Nine Months

Nothing has gone by faster than the past nine months have. At the end of each week I would look at my roomies and ask them what I did all week. They are normally able to list everything since I am with them a lot of the time. People tend to say that life just speeds up the older you get but I can’t imagine it going by any faster than it already is and I’m only 19 years old. I can look back upon the last nine months and remember so many great things – so many memories from inside the door, in class, playing boarding games, counting down the minutes until work day is over and trying to make the most of my time while at outreach each week. Plus so many more.

While talking to other His Hill students that have come back to visit I can understand why they all say this was the best year ever. First reason is always because it’s in Texas and everything is better and bigger in Texas. Then because we get five hours of Bible teaching five days week from some pretty interesting people. Also since we are meeting people from all over the world that all want to be your friend and are excited to be able to be this journey with you. The reasons could truly go on forever about why this year is so awesome. But mainly for me just because it’s something new.  A change, a new adventure.

Love,

a.m

Sebastian

My room got another pet a while ago. However, with this one there is absolutely no up keep. He dances, he sleeps at the end of mine and Noelle’s beds and he works really nicely as a backrest. What is this pet you might ask yourself. Well, let me fill you in our the happenings of Left Side Down #3 –

A few weeks ago when it was my work day duty to clean the boys dorms, I saw Sebastian in one of the rooms but he was much too high for me to reach him so I just pondered the idea for the rest of the week of how I might be able to get him down without having to move anything or ask for help the next week. The next Thursday he was no longer there. I had a moment of silent as my dream has just disappeared and then got back to work of cleaning. A little while later in a different room I found my new friend and he was in arms reach. I talked to Adri my cleaning buddy for a moment about what was about to happen. As was going to have to run across half of campus with him and well he isn’t the smallest of animals. She agreed to cover for me any one asked where I went and then I was off and running - across the field, past the fish house, the swings and through the parking lot into the girls dorm.

As I pasted the fish house, one of the boys saw me and began to shout out to me about how I was stealing his pet since it was firstly in his room before everyone decided they wanted to have him too. But now he is in the girl’s dorm very unlikely he will be leaving any time before the end of the year since the boys are rarely in here. We have to invite them in and that doesn’t happen very often.

Still wondering what our new pet is, well the time has come. He’s a tiger. Sebastian, the tiger. The boys have a different name for him but I can never remember it so we had to change it to something else. He is much easier to take of than any of our fish were, but not always as much fun since he isn’t actually a real animal.

Love,

a.m

Last Weekend Memories

Way back at the beginning of the semester a bunch of us brought tickets to go to a Spurs game. Then a little while later all us girls decided to start planning the boy’s appreciation night and all of this fell on Easter weekend. By far the busiest weekend all year. With all that some of our teachers put a lot of homework due for this past week and this coming week. Free time is something not very common around here lately.

Even though it has been super busy for most of us, it has also been the funniest weekend this semester by far. We went from one activity to the next one and most of the time running around trying to make the boys wonder what they will be doing.

On Friday night most of the student body got onto the Cool Bus and we went into San Antonio to the AT&T Center for a Spurs vs. Clippers game. It was such a blast! I have never really been into basketball but some of my really good friends here are in love with it so I have learned lots this year about it and also learned I am not going to ever play because I am not good at all. But that’s beside the point, the game was so crazy, back and forth and down to the last second it could have went either way.  In the last five minutes I made a bet with one of the boys who was cheering for the Clippers that the Spurs would win. At that point they were winning and in the end they did win. However, that was the longest five minutes of my life. All of a sudden the Clippers were winning and then the Spurs and then back to the Clippers. In like the last second of the game the Spurs got ahead and won! This means I will not be buying myself ice cream on the next ice cream run!

On Saturday most girls were going crazy making sure everything was perfect for the boy’s day. We first sent them on a little walk to find a staff member who would have more information about the first activity for them. In one of the more treed area of the grounds we had them play sling shot paint ball for like two hours. None of us girls got to go down and watch but the boys said they had a lot of fun and that was way better than anything they had imagined. For supper we went over to this ranch that was totally the way anyone would picture a small Texan ranch. It was by far one of the cutest places I have ever visited. We all ate supper together there and then played games outside, played pool in the house game room and just sat around talking together. We thought the sun would set sooner than it did because we were going to leave the boys there so that they could watch a movie outside at the ranch. However, it took a lot longer to set that day, which wasn’t bad just set up back on our time line. They were still able to watch the whole movie and get more time to hang out with us girls. Overall, I think it went over very well and the boys really enjoyed it.

On Sunday, we all had to be up, nice looking and at the chapel for sunrise service at eight am sharp. Plus, my new daily duty is cleaning one of the public bathrooms so I had to clean that before the service started because people not from the Hill were coming. One of the earliest morning yet for me. The second year students put on the service and did a wonderful job. Then everyone went over to the Fish House for breakfast together at nine. So much food and so many people I had never seen before.  I ate breakfast, took a few pictures and then went back to bed.

Most of Sunday I sleep since there wasn’t much of it the days before hand. It was a wonderful weekend! Just much busier than any of us would have thought or wanted to plan.

Love,

a.m