Xronia Polla!

It's been a nonstop day! Of course now I have to stay up late because it's New Year's. :) I am just going upstairs with George and Lydia, who have invited some of their friends over. (Apparently half of these "friends" are single men. Hmm. This is why I have not gone up there yet.)

IKEA called at 7am letting me know they were coming to deliver my purchases from yesterday - woohoo! Soon after I had a Greek lesson for a few hours, and later in the morning, I finally made it to the laϊki, the outdoor street market for fruits and vegetables (pronounced "likey"). I got all this stuff for under 10 bucks:Not the snowman.

This afternoon I accompanied Heather, the only other American I have really met! to the Acropolis and some of the other sites, as she hadn't been yet. I went in March, but had been planning to go again, so we used our free day to act like tourists. :)

I spent a few hours this afternoon assembling my new furniture...it's not quite done yet, but soon I'll be able to show you pictures. I know you are waiting in breathless anticipation - well, BREATHE! All in good time. :)

Now, off I go, upstairs...eeeesh. Happy new year! :)

I have no idea what you're saying to me right now.

I was doing great with this whole reading and making sentences thing. Greek is easy! Especially when I just look back in my notebook if I forget how to form a particular case, or grab the dictionary for those words I keep forgetting because they are pretty much just random sounds all smashed together to form "words" that have absolutely no rhyme or reason anywhere in their 32 syllables.

But then Voula tried to make me have a conversation with her today. She started asking me all these questions. She claimed that they were words I already "knew." I use the word "know" loosely, since having them written down somewhere in my plethora of notebooks next to their definition and having them memorized in my head are very different. (I've been trying to memorize. But some of these words just don't stick - see above comment on randomness of words. And my paper flashcard stack has grown to well over two inches. I think that in itself is very self-defeating.)

By the way, I refuse to use the phrase "It's all Greek to me." Please don't say it to me, you are not the first. :)

GAAAH. This is only the beginning of my third week, so I don't really expect anything different. Only I do expect different; I expect myself to be brilliant and quick at all times. I should having full conversations by now. (Ha ha. That was a joke.) My biggest problem is that my vocabulary has not caught up with my grammar. Oh, and also that part about being able to read it but not hear it quite yet.

In happier news, we are finally going to IKEA tomorrow, so hopefully this place will start to feel like home, and I get to go do touristy things on Wednesday with an American girl I met at church, and I'm going to Delphi on Saturday with a group of people from church. So yay. I will probably have my flashcards in my purse, hoping the words can somehow filter into my brain from their proximity.

trafficking in America article

Photo by Kay Chernush

If you have a chance this week, read this MSNBC article on sex slavery in America. I saw it last week, but I wanted to mention it because it points out some things that a lot of other articles or TV specials don't.

I was at the LA Metro Task Force meeting this summer when they announced that they had captured this woman, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, concluding their 2 year investigation on this human trafficking ring in LA. There was much celebration. This ring involved women and girls from Guatemala brought to the MacArthur Park area of LA, where Ruben and Charity and I focused much of our outreach.

In this article it says that many traffickers take their victims to witch doctors to threaten them with curses on them or their families if they tried to escape. Early in our time on the job together, Ruben and Charity and I were in MacArthur Park, passing a Botanica, when Ruben felt a distinct pull to go inside. (Ah, the stories I couldn't tell here while I was working for Salvation Army!!!) I usually don't like to go inside these; there is such a mish-mash of spiritual forces going on inside that it's kind of yucky feeling for me. But, inside most of these little shops you can find a witch doctor, who can pronounce blessings or curses or sell you something to fix almost anything problem. Charity and I had heard of a few of these with actual pr0stitution rings being run out of them. We looked around as Ruben chatted up the woman at the counter for a few minutes.

Ruben has this uncanny ability - I called it an anointing - to disarm people and within minutes have them sharing intimate details of their lives, or in this case human trafficking rings, with him. Perhaps it's his upbringing (I talked about it a little in the middle of this post), or his winsome personality, but as I listened to him casually ask a couple questions about the types of trafficking and exploitation we knew were happening there in the park, the Witch Doctor actually came out of his labyrinth in the back and stood listening.

The conversation was in Spanish, so I whispered translated bits of it to Charity as we stood "browsing" some Virgin Mary candles across the room. In less than five minutes, Ruben had this witch doctor telling him exactly what this article says. There are enormous numbers of victims of trafficking right there in McArthur park, from this prostitution ring to the people pushing ice cream carts. And this man sees a huge percentage of them as they are brought to him for curses or other types of "bindings" to their trafficker. This is common in other countries, we knew, especially where there is animism or other forms of ritualism, but we had just heard first hand that it happened there too.

