I've been keeping y'all updated about what I've been doing, so now I'm going to update you on how I'm doing.
In a word; I'm homesick.
People keep telling me how jealous they are of me. I'm in Europe! The most romantic continent in the world with arguably the richest history, and I wish I were back in Texas. This is a new feeling for me. I have been all over the world and spent four months in Peru and I have never been homesick. Even when things got hard in Peru I never wished to be somewhere else. The last time I can remember being homesick was at age nine when I went to church camp for the first time. That was some years ago.
When I was younger I gloried in being a wanderer and a traveler. Each new place I went I drank in the culture and imagined living in the place forever. Most of the countries I traveled to were developing countries which afforded less comforts than I could find in the U.S. yet there I put down roots quickly and easily. Here I feel homeless and foundationless. The beauty I see feels empty. I've realized that the value of a place is not measured by it's beauty but by the people it contains. A place becomes so much more beautiful and valuable if someone you love inhabits it.
I honestly do not know why it is harder for me to be here than any other place I have been. I have wondered if it is spiritual attack, but I think mostly it is the grace and mercy of God and his discipline. He has been beating the pride out of me since I got here and it is so much easier for Him to get my attention here than at home. If I felt wounded at home I could run to somewhere or someone to find comfort and justification for my feelings of being injured. Here noone and nothing is comforting. I have only Him to turn to, so while it has been difficult for me to be here it has also been so sweet to be so close and intimate with my Lord.
So, I miss you guys, and I miss Texas yet at the same time the best part about Switzerland is not the Alps, the chocolate or the cheese, but its distance from you. A forced solitude that has brought me pain temporally, yet eternal joy.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Marina Lee and Me Exploring Geneva.
So I never finished my Geneva story. Lucky for you since I didn't write this the next day it will be shorter because I won't remember all the details. But here is the best part of the story: the Korean-Canadian and I became fast friends.
The hostel I stayed at offered a complimentary breakfast. So duh! I was on that like white on rice! I woke up around 8:30am and packed all my things because check out was at 10am. I went down, got my breakfast and sat by myself to eat it. At the table in front of mine sat a group of three traveling buddies. As I watched them talk and eat together I thought of how nice it would be to have a traveling buddy. Then I thought, "no, because then I would have to worry about what they wanted to do and see. I like being on my own schedule." I quickly repented of this thought, and then prayed and asked God to send me a travel buddy so I could work on being less selfish. It was then that Marina Lee asked if she could sit and have breakfast with me. Struck with awe at how fast God works sometimes I said, "yes!"
Marina and I started talking. She had just spent the summer semester studying perfuming in France. She figured since she was over on this side of the pond she would explore a little before she went home. She got her undergrad degree in Chemistry and the summer semester spent in France was for the purpose of making sure perfume was really what she wanted to do next. She discovered that she liked it and has since applied for the program. She is my age and is very Asian. She immigrated from Korea to Canada when she was 16. She lives in Toronto and she loves classical music and taking pictures. I don't know Marina's entire life story, but how much information about another person does it take to form a bond? Relationships aren't measured in accumulated data about the other person. Sometimes people just fit together like a glove fits a hand. That Monday in Geneva Marina Lee was my soul-glove. As we were finishing our breakfast I asked Marina what she planned to do that day, and her plans were the same as mine: explore the city of Geneva...alone. I suggested therefore, that we keep the plan, but chunk the alone part, and we did!
We walked ALL OVER Geneva and we took A MILLION pictures, and we talked. The whole day Marina kept on saying how glad she was that she met me and that she would never forget this day and all the memories we made together. The feeling was mutual.
The first thing we did was go and see Jet d'Eau. Jet d'Eau was originally a semi-naturally occuring fountain that shot out of Lac Leman used as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network. The people of Geneva, however, more than the practical value appreciated the aesthetic value of the fountain and it was made a permanent feature of Geneva. It shoots 459 feet in the air. Super cool!
We explored the rest of Old Town Geneva and around lunch time we stumbled upon a park. We were getting hungry and we saw these two guys eating paninis and Marina went up and asked them where they got them. One of the guys said it was to complicated to tell us (RUDE!), but the other guys gave us directions: first left and second right, yeah that's REAL complicated. The place he gave us directions to was this tiny italian sandwhich shop run by one woman that was packed the whole time we were there. It was a perfect little local place to get lunch.
