Today started like every other Sunday. Got up, got ready, ate breakfast, went to church, people came, greeted each other, service started, people came late...
Around a quarter till 12 something new happened. A lady with her two little boys walked in and sat down. (We also changed our clocks for daylight savings time last night, which explains why she was late)
After the service was over we started talking, come to find out she is a Brazilian Southern Baptist missionary to Spain. She doesn't speak Italian, but she does speak Portuguese, Spanish, and some English. Alessandra (Tamara's mom) speaks Spanish so the Brazilian lady and Alessandra were able to talk a bunch. After talking to her, we found out she'll be here for a month because she is getting her Italian documents. Her grandfather is Italian, so it's easier for her to get Italian documents instead of Spanish ones. (Once you can live in one EU country, you can basically live anywhere in the EU) Anyways, she said she's been to seminary. Her husband didn't feel called to be a missionary, but he still moved to Spain with her. He works a secular job and helps her with the music. He plays the guitar, and then she preaches. She was careful to call it a group not a church. Thus the discussion of should a woman teach a man? Is witnessing considered teaching?
We always seem to be lacking a few good men. In Fundie circles we are always so careful to make sure women are teaching women and children, but what about witnessing? I guess it would depend on your definition of teaching.
Comments? Thoughts? Questions? Answers?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Prayer Requests
Prayer Requests
Thanks for your prayers
- Salvation for
- Lorella
- Giovanna
- Gustavo
- The Church
- Spiritual Growth
- Unity
- More members
- The Bloyds
- Leaving for the States in May
- Paul will be staying/going to MBBC in the fall
- Tamara
- Rough home life
- Wants to come to the States for two weeks in May
- Needs encouragement to do whats right
Thanks for your prayers
Monday, March 24, 2008
Autostrada
So many things have happened lately. I'm not sure where to begin. I can now say that I've driven a stick shift in Italy on the highway too. Second day of driving a stick shift (the first day was about a month ago!) and what does Mr B do? He takes me on the "interstate." Technically it's called the autostrada.
Praise God there weren't many crazy drivers out (besides me that is).
Mr B took me driving before teaching English. I went with him, and Mama Mia were the kids bad!
Oh, oh, oh, on Tuesday night I got to talk to my Indian friend. I actually figured out what his name was. When I first met him he wrote "Vicky" on a piece of paper. (I still have that piece of paper) His name is Vinod. He made me sing him another song. I was like "perche?" He kept asking, and he said sing about your amore or whatever you like or about the God. So when he said that he convinced me. The first song that popped in my head was "How Great Thou Art." Thanks to Kathy I actually know the song pretty well. Afterwards he was like are you a singer? I said only in church. Then he mention that he went to church. I was a bit confused because I knew he was Hindu. I was like where? He couldn't really tell me. I said something along the lines of Hinduism not having churches. He said they are called temples. Then he was saying what religions labeled their places of worship temple.
As soon as I started asking him questions about what he believed the bus came. I figure if I ask him about his religion he'll be polite and listen to me. Before I left he asked for my email address. He kept asking "do you mind?" I kept saying no I don't mind. Something must of gotten lost in translation :) like always. I borrowed his pen and wrote down my email addy. He gave me his as well, so Lord willing I will be able to keep in contact with him.
Last but not least, last night at Giampaolo's house Mr B told them I have a blog. Giampaolo asked what I wrote about. I said "Italia," and that I wrote about him, his wife, the Bloyds, etc. He asked if I wrote about his cat Rollone (no it's not Roll One). I said no, and Giampaolo said that I had to write about his cat.
Wow, I almost forgot. Yesterday Lorella was supposed to help me with an Italian song for church. Her son said she was at the doctor's office when I went over, so I just went over to the church and practiced there. Well right before church started Lorella walked inside. She apologized, and I told her in English (she doesn't speak English) that she had to stay for the service. Well, Mrs B asked if I knew how to say that in Italian and I said no. Paul was like (read with a snide voice) "yeah you can." So I said it differently than I originally said it, but she got the picture. She stayed too :) She had to leave early so she could go home and make supper for her husband, but before she left she asked Mr B to finish on Friday and have a Bible study.
I am supposed to sing on Sunday. Pray that Lorella and her family will come. I think she'll come if she knows I'm singing.
Praise God there weren't many crazy drivers out (besides me that is).
Mr B took me driving before teaching English. I went with him, and Mama Mia were the kids bad!
