Posted by slc on Jun 30, 2009 in
travels,
updates in kirschburg, germanz. iäve decided to tzpe on this german computer exactlz like i would an american one. apparentlz, these people use the # sign more than thez do apostropheäs. and in case zou havenät been able to tell, thez switch the z and the y on the computer. what i think is interesting is that, if zou read exactlz what i tzpe, exactlz how it is written, it actuallz sounds like iäm writing with a german accent…
i have several blog posts saved on mz personal computer (documenting times at russian german churches, musuems in berlin, and a concentration camp), but seeing as internet cafes make zou use the pcäs thez have, the entries must staz on mz little netbook for now. i suppose that eventuallz, thez will make it on the blog… hopefullz before i actuallz make it back to the states.
zou know what thez sazÖ better late than never, zes_
Posted by slc on Jun 1, 2009 in
christianity,
travels Today we went through the mountain to another Swiss town. Again, the drive was amazing! It seems like every day is determined to beat the view from the day before. We went to this library (can’t remember the name off of the top of my head) that houses tons of old books; I mean, we are talking original works from the Venerable Bede (not an exaggeration). The shelves–well, everything– were so ornate. I told Ashley (my previously-mentioned vertically-challenged friend 
) that it reminded me of the library off of the Beauty and the Beast. The floors had this intricate pattern designed from different types of wood. It, being old and a piece of art itself, caused us to have to wear these huge gray slippers over our shoes to walk on it. It was funny seeing us all shuffle from one display to another. After that, we went to a catholic cathedral (again, can’t remember the name. Will find out…) It was odd; I didn’t get the same oppressive feeling that I did when I visited St. Patty’s in New York so long ago– not right away. Not until I saw a mother leading her young daughter to the candle altar, place money in a locked black offering box and light a tea light. I walked over there and noticed a large book. Flipping through, I realized that they were pages and pages of prayers– in german, french, italian. In pristine cursive and five year old block print. There, turning page after page, my heart broke.
We sang several songs in the chapel. The sound there is so incredible. The acoustics with the a capella sound was one of the most beautiful things that I have heard in a long time– especially “God So Loved the World.” Thinking about the fact that we were singing hope in a place that teaches God’s love and favor is earned by lit candles and coins in coffers made the song sweeten as we sang: “for God sent not His Son into the World to condemn the World…” Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
After that, we went into a market place and did some street singing. It’s so interesting to watch the reactions (when you aren’t trying to watch the music and the German words…). Maybe it was just my observation, but it seemed that so many more people stopped and listened when we sang in English. Intrigued, maybe: a group of Americans don’t come to Switzerland at the marketplace and sing on a regular basis. However, it seems that once they understand the words, most of them become disinterested and walk away– better than 50% do. Sure, some take the tracks… but some crumble them, too. (This kind of feeds into my theory that tracks, in postmodern cultures, perhaps aren’t as effective as we would like to think they are… but in a country where there is a language barrier, it’s the best thing to do.) Hopefully, it won’t be as easy for them to turn God away as it is for them to turn away from us.
(long shot of the chapel)
(the candle altar. you can see the prayer book on the right-hand side.)
Posted by slc on Jun 1, 2009 in
travels We drove from the hostel at Leissengen, Switzerland to the Arche at Ebnet-Kappel, where we had our first service. We realized during our concert that the German pronunciation of some of the words still isn’t all there; but at least the people are gracious.
One thing I’m going to have to get used to is the long, awkward pauses that happen when two people who don’t know each other’s language try to talk to each other. Honestly, I’m not very used to awkwardness; even if I’m talking to a stranger in the States, you can always find something to reference during weird moments of silence. Here, you just smile at each other until you can think of a subject that requires simple words. Right now, the only German I know are the words for exit, squirrel, eineklienacht musik, and saurekraut. Needless to say, this makes for some interesting and very narrow conversations. Good thing they know more English than I do German. (As a brief note, if they ask you if you know German, don’t say “no” and then finish the sentence with “but I know a little French.” They might very well say, “Oh! I know French much better than English!” And start speaking their second language very fluently at you, expecting you to understand every word. Of course, I’m not speaking from experience or anything…
Posted by slc on May 31, 2009 in
photos,
travels,
updates So, we finally made it! It’s funny, because part of you feels like it takes absolutely FOR-EV-ER; but on the other hand, when you think about how fast you can get to the other side of the world, it really isn’t all that long. The flight itself was fine. Very little turbulence, and considering how compact everything was in the plane, it really wasn’t too uncomfortable. It’s amazing how many people they can fit in such a small space.
Once we got to the airport in Geneva, we had to wait for the rented vans. While waiting, I ended up sitting next to a woman that worked for the human rights department for the United Nations. She also traveled/s with an italian music group, and was very interested in our itinerary. She was disappointed that we weren’t going to be having a concert in Geneva… however, she gave me her card and said that if our schedule changed, to call her up; that she would love to show us the city and hear some music. One thing that she said that I found interesting is how much American young people are different than European young people. I asked her how so– thinking about articles that we had read about “ugly [obnoxious] Americans.” Judy mentioned that we were kind and energetic. I didn’t mention how much the opposite of energetic I felt at the moment…
It’s absolutely GORGEOUS here. The mountains are beautiful. Yesterday, after we got the vans, we drove for about an hour to get to the hostel. The scenes are breath-taking! We took some quaint, precariously narrow routes before arriving at a picturesque brown place that reminded me of something from Pinocchio.
See?
(front of hostel)
(back of hostel)
The hostel is positioned right on a lake wedged in a valley between a break in the Alps. Last night, while I took my shoes off and placed my feet in the lake water, I thought to myself that nothing could be more beautiful. As I write this now, sitting at a table on the back porch and watching the sunrise, I wonder if I might have been wrong. I can’t imagine waking up every morning to this view. When I walked out, I couldn’t help but thinking that marvelous are His works. This morning my eyes, my ears, as well as my soul, knows that very well.
(late sunset @ hostel in Leissengen)
(late sunrise @ hostel in Leissengen)
Posted by slc on Apr 28, 2009 in
writing put in her place, she bit her lip and felt the silence
crawl in her lap, place its hands on her mouth,
and suffocate her.
