So I have been planning and working non-stop since my return to Chile. I am happy to report with much success over what will mark two weeks on Friday. I returned with high anxiety about the fact that I needed a better response rate on my surveys and wasn’t quite sure how that was going to happen. I sought God’s direction (as I do quite regularly) and felt he was giving me some very creative strategies to employ over the almost two week period. I am very pleased by the favor he has given me with making inroads via academic faculty and departmental leadership who are supporting my research efforts.

I felt like I had been soft of burning the candlestick at both ends, because I also committed to teach English to some adult learners twice a week. On top of all that, we are not in fellowship/grant/scholarship application season at my university. So I am also writing a number of proposal and letter essays, along with having to update my CV. I went to go pick of my renewed student Visa, but the director said she needed another day to secure it to my current passport…that was last Wednesday and I have been trying to find time to get back downtown to pick it up. Sigh… the game plan is to go get it tomorrow morning.

Nevertheless, I decided last night that Tuesday was going to be my own “personal day” to just rest. I’m so glad I did that today as now I feel very refreshed. I was excited to get an email from a dear friend who told me she constantly follows my blog posts and loves the food pictures I include with some of the stories. So, that’s the reason I showed the soft tacos I made today for dinner. They were fantastic!!

Before leaving the US, I had adopted a pretty regular workout schedule at the Ramsey Fitness Center on campus. Those activities also included my group fitness class which I love better than working out on my own. I love the social aspect of group fitness and have made some of my most endearing friendships from those meetings. Unfortunately, there’s no Zumba on campus this semester. L Also, my friend Graciela has returned to complete her academic studies while also hold down a full-time job as our office manager. I miss our after-work chats and workout sessions in the weight room. So, I’m going to have to discipline myself to do my workouts on my own. I think I can do that until January when I return back to UGA. J I also think I am going to try to incorporate a little more distance running into my exercise protocol. I used to enjoy running with my Daddy in the early mornings as a kid. We’ll see how that goes.

Well, it sounds like my students have arrived for the English lesson so I’m going to have to closeout this blog post. In summary, I want to give praise and thanks to God for helping me with my research and everyday life in general.  I am so grateful for the many blessings I have been given in life and look forward for the purposes and plans that are yet in store for me to walk into.  However, those tacos were so good that I am now kinda sleepy. I’ll get some coffee so I don’t fall asleep while trying to teach English this evening. Ha ha.