truly, I am flabbergasted at the degradation of Christmas that has happened. i'm disappointed in people! Christmas is supposed to be a time of being with family, enjoying each others' company and growing closer, but it seems that we have gotten into this mindset that the way we show our love and appreciation for each other is by getting each other gifts...RIDICULOUS!! I would rather have NO gifts given to me, and have one good conversation with each person and a hug. That would satisfy me completely. i'm saddened by what i see in people in stores these days--a harried look, cutthroat attitude and a miserable lack of christmas spirit. The spirit still exists, but not when you are trying to buy a Wii or some other 'valuable' commodity. what would the world be like without malls and wal-marts and online shopping?
enough of that rant, i guess that if i was an employee in one of those areas i wouldn't mind at all...
I am going to New York City in 5 days! One of my friend's brothers lives there and he invited me to come along with another guy. We are going to be there for New Years and I'm looking forward to it tremendously! The drive up there will be long, but hopefully interesting and the company is good so at least i won't feel like bashing my head through the window ;)
We come back and a day later we leave for Colorado! so much excitement in so little time. skiing is so wonderful and i wish everyone loved it as much as i do, seriously. my whole family is coming on this trip too...it's gonna be crazy and all the rfcs are now going to understand why i am the way i am...lol. i just hope no one gets hurt and we all have a great time.
It is amazing how humbling some experiences can be. i thought that i was a pretty understanding person and not prone to judgments or prejudices, but i'm seeing that i have looked down on people, even if in a more pitying way (which is sometimes the worst way, i admit). i'm realizing that i have the potential to be just like any one of those people that i have judged, and i'm understanding how to change that but it is also shocking me into humility...a good thing, but sometime painful. i'm also realizing how miserable life can be without God, but also how difficult it can be to draw closer to him while pursuing selfish goals and forgetting what life was like with him. the trough is a dark place indeed.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
quintessential...nice word
Well, the Packers lost, Favre got hurt, geez....but it's all gonna be ok, cause one game doesn't mean that much. The Packers are still going to have an awesome season!
Today was the last church service at North Street, and the first service at Mt. Comfort. It was interesting moving in the middle, police escort and everything (i thought that was a little over the top but i guess moving that many people at once might be hazardous--i heard about one near-wreck =) Something happened today that made me think about how wonderfully and confusingly complex human relationships are. As a Christian, we are supposed to be examples to the people around us of what a life with Christ is like. When I fail to do that, I feel like sometimes its something I can never get back--i feel that with some people, i will never be able to really talk about Christ with them without knowing that they are smirking, inwardly if not outwardly, because they know how imperfect i am.
That's kind of depressing, at least to me, but then the other side of that, or at least adjacent to it, is the fact that people influence each others' lives everyday in different ways, often without knowing it. This influence can be for good, even if that person isn't doing 'good' at the moment. Sometimes I wonder if it all just cancels out or if there's actually any accumulation of good or evil relative to one another in the world. I hope i'm not becoming a nihilist.
Anyway, I'm grateful for a certain person in my life right now, though he doesn't know it, because he's the only friend i feel i haven't disappointed or betrayed right now. funny thing is, some of my other friends don't know this. Like i said, human relationships...incredibly complex and...verrueckt...sometimes.
i really should be finishing my paper and starting on another, but i'm intensely apathetic right now...hopefully it will get done anyway.
Today was the last church service at North Street, and the first service at Mt. Comfort. It was interesting moving in the middle, police escort and everything (i thought that was a little over the top but i guess moving that many people at once might be hazardous--i heard about one near-wreck =) Something happened today that made me think about how wonderfully and confusingly complex human relationships are. As a Christian, we are supposed to be examples to the people around us of what a life with Christ is like. When I fail to do that, I feel like sometimes its something I can never get back--i feel that with some people, i will never be able to really talk about Christ with them without knowing that they are smirking, inwardly if not outwardly, because they know how imperfect i am.
That's kind of depressing, at least to me, but then the other side of that, or at least adjacent to it, is the fact that people influence each others' lives everyday in different ways, often without knowing it. This influence can be for good, even if that person isn't doing 'good' at the moment. Sometimes I wonder if it all just cancels out or if there's actually any accumulation of good or evil relative to one another in the world. I hope i'm not becoming a nihilist.
Anyway, I'm grateful for a certain person in my life right now, though he doesn't know it, because he's the only friend i feel i haven't disappointed or betrayed right now. funny thing is, some of my other friends don't know this. Like i said, human relationships...incredibly complex and...verrueckt...sometimes.
i really should be finishing my paper and starting on another, but i'm intensely apathetic right now...hopefully it will get done anyway.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
cheese and stars
Packers and the Cowboys are playing tonight--both 10-1 records, both great teams. It is going to be an amazing showdown. I'm here at Smeal's house because he gets NFL network, the only channel it's on. he's a cowboy fan. the tension is palpable ;)
Life is so unpredictable....every time i think i'm growing up a bit i run into something that makes me realize i'm not. i make poor decisions all the time. how are we supposed to really do well?? ah well, it's an adventure. i'm ready for some more real adventure too. i'm ecstatic about going to nyc over new years and ski trip!!! it will get some of that wanderlust out of my system hopefully.
well, send a little prayer up for the packers, even though God doesn't care who wins, maybe he will give a little shove for the packers if enough people bother him about it...you think? =)
What does God do on a regular basis do you think? i find it fascinating to just think about God, knowing that i really have no way of fathoming what he's up to. anyway, the game's going to start so i'm going to go get a little crazy!
the world is different every minute, which means we have a chance to make a new impression with every person
Life is so unpredictable....every time i think i'm growing up a bit i run into something that makes me realize i'm not. i make poor decisions all the time. how are we supposed to really do well?? ah well, it's an adventure. i'm ready for some more real adventure too. i'm ecstatic about going to nyc over new years and ski trip!!! it will get some of that wanderlust out of my system hopefully.
well, send a little prayer up for the packers, even though God doesn't care who wins, maybe he will give a little shove for the packers if enough people bother him about it...you think? =)
What does God do on a regular basis do you think? i find it fascinating to just think about God, knowing that i really have no way of fathoming what he's up to. anyway, the game's going to start so i'm going to go get a little crazy!
the world is different every minute, which means we have a chance to make a new impression with every person
Thursday, October 11, 2007
absolutes
I hear a lot in religious...and other....circles that we live in a world that is too 'gray' or that there are too few absolutes. i'm going to propose that the opposite is true...let me explain
moses was on campus today. he is a crazy, judgemental, annoying, un-christlike figure. However, as i was listening to him, he started talking about how you have to love your enemies (he talked about Bush and himself as some of those you have to love--he's harder i think ;) and he talked for about 5 minutes and i agreed with pretty much everything he said! amazing, i thought...but then he said "i think catholics are going to hell" and i don't agree with that at all!
my dilema here is that if i were to say something disagreeing with Moses, the people listening to him would automatically assume that i disagree with everything he says. which isn't true...but if i jump in and say that i agree with him on any point, i might get mobbed, i dunno.
my point is that we are too quick to assume that there are only 2 sides to any argument or issue...when i really don't think that is ever the case. I want people to know that I love my Lord because he made me and saved me, which is what Moses alludes to sometimes, but I want people to know that I am altogether different from him in other ways...how do i do that? how do WE do that??
Moses is giving Christianity a bad reputation on this campus, i want to show people that being a Christian is so much more
moses was on campus today. he is a crazy, judgemental, annoying, un-christlike figure. However, as i was listening to him, he started talking about how you have to love your enemies (he talked about Bush and himself as some of those you have to love--he's harder i think ;) and he talked for about 5 minutes and i agreed with pretty much everything he said! amazing, i thought...but then he said "i think catholics are going to hell" and i don't agree with that at all!
my dilema here is that if i were to say something disagreeing with Moses, the people listening to him would automatically assume that i disagree with everything he says. which isn't true...but if i jump in and say that i agree with him on any point, i might get mobbed, i dunno.
my point is that we are too quick to assume that there are only 2 sides to any argument or issue...when i really don't think that is ever the case. I want people to know that I love my Lord because he made me and saved me, which is what Moses alludes to sometimes, but I want people to know that I am altogether different from him in other ways...how do i do that? how do WE do that??
Moses is giving Christianity a bad reputation on this campus, i want to show people that being a Christian is so much more
Saturday, October 6, 2007
trend lines
It is times like these in my life that i appreciate the fact that trend lines exist. I have made some very poor choices recently...and i see myself backsliding emotionally, mentally and spiritually. However, i know that even now I am more aware of myself and closer to God than i was at other times in my life...and so my "trend line" is still positive. It is only by the grace of god that i can see my life from this perspective and i am so grateful for it. i know that better days are to come and that he will bring me out of this funk and make me a more christ-like creature than i was before. praise be to him.
bikes blues and bbq is here in fayetteville this weekend. last night i went and it was a lot of fun. i was walking toward dickson and this guy on a bike just stopped and asked if i wanted a ride. i know many people would say i am an idiot for jumping on a bike with a guy i don't even know, but i run by instinct sometimes and so i did...his bike was hot pink! and he took me up and down dickson once (my first time to do that on a bike and first time to ever ride on a crotchrocket) his name was travis and he nicely dropped me off when i saw some friends...great experience =)
i'm thankful for new friendships and people who will be honest and real, which pushes me to do the same, no matter how hard it comes to me.
this is the first time i have posted on here in a while...and i did it on a whim. it is interesting to see your thoughts form concretely on a computer screen. i won't say that i 'needed' to do that, because i was already, thanks to a friend, able to look at myself objectively last night and dig through all the mess to disentangle myself from it. putting it out here on this blog, though, is an expression of openness that i need to do more often, even if no one ever actually reads it.
so... "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" philippians 3:8
bikes blues and bbq is here in fayetteville this weekend. last night i went and it was a lot of fun. i was walking toward dickson and this guy on a bike just stopped and asked if i wanted a ride. i know many people would say i am an idiot for jumping on a bike with a guy i don't even know, but i run by instinct sometimes and so i did...his bike was hot pink! and he took me up and down dickson once (my first time to do that on a bike and first time to ever ride on a crotchrocket) his name was travis and he nicely dropped me off when i saw some friends...great experience =)
i'm thankful for new friendships and people who will be honest and real, which pushes me to do the same, no matter how hard it comes to me.
this is the first time i have posted on here in a while...and i did it on a whim. it is interesting to see your thoughts form concretely on a computer screen. i won't say that i 'needed' to do that, because i was already, thanks to a friend, able to look at myself objectively last night and dig through all the mess to disentangle myself from it. putting it out here on this blog, though, is an expression of openness that i need to do more often, even if no one ever actually reads it.
so... "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" philippians 3:8
Sunday, June 3, 2007
one more time
Thanks to all of you who have been looking at my blog...hope you enjoyed it! For those of you who are first-time viewers, make sure you look on the right and read whichever of the archived ones you want to. If you want to know more about any place or person or whatever, email me at megan.matty@gmail.com i don't really have the motivation or time to blog when i'm home...so until the next adventure there will probably be no posts.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
home again
Coming home...always an adventure and a shock and a pleasure. From Rostock I took a train to Leipzig and met up with Konrad after he was done with class and it was, as usual, so good to talk to him! We had a nice chat while walking around the city and then met Mohammed at Lukas and talked with him for a while. It just so happened that one of his friends (also named Mohammed...don't be stereotyping! nicknamed Mimo) was there as well and we all 4 went to a place to play pool for a while and Carolin met us there. While I do have a pool table in my house, I wasn't as good as Mimo. We played for a while and then when the place closed we walked some more and sat in an Irish pub for a bit and then Mimo invited us over to his place. He was, as is usual with most from the Arabic culture, generously hospitable and welcoming. We stayed there all night just talking and listening to music and having an excellent time. Konrad left at about 500 and then Carolin and Mohammed walked me to the train station.
May 17th was a holiday in Germany. Yea...usually things in Germany work almost flawlessly but on holidays apparently the rules relax a bit. The train to Frankfurt was supposed to leave at 7:05 on the computer where i bought my ticket. However, it wasn't posted on the normal train schedules. So we started to worry a bit and asked the info guy and he assured us that it would come to track 10 at 7:05. Well...it did come, if a bit late. So, train was fine and arrived at the Frankfurt airport about 11:15. My flight left at 1:10 and i thought i had plenty of time....i was wrong. I walked into the main hall and I have never seen so many people in an airport. I started to get into one Lufthansa line that was probably 100m long after the snakey part...yea. then i realized that Lufthansa flights to the US were in another place...good, maybe it was shorter...well, it was, by a little bit. By the time I got up to the counter and fixed my bag so that I could check it instead of carrying it on like i wanted (the lady wouldn't let me), and got my boarding pass, it was 12:20. Encouragingly, the lady giving me my boarding pass told me "you had better run" great. So...i ran. The security is monstrous. I had to get my boarding pass checked to get into the B hall, then go through carry on baggage security. Then, you have to show your boarding pass again, then go through passport control....another line. Then, there's another security checkpoint just like the first one, except in this one you get manually checked with a hand wand by an actual person. Finally, you go past a counter and they look at your passport and boarding pass again and if you are a US citizen you get a form to fill out. Wow. So I made it though, and the flight was just beginning to board when I got there. Our gate was the kind that you give your boarding pass to get into an area loosely barriered off. So, i sat next to the barrier and started to read. All of a sudden, this young guy vaulted clumsily over the barrier and fell on the floor next to me. I was tired and i didn't care. He looked at me, and tried to show me his boarding pass...i just told him "i don't want to see that" I realized that he was comnpletely drunk. Poor guy, they wouldn't let him get on the plane...but i was glad they didn't. He said he had a wedding that day, but who knows what he was thinking getting that drunk!
So, it was a long flight but it wasn't that bad and got into denver alright and then my flight to nashville was on time and everything worked out.
It is GOOD to be home. Give me a call if you are reading this and want to chat or hang out! =)
I'll post some more reflections on the trip soon i hope.
May 17th was a holiday in Germany. Yea...usually things in Germany work almost flawlessly but on holidays apparently the rules relax a bit. The train to Frankfurt was supposed to leave at 7:05 on the computer where i bought my ticket. However, it wasn't posted on the normal train schedules. So we started to worry a bit and asked the info guy and he assured us that it would come to track 10 at 7:05. Well...it did come, if a bit late. So, train was fine and arrived at the Frankfurt airport about 11:15. My flight left at 1:10 and i thought i had plenty of time....i was wrong. I walked into the main hall and I have never seen so many people in an airport. I started to get into one Lufthansa line that was probably 100m long after the snakey part...yea. then i realized that Lufthansa flights to the US were in another place...good, maybe it was shorter...well, it was, by a little bit. By the time I got up to the counter and fixed my bag so that I could check it instead of carrying it on like i wanted (the lady wouldn't let me), and got my boarding pass, it was 12:20. Encouragingly, the lady giving me my boarding pass told me "you had better run" great. So...i ran. The security is monstrous. I had to get my boarding pass checked to get into the B hall, then go through carry on baggage security. Then, you have to show your boarding pass again, then go through passport control....another line. Then, there's another security checkpoint just like the first one, except in this one you get manually checked with a hand wand by an actual person. Finally, you go past a counter and they look at your passport and boarding pass again and if you are a US citizen you get a form to fill out. Wow. So I made it though, and the flight was just beginning to board when I got there. Our gate was the kind that you give your boarding pass to get into an area loosely barriered off. So, i sat next to the barrier and started to read. All of a sudden, this young guy vaulted clumsily over the barrier and fell on the floor next to me. I was tired and i didn't care. He looked at me, and tried to show me his boarding pass...i just told him "i don't want to see that" I realized that he was comnpletely drunk. Poor guy, they wouldn't let him get on the plane...but i was glad they didn't. He said he had a wedding that day, but who knows what he was thinking getting that drunk!