The next place we visited was a park near the University of Geneva. In this park is a wall called Reformation Wall. It is thus called because it has bigger than life statues of some of the reformers carved into it. Also carved into the wall were paragraphs pertaining to the Reformation, including the Lord's Prayer. We also visited the Palais de Nations or the U.N. building, which was a real let down. When we got there they were not admitting tourist anymore, and the buildings architecture was boring.
After that, we took a bus back to were the Jet d'Eau was because we wanted to see it lit up at night. We took a boat across the lake some distance from Jet d'Eau in the hopes that by the time we walked back to Jet d'Eau the sun would have set and the lights would have come on. Instead, Jet d'Eau went off after the sun set and we found out that it only lights up at night on the weekends.
As we tried to find our way back to the hostel where we had stored our stuff I realized that we were farther away from the bus stop we needed to be at than I had originally thought. Suffice it to say; I missed my train. Luckily there was one an hour later, but then I was worried about making my connection in Biel because the train was supposed to be delayed 11 minutes, which is unheard of in Switzerland. I didn't need to worry though, the Swiss came through, the train actually left on time!
On the train ride home a Swiss girl talked my ear off! This is also unheard of for the Swiss. They are usually very reserved, especially with strangers. During our conversation however, she let slip that she had recently spent time in Spain. I believe this is where she learned how to converse with strangers. Come to find out she works in Biel and said that we should get a drink together some time. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm hoping that she will become a friend and that God will give me the chance to share His light with her. A great end to a super weekend!
The hostel I stayed at offered a complimentary breakfast. So duh! I was on that like white on rice! I woke up around 8:30am and packed all my things because check out was at 10am. I went down, got my breakfast and sat by myself to eat it. At the table in front of mine sat a group of three traveling buddies. As I watched them talk and eat together I thought of how nice it would be to have a traveling buddy. Then I thought, "no, because then I would have to worry about what they wanted to do and see. I like being on my own schedule." I quickly repented of this thought, and then prayed and asked God to send me a travel buddy so I could work on being less selfish. It was then that Marina Lee asked if she could sit and have breakfast with me. Struck with awe at how fast God works sometimes I said, "yes!"
Marina and I started talking. She had just spent the summer semester studying perfuming in France. She figured since she was over on this side of the pond she would explore a little before she went home. She got her undergrad degree in Chemistry and the summer semester spent in France was for the purpose of making sure perfume was really what she wanted to do next. She discovered that she liked it and has since applied for the program. She is my age and is very Asian. She immigrated from Korea to Canada when she was 16. She lives in Toronto and she loves classical music and taking pictures. I don't know Marina's entire life story, but how much information about another person does it take to form a bond? Relationships aren't measured in accumulated data about the other person. Sometimes people just fit together like a glove fits a hand. That Monday in Geneva Marina Lee was my soul-glove. As we were finishing our breakfast I asked Marina what she planned to do that day, and her plans were the same as mine: explore the city of Geneva...alone. I suggested therefore, that we keep the plan, but chunk the alone part, and we did!
We walked ALL OVER Geneva and we took A MILLION pictures, and we talked. The whole day Marina kept on saying how glad she was that she met me and that she would never forget this day and all the memories we made together. The feeling was mutual.
The first thing we did was go and see Jet d'Eau. Jet d'Eau was originally a semi-naturally occuring fountain that shot out of Lac Leman used as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network. The people of Geneva, however, more than the practical value appreciated the aesthetic value of the fountain and it was made a permanent feature of Geneva. It shoots 459 feet in the air. Super cool!
My favorite site of the day was the Cathedrale de St. Pierre. The architecture was beautiful and the view from its towers was spectacular. We spent around three hours in the place walking on the stone floors and climbing its spiral staircases.In Medieval World, one of my Humanities classes at Criswell, we learned about church architecture. The proffesor of the class told us something about architecture that has stuck with me. He said, "architecture is not three dimensional, it is four dimensional, and the fourth dimension is time." Parts of the cathedral were from the 1500's and I think the newest parts of the cathedral were from the 1800's. It was amazing to walk around this cathedral and think about how it had been adapted over time, and how additions were made as the need arose or as the building was passed from generation to generation who thought they could improve it. I marveled at how many years this place had seen! At how many people had come along and thought they could improve what I'm sure was an already inspiring building. It reminds me of I Corinthians 3:10-15 :
"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
We explored the rest of Old Town Geneva and around lunch time we stumbled upon a park. We were getting hungry and we saw these two guys eating paninis and Marina went up and asked them where they got them. One of the guys said it was to complicated to tell us (RUDE!), but the other guys gave us directions: first left and second right, yeah that's REAL complicated. The place he gave us directions to was this tiny italian sandwhich shop run by one woman that was packed the whole time we were there. It was a perfect little local place to get lunch.