Anyway...(I always go on and on so much longer than planned!) read the article if you get a chance. I like that it also says that a lot of women work in trafficking rings. I was asked this often, incredulously. It's so common, and they are very successful in recruiting as well, because women tend to trust women more easily. Often these women were recruited and exploited the same way and have moved to a position of authority over other girls, or sometimes it's just the "family business."

Never thought I'd say this...

...but I am actually missing preservatives right now!!

It's so great they don't put as many preservatives in food here, the food is so fresh, it's so much better for you, blah blah blah. I bought a whole bunch of fresh pita bread FOUR DAYS AGO and I just discovered mold through the whole stack. UGH!

I wonder what you're eating in your food, you over there in the States!?!?

Kala Xristouyenna: My first Greek Christmas

Well...fun and busy Christmas Eve, relaxing Christmas, both fun. :) Christmas Eve was dinner at Pepie's, with Voula & Elias and their girls, and George & Lydia and their boys. Five kids between the ages of 4 and 10...definitely had a few meltdowns and I'm sure everyone in the building could hear us, but it was fun. :)

Entertaining 5 kids:Stuart was the chef on Christmas Eve, making a lot of English dishes, with pork & beef, stuffing, potatoes, etc. etc. Yum!The ladies: Voula, Lydia, and Pepie...Another attempt at entertaining the kids, Polar Express (or Kung Fu Panda, we had both). This picture is amazing; two out of five picking their noses... (Ellie, Yiannis, Naya, Phillipos, Petros)

A chance for some actual conversation while the kids are watching a movie: Me, Voula, Stuart, Elias (Voula's husband), Lydia & George (who I am renting the apartment from)... Santa Stuart and his magical bag of...

...what is it?

Reindeer for everyone. (Yiannis, or "Glen" - from the video I posted last week) Me with Yiannis and Philipos. These kids are so cute :)Pepie & I with the kids and our reindeer (minus Ellie, who was quite upset over in the corner at that particular moment). :)

Today (Christmas) I took a long walk around Piraeus, down to the main harbor where the port for all the ships is. Came back and got ready and went back to Pepie's, where I had dinner with her & Stuart and her parents, who don't speak a word of English. Her mom cooked this time, it was another great meal. They are sweet and invited me back tomorrow (they are in town for a couple of days). I think they just like to ask me questions in Greek and then laugh at me when I don't know what they're saying. :) They are very kind though, and I enjoyed being with them. :)

Merry Christmas!!! Hope yours was wonderful too.

It's almost Christmas in Greece!

Kalanta

Last year in Egypt, we couldn't visit St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai because it was closed for the Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7, the day we were there. I was kind of wondering if the Greek Christmas would also not be until January, since they are Orthodox here as well. But Christmas is on the 25th here, tomorrow.

This morning the kids of the neighborhood came around singing the Kalanta, Christmas carols. Traditionally they sang these to bless the house and keep away the Kallikantzari, little mischievous Christmas creatures that prey on people during the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 25 - Jan. 6). The yule log was lit in the fireplace because these creatures (some thought they wore wooden or iron boots, better for kicking people) came into the house through the fireplace. So much for Santa!

Anyway, I found this little tidbit somewhere in one of the Orthodox websites (good thing I am not writing a paper, that was a terrible citation job):

.

"Although Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25, some still use the Julian calendar ("old calendar") for their religious calendar. The Julian calendar is the predecessor to the Gregorian calendar ("new calendar") that is now the civil calendar of the western world. The Julian calendar is 13 days different from the Gregorian, so December 25 on the Julian calendar occurs on January 7 on the Gregorian calendar and Epiphany on January 19. Those who use the Julian calendar include the Churches of Jerusalem, Russia and Serbia, and the monasteries on Mt. Athos."

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An interesting side note: Mt. Athos, in Northern Greece, is a mountain that is home to around 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. You can only access it by boat, and only men are allowed to go there. St. Catherine's in Egypt is also Greek Orthodox, one of the oldest functioning monasteries in the world. Coptic Christians in Egypt, and some Eastern Orthodox countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, and I think the Armenian church celebrates on the 6th (all due to calendar changes).

All that to say, here I am, and Christmas is tomorrow, woohoo! It definitely feels different here without all the commercialism and frenzy of the Western Christmas. Here Easter is a much bigger deal (and they do celebrate Easter on the Orthodox date).

