#girlgoneYLd in Chile

Hi everyone. This is just a shameless post about Young Life and nothing more. 

There's probably gonna be a lot of Young Life jargon so I'm really sorry if you're a little lost. Plz feel free to forward all questions/comments/concerns about Jesus, Young Life, or about what my bowel movements have been looking like lately to jessicarosejansen@gmail.com. I'm serious. THX 4 UNDERSTANDING.

This weekend I visited the Young Life folks in a town called Rancagua, an hour south of Santiago. I showed up in Rancagua on Friday afternoon only having ever talked to the area director (Gabriel) via Facebook. He came to the bus station and picked me up and took me out to lunch with his wife and kid. THEY REFUSED TO LET ME PAY FOR MYSELF because they claim that they invited me out which ISNT EVEN TRUE because I LITERALLY INVITED MYSELF to come visit. Then we picked up some club supplies, grabbed another leader and went to the first club (Wyldlife). It wasn't a typical club because they were celebrating two birthdays so it was just hanging out with a short club talk and EMPANADAS OF COURSE. Next we went to the Young Life club but showed up late so I was only there for the end of the game and the talk (about the Prodigal Son, my favorite). As we approached the clubhouse Gabriel proceeded to tell me, "Oh ya, Jess. This is the most dangerous street in Rancagua. It's the poorest and has the most drugs. One time we were having a leader meeting here and we heard gunshots and there was someone dead on the corner." AND THIS IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE YOUNG LIFE HAS THEIR CLUB. Classic. After club we fit 7 adult humans and 1 toddler human into Gabriel's small Kia car and drove to Telepizza. The pizza had corn on it so that's new. Finally at midnight I got punted at one of the Wyldlife leader's house. I felt like a 10-year-old getting dropped off for a sleepover. And turns out that the sleepover was in HEAVEN. I literally slept in a house full of angels. Cecilia and her husband both work. And they are both Wyldlife leaders. And they currently have two Cuban immigrants living in their house because they had nowhere else to go so they opened up their home. And they kicked their daughter of her room so I could stay there and their daughter was happy to do so. And she offered me all the fruit and water in the world and told me to treat their home like my own. And then she friended me on Facebook and posted on my wall wishing me sweet dreams AGAIN after I'd already gone to bed. JESUS IS ALIVE IN RANCAGUA, CHILE YA'LL. 

Gabriel and his family came over the next morning and desayunared with me and we all talked more about Young Life and life and Jesus and cultural differences and everything under the Chilean sun. Some v interesting stuff worth sharing:

• Young Life in Chile accidentally got started because there was a guy in Rancagua that loved Jesus and was hanging out with the troubled youth in town. Then that guy went to Nicaragua and found out about Young Life there and realized OOPS THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LOL. So then he came back and officially started YL in Rancagua. A few years later Gabriel and his family took over. And here we are today. 
• We talked about how Young Life molds itself to individual cultures. Gabriel told me a story about how social gatherings are illegal in communist Vietnam unless a birthday is being celebrated. So they just celebrate a birthday at Young Life club every week in Vietnam. Another thing I love is that Young Life is rarely run by foreigners. The majority of the time the Area Directors/leaders are from the country they're working in. Which in my opinion is SO IMPORTANT. Let's cut that white savior nonsense out whenever we can!
• WORK CREW EXISTS HERE. Gabriel takes his kids to work crew at Young Life camps in Peru. Enough said. 
• I asked Gabriel why he thinks kids are drawn to Jesus even within the heavily religious and heavily hypocritical church culture in Chile. And he said that kids tell him that they love the Jesus that they learn about and see in Young Life because the leaders actually live out what they preach. Which is NOT what these kids are used to here. God's love is made real to them through their leaders. And that's really effing cool. Gosh I hope that I too can live out what I preach every day. I'm actually positive that that will never stop being my prayer or my struggle for the rest of my life. 
• Because Gabriel is currently the face of Young Life in Chile, he goes to all the regional meetings and trainings. Which means he knows all the Young Life country directors and various area directors and leaders in Latin America. Which means he hears ALL THE STORIES. So he just told me story after story. An Area Director in Guatemala literally living in a dump, clubs in Dominican Republic run in the street with no lights or sound or building, an Area Director and his wife in Honduras having to flee the country to El Salvador because his wife accidentally witnessed a murder, of Young Life in Ecuador having to have a separate team just to focus on meeting the physical needs of kids, and of a gringo Area Director in Venezuela being expelled from the communist country by Hugo Chávez himself simply for being a gringo and doing what he was doing. Every time I finally don't feel 100% ignorant about the world I hear stories like this and remember that I know nothing.

What Gabriel and his leaders do here is hard work. And I am absolutely ten thousand percent encouraged by them. Just a bunch of ordinary people trying to follow Jesus by going out into the mess that is life and living it with kids. And somehow Jesus' love becomes visible through that. 

Young Life. Stripping away everything that isn't Jesus and his Gospel since 1941.

Also Gabriel told me I have the invite to come back whenever I want because "en Young Life somos familia". I might just quit school in Santiago and go live in Rancagua. Bye losers. 

Also I just remembered I have a $20 Olive Garden gift card so if anyone's tryna go with me in January hmu. 

Also *shout-out* to God because all week I'd been praying that somehow my Spanish would miraculously be better so I could actually communicate with the Young Life folk. WELL GUESS WHO DIDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE COMMUNICATING. Somehow between this time last Sunday and now my brain started working. Coincidence or Jesus? WE'LL NEVER KNOW. 

who's an independent country

Every year on September 18th Chile celebrates their independence from Spain. The actual holiday is only Sept. 18, but don't worry Chileans cancel their lives for an entire week to celebrate. So let me just quickly explain why Chile is the best at celebrating independence ever.

They kept the gringos in school (it was canceled for everyone else) until the 17th so the festivities didn't really get started until the 18th, or "Dieciocho" for us. Unfortunately I spent Dieciocho watching Grey's Anatomy with swollen eyes and a lot of mucus in my bed all day.

BUT FRI-SUN WERE GREAT.

On Friday we went to a family birthday bbq. It was super divertido because my family is related to another family in the program who have my gal pal (her name's Eva) so it was great being with a big group of Chileans but also having another gringa for moral support and someone to stare with. My abuela taught me the traditional cueca dance and it made me love her 10,000 times more than I already do. Also Eva's homestay dad (my abuela's cousin's husband) is the best thing to ever happen to anything. For the entire 7 hours of the party he never sat down and I never saw him eat and drink because he just walked around offering people things and LITERALLY PUTTING FORKFULS OF POTATOES IN PEOPLE'S MOUTHS. I would literally finish my drink, set it down, and within <1 second he would be at my side offering me a re-fill. I said no to the wine he offered and he poured me one anyway. I had to turn down a third meat-kabob on three separate offers before he gave up and started offering me choripan instead. And then he caught on that I thought it was funny that a) he never stopped asking me if I wanted something and b) that he added "ito" to everything i.e. pancito, augita, papita, carnecito, terremocito so then he just did it all even more. Bless that sweet old man and his elbow patch sweater. The whole night was just really special because our families (even our extended families) really do everything they possibly can to make us feel included and I am so so thankful for that. It is so special.

