This Week started off really good! I came back from a fun weekend after attending the Halloween/ Day of the Death Party in the Connector. Everyone had great costumes and looked incredible. My good friend Sammy had a great impression of Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Carribean. Everyone seemed to have a great time!

However, my week got increasingly stressful. With 2 research papers to write (I am horrible at these!), a presentation coming up and a technical report due soon, EVERYTHING piled up on me. Nevertheless, I have tried to enjoy mine weekend as much as is possible! I keep telling myself that Winter break is less than a month away and that's what keeps me going. Also, I have a GREAT group of friends and family that have been a great support team for me. They keep me going and encourage me to get back up when I fall. Also God shows me so many times that I am not alone and that He will help me when I think I've been conquered.

We all need something to hold on to when we go through rough patches. What keeps YOU going?

Last night was the Sones de Mexico concert at the Sauder Hall. It was a great night. As a part of CITL, some of us took part in the preparation and process of the concert. Some of us helped to translate, others to advertise, a couple to collect food for the Window and various other tasks. Last night, our very own Mayra and Sara were the MC for the Concert and most of the rest were greeters, ushers and ticketers. I would agree that it was worth all of the work because the concert was incredible.

The music filled all of our ears with waves of joy. People in the seats were getting up to dance with there children. Others would cheer and shout out phrases of praise and agreement to the performance. All of the audience seemed content.

I also enjoyed all aspects of the concert. I love the dancing and the music. It is as if it fills my heart with longing to visit the beautiful Mexico. The real Mexico. To travel into the cities that have not yet been Americanized. It is a beautiful country with many beautiful people and many beautiful customs.

The greatly anticipated Fall Break is rapidly coming to an end. I feel like it has gone by so fast. Tomorrow is the last day of Fall Break and I feel like I have gotten nothing acomplished and already starting to feel the stress of upcoming assignments.

However, this weekend hasn't been completely boring. On Saturday, I attended a Mexican wedding. The director of the new SST program (which will be taking place here in Goshen) Anayeli Juarez had a beautiful wedding in Warsaw.

This made me think of an email I recieved not too long ago. It was about the differences between American and Mexican weddings. It talked about how Americans sent out invitations months in advance and asked for their guests to RSVP so that they know how much food they will need. However Mexicans usually invite people the day before by phone or when they see people at the store. There is no need to RSVP and if your invited, you can invite others without a problem. The list of differences was endless. It made me laugh so hard because it was SO true. At Ana's wedding, people just kept coming to the reception and tables kept being added to the dance floor and more food kept being brought in. There was a variety of food because guests would bring a big batch of some kind of food or another. It was a great wedding and we all had a great time dancing to the music, although none of us were extremely great at it. I was accompanied by my family and friends from the CITL office.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Fall Breaks and come back refreshed and ready to go!

When I was first presented with the opportunity to Blog, I was unsure of what I would write about. I have never been the "blogging" type. However I felt like this could be my chance to share my thoughts, my feelings, my ideas, and my opinions. So of course,I accepted!

Through Blogging about myself and my experiences here at Goshen College, I hope to learn things about myself. To dig deep into myself and find all the hidden things that have helped me to succeed, as well as the things that have held me back and caused me to fail.

The people who know me very well, know that I am the type of person that cannot express any personal feelings or emotions easily. I am also a pretty indecisive person. I am often unsure of what it is I want in life. So if I ever change my mind on a certain issue that I discuss, this is the reason why.

I hope that many of you who will begin this journey with me will be able to relate to me and find comfort that you are not alone. I also hope that if I discuss things that make you uncomfortable, that you take the challenge to also dig deep inside yourself.