I suddenly became busy!

...but not too busy for YOU.

American eggs, apparently. I didn't do that on purpose. (AMEPIKANIKH = American)

I have already begun noticing things that you can't buy here, or that are really expensive:

~ peanut butter. :( It was like 8 bucks for a jar with approximately one cup of p.b. inside.
~vanilla. They use powder...should be interesting.

~chocolate chips. I have heard a rumor that they exist, but no one can say where exactly, and no one can be certain that they have actually ever seen them. Generally you just have to buy a chocolate bar and break it up.

~pumpkin. Canned, that is, and I haven't seen a real pumpkin anywhere either. And if I did, I can't say I'd be up for scraping out the innards. They don't really do pumpkin things here. Suddenly I am craving pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. :(

I'm sure I'll be adding to the list. Fortunately, Yiorgos (George - does it confuse you when I interchange them?!) upstairs travels a lot for work and goes to Birmingham frequently, where they stock up on some of the things they can't get here.

I also have Greek grammar coming out my ears. I really do like studying languages, so this is fun for me. I look forward to the lessons, and I like doing my homework. I do need the homework though, because I am not self-motivated enough to study without it. :) Thankfully Voula is a slave driver, so I have plenty to do each day (hours). She is an excellent teacher.

She has me writing a lot of sentences. You learn how grammar works faster this way. This week I have crafted such intelligent and elegant statements as these:

"The America is staying at the hotel."

"Yiannis does not have your passport" (I meant "his").

"Today I want to eat chocolate." (The word or tense or whatever that I used meant I wanted to eat chocolate continuously, all day long. Not what I meant to write, but so what if I do want to eat chocolate all day long??)

On the whole, she says my sentences are good, and I feel like I'm getting it. Now I just need to speak. I have a stack of paper flash cards about two inches high that I am working on so I have the vocab to be able to talk. Gah.

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My weekend was really busy - hence the title of the post - but I'm going to have to get back to you on that. It's almost 9pm and I have more sentences to write!

merry christmas, from the athens riot police

This tree was burned down last week (ok, not this EXACT tree) but they replaced it Tuesday. Now it stands under heavy guard. I think the police are more of an attraction than the tree; there were hundreds of people just standing around watching them and the other groups of police in Syntagma Square tonight.

cheering and chanting and singing, oh my!

The Peace & Friendship Stadium, Piraeus waterfront

Last night I was studying Greek articles, vocabulary, conjugating verbs, all that fun stuff. I didn't really leave the house yesterday, except to go for a run in the afternoon (I really need some friends). I used the time to study and, very importantly, skype and instant message with people from home.

After 10pm, I kept hearing weird noises outside that sounded like cheering, but I wasn't sure where on earth cheering would be coming from? There are many elementary schools clustered about two blocks away, but what would kids be doing at school so late at night, and it sounded like thousands of people. A few times I thought it was passing cars that just sounded weird...then maybe I thought they were watching some sporting event on TV upstairs, just very loud?

It got louder and louder, until I heard unmistakable chanting and singing. From THOUSANDS of people. It could be my welcoming party, but also there is a stadium just down the road. It's close; I could probably be from my front door to the inside of the stadium in ten minutes or less walking. I ran around it yesterday. But it's a covered stadium, and I didn't know it was really used for big events.

Yeah, it is. Football! After searching online for what in the world was going on over there, I discovered that one of Greece's best (apparently) teams, Olympiacos F.C., plays here. Last night they were playing Hertha Berlin in the UEFA Cup. Right in my backyard! I found it streaming online so whenever I heard the loudest of the cheers, I could check online and watch the goal being scored. :)
It's very exciting to have my very own football team, right in my neighborhood! Voula said this morning that parking is impossible on our streets on game nights, and that it's a good thing they won last night or it's not pretty around here. I've never really followed soccer, AT ALL...now I don't even need to leave my house to know what's going on with our team!

One week

Meet John (that's "Glen" to you)...

He wanted to watch this over and over on my camera. :)

George & Lydia had me up for dinner last night and said the boys had been so excited all day long that I was coming. I'm so thankful to have found a place with this family. They lived in the States for several years and in London for one, and are themselves trying to adjust back to living in Greece with three kids. We are going to IKEA on Monday morning, so hopefully it will start to feel a bit more like home around here for me.

