Preparing for Spain

 As many of you know, I'm off to Spain today!  For a country that has been on my bucket list for the last 15 years you might be surprised I've not been there yet.  And all I can say is that I've been waiting for a tour to go on sale, and it's just never been as low as I wanted it to be!  Finally, after hearing over and over again on my tour of Portugal how much I would love Spain if I was enjoying Portugal (which I was enjoying), and after reading a fascinating book about Andalusia, I decided it was time.  Sale or no sale, it was time to book a trip to Spain.  The Gate1 Travel Single-Supplement sale came around last fall and when I saw that the fee (you have to pay extra to join tours when you're traveling alone, and they call it a "single supplement") for Spain was $1000 and that it was waived as part of the sale, I knew I had to take the leap (even if I paid full price for the tour).

 To prepare for the trip I've been re-reading the above-mentioned book, Ornament of the World.  The combination of things I learned in Portugal, and the things I learned about Jewish history from my tour of the POLIN museum in Poland, have certainly helped me keep the timeline and understand the context of the book better this second time around.  It's incredibly fascinating how the author ties together the history and how events impacted the religions and cultures of the area.

 

Also, for the first time I'm trying out an app called TimeShifter which I read about in How to Win at Travel. I'm hoping it works and helps to mitigate (even eliminate) my jet-lag and make the tour much more enjoyable for me.  That being said, it required that I be up at 3am this morning (after several days of earlier bedtimes and earlier wake-up times) and my flight doesn't leave until 5:30pm tonight!  The plus side to that is that I did the majority of my packing, cleaned my house, mowed my lawn, and still had time to write this post before heading out.

 Oh, and another first happened last night as I was checking in for my flight.  It wanted me to pay $75 to check my bag, which was a surprise because the last time I flew to Europe I only paid $40!  I did some searching and found out that the fee for checked bags to Europe is indeed $75 and now I had a dilemma.  I had planned to check a bag, but hadn't really packed anything yet, and was the extra pair of shoes worth $75 EACH WAY?  So, for this 15 day trip, I managed to pack in a carry-on.  Will my feet hate me when I have to wear the same pair of shoes every single day?  Maybe, but I'd rather spend my $150 on something else.  If only my 18-year-old self, packing for a semester abroad in Italy, could see me now!

My apologies for the teaser, as there's no way I'll end up blogging on the tour (even if I end up not having jet lag), but it's always good to have something to look forward to!  Ciao! 

Rainforest Hike and Poolside Afternoon

 I enjoyed my breakfast with Antonio, Roque, and Theresa while listening to the rushing river behind the din of conversation.  We were soon off to be outfitted for our morning adventure.  This mainly consisted of rubber boots and a life jacket, although the lifejacket was only needed for the boat ride. Antonio had advised us to wear pants, long socks, long sleeves, a hat, and lots of bug spray and sunscreen for this morning in the rainforest. After a quick jaunt upriver we were at the Misicocha Private Nature Reserve for a tour with our local guides, Caesar and Andrés.  The nature reserve is owned by the hotel and they're trying to preserve and conserve the rainforest in that area, as it takes a long time to regrow.  

The locals used the rainforest as their medicine cabinet, and one example is the tea we learned about yesterday, called guayusa (wahh-you-sah).  They believes that regular consumption helps to prevent snakes and mosquitos from biting you because you sweat it out and they don't like the scent.  Blessedly, we saw no snakes, but we did see a lot of spiders.  Can you find the spider in this picture?  When I was looking back through my pictures I almost deleted it because I thought I'd mistakenly photographed the ground. 

When I was looking back through my pictures I almost deleted it because I thought I'd mistakenly photographed the ground. In fact, there's an effectively camouflaged tarantula! 

The hike, overall, was less than 2 miles in length, but what it lacked in that respect it made up for in altitude, as many spots were very steep, and the hike was generally upward for the first half.  We all hiked together for the first half a mile, with lots of stops to view spiders, bugs, interesting plants, etc. They told us that the Amazon Rainforest has more trees than all of North America combined, which seemed accurate when I learned that they estimate that the Amazon Rainforest has "390 billion individual trees". But, when I tried to check that against the number of trees in North America, the US Forest Service conducted their FIA (a.k.a. “America’s tree census” they estimated "nearly 300 billion trees in the United States", which wouldn't even include Canada, which is largely forested as well.  

Either way, Britannica declared the Amazon Rainforest " is the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir".  Caesar spoke English so he did the explanations and Andrés scouted and searched for the bugs and insects to be pointed out to us.  We learned about the Remo Caspi tree, which is a hardwood resistant to termites, and the Iron Palm (the "chonta palm" - remember those grubs from yesterday's escapades?) which has extremely hard bark that they used for spears and blow guns, and even the Walking Palms (the Quechua people use the young roots, which have protective spikes, as sandpaper).  Shortly before our group split into two (one group for the "difficult" hike and one for the "less difficult, thought not easy" hike), we all had to try out the tarabita. This basket-like cable car, which only holds one person, sort of ziplines you from one part of the forest to another over a canyon. Caesar and Antonio went first (Antonio took photos of everyone as they came across), and Andrés ran the cables, ensuring we all stopped on time.  Although I do not enjoy this sort of adventure normally, I think the basket made me feel safe enough, and the journey was short enough, that I actually enjoyed it.

Only 5 of us chose the difficult hike, and it really wasn't difficult, though it was hot and humid.  We arrived back at the starting point for our hike and waited for the remainder of our party to traverse the remainder of their trail.   

