¡Intercambio!

This week I started to meet with my intercambio (like an assigned friend who’s trying to learn English).  While all the girls in my group are very nice, it is very nice to have an amigo amongst all the amigas I have.  My intercambio’s name is Raymundo, and he’s studying at the Instituto de Tecnología to be an engineer.  He’s 23 years old and has lived in Oaxaca his whole life.  After 2 days of meeting and getting to know one another at the ICO, he took me to meet some of his friends at the institute.  Him and his friends really like the computer game Age of Empires, and we played a multiplayer version for a while.  It was great to relax and do some guy stuff.  I wasn’t great because I haven’t played in a while, but still had a fun time.  Next week we are going to a sports center to play volleyball, soccer, and tennis with his friends.

Classes are going great, and I’m learning a lot.  Only one week left of intensivo!  While most of the concepts aren’t new, I’m starting to cement them in my mind.  My comprehension and speaking skills in Spanish are increasing, but it still is quite a challenge to communicate everything in Spanish.  This week I came in contact with a short-term missionary from the Covenant Church, and I’m going to try out the local church here.  I’m really excited to meet some new people and worship God!  Amy, the short-term missionary, told me that usually the service is around 5 hours long, so we’ll see how that goes.  My guess is it will take some getting used to, but I’m going to enjoy it a lot.  Your prayers are appreciated!  Please pray for the people in the south of Oaxaca, as there is massive flooding due to Hurricane Frank and a new tropical storm that's supposed to land tonight.  Unlike the U.S, almost none of the houses are uninsured and there is almost no help from the government.  

Un abraso,

Bryan