It has been an interesting couple of days. Obviously I need to try and figure out my place here. In talking with a few people, I think the main thing that I have on my heart is some kind of a resource center or organization that exists strictly to network other agencies that are already working on (or are interested in working on/learning about) human trafficking. There seems to be a similar desire on the hearts of a few others I have been talking with. I guess I need to start learning about what that entails, what I need to do, and how it will work. It could incorporate resources, training, and strengthening partnerships & collaboration for stronger effectiveness, advocacy, and support. There are already agencies in place that do outreach, shelter, services, etc. well. One bonus, I already have a lawyer and a social worker to partner with in this. :)

A really important contact, a woman who runs a shelter that has recently taken in at least seven new victims, told me yesterday that her shelter is in danger of shutting down because of new financial constraints from the bank. This is really discouraging. I'm meeting with her on Saturday, and praying urgently that this closure won't happen.

A new shelter opened in Thessaloniki this month (the group that I met with up there in March), and they have just received their first victims, a young Bulgarian couple who were trafficked for forced labor (and the wife for sexual exploitation). They are beginning the restoration process, and the church in Thess is really rallying around the shelter. I will be traveling up there in January or February to do a training for the shelter workers!

So...what is my place? A couple times the past few days that has crossed my mind. What am I doing here?? I've entered something here with zero structure or form. That is going to be largely up to me.

I let go of Greece in April, and God brought it back in May. Seven months later, here I sit in my new home. This is clearly his doing. I'm not yet certain what his plans look like here for me, but I can be certain that they are his. The timing, the connections, and anything that comes of this.

even cold spanakopita is good

I have yet to have a meal in my own apartment. Between Pepie & Stuart calling me over for dinner, Voula sending lunch home with me after Greek lessons in a "tupper-thing," or Lydia bringing me cookies and spanakopita from upstairs, I've had plenty to eat, that's for sure. Sandie told me to be careful, or they'd feed me "right out of my clothes." Excellent!

I have figured out a few things to cook that I have picked up at the store (when I actually get a chance to eat a meal here), figured out - with Stuart's help - where the good bread is, what the good kind of yogurt is, etc. Pepie's dad has bees, so she has stocked me up with homegrown honey and also olive oil. I haven't yet ventured to the butcher, that is rather intimidating and kind of gross, but I guess that's where you get the best meat.

I do need to get a microwave, which is why I'm eating cold spanakopita right now, and later for dinner will have to heat up the rest of Voula's meat & potatoes in the oven. I am making a list of the things I need to get at IKEA for the house, which is why you haven't seen pictures yet. All in good time (nothing happens fast around here). :)

Anyway, I just got back from a run along the sea (I love that they call it "the sea" ... we only have oceans at home), and I'm trying to figure out what I've done to make my knee crackle when I go down stairs (lots of stairs in Piraeus). Hopefully that will go away, it's kind of gross. It's been bothering me for a couple of days now. There is a piano lesson going on right now, lots of Christmas carols. 'Tis the season. :)

Time to do my Greek homework - goodness, I got home from only an hour and a half with Voula this morning and went right back to bed. I remember all of these grammar things from the biblical Greek I took in school, but there are enough differences that I am going to have to completely rid my brain of that stuff to replace it with modern greek. The alphabet is the same, though pronunciation is very different, and some grammar rules are familiar, but it's still going to be a lot of work to reprogram and then learn this language. Wahoo!

Kalimera, Amerikinous filous.

I live here...

Photos from my long, exploratory walk today...

Piraeus: I live in that hill somewhere. This is the "Mikrolimano" neighborhood, which means "small harbor" ...
Mikrolimano, with Athens in the distance:Zea Marina, closer to downtown Piraeus:

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDY SISTER!!!!!!!!!

Day 3 :)

Voula's family: Ilias (originally from Syria), Naia (who asked me to teach her Spanish today), Elli, and Voula.

I braved the metro (subway) system this morning and found my way to an international church in Athens. I met the pastor and his family, Americans, but that's about it. It might be good to find something closer, in Piraeus or at least not way on the other side of Athens. My family upstairs came home from church this afternoon and gave me the phone number of an American girl who has only been here for a month. I will call her this week. I will also probably go to church with George & Lydia next week; apparently some other foreigners go there as well.

I was proud of myself for venturing out on my own. I asked George last night if he thought it would be ok to head into the center of town, which was closed yesterday because of more demonstrations, but he thought Sunday would be fine. So I planned my metro route and got myself to Omonia & Syntagma Squares just for the fun of it, and found the church. It's really sad to see destroyed and burned out shops. These small shops are these people's livelihoods, and for it to happen during a holiday season when they would have made good profits... There were a lot of people out replacing glass, working on fixing their storefronts. There is still some broken glass here and there, shattered telephone booths & subway elevator entrances, etc. and lots of Syntagma Square is blocked off (they burned the big Christmas tree that was up). There were more violent protests in Syntagma last night, but today was ok. Unfortunately people are not stopping; many are thinking that this teenager's death was like a "last straw" for many people.

