So this is life...

I have officially gotten into a "routine" here. My schedule is set, clear, and very busy. I'm tired, but really, what else am I going to do? So, here is a glimpse at what my week looks like:

Segunda-Feira (Monday)
7:30am - Leave for the bus
8:30am - Portuguese
12pm - Wait again for the bus
1pm - Lunch
1:30pm - OMS missionary prayer meeting
3pm - Free time (aka: nap)

Terca-Feira (Tuesday)
8am - Seminary office with Gwen (ISBL)
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Leave for the bus
2pm - Portuguese
6:30pm - Arrive home
8pm - Verdades Basicas (class)

Quarta-Feira (Wednesday)
8am - ISBL
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Bus
2pm - Portuguese
6:30pm - Home
8pm - Prayer Service

Quinta-Feira (Thursday)
8am - ISBL
12pm - Lunch
3pm - Bus
4pm - Portuguese
6:30pm - Home for FREE TIME

Sexta-Feira (Friday)
(?)am - Prepare lessons for English class for teens
12pm - Lunch
2pm - Portuguese at home
5pm - Freeeeeee

Sabado (Saturday)
am - Free (aka: sleep in)
12pm - Lunch
2:30pm - English class/conversation with church teens
3:30pm - Adolescents meet
6pm - Dinner
8pm - Youth service

Domingo (Sunday)
DAY - Free (I'm not a heathen, there's just no church in the morning!)
7:30pm - Church

So basically I have 3 free evenings a week and 2 free days. There will certainly be no time for me to be bored, especially as I'm learning a new language and constantly meeting new people!

Last night after the prayer service, I really had a good time with some of the youth. They were asking me names of American movies, and that entertained them for a while. They kept asking me to pronounce "Arnold Schwarzenegger." Apparently it's a thrill to hear. I felt like I got to spend some quality time with them on my own. I don't always like to have Gwen around to translate too much for me or constantly be asking me if I understood things. It's helpful in the times I don't, but those are becoming fewer and farther between. So I had to stand on my own two wobbly Portuguese-speaking legs, and it was good for me and fun too. This Saturday I'll start a little English with the youth, just talking simply about my family, etc. It will be interesting considering my weak grasp on their language, and their even simpler knowledge of mine. But they're excited to learn a little bit and it will be helpful for me to need to translate some things, etc. I think I'll enjoy it too. : )

My Portuguese lessons have been going well...yesterday I took the bus for the first time, which was quite the event. It's also very exhausting and time consuming. Also, dangerous. Only in that I nearly fall into every single person sitting down when I'm stumbling in trying to pay and push through the turnstyle and grabbing frantically for the poles that do nothing to save me from the stick-shift's desperation in trying to go up a hill. Today I saw one woman walking steadily up the aisle as the bus was moving and I couldn't help but think that I wanted to be just like her.

Tomorrow a new teacher that I don't know is coming to my apartment to teach "situations." So maybe we'll go out a little bit, which would be fun. We'll see what happens. Gwen will be gone for the day so I'll take the morning to "plan" my little English lesson and try to relax after 2 exhausting days of bussing. That will really be something to get used to.

And now, thanks to the miracle of satellite television, I'm going to watch [Scrubs]. Thank you for the comments on my last entry, I always enjoy hearing from people!