On Saturday some gringos and I went to a fonda right by my apartment. Fondas are just big parties that are kinda like fairs that are set up all over Chile for the weekend. Basically they're all just about traditional Chilean food, traditional Chilean drinks, and traditional Chilean dancing. AND IT'S THE BEST. I waited 90 minutes in line to hurt my body with chorrillana (french fries, satueed onions, sausage, beef, and a fried egg). And then we sat on the grass and accidentally watched a band called Inti-Illimani perform. It was just like 5 old dudes playing CLASSIC Chilean music. They did a lot of harmonizing and the instruments they played made the most pleasing sound in the world. It was like a Latin ukulele. And I wanted to weep. I just find it so special that some humans are naturally inclined to play an instrument and then a few humans that have that inclination can get together and and make music that can then have a deeply powerful effect on other humans. One day I'm gonna have to write a blog post titled "Things I Have a Deep Reverence For" so I can expand on this point.

Then I came home and hung with my mom and her friends/family/Eva and I UNDERSTOOD MOST OF THE CONVERSATION/JOKE CONTENT. Something's happening to my brain. Then at midnight (yes they leave at midnight to go out) we left to go see a 20 person band perform. They're called Banda Conmoción and they changed my life forever. 20 people. In one band. I'm talking tubas, trumpets, trombones, symbols, big drums, maracas, EVERYTHING. Plus a dancing devil man. I will never, ever, ever be able to explain how cool it was. Even watching videos of them don't do them any justice. THEY ALL HAD SO MUCH DAMN CHARISMA AND WERE SO MUCH FUN. And they would come into the crowd and do stuff with us. And spray foam on us from the stage. It was the most uniquely entertaining show I have ever seen. And we were the only gringas there. AND IT WAS SO LATIN AMERICAN. I actually feel like I'm wasting my time trying to explain it because it just cannot be explained. So everyone just needs to come to Chile and see them. Glad that's settled. After Banda Conmoción finished it just turned into a Latin dance party (MY FAVORITE THING). *ATTN: only giving the following detail to brag* Word for word verbatim what two guys said to me: "You are not normal United States girl." "Why?" "Because you dance like Latin girl." I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW THANK YOU EVERYONE GOODBYE. Around 3:30 AM we got a taxi ride home and I got to talk to the taxi driver about Jesus. And for some reason I was able to speak Spanish really well in that moment. Just lol at Jesus and life.

4 hours later I woke up to go to church. Met an Australian woman who just moved to Santiago 2 weeks ago because she feels like God wants her to plant a church here. YOUNG SINGLE GALS MOVING ACROSS CONTINENTS BY THEMSELVES TO PLANT CHURCHES. Female empowerment is alive y'all. And to tie in my point about my deep reverence for people making music together,  I have another point I'd like to make. This weekend I saw/felt/learned more about God watching Inti-Illimani and Banda Conmoción than I did at church this morning. AND YES THAT IS ABSOLUTELY A THING. So let's stop confining Jesus to Sunday mornings and Christian events. Because that's just not fair to our big big God. OH MY GOSH MY MOM JUST CAME IN AND HANDED ME A PLATE FULL OF FOOD WHY IS THIS CONSISTENTLY HAPPENING WHILE I WRITE THESE POSTS.

The final leg of the Fiestas Patrias was going to my abuela's house for lunch and having the pug sit on my lap again and then going to a "Bienvenido a Chile Tio Lelo" family/friend party which then kinda awkwardly turned into a "Bienvenido a Chile Tio Lelo and Also a Welcome United States Girl That We Don't Know" party. I love Chile because it's a thing to go around to everyone at the party and touch cheeks and make a kissy sound (I am in third grade for describing it that way) even if you have no idea who they are. You may not even introduce yourselves or ever speak again but YA GOTTA DO THE KISSY ANYWAYS. Basically the party was a hoot and I just love everything about this culture. They fed me more empanadas and by the end of the party they were screaming "Ayyyyy Yessi" and cheering on my newly found Latin hips via the microphone. I guess it's not everyday a big tall white idiot that loves to dance and pretends to be Latin crashes their parties. They were all v entertained. I was filmed multiple times. And I left feeling like everyone was my new best friend. WHY ARE CHILEANS SO FRIENDLY AND WELCOMING AND FUN.

Thank u Jesus for everything. Salsa dancing for Your glory. amen.

post 15 hrs. of culture shock

Hi guys. Turns out I can be just as busy in school abroad as I am in school in the states. Luckily I enjoy writing these posts that OH MY GOSH MY MOM JUST CAME IN AND HANDED ME A SNICKERS BAR FOR NO REASON. AND I WONDER WHY MY PANTS ARE GETTING TIGHT. Anyways, v busy, but since I enjoy writing these lame ass blog posts so much I'll be sure to cut out some time to do so.

There's one thing I really just need to go right on ahead and blog my feelings about. I'M NEVER GONNA LEARN SPANISH. I'm literally so frustrated. My fellow students and I just weep together all day because we all thought we knew Spanish decently well and here we just walk around not understanding anyone except our professors and our home stays who both slow down and enunciate for us. Also the more I learn/read the more I don't understand Spanish sentence structure and rules. So ya. Feeling really discouraged. Everyone tells me that one day it's just gonna click and suddenly I'm gonna understand everything and just start speaking like a normal human. PRAYERS THAT THAT DAY HAPPENS SOMETIME IN THE NEXT 55 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

Chileans continue to be freakishly nice:
Money falls out of my friend's pockets and people return it to them. Sweet old men on bus rides give me and my pals chocolate as a "recuerdo", or a memory. I snag free taxi rides because other people happen to be going in the same direction and just pay to have me dropped off on the way. Bus station attendants run to catch buses from leaving when we miss them on accident. I fall asleep in the USAC building and I wake up to a heater directly in front of me set up by the janitor woman. And this morning the taxi man taught me how to say eleventh, twelfth, thirty-first, seventy-fifth etc. in Spanish. Seriously, bless the Chilenos.