Anyway, it was good to be out, and I feel more confident about getting myself around now. Next I will try buses! :)

Tonight Pepie and I went to Voula's family's house for their little house church style meeting that they do. It was all Greeks, and me. Afterward we shared spanikopita just out of the oven, then everyone walked back over to Pepie's house for some cake and English custard that Stuart had made. I am just getting home. I love living so close; I am two blocks from Pepie and four from Voula. Voula is a social worker involved with Lydia Today; she has also translated most of our "Hands that Heal" curriculum for training people to work with trafficking victims into Greek. We talked tonight about the possibility of her teaching me Greek. We are going to meet tomorrow and talk about it.

In Greek culture, you have your circle of friends that you do everything with - meals, holidays, vacations, etc. I was told that it is very difficult to get "invited" into one of these groups. This group is very close, and I feel like I have been part of it for years! They have welcomed me right in like family. I know it is due to Sandie's previous relationship with them all these years past, and I'm grateful! It's funny that I already have a little circle of Greek friends, one English friend, and no American friends. Hopefully that will change this week, but this has been just what I needed this first week.

Σάββατο

Is it really only 6:00? I've only been up for 8 hours but I am dead tired (jet lag...it'll get you every time). I just got home after running around all day with Pepie and Stuart and then by myself. Stuart is from England and has lived here for three years (and does not know Greek - so when I hang out with the whole group, at least there is someone almost as clueless as I am!). I seem to have picked up an English accent today, at least in my head.

We ran lots of errands; they are furnishing their apartment and doing some DIY projects, so we went and looked at some furniture, wood and stains, etc., and I got myself a hairdryer and clothes hangers. Stopped off at the grocery store...this was mildly overwhelming for my second day in the country. Where are the lean cuisines!!?!?!?

After they dropped me off I went out for about an hour and a half, walking in all directions from my house. I mentioned I am about 5 minutes from the sea; it's true...I walked over the hill and in (ok, maybe 7) minutes I was standing on a little jetty on the water looking at Piraeus and the harbor in the sunset. Over to the right was the Parthenon in the distance, and all around was blue ocean and the coastline. Tomorrow I will have to bring my camera.

I walked around a bit more while I still had daylight, down to the metro station, along the trolley route, down to a park where I can run, etc. Since a lot of Piraeus is on a hill, there are lots of stairs. Directly to the right of my building there are approximately 230 steep steps that could be quite a workout should I take them quickly. (Even slowly they were a little tiring!) Up at the top there is a good view of Athens, the stadiums, the Acropolis, etc.

I live here! Yeah...not sure that has really set in yet. Some moments it feels like a vacation that I will go home and tell my friends about. Other moments, like tonight when I got home and remembered that I don't have many friends here at all, I remember that I'm in the midst of a rather significant life change and that there will be challenging moments. I really need to make some friends... Work contacts are good, and I will start with that next week, and I am really thankful for the people here who have already accepted me as family. Soon though I am going to get to learn to make my own friends. :)

hello from Greece!

Ahoy ~ I made it! Aside from nearly blowing my brains out my ears trying to blow up my neck pillow, and struggling to stay awake for 7 hours in the airport in Frankfurt, my trip was uneventful. Pepie picked me up at the airport and drove me to my new home, here in Piraeus.

We are just southwest of Athens (they pretty much blend together), and I'm about a five minute walk to the bus station, the metro station, and the sea (we are near the port). I was greeted by Lydia and George last night, and this morning have already received drawings and "letters" from each of their three boys, Iannis (John, who actually introduced himself as "Glen," which is his middle name), Petros (Peter), and Philipos (take a guess). Lydia says they were so excited to meet me and they have been putting on quite a show. :) (I posted their pic here.)

The room is small, and Lydia is teaching a piano lesson in the other room right now. It is an ideal location though, 2 blocks from Pepie and 4 from Voula, and George and Lydia are great, so I will stay a couple of months and see how it works out. They gave me a phone, offered me a computer (I am using their wireless), and stocked my kitchen with food.

George showed me downtown, the stadium, the sea, the Acropolis, etc. from his office upstairs this morning, and now I am off to Pepie's and going to take a walk around. I have internet for skype and a phone number now, and you all know my email address or can leave a comment, so I shall hopefully be seeing/hearing from you soon! ;) More later...

are you kidding me!?!?

