Greetings from Phoenix!  Right now it is 7:00 pm and still 100 degrees outside.  It’s very hot here, but what they say about the heat not being that bad is true.  There is no humidity here so even when you do sweat, it evaporates immediately so you never feel too hot.  Phoenix is an especially popular destination for athletes who are trying to recover and rehabilitate.  I never quite understood why until I arrive here.  I still have not seen a single cloud in the 8 days I’ve been here and I don’t think I ever will.  Everything is within walking distance and the campus here at Arizona State is beautiful.

            I’ve been here for a week, but it sure feels like 2 or 3 weeks.   For those of you who don’t know, I will be here studying at Arizona State University for 7 weeks studying Farsi (also called Persian).  Once I finish the first 7 weeks, I will be going overseas to Uzbekistan for 4 more weeks to continue studying.  I feel like I’ve been here for 2 to 3 weeks already because we cover as much material in one day of class as a traditional class covers in a whole week.  For example, in one week a typical language class would teach you the alphabet in the first week, and then begin to teach you how to form words with those letters the following couple of weeks.  This week, we learned all 35 letters of the alphabet on Monday and by Friday we were tested and were expected to create a dialogue between two friends using only Persian.  It is remarkable how intelligent God made the human brain and what it is capable of.  I am also extremely thankful for the opportunity to be here at all.  The entire cost of the program costs in the neighborhood of $12,000; there is no way I would be here without the help of the Air Force and some very generous people at the University of Virginia.

            As far as the classes go, I’m having a great time.  If I had any doubt of how much I enjoy learning new languages, it’s gone now.  Persian is a beautiful language and really not all that hard to catch on quickly.  There are times where I wish I wasn’t going to class for another 2.5 hour session, but I’m always glad when I walk in the door.  We spend 5 hours each day in class and I usually spend at least 3 hours doing homework and studying every night.

            Part of me wishes to be back at home with my family just taking the summer off and relaxing, but I know those days are over.  Having a great support system of family and friends back in Ohio is a huge help.  Knowing people are praying for you and want the best for you helps when times get hard.  I had a great time watching Abby’s graduation yesterday via FaceTime on my mom’s iPhone.  It seems like just the other day she was the funny looking baby we all see in the home videos and now she’s 18 and going off to college.  I couldn’t be more proud of her!  I know she’ll do great at college next year. I hope you all are doing well and look forward to hearing about your summers as well.  God bless!

-Micah