’m feeling good). Some people seem to find it interesting,  because I’ve received a couple comments and apparently the art teacher announced it to a class.

Living here in as suburban house has been interesting, after having lived out in the country at home. There is a big open park area to the rear of the house, so that’s nice. The noise from the distant neighbors can be annoying at times though. (Our immediate neighbors are very nice people, older people.) I got to try riding a motorcycle a few times, which has been something I’ve wanted to do for some time now. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I think I want to get one.

I was looking through some of my pictures of home, and certain ones made me wish I were there. The header photo of this blog, for instance; I can picture waking up and going downstairs, making myself coffee, and going outside with bare feet to enjoy the sunrise before my feet get cold and I head back in to start on school for the day. It’s interesting how going on a trip like this can give an appreciation for things and places in your life. For me, it’s not really a sad feeling, not fond memories, just a feeling. It’s times like that when you can see the most pure and lovely parts of your existence, as if from the view of one next to you…what it’s been and where it can go; and having seen it, you become older in mind, regardless of youth. You have seen something rise and fall back out of existence.

Through all of the little minutes of our days and through our life as a whole, God is with us. How wonderful, that our Creator is as such! However we see our lives, God is above and beyond, but he is also here with us now. That’s incredibly awesome.