The next place we visited was a park near the University of Geneva. In this park is a wall called Reformation Wall. It is thus called because it has bigger than life statues of some of the reformers carved into it. Also carved into the wall were paragraphs pertaining to the Reformation, including the Lord's Prayer. We also visited the Palais de Nations or the U.N. building, which was a real let down. When we got there they were not admitting tourist anymore, and the buildings architecture was boring.
After that, we took a bus back to were the Jet d'Eau was because we wanted to see it lit up at night. We took a boat across the lake some distance from Jet d'Eau in the hopes that by the time we walked back to Jet d'Eau the sun would have set and the lights would have come on. Instead, Jet d'Eau went off after the sun set and we found out that it only lights up at night on the weekends.
As we tried to find our way back to the hostel where we had stored our stuff I realized that we were farther away from the bus stop we needed to be at than I had originally thought. Suffice it to say; I missed my train. Luckily there was one an hour later, but then I was worried about making my connection in Biel because the train was supposed to be delayed 11 minutes, which is unheard of in Switzerland. I didn't need to worry though, the Swiss came through, the train actually left on time!
On the train ride home a Swiss girl talked my ear off! This is also unheard of for the Swiss. They are usually very reserved, especially with strangers. During our conversation however, she let slip that she had recently spent time in Spain. I believe this is where she learned how to converse with strangers. Come to find out she works in Biel and said that we should get a drink together some time. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm hoping that she will become a friend and that God will give me the chance to share His light with her. A great end to a super weekend!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
My Sunday in Geneva
Just so you know, this is no indication of how the rest of my trip went, but I fell down the stairs getting off the train in Geneva. One minute my feet were under me, and the next they were not. I fell right on my butt and had to be helped up by a guy who was waiting to get on the train. I actually wasn't that embarrassed. I more wished that there had been someone there to laugh with me about what happened. My butt still hurts by the way.
I made it to the hostel fine. It was my first time staying in a hostel and I didn't quite know what to expect, but the facilities were really nice! I checked in and stored my stuff at the reception desk because my bed wouldn't be ready till later.
I started my exploration by making sure I knew how to get to the Batiment des Forces Mortrices (http://www.bfm.ch/) where I would be going that night to hear a piano concert. I then went in search for the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I got off at the bus stop, but didn't see any buildings that looked like a museum. I was at Plaine de Plainpalais and what I did see was a flea market!! Everyone knows how much I love a good flea market. So I wondered through half of the market before I decided to return to my search for the museum. I found it, but it didn't open for another 15 minutes so I wondered through the other half of the flea market, which was actually more like farmer's market. There was produce vendors, but also food vendors. I had found where I would have lunch!! I went back to the museum and walked through all the open exhibits. They didn't have much because they were in the middle of hanging new exhibits. I got lunch from one of the vendors at the flea market and ate on a bench in Plaine de Plainpalais.
I went back to the hostel got my bed assignment. At that point I was in a room with three sets of bunk beds and there were only two other girls in the room. I took a nap and then got ready for the concert. The concert consisted of 10 pianists, with 20 hands on 4 pianos; 7 composers and 11 pieces of music. It was wonderful. As I sat there listening to these great musicians play these amazing arrangements I realized how untrained my ear is. It is so much harder for me to catch and appreciate every note and how it adds to the piece to create...what? What exactly does this music create? Music creates music. Am I supposed to let the music paint a picture in my head or is that my ridiculous need for something tangible. Am I supposed to leave the music in it's purest form and appreciate each sound for exactly what it is? Is it okay if the music doesn't evoke emotion in me? Is it still good music if it does not? These are the thoughts I had sitting there in the darkness as the music wafted over me. Aristotle believed that music and poetry were the purest art forms (no pun intended). This is because every other art form is imitative of something tangible. "But in poetry and music there are imitations of manners; and this is evident, for different harmonies differ from each other so much by nature, that those who hear them are differently affected, and are not in the same disposition of mind when one is performed as when another is; the one, for instance, occasions grief and contracts the soul...others soften the mind, and as it were dissolve the heart: others fix it in a firm and settled state...while [others] fill the soul with enthusiasm." (Aristotle, Politics-book VIII, ch. v)
Some music, however, is supposed to evoke a certain scene or theme. Like Handel's "Messiah", or Vivaldi's "Seasons". I also had a music teacher tell me one time that a famous composer (I can't remember who right now) was trying to figure out how to imitate the fires of hell and he did it by having the violins turn their bows upside down and use wood to string instead of string to string. I've found that I like pieces that are in Minor chords. I like pieces that are dark and powerful! I think alot of Russian composers tend to write dark and powerful pieces. My favorite piece that was played at the concert was Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee".
