Get ready for a long 'un, coz I'm sitting in the teacher's lounge at Hoyah with about an hour and a half to kill and nothing else to do and nowhere else to go in a foreign country whose language I know only of how to say hello (not even goodbye) and how to hit on girls =) I smile, but that's not even a joke. And I feel in a rambly mood, so call your office and tell them you're sick, go grab some snacks and drink and maybe order a pizza and get comfortable. Or just don't waste your time reading this =)

Lol, so I've been here for an hour and a half already and all I've done is facebook, email, and now xanga. Since it's my first day here and I don't start teaching at Hoyah until the 25th, I'm dressed in comfortable clothes instead of formal clothes, so I probably look like a student who has enough audacity to chill on a computer in the teacher's lounge. Everyone around me is doing something professional sounding, and I've definitely gotten a couple of dirty or at least puzzled looks. But whatever, it's like a sauna outside, and it's supposed to be one of the "cooler" days of the summer, so I'm staying in here.

Man, if I'm hot dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, I wonder how hot I'll be in a button-up, tie, and slacks...you can take that how you want to =)

So anyways, I know I said I would continue my previous entry later, but I say that a lot, and seldom follow through, so I figure, why break the pattern now? So yeah, let's recap the year. First quarter was very interesting...let's just say there was a really big drama that lasted the whole quarter, and many smaller dramas surrouded this big drama. Yup, that pretty much sums up the quarter. Oh, and my grades sucked.

Winter break was one of the most amaznig times of my life. Well, most of it sucked, actually, but then I went to this conference called Urbana, and it was aMAZing. It was the first of many awesome experiences with God I'd have this year. I could write about it here, but what fun would talking to me be if you could read everything on a Xanga, right? And then the day before winter quarter began, I finally gathered enough courage to admit to one of my friends that I liked her and asked her out, and thus I entered into my first relationship, which would last my winter quarter.

That was definitely the highlight of winter quarter. I was crazy busy because I really wanted to do well that quarter so pretty much I studied and then hung out with my girlfriend. In fact, we were only able to actually go on like two dates the whole quarter, but luckily she was awesome and understood and was cool with it. Yeah, she is a great girl, really pretty and amazing personality. Unfortunately, in the beginning of Spring quarter we came to the realization that we weren't progressing in our relationship as friends, and that the relationship was hindering that friendship, something neither of us wanted. So we decided to break-up. But yeah, that was the best quarter gradeswise I have pulled in my entire college career.

Then came Spring quarter. Yeah, it sucked. I had broken up with my girlfriend, burnt out from winter quarter, and basically thought the quarter would be a wash. But actually far from it. In fact, it didn't suck but was actually pretty awesome. I think God chose this quarter to really speak to me and show me a little more about Him. And I especially think He tried to show me what it means to be a leader, both at church as I had been all year, and as the large group co-coordinator/emcee for AAIV next year. Yeah, I definitely was missing the mark in many ways, but that's okay, because we all do, and that's what God's Grace is there for, right? So yeah, Spring quarter was pretty tight. It started off slow, but as I said, God really spoke to me and showed me a lot. And then towards teh middle of the quarter Lakeview college group, something that had been okay for the past two quarters, I think really started getting closer and tighter. I don't know how it happened, but it was like God snapped His fingers, and bam. It came to a head during our spring retreat, when as an entire fellowship we were able to be broken together, vulnerable together, pray together, and be healed together. Praise God, coz it was freaking AWESOME. But He was done yet, coz soon after, AAIV started experiencing something similar. It started with people being vulnerable, and bridges starting to be built and crossed. It was a lot slower than for Lakeview, but then it sped up really fast when the quarter ended and a group of us, mainly leaders, went to Cedar Campus for our Chapter Focus Week. There we really managed to grow and bond not only as members of AAIV and that fellowship, but as members of Intervarsity as a whole within the University of Chicago...we were able to bond as well with MEIV. God really worked there...our fellowship grew stronger and closer, ties were made across chapters, especially within our university, a lot of planning got done, and even specifically individually, a lot of relationships began and were healed and re-began. It was pretty sweet. But unlike last quarter, my grade, unfortunately, sucked. Ah well, such is life, you can't have everything I guess. Well that's not true, I'm just being bitter, but whatever, let's put a break in here.

So the past few entries have been rather sarcastic and bitter, but I felt that given the events, it should be thus narrated however, Cedar Campus was a great experience, so let's give a go at some joyfulness.

But before that, let's talk about getting there. Oh, by the way, Cedar Campus is a week-long leadership Intervarsity retreat that's located about 8 hours away. Oh, and both drivers have little to no sleep for the past week.

So we fill up on gas and grab some monsters and head out. My friend takes the first shift, and we set off. It's the first roadtrip I've been on for a while, so it's pretty fun, but then we all start trailing off and take mini naps. About an hour and a half later, I get a bad feeling. We should have been on part 3 of mapquest a while ago. My friend's drifting off, so I offer to switch, and I drive for a bit before swallowing my ego and asking for directions. Yup. We'd been driving THE WRONG WAY. At illegally fast speeds for almost two hours.

So about two hours later, we find ourselves back in Hyde Park, an hour behind the other van that left THREE HOURS after before us. Except we're not in the U of C campus. See, I'm horrible at directions, and my navigator was female (=D) and we decide to try and take some shortcuts. All of a sudden we find ourselves in a VERY shady neighborhood, the type with bulletproof glass at gas station counters and out-of-order bathrooms. And i REALLY have to pee.

But having already dared to stop once already to ask directions, we dare not toy with fate and chance it again, so I suck it up and we drive off. After a great deal of U-turns and illegal traffic maneuvers, we FINALLY find ourselves at the beginning of an interstate we were supposed to be at the middle of. Rejoicing in our success, I get some gas and release a bladder BUSTING stream of urine.

The rest of our trip was relatively uneventful, except when we finally grab dinner, we eat at the WORST Denny's ripoff ever. The shakes were awful and I swear my sandwich was a big mac from next door with just a bit more special sauce. There's a reason the Big Boy from Big Boy's was shot into space in that Austin Powers movie. But we finally make it Cedar, and lemme tell you, it was an aMAZING experience.

Worth every roadblock thus far. My small group was amazing, and we were doing small group leader training, and I learned such a great deal. On top of that, I really gained the confidence I needed to know that I will do well next year with God at my side. To say I've been feeling apprehensive about leading a small group next year would be a riDICulous understatement. But the training I received through Cedar Campus and more than that but the confidence and ability to rely on God in my words and my action dispelled those fears. I was very sad I had to leave. And yes, again I'm wimping out on doing the experience justice, but I have church now, and need to get dressed, so I'll tell y'all about coming to Korea later (that's gonna be a fun one).