22 Changes in Year 22

So I was sitting in church this morning when Abby turns to me and says, “A year ago today, we were sitting in our first church service ever at Trinity.”  What?!  Wow!  A lot has happened in the last year and God has been there with me every step of the way.  I decided after church to make a list of ways in which my life has changed and here is what I came up with.

1.     Abby and I decide that instead of taking a call, we are going to move to St. Lucia, not knowing exactly what that meant in the coming year.

2.     I graduated from college, Kelsey graduated from high school, and Katelyn got married to Ryan.  Three big life changes.  Between July and August we all moved out of the house. 

3.     I had my last summer at home with my family (or so I thought). 

4.     I had to say goodbye to family and friends who mean so much to me.  Moving far away from them was not easy, but skype, whatsapp, and facebook messenger make it easier to communicate with loved ones far away.

5.     I moved out of the country to a gorgeous island.

6.     I started my first official year of teaching my own class.  I get to spend my days with 29 Reception (Kindergarten) students every day.

7.     I never imagined having a teaching team my first year.  Teacher Najma is awesome and has become a great friend.  Teacher Robin is a great resource person.  So thankful to have the two of them.

8.     These “strangers” that I met last year at church have now become my friends.  I don’t know what I would do without my church family.

9.     I teach piano lessons.  What?!  I’m not even good at piano.  Lesson learned.  You don’t have to be good at piano to teach people what you already know.

10.  I have started learning how to play guitar.  This has always been a dream of mine and it is now becoming a reality.

11.  I live with two awesome roommates.  Abby and Tanya are such a huge part of my life and I don’t think I could live in St. Lucia without them.  (I mean after all Abby does kill the bugs for me.) This however was a big change for me. In college I spent 4 years of my life with one awesome roommate. While Abby and Tanya are not Megan, I do love them and they are great! 

12.  I have to make meals for myself every day.  I no longer am walking to the caf to get whatever my heart desires. 

13.  Going along with that, I have to buy my own groceries.  Making weekly trips the supermarket is a necessary thing. 

14.  No fast food.  I really don’t eat out in St. Lucia very often and when I do it is not fast food.  There are definitely certain foods that I crave that I do not have here in St. Lucia.  Burgers and ice cream are both things I will be filling up on when I get back to the U.S.

15.  I’ve gotten the opportunity to vacation to Barbados and soon will be traveling to Martinique.  Two years ago I never would have imagined that I’d have the opportunity to explore all these different islands, but now I have the opportunity and I’m going to take advantage of it as much as possible.

16.  I now understand a lot more of what Lucians say.  While they speak English, it is not always easy to figure out.  When I first arrived I would literally just stare at people as they spoke and still not understand.  Now I understand most conversations, even when people assume I don’t.

17.  I have started playing piano in church with the band. I never would have thought that I would ever play piano in church.  I don’t play every Sunday, but I feel more comfortable now than I did the first time I started. 

18.  I have had to get used to insane heat. I knew that August would be bad, but honestly September, October, and November were all terrible.  I got used to being sweaty all the time and let me tell you this is not a pleasant feeling.  The end of April started getting hot again and I’m assuming I will be sweaty from not until December again. 

19.  I don’t have to share a bathroom with 30 girls.  I get my own bathroom and room and I absolutely love it! 

20.  I have started yoga.  I’m not one to work out, but after trying a 30 day Yoga with Adrienne series, I can say that I don’t mind yoga and it’s actually a decent workout.  It also helps me relax and sleep better. 

21.  Having to get used to unwanted attention from guys because I’m white. When Abby, Tanya, and I are alone, we get kissed at and called out to ALL THE TIME.  We’ve gotten good at ignoring a lot. 

22.  No car.  While I don’t really have a desire to drive in St. Lucia, I do miss driving and the freedom that comes with it.  Being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want is something that I do miss.  That being said, I am thankful that we have people who are willing to take us places, as well as a pretty easy bus system that allows us to travel from Castries to Gros Islet without much hassle.

Twenty-two changes in year twenty-two of my life, however God knew what he was doing.  He had better plans for us than we had for ourselves. A year ago I was in a frazzle because I did not know what I wanted to do.  St. Lucia sounded cool, but scary.  Moving away from my family and friends was not easy.  However all of it was worth it and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me in this coming year.