View from the "top" of the hike

 The reward of the hiking adventure (for those willing to accept it) was taking off our rubber boats and climbing onto the balsa wood rafts waiting for us in the river.  Although I enjoy being on the water, the raft was not the reward. The sun was searing down on us in our long sleeves and long pants and the guides told us we could jump in the river.  I hesitated as first, why be stuck in wet clothes, and the water was very muddy.  After recognizing I was returning to the hotel and could change right away, and my but was already wet from sitting on balsa logs tied together, I also jumped in the swiftly moving water.  Glorious!  Relaxing, refreshing, we stayed in the water, floating in front of the rafts, until they made us all climb back on (to ensure we could then transfer into our motorized canoes for the final leg of our journey home).  No photos of our rafting as we'd all handed over our electronics to be stowed in a drybag safely in one of the canoes.

As I was not interested in any of the afternoon's optional tours, I decide to relax by the pool and enjoy some extended free time.  We all enjoyed lunch together and then by 2:30pm everyone was off again for ziplining, a butterfly farm, or an animal rescue tour.  When I returned to the pool (having followed proper sunscreen protocol - the high altitude of Ecuador and its location near the equator make sunburn extremely likely) there was only one family and they didn't stay more than half an hour.  Solitude and sunshine, just what I needed by day 7.  A French tour group arrived around 4:30pm and many of them were soon in the pool.  I had already finished my book ("Josephine Baker's Last Dance" - can't really recommend it, but she lived quite the life) when the group arrived, and with the sun beginning to set the mozzies were coming out.  Yes, some Australian slang still sticks with me, so that's 'mosquitos' for anyone who hasn't read my Australian Adventures.  I had failed to bring any bug spray with me to the pool and decided that scrubbing off my sunscreen and giving my hair a wash was a good way to kill the last hour before everyone else returned and we all had dinner together.

This video (which I found online) gives you a glimpse of our hike - they're at the same nature reserve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpf7EwRtlj0

So Long, Farewell

 Last Sunday, before church, Olya invited me to stop by her house the next afternoon for a cuppa and then after church she stopped me and invited me to lunch with her as her husband Andrew was out of town.  Between the two visits we had some very enjoyable conversations.  In case I didn't mention previously, her and her husband had been missionaries to Russia for several years (she is Russian and he is Kiwi), so we had a great chat about life in Russia for her growing up and even when they were serving on the field.  With a love of missions in common it was fascinating to get her take on the effects of all the "help" from America and New Zealand on the Russian church.  I was compelled, as I often am when speaking with people about missions, to recommend Steve Saint's book, "The Great Omission" to her.  I was halfway through reading Amor Towles novel, "A Gentleman In Moscow" - which is absolutely excellent - so it was fortuitous that we would have these conversations about Russia.  Because of the novel I had a much better, and perhaps fresher, understanding of all the changes in Russia over the 20th Century.

On Tuesday I had my last visit with the beautiful ladies at craft group.  They had a special morning tea with some scrumptious scones lovingly prepared by Valda,  Lesley, the master card maker, had handcrafted a card (which everyone signed), and Yvonne presented me with a delightful jade pendant in the koru design (which is also the logo of the church).  Pastor Paul had stopped by, as was his habit, so he gave a lovely blessing on me and the pendant (according to Margaret jade is to be blessed before it is given - I'd not heard that before, but Paul graciously wove that into his prayer at her request).  As I've said before, they're such a fun group of women and I will definitely miss them.

Gill and James were originally to return late Wednesday evening or mid-day Thursday.  When they didn't arrive Wednesday night I was glad because it meant I would get the chance to visit the Hospice Shop one last time and say farewell.  Everyone was so lovely.  Even though I didn't know that many of them very well that didn't stop them from expressing their thanks for my help.  It was a fitting last day volunteering, everyone was in good spirits and the banter back-and-forth was quite jolly; I love a good laugh.  With a beautiful card in hand, and their kind words to be sure and return some day, I gave some hugs and headed out to meet Val, Mike and Eileen.  Gill then called and said that they had not left Auckland and were just going to stay one more night but would definitely be home on Friday.

An affable couple, they even brought me home gifts from their trip!  As if loaning me their friends before leaving wasn't gift enough.  An exquisite purse from Morocco and a neat tea-towel from Wales (it has a bunch of Welsh recipes on it so I'm definitely going to give some of them a try) were very thoughtful, and thankfully light-weight.  They decided I also deserved a nice dinner out, so while catching up with Mike and Eileen over coffee Saturday morning we all decided on Indian food.  Since Val had just returned with her cat from the vet she didn't join us, but we did stop by her place before going to dinner.  She gifted me an attractive jade pendant in the "twist" design which symbolises the bond between two people, connecting the spirits of friends.  It was so incredibly thoughtful, and according to her you never give a gift of jade without wearing it first yourself (perhaps everyone has their own theories of jade, although everyone seems to agree that you are not to buy jade for yourself), so she assured me that she had worn it first.  Eileen then gave me a charming pair of diamante tear-drop earrings.  She has been such a blessing, letting me user her computer for my exams, stopping by for cups of coffee, inviting me to the cinema - she's a dear to be sure.  Dinner was perfect, the food was excellent, and the company amiable, and the conversation flowing easily. 