Here's a two second recap of my weekend: Took a bus to Viña del Mar/Valparaíso. Went on a boat. Climbed up sand dunes. LOL'ed at creation. Ate a big ass burrito. Drank a DIRTY CHAI LATTE WITH SOY MILK at STARBUCKS with Cadi and Evelyn. Felt like I was back in the Central Coast of California. Accidentally ended up in a fruit and veggie mercado in Valpo alone. Felt like I was in South America (which I am, lol). ATE THE BEST MEAL OF MY ENTIRE LIFE in a local restaurant famous for chorrillana (french fries, sautéed onions, eggs, and MEAT) that no tourists know about. Paid 100 pesos (<$.25) to almost die in an ascensor (basically an outdoor elevator that goes up at a slight slant). Took a bus home Saturday night to be back for #santiagosundays which I LOVE. Every Sunday I go to church and then my mom pickes me up to go to my Abuela's house where we go to a market in the suburbs (again, no tourists, luv it) and then I get fed traditional Chilean food and am forced to speak Spanish. AND I LOVE IT. All in all, gr8 gr8 weekend.

However...

I think I finally experienced that thing called "culture shock" yesterday because EVERYTHING ANNOYED ME. Here's a bullet point list of things that annoyed me:

• I will never, ever blend in here. Getting CONSTANTLY stared at and always feeling like you're walking around NAKED starts to wear ya down quick. 
• The fact that it's winter here. I don't wanna wear 3 jackets anymore. 
• I have a bad bad cold and searched 3 stores for cough drops only to find out that they're in the CANDY SECTION because people eat Halls as candy here. WHY. 
• There's no High Street Deli, Nautical Bean, Firestone, Tahoe Joe's, Trader Joe's, Bagel Shack or In-N-Out here. How dare you, Chile. 
• People use public transport at the same time as I do. Talk about UGH. 
• They don't speak English here. Like c'mon guys, is it THAT hard. 

They warned us this would happen. They warned us in a few weeks we'd hate everything about everything until we settled in post-culture shock. And I said NOT A CHANCE I love Chile and Spanish too much. I hate when psychology is right. But last night I prayed for a change of heart about my current 'tude. AND GUESS WHAT. Woke up feeling like a new woman. So that's right everyone. I experienced culture shock for a whopping 15 hours. Just now I did what I think was some post culture shock settling in. I reorganized my entire room, hung up some decor, and drank some water. FEELING GOOD FOLKS. Love you Chile.

Also, I have now reached the 3 weeks sin leg shave mark. It's really just a game now. HOW LONG CAN I HOLD OUT.

Also, also, if you wanna read a blog series that's rocking my world please read this. Rob Bell explains the Bible in a way that FINALLY MAKES SENSE. I would especially suggest this blog series to people who aren't fans of Jesus and who really have a distaste for how they've seen Christianity and the Bible presented in the past. The way he talks about Jesus and the world gets me so PUMPED. And Christians, please don't let any preconceived notions about R.B. stop you from reading this. SEE 4 YA SELVES IT'S GR8 STUFF. See link below.

http://robbellcom.tumblr.com/post/66107373947/what-is-the-bible

fresh whiffs

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I ate Taco Bell for lunch so I'm still burping up that *~international flavor~* as I write this. A happy Tuesday indeed.

I'm a real student at a real school in Chile now except for not actually a real student because I only take classes with Americans and I mostly just get stared at walking on campus because I'm so obviously not a real student here. All my classes are in Spanish. Which means all my homework is in Spanish. Also I only speak Spanish with my home stay. Also the entire country speaks Spanish. So basically this exhausts my brain and I get in my bed AND DIE for 8 hours every night.

Some highlights you should know about:

Last Tuesday night, my family and I went to my tio's 25th birthday party at my abuelos' house in the suburbs of Santiago. At one point all the lights were turned off and the birthday cake was lit and we were all singing feliz cumpleaños and it was a very special 'how did I end up in a living room with a big Chilean family singing happy birthday to my tio' moment.

I secretly LOVE having to take taxis because it means there's another human TRAPPED in a car that I can force to speak Spanish with me.

Tried an empanada place by my school for the first time. I took one bit of my doble queso empanada and immediately kissed my pre-study abroad body goodbye because I have never enjoyed a mouthful of grease more. I will be back at least 8 times daily.

There's two street dogs that are always at the corner where the said empanada place is. They attack cars and bite the fenders and stuff but they're probably really nice dogs, just misunderstood. They wear little doggy vests to keep them warm. I mostly just wonder who does their laundry.

I COULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN A WORSE COUNTRY TO LEARN SPANISH IN. My professors have openly admitted this to us. Chileans just speak so fast and don't pronounce ANYTHING and have a lot of strange slang. But I'm getting it. I really am. Slowly but surely.

I am absolutely obsessed with all doormen/security guards in this country. And yes, I will make that generalization based off the 3 doormen in my apartment and the 1 security guard at my school that I know. All so wonderful and friendly and love to indulge me by letting me talk to them about literally pointless things just so I can practice speaking. Also 50% of them are named Luis. I think 50% of this country might be named Luis.

Mullets are such a thing here. Still unsure about my feelings regarding this subject.

I HAVE BEEN ASKED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR DIRECTIONS. Twice. Both times by Spanish speakers asking me in Spanish. Why they would EVER choose to ask me out of all people I will never understand.

On Monday me and two others stood in front of a coffee vending machine debating for 5 minutes whether or not the coffee will come in a cup or if you have to have your own cup ready to catch the coffee that pours out. Sometimes it's just hard being foreign.

I'm never not hungry here. I had 2 lunches and dessert 3 times today. I'M ALWAYS HUNGRY AND I CAN'T STOP.

I learned how to meringue and salsa at dance class today. I even danced with real Chilean men. I felt like a real woman which I really needed because I haven't shaved my legs in over two weeks. In fact I haven't even seen my legs in over two weeks. It's cold and central heating doesn't exist in Chile.

But enough about my overgrown body hairs, IT'S TIME TO CUT ALL THE BS and get to the meat and papas of this blog post. I learned a big LIFE LESSON this week. On Thursday night, I went with my mom's 30 something year old salsa-dancing dread-locked male friend to an exclusive invite-only cocktail party he was working. You know, going to cocktail parties full of established fancy folk with an almost-stranger are not necessarily on my list of favorite things to do but I figured it'd be good practice for my Spanish and like when else will I go to an exclusive cocktail party in another country? 

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS IT WAS AWFUL. If you know me, large social situations and talking to strangers are generally a strongpoint of mine. But WOW NOT THIS NIGHT. I was SO uncomfortable. The only way I could make myself even slightly comfortable was to grab a martini and pretend to be someone I wasn't. I made some bad calls and acted in a way that is not who I am or who I want to be. Long story short, I got home that night feeling awful. But I could not be MORE THANKFUL for that night. And let me tell you why.