So, it was a long flight but it wasn't that bad and got into denver alright and then my flight to nashville was on time and everything worked out.
It is GOOD to be home. Give me a call if you are reading this and want to chat or hang out! =)
I'll post some more reflections on the trip soon i hope.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
ferries and deutschland
Well, i never thought it would work out this way but i am going to be taking the ferry to Rostock, Germany tomorrow afternoon...it is an overnight ferry and i am looking forward to it because i love the water! From Rostock i have a few options but my flight has been changed to fly out of frankfurt on the 17th...yep, coming home! Anna has been SO helpful.
Church this morning was great...it is good to just be with Christians. We ate lunch after church and had a great time talking about all sorts of things
sorry again this is short and kind of boring but...well, can't help it. hope to see some of you soon!
Church this morning was great...it is good to just be with Christians. We ate lunch after church and had a great time talking about all sorts of things
sorry again this is short and kind of boring but...well, can't help it. hope to see some of you soon!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
been too long
Well, sorry everyone for not posting in such a long time. there is WAAAYYY too much to put in this post so i will just give an overview:
my last few days in tomsk were wonderful. being with friends and just having fun, eating my fajitas like we ate blair's last year (thanks blair) the last night was excellent as well. On monday, Denis and i went to look for my ticket to turkey...there wasn't a single ticket for less than $700. so...i decided that i would go back to tallinn via moscow. i took a plane to moscow and then a train to tallinn. my mistake was that the train didn't actually get to the border of russia/estonia until the 11th, about 4am...which is 4 hrs too late for the russian officials to stamp my visa because it expired on the 10th. yep, don't overstay your russian visa...they don't like it...long story short, they did let me out of russia on the next train...after a rather hilarious runabout trying to get something called an "exit visa" crazy russian rules...but i am now in Tallinn!! I'm staying with a family here--nikolai, the dad, is one of the ministers for the church here. so...future plans...anyone have any ideas? i'm still trying to figure out what to do, but as soon as i know, i will post it on here...possibilities include flying to turkey, flying to frankfurt, other things...who knows. i will give more detailed and funny stories in the near future hopefully!!
my last few days in tomsk were wonderful. being with friends and just having fun, eating my fajitas like we ate blair's last year (thanks blair) the last night was excellent as well. On monday, Denis and i went to look for my ticket to turkey...there wasn't a single ticket for less than $700. so...i decided that i would go back to tallinn via moscow. i took a plane to moscow and then a train to tallinn. my mistake was that the train didn't actually get to the border of russia/estonia until the 11th, about 4am...which is 4 hrs too late for the russian officials to stamp my visa because it expired on the 10th. yep, don't overstay your russian visa...they don't like it...long story short, they did let me out of russia on the next train...after a rather hilarious runabout trying to get something called an "exit visa" crazy russian rules...but i am now in Tallinn!! I'm staying with a family here--nikolai, the dad, is one of the ministers for the church here. so...future plans...anyone have any ideas? i'm still trying to figure out what to do, but as soon as i know, i will post it on here...possibilities include flying to turkey, flying to frankfurt, other things...who knows. i will give more detailed and funny stories in the near future hopefully!!
Friday, May 4, 2007
english clubs and friends
It is always fun to go to English Clubs for me. As long as you can get them talking about stuff they like, they overcome their shyness and then you don't have to do much work =) Yesterday Jim and I went to the one Rosa has been doing with him for a few years now. They used to only invite teachers but sometime last year they began to invite students as well. It is a kind of balancing act because when you invite students, the teachers don't want to come and when you invite teachers, most students don't want to come...wonder why? =) Well, so there were 7 guys from the electrical engineering faculty and one guy, Andrew, who is in computer science and had by far the best English and most outgoing personality there. He tended to take over the conversation so I had to actually direct questions away from him. The funniest part was when one of the guys, Dima, who conferred with all his buddies to make sure the English was correct before asking questions, asked me "Do you believe in love at first sight?" (gee, i wonder where this line of questioning is going??) i debated for a bit in my head about what to answer but then i decided to just go for the truth. Yes, i do believe in love at first sight. Next question from Dima: "What are you doing tonight??" (how original!) everyone laughed and i told him i was going to a bible study at oxana's but he was welcome to come. Best part: Jim had given my phone number to one of the female teachers, and Rosa copied it and then handed it to Dima...wonder when he'll call??
Played basketball with a bunch of guys at Tomsk state on Thursday...it was so much fun!! I haven't played in a while and it was great to get back on the court. I also helped Alex put up wallpaper that morning and that was messy fun as well. I love hearing russian spoken even if i don't understand most of it, it is beautiful to me.
this afternoon i'm going to another english club with andrew, from yesterday, and tonight going with denis to some concert of one of his friends...who knows what kind of music it will be but i'm sure it will be fun.
tomorrow is the one sunday a month that the church meets all together at akadem gorodok...how blessed am i!!?? How wonderful that i came at just the right time to see everyone. I really can't wait!
Played basketball with a bunch of guys at Tomsk state on Thursday...it was so much fun!! I haven't played in a while and it was great to get back on the court. I also helped Alex put up wallpaper that morning and that was messy fun as well. I love hearing russian spoken even if i don't understand most of it, it is beautiful to me.
this afternoon i'm going to another english club with andrew, from yesterday, and tonight going with denis to some concert of one of his friends...who knows what kind of music it will be but i'm sure it will be fun.
tomorrow is the one sunday a month that the church meets all together at akadem gorodok...how blessed am i!!?? How wonderful that i came at just the right time to see everyone. I really can't wait!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tomsky
I love this city! I am having an excellent time here and it is mostly because of the people I know and love. The church here in Tomsk is...i pause here because there really isn't a word to describe how wonderful they are. Perfect they are not, but the love they exude and their passion for following Christ continuously amaze and encourage me. Seeing everyone again has been excellent. For those of you reading this who might have been to Tomsk and want to know how anyone is doing, please email me. I have told how Shaina, Titus, KT, Blair, and Chris are doing what feels like millions of times since I got here and lots of love has been sent y'alls way! Monday night I went with Sergey, Alosha and Ira to a homeless shelter that they have been visiting for a couple months. We had a little devo with some of the people there. More and more I am realizing the absolute importance of leading people to a relationship with Christ regardless of their economic status, rather than trying to give people a "better life." "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul?" I couldn't agree more.
Tuesday was Labor Day here in Russia. I met Denis and some friends at the main square and we walked in the parade there. There will be pictures on facebook. I now am the proud owner of a "United Russia" (dominant political party) flag and can say that I have participated in a real Russian parade...meaning that a crowd of people followed a bus playing patriotic songs that everyone laughed at for about a mile. =) Sergey came to my place at noon for lunch. For those of you who don't know him, I'm sorry :) Sergey is 18 years old and has such an understanding of God's love and presence. I enjoy talking with him immensely. We talked over bread and peanut butter (thanks AIM girls!) and apples and then walked to the Bible Study Center that the church now runs. We spent some time with the two girls that live there. The flat is centrally located and a good place to hold bible studies for individuals as well as groups. The "soup study" was held there last night and there were lots of people there that had been away or couldn't come for a while, not just me, and so it was a joyful time of reconnecting. After, Anya, Sergey and I went to Alex' house. He is remodeling and I am going to help him put wallpaper up tomorrow. We talked with him and Vasya for a while. Just being with these people is so wonderful for me!
I forsee much fun in the future!
Tuesday was Labor Day here in Russia. I met Denis and some friends at the main square and we walked in the parade there. There will be pictures on facebook. I now am the proud owner of a "United Russia" (dominant political party) flag and can say that I have participated in a real Russian parade...meaning that a crowd of people followed a bus playing patriotic songs that everyone laughed at for about a mile. =) Sergey came to my place at noon for lunch. For those of you who don't know him, I'm sorry :) Sergey is 18 years old and has such an understanding of God's love and presence. I enjoy talking with him immensely. We talked over bread and peanut butter (thanks AIM girls!) and apples and then walked to the Bible Study Center that the church now runs. We spent some time with the two girls that live there. The flat is centrally located and a good place to hold bible studies for individuals as well as groups. The "soup study" was held there last night and there were lots of people there that had been away or couldn't come for a while, not just me, and so it was a joyful time of reconnecting. After, Anya, Sergey and I went to Alex' house. He is remodeling and I am going to help him put wallpaper up tomorrow. We talked with him and Vasya for a while. Just being with these people is so wonderful for me!
I forsee much fun in the future!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Siberia...if you would have asked me last year at this time whether I would be returning to Siberia next year, the answer would have been a "probably not, but i wish i could." God does amazing things though! and here I am. The train ride was....well, LONG! I took an overnight train from Tallin to Moscow, and then had a 3 hour layover in Moscow. I was reading one of my Economist magazines and a guy sitting accross from me asked to read it when i was finished. I let him read it and then he asked if he could buy it from me =) i told him he could just have it, sorry Todd! hopefully he understands at least half of the articles!
So then I got onto the Trans-Siberian Express. Really, I will never do that train trip again unless I have someone with me who speaks English and is fairly intelligent becuase then at least we will have the option of conversation to pass the time. I was bored out of my mind the 3rd day on the train! The guy in the bunk accross from me was named Kiril. he spoke almost no english and with my practically nonexistant russian we had some funny conversation. there is a page in my notebook that is filled with our doodles trying to explain to each other what we mean! i think i'm going to frame it. i shared my last bar of german chocolate with him the first night and from that point on he was my best friend. he brought me hot water and let me have half his tea and bough chocolate the next day just for me. I read a lot, slept as much as possible, and took in a LOT of gorgeous scenery. Going through the Ural Mtns there was as much as 6" of snow on the ground still. I love Russia.
Denis met me in Novosibirsk and it was hilariously good to see him! He had bought 3 balloons, red, green and yellow, and blew them up and wrote on them "I'm effin glad to see ya Megan!" Further, he had a RED shirt on that said the same thing in yellow letters. Now, for those of you how object to "effin" it is not actually a cuss word and for Denis, it is merely more emphasis to show me how happy he was to see me. I laughed until my sides hurt. I have the T-shirt and balloons and they will be among my most prized possessions =)
We made our way to the bus station in Novo only to find out that there were no more bus tickets to Tomsk that night. No worries though because in Russia there is always another way. There are these yellow taxi-buses that hawk their destination in the bus station and everyone bargains with they guy and they all get told different prices but in the end when everyone is in the van we all pay the same price...still a good deal for the guy. So Denis and I left Novo at 730 pm. The van was packed full but everyone was in pretty good spirits. We had an "uneventful" ride (meaning we did not crash despite driving 120-130kph on a road probably rated for 70kph and being passed and passing cars around corners and with oncoming traffic bearing down, i.e. normal russian driving conditions) until about 30 km outside of Tomsk. We were stopped by the police for "speeding" (how do they know they are speeding when there are practically no speed limit signs on the roads? got me) and when the driver showed the policeman his papers there was some minute discrepancy that the policeman took objection to. So...we waited for about 20 min while the driver discussed this discrepancy with the policeman....meaning that they bargained over how much the bribe was going to be...turned out to be not so bad 300 rubles..about $12.
Victor and Dianna met us in Tomsk with bread and salt...apparently a tradition of some sort in Russia =) we walked over to where Jim and Lavonne live and Jim met me at the door. I stayed at there place last night and it was really great to have a bed that wasn't moving. The church in Tomsk meets in house churches now and so I went to 3 different ones yesterday...just couldn't get enough! =) Jim's was at 11 and it was mostly older ladies that I didn't know but they loved me anyway and that was fun. Then I took my stuff over to the apt where I will be staying and the young people who have church there were already worshipping and i basicaly disrupted their whole worship because 3 of them were really good friends of mine when I was here last year...Alosha, Sergei, and Paulina. It was incredibly good to hug them and i hope to get to spend LOTS more time with them soon. After we were done Alosha and I went to the church at Phil Payne's place and Oxy and Max were there...lots of good discussion (can you tell i'm running out of steam, sorry =) Denis and some friends came over last night and brough cake to celebrate...they will celebrate for anything =) We played Mafia and other card games and had a great time. They are on holiday today and tomorrow for Russian Labor Day.
Being here is still kind of surreal for me, but it is SO good to see everyone and I am looking forward to the next week and a half.
So then I got onto the Trans-Siberian Express. Really, I will never do that train trip again unless I have someone with me who speaks English and is fairly intelligent becuase then at least we will have the option of conversation to pass the time. I was bored out of my mind the 3rd day on the train! The guy in the bunk accross from me was named Kiril. he spoke almost no english and with my practically nonexistant russian we had some funny conversation. there is a page in my notebook that is filled with our doodles trying to explain to each other what we mean! i think i'm going to frame it. i shared my last bar of german chocolate with him the first night and from that point on he was my best friend. he brought me hot water and let me have half his tea and bough chocolate the next day just for me. I read a lot, slept as much as possible, and took in a LOT of gorgeous scenery. Going through the Ural Mtns there was as much as 6" of snow on the ground still. I love Russia.
Denis met me in Novosibirsk and it was hilariously good to see him! He had bought 3 balloons, red, green and yellow, and blew them up and wrote on them "I'm effin glad to see ya Megan!" Further, he had a RED shirt on that said the same thing in yellow letters. Now, for those of you how object to "effin" it is not actually a cuss word and for Denis, it is merely more emphasis to show me how happy he was to see me. I laughed until my sides hurt. I have the T-shirt and balloons and they will be among my most prized possessions =)
We made our way to the bus station in Novo only to find out that there were no more bus tickets to Tomsk that night. No worries though because in Russia there is always another way. There are these yellow taxi-buses that hawk their destination in the bus station and everyone bargains with they guy and they all get told different prices but in the end when everyone is in the van we all pay the same price...still a good deal for the guy. So Denis and I left Novo at 730 pm. The van was packed full but everyone was in pretty good spirits. We had an "uneventful" ride (meaning we did not crash despite driving 120-130kph on a road probably rated for 70kph and being passed and passing cars around corners and with oncoming traffic bearing down, i.e. normal russian driving conditions) until about 30 km outside of Tomsk. We were stopped by the police for "speeding" (how do they know they are speeding when there are practically no speed limit signs on the roads? got me) and when the driver showed the policeman his papers there was some minute discrepancy that the policeman took objection to. So...we waited for about 20 min while the driver discussed this discrepancy with the policeman....meaning that they bargained over how much the bribe was going to be...turned out to be not so bad 300 rubles..about $12.
