Here is my weekly update for you all that I sent to chris. I’m too lazy to make it sound like a real blog as opposed to a letter meant for someone else, but it’s the best I can do. Sorry its SO long!
Sorry, this is a book.
Chris,
I’m so glad you have your computer back too! Now, when I see and talk to your friends all we talk about is if we got an e-mail from you or got to talk to you and exchange info that we’ve gotten from you. It’s kind of funny. I sent Mary Noble all your e-mail I’ve gotten from you and the ones your parents got that they forwarded to me. She was so excited. She can’t wait to e-mail you she said! Deborah was telling me about getting and sending you e-mails too. It’s all we talked about for like 20 minutes before caregroup this week. And JP said she’s excited to have a skype date with you soon! Hopefully as you get more settled with a more concrete schedule we’ll be able to find a time to do that as well. I almost always have mine on so if you happen to get on and wanna chat, feel free to call. I’m not always at my computer, but it’s always on. I have a friend who lives in MO and we’ve been using it a lot-we love it!
So how’s teaching going? I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been doing, what they’re learning, etc. It will be so awesome when you get better communicate with them via English and everything. How big are your classes? Is it harder/easier than you thought? It’s such an awesome opportunity that you get to do this!
A lot of my friends from school ask me weekly if I’ve gotten e-mails from you because my friends at school all know that you’re gone because I talk about it a lot. And the Monday that you left I was like an almost mess all day in my classes, so if I’m extra happy they ask if it’s because I got an e-mail from you, haha. And my friend Liz has actually been to China 4 times. She goes every summer and does a lot of what you’re doing-teaching English to orphans. She loves hearing any updates I get from you.
I am fine from my accident. Since I was sitting still at a red light (as was the bus), I wasn’t hit with any force hardly at all, so I’m totally okay-but it was kind of scary the next time I had to go to that intersection! We had a rental for a week, but have to return it today. The buses’ insurance was paying for it since it was her fault, but now she’s disputing it so they’re taking it back while they do the investigation to make sure it was her fault. They should be able to tell exactly just what happened by simply looking at where and how the damage is on my car. The story she made up couldn’t have happened and resulted in my car looking the way it does. So that’s gonna be a couple more days until my car gets looked at and everything. I pray they don’t total it-you know I have a special attachment to it! ….Plus, I want SOME car soon, driving a mini-van to school is beyond humiliating! And it’s a gas-guzzler.
On Monday I am meeting with the counselor at my school to get some information from her about my supposed Foreign Language Learning Disability. She is going to have my tell her what’s going on and she’s gonna get me kick-started with all the info about where I can get the test and such. I also sign up for my classes on Monday morning. The tentative plan is to take psych 101, music (I need a fine arts gen ed.), Spanish 2 (if needed), and political science, and then take Stats online. That’s a total of only five classes, instead of six like this semester, and 4 will be on campus and then stats online. The four classes I’m taking at school are all going to be Tues/Thurs, so that’s super exciting. I’ll be in class from 8-2:10, so that’s not even that bad. I would still be working and such as well.
So, more updates:
Sunday I went to Mountain. It was a good service, they were talking about suffering. It was okay, but nothing I hadn’t already heard before. The guy sitting next to me was really nice. He was joking about my jeans with holes and how I probably spent lots of money on them, blah blah blah. Then afterwards he was laughing about the girl behind us who was singing SO loud but incredibly awful. As we were leaving he asked if I went there regularly. I told him I didn’t and that I usually go to Grace. He told me he really loves it there and I should come again. It was nice of him, especially since I was sitting all alone, haha. I didn’t do too much else that day of interest.
Monday I had school and babysitting. I had an exam in sociology. I honestly just didn’t feel like studying and I got two A’s on the other tests in that class and I hadn’t studied for them either. I didn’t feel so hot about the test after taking it, but it was fine. I also had to meet with some girls from my spanish class to do a group project (yay! NOT). Then I babysat and wound up getting to bed late.
Tuesday was the usual-school and work and caregroup. Actually, it wasn’t a usual Tuesday at all. I got to school, had to skip my first class, fitness, because I forgot my exercise shoes and you can’t work out without them. So I just went to the library and worked on a project for that class that’s due next week. The rest of the school day was normal. Oh yeah, and Tuesdsay my bio teacher was trying to teach us how some people are born gay because of such and such chromosomes and blah blah blah. Oh yes, and some people are born transvestites too-just so you know. She was kind of adding this in at the end of class, so I didn’t have time to argue with her, but I so wanted to. Maybe next time she brings it up. Spanish was awful, as usual. Then I went to work which was okay, as usual. I was actually able to click with one of my 5th grade girls because she had to go to the nurse which is half way across campus, so I walked her there. Me and this girl sometimes rub each other the wrong way, but we got to just chat and talk to and from the nurses, and for the rest of that day, as well as Wed and Thurs, we just really got along. I was so thankful for that. Then I went to caregroup..We just sang songs then broke up into different groups. Mine is me, Sher, Rachel Bickel, and Caity. Me and Caity are partners and then Sher and Rach.
