Next two days will be full. I have officially overbooked myself once again. Too many irons in the fire, bit off more than I could chew, a flock of birds and only one stone. The birds are laughing at the stone. Ah well, it isn't too late to recruit some help, I think....
Well, I'm off to bed...I have too many details from my "to do" list swirling around in my head to concentrate very well. I'll go get a good sleep, and wake up early and set to work again.
I wish a peaceful night to all.
(Oh yeah, quiet outside our apartment this morning- rainy day! It was glorious!)
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Who are the People in your Neighbourhood?
Well, the flowers were sure no buffer. 6 am this morning, loud talking, yelling, dog's fighting...the flowers did not make one iota of difference. The voices are too loud and piercing, I guess the voices don't need to be standing right by our door to cut through the wall and wake us up.
One of the voices is (I guess) this lady that makes take out breakfast from a little cart, on the corner....other voices are some of the retired ladies who sit around outside our house at various times of the day and gab and say to us when we walk by "Going out?" and we nod or say "Going out."
The other voice is the lady at the corner store (literally 10 steps from our door).... I can always pick out her voice.... she spends most of the day outside her store visiting with people and serving the customers that come and go. She has a habit of making her daughter come speak english with me when I go in there. I don't mind the idea of speaking english with her teenage daughter....but the fact is, her daughter doesn't want to speak english to ME. So I have to stand there while the mom and daughter argue about her speaking english to me......"Speak!" ....no reply.... "speak" ... no reply....mother swats daughter on the arm "speak english!" ...whining..... it goes nowhere.... One time she even tried to get her daughter to talk to me by calling me a teacher, "Speak english to the teacher!" To which I replied, "I'm not a teacher, I'm a student" She replied by giving me that tilt of the head and look out of the corner of her eye that says " Shhhhhhh! " I actually wish I could speak fluently with the store lady, I think she'd be a fun friend. She seems like a character......But I do wish she wouldn't be such a character outside our apartment at 6 am.
One of the voices is (I guess) this lady that makes take out breakfast from a little cart, on the corner....other voices are some of the retired ladies who sit around outside our house at various times of the day and gab and say to us when we walk by "Going out?" and we nod or say "Going out."
The other voice is the lady at the corner store (literally 10 steps from our door).... I can always pick out her voice.... she spends most of the day outside her store visiting with people and serving the customers that come and go. She has a habit of making her daughter come speak english with me when I go in there. I don't mind the idea of speaking english with her teenage daughter....but the fact is, her daughter doesn't want to speak english to ME. So I have to stand there while the mom and daughter argue about her speaking english to me......"Speak!" ....no reply.... "speak" ... no reply....mother swats daughter on the arm "speak english!" ...whining..... it goes nowhere.... One time she even tried to get her daughter to talk to me by calling me a teacher, "Speak english to the teacher!" To which I replied, "I'm not a teacher, I'm a student" She replied by giving me that tilt of the head and look out of the corner of her eye that says " Shhhhhhh! " I actually wish I could speak fluently with the store lady, I think she'd be a fun friend. She seems like a character......But I do wish she wouldn't be such a character outside our apartment at 6 am.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Oh! You shouldn't have!!
I am almost ready to hit the sack! I didn't fall asleep until late last night, and then was awakened early by what sounded like a whole bunch of women outside our apartment talking, and yelling to each other (and dogs barking) ....that and the light coming through the thin curtains.
Things are looking up though....we got a blind today!!! So our room will be dark...er... it still lets some light in but on the whole it should keep it darker longer....
Something funny yet a little annoying. When I came home from school today I noticed that there were potted flowers all over the place to decorate the neighbourhood. Very pretty! Just sitting in various configurations. AND, there were 20-30 pots sitting in a lovely configuration right in front of OUR door! We have 2 doors, and we seldom use that one..... but really, did it need to go right in front of our door so we can't open it?