Victor and Dianna met us in Tomsk with bread and salt...apparently a tradition of some sort in Russia =) we walked over to where Jim and Lavonne live and Jim met me at the door. I stayed at there place last night and it was really great to have a bed that wasn't moving. The church in Tomsk meets in house churches now and so I went to 3 different ones yesterday...just couldn't get enough! =) Jim's was at 11 and it was mostly older ladies that I didn't know but they loved me anyway and that was fun. Then I took my stuff over to the apt where I will be staying and the young people who have church there were already worshipping and i basicaly disrupted their whole worship because 3 of them were really good friends of mine when I was here last year...Alosha, Sergei, and Paulina. It was incredibly good to hug them and i hope to get to spend LOTS more time with them soon. After we were done Alosha and I went to the church at Phil Payne's place and Oxy and Max were there...lots of good discussion (can you tell i'm running out of steam, sorry =) Denis and some friends came over last night and brough cake to celebrate...they will celebrate for anything =) We played Mafia and other card games and had a great time. They are on holiday today and tomorrow for Russian Labor Day.
Being here is still kind of surreal for me, but it is SO good to see everyone and I am looking forward to the next week and a half.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
From the bay of Finland to the middle of a continent
This will be my last post for possibly 5 days. I am leaving tomorrow on the train to Moscow and then from Moscow I will be boarding the Trans-Siberian Railroad! saying that just sounds adventurous and fun! it's not exactly fast-paced adventure though, considering that i will be on a train for pretty much 3 days in a row, arriving in Tomsk on Saturday evening. At that point i will be 12 hours ahead of CST in the states!
So Tallinn is such a gorgeous city! Even though yesterday it rained ALL day and was freezing cold, it couldn't take away the fact that Tallinn has been here for centuries, accumulating vastly different styles of architechture and urban planning in various sections of the city. In Tallinn, the changes are fairly abrupt, you can cross a street from Old Town with its cobblestone streets and ancient buildings, to Soviet era constructions and then again to modern commercial business districts and it can be really disorienting sometimes. The views from church towers are also great because you can look out over the city and then the water starts and stretches, and yet somehow you can tell that there is an end to it, even if you can't see Helsinki.
Today i spent a majority of my time with Ron and Judy Warpole, two missionaries here in Tallinn. They are crazy fun people and Ron is SO proud of their home just outside the city. it was built in the soviet era and from the outside is typical of that time...looks like a cement block and basically, that's what it is. BUT, they have remodeled the entire interior of their side of the duplex and it is really gorgeous. both are artistic and you can tell when you walk into their house. Then Anna, the girl that let me use her internet on Sunday, came and we all went out to eat. We had a great time laughing at the English descriptions on the menu which never fail to be entertaining when trying to describe local dishes in a language that doesn't really have the words they need. "barbeque prune sauce" was the most interesting today =)
After we ate, i went with Anna to her basketball practice and then right after that to a game between 2 of the professional teams here in Estonia. basketball might be bigger than soccer in the baltic states in a few years, and is definitely more popular in certain communities.
Well, that's about all for now. I will hopefully be able to post late Saturday or Sunday sometime.
Til then,
So Tallinn is such a gorgeous city! Even though yesterday it rained ALL day and was freezing cold, it couldn't take away the fact that Tallinn has been here for centuries, accumulating vastly different styles of architechture and urban planning in various sections of the city. In Tallinn, the changes are fairly abrupt, you can cross a street from Old Town with its cobblestone streets and ancient buildings, to Soviet era constructions and then again to modern commercial business districts and it can be really disorienting sometimes. The views from church towers are also great because you can look out over the city and then the water starts and stretches, and yet somehow you can tell that there is an end to it, even if you can't see Helsinki.
Today i spent a majority of my time with Ron and Judy Warpole, two missionaries here in Tallinn. They are crazy fun people and Ron is SO proud of their home just outside the city. it was built in the soviet era and from the outside is typical of that time...looks like a cement block and basically, that's what it is. BUT, they have remodeled the entire interior of their side of the duplex and it is really gorgeous. both are artistic and you can tell when you walk into their house. Then Anna, the girl that let me use her internet on Sunday, came and we all went out to eat. We had a great time laughing at the English descriptions on the menu which never fail to be entertaining when trying to describe local dishes in a language that doesn't really have the words they need. "barbeque prune sauce" was the most interesting today =)
After we ate, i went with Anna to her basketball practice and then right after that to a game between 2 of the professional teams here in Estonia. basketball might be bigger than soccer in the baltic states in a few years, and is definitely more popular in certain communities.
Well, that's about all for now. I will hopefully be able to post late Saturday or Sunday sometime.
Til then,
Sunday, April 22, 2007
well folks, this is going to be a long one...sorry it has been a few days! i've also realized that my posts are a bit bland without pictures but again, sorry, you will just have to wait until i get home and even then, i don't take many pictures so you will just have to ask me about it =)
so...Leaving Poland amid fireworks and celebrations, i thought that perhaps i should have stayed, especially because the overnight bus ride to Vilnius wasn't the most comfortable trip i've ever experienced. Seeing Vilnius' old town spread out down the hill toward the river and getting to experience what that city has to offer were well worth any discomfort i might have had! Vilnius is a great city and I really hope to go back not just to see the city but to see other parts of Lithuania that a great guy, Andrius, told me about. Andrius spent several hours yesterday showing me around the city and we had such intelligent, honest, fun conversation! He showed me his favorite places in the city, from an excellent lithuanian restaurant, to the hill no one else knows about. I had already been up the hill that Vilnius' fort sits on, and the view was great but Andrius, of course, knows the secrets.
There is a really neat part of town called Uzupis, which even has its own constitution, giving its citizens rights such as "everyone has the right to be wrong" and "everyone has the right to feed the dog" and other such nonsense but also "everyone has the right to love" and "everyone has the right to not have rights" and in the end it really does make sense. They also declared independence on April 1st, which is similar to our April fool's day =) Uzupis is the counter-culture area of the city and the river Vilnia runs along the edge of it. There is a thriving arts community with lots of sculpture along the river. There are two bridges that hold a unique tradition in Vilnius. Couples that get married in the nearby churches buy padlocks and attach them to the railing of the bridges and then throw the key in to the river Vilnia!
Andrius took me to another church in a different area that is decorated lavishly and intricately in the baroque style and while we were there 2 different couples got married...i think it would be so odd to get married with all these strangers looking at you, or not paying any attention to you at all. Andrius was really interested in why i thought my wedding probably wouldn't look anything like that =)
There is a KGB/genocide victims museum in Vilnius that I went to on Friday. They have lots of really neat information on the partisan resistance of the Lithuanians to the Communist takeover after WWII, but the best and creepiest part of the place was the basement. It used to be a prison and the cells still hold that musty, dank odor. There were 2 torture rooms that could be filled with cold water and prisoners were made to balance on a small round platform, each time getting drenched with cold water if they fell off. How miserable! There was also a padded room...i didn't want to imagine what went on in there. Just standing at the end of the hall and looking at all of the doors, imagining what horrible things people had to endure there...not a pretty sight.
Vilnius has all kinds of different architecture and the styles mix and swirl together in a really beautiful array of colors and shapes. The old town is pretty large and the streets are all windy and curvy and narrow. I've decided, though, that no matter how gorgeous a city is, it will always be better with people like Andrius, and like the people I have met and who have helped me so much today in Tallinn.
I came on the overnight bus with much fewer people and therefore more comfortable, although there were a couple of obnoxious brits and an equally loud and obnoxious american on there too...sometimes, i tell ya...lol...anyway, I arrived here early this morning. I had corresponded by email with members of the church and knew where the church building was so I walked there. It is such a great feeling to be in the presence of believers, even if not all of them speak your language, just knowing that everyone there loves the same God is a blessing beyond description for me! There were several people there that spoke great English, though, as well as Ron and Judy Warpole who are the missionaries here in Tallinn. They all welcomed me with open arms and hearts and great big smiles! Nickolai taught me a little Estonian, though the majority of the congregation here is Russian and the service is in Russian. Anna, Nickolai's daughter, speaks flawless American English and has generously allowed me to use this computer that I'm typing on right now. I went to lunch after services with several members of the congregation and we had a great time and some good food too. Then Anna took me to the train station and, more blessings from God, helped me buy my train ticket from here to Moscow as well as my ticket from Moscow to Novosibirsk! That makes it much easier for me because English speaking Moscow train ticket people are a rare breed indeed (that could be a poem if anyone wants to have a go at it =)
So...so far my experience in Tallinn has been awesome and hopefully the next 3 days will be just as great. I will be leaving Moscow for Tomsk on Thursday, arriving in Novosibirsk on Saturday and then Tomsk Sat night.
Love you all,
so...Leaving Poland amid fireworks and celebrations, i thought that perhaps i should have stayed, especially because the overnight bus ride to Vilnius wasn't the most comfortable trip i've ever experienced. Seeing Vilnius' old town spread out down the hill toward the river and getting to experience what that city has to offer were well worth any discomfort i might have had! Vilnius is a great city and I really hope to go back not just to see the city but to see other parts of Lithuania that a great guy, Andrius, told me about. Andrius spent several hours yesterday showing me around the city and we had such intelligent, honest, fun conversation! He showed me his favorite places in the city, from an excellent lithuanian restaurant, to the hill no one else knows about. I had already been up the hill that Vilnius' fort sits on, and the view was great but Andrius, of course, knows the secrets.
There is a really neat part of town called Uzupis, which even has its own constitution, giving its citizens rights such as "everyone has the right to be wrong" and "everyone has the right to feed the dog" and other such nonsense but also "everyone has the right to love" and "everyone has the right to not have rights" and in the end it really does make sense. They also declared independence on April 1st, which is similar to our April fool's day =) Uzupis is the counter-culture area of the city and the river Vilnia runs along the edge of it. There is a thriving arts community with lots of sculpture along the river. There are two bridges that hold a unique tradition in Vilnius. Couples that get married in the nearby churches buy padlocks and attach them to the railing of the bridges and then throw the key in to the river Vilnia!
Andrius took me to another church in a different area that is decorated lavishly and intricately in the baroque style and while we were there 2 different couples got married...i think it would be so odd to get married with all these strangers looking at you, or not paying any attention to you at all. Andrius was really interested in why i thought my wedding probably wouldn't look anything like that =)
There is a KGB/genocide victims museum in Vilnius that I went to on Friday. They have lots of really neat information on the partisan resistance of the Lithuanians to the Communist takeover after WWII, but the best and creepiest part of the place was the basement. It used to be a prison and the cells still hold that musty, dank odor. There were 2 torture rooms that could be filled with cold water and prisoners were made to balance on a small round platform, each time getting drenched with cold water if they fell off. How miserable! There was also a padded room...i didn't want to imagine what went on in there. Just standing at the end of the hall and looking at all of the doors, imagining what horrible things people had to endure there...not a pretty sight.
Vilnius has all kinds of different architecture and the styles mix and swirl together in a really beautiful array of colors and shapes. The old town is pretty large and the streets are all windy and curvy and narrow. I've decided, though, that no matter how gorgeous a city is, it will always be better with people like Andrius, and like the people I have met and who have helped me so much today in Tallinn.
I came on the overnight bus with much fewer people and therefore more comfortable, although there were a couple of obnoxious brits and an equally loud and obnoxious american on there too...sometimes, i tell ya...lol...anyway, I arrived here early this morning. I had corresponded by email with members of the church and knew where the church building was so I walked there. It is such a great feeling to be in the presence of believers, even if not all of them speak your language, just knowing that everyone there loves the same God is a blessing beyond description for me! There were several people there that spoke great English, though, as well as Ron and Judy Warpole who are the missionaries here in Tallinn. They all welcomed me with open arms and hearts and great big smiles! Nickolai taught me a little Estonian, though the majority of the congregation here is Russian and the service is in Russian. Anna, Nickolai's daughter, speaks flawless American English and has generously allowed me to use this computer that I'm typing on right now. I went to lunch after services with several members of the congregation and we had a great time and some good food too. Then Anna took me to the train station and, more blessings from God, helped me buy my train ticket from here to Moscow as well as my ticket from Moscow to Novosibirsk! That makes it much easier for me because English speaking Moscow train ticket people are a rare breed indeed (that could be a poem if anyone wants to have a go at it =)
So...so far my experience in Tallinn has been awesome and hopefully the next 3 days will be just as great. I will be leaving Moscow for Tomsk on Thursday, arriving in Novosibirsk on Saturday and then Tomsk Sat night.
Love you all,
Thursday, April 19, 2007
party in Poland
Everyone was partying it up in Poland yesterday because the country got approved to host the Euro Cup in 2012...great news for them. They were showing pictures of these diplomats and official people in suits all jumping up and down and clapping each other on the back and hugging...it was hilarious. But they are a happy people right now...fireworks in the center last night and everyone having a great time. It means a big boost for their economy, because they get money from the EU and the soccer organization to build the infrastructure and services needed for the event. Good for Poland =)
I got a taste of Poland during the 80s yesterday as well. Chris took me to eat dinner at a Bar Mlezsney, at least i think that was how it was spelled. It is a kind of cafeteria place but small, where you order from a menu on the wall and it is all pre-made and they send it out of the window for you. Chris recommended tomato soup, which is not usually my favorite but this kind was delicious! and rogos which is indescribable really but something like a really thick beef stew, and mashed potatoes and then crepes for dessert filled with a kind of sweet cheese that you can't find in the states either. All of this for only 8 zloty each! that is just under $3! It is a really neat place for anothe reason: all kinds of people eat there every day, from businessmen to students to the homeless. One of the last of its kind.
I also went to the Warsaw uprising museum...SO much information but a great museum. The courage and bravery it depicts are impressive.
Road the bus to Vilnius last night...it is COLD here!! crazy person that i am, i decide to go towards the cold weather instead of going to some sunny place like Greece or Italy...ah well, fewer tourists =)
i have to meet someone in 20 min so i have to get going, more to come later
I got a taste of Poland during the 80s yesterday as well. Chris took me to eat dinner at a Bar Mlezsney, at least i think that was how it was spelled. It is a kind of cafeteria place but small, where you order from a menu on the wall and it is all pre-made and they send it out of the window for you. Chris recommended tomato soup, which is not usually my favorite but this kind was delicious! and rogos which is indescribable really but something like a really thick beef stew, and mashed potatoes and then crepes for dessert filled with a kind of sweet cheese that you can't find in the states either. All of this for only 8 zloty each! that is just under $3! It is a really neat place for anothe reason: all kinds of people eat there every day, from businessmen to students to the homeless. One of the last of its kind.
I also went to the Warsaw uprising museum...SO much information but a great museum. The courage and bravery it depicts are impressive.
Road the bus to Vilnius last night...it is COLD here!! crazy person that i am, i decide to go towards the cold weather instead of going to some sunny place like Greece or Italy...ah well, fewer tourists =)
i have to meet someone in 20 min so i have to get going, more to come later
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Warsawa
Warsaw is actually a much nicer city than i thought it was going to be! It is pretty big and somewhat spread out, but there are lots of little parks and a few big parks interspersed throughout the city and that makes it much more likeable. The old town is beautiful, even if you can tell that it isn't hundreds of years old. They did a good job of rebuilding it after the war, for sure. Last night I went up to the top of the Palac cultury and the views are beautiful.