Wednesday was fine. School, work, etc. I got an 85 on my sociology test, so I’m happy with that. I now don’t have to pay attention for the rest of the semester because I got 3 good grades and he only gives us 4 tests, dropping the lowest grade. So I’m just gonna stick with my 98, 104.5, and 85 and not even try to care about the last test. Took like 3 naps that day and was still exhausted.
Thursday, yesterday, was also normal. School, work. Bio was interesting again. I love my teacher, I really do. She’s crazy and extremely hard, but I love her. She’s so down-to-each and chill about everything. Our class has been cut at least in half because so many people have dropped it in fear of failing (which is a realistic fear for most of them…). Now my teacher loves us who has stuck it out and it’s getting a little bit easier now. I’m her pet. I do everything for her. I’ve never missed a class, passed every test (with the highest and second highest grades!), and done all the homework. I also run down the the 5th floor (from the 8th) just about weekly to get something she happens to have forgotten in her office. This week, after class, I stayed a little bit after to talk to her and finish something up I was doing for her. I had to get everyone to fill out a form then I had to collect them, count them, put them in this envelope and take them to her boss. She was asking what my major is and when I told her Social Work she got a huge smile and told me that she can tell that I’ll be great at that and she can tell that I really care about people. I wa told that I’m a pleasure to have in her class and she was really hoping that I wouldn’t drop this class when everyone seemed to be dropping it like flies. She said that her mom wasn’t so great, so she had to see a social worker often, and she says the world could use more. She told me it’s a hard job, but it will be rewarding. She loved her social worker, she said. That was so encouraging and good to hear. Put a smile on my face. Work was fine also. Nothing exciting to report there!
Today, Friday, I went to the Dr. Since I’m so tired all the time, I wanted to check it out, make sure I’m healthy. Plus, I wanted my flu shot and I haven’t been to the Dr. in at least 2 years. I went, waited for what seemed like forever, and then the Dr. called me in. She asked what’s wrong and said I look very good and healthy. I grew a liiiiiittle since the last time I was there! So I told her that I’m basically exhausted all the time. Not just like a little tired, but to the point of exhaustion. I told her I get lots of sleep, etc. She was like “oh, well if you’re taking a fitness class, you should have more energy.” I told her that only makes it worse and i’m just exhausted after 1 hour of working out. She didn’t really care. I also told her about my headaches and hair falling out a ton, which she completely shrugged off. I told her it’s not normal that I’m THIS tired. I sleep well, eat pretty much okay, and I do all the right things-so what’s wrong? She said she would check my blood, but I’m fine. I was really frustrated because I’m getting to the point that I honestly can’t do ANYTHING but what I have to do (school, work, etc) because I’m too exhausted and just want to sleep. She told me not to sleep more than 8 hours a night. Bull crap. I can’t function on 8 hours anymore. I told her I would fall asleep driving if I did that, but she just shrugged it off and told me no more than 8 hours. I’m not going to listen to that. The whole visit she kept saying how healthy I look. I looked awful today. I walk around pretty much shuffling because I’m so tired that even just the everyday things make me tired and I take multiple naps a day (I’ve taken 2 so far today). I asked her if I should start taking vitamins (I gotta do SOMETHING about this!). She said I should take centrum Jr. or something like that every day. So i’ll have to get that. Oh yes, and my Dr. did say that if the blood work shows nothing that i should maybe try changing my birth control because that could be making me tired. I don’t think that makes sense since i’ve been on the same one for over 6 months and this fatigue just started within the month. This evening I hung out with JP. She says hi! We had a good time. We did homework and watched murder mystery shows, haha. I’m headed to bed now! Hopefully I’ll hear back from you in not too long 
I love you and hope that you’re having a great time. I miss you tons. One of the hardest times was on Tuesday when I was on my way home from work. I got out my phone and went to my contacts and started to go to your name then I remembered you are in China. I put my phone down and I was so sad. I miss you tons. Oh, and it’s so soon that you get to open your first card 
Love,
Maggie
P.S. I don’t know if your mom asked you this already, but she said that if I remembered to ask you because she kept meaning to ask and kept forgetting-she wants to know what you’re eating and stuff and if you’re liking it…or something like that
Spanish is still kicking my butt. I have to do a speech in spanish in a couple weeks which I am nervous about. I got the highest grade in my class on our bio test! it was only an 84, but I was happy. She told me she will curve my grade at the end because she knows the tests are so hard and thinks I’m a “great student who is just bad at taking tests.” She said as long as I dont do horribly on the final, she will make sure I have an A. So that’s super exciting. All other classes are going well. Theatre has been cool because it’s mostly discussion in class and my teacher (and most classmates) are very liberal and my teacher likes to make fun of the Bible and be sarcastic about Christianity. My Savior has been faithful to give me boldness and words to say when she makes statements that are extremely offensive to me. She really likes me, so she really does respect when I stand up for what I believe, but it’s still frustrating when she says the rude things that she says. So instead, I pray for her.
I was following it for a couple streets and noticed that it was driving a little funny. Also, BCPS were closed on Friday, so I wondered what that bus was doing/where it was going. Anyway, when we pulled up to a light the bus driver pulled her bus into the left/straight lane. I wanted to go right, so pulled into the right turn lane. It was legal for me to make a turn on red, but I couldn’t see past the bus, so just waited. Next thing I know, the bus starts turning right, completely smooching me 