Not knowing what Gill and James had planned for Sunday, I took Valda up on her offer to pick me up for church this morning.  Thankfully Nigel warned me, when I greeted him upon arriving, that he was going to ask me up to the front during the service.  He presented me with a 2019 Taranaki calendar and thanked me for willingly joining in and helping out, whether singing with the music team, cleaning up after morning tea, or some-what willingly doing a duet for special music.  I assured them all that their open arms and warm welcoming made being willing to join in and be a part of their community a breeze.  Olya presented me with a necklace with the phrase "It is well with my soul", which I absolutely love, and Inge made me promise to keep in touch.  I assured her that if they ever made a visit to her Mom in Vermont she must let me know so I could meet up with them or they could come visit me.  As everyone kept asking if I would come back, I must admit that I might just have to come back.  Even though I've only been in Hawera for three months it feels as if I have more friends here than I had from all my time in Cairns.  In all fairness to Cairns, my friends there were as transient as I was, most of them being backpackers, so it's not fair to equate the two locales.  I joined Valda and Yvonne for a coffee after church, and when Valda eventually dropped me back at the house we ended up sitting in the car talking for nearly an hour.  So many sweet and caring people here...preparing to leave and saying goodbye can be so strange.  I've said it before - I'm not good at goodbyes.  As with packing a suitcase, for me the frequency only barely increases my corresponding proficiency. I suppose I must simply remind myself that I've been incredibly blessed with the variety of people here who have taken me into their lives and made it difficult to say 'farewell'.

Happy memories can't fit into a suitcase, but they're the lightest things to carry.

The Thrill of Recognition

When it happened, I could not say.  Some time ago, quite possibly while living in Australia, a friend of mine recommended a novel to me.  My "To Be Read" list is quite long, and many of the books are not always available on Paperbackswap.com or at my local library, so some just stay on the list for quite some time.  Two weeks ago I was going through my list, searching the South Taranaki library catalogue, and not having much luck. It seemed most of the titles were not in their circulation.  But, as providence would have it, "The Thorn Birds" by Colleen McCullough was available at the Stratford library.  The back of the cover describes it as "the dramatic and colourful family saga of outback Australia", so I was a bit surprised when I started the first chapter and it was set in New Zealand.

Shearing sheep in Taranaki - Tawhiti Museum

On page six, while describing the area where they lived, it mentioned a Mount Egmont, which gave me pause.  I thought to myself, "Mt. Taranaki is in Egmont National Park.  I wonder if the European name for it is actually Mt. Egmont?"  Not much else was given, in terms of describing where they lived, until page fourty-one when my suspicions were confirmed while describing young Frank: "A small structure of pure power, at seventeen he had never been defeated in a fight and was already famous throughout the Taranaki peninsula."  You can be sure I was grinning when I read that sentence. A sergeant from Wanganui, the next biggest town south of Hawera, is mentioned as well!  I can't help but chuckle when I think that had I read the book while in Australia I'd have never remembered these town names when I moved here in May.

Tawhiti Museum, Taranaki

The story is split into several sections and the next section is set in outback NSW, in towns I have never heard of, nor visited.  I did visit an outback station on my trip to the Flinder's Ranges, and had been to Alice Springs, so there was a bit of recognition in that sense, but not quite the same thrill as those first parts about Taranaki.  I suppose the biggest difference for me and someone who's never been Down Under is that I didn't have to use as much of my imagination while reading the descriptive landscape sections.  The vast distances, types of birds or gumtrees, even the "kangas" made sense to me.  Reading about the devastating bush fire they experience, with all the current wildfires in the news lately (whether in Greece, Portugal, Australia, Canada, or the U.S.), certainly struck a note.

When Meg & Luke move to Queensland in the next section of the book I again had that little grin when reading about places dear to my heart.  Their vacation to the Atherton Tablelands reminded me of my own lovely memories from a visit to Lake Eacham.  The scent of the molasses from the sugar cane fields and the constant humidity of FNQ that Meg disliked so much required no imagination on my part.  Memory served me far better than imagination ever could.

Overall, I enjoyed the book because it was unpredictable.  Not in an obnoxious way, but in the way that life itself is unpredictable.  Things happen, people make choices and have to live with the far-reaching and sometimes unimaginable consequences, you just never know how things will turn out.  I'm near the end of the book now and this sentence absolutely resonated with me:  "And whether they came home again or not, they would belong neither here nor there, for they would have lived on two continents and sampled two different ways of life."

Fossil Coast B&B

War

You might recall my mentioning of Inge in one of my previous posts (we met at church).  Anyway, her and her husband host a discussion group at their house every other Monday night.  They discuss various topics of interest to the group; made up of young and old, believers (new and old) and non-believers, and various nationalities, it's a neat collection of people.  The first week they were discussing animals.  Animal abuse, grass-fed cows, what does the Bible say about animals, do they go to heaven?  The ultimate question ended up being, "how far does our responsibility of care extend?"  Although we didn't end up with a concrete answer to the question, it was an interesting topic.  At the end of the evening they consulted their list of topics and decided on "war" for the next discussion.  Yes, we should most likely have narrowed it down a bit beforehand, but we didn't.

Source

With no specific question we planned to try to answer, I had my own preconceptions on what we'd discuss.  In between my classwork I did some research into conscientious objectors, Biblical stances on war, Baptist theology on war, etc.  In high school I had done a research paper on Alvin York and could still remember bits and pieces of his story.  Although most people today would be more familiar with Desmond T. Doss thanks to the recent release "Hacksaw Ridge", the story of Alvin York is just as fascinating, at least to me.  You can watch his story on youtube if you'd like (I just finished it myself).  Because of some recent events at my home church I've also become quite interested in what it meant, historically, to be Baptist.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm in a British Commonwealth country, but when I was googling the baptist stance on war I got a lot of results from UK Baptists.  An article titled, "Responding to war and the refugee crisis" by the Baptist Union of Great Britain was excellent, and convicting as well.