Leaving Leipzig was so hard! Caroline came to see me off and then just a couple minutes before the train left Konrad showed up on his bike...it was so great to see them both one last time. I will miss them and Mohammed and Shahid and Elfi and...oh, there are others i'm sure and i'll miss them all dearly.
My train was fun, on the last stretch i met a girl from here in poland but she is going back to the states...boston, today. the world gets smaller and smaller.
This morning i went to a park on the recommendation of a friend. This park is pretty big and has several cool buildings/monuments in it but the coolest part were the peacocks!! some of them even fanned their tails for me but the squaked horribly loud too.
tomorrow i'm going to the warsaw uprising museum. i saw the monument today and that was really cool...i'm really bad about taking pictures and stuff though, so you can see it on the internet if you are curious =)
Leaving Leipzig was so hard! Caroline came to see me off and then just a couple minutes before the train left Konrad showed up on his bike...it was so great to see them both one last time. I will miss them and Mohammed and Shahid and Elfi and...oh, there are others i'm sure and i'll miss them all dearly.
My train was fun, on the last stretch i met a girl from here in poland but she is going back to the states...boston, today. the world gets smaller and smaller.
This morning i went to a park on the recommendation of a friend. This park is pretty big and has several cool buildings/monuments in it but the coolest part were the peacocks!! some of them even fanned their tails for me but the squaked horribly loud too.
tomorrow i'm going to the warsaw uprising museum. i saw the monument today and that was really cool...i'm really bad about taking pictures and stuff though, so you can see it on the internet if you are curious =)
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Summer's come and I'm gone
I am so sad to be leaving Leipzig! Yesterday I spent 4 hours or so in the park in this gorgeous weather with Caroline and her husband Sasha, and a bunch of his Russian speaking friends. I know it sounds crazy but it was so much fun. Bizarre too for me to want to have something explained to me in German because my Russian is practically nonexistant. We had such a great time, but I can't really get to know any of them because I'm leaving Monday. Comforting to know that God is still here.
I met with Roswitha for the last time yesterday too. She gave me the coolest present! It is a little cup that is made up of concentric circles so that it can fold down to about a half inch thick circle. She said that kids in the DDR times always had one. It will be incredibly useful for my trip! How awesome =)
A friend of mine sent me a few issues of the magazing The Economist and those are also going to be so welcome during the next few weeks as I get on long train and bus rides. Thanks Todd!!
Yesterday I also spent about an hour drinking coffee at the Children's hospital down the street with the head of the radiology department. He met with Dwane at the Ronald McDonald house and a couple other people to speak English. I had taken that over for Dwane but now that I'm leaving I guess they will have to find another native English speaker. Wolfgang is his name and we had a great chat about America and Don Miller books and hospitals in Europe. I even got to watch him do an ultrasound on a little boy's head. Very cool.
I'm going to miss this little internet cafe too!
Well, off to more adventures in His beautiful creation
I met with Roswitha for the last time yesterday too. She gave me the coolest present! It is a little cup that is made up of concentric circles so that it can fold down to about a half inch thick circle. She said that kids in the DDR times always had one. It will be incredibly useful for my trip! How awesome =)
A friend of mine sent me a few issues of the magazing The Economist and those are also going to be so welcome during the next few weeks as I get on long train and bus rides. Thanks Todd!!
Yesterday I also spent about an hour drinking coffee at the Children's hospital down the street with the head of the radiology department. He met with Dwane at the Ronald McDonald house and a couple other people to speak English. I had taken that over for Dwane but now that I'm leaving I guess they will have to find another native English speaker. Wolfgang is his name and we had a great chat about America and Don Miller books and hospitals in Europe. I even got to watch him do an ultrasound on a little boy's head. Very cool.
I'm going to miss this little internet cafe too!
Well, off to more adventures in His beautiful creation
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Chili
I had the yummiest Chili last night at the Moritz Bastei, a really neat restaurant here in Leipzig. It is a fortress that was excavated in the 70s by some university students and now it is a restaurant/performance hall. Last night there was a soccer game on TV and you couldn't move for all the people where there was a place to see the tube. Soccer fans...crazy people =). Brielle, her mom Debbie who is here for 2 weeks, Konrad, his girlfriend Julia, and I went and then Mohammed came a little later which was really great cause he got to meet them. We had a great time and some good food.
Yesterday I went to the Leipzig zoo. It is a really neat place and the way they have the park laid out is interesting and engaging and they have a wide variety and large number of animals. Yesterday, though, there were entirely too many people there! Strollers and little kids screaming and cameras and all sorts of things. Not my favorite experience but I would go again if I knew there would be fewer people there.
Tuesday night I went over to Konrad's and he gave me some German music, which was awesome! I can't listen to it until I get home though because he doesn't have iTunes and so I could just put it on the hard drive but not in the interface...wierd iPods. We went and played on the jungle gyms in the park after and that was hilarious and fun!
That's all I have time for right now but hopefully tomorrow or Saturday I can write more
Yesterday I went to the Leipzig zoo. It is a really neat place and the way they have the park laid out is interesting and engaging and they have a wide variety and large number of animals. Yesterday, though, there were entirely too many people there! Strollers and little kids screaming and cameras and all sorts of things. Not my favorite experience but I would go again if I knew there would be fewer people there.
Tuesday night I went over to Konrad's and he gave me some German music, which was awesome! I can't listen to it until I get home though because he doesn't have iTunes and so I could just put it on the hard drive but not in the interface...wierd iPods. We went and played on the jungle gyms in the park after and that was hilarious and fun!
That's all I have time for right now but hopefully tomorrow or Saturday I can write more
Monday, April 9, 2007
EASTER!!!!
I had an awesome Easter! Konrad invited me to his family's house for Easter so we left after worship yesterday and arrived at his house at about 1pm and ate a DELICIOUS dinner of schnitzel and all sorts of yummy german foods. Konrad's family is quirky and wonderful and fun!! I had such a great time there and we colored easter eggs in a very different way from anything I have ever done. We heated wax and then applied it to uncooked eggs with little metal things in designs and then you let the wax dry and then heat them in a pot full of onion skins to dye the shells brown but where the wax is it stays white but then the wax melts off too...beautiful! I am going to get some home somehow.
We went to the F60 which is a massive piece of mining machinery you can look it up on wikipedia and translate it or follow this link, which i don't know if it will work : http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FF60&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
we took a tour at dusk and so we got to see beautiful scenery and the big thing lit up at night...it was really interesting.
This morning we went to a miniature town and saw a real windmill and the wind was blowing so hard that the whole place was shaking from the wheel going round...it was really neat but they had to stop it because it was going too fast. We grilled for lunch and it was again delicious. It was so nice to have easter with a family away from my own family--harder to miss them then.
The train back was packed with students and people coming back from Easter holidays and Konrad and his sister Fredericka had to sit on the floor in the passageway but we had a great time playing cards and just talking.
My last week in Leipzig begins...there is so much I want to do still and lots of people to spend time with before I leave.
We went to the F60 which is a massive piece of mining machinery you can look it up on wikipedia and translate it or follow this link, which i don't know if it will work : http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FF60&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
we took a tour at dusk and so we got to see beautiful scenery and the big thing lit up at night...it was really interesting.
This morning we went to a miniature town and saw a real windmill and the wind was blowing so hard that the whole place was shaking from the wheel going round...it was really neat but they had to stop it because it was going too fast. We grilled for lunch and it was again delicious. It was so nice to have easter with a family away from my own family--harder to miss them then.
The train back was packed with students and people coming back from Easter holidays and Konrad and his sister Fredericka had to sit on the floor in the passageway but we had a great time playing cards and just talking.
My last week in Leipzig begins...there is so much I want to do still and lots of people to spend time with before I leave.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Being Foreign
It is funny how simple things can bring people together--like just being foreign. You feel a kind of kinship with other people who are away from home...no matter where they are from =). I met a guy from Lebanon the other day and his is a sad story. Not unusual where he comes from, but sad.
He and his parents and brother lived in a house in 1990 and one night some Palestinians wanted to stay in an empty room behind where they lived. His father let them stay but told them that they should leave by morning. Early the next morning however, some men came that Mudi (this guy I met) describes as "hating the Palestinians." Whether they were Israeli or some other sect of people I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Mudi's father spoke with them for a long time, and eventually their conversation ended in threats from both sides with guns. No one was killed at that time but a few weeks later, Mudi's father had to take a trip to a nearby city...and he never made it. None of his family has heard from him since, and Mudi assumes he is dead. Besides not having a father, Mudi's brother was in an accident 10 years ago. He was refused treatment at 3 hospitals in Lebanon because he had no money to pay. He cannot walk. Mudi's mother brought his brother here to Germany 7 years ago hoping to get treatment for his brother, and as of yet, nothing has worked. Mudi has only been here 2 years and he sees no future for himself in Germany. He applied for an American visa through the lottery and hopes that he will be one of the few lucky ones. This might seem a bit fantastic to you, but this IS his story...please pray for him!
Blooming is beginning here in Leipzig and you can smell spring. I played softball for 5 hours on Saturday and actually got a little sun! Konrad and I cooked Brats and mashed potatoes and sauerkraut (how German right? =) yum! and Caroline and I had a great chat Saturday night as well.
Sunday Randy came from Dresden for worship. He and Konrad and I had soup for lunch as usual. Sunday night I ate Indian food with some new friends from the Internet cafe and it was scrumdidilyuptious! (from Charlie and the Choc Factory in case you didn't catch that :)
Just about the only worry I have right now concerns my registering for classes at the U of Ark. and it's not that big of a worry either...but I haven't been given an enrollment appointment probably because I had to re-enroll and they don't consider me a senior, instead I'm a transfer student...bleh. So if any of you reading this go to the University and have a little time, you should petition the Registrar to let me register soon =) thanks
Love conquers all
He and his parents and brother lived in a house in 1990 and one night some Palestinians wanted to stay in an empty room behind where they lived. His father let them stay but told them that they should leave by morning. Early the next morning however, some men came that Mudi (this guy I met) describes as "hating the Palestinians." Whether they were Israeli or some other sect of people I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Mudi's father spoke with them for a long time, and eventually their conversation ended in threats from both sides with guns. No one was killed at that time but a few weeks later, Mudi's father had to take a trip to a nearby city...and he never made it. None of his family has heard from him since, and Mudi assumes he is dead. Besides not having a father, Mudi's brother was in an accident 10 years ago. He was refused treatment at 3 hospitals in Lebanon because he had no money to pay. He cannot walk. Mudi's mother brought his brother here to Germany 7 years ago hoping to get treatment for his brother, and as of yet, nothing has worked. Mudi has only been here 2 years and he sees no future for himself in Germany. He applied for an American visa through the lottery and hopes that he will be one of the few lucky ones. This might seem a bit fantastic to you, but this IS his story...please pray for him!
Blooming is beginning here in Leipzig and you can smell spring. I played softball for 5 hours on Saturday and actually got a little sun! Konrad and I cooked Brats and mashed potatoes and sauerkraut (how German right? =) yum! and Caroline and I had a great chat Saturday night as well.
Sunday Randy came from Dresden for worship. He and Konrad and I had soup for lunch as usual. Sunday night I ate Indian food with some new friends from the Internet cafe and it was scrumdidilyuptious! (from Charlie and the Choc Factory in case you didn't catch that :)
Just about the only worry I have right now concerns my registering for classes at the U of Ark. and it's not that big of a worry either...but I haven't been given an enrollment appointment probably because I had to re-enroll and they don't consider me a senior, instead I'm a transfer student...bleh. So if any of you reading this go to the University and have a little time, you should petition the Registrar to let me register soon =) thanks
Love conquers all
Friday, March 30, 2007
Still beautiful weather here in Leipzig...we'll see how long that lasts =)
Yesterday I met a couple from California on the tram...I helped them with some directions and tips about the city and they saw me a little later and invited me to lunch. We had some great conversation about Europe and people here and they were awesome to just hang out with. Cindy and Clay. Fun random people
The money was also transferred into Dwane's account today so it was a relief to be able to go close the account and get all of that taken care of.
This morning I went to the Voelderschlachtdenkmal (yea, Germans like big long words) whick is a monument built in 1912 on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Nations...one of many along Napoleon's attempt to take over Europe. Napoleon lost so they are proud of that =)
It is a humongous big Babylonian temple-looking structure that rises way above the surronding architecture and is pretty cool. The steps up to the top are narrow and chlosterphobic--i don't know if i spelled that right, speaking and seeing another language all the time ruins your ability to spell.
Yesterday I went to the top of the MDR building here in Leipzig so I've had my share of beautiful views from far up in the past couple day.
My time grows shorter and shorter here! I'm realizing that in just over 2 weeks I will be on my way to Warsaw! Blogs will probably get more interesting then =)
Yesterday I met a couple from California on the tram...I helped them with some directions and tips about the city and they saw me a little later and invited me to lunch. We had some great conversation about Europe and people here and they were awesome to just hang out with. Cindy and Clay. Fun random people
The money was also transferred into Dwane's account today so it was a relief to be able to go close the account and get all of that taken care of.
This morning I went to the Voelderschlachtdenkmal (yea, Germans like big long words) whick is a monument built in 1912 on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Nations...one of many along Napoleon's attempt to take over Europe. Napoleon lost so they are proud of that =)
It is a humongous big Babylonian temple-looking structure that rises way above the surronding architecture and is pretty cool. The steps up to the top are narrow and chlosterphobic--i don't know if i spelled that right, speaking and seeing another language all the time ruins your ability to spell.
Yesterday I went to the top of the MDR building here in Leipzig so I've had my share of beautiful views from far up in the past couple day.
My time grows shorter and shorter here! I'm realizing that in just over 2 weeks I will be on my way to Warsaw! Blogs will probably get more interesting then =)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
singing
Warm weather makes me feel like singing but Germans think you're pretty weird if you are just singing for no reason so I guess I'll have to sing in my room or something =)
It is BEAUTIFUL in Leipzig now and should be for a few days yet. I've been sitting outside reading and talking with random strangers (in German!) and generally enjoying myself and my relative lack of responsibilities.
The money still hasn't been transferred into dwane's account so I haven't been able to close it yet but hopefully that will happen today or tomorrow so that I can go and close the account, get the money, and maybe give it to Randy who lives in Dresden but is going home soon for a few weeks and could take it to Dwane.
I played baseball Sunday afternoon for 4 hours...and it was awesome! I don't really play baseball or softball in the states, though I have played some, but I'm not that good really. Here, though...they think that because I'm american I must be good at baseball. and i guess I'm not that bad :)
Yesterday morning Konrad and I had a good time filling out his driver's liscense renewal form for Texas. He doesn't have a social security number so hopefully they will just overlook that and give him a new liscense anyway =) in the afternoon I met with 3 Germans that have met with Dwane for a while at the Ronald McDonald house at the children's hospital in Leipzig. We had a good conversation and the 2 who are radiologists invited me to come see them at the hospital sometime so that should be fun.
