3 months have come and gone....time for a quick check-up

hola a todos!
I can´t believe how fast the time is going here, the fact that I have been here over 3 months, which means that in less than 2 months I will back in the United States (and the winter!) boggles my mind. I know that I am going to miss my host family and friends here so much, just like that is what I miss most about being here. Seeing as it is over the half-way point of the semester, I thought I would post some quick thoughts about how I´ve been and later post more about the amazing adventures and trips I have been having.

Physically:
*Healthy, though still a little sore from the 10km on Saturday
*Have been able to go running at least twice a week
*Absolutely love and look forward to salsa class every Thursday
*Today was my last session of therapy and I have improved in both mobility and strength-the x-ray I had on Tuesday also reported that the bone is growing together and is lined up nicely. I also have permission from the Kinesiologist to play tennis again.
*Food is always abundant and delicious-my host mom is a wonderful cook :)

Intellectually:
*I have had exams or essays for every class so far and they have ranged from tough, good, and bad. Sometimes it is harder to study here because there are assumptions that we, the students, have learned certain things in high school. For example, in my history class we are learning about the history of Chile and America in the 19th century. Our professor assumes that we all have a solid knowledge of Chilean history, so I have been having to study the material that we are learning as well as the basics that my classmates learned in previous years of school. Though it takes more time, I have been learning so much and really enjoy havning more humanities based classes as opposed to science classes.
*My life views have also been expanded and continue to expand. I have been realizing that there is so much you can learn from someone else if you just take the time to listen and talk to them. Along these lines, I have learned to not be afraid to ask and to not be afraid to give.
*I have had many conversations lately about politics and religion. I have watched more news here than probably my entire life in the United States.

Emotionally:
*I love it here but can´t ignore that fact that I miss everyone from home!

Culturally:
*Accustomed to life and living with my host family
*Have learned the short-cuts on campus, still like to discover new routes to get home, have mirco routes and streets memorized, seldom get lost now
*Still fall over sometimes on the metro/micro

Spiritually:
*The beautiful Andes mountains are still a reminder every morning of the majesty of God
*Found a church, Iglesia Vina, that is wonderful and has corportate worship similar to Hope´s Gathering. Fun fact: the pastor of this church has been to Batavia, IL! He went to the Vineyard church in Batavia and we talked about the Fox River and a restaurant that he ate at in St. Charles!

until next time,
Katita