Oh, oh, oh, on Tuesday night I got to talk to my Indian friend. I actually figured out what his name was. When I first met him he wrote "Vicky" on a piece of paper. (I still have that piece of paper) His name is Vinod. He made me sing him another song. I was like "perche?" He kept asking, and he said sing about your amore or whatever you like or about the God. So when he said that he convinced me. The first song that popped in my head was "How Great Thou Art." Thanks to Kathy I actually know the song pretty well. Afterwards he was like are you a singer? I said only in church. Then he mention that he went to church. I was a bit confused because I knew he was Hindu. I was like where? He couldn't really tell me. I said something along the lines of Hinduism not having churches. He said they are called temples. Then he was saying what religions labeled their places of worship temple.
As soon as I started asking him questions about what he believed the bus came. I figure if I ask him about his religion he'll be polite and listen to me. Before I left he asked for my email address. He kept asking "do you mind?" I kept saying no I don't mind. Something must of gotten lost in translation :) like always. I borrowed his pen and wrote down my email addy. He gave me his as well, so Lord willing I will be able to keep in contact with him.
Last but not least, last night at Giampaolo's house Mr B told them I have a blog. Giampaolo asked what I wrote about. I said "Italia," and that I wrote about him, his wife, the Bloyds, etc. He asked if I wrote about his cat Rollone (no it's not Roll One). I said no, and Giampaolo said that I had to write about his cat.
Wow, I almost forgot. Yesterday Lorella was supposed to help me with an Italian song for church. Her son said she was at the doctor's office when I went over, so I just went over to the church and practiced there. Well right before church started Lorella walked inside. She apologized, and I told her in English (she doesn't speak English) that she had to stay for the service. Well, Mrs B asked if I knew how to say that in Italian and I said no. Paul was like (read with a snide voice) "yeah you can." So I said it differently than I originally said it, but she got the picture. She stayed too :) She had to leave early so she could go home and make supper for her husband, but before she left she asked Mr B to finish on Friday and have a Bible study.
I am supposed to sing on Sunday. Pray that Lorella and her family will come. I think she'll come if she knows I'm singing.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Buana Pasqua
Buana Pasqua! Today we had the Childer family, another missionary family who lives about an hour away, come over for lunch. Church was good this morning, but I have to confess. I haven't felt great all day and listening and translating was difficult today.
My first week of online classes went well. I did spend all day yesterday studying though. I don't like doing that, but we didn't have anything else going on, and it was raining too. It made for a good studying day though.
Friday we were gone all day. We went to the Maitta's house in Grossetto. Friday was such a blessing! Story time :) Mr. Maitta's sister's son, Kevin (ie nephew) lives with his father in Grossetto. Kevin lived in the States for a good while, so he knows English very well. Well, I didn't realize this until after he left. I would have talked to him more. He talked in a mixture of English and Italian, so I was confused. lol. Anyways, he was telling people goodbye, and he came over to me and kissed me on the cheek. I didn't think anything of it because that's normal. He didn't kiss anyone else goodbye, just me. lol I was flattered.
Later Friday evening we stopped by the beach before heading back to Terni. It was dark out so I couldn't see much, but I did see the lights from Elba! Mrs Maitta was telling how she and her husband went to Elba for their wedding anniversary last summer. Before we left for Terni, Mr Maitta invited me back up, which I'm excited about! I'm hoping to go on Friday :)
Buana Pasqua! Praise God for sending His Son. Why He loves me I'll never know... but I am so thankful He does! This week especially I've been reading verses on praise, hallelujah, alleluiah, blessed, etc. God has definitely been teaching me to find my joy in Him even when circumstances around me make me want to be in a bad mood. He's done so much for me. There's no need for being down!
My first week of online classes went well. I did spend all day yesterday studying though. I don't like doing that, but we didn't have anything else going on, and it was raining too. It made for a good studying day though.
Friday we were gone all day. We went to the Maitta's house in Grossetto. Friday was such a blessing! Story time :) Mr. Maitta's sister's son, Kevin (ie nephew) lives with his father in Grossetto. Kevin lived in the States for a good while, so he knows English very well. Well, I didn't realize this until after he left. I would have talked to him more. He talked in a mixture of English and Italian, so I was confused. lol. Anyways, he was telling people goodbye, and he came over to me and kissed me on the cheek. I didn't think anything of it because that's normal. He didn't kiss anyone else goodbye, just me. lol I was flattered.