I have to start making specific plans for my travels later so I have to cut this short. Hope everyone is doing great!
It is BEAUTIFUL in Leipzig now and should be for a few days yet. I've been sitting outside reading and talking with random strangers (in German!) and generally enjoying myself and my relative lack of responsibilities.
The money still hasn't been transferred into dwane's account so I haven't been able to close it yet but hopefully that will happen today or tomorrow so that I can go and close the account, get the money, and maybe give it to Randy who lives in Dresden but is going home soon for a few weeks and could take it to Dwane.
I played baseball Sunday afternoon for 4 hours...and it was awesome! I don't really play baseball or softball in the states, though I have played some, but I'm not that good really. Here, though...they think that because I'm american I must be good at baseball. and i guess I'm not that bad :)
Yesterday morning Konrad and I had a good time filling out his driver's liscense renewal form for Texas. He doesn't have a social security number so hopefully they will just overlook that and give him a new liscense anyway =) in the afternoon I met with 3 Germans that have met with Dwane for a while at the Ronald McDonald house at the children's hospital in Leipzig. We had a good conversation and the 2 who are radiologists invited me to come see them at the hospital sometime so that should be fun.
I have to start making specific plans for my travels later so I have to cut this short. Hope everyone is doing great!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Well, God has had mercy on my freezing tooshey =) today is a gorgeously sunny day and I am loving it!! Later on I'm going to play baseball with some friends and I'm looking forward to it!
So...Friday I met lots of people, both that I knew and that I had never met before. A guy from Morocco thought he could woo me with coffee and ice cream but i shot that down pretty quickly =) on a sadder note, I was reading at Lukas Bakery and this girl came up to me asking for help. I was inside and so this is pretty unusual in Germany but for some reason she thought I looked helpful i guess. She said that she couldn't pay the rent and I told her that I couldn't just give her money so she asked me to go shopping with her for her 2 little girls. So I did. I love it when God puts people right in front of me that I can help. It makes it easy. Please pray for that girl because I don't really know what she will do.
I met with Roswitha, an older lady that Dwane knew and we have really good chats about her kids and about all sorts of things, I speak in German and she speaks in English and it is beneficial for both of us!
Later that evening I met with Ina Richter and we ate at Kartoffelhaus again. We spoke German the whole time and I am pretty proud of myself for that. =)
Speaking of potatoes, last night Konrad and I made Kartoffeln and Quark...kind of like sour cream but not really, and it was delicious! it is kind of the same thing as red beans and rice in N'awlins.
This morning we had worship and I appreciate more and more the worship that I can enjoy at home with so many people and great singing and so forth...if you have that, don't take it for granted!! Worship here is no less fulfilling or less pleasing to God, but i really just want to hear the RFCs sing!
That's all I have for today...still haven't put up pictures, sorry...I will try to do that soon
Love to all,
So...Friday I met lots of people, both that I knew and that I had never met before. A guy from Morocco thought he could woo me with coffee and ice cream but i shot that down pretty quickly =) on a sadder note, I was reading at Lukas Bakery and this girl came up to me asking for help. I was inside and so this is pretty unusual in Germany but for some reason she thought I looked helpful i guess. She said that she couldn't pay the rent and I told her that I couldn't just give her money so she asked me to go shopping with her for her 2 little girls. So I did. I love it when God puts people right in front of me that I can help. It makes it easy. Please pray for that girl because I don't really know what she will do.
I met with Roswitha, an older lady that Dwane knew and we have really good chats about her kids and about all sorts of things, I speak in German and she speaks in English and it is beneficial for both of us!
Later that evening I met with Ina Richter and we ate at Kartoffelhaus again. We spoke German the whole time and I am pretty proud of myself for that. =)
Speaking of potatoes, last night Konrad and I made Kartoffeln and Quark...kind of like sour cream but not really, and it was delicious! it is kind of the same thing as red beans and rice in N'awlins.
This morning we had worship and I appreciate more and more the worship that I can enjoy at home with so many people and great singing and so forth...if you have that, don't take it for granted!! Worship here is no less fulfilling or less pleasing to God, but i really just want to hear the RFCs sing!
That's all I have for today...still haven't put up pictures, sorry...I will try to do that soon
Love to all,
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Walking in a winter wonderland....on march 22
Well...it has snowed here in Leipzig for the last 2 days and today it is just pouring snow! Crazy German weather! They have had a really mild winter and i guess this is the revenge. The sad thing is that it isn't cold enough to really stick...but it is snowing hard enough that it is still accumulating...beautiful! I would put some pictures up but I can't connect my camera to this computer...maybe later.
I am still enjoying my time here in Leipzig even though without Dwane and Annalisa and Johnmark it seems to be missing a little something. I am really thankful for the friends I have made here too!
I went to a Toastmasters meeting on Tuesday night with Stephanie, one of the group that Dwane had English conversation with at the Ronald McDonald house here. The other 2 people in the group came too--Ina and Wolfgang. The club is a good idea (making speeches in general but also to improve your English) and we had fun but it was a little too formal for me. I did meet a guy from the consulate, Mark Wenig, who will hopefully be a source of information for me about the foreign service.
Last night Karl and Larry came for devo but no one else was in town so it was just us 3...good times anyway =)
I must go play in the snow...
Love to all,
I am still enjoying my time here in Leipzig even though without Dwane and Annalisa and Johnmark it seems to be missing a little something. I am really thankful for the friends I have made here too!
I went to a Toastmasters meeting on Tuesday night with Stephanie, one of the group that Dwane had English conversation with at the Ronald McDonald house here. The other 2 people in the group came too--Ina and Wolfgang. The club is a good idea (making speeches in general but also to improve your English) and we had fun but it was a little too formal for me. I did meet a guy from the consulate, Mark Wenig, who will hopefully be a source of information for me about the foreign service.
Last night Karl and Larry came for devo but no one else was in town so it was just us 3...good times anyway =)
I must go play in the snow...
Love to all,
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
saying goodbye
The Perrys left today. You develop deeper relationships in life with some people than with others. That's just a fact...sometimes it is a product of long relationships and time spent together, and sometimes it is just because. Dwane, Annalisa and Johnmark and the just because kind of people in my life. I have grown to love them so much over this short month and I will miss them dearly. Can't wait to see the whole family this summer!!
Sunday was a good day. There were probably twice the normal number of people at worship and we had a a good service. It was so hard for them to do all of these things for the last time...everything became "the last one"
Brielle's friends were supposed to be there but with the snowstorm in the states (weird) they didn't catch their flight and so they arrived Sunday at 1230. We all went to eat dinner at Kartoffelhaus...it was delicious and wonderful to spend time in the company of so many great people.
I met with Dirk, who is a guy that plays on the baseball team here in Leipzig that the RFCs had some contacts with last summer. He is a really gentlemanly guy and we had a good talk over some milkshakes for a couple hours.
Yesterday was all about taking care of the last bits of business that Dwane had. I feel a lot of responsibility right now because I am in charge of a lot of things here now that Dwane is gone. I always perform best under pressure though =) Dwane and I ran around Leipzig all day taking care of stuff and meeting with people for the last time (there are those words again) I will continue to meet with Carolin, and we are becoming better and better friends...for which I am thankful.
I am also thankful for Konrad, a good Christian guy who is a medical student here in Leipzig. It is good to know that if I can't figure anything out I can call him...he speaks German lots better than me =)
Last night I stayed over at the Perrys apartment because I wanted to help them get to the airport and we had to leave the apartment at 330...so I just figured there wasn't much point in going home. We took some of the bags to the train station and put them in lockers last night so we wouldn't have to carry them in the morning. One of them wouldn't fit so Dwane decided to get a cart there and put it on...and then we just decided to push it all the way to the apartment and use it in the morning!! It says that you can only use them in the train station but no one stopped us on the way out and so we just kept pushing it =) they only lived 10 min walk from the station but still...you just don't do things like that in Germany and so it is funnier than it sounds. We locked it to the window grate at the apartment with Kondrad's bike lock and it was there in the morning...thank goodness!! It was really nice to have it because with 3 kids it would have been hard to carry it all.
They made it to Frankfurt fine and Dwane called me this morning before their plane left Frankfurt. They are over the Atlantic now and will be home soon. I know they are excited.
Please be praying for me and for the church here in Leipzig...God can do all things and for that I am thankful.
Sunday was a good day. There were probably twice the normal number of people at worship and we had a a good service. It was so hard for them to do all of these things for the last time...everything became "the last one"
Brielle's friends were supposed to be there but with the snowstorm in the states (weird) they didn't catch their flight and so they arrived Sunday at 1230. We all went to eat dinner at Kartoffelhaus...it was delicious and wonderful to spend time in the company of so many great people.
I met with Dirk, who is a guy that plays on the baseball team here in Leipzig that the RFCs had some contacts with last summer. He is a really gentlemanly guy and we had a good talk over some milkshakes for a couple hours.
Yesterday was all about taking care of the last bits of business that Dwane had. I feel a lot of responsibility right now because I am in charge of a lot of things here now that Dwane is gone. I always perform best under pressure though =) Dwane and I ran around Leipzig all day taking care of stuff and meeting with people for the last time (there are those words again) I will continue to meet with Carolin, and we are becoming better and better friends...for which I am thankful.
I am also thankful for Konrad, a good Christian guy who is a medical student here in Leipzig. It is good to know that if I can't figure anything out I can call him...he speaks German lots better than me =)
Last night I stayed over at the Perrys apartment because I wanted to help them get to the airport and we had to leave the apartment at 330...so I just figured there wasn't much point in going home. We took some of the bags to the train station and put them in lockers last night so we wouldn't have to carry them in the morning. One of them wouldn't fit so Dwane decided to get a cart there and put it on...and then we just decided to push it all the way to the apartment and use it in the morning!! It says that you can only use them in the train station but no one stopped us on the way out and so we just kept pushing it =) they only lived 10 min walk from the station but still...you just don't do things like that in Germany and so it is funnier than it sounds. We locked it to the window grate at the apartment with Kondrad's bike lock and it was there in the morning...thank goodness!! It was really nice to have it because with 3 kids it would have been hard to carry it all.
They made it to Frankfurt fine and Dwane called me this morning before their plane left Frankfurt. They are over the Atlantic now and will be home soon. I know they are excited.
Please be praying for me and for the church here in Leipzig...God can do all things and for that I am thankful.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Glue Animals!
It seems that the more I have to write about the less I feel like doing it because it just seems like it can't be done right...there's no way I can fully explain how awesome the last few days have been (at least not without writing WAY too much) and yet, I have to try. So...
Olomouc was excellent. Even though they had to do Czech lessons everyday for longer than I think I could stand to listen to someone talk in English, we had so much fun. Christy was kind enough to let me stay with her and eat her food and get to know her which was a blessing to me. On Tues. night we played taboo...my title is what Graham thinks of when he can't say the word "horses" =) it was hilarious...and now they all know that i can wiggle my ears and the mitch can wiggle his adam's apple and that christy and sarah beall can flip their tongues (you're not the only one Blair!) Wednesday we went to a park/wilderness area just outside of Olomouc and threw the frisbee around and had a great time in the beautiful weather...it was just gorgeous and warm for the past few days. I took the train that afternoon to Prague and I really wish I could've stayed longer!
Prague...oh Prague *sigh* I am so in love with that city. It is just breathtaking in so many ways. If you have never been there, I'm sorry, but I just can't do justice to it with feeble words. I walked around just absorbing and remembering and then went to the church where they have a devo on Wed nights. It was so good to see Vera and Helena and then Karel came and Matus. It is an odd feeling to have such a cameraderie with people you don't know that well and yet they are your family because you are Christians. Brothers and sisters indeed. Petr, who is my age, came late after he got off work and he and I went for coffee and had a great talk about all kinds of things. For those of you who want to know more about how he's doing, email me.
Yesterday I spent strolling around in blissful aimlessness and ate at Bohemia Bagel (yes, i know! it was delicious!) I did see an SUV pulling a 4wheeler in downtown Prague and I thought that was pretty funny...then I caught the 230 train back to Leipzig.
On the way back the passport control guy noticed that I had 2 russian visas in my passport and started to speak to me in Russian...i had to laugh and then tell him that i only spoke a very little bit of russian, sorry. He thought that was hilarious.
I ate dinner last night with the Perrys and Abigail and Tim who are here visiting. This morning we all went to Colditz, this castle that was a POW prison during WWII. There have been numerous books written about it because of all the escape attemts, both successful and not, that were made from it and the famous prisoners that were kept there. We had a great time there.
Whew, so I'm caught up now and sorry if it isn't as detailed as it probably should be, I can only type for so long before I just get tired of it =)
Love ya'll,
Olomouc was excellent. Even though they had to do Czech lessons everyday for longer than I think I could stand to listen to someone talk in English, we had so much fun. Christy was kind enough to let me stay with her and eat her food and get to know her which was a blessing to me. On Tues. night we played taboo...my title is what Graham thinks of when he can't say the word "horses" =) it was hilarious...and now they all know that i can wiggle my ears and the mitch can wiggle his adam's apple and that christy and sarah beall can flip their tongues (you're not the only one Blair!) Wednesday we went to a park/wilderness area just outside of Olomouc and threw the frisbee around and had a great time in the beautiful weather...it was just gorgeous and warm for the past few days. I took the train that afternoon to Prague and I really wish I could've stayed longer!
Prague...oh Prague *sigh* I am so in love with that city. It is just breathtaking in so many ways. If you have never been there, I'm sorry, but I just can't do justice to it with feeble words. I walked around just absorbing and remembering and then went to the church where they have a devo on Wed nights. It was so good to see Vera and Helena and then Karel came and Matus. It is an odd feeling to have such a cameraderie with people you don't know that well and yet they are your family because you are Christians. Brothers and sisters indeed. Petr, who is my age, came late after he got off work and he and I went for coffee and had a great talk about all kinds of things. For those of you who want to know more about how he's doing, email me.
Yesterday I spent strolling around in blissful aimlessness and ate at Bohemia Bagel (yes, i know! it was delicious!) I did see an SUV pulling a 4wheeler in downtown Prague and I thought that was pretty funny...then I caught the 230 train back to Leipzig.
On the way back the passport control guy noticed that I had 2 russian visas in my passport and started to speak to me in Russian...i had to laugh and then tell him that i only spoke a very little bit of russian, sorry. He thought that was hilarious.
I ate dinner last night with the Perrys and Abigail and Tim who are here visiting. This morning we all went to Colditz, this castle that was a POW prison during WWII. There have been numerous books written about it because of all the escape attemts, both successful and not, that were made from it and the famous prisoners that were kept there. We had a great time there.
Whew, so I'm caught up now and sorry if it isn't as detailed as it probably should be, I can only type for so long before I just get tired of it =)
Love ya'll,
Monday, March 12, 2007
Passport Please!!