After the concert I was starving and I had noticed an English Pub situated across the street from the bus stop where I got off to go to my hostel. I was particularly excited about this pub because the sign outside read, "NFL Sunday"! So after the concert I went to the pub and ordered a pie and a Guinness and watched part of the Kansas City vs. Colts game. It was a disappointing game because all the points I saw were gained from feild goals, but still, it was AMERICAN FOOTBALL and I hadn't seen a game yet this season!
It was a great end to the day. I had been up all day so I was ready for bed. When I got back to the hostel I discovered another addition to the room. A Korean-Canadian girl was in the bunk above me and she was the first one to talk to me. More about her to come...
I made it to the hostel fine. It was my first time staying in a hostel and I didn't quite know what to expect, but the facilities were really nice! I checked in and stored my stuff at the reception desk because my bed wouldn't be ready till later.
I started my exploration by making sure I knew how to get to the Batiment des Forces Mortrices (http://www.bfm.ch/) where I would be going that night to hear a piano concert. I then went in search for the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I got off at the bus stop, but didn't see any buildings that looked like a museum. I was at Plaine de Plainpalais and what I did see was a flea market!! Everyone knows how much I love a good flea market. So I wondered through half of the market before I decided to return to my search for the museum. I found it, but it didn't open for another 15 minutes so I wondered through the other half of the flea market, which was actually more like farmer's market. There was produce vendors, but also food vendors. I had found where I would have lunch!! I went back to the museum and walked through all the open exhibits. They didn't have much because they were in the middle of hanging new exhibits. I got lunch from one of the vendors at the flea market and ate on a bench in Plaine de Plainpalais.
I went back to the hostel got my bed assignment. At that point I was in a room with three sets of bunk beds and there were only two other girls in the room. I took a nap and then got ready for the concert. The concert consisted of 10 pianists, with 20 hands on 4 pianos; 7 composers and 11 pieces of music. It was wonderful. As I sat there listening to these great musicians play these amazing arrangements I realized how untrained my ear is. It is so much harder for me to catch and appreciate every note and how it adds to the piece to create...what? What exactly does this music create? Music creates music. Am I supposed to let the music paint a picture in my head or is that my ridiculous need for something tangible. Am I supposed to leave the music in it's purest form and appreciate each sound for exactly what it is? Is it okay if the music doesn't evoke emotion in me? Is it still good music if it does not? These are the thoughts I had sitting there in the darkness as the music wafted over me. Aristotle believed that music and poetry were the purest art forms (no pun intended). This is because every other art form is imitative of something tangible. "But in poetry and music there are imitations of manners; and this is evident, for different harmonies differ from each other so much by nature, that those who hear them are differently affected, and are not in the same disposition of mind when one is performed as when another is; the one, for instance, occasions grief and contracts the soul...others soften the mind, and as it were dissolve the heart: others fix it in a firm and settled state...while [others] fill the soul with enthusiasm." (Aristotle, Politics-book VIII, ch. v)
Some music, however, is supposed to evoke a certain scene or theme. Like Handel's "Messiah", or Vivaldi's "Seasons". I also had a music teacher tell me one time that a famous composer (I can't remember who right now) was trying to figure out how to imitate the fires of hell and he did it by having the violins turn their bows upside down and use wood to string instead of string to string. I've found that I like pieces that are in Minor chords. I like pieces that are dark and powerful! I think alot of Russian composers tend to write dark and powerful pieces. My favorite piece that was played at the concert was Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee".
After the concert I was starving and I had noticed an English Pub situated across the street from the bus stop where I got off to go to my hostel. I was particularly excited about this pub because the sign outside read, "NFL Sunday"! So after the concert I went to the pub and ordered a pie and a Guinness and watched part of the Kansas City vs. Colts game. It was a disappointing game because all the points I saw were gained from feild goals, but still, it was AMERICAN FOOTBALL and I hadn't seen a game yet this season!