When I was in Greece in March, there was a garbage strike, a transportation strike, and a gas strike.

I was doing a little investigating tonight about the flight situations and the riots. Wouldn't you know it: it is not in fact the rioting that is cancelling flights...THERE IS AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS STRIKE. One day, on Wednesday, the day I was supposed to arrive. So at least I can leave tomorrow, to arrive on Thursday night.

I am told that these things, like strikes and riots and marches, will be commonplace to me very soon. Burning cars? Eh, just part of a regular day.

I'm still here.

I have one more unexpected day to enjoy my friends in LA. I squeezed everything into three suitcases (!), finished most of what I needed to get done (the rest is just "oh well"), and even had the bags in the car. I was trying to check in online and it wasn't letting me, so I called the airline and found out my Frankfurt to Athens leg had been cancelled. All the flights into Athens are cancelled today and tomorrow because of the riots. I would have been stranded in Frankfurt, so instead I changed my LA to Frankfurt flight too. So here I am, until tomorrow, when I'll try it again, arriving in Athens (hopefully) on Thursday instead of tomorrow.

What to do with myself!? I have absolutely nothing to do, which, despite the disappointment about not getting to leave yet, feels wonderful!! I was definitely ready to go, excited about what's waiting for me on the other side, so at first I was bummed. But, I have nothing that I need to be there for this week, and I'll get there eventually, so I'm going to enjoy doing nothing and spending the last few hours with friends.

The farewell tour continued through the weekend; Sunday night the college group had "My Big Fat Greek Christmas Party" which was also sort of a goodbye party...there was nothing Greek about it but it was nice. I will really miss so many of those girls!

Last night a smaller group got together for prayer, covering every part of the trip, ministry, and me personally. It was good to pray and be prayed for. (I know, too, that even cancelled flights are in God's plans.) Some of the girls hung out for a bit afterward:

and then I went home and proceeded to stay up until 2am. I'm a bit tired (got up at 6:30 to get ready for my anti-climactic day)!

So, now I wait! I got an email from Lydia in Athens this morning that everyone is doing fine, they are just saddened by what's going on. So - I'll get there when I get there. And right now, I am going to watch The Office. :)

Here I come!

Just in time for rioting in Athens... :(

craft night

Those two words usually send me into a cold sweat - sometimes I think I am missing that "creative" gene. :) Tonight at a going-away party, Dana and Kristin (the lovely hostesses) had the guests each make a scrapbook page, complete with a photo of me and them. I was in a LOT of photos tonight, eesh. So here are some of the party guests. I contemplated changing outfits midway through the night, or else making all the guests wear the same shirt for the photos for uniformity, but the idea didn't fly. I have two full days left! That is not very many!

Have fun and feel loved!

(I am actually writing thank you notes right now, which is how I can justify blogging when I am leaving the country in 4 days and have many things to do.)

As I was driving to a little goodbye shindig last night, a really low-key dinner with some close friends, I was feeling a little stressed out. I'd just had a looooong phone conversation with an airline, was a little overwhelmed at some software stuff that I am trying to get onto my computer, and was just trying to de-stress myself in the car from that "go-go-go" feeling I had had all day. When you get that way, it's hard not to see even these special events with friends as another thing for your "to-do" list.

I was nearing my exit when I got a text from a friend that said "Have fun tonight and feel loved!" That stopped me in my tracks. (Well, not literally; I was driving on a busy road.) That is the purpose of these times! Why is it so hard to "feel loved"? This is not a thing to check off my list; it is a time where my friends can show me that they love me and are going to miss me (and I them)! It no longer became a thing of stress but a time for me to relax away from the tasks to do and let them love me. :) And they did.

The New Yule Log

Remember that soothing video you could put on your TV and watch a fire burning all day long? We have created a new one.

So as not to incriminate anyone, I will just say that that is NOT me at the very end. (It's Janell.)

Stop 1 on the Farewell Tour

I had a lovely dinner tonight with these dear friends...

Tomorrow on to the rest of the to-do list, and laundry, and preliminary packing to get an idea of what exactly I can cram into 3 suitcases that I will want for the next year.

steps

I sold my car! Eek! It took approximately one day. I guess there is always a market for Honda Accords. I elected to sell it rather than have to park it somewhere for at least a year. This feels like a huge step to me, for some reason it is an even bigger deal to me than when I bought my plane ticket. :)

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For everyone who has asked me over the last couple months if I had a place to stay all lined up when I got to Athens, uh...I lied. Not really LIED, but I answered in the affirmative, in faith. :) I knew it would work out, even though I didn't exactly know what it would look like yet. Until yesterday. So typical of Greece, things have indeed worked out, but at almost the last possible minute. Pepie emailed yesterday with two options: rent a room in her neighbor's 2nd apartment, or rent a furnished studio several blocks away.