I know God let me have that night so he could give me a reminder of why I chose Him in the first place. A reminder of what leaves me feeling empty. A reminder of what it feels like to place myself first and hurt people in the process. BUT MOST OF ALL, a reminder of what it feels like to choose to live outside of what I've found in Jesus. THX 4 THE REMINDERS GOD THEY'RE MUCH APPRECIATED. I learned that while I'm here (or anytime for that matter) I can't compromise who I am or what my passions are or what I care about or what I like to do just because it seems easier at the moment to do so. That is literally no way to live. So, just feeling extra liberated to pursue Jesus while I'm here and not be ashamed to do so.  I feel like I got a fresh whiff of Jesus air and I'm ready to go out and run after love and justice like it's nobody's business. Turns out Jesus likes to work through nights of pear martinis and mistakes and I could not love him more for that.

When Jesus says he wants to give us freedom, he means it. AND IMA GO RIGHT ON AHEAD AND SOAK THAT FREEDOM UP.

Also UGH keep thinking of more things I love about Jesus. After all this, I never felt condemned by God. I never felt like he was mad at me. I only felt the presence of a God who loves me just the way I am but loves me too much to let me stay like that.

Ok, I'm done.

Peace and blessings y'all it's 12:45 in the morning here and I'm ready to hit my tasmanian devil sheets. Yes, I do sleep on tasmanian devil sheets that say "some things require great concentration" all over them. Bye.

PS YOU SHOULD SEND ME MAIL.

My address is this:

Jessica Jansen

Programa USAC

Universidad Andrés Bello

Avenida República 470, Piso 1

Santiago, Chile- South America

Postal Code 8370251

Rumor is it takes about 4 weeks for mail to get here. Just a FYI. And also if you send something and I don't thank you profusely for it and write a 12 page love letter showering you in praises back to you, it means I didn't get it.

still in Chile

Hey guys. Don't worry. I'm still in Chile. But actually, you should worry because I'm never leaving.

The past 5 days:

I showed up at the orientation hotel at 7am the day the program began. Everyone on the group flight wasn't supposed to show up until 11am so I was thinking that I would probably have to sit in the lobby and cry for all four hours until my fellow humans arrived. BUT NOPE. The desk man took me right back to my room where I lied in a BIG, COMFY BED for 4 hours and pooped in a PRIVATE BATHROOM twice without having to pay money to get in. After two weeks of staying in hostels and three nights in a row of sleeping on buses I was soaking up every minute of my new diva life.

And then all of a sudden there was ~40 people my age in the hotel and I was obsessed with all of them. My program directors are also a gift from the God above. Luis is the big man in charge. He wore the same mint button down shirt and black scarf both days of orientation and I love him. Brenda is an actual angel who somehow has every possible detail about all 40 of us memorized. It might be the most impressive part about the country of Chile. And Jorge is just Jorge and that's all you need to know.

I said I would never bumble around Chile with 40 Americans but I absolutely lied. I bumbled on night one. 20 of us went to a club the first night and we were so obnoxious that the bouncers made sure to put us on the private top floor ALONE. I asked the DJ to play my favorite Daddy Yankee song about 12 times and he never did and I'm still offended about that.

My home stay is the best thing that has ever happened to Chilean Jansen. Marjorie, my mom, is a 36-year-old single mom who runs the world. I also have a 9-year-old little brother named Francisco who sometimes talks to me when he's not playing video games. Oh and one time we played basketball. We live in an apartment in Providencia where I have my own room and my OWN BATHROOM. Great water pressure in the shower. Also the biggest worry I had about my home stay before I got here was what the pillows on my bed would be like. As a frequent tummy sleeper, I CAN'T STAND FLUFFY PILLOWS. I really just love a nice, flat surface to lay my head at night. MY PILLOWS COULD NOT BE MORE PERFECT AND FLAT. I really really really love Marjo because she likes to swear a lot and also has never cooked anything that I wasn't obsessed with. She laughs almost as much and as loud as I do and we never stop cracking jokes. She's wild. Just tonight she told me about the time that she accidentally shit her pants in an elevator. My home stay could not be more different from what I pictured but I could not be more pleased. I LOVE THEM BOTH SO MUCH AND I'VE ONLY KNOW THEM FOR 5 DAYS HELP I'M NEVER LEAVING.

My first Friday night in Chile: My social b-fly mom had her friends over for a dinner party. She made ginger pisco sours and pad thai. I didn't understand 95% of the dinner conversation because Chileans talk really fast and give them some alcohol AND THEY TALK FASTER. I salsa danced in my living room with a man with dreads. His name was Esteban. He's a photographer/publicist and has the hook-up for VIP parties and free drinks. Do you think he'll let in a Christian girl that taps out at 2 drinks and can't dance seriously ever? I hope so. I finally retreated to my room at 1:43 AM. The next morning I found out they raged until 5am. My life will never be the same.

Yesterday I explored one part of Santiago with some pals from my program. We found a fruit/veggie market AND I ATE A CLEMENTINE THAT ALMOST REPLACED JESUS IN MY HEART. Literally the fruit here is like nothing I have ever tasted before. IT IS SO DAMN GOOD. Everyone needs to come to Chile and eat the fruit before they die. And in October when we get deep into the fruit season my mom told me fruit is cheaper than anything and that I can buy a box of berries for $1. ONE DOLLAR FOR BERRIES. I'm also drowning in avocados here. It's on everything and so so cheap. Jesus is real.

Also last night I got in the car with a stranger and ended up at a Chilean house party. Remind me to never let my kids study abroad.

But better than the Chilean house party, I went to CHURCH this morning and it was so special and wonderful and wow Jesus is real. LITERALLY HE IS SETTING ME UP HERE. Much more to say about that at a later date. I spent the rest of the day at my Abuela's house in the suburbs of Santiago. She is just as crazy as my mom and she speaks Spanish so fast but I'm starting to get the hang of their extreme speed. Shout out to the human brain for that one. I also spent some time behind the counter of the mini market my mom's cousin owns. It was SO South American. Just this little hole in the wall market where all the neighborhood folk come in to buy fresh bread, 3 liter sodas, and cigarettes. I really had one of those "how did I get here" moments sitting behind the counter. Life is so funny.

ALSO PEOPLE HERE ARE THE NICEST HUMANS. Here's some examples of weird happenings because people are so nice.

1. I took an overnight bus by myself back to Santiago from La Serena. First the man sitting behind me offered me a blanket. I kindly accepted. About twenty minutes later, the bus attendant TAPPED ME AWAKE to offer me two more blankets. I must have looked really cold and helpless or something idk.

2. They love to affirm my Spanish skills even when I only say as much as "buenas dias". Taxi drivers also love to put on Don Omar or Daddy Yankee when I mention that I love them.

