Summertime

Wow, it has been a long time indeed since I have updated this. I've thought about it several times just never really got around to doing it. This year though I am going to try harder, I promise. :)

Let's see. I got back form Morocco and went job hunting like a mad woman. I ended up being a nanny for two older kids (10 and 13) and it has definitely had its challenges. When I'm not doing that I'm hanging out with my roommate and my little cousins who somehow manage to make me feel better no matter what kid of day I've had.

I move into my apartment with my three other roommates on Saturday and then school starts on Monday. I'm so excited to be close to everyone again and to continue to develop the friendships I started last year.

That's about it, nothing exciting or life changing really. Summer's been long, slow and pretty boring even though it has had it's high spots. This last week my cousin Mark came back from Italy and it's been amazing to see him again and start getting caught up on our lives. And then Friday night a group of us went into Portland for CityFest and saw Chris Tomlin and Kutless in concert. That was a lot of fun.

A Weeks End

This week pretty much all I did was study language. I now can say basic things and can go shopping as long as the shopkeepers speak slowly and simply. :) I can even read some but it is even slower and frustrating. My next goal, according to the Betty, is to get dinner one night...lol, we'll see how that goes.

Last night Faith and I went to the store to get chips and orange juice, great combo, I know. :) But we got talking about some more of the differences between here and America. They are very obvious, but I'd never really thought about them truly before. For example here eye contact is seen, especially from a woman, as something brazen and inviting almost. So, you don't make eye contact when you walk, actually you basically pick a spot 4 or 5 feet in front of you and focus on that even if someone talks to you. But even though you are not looking at the person you can tell they are watching you and not even trying to hide it. It is like I am always on display and can't do anything about it. Even if a guy is obviously and rudely "checking me" out I just have to ignore him. It's frustrating to not be able to tell him to bug off and get a life. :)

Today it also rained, I'm talking hard core rain, completely sideways. And it ended as abruptly as it began. The wind was howling so much I thought it was a train at first. It blew open a window in the kitchen completely soaking the laundry room and a lot of the kitchen. Fun. :) But it seems to be over. It smells really good though.

Jordan, a friend from Multnomah in Portland, arrives here on Sunday. Faith and I are going to take the 5 hour train ride to pick him up so that should take up most of my day. But after that we should be able to get out and do more things, like visiting the Medina, a detention center, and maybe even a couple of therapy centers. So we'll see what happens.

Language and Discoveries

Today was a day filled with language, reminiscing and discoveries. I am enrolled in a week long "serious explorer" language class and it started today. So I sat down to my first lesson that was an hour and a half long and entirely in Arabic with only a few English words thrown in here or there. Talk about overwhelming! It was pretty much the same as the class I took the last time I was here but it has been two years so I have to admit, I was a little rusty. :) There are two others in my class with me and none of us know each other which is actually really nice.

Then later today I went with Bill to a buisness where he teaches the people who work there English. That was actually really interesting. It was just a beginner class so everything was pretty basic, I mean REALLY basic. They were working on past tense and when to use "was" versus "were." It's interesting how it all seemed so simple to me and it felt weird being a part of teaching your own language. I feel a little more simpathetic to my high school Spanish teacher. :)

Another thing that was interesting to me today was some of the changes from the last time I was here. One of the biggest things I've noticed is theres is beginning to be a change in the way the people dress. It is becoming more modern and "western" if you will, basically what we, as Americans are used to. Bill said that there is a wide range, with everything from the full attire to spaghetti straps even. But still you never know what someone is thinking of you. He told me about a friend of theirs who was always careful to dress conservatively but some of her Moroccan friends still asked her if she liked being a prostitute. It really makes you wonder what the people around you are thinking of you. And after growing up hearing that it doesn't matter it's a little bit harder to realize that sometimes it really does matter.

Anyways I think that's all for now. I have homework. Back to studying. :)

Jetlag!!!

