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My semester is almost over! I have 4 days of classes left this week, followed by 4 days of finals next week. Then, I'll be headed home for the summer! I have everything ready here at Olivet for next fall. I've finally gotten everything worked out for the classes I'll get credit for when I'm in Ecuador. Now, it just seems like I have to wait.
Over the summer, I will be working...a lot. I'm also going to be taking Biology at SCCC (the community college) to give myself some wiggle room when I get back from Ecuador to make sure I can take all of my classes when I need to. When I'm not working or going to class, I'll be relaxing, hanging out with friends, getting ready to head overseas in August, and maybe trying to visit my boyfriend, Dallas, for a few days (I say trying because I know I'll see him at least once at the end of the summer before I leave).
Some of the things I need to do to prepare over the summer include reading some books that are required for my cross-cultural ministry experience, getting my visa (I'm waiting to hear what I need to do for this), get some fun vaccinations, get some luggage so I don't have to monopolize my parents' for 15 weeks, and just make sure I have everything I need for while I'm there.
Oh, I also have my plane tickets! I'm going to be flying through Atlanta both ways.
Also, remember, feel free to comment on my posts, ask questions, whatever. I'd love to hear from everyone.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Random Info
I figured everyone might want to know some of the stuff I've been finding out about my trip. So here's some random stuff:
I will be leaving August 21 and returning December 5. I should be getting my plane tickets soon, possibly this weekend. I already have a passport, so that's one less thing to worry about.
I will need a one year missionary visa to go. It takes about 2 months to complete the process. To get the process started, I had to send in my deposit for the program.
There are several immunizations that I need before I go: tetanus, yellow fever, Hepatitis A and B. I'm pretty sure my tetanus and Hep B are up to date, so I only have to get yellow fever and Hep A over the summer. I also will have to bring enough of my prescription medications with me to last the 15 weeks that I will be there, which could make going through customs interesting.
I will be staying at the South American Theological Nazarene Seminary or Seminario Teological Nazareno Sudamericano (it's a long name so I'll probably just refer to it as STNS or the seminary from now on). The seminary has students from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela so I will meet many people of many different backgrounds and cultures. At the seminary I will be staring a dorm room and private bathroom with a Latin student.
Ecuador is located on the Ecuator, to the temperatures are pretty consisten year round. In the highlands, where the seminary is located, temperatures range from 60-75F during the day and 45-60F at night. The temperatures on the coast, in the jungle, and on the Galapagos are hot. I will be in Ecuador during the end of the dry season and during the beginning of the rainy season.
Monday through Saturday, I will be expected to be at every meal served because it is rude to not eat a meal that has been prepared for you. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch at 1pm, and dinner at 7pm. I guess I'll get used to getting up early. I will also be attending chapel 2 days a week and going to various churches on Sundays.
I will be involved in various ministry throughout the semester. I'm not exactly sure what this will include, but I do know that there is one full week devoted completely to missions work as well as things on the weekends.
Since NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute) is a Spanish Immersion program, I will not be allowed to speak English. This will help me a lot, since I tend not to speak Spanish at any great length unless I am forced to. I will be taking Spanish classes and a Scriptures class that will transfer to Olivet. The Spanish classes will finish up my Spanish minor and with a little extra work, I will get credit for a class I need for my missions major (I have permission from the Religion Department and the Registrar at Olivet to do this, but I'm still waiting on some miscommunication to be resolved before it's official). I will also report to a professor here at Olivet on the mission work that I am involved in and my cross-cultural experience to get credit for my Cross-Cultural Field Experience.
There is wireless internet at the seminary, which will be convienient for keeping in touch and reporting to my professor here.
If anyone wants to send me mail while I am in Ecuador here's the address:
Christyn Bell (NILI)
Casilla 17-11-05027
Quito, Ecuador
I can't recieve any packages, just mail up to a 12X9 manilla envolope in size. I'll make sure I repost this address later this summer.