The discussion that night didn't exactly meet my expectations, but it was interesting to hear from everyone.  I will admit that I'm curious how differently it would have turned out if I, the only American, had not been there.  Comments were definitely made about how we seem to always be getting involved in, or starting, wars.  Despite feeling as if I was holding back the discussion a bit with my presence, I enjoyed hearing from Matthew and Inge about what life was like in Zimbabwe before they left (due to the unrest and political climate) and how they had sometimes wished someone would have stepped in to help their country. My understanding from the Kiwis present is that NZ doesn't have any sort of conscription registration; if a war were to break out that required more people to fight than are already serving they would pass a law requiring those eligible to register.

To add more fuel to the fire in my brain, a few of the books I've read recently all seemed to have an aspect of war to them as well.  Shortly after I arrived in Hawera I read a novel that "shows us Angolan independence through the eyes of a woman who has barricaded herself into her apartment".  Although fiction, it gave me a look into a recent war of which I had no knowledge.  So much of what happens on the African continent seems ignored in much of the history of the day, but then there's a whole lot of history to be learned.

Last week I finished a memoir about a Canadian women who travels to Iran to learn how to cook Persian food.  It made me want to go to Iran, despite her depictions of her experiences as a female in that society; the few tastes I've had of Persian food, made by my Iranian friend Hossein, were delicious.  Yesterday I finished "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", recommended to me a few months ago by a friend.  It's the story of a young Chinese boy and a young Japanese girl who become friends despite the prejudices of the Chinese and Japanese against each other, and in turn, the nation's prejudice against the Japanese (China was on the side of the Allies during WWII).  I'm no stranger to the topic of the Japanese interments, but it was still a tough book to read, at least for me.  A dark day in our nation's history when Executive Order 9201 was signed allowing our government to "relocate" its own citizens based on their ancestry.  But this book really hit a nerve with its depictions of the reactions of not only the "white" Americans to the events, but even the Chinese people who felt it was "better them than us".  It's a strange dichotomy created by war.  With all the unrest in the Middle East and the refugee crisis, the distrust of Muslims, it all just makes me sad.  Sad that I don't do more about it...especially when you read an article like this one, about Christian immigrants.

Life in Hawera

It seems my thoughts have been rather scattered a bit in regards to a blog post, so my apologies for the possible lack of thought-flow by the time I'm done writing this.  I was at the Hospice Shop on Thursday this week for my usual morning of volunteer cleaning and pricing.  I mostly worked by myself since several of the ladies were upstairs getting things ready for their yearly fundraising auction.  Throughout the year when they receive items that are antiques or could potentially be worth more than a regular op-shop customer might pay they store them until the next yearly auction.  Jax, one of the managers, asked me if I'd be interested in helping out this year, as it's on the 29th of this month.  It seems they have trouble getting the regular volunteers to help because of family obligations over the weekend.  In addition, many of the regular volunteers are in their 70's and 80's so it is quite tiring; Jax was very diplomatic about it, but since I'm young by comparison it would be helpful for her to have me there.  I have no idea what this entails, but I told her I'd be happy to help.  Who knows, it could be fun!  Everyone got together for a special coffee break, and these ladies are a hoot.  I only really know Margaret and Yvonne, but the banter around the table even had me cracking up.  I don't know how long they've all been working there together, but they're all so lovely.  One of the items I cleaned that reminded me that I'm "not in Kansas anymore" was a set of canisters for your beverages.

My view as I work

Tea, Milo, and Coffee - a trifecta of hot drinks

I took these video clips while watching one of the Maori TV channels the other day.  Thought you all might enjoy a glimpse into their culture and a chance to hear some of the language.

As far as my psychology class goes, I'm still enjoying some of the material, but the pace is definitely getting old.  On the plus side, I'm over halfway through the class so the end is in sight.  The most recent chapters were about Motivation, Emotion, and Personality, so that was far more interesting than the regions of the brain.  It was odd in the personality chapter, I recognized some of the names of the researchers and their testing methods from a book I read while in Christchurch, The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker.  Although I'm sure it isn't everyone's cup of tea I found it to be incredibly fascinating.  A great mix of odd facts and ways of using language to understand people.

  As the title says, it focuses on pronouns and "examines how and why pronouns and other forgettable words reveal so much about us...At the heart of this book is the idea that our words leave indelible fingerprints of personality, our relationships and backgrounds, and even our plans for the future. "  One of the neat things about the book was that it has a website where you can find some of the tests mentioned; you can actually do them and test for yourself how analyzing word use gives clues about ourselves.  There's even a link to a website that allows you to enter a person's "Twitter handle" to "learn their emotions, social styles, and the ways they think" after it analyzers the things they tweet.

Also, here's a blurb from the textbook with a link for a test on your emotional intelligence if anyone's interested:

Recall that some psychologists believe that the ability to identify and regulate one's emotions is a kind of intelligence. Emotionally intelligent people are also thought to be better at reading the emotional expressions of others. Do a web search for emotional intelligence tests and take some online quizzes, or just try this one at http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/. Do you think you are emotionally intelligent? Does your performance on the test seem to reflect your actual experience? What is your opinion of the test you tried? 

