So clearly I am really bad at this...

As many of you may or may not have noticed, I am pretty bad at this whole blog thing.  It is pretty hard to find time to sit down and actually write about what is going on.  So much is going on, but I am actually taking a minute or two, while I sit at work bored.  Work you may say?  Why yes, I have a new job (its really an internship) since we last spoke.  One of the points of this whole program I am doing is to have an internship somewhere in the city.  So, I am working at a non-profit organization called Village Enterprise Fund (check us out at www.villageef.org).  It is not actually in the city, it is in the small town of San Carlos, so I have a good hour and a half commute each morning and late afternoon.  It actually not too bad though.  I use this train/2 bus ride for reading and napping time-two things that are much needed I have found.  Our organization works to start small businesses in rural areas of east Africa.  If any of you have ever heard of Kiva, we do similar work-except ours is actually better.  Many programs, like Kiva, give small business loans to the people in Africa to start their businesses.  How nice of them...  Except there is a little problem called "they don't have the money to pay the loan back".  Soooo, our lovely organization gives GRANTS!  This is what makes us better-or so I like to think :)  So if anyone has some spare change in their pocket that they just don't know what to do with..... You get the picture :)

But besides working three days a week and having class the other two days, things are great!  While I am very busy, I actually am not.  Compared to the 3 days I was working last semester, along with 5 classes, this is actually pretty easy.  I have a lot of time to spend with my friends going out and exploring and doing all kinds of fun stuff.  Last week we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge-it was beautiful! (pictures to come) This weekend we have a 4-day weekend, so I have a friend coming up to visit, along with everyone else in the house who has a friend coming.  Needless to say, we will have a very full, busy house, but it will be so fun!  I have all kinds of fun things planned!  So if anyone ever wants to come visit, I can create a mean SF Itinerary!  

Along with all the fun and games (and work), this experience has so far proved to be worth every bit of the $20,000.  Not only am I working with a great organization, making amazing friends, getting a wonderful education, and seeing the coolest city in the world, but I am learning so much about myself and my world that I almost never knew.  I am being stretched in so many ways that I didn't even think were possible.  I sometimes find myself even thinking "stop the stretching!"  When we first arrived, everyone told us "prepare to be uncomfortable".  I thought to myself, maybe you're uncomfortable, but I know how to stay in my comfort bubble even when people try to force me out.  Wow was I wrong!  There is no way possible to stay in your comfort bubble when you constantly have terrible issues pushed in your face.  But it has been such an amazing experience!!  I have learned how ignorant and naive the world is about the worst of the worst issues.  We have had some amazing speakers talk about the work that they have done and the things that they have gone through, and it has been an utterly life changing experience!  And I'm not even half done up here!

One last thing-HAHA ITS RAINGING DOWN BY YOU!  It has been absolutely beautiful weather up here, and I have heard that it is very cold and rainy in Orange County.  It has been very sunny for about a week now, and a peak temp of 69 a few days ago.  It is slowly getting cooler as the wind picks up, but it is still gorgeous outside!  But we definitely deserve it after 12+ straight days of rain.

All in all, I am having a wonderful time up here!  I came in knowing that I would either hate it and want to come home or love it and never come home, and I have found the latter to be true :)  Thank you for all of your support, and I will really try to be better about this blogging thing.  And I will really try to get those pictures up for you all to see!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I miss you all very much and love you lots!!!!!