It was a great end to the day. I had been up all day so I was ready for bed. When I got back to the hostel I discovered another addition to the room. A Korean-Canadian girl was in the bunk above me and she was the first one to talk to me. More about her to come...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Exploring Biel
Saturday was my first real day off. It was a perfect day! I rode the train into Biel and the first thing I did was sit in a cafe across the street from the train station called Cafe Spectacullo and drink a Latte Machiatto while reading "Let the Nations Be Glad" by John Piper. I then went to three different museums. The first was called Centre PasquArt, which is a museum of Modern Art. It was interesting. Some parts I loved, other parts made the depravity of man so tangible that I wanted to vomit. Such is the world of Modern Art. Good art reveals truth. The best art reveals eternal truths. Modern Art many times reveals truths about our culture today that are actually falsehoods. It's what makes Modern Art so weighty. As you observe the different pieces you begin to mourn for those who believe lies. I call it Modern Art, but in truth it is Postmodern Art. I feel the sense of hopelessness jump out of the art and I am filled with despair as well as I realize that the worldview of the artist is without foundation. I imagine that it would be the same sensation as falling down a black hole.
The other two museums I went to were the Neuhaus Museum and Swabb Museum. The Neuhaus Museum was rather boring save the exhibit on the history of cinematography. The Swabb Museum was an archaeological museum with pieces from a dig in the area. There was a lot of Roman pieces including a lamp with a χρ (chi rho) the first to letters of Christ in greek. It is one of the earliest Christian symbols. This was really cool to see. It shows that Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire even as far as where Switzerland is located today.
I had lunch at Pizzeria Momo. I walked in and no one was in the place but Momo himself. He realized I only spoke English so he sat me down at the same table he was sitting at and showed me the menu. There were all types of pizza but I chose one called Pizza Momo, because I like Momo, so I was sure to like his pizza as well. It was the first time that I had real Italian pizza and it was GREAT!! It had olives, onions, eggplant, spinach and cheese of course. I ate half the pizza and carried around the other half the rest of the day. I ate the other half for dinner sitting on a bench in a beautiful promenade. Momo also gave me a fig to go and a free coffee before my pizza. I liked Momo.
The rest of the day I spent exploring the "Old Town" of Biel. It is beautiful. There will be pictures on Facebook. I went into a cathedral in Old Town. I don't know how old it was, but it looked like they had begun to restore old frescos that had been painted over.
That evening I went to a Saturday evening service at Jahu (the church the Walter's and I attend). I thought the Village was a young church. Jahu is filled with youth and young adults and there is a huge emphasis on this age group. An unhealthy emphasis. I met some American girls who are staying and studying at a YWAM base nearby. I keep praying for a really good friend here. Everytime I meet someone here it seems so superficial, but I know that relationships take time to develop.
All in all it was a pretty dang good Saturday!!
The other two museums I went to were the Neuhaus Museum and Swabb Museum. The Neuhaus Museum was rather boring save the exhibit on the history of cinematography. The Swabb Museum was an archaeological museum with pieces from a dig in the area. There was a lot of Roman pieces including a lamp with a χρ (chi rho) the first to letters of Christ in greek. It is one of the earliest Christian symbols. This was really cool to see. It shows that Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire even as far as where Switzerland is located today.
I had lunch at Pizzeria Momo. I walked in and no one was in the place but Momo himself. He realized I only spoke English so he sat me down at the same table he was sitting at and showed me the menu. There were all types of pizza but I chose one called Pizza Momo, because I like Momo, so I was sure to like his pizza as well. It was the first time that I had real Italian pizza and it was GREAT!! It had olives, onions, eggplant, spinach and cheese of course. I ate half the pizza and carried around the other half the rest of the day. I ate the other half for dinner sitting on a bench in a beautiful promenade. Momo also gave me a fig to go and a free coffee before my pizza. I liked Momo.
The rest of the day I spent exploring the "Old Town" of Biel. It is beautiful. There will be pictures on Facebook. I went into a cathedral in Old Town. I don't know how old it was, but it looked like they had begun to restore old frescos that had been painted over.
That evening I went to a Saturday evening service at Jahu (the church the Walter's and I attend). I thought the Village was a young church. Jahu is filled with youth and young adults and there is a huge emphasis on this age group. An unhealthy emphasis. I met some American girls who are staying and studying at a YWAM base nearby. I keep praying for a really good friend here. Everytime I meet someone here it seems so superficial, but I know that relationships take time to develop.
All in all it was a pretty dang good Saturday!!
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