Time for Reading

One of the perks of house sitting is the "free time" it affords.  Don't get me wrong, you make time for what is important, but when you have very few constraints on your time you are free to sit down and read for 2-3 hours without feeling guilty, or lazy.  Peter was kind enough to loan me his library card so I could have a large selection of materials.  Although the Shirley Community Library isn't all that large, for the 5 weeks I've been here, it has afforded me several fascinating books.

My favorite reading spot on a sunny fall afternoon

In the fiction category I've stumbled upon "The Scavenger's Daughters" and "The Serendipity Foundation".  The first book in a series by Kay Bratt, "The Scavenger's Daughters" is inspired by a true story and is set in modern day China, where the effects of Mao's Cultural Revolution are still acutely felt.  An elderly Chinese couple take in abandoned girls and raise them as their own despite the poverty they face.  A touching read that reminds me that we are not limited by the amount of money we have to share: kindness and love aren't bound by the size of our bank account. 

Not only was "The Serendipity Foundation" an excellent read (disclaimer, there is a fair bit of language) with an interesting twist at the end, it was published by Unbound.  I'd never heard of them before, but they are a publisher based on crowdfunding.  So, readers can browse projects (book ideas) on their website and donate money to fund a book that piques the reader's interest.  At the end of the book there was a long list of the names of those who had donated to make the book a reality.  I think that's a marvelous idea, and if you donate you get one of the first copies of the book!  I loved the below quote that was on one of the first pages of the book:

For all the large-scale political solutions which have been proposed to salve ethnic conflict, there are few more effective ways to promote tolerance between suspicious neighbours than to force them to eat supper together.       --Alain de Botton

The most fascinating non-fiction book I've read so far has been James W. Pennebaker's "The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us".  I think this book rates right up there with "What The Dog Saw" by Malcolm Gladwell in new ways to look and think about the world around us.  One of the neat things about the pronoun book was that there is a website where you can take some of the tests they used in their research studies!  Here's their description of the book, "Partly a research journey, the book traces the discovery of the links between function words and social and psychological states. Written for a general audience, the book takes the reader on a remarkable and often unexpected journey into the minds of authors, poets, lyricists, politicians, and everyday people through their use of words."  With plenty of interesting analyses of speeches, books, and letters by people such as Shakespeare, George W. Bush, Andrew Jefferson, and Osama Bin Laden you get a different perspective into psychology of human beings, based on their patterns of speech and use of simple words.  Even a few tweets give insight into the author's personality.

"The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society"

Although I have not read the book in several years, I remember how much I enjoyed it and was delighted to see that it was made it into a movie.  I have no idea if it is coming out in theatres in the US, but I would recommend both reading the book and seeing the movie.  I need to re-read the book as I have forgotten so many of the details, but it's about WWII and the German occupation of the British island of Guernsey.  The story follows the lives of some of the residents and the aftermath of the war as they try to return to a "normal" life. 

Needed: Goals

"It takes action to achieve excellence - deliberate, careful, relenteless action.  There are no shortcuts to quality."

Before we left on our trip to Ireland I'd been read a wonderful little book titled, "The Pursuit of Excellence" by Ted W. Engstrom.  I am now rereading it because I feel like I got so much out of it the first time around, and I know there's more I could soak up.  If you've been with my blog from the beginning, or even just read the "About" section, you'll know why I wrote this blog and you'll understand why I'm loving this book.  Decision making has definitely not been my strong point, but it's something I want to get better at doing - this excerpt from the book is exactly what I need:

"There are so many things to do.  How can I possibly decide what is really important for me and my life?  How can I be sure that what I choose to do is what I really ought to do?
Perhaps the simplest advice to you who face this dilemma is Do something. Choose a goal and work toward it.  Later you may modify it, expand it, or even eventually abandon it for a better one."

His book is obviously focused on excellence, but there have been so many little nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to life.  It's a tiny book, and less than 100 pages so you can easily read a chapter in about 5 minutes and I love starting my day some wisdom and Godly guidance.  It's so easy, as I've said before, to just float through life, but "that which is easy and non-demanding is seldom truly fulfilling."  I especially struggle with how my love of travel can relate to, and strengthen, my Christian walk.  How can my pursuit of traveling the world mesh with my pursuit of a Godly life?  Plus, sometimes I feel guilty for the amount of money I spend on travel, knowing how much good missionaries could do with the money - not to mention when I travel and it's NOT a missions trip specifically.  While the book doesn't necessarily speak to that specifically, I do think that personal excellence is a chance to worship God, because as my Pastor has stressed, worship is life. I'll leave you with this small bit of wisdom, which also happens to be a pretty good summary of the book:

"Now is the time to develop new habits, new goals, and new perspectives that will give your life a quality that will bring honor to the God who loved you so much that He gave His life for you."

excellence (noun)

1.  the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence
2. an excellent quality or feature

WWII WAAF Diary

I’ve recently been reminded again of the expectations for me to write a book.  And once again, my first thoughts were that I had no topic on which to base an entire work.  My only idea is that maybe once my year is up I could somehow compile my blog and personal journal entries into something worth publishing.  My last read was the story of a young woman’s two years spent in the UAE, and I enjoyed her book very much.  My newest book is called “Sand in My Shoes” by Joan Rice.  It’s the wartime diaries of a young British girl who joins the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) after the outbreak of WWII.  Her writing style and the language used are a treat.  It isn’t a retelling of her diary, it gives names of many people without explanation of who they are, and words of reminder to herself – she never wrote it to be published of course, although she did long to be a writer.  It’s an excellent look into daily war life, “growing up amid the social whirl of service society”, and a young women’s dreams about life, travel, and adventure. I also love that it includes parts of her husband's diary, in conjunction with hers, to get another perspective on some of the same events.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from her diary:

“There is so much wrong with the world, so much in a nightmarish muddle.  Still there is this consolation: it’s a bad world but it’s not a dull one.  It’s got evil and stupidity and muddle but it’s also got excitement and adventure and variety.”

