I love Luxembourg.
The end.
It's gorgeous.
We spent all day today walking around the city.
So great.
It's like a fairy tale.
Back to Amsterdam tomorrow!
xx
Monday, May 30, 2011
Luxembourgish Children
On the train from Brussels to Luxembourg, Cheyenne, Jess, Kara and I sat down peacefully on the train eating a Belgian truffle each.
We were happy until about 20 teenagers hopped on the train smelling like... well... teenagers.
We noticed throughout the trip that they kept looking at us and talking and figured that they were talking about us...
Toward the end of the three hour trip, the rest of the children started chanting "Charles! Charles! Charles!" with crazy thick french accents.
We knew something was up.
Charles then bravely walked up to us, script in hand saying "Hello- Good afternoon! My name is Charles and I am from ________, Luxembourg. What is your name? Where are you from? Are you visiting Luxembourg?"
We then proceeded to talk to these 20 Luxembourgish 14 year olds for the next hour. They recommended sites, said others were boring and were very interested in the Miami Heat.
It was their first year of taking english lessons, and all of these guys were expert at speaking English and even had a sense of humor in the language already!
We were happy until about 20 teenagers hopped on the train smelling like... well... teenagers.
We noticed throughout the trip that they kept looking at us and talking and figured that they were talking about us...
Toward the end of the three hour trip, the rest of the children started chanting "Charles! Charles! Charles!" with crazy thick french accents.
We knew something was up.
Charles then bravely walked up to us, script in hand saying "Hello- Good afternoon! My name is Charles and I am from ________, Luxembourg. What is your name? Where are you from? Are you visiting Luxembourg?"
We then proceeded to talk to these 20 Luxembourgish 14 year olds for the next hour. They recommended sites, said others were boring and were very interested in the Miami Heat.
It was their first year of taking english lessons, and all of these guys were expert at speaking English and even had a sense of humor in the language already!
Je suis pas gros!
We stopped in Belgium for three hours... kind of just to say we've been to Brussels.
While there we got ourselves from Belgian Waffles and sat in a park.
A man then came up to me and said
"Je suis pas gros! pas gros! pas gros! Je suis fort! fort o gros?"
He was holding his stomach and raising his arms-- I was very confused until Jess came up at told me he was asking me if he was fat or strong. Of course we called him strong-- and he smiled back at his friends saying something like "see! they think I'm strong, not fat!"
That was my Belgian Adventure.
While there we got ourselves from Belgian Waffles and sat in a park.
A man then came up to me and said
"Je suis pas gros! pas gros! pas gros! Je suis fort! fort o gros?"
He was holding his stomach and raising his arms-- I was very confused until Jess came up at told me he was asking me if he was fat or strong. Of course we called him strong-- and he smiled back at his friends saying something like "see! they think I'm strong, not fat!"
That was my Belgian Adventure.
The Great Unifier
I've come to think that soccer is the world's great unifier.
As a last meal as a whole YHM before setting out to travel, all the YHMers had one last dinner at Shelter Jordan, the hostel I'll be working at this summer. Dinner was a fantastic time of fellowship with the other YHMers and a great time to meet all the people I'll be living and working with this summer. I can't explain how crazy excited I am to meet these people and be their friends. It's so great to talk to these people who are my age-- from all around the world-- but have the same goals as I do.
ANYWAY-- after dinner, the Amsterdam teams dropped their belongings off at the staff house, also in the Jordaan neighborhood (Shelter Jordan is in the Jordaan). The house is huge, gorgeous and will be one great experience.
On the way back we passed about a pub per block for our thirty minute walk from the Willemstraat (staff house) to Shelter City. Every one of them was stuffed full of people getting ready to watch the Manchester United/ Barcelona game. Even before the game started, the people were talking loudly, enjoying one another.
Once we got back to "City", some friends decided to watch the game with hostel guests and staff. Seriously, soccer is the world's great unifier. I was in a room with Dutch, English, Australian, American and German staff members, a French family, a Norwegian girl, and some guys speaking some Eastern European language. Everyone was watching the soccer game excitedly from the 8 yr old french kid jumping up and down in his seat to the older Dutch man who got angry if anyone stood in his way of the TV.