3. A couple offered me a beer while I was walking down the street. Might have been more weird than nice.

Other important things:

1. For lunch on day two I had my first completo--a classic Chilean item. It's a hot dog. But like huge. Gigantic actually. Except for it's actually only about 10% hot dog, 20% bun, 10% strange liquidy avocado, and 60% mayonnaise. Still not sure how I feel about them.

2. One day I came home and was greeted with 3 greasy homemade cheese empanadas after not eating anything all day except for 2 clementines, a few french fries, and a beer. I could eat those empanadas for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life and never look back.

3. My dread locked salsa partner Esteban and his friend found out my middle name is Rose and they insisted I introduce myself as "Yessica Rosa" from now on. I've tried it out a few times and man it's a hit with the Chileans. ALSO LOOKS LIKE I FOUND MY LATINA POP STAR NAME.

4. Really starting to get the hang of the bus and metro system here. I've navigated myself alone to different places on 3 separate occasions already. And one of those times I only had to ask 4 separate people which bus I had to take to get to my metro stop. I also have a ghetto phone here with a REAL CHILEAN PHONE NUMBER. So like yeah I am that city bitch texting on her cell phone while navigating public transport. Get @ me.

5. I'm also cheating Chile's economy. My first night here I accidentally didn't bring enough money out and only paid 1,000 pesos for a 3,500 peso drink. FOR THE RECORD THE BARTENDER ACCEPTED THAT AMOUNT KNOWINGLY. I also got let onto the bus without paying (twice) because I ran out of money on my Bip! card. I'm so sorry Chile. But you know who's really scraping by is the STREET DOGS. One dog got on and off the bus with us without paying a dime! But lol because nothing's funnier than the fact that I saw a street dog use public transportation.

6. Also taking the metro to church this morning there was a guy very openly singing a Sugar Ray song VERY LOUDLY that was also playing VERY LOUDLY through his headphones. And then I kid you not another guy started singing along to his music. So yeah I was surrounded by two people singing two separate songs--both off key--on public transport. Bless the Sabbath.

7. Also this quote has been rocking my world this week: "I believe that God is making all things new. I believe that Christ overcame death and that pattern is apparent all through life and history: life from death, water from a stone, redemption from failure, connection from alienation. I believe that suffering is part of the narrative, and that nothing really good gets built when everything's easy. I believe that loss and emptiness and confusion often give way to new fullness and wisdom". From a book called Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. What a woman.


I dedicate this blog post to Claire Shannon and Allie Davis. This post only has about 40% of what I'd like to share but you can thank them for pressuring me to post TONIGHT. Also don't tell my mom and dad about the house party. Gonna go hang out with Jesus now. Bye everyone.

LIVE FROM CHILE

JANSEN HERE REPORTING LIVE FROM LA SERENA, CHILE. I've been out of the American game for 14 days now and I have lots to share. Like a lot. Very detailed information that maybe like 5 of you will actually care about. But I'm doing it for those 5! And for 27 year old Jessica Jansen to read later and reminisce on. Vamos. 

Did NOT enjoy saying goodbye to my mom and dad at the airport. Mostly because John Jansen insists on escorting me as far as he can go without getting yelled at by airport security and then will stand at that spot until he can't see me anymore. I had to hold back the waterworks the entire security line because their goodbye meant that I was really saying sayonara to everyone and everything I know and love and am comfortable with for 4.5 months. YES I KNOW IM A BABY BECAUSE 4.5 MONTHS ISN'T EVEN LONG. And that I'll have to get used to it if I ever wanna live the *~missionary life~*. Baby steps, y'all. But then I remembered that Jesus comforts us in our sorrows because I had an entire 3 seat row to myself for the 14 hour flight. I spent 12 of those hours using all 3 of them. And to think I had regretted not requesting a window seat. An aged Spencer Pratt look-alike sat across the aisle from me. We kept making awkward eye contact because I never stopped staring at him. Spitting image. WHERE WAS HEIDI. 

Also, a second s/o to Jesus: The last few days before my departure I started to get pretty nervy/anxious about the whole leaving the country forever thing. Was especially high-stress the morning of. I had all my prayer squads praying for me and I was talking to Jesus overtime. When I sat down in the gate to get on the plane, overwhelming peace and confidence hit me like a tidal wave. So thx to all mah saints for keeping me in your thoughts. 

14 hours later give or take I landed in Santiago, Chile and successfully navigated my way ALONE to my pal Cadi's house 6 hours away which left me feeling like a v independent woman. The sun was rising over the Andes as I drove out of Santiago and I was just sitting there nice and greasy and rugged on the bus with this stupid smile on my face. Just reaaaally felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. But OOH for all you praying types: This is gonna be four months away from real school, work, and leading Young Life. BASICALLY I REALIZED GODS GIVEN ME A LONG ASS SABBATICAL AND IM NOT TRYNA WASTE IT. Pray that I use this time to seek Jesus's big beautiful face and his purpose for me being here. Why yes, I absolutely will selfishly exploit this blog for my own prayer requests. 

Anywho, I got off the bus in Coquimbo and waited at the station for my trusty pal Cadi to come pick me up. Apparently when you're 5'10", albino, blonde, and have blue eyes you get stared at a lot here. Can't quite figure out why. People would walk by and comment on the "solita rubia" or the "blonde all alone". I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING PEOPLE. 

Finally Cadi came to my rescue and took me to her Chilean beach mansion and wow I immediately fell in love with her nasaly beagle. Also her entire family are the most wonderful and welcoming people in the entire world. They took me to a picada (what Chileans call the small family restaurants all over the place) and bought me my first drink as an unofficial 21 year old. Pisco sours man, they'll get ya. 

Oh btw, Cadi. Caroldiana Schneider. Born in Chile and raised by abalone farming American parents. Cadi and I met when she moved to California to go to college. She wasn't raised in a religious family but went to a private Catholic school in Chile because everyone goes to Catholic school in Chile. But lol she was so opposed to the idea of God that she was the only one in her class who refused to take communion. And she loved frustrating the religion class teachers with her hard questions and pride in her atheism. She became a Christian her sophomore year of college and now she's obsessed with Jesus. LOL THERE HE GOES AGAIN. She is a recent Cal Poly grad who majored in psychology and now wants to get her masters in trauma to open a restoration home in India for victims of sex trafficking. In her free time she enjoys sleeping on cardboard outside in Compton and being used by Jesus to physically heal people through prayer in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. She also looks just like me and people constantly ask us if we are sisters or twins. So you can imagine how well we blended in with the Peruvians. 

The 2 of us accidental Jesus lovers left the next morning to begin the pilgrimage to Peru. Which started with two 12 hour bus rides back to back and then a third 6 hour long ride. PERU 2014 NO REGRETS. 