“Life is so untidy, fiction so much better behaved.”

Her comments on America finally joining the war: “I shall always in the future try to remember that though their cockiness and conceit does sometimes jar, at least they are unafraid to say ‘go to hell’ to those against us and they will never compromise or crawl in their dealings with their enemies.  We shall be one and in us lies the hope of the world.”

I guess I was most surprised by how normal she made it all sound – being in the middle of air raids and being evacuated at a moments notice.  Having never lived through an invasion, or war on home soil, I can’t truly imagine it.  I must admit her diary doesn't exactly help you imagine it either.  The closest I’ve come would be 9/11, but that was only one horrendous day.  Regardless, I would definitely recommend the book – enjoyable but not demanding.

A Devotional for Travelers

Faith-Based Travels by Nicole Jeffery

"They'll make a devotional about anything."  If you walk through a Christian Bookstore and browsed the devotional section I'm sure you'd have to agree with that statement.  Be that as it may, I did find this book did a pretty good job of addressing some of the issues that face people, particularly young people, who set off to do some more long-term traveling.

This devotional addresses those challenges {when faced with distance separating one from family and familiarity} head-on, reminding readers that God is with them wherever they go, and that He will meet their needs.

 While I did feel that there were times the author might have taken verses not entirely in context to make her point, in general she did a good job in picking topics on which travelers would struggle and giving encouragement and advice.  The one thing I didn't like were the prayers at the end of each devotion, but that could just be more of a personal preference, and doesn't necessarily detract from the book.  Each section ends with travel tips on the chapter's topic from travelers the world over. I appreciated that she started with devotions in regards to planning your trip and ended with a section of devotions on what she termed "re-entry".  Here's a brief glance into some of the topical sections she covers: prayer, evangelism, loneliness, fellowship, the church's perspective, God's guidance and more.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is planning on taking a gap year, studying abroad, planning a working holiday, or the like.  I can definitely attest that the chapter on re-entry would have been most helpful to me upon my return from a semester abroad years ago.  My family can bear witness to that fact that I did not handle re-entry very well.

Becoming More Australian

I’ve just finished “Becoming More Australian” and I recommend you all read it (no idea if your local library would have such a book, but it’s worth checking).  It’s an easy and entertaining read; plus it has loads of random (and possibly useless – unless you plan to visit) facts.  Here’s a quick smattering of sentences from the section on their language:

“G’day mate, ow ya goin?  Come on, avego at Aussie English….  So what do you get when you mix Irish, English, Scottish and then gradually add a number of other languages and leave them to simmer on a hot island?  You get Strine – ‘Australian English’.  Strine is the broad Australian accent, so broad that the word ‘Strine’ is actually what the word ‘Australian’ sounds like down under….  Aussies also love comparisons, for instance: ‘flat out like a lizard drinking’ (busy) or ‘like a possum up a gum tree’ (happy).  They will also abbreviate everything that can (and cannot or should not be abbreviated): Barbie (barbeque), arvo (afternoon), sunnies (sunglasses), cossie (swimming costume), mozzie (mosquito), brekkie (breakfast), cuppa (cup of tea) and servo (service station).  Sometimes they are merely suggestive of the original: sparkie (electrician), chippie (carpenter) and chalkie (teacher).”

Now doesn’t that just make you want to read the book?  No worries (they say that for just about everything) if you’re not sold on the idea – I don’t offend easily.  From my own personal experience, they do indeed feel the need to shorten everything.  There is an add on TV right now trying to get you to buy Australian Mandarin Oranges because they’re in season now, but they call them “Mandies” the whole commercial.  At surf camp they called the wet suites “wetties” and at the time I thought they were calling it brekkie because they were surfers (most of them weren’t even Australian), not because that’s what it’s called in Australia.  Two other Aussie phrases I’ve been introduced to are, “I couldn’t give cheese away at a rat’s picnic” (meaning something is utterly useless), and “carried on like a pork chop” (meaning behaved in a silly manner).  I love the last one and it reminds me of how we say someone is “being a ham” or “hamming it up” when someone is acting silly in the U.S. 

So if you’re looking for a nice, undemanding book to read, I’d suggest you pick up a copy for yourself.  The book isn’t just about Strine, it gives a rundown on Aussie sports, food, and culture too!  As the back of the book explains, “You’ll learn why you should drive a ute, how to tell a kangaroo from a wallaby…how to play footie, enjoy cricket and a whole lot more!”  The chapter on the “ute” (which is pronounced ‘yoot’) is quite informative.  Where else would I have learned that kangaroos cannot fart or move their legs independently?   I definitely recommend the chapter on Aussie foods –I’m going to have to go buy myself some Tim Tams to try.  I’m sure you’ll find something interesting in this book, no matter your nationality or future travel plans.

