Make it stop...

We're nearing fall break here at Tech, and Brittney has had enough. I ended up dropping my Don Quijote class because I just couldn't take it anymore. Call me a quitter if you wish; maybe I am when it comes to that class. However, I was falling behind in my other classes just because the Don Quijote reading and literary diaries were taking up all of my study time. The day that I dropped the class, I was really upset about it, but as soon as I turned in the "drop" form, I felt as if I had just taken the 1500 pound sack of flour off my back. Now I am down to twelve hours of school, but it is just right for me this semester as I still feel like I am in transition.

At Tech, I have always been keen on taking unreasonable numbers of hours per semester just so that I could finish early or on time and get out of there! However, I have learned recently that if taking an extra semester or year in school is going to allow me to sustain my happiness, then it is worth every second. Taking 19 hours in a single semester and working 25 hours per week all equals no free time and constant stress for me. I won't let anything that is under my control interfere with my happiness. I won't.

Now that all that underlying resentment for school is out of the way, I will tell you that I have been doing well in my education classes and getting excited about the teaching part of my Spanish career. I have been observing a high school Spanish teacher at Cookeville High School, and being around the job that I will eventually have makes me really want to dive right in.

Ellen and her roommate, Shauna, came to visit a few weekends ago. They drove in and hung out with me Friday night, I took her to Kendall's pee-wee game, Sunset rock, and El Tapatio on Saturday. Let me tell ya, she was super impressed with all Sparta has to offer ( haha).

Fall break is coming up this weekend, and I'm pretty sure I will just be working, working, working. That's okay with me, though, because I am trying my hardest to save up for next summer's trips. :) I plan on taking another Costa Rica trip for a week or two to see my family and vacation a bit. Then, I hope everything works out to go on the Mexico mission trip with Central. After that, I may have to take a summer class, but I hope that won't be necessary. Either way, I plan to spend at least a month in a Latin American country going to a few Spanish classes and doing volunteer work. I just have to find a program that will allow me to do this all within my budget range. Cross your fingers for me!!

All for now. See you soon!

-B