By the time we got to Arequipa we were beyond excited to get off the buses and ready to get weird. That night mama got her first real taste of being in the country. We went to dinner and got Arequipeña cervezas and put up a cheers to the real start of our trip. Next came our soup. MINE HAD A FULL CHICKEN CLAW IN IT. But Cadi got a chicken claw AND a chicken penis in hers. Some girls are so lucky. I had a large craving for ice cream after a full tummy of chicken claw soup so we got some. You know how when you taste test different flavors in the states they give you a new spoon every time? Nope, not in Peru. They just ask for your slobbery salivated on used spoon back and dip it into the next flavor you wanna try. What are health codes? LOVE IT PERU. LOVE IT. 

We found our hostel for the night by asking our taxi man to take us to one cheap and close to the Plaza de Armas. Our hostel didn't end up being cheap or close to the plaza but it did end up being 5 buildings down from a church. Great job Jesus. So the next morning we went to church and it was so special and magical. All the women in the world came up to us and hugged and kissed us on our cheeks and made us feel SO welcome. The worship was a rock show for Christ. I'm talking guitar, drums, choreographed dancers, the whole deal. One of the songs had a part where everyone spun in a circle during the chorus. Watching the 75 year old woman in front of me spin in a circle while singing to Jesus was my entire heart. THEY ALSO HAD A SKIT AND A TRADITIONAL DANCE WITH OUTFITS AND EVERYTHING. We watched 7 people say yes to Jesus at the end and it was SO SPECIAL. Praying that they continue to say yes. The service was very different from what I'm used to.  Learning to embrace our huge God and the ways different cultures respond to him. I mean WHY SHOULDN'T WE HAVE CHOREOGRAPHED DANCERS AT CHURCH.

After the service we were walking to get breakfast and an older man coming from church too spotted us behind him and got so excited waving to us that he slightly fell off the curb. Just this old sweet friendly spanish speaking man in his Sunday best walking down the street holding his Bible. That's the stuff that warms my heart right there. 

We ended up getting breakfast in a café looking out on the Plaza de Armas and watched a large group of Arequipeñas all doing a traditional dance in celebration of the holiday together out in the square. Te amo Peru, te amo.

After bfast we took a city tour like a couple of 52 year olds in matching Teva sandals. And the worst  part was we were actually wearing matching Teva sandals. Even though we were with a large group of bumbling tourists I loved it because it took us to the outskirts of town where we got a better picture of life for the people there. Which is what interests me most anyways. And we saw alpacas. So that was cool. 

The next morning two white girls get on a Peruvian bus. First of all, the bus looked like it was from 1962. Good thing I love being driven on cliff edges for 6 hours on 50 passenger buses from 1962. Before we leave, the busman walks through the aisle with a video camera to film everyone's faces in case anyone wants to pull any funny business (like hijacking the bus and killing us all, I guess lol). So at this point I was feeling really safe. About an hour in I watched a man pee into a plastic grocery bag. And then hold that plastic bag on his lap for the next 2 hours. Maybe he did that because stopping at a "rest stop" looks like the bus pulling to the side of the road and all the Peruvians piling out and taking squats together. Maybe the pee-bag man was just embarrassed to squat on the road SO HE JUST DID IT ON THE BUS INSTEAD. I have so much to learn from this country. In the meantime, another man sold vials of healing blood (demonstration included) and the majority of the bus riders bought them. Also I was getting SO MAD because it was 10,000 degrees on the bus and everyone was wearing 2 alpaca sweaters and a beanie. WHY ARENT YOU ALL SWEATING. When we finally got to Puno and exited the bus I only had to walk past one girl throwing up on the bus floor. I swear I am not exaggerating any of this. All part of God's beautiful world.

Tangent: Love love love Peru and it's people and it's culture but this specific bus ride was pretty eye opening. It's just so different than what I'm used to. Not better or worse. Just different. We drove through some pretty desolate towns. I was really reminded like ok this a third world country. And if I ever were to actually move to Peru or another third world country it would be no joke. And it would be really hard. And gosh darn if I ever actually do it it will be 100% by strength from the Lord. Which is absolutely terrifying because that could be as soon as July (!!!) which is also absolutely exciting. Tangent over.

So in case you all didn't know there's manmade floating islands in Peru and I know this because WE SLEPT ON ONE. These islands were built by the Uru people in order to escape attack from the Incas. "Hey those Incans are pretty wild. Let's just build an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca so they can't get us." GOOD THINKIN PEOPLE OF URU. Loved hangin w/ u guys. We were the only people there who didn't live on the island full time. Also the only ones who didn't speak their language, Aymara. They served us fresh trout with the eyeball still in place (really easing into my taste for fish here) and rice and papas fritas with this spicy green sauce that rocked my effing world. Cadi and I are officially declaring the islands as the new 10-40 window and we'd like to return to preach the Gospel and sleep in our reed hut once again. 

Also, v weird happenings on the islands. We were packing up in our reed hut and Cadi randomly asked one question out of our "4,000 questions for getting to know anyone and everyone" book YES I BROUGHT IT AND I LOVE IT about how you handle situations when they don't go as planned. We both admitted that we're not very good with it and we'd like to do better. About 15 minutes later, OUR SITUATION DIDNT GO AS PLANNED. As if God watched us answer that question and was like "oh great let's work on that then". We were getting really sad and bitter our plan didn't work out but then we were like HELLO what question did we just read. Then we lol'ed at God and lol'ed at how silly we were and felt better about everythinh. 

Onward to Cusco. Our first night in Cusco was one of my favies. Me and Cadi accidentally talked about Jesus for 3 hours over a hot plate of alpaca meat. Literally for 3 hours we just got going discussing theology (how you understand/interpret God as he is revealed in the Bible) and challenged each other on topics we disagreed on. AND IT WAS A ROCKIN GOOD TIME. Man, that stuff is so interesting. Nothing wrong with some healthy disagreement folks. And NOTHING wrong with asking questions. Let's get better at both of those things. And not forget that all that stuff is secondary to the fact that Jesus died for us, conquered death for us, and is now living + breathing + moving with us. CAN I GET AN AMEN. 

The next morning we headed off to Aguas Calientes, the town that you access Machu Picchu from. Instead of paying $150 for a short taxi ride and a relaxing train ride with pleasant scenery we paid $35 for a 6 hour long van ride on a cliff edge and a BEAUTIFUL 2.5 hour walk on train tracks through literally the most beautiful scenery ever. Always tryna save a buck for some queso helado. At one point on the cliff death ride we approached a bridge thousands of feet up in the air and I thought "hmm what a nice rickety homemade bridge with no rails for pedestrians" until our van took a sharp Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland turn and I realized IT'S FOR US and luckily we made it across safely before I even had time to cry. But really, our nature walk was glorious and I was just blessing the feet of Jesus the entire time for being big enough to make a world so incredible and also personal enough to listen to anything and everything I say to him. 