Later Friday evening we stopped by the beach before heading back to Terni. It was dark out so I couldn't see much, but I did see the lights from Elba! Mrs Maitta was telling how she and her husband went to Elba for their wedding anniversary last summer. Before we left for Terni, Mr Maitta invited me back up, which I'm excited about! I'm hoping to go on Friday :)
Buana Pasqua! Praise God for sending His Son. Why He loves me I'll never know... but I am so thankful He does! This week especially I've been reading verses on praise, hallelujah, alleluiah, blessed, etc. God has definitely been teaching me to find my joy in Him even when circumstances around me make me want to be in a bad mood. He's done so much for me. There's no need for being down!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Lorella
Today I went over to Lorella's house so she could help me with a song. We only had 50 minutes or so, but we were able to get through the pronunciation of all the words. We're going to work on it some more tomorrow. I think that's what she said anyway :) Tonight (around 9pm) we went over to her house for a Bible study. Actually, we just got back about 10 minutes ago. (It's midnight here.) The Bible study went really well. We read/discussed/answered questions about John 14 & 15. Please pray for Lorella! She knows she is a sinner, but it's like she thinks she isn't bad enough to need help.
The song I'm learning is: No, Non V'E Altri che un Salvatore. I know the tune, but I just can't think of the words in English! I'm not surprised though. When it comes to lyrics, I always get them wrong. Anyways, pray I can learn the song quickly. I want to have a good pronunciation while singing the song. Lorella said I read Italian well. She was saying something about her sister, but I'm not quite sure what. I think she said she was going to tell her sister (who lives on the floor below us) that I read in Italian well.
One more thing... I believe it was yesterday... Yes, it was yesterday. I read all the verses in the Bible that say "Hallelujah," and it was a huge encouragement. Praising God when things aren't going my way is the quickest way to correct my focus.
Buano Notte :) Preghi per Lorella per favore!
Translation: Good night :) Pray for Lorella please!
The song I'm learning is: No, Non V'E Altri che un Salvatore. I know the tune, but I just can't think of the words in English! I'm not surprised though. When it comes to lyrics, I always get them wrong. Anyways, pray I can learn the song quickly. I want to have a good pronunciation while singing the song. Lorella said I read Italian well. She was saying something about her sister, but I'm not quite sure what. I think she said she was going to tell her sister (who lives on the floor below us) that I read in Italian well.
One more thing... I believe it was yesterday... Yes, it was yesterday. I read all the verses in the Bible that say "Hallelujah," and it was a huge encouragement. Praising God when things aren't going my way is the quickest way to correct my focus.
Buano Notte :) Preghi per Lorella per favore!
Translation: Good night :) Pray for Lorella please!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A few prayer requests
This week has been interesting to say the least. On Thursday I went to language class as usual, and I learned "me piacerebbe." It means "I would like." On Friday we passed out tracts and had a Bible study later in the day. On Saturday we went to Durata where other missionaries live. We ate lunch and played games. Paul and I took the two kids to the park. The little boy picked flowers for me. They are two of the cutest kids I've ever seen!
Today we had church (of course). Tamara came over for lunch. Her boyfriend texted her and said "ciao." I.e. He broke up with her via a text message. I felt so bad for her! I think it's for the best though. The guy didn't sound all that great, and if he can't even call her (let alone tell her to her face) and break up with her...
Tamara's mom invited me to go with them to the mountains. It wasn't the greatest day for it, but I still had fun. Tamara wasn't into it, but I can relate. We bumped a volleyball around for awhile, snacked a bit, and then headed back because it was too cold.
I played Phase 10 with Mr and Mrs B, and now I sit here.
I start classes tomorrow. I've already started reading for Accounting. I'm going to have to tell myself I like Accounting. Oh well, it's only 8 weeks, which is a whole lot better than a semester! Granted it is paced faster, but if I can work 28 hours while taking 19 credits, I will be fine with 12 credits, not working, and traveling as much as possible.
Anyways, please pray for Tamara. Pray for her family as well. I don't know if I've mentioned it on here or not, but her family life is dysfunctional. Pray for the family of the Peruvian who got saved recently. Their youngest son is sick, and the rest of the family will probably get the flu as well. Pray for their spiritual growth as well. Giovanna (Her husband Giampaolo is saved; she isn't. We go to there house on Wednesday nights for supper.) asked for prayer for her mom who is having surgery on her back. Since I've been here I have not heard Giovanna ask for prayer for anything. I am hoping this is a good sign.