It was such a special experience to be watching the same game that I knew that tons of people were watching at the same time all around the city :)
As a last meal as a whole YHM before setting out to travel, all the YHMers had one last dinner at Shelter Jordan, the hostel I'll be working at this summer. Dinner was a fantastic time of fellowship with the other YHMers and a great time to meet all the people I'll be living and working with this summer. I can't explain how crazy excited I am to meet these people and be their friends. It's so great to talk to these people who are my age-- from all around the world-- but have the same goals as I do.
ANYWAY-- after dinner, the Amsterdam teams dropped their belongings off at the staff house, also in the Jordaan neighborhood (Shelter Jordan is in the Jordaan). The house is huge, gorgeous and will be one great experience.
On the way back we passed about a pub per block for our thirty minute walk from the Willemstraat (staff house) to Shelter City. Every one of them was stuffed full of people getting ready to watch the Manchester United/ Barcelona game. Even before the game started, the people were talking loudly, enjoying one another.
Once we got back to "City", some friends decided to watch the game with hostel guests and staff. Seriously, soccer is the world's great unifier. I was in a room with Dutch, English, Australian, American and German staff members, a French family, a Norwegian girl, and some guys speaking some Eastern European language. Everyone was watching the soccer game excitedly from the 8 yr old french kid jumping up and down in his seat to the older Dutch man who got angry if anyone stood in his way of the TV.
It was such a special experience to be watching the same game that I knew that tons of people were watching at the same time all around the city :)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Happy in Holland!
I'm currently sitting in the Amsterdam public library.
We arrived at 8 am Amsterdam tim (2am Chicago time). We'll be stayin in Shelter City, the other Christian Hostel that YHMers are working at in Amsterdam. I'm spending a few days there before heading to Luxembourg on Sunday.
All in all, flight was uneventful. The weather is pretty chilly. The food is yummy :)
I've already walked through the red light district and seen my fair share of prostitutes and have smelled quite a lot of pot....
I'm not quite sure how I'm responding yet.....
I'll get back to you later...
Oh-- on a funny note-- this Dutch computer is underlining every word in red. Silly computer thinks I speak Dutch...
We arrived at 8 am Amsterdam tim (2am Chicago time). We'll be stayin in Shelter City, the other Christian Hostel that YHMers are working at in Amsterdam. I'm spending a few days there before heading to Luxembourg on Sunday.
All in all, flight was uneventful. The weather is pretty chilly. The food is yummy :)
I've already walked through the red light district and seen my fair share of prostitutes and have smelled quite a lot of pot....
I'm not quite sure how I'm responding yet.....
I'll get back to you later...
Oh-- on a funny note-- this Dutch computer is underlining every word in red. Silly computer thinks I speak Dutch...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Prayer
I'm copying this from Kara's official blog for our team.
These are prayer requests for as we set out.
Jess- prayer for boldness and freedom from worry; uneventful surgery and speedy, painless recovery for her 4-year-old brother, who is having surgery to repair a shattered elbow this week
Erin- prayer for calmed nerves during travel and reassurance of the Lord’s presence; the trajectory of her life has changed dramatically upon her acceptance to YHM and Wheaton’s Human Needs and Global Resources program (HNGR), which will take her on a solo six-month internship to a third world Spanish-speaking country next summer and fall…Let the transformation begin!
Cheyenne- prayer to live in the present while we are in Europe, with intentionality and willingness to invest in people
Kara- prayer that past struggles personal struggles would not resurface in such a way that would distract her from God’s call on her life to live with, serve, and listen to people in hostels this summer; protection in her battle against the flesh
These are prayer requests for as we set out.
Jess- prayer for boldness and freedom from worry; uneventful surgery and speedy, painless recovery for her 4-year-old brother, who is having surgery to repair a shattered elbow this week
Erin- prayer for calmed nerves during travel and reassurance of the Lord’s presence; the trajectory of her life has changed dramatically upon her acceptance to YHM and Wheaton’s Human Needs and Global Resources program (HNGR), which will take her on a solo six-month internship to a third world Spanish-speaking country next summer and fall…Let the transformation begin!
Cheyenne- prayer to live in the present while we are in Europe, with intentionality and willingness to invest in people
Kara- prayer that past struggles personal struggles would not resurface in such a way that would distract her from God’s call on her life to live with, serve, and listen to people in hostels this summer; protection in her battle against the flesh
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