8 days into the trip the day for Machu Picchu FINALLY ARRIVED. Mama was most excited for this. I always said I would see Machu Picchu with my husband but that husband doesn't exist and this single, independent woman is in Peru and doing it. Sorry future Mr. Jessica Jansen, maybe next time. We made it to Machu by 7am and started our tour. I had a weird crush on our tour guide. He was probably 5'5" and 32 years old but he was just very sweet and wore a fedora and kept saying "looks, guys" and "looks at this, guys" and "we go for to see the temple". Maybe he's my future husband. BOY WOULD THAT BE A TWIST. After our v interesting history lesson (the Incas are literally the smartest people) Cadi and I embarked on our Machu Picchu Mountain hike. We weren't sure what to expect but don't worry it quickly turned into me destroying my entire body. It literally was 1 hour and 45 minutes of going straight up. But the only reason it was hard was because of the high altitude, our lack of sleep, and the fact that all we had eaten was 4 pieces of white bread and a slice of ham. Oh and a small orange that our hostel mates (a mom and her 12 year old son) had given us because they saw us at Machu and are just GENEROUS AND WONDERFUL and wanted to give us their oranges. Anyways the hike being hard had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my workout regimen for the ENTIRE summer consisted of 2 runs and 1 and a half zumba classes. So like ya definitely not because I'm out of shape. 

If I had to do a terrain analysis of the hike I would say it was 4% flat ground with rocks jutting out, 61% impossibly steep rock steps that were very uneven and couldn't fit my size 10 foot on them which led to a lot of uncomfortable side stepping, and 35% of those same rock steps except on a cliff edge with not a lot of room for error. So here we are 20 minutes into this death hike and I get to the top of a staircase and LOCK EYES WITH A JUNGLE BEAR. WHAT ARE BEARS DOING IN THE JUNGLES OF PERU. We turned right around and waited it out letting a couple other potential bear victims pass warning them of their fate until we worked up the courage to move forward. Happy to inform that there was not another jungle bear sighting. 

Fast forward through an hour and 25 minutes of not being able to breathe and we made it to heavens gates. I kid you not. We were in the sky. Surrounded by mountains and parallel with snow topped peaks. WE WERE THAT HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS. Literally in the clouds. Something that awful had never been so worth it. There were probably 15 of us humans at the top. And it was silent. We were spread out all sitting in silence just taking in da surroundings. There was just this sense of awe and worship. I find it fascinating that all people have a natural tendency to worship. Whether people were meditating, thanking Jesus, or just feeling the need to stay silent and breathe the mountain air--it was all worship. And I believe it's because humans are hard-wired to do so. Pretty special moment 3,082 meters up in the air. 

Other lessons I took away from the death hike: 

1. People are just the best. This trail is full of people from all over the world who speak all different languages and yet everyone coming down the trail was doing their best to encourage the people going up. I'm telling you, everyone NEEDED it. This trail was a real doozy. 

2. I find it so fascinating that humans find comfort in each other. Like if it was just Cadi and I on that death bear and ankle breaking trap ridden trail running low on water I would have been PANICKED. But because I knew all these other humans were in it with us I was a-ok. If you don't know me, you'll soon realize I have a deep reverence for my fellow humans. 

3. It's good to challenge ourselves from time to time. About 5 minutes into the hike Cadi and I both realized it was the last thing on planet earth we wanted to do right then. But we kept going. We knew we should. So we did. And man, we felt so effing accomplished. Important to do that for ourselves once in a while. 

And 2 other realizations on this day:

1. I am so thankful for this opportunity to be abroad and be in new places. And I know without a doubt that this is what I'm supposed to be doing for right now. But the traveling vagabond life is not for me. The part of life I value most is relationships with people. And it's hard to enjoy that part of life when you're packing up and moving every day. Although these 2 weeks have been GR8 time to get to know my sweet Caroldiana. But I'm just saying--if I had to choose one place to be for the rest of my life it would be at the dinner table with my best friends. Not Machu Picchu. Even as sexy as Machu Picchu might be. 

2. The last few days of our trip we had been just a couple of real tourist gals. Which is gr8 and fun but it definitely has it's place. My favorite moments here are the times I don't feel like a tourist (aka like at the church in Arequipa). Or when I'm watching two little girls share candy sitting on the curb while their mom sells stuff to people driving by in traffic. Or when we're chatting to Uru villagers that pulled up to the island in their boat to grab a gallon of gas. THAT'S THE PART OF TRAVEL I LIKE. Which is why I feel so inclined to move abroad, not just travel. AND which is why if I ever go to Mexico it's gonna be with my Mexican pals Chuy and Vicky (shout out to you Chu if you're working on your English reading this right now!) 

Other things:

1. Nothing has been more embarrassing than syringing food out of my wisdom tooth holes in the bus stop bathrooms. Dental care isn't one of Peru's strengths. So many confused looks. I have never felt like a bigger diva. 

2. So many women walk around in the traditional Peruvian clothing. Look 4 pics on my fb. I LOVE the outifts. Peruvian ladies are lookin' fly. But it's just such an interesting mix of old and new culture. 

3. Dawgs everywhere. Really missing all my doggy pals (Jack, Riley, Maggie, and Coral) back in the states. Luv u guys. 

4. Peruvians have a very distinct look. Their faces. It's just so distinct.  

5. It's chill to have your kids at work. It's even chill to have your boobs out feeding them while you're at work. Pretty cool. 

6. TOILET PAPER IS SUCH A COMMODITY. I once held a poop for 18 hours because every baño we had gone to didn't have toilet paper and I kept forgetting to buy some. Can't blame anyone but myself for that one. 

7. There's this one really strange game show that everyone's obsessed with. They even watch old episodes on YouTube. Which made me realize that I can't leave Chile without being on a Chilean game show. Cadi knows just the one I need to apply for so we are gonna be sending that email very soon. 

8. Because Cadi is Chilean she speaks Spanish with a Chilean accent. Which means I can't understand anything she says. She pronounces "vamos" as "amo". CADI YOU FORGOT THE V AND THE S. Instead of forgetting how to speak English I might just never speak again. 

9. Jesus is everywhere. I mean like hanging on rearview mirrors, on the back of buses, in statue form on hilltops, in stores, in restaurants, in hostels, EVERYWHERE. It's almost such a cultural thing that people are desensitized to who he truly is. Cadi, for example, grew up with Jesus everywhere and went to Catholic school and yet knew nothing about him. Praying that we can all become more aware of Jesus as a revolutionary God who saves and brings hope and is interested in us and not just as the guy who's picture is on the wall. 