I chose the room in the apartment...Pepie's neighbor Lydia (go figure!) and her husband rented the apartment below theirs so Lydia can teach music lessons there in the afternoon, starting in January. I can stay as short or as long as I need, until I find a place of my own. If I stay past January I'll have company a few hours a day. They are Christians, and they have three young boys. I like this option because there will be people around, something important when I first arrive I think. And it's quite cheap...another huge benefit. And they are Greek (but speak English), so I can practice!

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I have five more days...

back

Arrived back in the sprawling metropolis of the greater LA area this evening. I cannot believe how fast ten days in Seattle went. Too fast. It was great to be with family, and sad to leave, knowing it was the last time we'd be together for awhile. Boohoo.

It's hard not to start disconnecting from people and things here. I have a long to-do list for this last week of being in the States, and part of me would just focus on that and not much else. It's weird knowing you're leaving, that everyone else's lives will go on as normal without you, and the hole you leave behind will soon be filled with other things. I am tempted to withdraw and begin that "cutting off" process now, since in many ways it feels inevitable. I am challenged to engage, spend time, and still be present here.

9 days!

Thanksgiving 08

1. siblings - Trav, Lindy, Nate; 2. Nuncle Bob carving the turkey; 3. with cousins Jason & Dan - friends since babyhood; 4. Dan & LeeAnn's baby Penelope; 5. Food!; 6. LeeAnn; 7. Jon & Stephanie, me & Dan; 8. Dan & Mom and stuffing; 9. an accurate representation of my odd family

T minus 14 days

Let the countdown begin, I suppose!

I had a dentist appointment today that was so much more relaxing than yesterday's massage. But, I can still turn my head all the way to both sides, which is a plus!

Happy Thanksgiving!

rainy days

It's been another good couple of days. It's good to be here. I must admit, though, the fact that I am moving to Greece two weeks from tomorrow seems like some fictional idea...seriously, what??

I spent yesterday afternoon with my brother, and after work Lindy (sister) joined us for dinner. I can't remember the last time we all did something. By the time we decided to drive on over to the Melting Pot for dessert ("This is such a chick place" ~ Travis), I was in tears. With laughter. I can't even remember what was funny, but by the time we paid our bill, we were all struggling for breath and composure, and Lindy was dribbling her drink on the table in front of the waitress. (That's because she was laughing; it was not some distasteful party trick.) :)

Today I had some good time with some old friends. This morning I met Robin and Amy (from SPU) and Amy's two boys for breakfast (pics above). We saw each other with Kristin this summer, so it was wonderful to get some good time in before I leave and at least another year passes! I love all these girls, and their friendship & prayers & support definitely keeps me going at times. Later, I met up with a friend from high school (I don't keep up with many of those!!), Andrea. We've reconnected over the past couple of years over blogs, emails and facebook, and have found ourselves in similar circumstances and walks of life. We had much to connect about over coffee this afternoon, and the time flew by! I'm encouraged by her adventurous spirit (she's the only person I know who has been to Antarctica - twice!) and her easy-going, faithful attitude. It's been great to "re-" get to know each other.

And to top off my day, I used a gift card for a massage. Now, I've never heard things like "Wow..." and "you're awesome!" and "not many people would put up with this!" from a massage therapist before, all in relation to the state of my stressed out muscles and the digging and, let's just face it, PAIN that was necessary to get some relief. I did get the conciliatory "you're going to really feel a difference" after, which I do. Hopefully I'll get some good sleep for a change and be a little more comfortable now!

home, for today anyway

It doesn't really feel this week like I'm moving anywhere across the world; I'm just hanging out here in Seattle (and Portland, as it were) visiting family and friends like there's nothing out of the ordinary coming up in my life. Happy Thanksgiving week! :)

Kristin & James (courtesy of facebook, thanks!) :)

Yesterday I drove down to Portland to spend the day with Kristin, one of my longest-running friendships (from SPU ~ going on 11 years!), and one of my dearest friends. (Not to be confused with roommate Kristin, who I also love, incidentally.) Kristin and her husband James have been such a support to me on this journey to figuring life out, and their faithful love and prayers have been really uplifting to me over the years. Especially now. Kristin and I had a great time having a long lunch, walking laps around the mall because we were too engrossed in conversation to shop, and then actually shopping. :) It was so great. Thanks for the day, girl.