I hope this satisfies some of everyone's curiosity. I'm sure I'll provide more information whenever I get it.
I will be leaving August 21 and returning December 5. I should be getting my plane tickets soon, possibly this weekend. I already have a passport, so that's one less thing to worry about.
I will need a one year missionary visa to go. It takes about 2 months to complete the process. To get the process started, I had to send in my deposit for the program.
There are several immunizations that I need before I go: tetanus, yellow fever, Hepatitis A and B. I'm pretty sure my tetanus and Hep B are up to date, so I only have to get yellow fever and Hep A over the summer. I also will have to bring enough of my prescription medications with me to last the 15 weeks that I will be there, which could make going through customs interesting.
I will be staying at the South American Theological Nazarene Seminary or Seminario Teological Nazareno Sudamericano (it's a long name so I'll probably just refer to it as STNS or the seminary from now on). The seminary has students from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela so I will meet many people of many different backgrounds and cultures. At the seminary I will be staring a dorm room and private bathroom with a Latin student.
Ecuador is located on the Ecuator, to the temperatures are pretty consisten year round. In the highlands, where the seminary is located, temperatures range from 60-75F during the day and 45-60F at night. The temperatures on the coast, in the jungle, and on the Galapagos are hot. I will be in Ecuador during the end of the dry season and during the beginning of the rainy season.
Monday through Saturday, I will be expected to be at every meal served because it is rude to not eat a meal that has been prepared for you. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch at 1pm, and dinner at 7pm. I guess I'll get used to getting up early. I will also be attending chapel 2 days a week and going to various churches on Sundays.
I will be involved in various ministry throughout the semester. I'm not exactly sure what this will include, but I do know that there is one full week devoted completely to missions work as well as things on the weekends.
Since NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute) is a Spanish Immersion program, I will not be allowed to speak English. This will help me a lot, since I tend not to speak Spanish at any great length unless I am forced to. I will be taking Spanish classes and a Scriptures class that will transfer to Olivet. The Spanish classes will finish up my Spanish minor and with a little extra work, I will get credit for a class I need for my missions major (I have permission from the Religion Department and the Registrar at Olivet to do this, but I'm still waiting on some miscommunication to be resolved before it's official). I will also report to a professor here at Olivet on the mission work that I am involved in and my cross-cultural experience to get credit for my Cross-Cultural Field Experience.
There is wireless internet at the seminary, which will be convienient for keeping in touch and reporting to my professor here.
If anyone wants to send me mail while I am in Ecuador here's the address:
Christyn Bell (NILI)
Casilla 17-11-05027
Quito, Ecuador
I can't recieve any packages, just mail up to a 12X9 manilla envolope in size. I'll make sure I repost this address later this summer.
I hope this satisfies some of everyone's curiosity. I'm sure I'll provide more information whenever I get it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Things Are Kinda Crazy
Right now, I have about 15 days of classes left and then finals and then it will be the summer. Everything is getting really busy. I have projects and papers on top of my normal tests and homework. I'm also continuing to get ready for the fall. Over the past few weeks I've run around campus several times getting this form signed here and there and turning it in here and meeting with this person here to discus one thing or another. It's just been crazy. I'm almost done. I have a few things left to wrap up to make sure I get credit for the classes I need to while I'm in Ecuador (which is kind of annoying, because it's not anything I can control at this point, I just have to wait for it to all get finalized), but overall I'm cleared to go, I'm registered for the program, and I've been accepted by NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute).
Until recently, the fall seemed very far away, that I still had a lot of time before I left the comfort of my friends, family, school, apartment, etc. This past Monday, I received my packet of information from Stan Hall in Ecuador, with lots of information about this fall and it suddenly occurred to me that I really am going to Ecuador, I really am leaving my family and friends for almost 4 months (well, almost 8 months for my friends here at Olivet), and I now know the exact date I will be leaving (August 21). It's like a clock started ticking in my head, and those of you who know me may wonder, "When is there not a clock in her head?", but this one is counting down to a day that I'm approaching with mixed feelings. I'm really excited about going. I'm excited about everything I'm going to get to do and the things I'm going to learn. It's going to be a great experience. But at the same time, I'm going to miss everyone here (ok, so there's one person I might miss a little more than everyone else :), but that's beside the point).
