Tessa: "I've learned that . . ."

Last month Tessa wrote: "yesterday i realized that i have been here for exactly 6 months! so in my journal i wrote down the things I have learned so far. i thought you would like to have it in an email since i know you are keeping my emails and also are going to write a book, haha! Ive learned that time flies and you have to enjoy every second. Ive learned that usually when something is really hard at first, it is really worth it later. ive learned that it is difficult to put your fears away to learn and that it might never be easy, only necessary. ive learned that there are a lot of paths that i can choose but only one that will give me everything i wnat out of life, and that is the lords. ive learned that all families are different, but the one thing that will keep a family strong and happy is love. ive learned that it is not always bad to feel or be alone. ive learned that cooking is fun. ive learned that knowledge really is power. ive learned that i love argentina and i also love sun valley. ive learned that god really really does have the big picture of our mission, and we just have to trust Him. ive learned that ballena is whale....not seal. ive learned that often times learning from mistakes is the best way to learn. ive learned that its always better to laugh at yourself than to take yourself seriously. ive learned to dream in spanish. ive learned to love to serve. ive learned to hate all cats and dogs outside my window. ive learned that youll never understand how much one smile can mean until youre the one who really needs it. ive learned that one of the most wonderful gifts someone can give you is patience. ive learned that the siesta after lunch is a beautiful thing. ive learned that really looking both ways before you cross a street matters more outside of the united states. ive learned that argentinans have open hearts and homes. ive learned that a big smile, some shy girly eyes, a polite disculpame señor with a foreign accent can get you a looong ways with the Argentinos. Ive learned you can pretty much go anywhere and find a blockbuster and mcdonalds. ive learned that good friends take time. ive learned that almost every word in the spanish dicitionary can be turned into cute and little with the addition of ito or ita on the end including things that arent cute or little. ive learned that here an arañITA (know that araña means spider and then refer to previous statement) is basically UGLY and BIG enough to eat me alive. ive learned that almost anything is possible when you learn to step out of your box. ive learned that its hard to be different but its even harder to always be the same. ive learned that it is not the experiences youve had that make you who you are but how you react to them. ive learned that for the rest of my life there will be a part of me that calls pacheco, buenos aires, argentina my home." Thank you, Tessa. We love you!