Other than that, I've done a little shopping with Mom and sister, watched two James Bond movies, squeezed in a couple runs when the rain stops, met with a potential supporter, and managed to feel like all is as it always has been.

Except for the other night, when I had dinner with a family friend who happened to live in Athens for four years, and after said dinner, when I happened to have a minor (not at all minor) "what the crap am I doing" moment (longer than a moment). Some fears, unknowns, questions ... compounded by the negative-ish experience that our friend had in Greece that comes out in her conversations about it...for a good hour or two I felt dread (not doubt or uncertainty) that made me just sit in my room for awhile. Until Sandie called, having just spoken to our staff in Greece, with answers and reassurances that answered all the fears and questions in my head. And hers. :) I'll save that happy story for another post.

But for now, I'm in Seattle, trying to get as much sleep as possible, trying to see friends and enjoy family and pretend everything is the same. For now. :)

She'll be famous one day...

Janell sang with our friend Chris at Steamer's last night...she did great! Chris is a regular there, and he's had Janell sing with him at a couple of gigs over the last few months. This was her first time at Steamers, and the first time we could actually come hear them together ~ so fun!

updates GAH-lore

I am not exactly sure what day it is, except it must be Tuesday because I am flying to Seattle in the morning. It is good to be moved. I'm staying with my friend Jamie & her husband Jason, in their bright yellow & white guest room. It's hard not to be happy and relaxed in this room. :) I will be here for 9 days when I come back in December, and then I'm off...up, up, and away...off I go, into the wild blue yonder...leavin' on a get plane...into the Great Unknown.

I am doing well. I thought perhaps I was still in denial because I am not really feeling anxious or stressed out or overwhelmed. Being done with moving has helped in that regard a great deal. I had some extended time to just sit and be today, and I realized that while I may not quite be "ready" - who knows if I'll ever be, I feel peace about it and I'm feeling good about this next step. Talk to me in a couple weeks and see if this feeling has lasted :) but for now, I am doing well.

Nick is doing better...I went to the hospital for a few hours again today. He has a genetic mutation that caused the pulmonary embolism suddenly. After his oral blood thinners start working and he is allowed to go home (hopefully tomorrow), he will have a couple of options: 1) take the blood thinners for a year and avoid anything that can cause cuts, bruising, internal injuries, etc. (he is very active and rides his bike everywhere; wouldn't really be able to do a lot of that stuff anymore), then take his chances after a year living a normal life but risk getting more clots, or 2) take the blood thinners for the rest of his life - no clots, but not a normal life either. Sad. The poor guy is tired of being in the hospital, obviously. There will still be lots of tests & monitoring for awhile after he goes home. It's over $3000 a day to be in there, and he's responsible for 20% which is adding up fast too. We are encouraging him to take up crocheting or opera; something non physical. :) He also enjoys being called Mutant and Clotty. We're all just hoping he can go home soon! Thanks for praying.

So tomorrow, it's up to Seattle, hopefully for some rest and good family time. I can't really believe this is all happening so fast. It's an odd transition time; I am neither here nor there, LA nor Athens, really, just in the in-between.

My friend Dana reminded me tonight: worship & serve in the waiting. I like that.

ashtray

It was a sad weekend! The fires are so bad... here is the sun from my house (from which we could see fire last night)
The ash on my car and on the street this morning... it continued to rain ash all day...Smoky Imperial Highway on an otherwise clear day:My friend Noah took this yesterday afternoon at Long Beach where he keeps his boat (some of his photos were used by one of the news sites!) ...

Yesterday afternoon sun:

And, in other news...despite the awful air quality we finished up our move today. A couple hours of trips to and from the car and you smell like a campfire...I had "kum-ba-ya" in my head all day. I filled my storage unit with the "couple" things I was going to keep as I planned to get rid of most of my belongings before I go to Greece. Well, I can always sell it when I get back if I don't want it. :)

When I wasn't singing campfire songs, I was singing "To the left, to the left, everything you own in the box to the left," which has been in my head all week.

And then, the ultimate sad, SAD moment: the goodbye in the empty apartment.

A final farewell to the Nuthouse. I left for the last time tonight, thinking of the many memories I have here, and with Kristin, and in dear old California. It's official ~ I am homeless and jobless, a nomad until I settle in the next place, which happens to be on the other side of the world.