Hello friends and family!
Now that I’m through with college, I guess I’m a real adult now, right??? Oh, how I have awaited the day when I would accept this right of passage... entitlement to the privilege of sending out my own holiday update letter! So as 2011 dawns, I wanted to send out a newsletter to friends and family who have been a part of my life over the years. Some of you have been wondering where life has taken me and where I am headed, and I’d love to inform you all with the current scoop. At the end of this update, I’ve noted my current contact info, if you’d like to get a hold of me or keep in touch.
I know many of you are busy and don’t have time to read a whole long update about what I’ve been up to, or what my plans for the future are. So I will attempt to abbreviate the update as much as possible:
Refresher on the past five years or so…
- Half a decade ago, June 2006: I graduated from Sequim High School
- Academic year fall 2006-spring 2007: missionary volunteer work in South America for Integridad.com (Integrity Ministries), lived in Santiago, Chile with the Thurston family (see www.integridad.com)
- Summer 2007: worked managing Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim, WA; nannied; participated in a mission/service trip in Mexico
- Fall 2007: began university studies at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA
- July 2008-November 2008: semester study abroad in Costa Rica
- November-December 2008: spent time with Aunt Meredith and Uncle Mike in McKinney, TX, substitute teaching in Spanish-English bilingual classrooms
- January 2009: Whitworth Jan Term study abroad trip in Guanajuato, Mexico
- February 2009-fall 2009: spent the spring and fall semesters studying at Whitworth in Spokane
- January 2010: Whitworth Jan Term study abroad trip in South Africa
- Spring 2010: studying at Whitworth in Spokane; mission/work service trip in Montego Bay, Jamaica
More recently…
- May 2010: I walked in Whitworth’s graduation ceremony. This part may be a bit confusing. At that point in time, I still would have one last semester of classes in order to complete my undergraduate work, after recently having added another secondary concentration of study. As it turned out, I would be able to complete my studies at Whitworth in 3½ years. I opted to walk in the 2010 graduation ceremony, knowing I would probably be abroad come spring 2011, in which case I’d be unavailable to walk in the 2011 ceremony. Basically, I petitioned to walk early in the 2010 ceremony, on the premise that I would return to Whitworth for one last semester during the following fall term.
- Summer 2010: I spent a lovely summer house sitting back on the gorgeous Olympic Peninsula, enjoying the lovely Pacific Northwest summer in all of its outdoorsy wonderfulness, as well as road tripping and traveling to visit family and friends along the west coast, and visiting prospective colleges with my family, for my sister Audrey.
- Fall 2010: I just rounded out my undergraduate career, moving out of Spokane for the last time. It was bittersweet. Sweet, because by the grace of God (and a lot of prayer and many sleepless nights) I have come away with a Bachelor of Arts in Cross-Cultural Studies (of the Political Science persuasion) and a B.A. in Spanish (language, literature, and education). I also minored in the studies of Speech Communications and Teaching ELL/ESL. This season of my life was bitter because it is yet another life transition in which I will be away from people and places I have come to love. I have been blessed with many relationships along the way during my Whitworth career (as a student), but it does not end here…
The future…
- My life at Whitworth continues on a different course now. As I turn the page on my role as a Whitworth student to now filling a role as a Whitworth staff member, Whitworth University’s new Costa Rica Center (CRC) will become my home in the next chapter of my life. I have accepted a position as a “24/7” at the CRC, where I will be pleasantly occupied with varied and mixed job descriptions in the areas of student life, academic and travel planning, intercultural communication, host family arrangements, and pre-study abroad departure training and preparation for our students who come to study abroad in Costa Rica through Whitworth’s new academic center, among other duties. I move [back] to Costa Rica to begin working at “Whitworth South” this January 2011. (I fly out Jan. 3)
- Summer 2011: I will be back Stateside for a couple months this summer to watch Audrey graduate, as well as to attend various weddings of dear friends (‘tis the season!).
- My life direction? Ambitions? It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly at this place in my life, when many options are before me, and the world is my oyster (I really struggle with the decision-making process). Unfortunately, I possess a diversity of interests, which complicate that decision-making; choices are the bane of my existence. I am greatly interested in cross-cultural/international non-profit or otherwise deemed “humanitarian” causes, and traveling and discovering new cultures, people, and places greatly intrigue me. I aspire to continue learning (outside the context of a conventional classroom), applying the skills I continually gain, and devoting time to endeavors in a lifestyle abroad. So I trust God to guide and direct me in His will for my life, and pray for the discernment to recognize a Christ-like path that seeks to honor the Lord.
- Thank you for your interest and support along the way in my life journey. Prayers are appreciated (as are emails, Skype calls, snail-mail letters… or packages!!).
Contact Information:
Mailing Address:
Lara Lichten (a/c Lindy Scott) Whitworth University
Apartado Postal 108-3015
San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica 40501 CENTRAL AMERICA
NOTE: letters take about 10 days coming/going to/from Costa Rica. Ship time for packages is longer and varies depending on shipping service—FedEx, DHL, etc.
Permanent Mailing Address, Stateside:
126 Schott Road
Sequim, WA 98382
Phone: I will NOT be using my U.S. cell phone while I’m in CR. Please Skype me instead! (Also, I have an iPod touch 4, if any of you want to Face Time with me!)
(I will have a U.S. number for my job at Whitworth (a Spokane-local 509 #); let me know if you need it at any point.)
Skype name: laralichten (Go to www.skype.com to download the program and talk over the Internet for free. Contact me if you have questions. Rates only apply when using a landline, so computer to computer is free. This option is a great alternative to international calling phone plans, and I use it whenever I travel. Webcams too!)
Blogsite: http://life-of-lara.blogspot.com/ (on which you can keep up to date concerning what I’m up to)
Please keep in touch! I love hearing from people, especially when in another part of the world! (Oh, and please let me know if you prefer receiving email at an alternative address? Thanks!)
Blessings as we ring in this new year of 2011!
~Lara
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:11-13
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