I woke up surprisingly chipper this morning even though I only got three hours of sleep last night! After three hours in New Testament, we ran to the beach! There is nothing better than swimming in the fresh water of the Sea of Galilee. I could spend hours playing in its waves, playing in its shallows; and with a group of amazing friends, it was all the better. The first couple of hours in the water were spent rather calmly. I swam back and forth, floated on the surface, and lounged in the shallows with the girls. As soon as lunch had come and gone, the real party began! We began the afternoon with a game of Utlimate Frisbee. Have you ever tried running through water that comes to your knees? It is a lot harder than it sounds! I made a few choice catches, but after diving and landing on a rock, I had to call it quits. The fact that my hand and knee were bleeding didn't help convince me to continue playing either! So I swam into the deeper waters where a group of girls had gathered. Within fifteen minutes we were ambushed! Those playing Ultimate Frisbee had constructed wands out of sticks and were running towards us shouting spells! It was hilarious! I have never been in a group this familiar with Harry Potter...it was the best. It got to the point that we were casting spells and reacting to them. My favorite, however, was when someone was declared a Port Key. Everyone else would dive at that person, who would then spin under the water and take everyone with him! It was great fun. As Harry Potter evolved, so did new games. We played Harry Potter Says - our own version of Simon Says - and Shipwrecked. It was in the middle of Shipwrecked that the waves began picking up. It was at this point that we formed circles, putting our arms around each other, and spun; could anything have been more fun? As the waves crashed over us, we continued to spin...choking out water. I nearly drowned, but it was fun. Six o'clock came much too quickly for any of us, but then I looked at my arms. From my shoulders down, my skin felt tight and it was beginning to glow. With a sigh, I gathered my stuff and headed up to my bungalow for a hot shower, to slather my skin in aloe vera, and to sit in a cold, wet towel. My children are doomed to be lobsters. It doesn't matter how much sunscreen I put on or how often I put it on; I will end up with a sunburn.
Dinner was fun, but it was after dinner that things really got going. A short Family Home Evening was held among ten to fifteen of us, and then we dispersed to do our own thing. I spent some time on the beach reading my scriptures, but I ended up near a random bungalow talking to Jenessa for most of the evening. It was nice talking to her and sharing things with her that I don't openly talk about with most people. This study abroad has really given me an opportunity to open up and meet new people; it came at the perfect time in my life. With friends getting married and going on missions, I was really worried about the fall semester, but now I have nothing to fear. It has always been harder for me to have girlfriends. Boys, no problem, but girls are tricky. So it has been great to have a few girls that I have been able to get close to and rely on these past few months. It will be fun when we get back to school and can spend time together in different settings!
No comments:
Post a Comment