Well, I few adventures have transpired since I last posted. On Saturday the Perry's and Brielle and I went to Dresden for the singing there. We went early so we could see the gruenes goewelbe...that's my approximation of the spelling...it means "green vault" in German. They have some pretty neat stuff in there that's not your typical collection. A huge green diamond is part of it too...it's green because of radioactivity...maybe that's why martians are always green. Anyway, so we couldn't go to the "old green vault" because the tickets were all sold out and that has some of the cooler stuff but we'll go back. The singing was funny to me because they take it so very seriously. Each part had it's own section (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and we had a really good time. It was sad though because it was the last time for the perry's...so many things are like that for them now.
I had to catch my train at 9 min after 7 at the hauptbahnhof. I made it there fine and got on the train and I was really excited to be finally on my way to the czech republic. At least i was until I heard the voice of the customs officer "passports please!" my heart went to my throat and then sank....way, way down. yep, i definitely committed the cardinal sin when travelling internationally...i forgot my passport in leipzig. I wanted to kick myself. The customs officers were really nice though and they just told me that i would have to get off the train. bummer. and the place i got off at was the little hole in the wall town...but it was ok because right there was a train waiting to go back to dresden. so i got on, but wouldn't you know it, it didn't make it back to dresden in time to catch the train that the Perry's and Brielle had to get. So...thought I was going to have to buy a saxon ticket, which is good for the region and is cheaper, but just as I was about to put my money in the machine, this guy came up to me and offered to sell his to me for about half what I would pay normally. God was definitely watching out for me, despite it all =)
I am now in Olomouc, though, and having a GREAT time with them here. They picked me up at the train station yesterday afternoon and we worshiped together last night and in the end watched videos of some of the team members boxing one summer...pretty hilarious stuff.
I definitely remembered my passport this time around!
I had to catch my train at 9 min after 7 at the hauptbahnhof. I made it there fine and got on the train and I was really excited to be finally on my way to the czech republic. At least i was until I heard the voice of the customs officer "passports please!" my heart went to my throat and then sank....way, way down. yep, i definitely committed the cardinal sin when travelling internationally...i forgot my passport in leipzig. I wanted to kick myself. The customs officers were really nice though and they just told me that i would have to get off the train. bummer. and the place i got off at was the little hole in the wall town...but it was ok because right there was a train waiting to go back to dresden. so i got on, but wouldn't you know it, it didn't make it back to dresden in time to catch the train that the Perry's and Brielle had to get. So...thought I was going to have to buy a saxon ticket, which is good for the region and is cheaper, but just as I was about to put my money in the machine, this guy came up to me and offered to sell his to me for about half what I would pay normally. God was definitely watching out for me, despite it all =)
I am now in Olomouc, though, and having a GREAT time with them here. They picked me up at the train station yesterday afternoon and we worshiped together last night and in the end watched videos of some of the team members boxing one summer...pretty hilarious stuff.
I definitely remembered my passport this time around!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
i can be all things
It is amazing how busy I seem to be! I really didn't expect it but I guess it's natural for the time to fill with stuff. I have started a project with Elfi (i live with her) and her boss at Stuff Advance. There are so many business names in English. Stuff Advance does internal performance evaluation surveys for companies. I'm going to do a project on management evaluation surveys in the states and we are going to discuss the differences (of which there are many) between management/employment here in Germany and in the States. It's not terribly exciting but I figure it will help me remember how to study and research and things that I'm going to have to be doing a lot of next year and I better not forget how =)
I'm also meeting lots of new people and spending time in coffee shops and out in town with them and that takes up more time, and I'm playing basketball a few nights a week too. Plus I take the public transportation everywhere, which I LOVE but it also means that I have to work on its schedule, not necessarily on mine.
Dwane accidentally sent Johnmark's mathbook in some boxes to Stuttgart with a friend to be mailed back to the states from the military base there. Annalisa was distressed about it for a little bit but Johnmark didn't seem to mind... ;) I have kind of taken over his math lessons for a little bit...yesterday we did some fractions. He learns really quickly.
On Saturday we are going to Dresden to a singing that the congregation there is holding. After the singing I am taking the train to Olomouc, Czech Republic and I will be there until Thursday of next week. I'm really excited about seeing the mission team there and getting a little glimpse of what it is like!
Sorry this post isn't really exciting but for some that are reading it I'm sure that's preferable =) Love you all,
Megan
I'm also meeting lots of new people and spending time in coffee shops and out in town with them and that takes up more time, and I'm playing basketball a few nights a week too. Plus I take the public transportation everywhere, which I LOVE but it also means that I have to work on its schedule, not necessarily on mine.
Dwane accidentally sent Johnmark's mathbook in some boxes to Stuttgart with a friend to be mailed back to the states from the military base there. Annalisa was distressed about it for a little bit but Johnmark didn't seem to mind... ;) I have kind of taken over his math lessons for a little bit...yesterday we did some fractions. He learns really quickly.
On Saturday we are going to Dresden to a singing that the congregation there is holding. After the singing I am taking the train to Olomouc, Czech Republic and I will be there until Thursday of next week. I'm really excited about seeing the mission team there and getting a little glimpse of what it is like!
Sorry this post isn't really exciting but for some that are reading it I'm sure that's preferable =) Love you all,
Megan
Sunday, March 4, 2007
hubba bubba--really funny story
BREAKING NEWS!! Last night, March 3rd, Dwane and the kids and Brielle and I were on our way back from Berlin. We had to change trains in Dessau and just when we got off the first train a guy came up to me and asked where the train came from. I was a little confused because it says right on the board where it comes from but I told him Berlin anyway. He then walked the same direction as us on my right and proceeded to blow a HUGE bubble. While this was amusing in and of itself, the look of abject adoration that Johnmark, who was walking on my left, gave him was even funnier and so I had a good laugh at them both. The guy didn't seem to mind...in fact he was pleased and offered Brielle a piece of "hubba Bubba" gum. Brielle accepted and then he offered me a piece, which I declined politely because I already had a piece of my own. A few seconds later at the bottom of the steps leading to the next platform and to our onward train, I thoughtlessly blew a much smaller bubble with my own gum, merely to enjoy the pleasure of blowing a bubble. This guy quickly grabbed the bubble and then pulled the entire piece of gum out of my mouth! The best, or worst, part is that then he put the gum into his own mouth and chewed vigorously to assimilate it into his own already large wad.
Yes, I was shocked.
Yes, it was hilarious.
I hope you tell your friends =)
Oh, and I almost got attacked by a minature doberman this morning on the way to church...viscious German dogs!
Yes, I was shocked.
Yes, it was hilarious.
I hope you tell your friends =)
Oh, and I almost got attacked by a minature doberman this morning on the way to church...viscious German dogs!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
"you are leaving the american zone"
We went to Berlin today and though it was miserably rainy and cold, had a great time. The Checkpoint Charlie museum is really excellent if you want to find out cool things about what it was like in Berlin while the wall was still up. There is SO much information that you could spend the whole day in there but whatever time you do spend, it is well worth it. You can see out the windows where the Checkpoint was and they have left part of the bare zone there. You can just imagine what it was like to be so desperately close to a free, better place and to have to content yourself with glimpses for years. Some of the escape attempts were ingenious.
Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time with Annalisa and Johnmark...helping with homework, which of course was mostly math...which I haven't done in 4 years. So that was interesting and fun =) I remembered it but it was doubtful for a bit. Thanks Mrs. Wegerer! We played soccer too...Johnmark is a fanatic and it was hilarious to watch him run around while Annalisa and I just tried to look like we were working hard.
I also met with a girl named Ines yesterday for a couple hours over coffee. She and Laura Beall became friends when Laura was here last summer and we had a great conversation. She's a great person and I really hope to get to know her better.
Last night I spent some more time with Carolin too. We went to Ruoy's apartment (this guy that we met on the tram who is from Israel) and spent several hours in conversation with him and his flatmates and a guy from Brazil named Fabio (his hair was kinda pretty too =) My German is getting better, thank goodness.
Tomorrow Brielle and I are going to watch Napolean Dynamite with Carolin and we really hope that she gets some of the humor...it will be even funnier if she doesn't though!
I don't have time to write more, sorry, but I will post again Monday
Love to you all,
Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time with Annalisa and Johnmark...helping with homework, which of course was mostly math...which I haven't done in 4 years. So that was interesting and fun =) I remembered it but it was doubtful for a bit. Thanks Mrs. Wegerer! We played soccer too...Johnmark is a fanatic and it was hilarious to watch him run around while Annalisa and I just tried to look like we were working hard.
I also met with a girl named Ines yesterday for a couple hours over coffee. She and Laura Beall became friends when Laura was here last summer and we had a great conversation. She's a great person and I really hope to get to know her better.
Last night I spent some more time with Carolin too. We went to Ruoy's apartment (this guy that we met on the tram who is from Israel) and spent several hours in conversation with him and his flatmates and a guy from Brazil named Fabio (his hair was kinda pretty too =) My German is getting better, thank goodness.
Tomorrow Brielle and I are going to watch Napolean Dynamite with Carolin and we really hope that she gets some of the humor...it will be even funnier if she doesn't though!
I don't have time to write more, sorry, but I will post again Monday
Love to you all,
Thursday, March 1, 2007
dresden and basketball
Tuesday we went to Dresden, an hour and a half by train from Leipzig. Dresden was almost completely obliterated by the allies during WWII. Today it has been rebuilt and is a really gorgeous place. The Frauenkirche there was left in ruins until about 5 years ago when the began to rebuild it. They used what they could of the old stone and incorporated it into the new structure...the effect is really powerful because the new stone is so much whiter and cleaner than the old stone and it serves as a stark reminder. Dresden moves at a much slower pace than Leipzig. It is more beautiful, but I really like Leipzig...everything seems to be happening all at once here! They have a saying here in Saxony (the region of which Dresden is the capitol) that you make money in Chemnitz (industrial center), keep it in Leipzig (banking and commerce), and spend it in Dresden (tourism and shopping). It fits really well =). We had lunch with Randy and Brianna Carol who have lived in Dresden for about 5 years now.
Spending time with the Perrys is so much fun. They LOVE to sing and I love to sing too so we have such a great time and they have been so wonderful to me. For any of you who know them, this is no surprise but for those of you who don't know them, believe me, they are wonderful.
On to the basketball story. Dwane happened to meet some members of the city league basketball team (which is a professional team) here in Leipzig and they talked and said that if I wanted, I could come to their practice and try to convince the coach to let me play some with them. I went on Monday night and the coach wasn't too keen on the idea...which is perfectly understandable to me...if I was a coach I wouldn't want some girl coming in and messing up my practices and causing problems. But...I'm not going to do that and I know it...so I kinda hung around and after their practice she said that I could come on Wednesday because they have less players then. So last night I got to practice with them! I was really excited because it feels so good to be able to play...and they are pretty good so it isn't easy...hopefully I will be able to do this until their season ends or until I leave. Yay!!
Funny thing about Europeans and Germans in particular...they think that you MUST be covered from head to foot if it is even chilly outside after working out or getting sweaty. I was about to go outside with my shorts on, and I had my coat on...and the coach looked at me askance and said "what are you doing?" I laughed and put my jeans on because I had thought that I could get away with it but no such luck...they will catch you every time and the Germans have no qualms about telling you to do it the "right way" =)
On Saturday Brielle, the Perrys and I are going to Berlin for the day just to see it and have fun. I've never been there so I'm really looking forward to it. Another planned trip for me is to Olomouc to see the team there! I will go next Saturday and return to Leipzig the following Thursday. I am really looking forward to that!
Spending time with the Perrys is so much fun. They LOVE to sing and I love to sing too so we have such a great time and they have been so wonderful to me. For any of you who know them, this is no surprise but for those of you who don't know them, believe me, they are wonderful.
On to the basketball story. Dwane happened to meet some members of the city league basketball team (which is a professional team) here in Leipzig and they talked and said that if I wanted, I could come to their practice and try to convince the coach to let me play some with them. I went on Monday night and the coach wasn't too keen on the idea...which is perfectly understandable to me...if I was a coach I wouldn't want some girl coming in and messing up my practices and causing problems. But...I'm not going to do that and I know it...so I kinda hung around and after their practice she said that I could come on Wednesday because they have less players then. So last night I got to practice with them! I was really excited because it feels so good to be able to play...and they are pretty good so it isn't easy...hopefully I will be able to do this until their season ends or until I leave. Yay!!
Funny thing about Europeans and Germans in particular...they think that you MUST be covered from head to foot if it is even chilly outside after working out or getting sweaty. I was about to go outside with my shorts on, and I had my coat on...and the coach looked at me askance and said "what are you doing?" I laughed and put my jeans on because I had thought that I could get away with it but no such luck...they will catch you every time and the Germans have no qualms about telling you to do it the "right way" =)
On Saturday Brielle, the Perrys and I are going to Berlin for the day just to see it and have fun. I've never been there so I'm really looking forward to it. Another planned trip for me is to Olomouc to see the team there! I will go next Saturday and return to Leipzig the following Thursday. I am really looking forward to that!
Monday, February 26, 2007
beauty and gray
Saturday we all drove to Chemnity to give the van back to Pam and Larry. I forget how beautiful Germany is when you get out of the cities. Rolling green hills and some woods...beautiful even though it is winter. The windmills are gorgeous too...presiding over the land like shining sentiniels. What a contrast to today's rainy gray Leipzig. Leipzig is a great city but it is a city and an east German city too--lots of concrete and metal, little green and grass. Spring will come soon but in the meantime it is a little dreary.
We did have a great day Saturday though. We stayed just long enough in Chemnitz to talk with Pam a little and then we got a ticket back to Leipzig. Dwane had to be back at the house by 1 to meet the owner who was coming from Stuttgart to look at the house and give him his deposit back. Dwane was a little worried that she wouldn't give him all of his deposit back because of some damage...but for 5 years of living in the place with 7 kids the damage was really minimal. She was completely happy and everything went really well. I felt very much like a German carrying the last bit of stuff back to their apartment on the public transportation...a cleaning bucket with odds and ends, a bag of electronics and cords, and a mop handle, as well as a box of other stuff between Dwane, Johnmark and I.
Saturday night Carolin invited me to a party. I had no idea what kind of party it was going to be but to get to know her better I figured I would go. She explained to me that the tenants of 3 apartments on the same level in this building have a big party every year and that there would be about 150 people there...sounded like fun except for the fact that my German is still a work in progress. *interuption* I have to tell this first: I met her at Augustusplatz and we waited for the tram. We met a guy from Israel while we waited...which was a little surprising to me but I figured I probably shouldn't be so surprised...it got even better. We happened to be taking the same tram and when we got on, there was a disturbance in the back of the wagon...which in America might not be unexpected but in Germany things like that just don't happen very often. To top it off, some of the delinquents were making some comments that Carolin said were neo-nazi in connotation. We didn't talk about it but I can imagine that the guy from Israel was a little uncomfortable. I keep saying "the guy from Israel" because his name is unspellable...something like Rol but not. Back to the party...it was, according to Carolin, a "typical German party" with people sitting around in small groups talking...I was a little apprehensive at first but I could actually understand most of what people were saying and respond adequately to any questions put to me...I was proud of myself. All in all it was a good night and I learned a lot about Carolin and had some delicious chili...with meat rather than tofu which were the choices =)
Yesterday a guy from Dresden, Karl, came to speak at our worship and after we went to the soup place in the train station for lunch...that is such a good place to know about and their soups are delicious. I washed clothes yesterday afternoon...let me tell you, German washing machines will get your clothes CLEAN!! just make sure you don't put them in there too often or you won't have any clothes left ;)
I'm sitting in this internet cafe and it was nice and warm but now the guy has propped the door open and the freezing cold air is coming in...blah...
til next time, love ya'll!