Thanks for your prayers
Today we had church (of course). Tamara came over for lunch. Her boyfriend texted her and said "ciao." I.e. He broke up with her via a text message. I felt so bad for her! I think it's for the best though. The guy didn't sound all that great, and if he can't even call her (let alone tell her to her face) and break up with her...
Tamara's mom invited me to go with them to the mountains. It wasn't the greatest day for it, but I still had fun. Tamara wasn't into it, but I can relate. We bumped a volleyball around for awhile, snacked a bit, and then headed back because it was too cold.
I played Phase 10 with Mr and Mrs B, and now I sit here.
I start classes tomorrow. I've already started reading for Accounting. I'm going to have to tell myself I like Accounting. Oh well, it's only 8 weeks, which is a whole lot better than a semester! Granted it is paced faster, but if I can work 28 hours while taking 19 credits, I will be fine with 12 credits, not working, and traveling as much as possible.
Anyways, please pray for Tamara. Pray for her family as well. I don't know if I've mentioned it on here or not, but her family life is dysfunctional. Pray for the family of the Peruvian who got saved recently. Their youngest son is sick, and the rest of the family will probably get the flu as well. Pray for their spiritual growth as well. Giovanna (Her husband Giampaolo is saved; she isn't. We go to there house on Wednesday nights for supper.) asked for prayer for her mom who is having surgery on her back. Since I've been here I have not heard Giovanna ask for prayer for anything. I am hoping this is a good sign.
Thanks for your prayers
Thursday, March 13, 2008
OneNote
I don't know why, but I never discovered the usefulness of OneNote until today. I'm pretty much loving it. I am working on making Italian vocab lists for myself. I wish I would have used OneNote for my vocabulary lists for China (hint hint). Pretty much amazing. I am uploading more pictures at this very moment, so they should be ready for your viewing pleasure very soon.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Paris
Ah, where to begin? I guess the beginning would be a good place, but I'm not sure where that is...
Sunday morning was a blessing. The mayor (or whoever he is) declared Sunday a no driving day (supposedly it helps the environment. yeah riiiiiight) so I wasn't expecting one of the couples to come. I was told they wouldn't take the bus, but Sunday morning rolled around, and they came!
Around 3:30pm I started my journey to Paris. I had to ride a bus to the station because it was a no driving day, but that wasn't a problem. Thankfully, the buses were almost on time :) I took a train to Rome where I then took a night train to Paris. My cabin-mates were pretty good on the trip up. One of them did lose his glasses and was looking for them around 6am, but I'd be freaking out too if I were him.
The first thing I did when I got to Paris was find my hotel. Unfortunately, a bus driver told me the wrong stop to get off, so it took me awhile to find the hotel. BUT I did find H&M and Carrefour :) So that was cool. I bought a hat at H&M because it was rainy and windy, and the umbrella just wasn't doing anything. Well, it did invert itself on several occasions. I was tempted to buy another pair of shoes, but I couldn't find ones I liked that were cheap. My pumas are running shoes... and they have breathable material so that your feet don't get hot when running, which isn't so great when it's raining.
Once I found my hotel room I was happy :) It was a decent room. No 5 stars, but for the price it might as well have been.
After freshening up a bit, I set out to explore the town. I'm not sure what all I saw, but I do know that I saw the outside of the Louvre (I didn't realize it was the Louvre at first tho. I was expecting to see the Pyramides and didn't realize the mammoth building the size of a city block or two was the Louvre until I looked at my map.), the Eiffel Tower (obviously, how could you go to Paris and not see it?), the Hotel de Ville (ok my blondeness is going to show. I didn't realize it wasn't a hotel until the train ride home.), Arc de Triumphe, the outside of the Opera, Sacre Couer, the Bastille... and a lot of other things I don't know the names of. Seriously, I walked a ton and rode the bus a ton too.
I would hop on a bus and just ride it when I was cold (from the rain and wind). Usually, I didn't know exactly where I was. I knew where I wanted to go, and I was totally fine with that. So yes, I did get "lost," but you find the coolest things when you just go with the flow.
I saw this random green statue above the rooftops, so I tried to go see it. I got distracted by other shiny monuments and forgot about it. I was riding a bus in the direction of the statue, but then the bus went through a piazza with some sweet monuments... I got off and took some pictures, and by the time I was done taking pictures, I had already forgotten about the random statue.
Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot! I was walking toward the Eiffel Tower, and some guy was speaking in French behind me. It sounded like he was trying to get my attention, but I didn't turn around until he started speaking English. I turned around, and he started jibbering away in French. I told him I speak English, so he started speaking English asking what I was doing, where I was going, how long I was going to be in Paris, etc. After asking all those questions, he was like "oh why don't we walk up to the Eiffel Tower and talk some more... get to know each other." I was like "uh, my boyfriend wouldn't like that very much." He randomly got tired and wanted to sit on a park bench. Seriously, he told me that he was tired and was going to sit on this park bench. I kept walking, and I didn't turn around. I took another metro back to my hotel than the one I had planned on, but I did find where Lady Liberty's sister is because of that.
Anyways, I found my way back to my hotel with the help of a nice Parisian gentleman. I stopped by Pizza Hut before going back to my hotel. Great way to grab food and avoid being followed. I doubt he would be the type because he was like 72 and had groceries with him, but one can never be too careful. I hadn't eaten anything but cashews all day, so I was starving.
I kinda forgot to eat lunch. I don't know how, but I guess I was just distracted or something. I don't know why ;) So I ordered a small pizza for an outrageous price. I didn't really care b/c I was starving and didn't feel like searching for something cheaper. They randomly gave me a 2nd pizza for free. They didn't speak much English, but they said because I was buying an expensive pizza I should have another one. I couldn't say no. So I got a Cheese pizza and a Hawaiian pizza. I ate almost all of the cheese pizza, and half of the Hawaiian. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "HEIFER!" lol I really don't care! It was my birthday, and I was hungry.
I was going to start out the next day around 8am. Wake up at 7am, get my stuff together, blah blah blah. Like that would happen! Ok so maybe it would have happened if I didn't wake up with a headache. I slept in, got ready for the day, and I think I made it out of my hotel room by 9:30, but I'm not sure. I headed over to the Louvre all excited to see it. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday. Guess what day it was? You got it. Tuesday. So I took some pictures of the outside of the Louvre and the pyramides. Then I headed towards... I'm not sure what lol! I ended up going inside of the Opera house. SO gorgeous! "It's so pretty" was constantly going through my head. Actually I said it a lot too. I also found Notre Dame and went inside. I didn't go up to the bell towers b/c they charge you money. It was smaller than I expected. I'm blaming Walt Disney. I never saw the movie, but the previews for The Hunchback of Notre Dame always made the church look huge. And no, I did not see the Hunchback.
I stumbled upon Moulin Rouge and took a few pics of the outside. Once again they had an admission fee. I saw a restaurant named "Indiana." I was going to eat there, but it was so expensive! I looked around for a cheap French place, but I couldn't find anything less than 10 euro, which would be $15. Ridiculous, I know! I ended up eating at Mcdonald's. If anyone has a problem with that, they can give me money to go back and eat at a real French restaurant.
I went and found Lady Liberty's sister, which was cool. It's kind of ironic though. I've never seen the Statue of Liberty in NYC, but I've seen her sister in Paris. I'm wanting to say there was something else that I've seen abroad but not in America, but I can't remember what. If it comes to me I'll let ya know.
I wanted to take pictures of Lady Liberty's sister from a nearby bridge. (Ok, when I say nearby, it was like a mile away) I took a bus as close as possible, and then walked to the bridge. It was an absolutely gorgeous view of Paris. A older man, who was walking his dog, asked if I wanted him to take my picture. I said yes, and he had me hold his dog's leash while he took my picture. So when I get my pictures online, that's why I'm hold a leash :)
After that, I headed towards the train station. My cabin-mates were interesting. (Using the word as Mr Trainer uses it.) One guy was 26 from South Korea and very talkative. For not know how to speak English, he sure did speak a lot of English. (He claimed he couldn't speak English.) I think he just meant he couldn't speak fluently. The other man was from Bangladesh. He is working in Greece until 2020. He has a wife and a two month old kid. Yes, I do know their life stories because they told me. lol. They were nice, but I didn't want to talk that much. Sleeping sounded better! The train was two hours late, so we got to talk even more! I was so excited... ok not really. They spoke English, but I don't think they comprehended English very well.