It was kind of funny but annoying too. However, an epiphany that I had....maybe just maybe, it will give us some buffer tomorrow morning from the 6am party of loud talking women!
Good night!
Things are looking up though....we got a blind today!!! So our room will be dark...er... it still lets some light in but on the whole it should keep it darker longer....
Something funny yet a little annoying. When I came home from school today I noticed that there were potted flowers all over the place to decorate the neighbourhood. Very pretty! Just sitting in various configurations. AND, there were 20-30 pots sitting in a lovely configuration right in front of OUR door! We have 2 doors, and we seldom use that one..... but really, did it need to go right in front of our door so we can't open it?
It was kind of funny but annoying too. However, an epiphany that I had....maybe just maybe, it will give us some buffer tomorrow morning from the 6am party of loud talking women!
Good night!
Saturday, September 24, 2005
The Tale of the Evil Worm
The Evil Worm
So a few weeks ago we were away. Gone for about a week. No problem. When we got home, everything seemed in fine order around here....except for this funny little pile of yellowish dust on one of our dining room chairs, how strange. Upon closer inspection we realized that the yellow pile was sawdust (or wormdust!), a worm had burrowed into our chair and was eating it from the inside out. The worm had been small when it ate it's way into the chair, the entry hole was very small. But inside the worm (though still relatively small) had grown to many times the size it was when it first started it's meal.Now the chair has a big chunk of wood missing because we had to extract the stupid worm. How annoying!
I did realize something though... the saga of the worm bears a resemblance to what happens when we are offended by someone and let it brew in our hearts. It may start out as something small that we let ourselves dwell on, and pretty soon it gets bigger and bigger and can become a root of bitterness if we aren't careful. Unforgiveness eats at us, from the inside.Interestingling, from the outside of the chair you couldn't tell there was anything going on inside it! It looked normal. (you couldn't even really notice the tiny little hole) But inside, there was this worm getting fatter and fatter, destroying our good chair.
Unforgiveness is like that too, you often can't notice it right away in someone's life. But it could very well be there, getting fatter and fatter. Destroying the heart.There is a tell tale sign on the outside though... the worm was spewing behind it the pile of saw dust- his refuse, his garbage..... he couldn't hide it.....(he probably wished he could have hid it because we squished him when we found him.)
I think it's similar with us when we have a grudge brewing, an offense we are unwilling to forgive.... there is stuff that comes out of our heart that is a byproduct.... critical words, a cynical attitude, a lack of grace. And it's garbage really.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Col 3:12-15
So, yeah, I need to take these things to heart. Now to find some chair cushions to cover up the worm's carnage!
So a few weeks ago we were away. Gone for about a week. No problem. When we got home, everything seemed in fine order around here....except for this funny little pile of yellowish dust on one of our dining room chairs, how strange. Upon closer inspection we realized that the yellow pile was sawdust (or wormdust!), a worm had burrowed into our chair and was eating it from the inside out. The worm had been small when it ate it's way into the chair, the entry hole was very small. But inside the worm (though still relatively small) had grown to many times the size it was when it first started it's meal.Now the chair has a big chunk of wood missing because we had to extract the stupid worm. How annoying!
I did realize something though... the saga of the worm bears a resemblance to what happens when we are offended by someone and let it brew in our hearts. It may start out as something small that we let ourselves dwell on, and pretty soon it gets bigger and bigger and can become a root of bitterness if we aren't careful. Unforgiveness eats at us, from the inside.Interestingling, from the outside of the chair you couldn't tell there was anything going on inside it! It looked normal. (you couldn't even really notice the tiny little hole) But inside, there was this worm getting fatter and fatter, destroying our good chair.
Unforgiveness is like that too, you often can't notice it right away in someone's life. But it could very well be there, getting fatter and fatter. Destroying the heart.There is a tell tale sign on the outside though... the worm was spewing behind it the pile of saw dust- his refuse, his garbage..... he couldn't hide it.....(he probably wished he could have hid it because we squished him when we found him.)
