Home Away From Home

In recent news, I passed my defense yesterday!!! Yippee! It feels so good to be finished. Well, not totally finished, I still have some corrections to make to my thesis before I get the final approvals and turn in the final copies, but I am mostly there. Yesterday was such a good day. Afterwards, my family and Katy's (my grad school partner in crime, who also defended yesterday) family went to dinner with our mentor professor. It was a really fun time to celebrate and relax. I tried to post some photos, but it didn't work, sorry!

I read a blog by two of my favorite authors, Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt. A recent by May post inspired the real reason for this post. She wrote "I think everybody has a spot in the world that just speaks to them". This totally made sense to me, as I feel that Brazil is my Home Away from Home. It is the place in the world that just speaks to me. After I came home the first time, I felt like I was supposed to be born Brazilian (sorry Mom!) because I just fit in there! Personality characteristics of mine that are weird here (read: close-talking, how much I touch people when I am talking to them, spontaneous dancing, etc) are totally normal part of Brazilian culture! I was actually normal there!! :) Before my first trip, I was worried about the cultural and language barriers, but it really was surprising how instantly I felt comfortable in a completely foreign place. I'm sure if I were to move there it would be a challenge for sure, but both of my visits have been true blessings. I feel like my time in Brazil (and hopefully future times there as well) have really become a part of my identity, and helped me to learn a little more who God has designed me to be. Through my experiences in Brazil I have discovered passions and talents I didn't know I possessed (like mimicking ship sounds for example...) and I am forever changed because of this. Until I read this other blog post, I didn't really know how to put this feeling into words, but Brazil speaks to me. There is no other way to say it! We have begun planning this years' college trip in December. I am not sure I will be able to go, depending on where I am working, but I pray that I will return someday soon. What is your spot in the world that speaks to you?