We did have a great day Saturday though. We stayed just long enough in Chemnitz to talk with Pam a little and then we got a ticket back to Leipzig. Dwane had to be back at the house by 1 to meet the owner who was coming from Stuttgart to look at the house and give him his deposit back. Dwane was a little worried that she wouldn't give him all of his deposit back because of some damage...but for 5 years of living in the place with 7 kids the damage was really minimal. She was completely happy and everything went really well. I felt very much like a German carrying the last bit of stuff back to their apartment on the public transportation...a cleaning bucket with odds and ends, a bag of electronics and cords, and a mop handle, as well as a box of other stuff between Dwane, Johnmark and I.
Saturday night Carolin invited me to a party. I had no idea what kind of party it was going to be but to get to know her better I figured I would go. She explained to me that the tenants of 3 apartments on the same level in this building have a big party every year and that there would be about 150 people there...sounded like fun except for the fact that my German is still a work in progress. *interuption* I have to tell this first: I met her at Augustusplatz and we waited for the tram. We met a guy from Israel while we waited...which was a little surprising to me but I figured I probably shouldn't be so surprised...it got even better. We happened to be taking the same tram and when we got on, there was a disturbance in the back of the wagon...which in America might not be unexpected but in Germany things like that just don't happen very often. To top it off, some of the delinquents were making some comments that Carolin said were neo-nazi in connotation. We didn't talk about it but I can imagine that the guy from Israel was a little uncomfortable. I keep saying "the guy from Israel" because his name is unspellable...something like Rol but not. Back to the party...it was, according to Carolin, a "typical German party" with people sitting around in small groups talking...I was a little apprehensive at first but I could actually understand most of what people were saying and respond adequately to any questions put to me...I was proud of myself. All in all it was a good night and I learned a lot about Carolin and had some delicious chili...with meat rather than tofu which were the choices =)
Yesterday a guy from Dresden, Karl, came to speak at our worship and after we went to the soup place in the train station for lunch...that is such a good place to know about and their soups are delicious. I washed clothes yesterday afternoon...let me tell you, German washing machines will get your clothes CLEAN!! just make sure you don't put them in there too often or you won't have any clothes left ;)
I'm sitting in this internet cafe and it was nice and warm but now the guy has propped the door open and the freezing cold air is coming in...blah...
til next time, love ya'll!
Friday, February 23, 2007
containers and trash
Oh boy...yesterday was such a good day for Dwane. The container came that he had to pack all of his stuff into to ship it back to the states and everything fit! This and the fact that we packed it all in 2.5 hours was due in great part to a guy named Randy who lives in Dresden right now. He used to work for UPS and he did a great job organizing. Dwane had actually put ME in charge of that which is great because I do like to tell people what to do but organizing like that is HARD!! Randy took care of it all and it worked out great. There were 2 other Americans there--Clint and Steve and a German girl named Sara. We had a great time packing and afterwards we went to Burger King to eat...yum.
The guy driving the truck carrying the container had a very strong Saxon accent...which here in Leipzig is pretty prevalent. It is REALLY hard to understand and they use idioms that no one else uses...so he was trying to give us some advice a couple times and even though some of them had lived here 5 years and spoke German really well...couldn't understand him. The guy laughed about it and we all had a good time.
There's still some cleaning to do at the house and some trash to get out but for the most part now Dwane, Annalisa and Johnmark can just enjoy their last time here in Leipzig.
So the trash...yes, let's talk about that. They loaded a couch and a mattress into the van to take to the dump. The dump in German cities is not just a pile of trash somewhere like a junkyard or something. There are several different containers for different types of trash and there are people there who tell you where to put things and whether you can even leave them there or not...sometimes they just tell you that you can't throw it away...bizarre i know. Well, so yesterday Dwane, Johnmark and I were going to the dump with the couch and mattress and Dwane decided to see if they would let us throw a bunch of other things away from the house. You also have to have special stamps that people get with their "how to throw trash away properly" booklet =) So we got some extra stamps for people...they correspond to .1 square meter of trash each...and went to the dump. Dwane has been there a couple times and so he knows the head guy there--Bern---who is from the Ukraine originally. Bern is probably 60 years old and has gray hair on his head in an Einstein-like do, and a similarly gray beard that covers most of his face. Great personality too! So we drove up and Dwane said hello and Bern enthusiastically greeted him and Johnmark and then asked if I was his daughter...No, said Dwane and then immediately Bern said "oh! girlfriend!" ....No, said Dwane as we all laughed...just a friend. So...we backed the van up to the trash containers and opened up the back and started to bring out the stuff that we hoped they would let us throw away. Turns out Dwane made a good decision to bring me along because Bern thought I was so great that he didn't really care what we had to throw away...he sorted some of it, taking out electronics and metal things and wooden things...but then just saying "sparmull" which is the kind of everything else plastic trash. He gave me a piece of candy and a great big hug as we were leaving...apparently it was just SO great to meet me! Dwane didn't even have to use all of his stamps to throw everything away =) such is life
Last night Brielle and Annalisa and I had a nice little devo/chat at the bakery about what we pray for...for example if we pray for patience, being prepared to have God allow us to demonstrate that patience in many situations. Just thinking about how life's struggles are maturing us and that's why James tells us to rejoicing in tribulation. Profound, I know =)
I can't believe I've been here for 10 days already...and been away from all of ya'll for that long! I do miss so many people but I know that I will see you sooner than I think. Love you!
The guy driving the truck carrying the container had a very strong Saxon accent...which here in Leipzig is pretty prevalent. It is REALLY hard to understand and they use idioms that no one else uses...so he was trying to give us some advice a couple times and even though some of them had lived here 5 years and spoke German really well...couldn't understand him. The guy laughed about it and we all had a good time.
There's still some cleaning to do at the house and some trash to get out but for the most part now Dwane, Annalisa and Johnmark can just enjoy their last time here in Leipzig.
So the trash...yes, let's talk about that. They loaded a couch and a mattress into the van to take to the dump. The dump in German cities is not just a pile of trash somewhere like a junkyard or something. There are several different containers for different types of trash and there are people there who tell you where to put things and whether you can even leave them there or not...sometimes they just tell you that you can't throw it away...bizarre i know. Well, so yesterday Dwane, Johnmark and I were going to the dump with the couch and mattress and Dwane decided to see if they would let us throw a bunch of other things away from the house. You also have to have special stamps that people get with their "how to throw trash away properly" booklet =) So we got some extra stamps for people...they correspond to .1 square meter of trash each...and went to the dump. Dwane has been there a couple times and so he knows the head guy there--Bern---who is from the Ukraine originally. Bern is probably 60 years old and has gray hair on his head in an Einstein-like do, and a similarly gray beard that covers most of his face. Great personality too! So we drove up and Dwane said hello and Bern enthusiastically greeted him and Johnmark and then asked if I was his daughter...No, said Dwane and then immediately Bern said "oh! girlfriend!" ....No, said Dwane as we all laughed...just a friend. So...we backed the van up to the trash containers and opened up the back and started to bring out the stuff that we hoped they would let us throw away. Turns out Dwane made a good decision to bring me along because Bern thought I was so great that he didn't really care what we had to throw away...he sorted some of it, taking out electronics and metal things and wooden things...but then just saying "sparmull" which is the kind of everything else plastic trash. He gave me a piece of candy and a great big hug as we were leaving...apparently it was just SO great to meet me! Dwane didn't even have to use all of his stamps to throw everything away =) such is life
Last night Brielle and Annalisa and I had a nice little devo/chat at the bakery about what we pray for...for example if we pray for patience, being prepared to have God allow us to demonstrate that patience in many situations. Just thinking about how life's struggles are maturing us and that's why James tells us to rejoicing in tribulation. Profound, I know =)
I can't believe I've been here for 10 days already...and been away from all of ya'll for that long! I do miss so many people but I know that I will see you sooner than I think. Love you!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
moving along
Last night Brielle and I went over to Carolin's apartment and spent a couple hours with her. She has one of the sweetest hearts of anyone I've ever met. She is very genuine. This is the girl that is married to Sasha from Moldova. He's in Chemnitz with her family right now trying to sort out a few things with his sister who is staying with Carolin's mom...yes, it's a little complicated but that is pretty normal here. I hope that Brielle and I helped her be a little less lonely while he's gone. She made us a salad and we had German and Russian chocolate for desert...the german was better of course but it was fun reading the Russian on the wrappers =) I wish that I had more time to get to know Carolin because she is so wonderful but she will be living in Chemnitz the month of March to teach English for a little bit. That is a great opportunity for her though.
This morning I helped Dwane, Annalisa and Johnmark move to their apartment in town at Nordplatz 2. It was really funny because although they don't have a lot of stuff because they can only bring to the apartment what they can take on the plane or what they will leave here, their place is on the 5th floor. Really Germans would say it's the 4th floor because here you don't count the ground floor. If you live on the 2nd story of a house you live on the 1st floor...just a bit of trivia =) ok, back to my story. So I get there and we are getting stuff out of their van to take it into the place and thank goodness, there happens to be an elevator in this building! you would think that this would be a great blessing and that because of this there would be no problems getting their stuff up to the apartment. You haven't seen this elevator. While it wasn't as scary as the one in Prague (for those of you who don't know about that, email me) it was approximately 2x3ft in dimension. This is pretty normal for an elevator in Europe. So we put about 5 suitcases into the elevator and I opted to go up the stairs with the couple of pillows I was carrying...i've got a little phobia of getting stuck in an elevator =) Plus, Dwane being the adventursome soul that he is, encouraged Annalisa and Johnmark to jump in the elevator with him. All total in the elevator were 3 people, albeit not 3 adults, and 5 large suitcases. Even with this load the elevator beat me to the top but I could hear it clanking all the way. Those Perry's are brave. When they were exiting the elevator with all their stuff though, it had one last laugh...about halfway through the unloading process it jerked down about 3-4 inches and scared us all a bit. But we got everything off and into the apartment and i really should have taken pictures of them stuffed into that space now that i think of it but...well, i didn't.
The final stages of packing are going on at the Perry's house right now and the container comes tomorrow at 10. I'm the "Packmeister" and therefore in charge of organizing everything into the container. For those of you who have accused me of being bossy in the past...you haven't seen anything yet ;)
I will tell you how it goes...have a great day!!
This morning I helped Dwane, Annalisa and Johnmark move to their apartment in town at Nordplatz 2. It was really funny because although they don't have a lot of stuff because they can only bring to the apartment what they can take on the plane or what they will leave here, their place is on the 5th floor. Really Germans would say it's the 4th floor because here you don't count the ground floor. If you live on the 2nd story of a house you live on the 1st floor...just a bit of trivia =) ok, back to my story. So I get there and we are getting stuff out of their van to take it into the place and thank goodness, there happens to be an elevator in this building! you would think that this would be a great blessing and that because of this there would be no problems getting their stuff up to the apartment. You haven't seen this elevator. While it wasn't as scary as the one in Prague (for those of you who don't know about that, email me) it was approximately 2x3ft in dimension. This is pretty normal for an elevator in Europe. So we put about 5 suitcases into the elevator and I opted to go up the stairs with the couple of pillows I was carrying...i've got a little phobia of getting stuck in an elevator =) Plus, Dwane being the adventursome soul that he is, encouraged Annalisa and Johnmark to jump in the elevator with him. All total in the elevator were 3 people, albeit not 3 adults, and 5 large suitcases. Even with this load the elevator beat me to the top but I could hear it clanking all the way. Those Perry's are brave. When they were exiting the elevator with all their stuff though, it had one last laugh...about halfway through the unloading process it jerked down about 3-4 inches and scared us all a bit. But we got everything off and into the apartment and i really should have taken pictures of them stuffed into that space now that i think of it but...well, i didn't.
The final stages of packing are going on at the Perry's house right now and the container comes tomorrow at 10. I'm the "Packmeister" and therefore in charge of organizing everything into the container. For those of you who have accused me of being bossy in the past...you haven't seen anything yet ;)
I will tell you how it goes...have a great day!!
Monday, February 19, 2007
video cameras
Even though the title suggests that i'm going to talk about a camera, that will have to come later because i like to do things in chronological order and that didn't happen til today and i have to talk about yesterday first...so bear with me =)
So...yesterday was my first Sunday here and it was overall a good day. Worshiping with just 6 people, Josh, the only German, and 5 americans in a German city was eye-opening. I know you're thinking that I was discouraged by this but only for a bit...just because i missed the singing and fellowship that i've been so used to. But it's that exact fact that makes me realize that I've been a little spoiled. Worship with so many christians is awesome and it honors God in such great ways but worship is not about being with friends or social time. It's about God! and that is why yesterday made me happy. I saw that worship with God can be done with so few people in a spirit of humility and it also affirmed my purpose here and the fact that God wants me here and that there are people here just as wonderful and loving and in need of God's grace as in the states.
So...on to the happenings after worship. The Perrys, Brielle (a girl from Ohio...i'll tell her story later) went to eat soup at the train station and it was delicious! Dwane brought another mattress for me and so we took it to Elfi's place and put it in my room...now i feel like the princess and the pea! My bed is already about 6.5 feet high and now i have 2 mattresses on top of that...so yea, i'll look down on you from my perch ;)
I had a pleasant afternoon reading and talking to Elfi a little bit and then at 4 Elfi and I took her car to Dwane's because she was cooking dinner for them...schnitzel! Carla, I have to say that yours tasted just about the same and it was just as good! We ate and had a great time here and Dwane and I had a good talk with Brielle about her situation...so for her story now. She came here back in August to take a job teaching English. Dwane found out about this job through a priest he knows and he thought it would be a great opportunity for Brielle. The job was described to the priest, dwane, and therefore Brielle as a definite teaching job. That is not what it has been. She is basically a babysitter for young children and while she is not allowed to speak German to them, she feels they aren't learning through this method. There is a lot of other circumstances surrounding this and for a long time Dwane has been telling her that it's ok to say that she was misled and to quit. So she decided to talk to her boss today and last night we really encouraged her to do this because she was miserable. So today she talked to her boss and her boss was very understanding and so Brielle's last day will be March 19th. We're very excited for her because this is such a weight off her shoulders. She has stuck it out for a very long time.
This morning I met with Dwane and Carolin. She is a very sweet, good hearted person and she and I had a really good conversation after our short Bible study. She's married to a Russian guy from Moldova named Sasha. She invited me to her place tomorrow night and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her a lot more.
Dwane met with Werner, another friend of his while Carolin and I were talking and he is a character. I really want to talk with him about how Leipzig was before the wall came down because he's lived here his whole life and he's in his late 60s. He still does gymnastics! he reminds me of those Alpen people you see on commercials...he'd look really authentic in lederhosen ;) spry...a very good word to describe him.