I think it's similar with us when we have a grudge brewing, an offense we are unwilling to forgive.... there is stuff that comes out of our heart that is a byproduct.... critical words, a cynical attitude, a lack of grace. And it's garbage really.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Col 3:12-15
So, yeah, I need to take these things to heart. Now to find some chair cushions to cover up the worm's carnage!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
People ask the bluntest questions around here. I'm not sure if it's because the questions are culturally ok to ask anyone here, or if they think it's ok to ask me because I'm a foreigner. Not sure. Most common questions that I get asked are
1- how old are you? (EV-eryone from the little boy down the street to the guy who delivers the water may ask this question.... I don't really mind, but it still takes me by surprise...we seldom ask that in N. America)
2) When are you going to have a baby? People ask me this at home too....it's the question you get after you get married, but it's taken to a whole new level here. I also don't mind the question, the answer is, we really don't know. Not trying to be vague. We just don't know.
There's a guy in my class from Great Britian. Yesterday he was telling me that he often gets asked why he's so fat. Someone asked him the other day if he was fat before he came here. Now, being larger than most of the women in this country, (not hard to do!) I am so thankful that thus far I have NOT been asked that question....(although one lady at the market last week made a comment that I'm still pretending I didn't understand.) If and when I am asked the fat question, I think it will be hard for me to feign good humour. But, it would also be hard for me to be mad at someone here for asking that question. Really here, a little extra weight is not as big a deal as it is to us North Americans. A couple weeks ago I met a girl who is soon to be married. She told me that my husband and I are very suitable for one another because we look alike. (ok, I knew the matchy matchy two for one glasses were a mistake!) She said that she and her fiance are also suitable for one another because they also look alike ...in her words ...they "are both a little fat." She was laughing as she said it. and I think that here, that's generally the feel about extra weigh. "So? You're a little fat? So what?" Therefore, the question pops out.... But still in the end, when the question comes.....I will probably come home, curl up and cry.
1- how old are you? (EV-eryone from the little boy down the street to the guy who delivers the water may ask this question.... I don't really mind, but it still takes me by surprise...we seldom ask that in N. America)
2) When are you going to have a baby? People ask me this at home too....it's the question you get after you get married, but it's taken to a whole new level here. I also don't mind the question, the answer is, we really don't know. Not trying to be vague. We just don't know.
There's a guy in my class from Great Britian. Yesterday he was telling me that he often gets asked why he's so fat. Someone asked him the other day if he was fat before he came here. Now, being larger than most of the women in this country, (not hard to do!) I am so thankful that thus far I have NOT been asked that question....(although one lady at the market last week made a comment that I'm still pretending I didn't understand.) If and when I am asked the fat question, I think it will be hard for me to feign good humour. But, it would also be hard for me to be mad at someone here for asking that question. Really here, a little extra weight is not as big a deal as it is to us North Americans. A couple weeks ago I met a girl who is soon to be married. She told me that my husband and I are very suitable for one another because we look alike. (ok, I knew the matchy matchy two for one glasses were a mistake!) She said that she and her fiance are also suitable for one another because they also look alike ...in her words ...they "are both a little fat." She was laughing as she said it. and I think that here, that's generally the feel about extra weigh. "So? You're a little fat? So what?" Therefore, the question pops out.... But still in the end, when the question comes.....I will probably come home, curl up and cry.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The first post
Ok, after all the hoohaw to set this up, I don't really have that much to say. Boy do I wish I had something to say now...the pressure is on.... I guess I think the whole "blog" thing quite novel. I've had a number of friends invite me to look at their blogs recently, and I've really enjoyed reading their thoughts, seeing pictures and hearing stories. Being overseas, I also kind of think this is a fun way to share little snippets of daily life, things I'm thinking about etc... so if you are interested, feel free to check in here whenever you like.
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