Thoughts on Henry James:

I've been reading the classical novel "Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James, and though it was somewhat tedious and hard to get through at first, I've honestly come to love it! He has this way of taking the smallest detail and making it shine, and has such an amazing respect for his characters, especially Madame Merle and Isabel, it's fascinating to see what he does with them! I personally think he's got a thing for the ever so headstrong M. Merle, but maybe that's just me looking too much into things? Anyhow, it's a beautiful novel once one gets further into it, and I strongly suggest it to anyone who wants to read in bits and pieces, though some will take an hour or so per "piece".

Other than that, life in Caronport has been somewhat boring lately. I find myself going on walks constantly, as it's beautiful weather outside, nice and breezy, and moist with the promise of rain, though we never get it, lol. I've decided that I want to climb onto the roof of the outside laundry building, it's old and rickety, but I swear, it has footholds in the walls! I'll do it at night dressed in black, and take pictures to show my triumph... except I wont be able to show them incase anyone sees and I get into trouble of some sort. I don't want to do an hour of toilet cleaning with the janitor ladies :(.

I've decided that I only want to do 2 years here. So after next year, I think I might find a good job, start an apartment, and save money, do some writing, and finally get started on my travel plans. It would be a nice break, and then I can get a lot done and decide where I want to finish my years of studying. Then again, this idea may wear off soon and leave me back where I was before with the thought of continuing in the TESOL program or overall Global Studies. I'm just not satisfied in the way that I'm supposed to be learning all about the wide, vast, amazing world, and instead am sitting in Pentateuch class. Yes the other things are teaching me a lot of new information about the Bible and myself and the God I serve, but I want to know more about the world! That's what TESOL and global studies are all about! So I think I'll take the classes that focus more into that, and then spend a year abroad, and then find a school where the things that I want to learn are taught. We'll see.

I've decided that I know why God brought me here this year. I think it was to make me realise that I needed him, and really wasn't a Christian before this year. After coming here, I went through a crisis in which I realised that I didn't have God. I lived the life, but it was living under my parents' faith, not my own. And so now I've learned to take that faith and make it my own, and grow in and under God, and just surrender my life to Him. Yes it's still a battle in action, but I've learned so much that I never would have anywhere else. It was because I came here that I became a real, knowledgable, true Christian. And I'm so thankful for it!

Anyway, I suppose that's enough for now. The allergy medicine is clicking in and I'm sort of feeling "out of body-ish". G'night!