So, I have officially arrived in Morocco; back to crazy driving and a little bit more heat. :) Some of the youth had a prom last night so i didn't have to worry about the five hour trip from Casa which was really nice and a little bit easier on my sleeping habits. Traveling was fine and turns out I was pretty much worried for no reason. Go figure. That's about all for now but stay tuned for more adventures in the life of Lindley King. :)

Destination Unknown

Sometimes I wonder about where we all be in the future. Will we still be friends? The future seems not only ambiguous right now but abstract as well. It's weird to think that I grew up with these people and now are lives are taking different directions. We all have different dreams, aspirations, life goals and how can we know if our own is the right one? His life isn't going to look like mine, but what he's doing is just fine...right? Hers will never take her to the places I want to go or have been, but that doesn't mean our friendship has to change...does it? I've been struggling with the idea that maybe my idea of "success" isn't necessarily the only one, or even the right one. I need to let go of that and realize that if someone chooses to do something different with their lives it's okay. Maybe college isn't for everyone, maybe marriage is coming sooner for some of us, maybe a job, maybe even a family. I just hope and pray that we will always be there for each other. We've all gone through some rough times but somehow the friendships are still standing to this day and I want so badly for them to stay that way. These people helped me become who I am today, we honed each other and loved one another through each others battles. Is it even possible to loose something like that?

Through My Fingers

I was looking at my time line today and realizing that I really don't have that much time. School will be out soon and I'm not ready for it. I'm leaving for Morocco in about a month and a half and I don't feel ready for that either. And I don't know when I'm going to have time to do anything much less think about anything. Maybe in some aspects that could be a good thing, but it leaves me on autopilot for now. I go to class, do homework and then go to bed (if I get time). Always this time thing, there never seems to be enough. There is this trying to find a balance of school work and living. Sure, school is important, but what about life. I don't want to look back and say, "what was the point? What did I accomplish?"

College seems to be a time of sifting things through my fingers. Other than time I am sifting through my beliefs and what kind of person I want to be. I am finding out who my true friends are. God is teaching me so much about life, Him and myself. The whole thing is so overwhelming that sometimes it's all I can do to make it through the day. But at the same time it is such an exciting time. This year, semester especially, I've had so many of my beliefs and values challenged and I've learned a lot of the things that I thought were rigid in my life really aren't. I'm not sure what to think about that yet.

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Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

I can still feel you

by Collin Raye

It's that feeling that someone
Is standing behind me
And I turn around and
there's no one there

And it's the sensation
That someone just whispered
Yeah and I still hear your voice
but you're not really here

Your memory is like a ghost
And my heart is it's host

I can still feel you just as close as skin
every now and then.
All by myself, in a crowded room, on my empty bed.
There's a place you've touched
with your love no one gets close to.
I can still feel you...
I can still feel you...
I can still feel you...
I can still feel you

You said you'd love me forever
then you said it's over,
and left me without
the missing link.

I thought I'd forget you
but I guess I forgot to
and lately I've been
too confused to think.

When I reach for someone new
it's like I'm touching you...

I can still feel you just as close as skin
every now and then.
All by myself, in a crowded room, on my empty bed
There's a place you've touched
with your love no one gets close to.
I can still feel you...
I can still feel you...

I can still feel you...

I can still feel you

In everything that moves
In everything I do...

I can still feel you just as close as skin
every now and then.
All by myself, in a crowded room, on my empty bed.
There's a place you've touched
with your love no one gets close to.
I can still feel you...

I can still feel you...

I can still feel you...
I can still feel you...
Oh I can still feel you

Healing...

So I had the first really good day yesterday, which is really ironic considering the day... But we went to a 70's dance and then got hungry so we went to Shari's at like 1. It was a lot of fun and I'm pretty much dead tired, but doing a lot better. I'm so glad that I have family here, it helps a lot. Cousin Mark and friend Joel (confusing, I know), have helped me a lot, just by listening and being there. They're amazing.