This is a "ute" - half car, half pickup

Fresco Appreciation

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King

 

I can't remember who had the post on facebook, but a friend had recommend this book to someone else and I thought it sounded sort of interesting.  Wow - such a fascinating book!  Here's a quick overview from the Barnes & Noble site so you don't have to go searching:

"In 1508, despite strong advice to the contrary, the powerful Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel. With little experience as a painter (though famed for his sculpture David), Michelangelo was reluctant to begin the massive project. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling recounts the four extraordinary years Michelangelo spent laboring over the vast ceiling while the power politics and personal rivalries that abounded in Rome swirled around him. Battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic problems, the pope's impatience, and a bitter rivalry with the brilliant young painter Raphael, Michelangelo created scenes so beautiful that they are considered to be among the greatest masterpieces of all time. A panorama of illustrious figures converged around the creation of this magnificent work -- from the great Dutch scholar Erasmus to the young Martin Luther -- and Ross King skillfully weaves them through his compelling historical narrative, offering uncommon insight into the intersection of art and history."

As I was reading the book I couldn't help but think of my field trips to Rome & Florence with Saints Bible Institute.  I remember seeing the Sistine Chapel, but I definitely didn't have a deep appreciation for it.  I never truly even understood what a fresco was, let alone how extremely difficult they are to create.  What I love best is how informative it is without feeling like you're reading a textbook.  I took art history the semester after I came home from Italy, but didn't find it nearly as fascinating as this book.  King does an excellent job of weaving lots of relevant history into the story of Michelangelo's project, while also explaining how impressive and talented so many of the artists of that time period truly were. I knew they were talented because they're famous (*duh*) - but didn't really understand what about their artwork make them famous.

For anyone with plans to travel to Italy I would strongly recommend this book. I'm definitely longing to return now just to take some time to appreciate the artwork a bit more.  Has anyone read any of King's other books?  I'm contemplating reading the one about Bruneschelli's Dome....

Fresco (noun)

1.  Also called buon fresco, true fresco. the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture. Compare fresco secco.

2.  a picture or design so painted.

Pithy Quotes & Such

I love quotes and witty sayings - I appreciate the wisdom of others.  

Here are some I stumbled upon recently and thought I'd share - I've done my best to give credit:

wisdom (noun)

the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

Government

I'm taking a government class this semester, so it's been quite interesting so far, especially with the whole shutdown.  I understand some of both sides of the argument, but this is one of the best articles I've read about the "who's fault is it?" question. 

Hopefully you'll take some time to read it, regardless of party affiliation: Who Shut Down the Government

govern (verb)

1. to rule over by right of authority: to govern a nation.
2. to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide: the motives governing a decision.
3. to hold in check; control: to govern one's temper.
4. to serve as or constitute a law for: the principles governing a case.

Don't Waste Your Life

 My CLC (Christian Living Class) at church is doing a study using the book by John Piper "Don't Waste Your Life".  I have to admit that after finishing the book I'm now a bit surprised that I'd never read it before.  It totally fits with the the "theme" (for my momentary lack of a better word) of my blog.  I want my life to have a purpose, and therefore, I don't want to waste my life.  I still haven't quite determined if I'm currently wasting, or perhaps have wasted part of my life already.  In chapter 7 "Living to Prove He is More Precious than Life" Piper focuses on a Wartime Lifestyle and in Chapter 9 "The Majesty of Christ in Missions and Mercy - A Plea to this Generation" on missions.  Those chapters definitely stick out most in my mind.  Mostly because while doing the chapter about the Wartime Lifestyle I was also reading "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" which is set during WWII (you can read more about that book here).  Also, having listened to an audio book of Flyboys, I knew many more stories than John Piper quoted in the book.  Nothing gets me quite like our military and the men and women who sacrifice so much...

The chapter on Missions also struck me because I seem to have always been drawn to missions, but I've never quite known why.  Or perhaps never quite wanted to admit that one of the reasons is simply that I love to travel and to do missions requires travel.  While studying abroad at Saints Bible Institute I distinctly remember Sam Spatola telling us that if God wasn't calling us to go somewhere as missionaries, then we should go home, make lots of money, and give it to missions.  I'm not certain that I've done so well at making lots of money, but I've certainly tried my best to always give to missions.  Oh and by the way, John Piper totally agrees with Sam :)  John Piper quotes J. Campbell White about missions (it has really stuck with me):

The evangelization of the world is the only enterprise large enough and important enough to provide an adequate outlet for the Church's wealth (p 171).

Piper then goes on to say,

"We will perish with our wealth if we do not pour ourselves out in ministries of mercy at home and missions among the unreached peoples.  We are very wealthy in America.  All the money needed to send and support an army of self-sacrificing, joy-spreading ambassadors is already in the church.  But we are not giving it." (p 172)

Several of the missionaries our church supports, and many more I know personally, are under supported.  I even know a couple who had to come back to the States because they didn't have the funds to stay.  Shouldn't that break our hearts a little?  I realize that might all be part of God's plan for their lives, but it seems like a shame when the American church is more than capable of supporting them financially. 

I can definitely recommend this book, it's full of truth and has some great "lessons" that I think we could all learn.

Waste

1. to consume, spend, or employ uselessly or without adequate return; use to no avail or profit; squander: to waste money; to waste words.

2. to fail or neglect to use: to waste an opportunity.

3. to destroy or consume gradually; wear away: The waves waste the rock of the shore.

4. to wear down or reduce in bodily substance, health, or strength; emaciate; enfeeble: to be wasted by disease or hunger.

5. to destroy, devastate, or ruin: a country wasted by a long and futile war.

