week of firsts

I'm getting progressively worse at updating.  I promise I'm still alive! Time is flying by, I'm incredibly busy at school and with an online masters course so I don't have much time for anything else!  This past week has indeed been a special week of many firsts for me.

Last Friday was the first time I spent Valentine's Day in a country that doesn't celebrate it (I kind of liked it!) I still ate an abnormally large amount of chocolate, but I won't have a Valentine's Day supply of chocolate to last me until Easter like last year!  I found out from my students that Colombia has PEANUT BUTTER M&Ms! Only the best creation ever made, I'll be venturing out to the one small store they said had them tomorrow.  I'm sure they're probably about $10 US a bag, but it might just be worth it.  On Saturday morning, I was offered money from a homeless man for the first time.  He tried to give me 3000 pesos, surprisingly I couldn't accept it from him.  I'm a little bit worried as to what he would've liked in return, however maybe he was just trying to be nice!  I also ran my first 12k race up a mountain! We ran las Palmas which is the mountain we take to get to school.  Completely uphill for 12 kilometers is a great time.  Happy to report I'm still alive and kicking, and that there are some super in shape Colombian old men that kicked my butt.  More firsts...tonight was the first time I've broken a pan mid flip of a burger.  I saw my burger's life flash before my eyes as the pan broke off the handle and came flying at my face before it clattered to the floor just barely missing my naked toes.

I love that all these new and mostly wonderful things are happening to, and around me.  The weather has been amazing,  as always.  The masters online course is winding down and soon I'll be able to relax a little.  Semana Santa is a little under two months away, Kayla has her ticket bought and I'm getting more excited by the minute to sweat my rear-end off in la ciudad perdidad hike in the North of Colombia!

Many good things going on! Keep the emails, happy notes, and prayers coming my way for a safe and happy rest of the school year!
much love to all,
aimee