Hola! (Aventuras en México y Filadelfia)

Dear everyone,

Lina here, just seven hours away from our beloved MIT! If you, like me, can't understand the above Spanish, translation here: I've enjoyed a ten-day adventure in Mexico, and continue on in Philadelphia.

This summer was meant to be a time of learning and growing with my family, since it'll be harder to come back home as I get older. It's been really interesting, since my family only moved to Philadelphia this past year. (And my younger brother's entering Kweku's high school come September - time flies.) But God is good; I've been adjusting and making mistakes and getting through!

An interesting development has been the missions trip. I'd wanted to go to Mexico four years ago, but couldn't make it; but this time, I ended up going with my brother and mother as well!

We teamed up with a church from Mexico - a church that runs children's programs in rural areas every summer. 50 of us spent a week in the beautiful province of Aguascalientes ("hot water"). Long story short, I learned a lot. There were a lot of challenges -- including not being able to speak Spanish, not knowing my teammates, sharing sleeping/bathroom quarters with 20 other females -- but the week was a very rewarding experience regardless. Hallelujah!

The people of Mexico are the warmest people I've ever met. They're so hospitable and friendly, and open to conversation! It was great getting to befriend them; we definitely came back with a lot of memories.

(some of us enjoying Mexico City at night; it was actually supposed to be a girls' group picture)

Back home, I've been doing a lot of writing. I actually found my diary from ten years ago!

Wow. I think the science museum cited here is Boston's Museum of Science; but it's so funny looking back! Seeing my old self is the strangest; these past ten years have been a great growing experience.

Writing letters to God, reading, Bible studies with the brother, studying 5.112 (I'll be a TA next term!), getting acquainted with my parents' church, baking lemon meringue pie with the family -- this summer's quite enriching. Woohoo!

All the same, I can't wait to be back on campus. 24 more days!

Love,
Lina

Hello from the World of Seattle! :)

Hi Everyone!

I'm spending my summer in Seattle, Washington while interning at Boeing as a Mechanical Engineer (Sorry, I don't have pics, that Boeing Proprietary Information :-P). I'm  in the testing group, so I'm pretty much working in a factory the whole time. Almost everyone is 40 and older (which makes for some wise conversations). And I'm learning more about what I ultimately want to do when I leave school.

Seattle is different... it's a whole new world (but it might just be because I've lived on the East Coast my whole life). It a diverse mix of Asian, North African and United States' transplants all simmering in a pot of West Coast chillness and New Age thinking lol. That's my best one-sentence description of the culture. I think I'm starting to like it, and even for a split second thought I could live here permanently. But then I remembered how far it was and that dream was shot down. Also, my Floridian upbringing can't handle a summer where the weather is still in the 50s and 60s.

Shot of Downtown Seattle from high rise building

I think the biggest blessing to me this summer would be my new church. It's about 130 people and a little more than a year old and meets in a movie theater. Almost everyone is around the age of mid 20s - mid 30s. I don't think I've ever met more amazing people in my life. And it's only been 4 weeks and they already know how to deal with my craziness (that's a huge feat). I went camping with them the second week I was here.

A couple of us around a makeshift fire

The river next to the campsite. I did a lot of quiet time here :)

Other than work and church, I spend a lot of time with my roommates (I live in a house of 6 other girls) or meeting new interns. BTW I saw Spiderman with them yesterday, and it was AWESOME! And I was skeptical the whole time leading up to the movie. Also, I've been reading A LOT. I think I'm on my 5th book so far, and I keep buying more (I might have a problem).

I miss you all, and I hope to see you all soon!

Chelsie

Etis3n from Ghana!!!

Hey y'all!!!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer so far! I'm really looking forward to hearing about all the adventures and shenanigans you guys are having :)

I'm in Ghana for the summer, and I have been having a great time so far. I'm working at Genser Power Ghana, which is an entirely Ghanaian-owned independent power producer, which builds power plants (of 3MW - 25MW of power capacity) for heavy industry, like the factories and the mines in Ghana. I'm an engineering/business intern, so I'm learning a lot! I actually have been keeping a blog on my personal website - you can check it out at: http://ebenjami.scripts.mit.edu/home/?page_id=242

(Sometimes the posts are kinda wordy, but the photos are fun. :))

Its been a really exciting time in Ghana - I'm learning about a new culture, and trying to pick up a new language (etis3n is Twi for "how are you?" - its pronounced "eh-ti-Seine" like the river Seine). I'm also learning a lot about myself in the process, which I'm really grateful for. I have been going to a local church, too - I gotta tell you, the praise and worship is something else here - the music is awesome, and everyone gets up and starts dancing around!

Also, for those of you who went on KRUP 2012 - do you remember green lining and red lining? Well, it has to be one of the most useful concepts ever!!! Thankfully I haven't been in any serious problems (touch wood!) but keeping the red line/green line concept in mind makes it a lot easier to deal with situations that otherwise would have me freaking out!

Shooting from the hip, I tried to catch a picture of Makola Market last Saturday. 

I'm in Tema, Ghana, right now (its just outside Accra, the capital) but tomorrow I'm shipping out to Kumasi, which is northwest of Accra. (See map!) I'll be there for about 5 weeks working on a project for Genser. But I'll still have internet, so please keep posting!

Best wishes to all, and happy 4th! - Emma

MIT-IV summer 2012!

Hey all! Sorry this is so late in coming, but please feel free to post on this blog anytime! We want to hear what you're up to! What has God been doing in your life? What fun adventures have you had so far? What new food have you tried? :D

It's hard to stay in touch over the summer when everyone's in different parts of the world, but let's live vicariously by posting pictures, describing adventures, and having fun together!

Sincerely,
Victoria