As this semester finishes, I have a lot to do and look forward to. Overall, I'm excited about the next several months. It's going to be one crazy ride.
Until recently, the fall seemed very far away, that I still had a lot of time before I left the comfort of my friends, family, school, apartment, etc. This past Monday, I received my packet of information from Stan Hall in Ecuador, with lots of information about this fall and it suddenly occurred to me that I really am going to Ecuador, I really am leaving my family and friends for almost 4 months (well, almost 8 months for my friends here at Olivet), and I now know the exact date I will be leaving (August 21). It's like a clock started ticking in my head, and those of you who know me may wonder, "When is there not a clock in her head?", but this one is counting down to a day that I'm approaching with mixed feelings. I'm really excited about going. I'm excited about everything I'm going to get to do and the things I'm going to learn. It's going to be a great experience. But at the same time, I'm going to miss everyone here (ok, so there's one person I might miss a little more than everyone else :), but that's beside the point).
As this semester finishes, I have a lot to do and look forward to. Overall, I'm excited about the next several months. It's going to be one crazy ride.
Just Starting Out
Ok. So, for my first post, I figured I should let you know what exactly is going on. This fall, I'm going to be studying abroad through NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute). I'm going to Quito, Ecuador and I'll be staying at the Nazarene Seminary. While I'm there, I will be living with a Latin roommate. I will be taking Spanish classes and one religion class and I will be getting credit for my cross-cultural ministry experience. I will be doing lots of mission work throughout Ecuador. I will get to do a lot of traveling, including to the jungle, the beach, and to the Galapagos Islands.
I've made this blog for 2 main reasons. The first one is that it will help me let people know what's been going on. I've had a lot of people tell me they want to hear from me while I'm in Ecuador and instead of sending massive emails to everyone every few weeks or trying to talk to people via webcam or instant messaging, it will be much easier for me to update this every few days or so. The second reason is that it will serve as a kind of journal of my semester abroad. It will be a way for me to look back and see what I've learned, see how I've changed, and just be able to remember my experiences. So, I'm looking forward to this. I'm planning on giving updates throughout the summer as my date to leave gets closer with any thoughts or new information I find interesting or that I think people might enjoy knowing. When I'm in Ecuador, my plan is to update this every day or two when I'm at the seminary. When I'm traveling, I won't be able to as much, but I'll be sure to fill everyone in when I get back from a trip. I'm also going to try to share lots of pictures, since I'm sure I'll take a lot while I'm there.
Well, I guess that all for now. Enjoy and feel free to comment on my posts, ask questions, or just talk to me.
I've made this blog for 2 main reasons. The first one is that it will help me let people know what's been going on. I've had a lot of people tell me they want to hear from me while I'm in Ecuador and instead of sending massive emails to everyone every few weeks or trying to talk to people via webcam or instant messaging, it will be much easier for me to update this every few days or so. The second reason is that it will serve as a kind of journal of my semester abroad. It will be a way for me to look back and see what I've learned, see how I've changed, and just be able to remember my experiences. So, I'm looking forward to this. I'm planning on giving updates throughout the summer as my date to leave gets closer with any thoughts or new information I find interesting or that I think people might enjoy knowing. When I'm in Ecuador, my plan is to update this every day or two when I'm at the seminary. When I'm traveling, I won't be able to as much, but I'll be sure to fill everyone in when I get back from a trip. I'm also going to try to share lots of pictures, since I'm sure I'll take a lot while I'm there.
Well, I guess that all for now. Enjoy and feel free to comment on my posts, ask questions, or just talk to me.
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