Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent

Wednesday was a special day, not because I had neuroanatomy again after a whole week of no class, but because it was Ash Wednesday. It is a day in which I get closer to my religion and change my person into good. For the first time, I decided to fast. It is a tradition in my family and actually a must for catholics, but I had never been able to do it. My excuses were always: I need the energy in order to study. If I am hungry, I won't be able to concentrate. This time, I am determined to not only try it, but to succeed. Every Friday I will have a small breakfast, like a piece of bread or small bowl of cereal with water, and I will not eat until lunch time. I will have a normal meal and from there on, nothing but water until the next day. I accomplished it on Ash Wednesday, and I know I will be able to accomplish it every Friday. My host parents also fast, but according to them, the French culture fasts a little different. They switch the normal meal during lunch to dinner and do not eat anything for lunch. The rest of lent for the French people seems to be the same to the way Mexican culture lives lent. They attend mass on Ash Wednesday, receive ashes, do not eat meat on Fridays, and go to mass for the Holy Weekend. This Friday, my family invited me to a Stages of the Cross ceremony in their community church, but I do not believe I will go. Not because I do not want to, but because I am really tired. For the past three days, I have been going to bed late studying and waking up early to be at the AIB at 8:30am. And the worst part of all is, I cannot have coffee for the next 40 days! I am really dependent on coffee, more than I should, so I decided to give it up for lent. It will be hard, but once again, I know I will succeed. This is the start of a hard time for me, but I know I will come out of it completely changed into a better person and better yet, closer to my religion.