Maredith with an "A": Things I have Learned...

Since I have moved to the states, there are quite a few things that I have come to learn/needed to learn! Granted, I’m still picking up on new things here and there, but here are a few of the things that have hit me lately (in no particular order!)!

-Having my own car is kinda nice! In Guate I never had my own car and just used the family car. Now if I want to go somewhere, I just jump into Logan and we’re off! J

-Some old habits die hard. Throwing toilet paper in the trashcan… or at least looking for a trashcan! Oh, and wanting to pass school busses…

-Springtime is awesome!! Guate is the land of eternal spring, but it’s been years since I’ve experienced a USA spring, and I’m loving it!!!

-Sisters are still sisters, even 2000 miles away. I feel like I’m just as close to my sisters now as when I left. We send each other messages, Skype, and (thanks to technology!) can stay in touch without too much of an issue!! Looking forward to talking to them face to face in a few days though!!!!!!

-It’s ok to have 2 homes. This one took a little longer to learn, but once the reality of it sunk in, life felt different! I can be completely at home here in the USA and yet still consider Guate my home just as much as when I lived there. And you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that!

-Being perfect isn’t essential, but giving it 100% is! I entered college figuring that I would be able to get through it without too much of a challenge. Enter grumpy professors, lots of memorization, and overloaded brains- perfection became a lot harder than I anticipated. BUT, I knew that if I did my best and learned the material, no matter what the grades showed I could still be proud with the effort that I put forth!

-Nature is a great way to escape for a while. When life feels overwhelming and all out of wack, the beauty, "realness" and miracle of nature is the perfect thing!

-Family doesn’t have to be blood. I have known this for a while, but being so far away from my immediate family has just reinforced this knowledge 100X over!!

-Becoming a big sister from 2000 miles away is still exciting!!!

-There’s nothing quite like a hug from your own parents. I was fortunate enough to hug my dad (and spend time with him) in December, and I CANNOT WAIT to hug both parents in 6 days!!!!!!!!!

-Snuggling a baby does good things for the heart. Ok, I knew this one… but still! J

-The human body is an amazing thing, with LOTS of parts!!! I knew the body was intricate, but when you have to memorize a bunch of stuff about it, you gain a new appreciation for it!!