10. Realized I'm gonna miss being called Jansen. Including the more intimate/endearing forms (Jansey, Jans). WHO WILL CALL ME THAT HERE. No one because I never introduce myself as that. 

11. Also it is so fun and surprising to hear my favorite Spanish songs that I normally only hear under my Spotify playlist "shakira > everything" on the radio. People actually listen to this stuff which is so GREAT. Finally people that understand me. 

12. Getting as far as Aguas Calientes and back we spent a total of 92 hours on buses/vans. I know it sounds like everyone's nightmare. But it was the cheapest we could get to Peru without planning ahead and it wasn't even bad ! ! ! I'm actually grateful for it because we drove through towns and farmlands and ways of life I would have never seen had we flown. We drove through some pretty real poverty too. Which was a real eye opener. And important. 

13. Wouldn't have wanted to do this with anyone but Cadi. She points me to Jesus 24/7. She also does a great job of reminding me that the Holy Spirit is a thing. Like wow Jesus does incredible things through us if we just let him. And because we don't have exactly the same faiths it was so great to learn from and encourage each other in different areas. Ugh. Love you boo boo :-* Move to Santiago with me. 

14. Also so glad to be sitting in Cadi's living room reunited with her nasaly dog and writing this with hot tea in my hand and my clothes in the laundry. 

15. The weirdest part about all of this is that I did this big trip but I'm not coming home. Like I'm just back in Chile after all this. FOR 4 MORE MONTHS. I can just kiss those In-N-Out fantasies goodbye. 

Congratulations on making it to the end of this post. I love you all a lot.

Brb, gonna go start school and move in with some Chileans. Bye. 

The Final Moments Before I Move to Chile and Forget How to Speak English

So if you read my last post, you know that I became really obsessed with Jesus my freshman year of college. That's what happens to everyone in college, right?

"That's great and cool, Boycrazy. I'm so happy you met the Caucasian Christ Jesus. But then what happened? Did you stop wearing a push-up bra?" Tell me that was your exact wording. Tell me it was.

So I guess that's what this blog is for. To exploit my *~life with jesus~* and what that looks like on the internet. (Claire, help. I can't stop doing *~that~*.)

Here's a few snapshots of my time in San Clemente these past few weeks:

I showed up to my brother's house one evening. I pulled into their driveway and was greeted by a naked Rylee Rae. I walked into the house and the other niece was naked too. Life is good. Also, Rylee and I went on our first date because WE CAN GO ON REAL DATES NOW AND TALK ABOUT REAL THINGS because she's two and a half years old. I paid.

I went surfing. Ask me how many waves I caught. I caught one wave. Ask me if I had a great time. ABSOLUTELY. A note on surfing in California: In Central California, it's kind of my nightmare. I mean I do it, but mostly just as a self-assessment of how long I can fight for my life. In Southern California it's ACTUALLY fun. You can actually sit in the SUN (sry Morro Bay) and wait for waves peacefully on your board and when a set comes you don't drown. Bless you Southern California.

I got my wisdom teeth removed. There were a lot of tears. And a lot of smoothie running down my face because I couldn't feel myself drinking it. And there was some mouthing of scrambled eggs. But seriously, v grateful for access to medical care. Even if it makes me feel like an infant.

I've watched 30 episodes of Grey's Anatomy since being home. I'm developing a deep emotional attachment to Cristina Yang. Help.

One night my parents came home from Outback with leftover steak. My mom wouldn't let me eat it because it was for the dog. I learned where her loyalty lies.

And then the last few days preparing to leave have just been mostly like this: "Oh no. Tampons cost 8 DOLLARS for a box of 6 in Chile?! I BETTER BRING 70 AMERICAN TAMPONS."

And now--the moment you've all been waiting for--my solo pilgrimage to the north. There's a few stand-out moments I'd like to address:

1. I had the honor of getting to celebrate Caroline's grandma's 90th birthday. Grandma Claire spent the first half of her party watching television alone, but once we got her fired up with a birthday song and a cake filled with 2 lbs. of vanilla custard, GMA CAME ALIVE. All of a sudden she started feeding off the attention of the 8 twenty-something year old girls in the room and wanted to stand up and chat and show us her photo albums. Turns out Gma Claire is one wild and hilarious woman. Once she saw that she was the reason we were all gathered there and that we all saw incredible value in her, she became her true diva self. I had a "wow, what a perfect illustration of the Gospel and what we do in Young Life" moment. It was kewl.

2. The most interesting woman in the world is currently living in the armpit of California. Allie Davis, everyone. A word about Allie: She currently has a warrant out for her arrest in Montana for fly fishing in a pink bikini (this is a true statement). And last week she wrote a rental agreement in Spanish and wire transferred money halfway across the world to a complete stranger. Because she's moving to Spain next month. By herself. One day she's gonna take her big engineering brain to third world countries all over the globe to help develop communities, because that's WJWD. Allie has a lot of faith in humanity, in Jesus, and is a bad bitch. Allie and I look forward to Friday afternoons at Pepe's sipping margaritas and speaking *~spanish only~* with Chuy when we return from our prospective countries in January.

3. WATCHING GRETCHEN AND PATRICK JOIN IN HOLY MATRIMONY. Boy, was that something special. I assumed that going to a wedding would make me want to get married like on Thursday. NOPE. In fact, what it really reminded me of is how big of a commitment marriage is. And how special and wonderful and and beautiful and great it is when it's with the perfect person 4 u. And how big of a part God plays in it all. And how absolutely and completely not ready I am for it. So here's to at least another three years of not talking to boys.

And oh mammograms, I leave for Chile on Wednesday.

1. Can you say big faith test. I started luvin da Lord in San Luis Obispo. And I've lived there ever since. WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN ANYWHERE ELSE.

2. But I really feel like I'm supposed to be there. Jesus has just been slamming doors open left and right for me down there. And I'm not even there yet ! ! ! No fluffing idea what he has in store for Chilean Jansen but I'm V V V V excited to find out.

3. I'm actually gonna try to forget how to speak English.

4. In 48 hours I'll be landing in Santiago alone and trying to figure out how to take a bus to my pal's house 6 hours away. With all my luggage. On no sleep. In Spanish. PRAYERS PLZ.



Obligatory Disclaimer: Let's realize that I leave the northern hemisphere soon. I might fall for some latin lover at the salsoteca and never touch this blog again. And if I do touch this blog again, please don't be offended if the quality of my writing takes a hit. THIS STUFF DOESN'T WRITE ITSELF AND IT TAKES TIME, OK.

Bye everyone.