WoW!

I just received the most amazing news ever... I got a donation, one which allows me to stay for an extra 2 weeks of Language School! I am so excited, did NOT think that it would happen - but just so amazed by God's provision!!!

So now I'll be here in Lisbon until Feb 18! Yay! :-)

Só Sei...

As Socrates said "Só sei que nada sei", or as it would be in English: "I only know that I know nothing"... That's how I feel trying to learn 'real' Portuguese!!! Coming here, I thought that a month would be enough to brush up on what I thought was fairly good Portuguese: but I've had to go back to the beginning and re-learn pretty much everything! The Portuguese spoken in Mozambique is for all practical reasons, completely different. So it has been a grueling 2 weeks, quite discouraging at times.

It probably would have been easier to first come to Portugal and learn 'clean' Portuguese, and then apply it in Mozambique, than trying to do it the other way round! :-§

So right now I am toying with the idea of staying a bit longer - finances providing that is. I need about €350 ($520) per week to cover rent, school fees, food and transport... My schedule is pretty busy - School uses up most of the day and I do revision at night, so I don't really get to go out much. I do however go exploring around the Lisbon area on the weekends: Last weekend I went to Belém, this weekend I'm going to Sintra.

Please keep praying that I'll get the language soon: I only have 2 more weeks of class scheduled, and it feels like time is running out way too quickly!

New Year, New Country

So as you all might know, I'm in Lisbon, Portugal at the moment to attend a 4 week intensive language school.

I'm studying at the Oxford School, trying to tweak my Portuguese to a level that will be closer to fluent than what I am now! Some of the other missionaries have done this same course and are now fairly fluent, which I take as a good sign :-)

The cost of the course is in the region of Euro615/US$870, (ouch) which excludes my accommodation (I am renting a room/bed in a big house with 3 really old little ladies). This is actually less expensive than any of the other school's I looked at, so thats really good. And I guess that living with the sisters and trying to decipher their 'Lisbonese' can only help me improve my language skills.

Fortunately there is another girl from the States also living at the house, so I have an amiga to keep me sane! She will be going to Iris Zimpeto in April, and before I arrived at the house I had no idea she was going to be there. So I was happy to see her to say the least, even tho I had been adamant that I wanted to immerse myself in the language, I think now, that it would have been too overwhelming!

The main reason why I'm in Portugal as opposed to a school in Maputo is a safety thing. Also I blend in a bit better in Europe (until I open my mouth), and it's great not having people stop me in the street asking for money and telling me that 'You no love Jesus' when I dont give them anything...

So this is really exciting, I know that by doing this course I will be in a better position to assist Iris Ministries with their work in Mozambique, but it will also be an investment in myself, for the future - who knows where God will send me next?

If for any reason you want to text/sms me, you can reach me on: +351 922 068 311

I will be here in Portugal until Feb 6, 2008 - and then heading back to a gorgeous hot Pemba!