Werner and I and dwane went to look at the apartment that the perry's are moving into and werner did something so German it was hilarious. We were looking around the place and Werner was opening the oven, and he opened a drawer and there was some stuff in it and a stain on the bottom and he licked his finger and rubbed on it and it started to come off so he said to he lady showing us the apartment: "this is dirty! aren't you going to clean it?" and it seems so rude but here that is completely normal =)
Ok, to the title =) funny story: this afternoon dwane asked me if I could run an errand. He has video on a tape of his wrecked car. If he can get this video on a CD, he can turn it in to his insurance and maybe get quite a bit of money back. There were a couple problems: he's not sure exactly which tape, and we can't look at them with the video camera because the battery is dead and they accidentally left the plug-in cord in Stuttgart. So, our mission was complicated. Annalisa and I set off to try to find a place that would let us use their plug in, or buy an inexpensive one. Find the place on the tape where the video of the wrecked car was, and have them transfer it to a CD. Dwane also does not have the cord to plug the camera into his computer. So, we went one place and they said no, they couldn't do it (by the way, my german is definitely not good enough to be talking about electronics!) so we went to another place and through some german/english communication discovered that a new power cord was 100 euros! yes, and would take 2 weeks to get, and a new battery was 50 euros. on top of that, recording the tape onto a cd can't be done in parts, it has to be the whole thing...and they have to send it off to a lab for 3 days. How ridiculous. You would think that in such an efficient country things could be a bit easier. Well...so that was pretty funny but we decided not to do any of it. A friend of Dwane's is coming on Thursday and hopefully we can do it on Dwane's computer without any tech support. Cause that call could surpass the "longest one in the history of the world" ;) that's an inside joke, sorry.
ok, this thing is way too long already but i hope you've enjoyed the escapades. have a great week!
So...yesterday was my first Sunday here and it was overall a good day. Worshiping with just 6 people, Josh, the only German, and 5 americans in a German city was eye-opening. I know you're thinking that I was discouraged by this but only for a bit...just because i missed the singing and fellowship that i've been so used to. But it's that exact fact that makes me realize that I've been a little spoiled. Worship with so many christians is awesome and it honors God in such great ways but worship is not about being with friends or social time. It's about God! and that is why yesterday made me happy. I saw that worship with God can be done with so few people in a spirit of humility and it also affirmed my purpose here and the fact that God wants me here and that there are people here just as wonderful and loving and in need of God's grace as in the states.
So...on to the happenings after worship. The Perrys, Brielle (a girl from Ohio...i'll tell her story later) went to eat soup at the train station and it was delicious! Dwane brought another mattress for me and so we took it to Elfi's place and put it in my room...now i feel like the princess and the pea! My bed is already about 6.5 feet high and now i have 2 mattresses on top of that...so yea, i'll look down on you from my perch ;)
I had a pleasant afternoon reading and talking to Elfi a little bit and then at 4 Elfi and I took her car to Dwane's because she was cooking dinner for them...schnitzel! Carla, I have to say that yours tasted just about the same and it was just as good! We ate and had a great time here and Dwane and I had a good talk with Brielle about her situation...so for her story now. She came here back in August to take a job teaching English. Dwane found out about this job through a priest he knows and he thought it would be a great opportunity for Brielle. The job was described to the priest, dwane, and therefore Brielle as a definite teaching job. That is not what it has been. She is basically a babysitter for young children and while she is not allowed to speak German to them, she feels they aren't learning through this method. There is a lot of other circumstances surrounding this and for a long time Dwane has been telling her that it's ok to say that she was misled and to quit. So she decided to talk to her boss today and last night we really encouraged her to do this because she was miserable. So today she talked to her boss and her boss was very understanding and so Brielle's last day will be March 19th. We're very excited for her because this is such a weight off her shoulders. She has stuck it out for a very long time.
This morning I met with Dwane and Carolin. She is a very sweet, good hearted person and she and I had a really good conversation after our short Bible study. She's married to a Russian guy from Moldova named Sasha. She invited me to her place tomorrow night and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her a lot more.
Dwane met with Werner, another friend of his while Carolin and I were talking and he is a character. I really want to talk with him about how Leipzig was before the wall came down because he's lived here his whole life and he's in his late 60s. He still does gymnastics! he reminds me of those Alpen people you see on commercials...he'd look really authentic in lederhosen ;) spry...a very good word to describe him.
Werner and I and dwane went to look at the apartment that the perry's are moving into and werner did something so German it was hilarious. We were looking around the place and Werner was opening the oven, and he opened a drawer and there was some stuff in it and a stain on the bottom and he licked his finger and rubbed on it and it started to come off so he said to he lady showing us the apartment: "this is dirty! aren't you going to clean it?" and it seems so rude but here that is completely normal =)
Ok, to the title =) funny story: this afternoon dwane asked me if I could run an errand. He has video on a tape of his wrecked car. If he can get this video on a CD, he can turn it in to his insurance and maybe get quite a bit of money back. There were a couple problems: he's not sure exactly which tape, and we can't look at them with the video camera because the battery is dead and they accidentally left the plug-in cord in Stuttgart. So, our mission was complicated. Annalisa and I set off to try to find a place that would let us use their plug in, or buy an inexpensive one. Find the place on the tape where the video of the wrecked car was, and have them transfer it to a CD. Dwane also does not have the cord to plug the camera into his computer. So, we went one place and they said no, they couldn't do it (by the way, my german is definitely not good enough to be talking about electronics!) so we went to another place and through some german/english communication discovered that a new power cord was 100 euros! yes, and would take 2 weeks to get, and a new battery was 50 euros. on top of that, recording the tape onto a cd can't be done in parts, it has to be the whole thing...and they have to send it off to a lab for 3 days. How ridiculous. You would think that in such an efficient country things could be a bit easier. Well...so that was pretty funny but we decided not to do any of it. A friend of Dwane's is coming on Thursday and hopefully we can do it on Dwane's computer without any tech support. Cause that call could surpass the "longest one in the history of the world" ;) that's an inside joke, sorry.
ok, this thing is way too long already but i hope you've enjoyed the escapades. have a great week!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
new things
This morning Elfi, the girl that rented me one of her rooms, and I went running in a little park just down the street. It is cold here and I don't have any running pants but at least my shorts are long =) but my knees were red. It felt really good to do some exercising and i plan on running there as much as i can.
Helping the Perrys pack is definitely a lesson in German culture. Germans don't move much...and i can see why. you can't throw things away here like you can in the states...and i don't just mean you aren't supposed to, i mean that you will be fined mucho dinero if you throw things away in the wrong receptacles or without the proper stickers or on the wrong days...etc. it is insane the rules surrounding trash here! in a persons house there are at least 5 different trash receptacles...plastic, glass (sometimes broken down into different colors), paper, newspaper, and bio (food trash). Yea, inconvienient but they are all about reducing our impact on the earth here...in fact, instead of the very benign, p.c. kind of label Global Warming, in german it is called the "climate catastrophe" how fitting.
today I went with Dwane and Annalisa and Johnmark to Walmart...yes, it is even here. for some plastic bottles, you can get money back if you recycle them...there's even a special machine for that purpose where you put the bottle in and it adds up your total, gives you a reciept and you can go to the cashier and get money or have that amout taken off your total bill.
efficiency.
There is something to be said for their methods though...for example...the Perrys have given away a good percentage of their stuff because it is easier to find someone to take it than to figure out how to dispose of it or to pay for it to be disposed of. I think sometimes we just throw things away in the states because it's easy...easier than trying to find someone who wants it or transporting it to the nearest secondhand store or something like that. I know when I moved in october there were somethings like that. We did give a lot away, but sometimes it's just easier to toss it.
Funny thing happened: today i went shopping but right when i'd gone down the 4 flights of stairs and out the building door i remembered that I'd forgotten bags (you have to pay for bags at the store if you don't have your own) so i turned around and a post man was putting mail in our boxes. He asked me If I lived here and I said I was just renting for a couple months and he said ok so i went upstairs. Elfi was taking a shower and just when i walked in the door of our apartment the doorbell from downstairs rang (you have to ring to get the building door open and there's a speaker and a button to opend the door) so Elfi comes out in her towel and answers it and it's the postman..apparently he was looking for her because there was some mail that was too big for her mailbox and so she has to pay a euro for it. so she asks me to pay him since she's in her towel and the postman comes up and...it's me! =) he thought this was the funniest thing and i had to tell him that i was renting from Elfi and she was in the shower. And then he had to help me with the money because i still can't ever seem to get the right coins...he laughed and laughed...so that is just one example of german humor...komisch!
ok, my arms are tired and i've got to catch the train back into the city
love ya'll,
Helping the Perrys pack is definitely a lesson in German culture. Germans don't move much...and i can see why. you can't throw things away here like you can in the states...and i don't just mean you aren't supposed to, i mean that you will be fined mucho dinero if you throw things away in the wrong receptacles or without the proper stickers or on the wrong days...etc. it is insane the rules surrounding trash here! in a persons house there are at least 5 different trash receptacles...plastic, glass (sometimes broken down into different colors), paper, newspaper, and bio (food trash). Yea, inconvienient but they are all about reducing our impact on the earth here...in fact, instead of the very benign, p.c. kind of label Global Warming, in german it is called the "climate catastrophe" how fitting.
today I went with Dwane and Annalisa and Johnmark to Walmart...yes, it is even here. for some plastic bottles, you can get money back if you recycle them...there's even a special machine for that purpose where you put the bottle in and it adds up your total, gives you a reciept and you can go to the cashier and get money or have that amout taken off your total bill.
efficiency.
There is something to be said for their methods though...for example...the Perrys have given away a good percentage of their stuff because it is easier to find someone to take it than to figure out how to dispose of it or to pay for it to be disposed of. I think sometimes we just throw things away in the states because it's easy...easier than trying to find someone who wants it or transporting it to the nearest secondhand store or something like that. I know when I moved in october there were somethings like that. We did give a lot away, but sometimes it's just easier to toss it.
Funny thing happened: today i went shopping but right when i'd gone down the 4 flights of stairs and out the building door i remembered that I'd forgotten bags (you have to pay for bags at the store if you don't have your own) so i turned around and a post man was putting mail in our boxes. He asked me If I lived here and I said I was just renting for a couple months and he said ok so i went upstairs. Elfi was taking a shower and just when i walked in the door of our apartment the doorbell from downstairs rang (you have to ring to get the building door open and there's a speaker and a button to opend the door) so Elfi comes out in her towel and answers it and it's the postman..apparently he was looking for her because there was some mail that was too big for her mailbox and so she has to pay a euro for it. so she asks me to pay him since she's in her towel and the postman comes up and...it's me! =) he thought this was the funniest thing and i had to tell him that i was renting from Elfi and she was in the shower. And then he had to help me with the money because i still can't ever seem to get the right coins...he laughed and laughed...so that is just one example of german humor...komisch!
ok, my arms are tired and i've got to catch the train back into the city
love ya'll,
Friday, February 16, 2007
Freitag
Well, I woke up late again...this time because I forgot to turn my alarm "on" if I don't start getting up early I'm never going to get my bio clock onto German time! I'm still helping the Perry's pack and get ready for thier container which is coming on Thursday. It will be interesting. Last night I met Josh and Carolin. Josh has such a difficult decision before him right now...please be praying for him! He and his wife did not want children when they married but now they do...but she can't get pregnant. They have been driving to Prague for some kind of treatment for her. Josh just got a new job, but with his schedule he will not be able to go with his wife for the last one of her treatments. He is very torn about this and cannot see God in the situation.
Carolin is very sweet. She has a russian boyfriend, Sasha and I hope to talk to her more about russia and learn a little german and russian from her.
Alright, I don't have much time...back to packing and Ingo, one of Dwane's friends is here as well. I will post more later
Carolin is very sweet. She has a russian boyfriend, Sasha and I hope to talk to her more about russia and learn a little german and russian from her.
Alright, I don't have much time...back to packing and Ingo, one of Dwane's friends is here as well. I will post more later
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Kurzinfos
Just a little update...
I had a fine flight inbetween an overweight but kindly gentleman and a partially deaf but definitely not mute special olympics contestant from Slovenia or Croatia or somewhere. My bag was one of the first onto the conveyor which i though was auspicious and i got to my train platform on time. Due to the circumstances of my flight, i didn't sleep much as you might imagine and by this time (about 1230 in the afternoon in Germany, 530 in Arkansas) i was quite tired. German trains are punktlich. they are ontime to the tee. Mine was supposed to leave at 13:01. so, when a train pulled up at 12:52, i assumed that it was the right one and got on, passing obliviously by the signs on track, train, and inside the train that proclaimed this Zug bound for Munich. How dumb did I feel when I realized that the moving train I was on was not bound for Leipzig? Very. However, the beauty of the Germany train system is that there is always another train. So, all I had to do was get off at Mannheim, take the next train back to the Frankfurt airport, and get on the 14:11 train to Leipzig.
I also forgot to write down Dwane's number so I was hoping that I would recognize Annalisa, who was going to be at the train to get me. I didn't, but again, everything worked fine because I got to email everyone at home that I was safe while retrieving dwane's number from my email. Annalisa and Johnmark found me after I called Dwane and then Dwane arrived and we went to Elfi's which is where I'm staying. My bed is a loft =) I slept forever last night and now I'm at the Perry's house. I am revelling in the bread, public transportation and German language.
Bis später,
Megan
I had a fine flight inbetween an overweight but kindly gentleman and a partially deaf but definitely not mute special olympics contestant from Slovenia or Croatia or somewhere. My bag was one of the first onto the conveyor which i though was auspicious and i got to my train platform on time. Due to the circumstances of my flight, i didn't sleep much as you might imagine and by this time (about 1230 in the afternoon in Germany, 530 in Arkansas) i was quite tired. German trains are punktlich. they are ontime to the tee. Mine was supposed to leave at 13:01. so, when a train pulled up at 12:52, i assumed that it was the right one and got on, passing obliviously by the signs on track, train, and inside the train that proclaimed this Zug bound for Munich. How dumb did I feel when I realized that the moving train I was on was not bound for Leipzig? Very. However, the beauty of the Germany train system is that there is always another train. So, all I had to do was get off at Mannheim, take the next train back to the Frankfurt airport, and get on the 14:11 train to Leipzig.
I also forgot to write down Dwane's number so I was hoping that I would recognize Annalisa, who was going to be at the train to get me. I didn't, but again, everything worked fine because I got to email everyone at home that I was safe while retrieving dwane's number from my email. Annalisa and Johnmark found me after I called Dwane and then Dwane arrived and we went to Elfi's which is where I'm staying. My bed is a loft =) I slept forever last night and now I'm at the Perry's house. I am revelling in the bread, public transportation and German language.
Bis später,
Megan
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
the beginning
Ok, so i said i probably wasn't going to do the blog thing and really, i'm not...i'll just be copying the body of an email to here just because...i'm also going to put up notes on facebook i think, but it all depends on how much time i have and how much effort i want to put into it. so for now, this is my travelogue...and i should have done this for previous trips but i guess better late than never...hope you enjoy, this is my life!
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