Guernsey Island & Vacation Reading

I've been back from vacation for what seems like months, but has sadly only been a few weeks. Vacatoins are just so wonderful, and we always have such fun, so it's quite sad to arrive home. We had some adventures taking my "toaster" down to Myrtle this year. I just don't think it likes road trips! We did, however, make the best of our mishaps, and we made lots of memories in the process.

My dear friend Emily suggested that I read Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  I will admit I almost didn't even bother because, who writes a book with such a title?  And what in the world would such a book be about?  Well, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I did a quick google search to see what the book was about before I requested if from paperbackswap.  It sounded interesting enough so I figured I'd give it a shot.  I should probably point out that although I love to read, I don't ever read while at the beach.  My cousin and my sister read the whole week long, but I'd rather walk the beach or be in the water.  For whatever reason, this year I not only took a book to read, I atually read it.  The whole thing. 

Somehow, in my google search, I didn't realize that the book is written in the form of letters.  What a neat idea.  This book (and the weather in North Myrtle) combined to make it possible for me to actually sit on the beach and read a book.  The book was just entertaining enough to keep me engaged, but also not too demanding that I couldn't put it down to go take a walk or hop in the ocean.  The story was so compelling I definitely had to remind myself at the end of the book, that it was mostly fiction.  But, Guernsey Island is real, and (I'm sure you can guess what's coming next) I want to go there!!  The island sounds so quaint and it definitely seems worth a visit to me.

So if you're looking for some beach reading, I would submit this as a perfect beach book.

Quaint (adjective)

1.  having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque: a quaint old house.

2.  strange, peculiar, or unusual in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way: a quaint sense of humor.
3.  skillfully or cleverly made.

Flushed

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization
by W. Hodding Carter

"The unsung hero of human history was, of course, the Brain of Drains, the Hub of Tubs, the Power of Showers, the Brewer of Sewers...the humble plumber." -- W. Hodding Carter

Here's a quick description/summary from Amazon -

When we consider the amenities that really make a difference in our well-being, surely good plumbing must rank near the top. But rarely have we taken the time to appreciate the engineering marvels that bring clean water into our homes with the turn of a tap and the flip of a lever. Until now.
Witty, anecdotal, and thoroughly entertaining, Flushed chronicles the long and notable history of plumbing, while following Hodding Carter's travels and travails around the most underappreciated pillar of civilization. It's a winning combination of history, science, and firsthand experience -- a book that will both entertain and educate those who have never contemplated the hidden intricacies of this miracle of everyday technology.

This book is amazing :)  I have no idea what made me put in a request for it on paperbackswap.com, but I think I read somewhere that it was a fascinating book.  To be honest, it sat on my shelf for quite awhile until I finally decided that I should just read it so I could put it back on paperbackswap.  It blew me away - I'm not one for "bathroom" talk or anything related to suchthings (as anyone who knows me could confirm), but he presents the information in such a compelling way!  It's easy to read, but also gives a lot of information.  Plus, at the end he gives some great things happening in India where they could really use some sanitation help.  The inventions are fascinating.  It's been a few years since I last read it, but I could read it again...maybe this will be my beach reading this year.


   

civ·i·li·za·tion  (noun)

1. an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.
2. those people or nations that have reached such a state.
3. any type of culture, society, etc., of a specific place, time, or group.
4. the act or process of civilizing or being civilized
5. cultural refinement; refinement of thought and cultural appreciation

The Great Debate: Modesty

It would seem that suddenly there's a conversation going on about Modesty.   Jessica Rey's talk/speech on modesty, entitled "The Evolution of the Swimsuit", has been making its rounds on the internet (and it's definitely thought-provoking) and I just came across this article that gives a great look into the issue of modesty.

My favorite line from Jessica's speech was: "Modesty isn't about hiding ourselves, it's about revealing our dignity."  That line reminds me of Ms. DeRosset's book (you can read my post on her book here ) and why dignity and modesty go hand-in-hand.  I grew up being taught (ok, often forced) to dress modestly, but the reasons given always made me mad.  All I ever heard (regardless of how my parents phrased their response) was, "guys can't control their minds, so you have to do your best to help them out".   That never seemed like a very good answer to me, but I did as my father asked (although "modesty" was probably the biggest thing we disagreed on - and often).  I've since learned a lot about modesty, especially through some great books, but I'm not gonna lie - I still struggle with it.  It's so much easier to wear whatever I want without thinking about it, and often it's cheaper too! 

Anyway, I'm off on a rabbit trail - all this to say that Rachel Evans makes some great points in her article and it's definitely worth a read.  While I generally agree with her points, I would caution on her second point, that just because something is culturally acceptable doesn't make it modest.  I think that the opposite would be a better guideline for you.  When something is culturally immodest then you are being immodest regardless of your personal feelings on the matter.  In Liberia (and many African nations) it was immodest for women to wear pants.  That is changing, but when I visited it was true, so we wore skirts. 

I especially like the statement she made at the end of her second point: "We don’t stop lust by covering up the female form; we stop lust by teaching men to treat women as human beings worthy of respect." AMEN SISTER!  While I realize that "Men are wired differently than us, it is implausible to assume one can teach the testosterone out of them", I do think that teaching respect for women is very important and would certainly not hurt.

P.S.  Jessica's designs are great, but I've never purchased one so I can't vouche for them.  I have bought some of the Hapari Swimwear tops and loved them.  They're not all modest, but they do have several modest options and they have some great sales.  Another great option is LimeRicki - just in case some of you women are still on the hunt.

bathing suit (noun)

a garment worn for swimming.