Just to give you an idea of how they were... the guy from Bangladesh told me that after I get married I should go to Greece on my honeymoon. That's not the weird/funny part. The weird/funny part is... he told me my husband and I could stay at his house. They told me numerous times that I'm so lucky b/c I'm young. I'm almost quoting them when I say, "You get married, you make child, you travel to Europe, oh you be so happy."
Sunday morning was a blessing. The mayor (or whoever he is) declared Sunday a no driving day (supposedly it helps the environment. yeah riiiiiight) so I wasn't expecting one of the couples to come. I was told they wouldn't take the bus, but Sunday morning rolled around, and they came!
Around 3:30pm I started my journey to Paris. I had to ride a bus to the station because it was a no driving day, but that wasn't a problem. Thankfully, the buses were almost on time :) I took a train to Rome where I then took a night train to Paris. My cabin-mates were pretty good on the trip up. One of them did lose his glasses and was looking for them around 6am, but I'd be freaking out too if I were him.
The first thing I did when I got to Paris was find my hotel. Unfortunately, a bus driver told me the wrong stop to get off, so it took me awhile to find the hotel. BUT I did find H&M and Carrefour :) So that was cool. I bought a hat at H&M because it was rainy and windy, and the umbrella just wasn't doing anything. Well, it did invert itself on several occasions. I was tempted to buy another pair of shoes, but I couldn't find ones I liked that were cheap. My pumas are running shoes... and they have breathable material so that your feet don't get hot when running, which isn't so great when it's raining.
Once I found my hotel room I was happy :) It was a decent room. No 5 stars, but for the price it might as well have been.
After freshening up a bit, I set out to explore the town. I'm not sure what all I saw, but I do know that I saw the outside of the Louvre (I didn't realize it was the Louvre at first tho. I was expecting to see the Pyramides and didn't realize the mammoth building the size of a city block or two was the Louvre until I looked at my map.), the Eiffel Tower (obviously, how could you go to Paris and not see it?), the Hotel de Ville (ok my blondeness is going to show. I didn't realize it wasn't a hotel until the train ride home.), Arc de Triumphe, the outside of the Opera, Sacre Couer, the Bastille... and a lot of other things I don't know the names of. Seriously, I walked a ton and rode the bus a ton too.
I would hop on a bus and just ride it when I was cold (from the rain and wind). Usually, I didn't know exactly where I was. I knew where I wanted to go, and I was totally fine with that. So yes, I did get "lost," but you find the coolest things when you just go with the flow.
I saw this random green statue above the rooftops, so I tried to go see it. I got distracted by other shiny monuments and forgot about it. I was riding a bus in the direction of the statue, but then the bus went through a piazza with some sweet monuments... I got off and took some pictures, and by the time I was done taking pictures, I had already forgotten about the random statue.
Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot! I was walking toward the Eiffel Tower, and some guy was speaking in French behind me. It sounded like he was trying to get my attention, but I didn't turn around until he started speaking English. I turned around, and he started jibbering away in French. I told him I speak English, so he started speaking English asking what I was doing, where I was going, how long I was going to be in Paris, etc. After asking all those questions, he was like "oh why don't we walk up to the Eiffel Tower and talk some more... get to know each other." I was like "uh, my boyfriend wouldn't like that very much." He randomly got tired and wanted to sit on a park bench. Seriously, he told me that he was tired and was going to sit on this park bench. I kept walking, and I didn't turn around. I took another metro back to my hotel than the one I had planned on, but I did find where Lady Liberty's sister is because of that.
Anyways, I found my way back to my hotel with the help of a nice Parisian gentleman. I stopped by Pizza Hut before going back to my hotel. Great way to grab food and avoid being followed. I doubt he would be the type because he was like 72 and had groceries with him, but one can never be too careful. I hadn't eaten anything but cashews all day, so I was starving.
I kinda forgot to eat lunch. I don't know how, but I guess I was just distracted or something. I don't know why ;) So I ordered a small pizza for an outrageous price. I didn't really care b/c I was starving and didn't feel like searching for something cheaper. They randomly gave me a 2nd pizza for free. They didn't speak much English, but they said because I was buying an expensive pizza I should have another one. I couldn't say no. So I got a Cheese pizza and a Hawaiian pizza. I ate almost all of the cheese pizza, and half of the Hawaiian. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "HEIFER!" lol I really don't care! It was my birthday, and I was hungry.
I was going to start out the next day around 8am. Wake up at 7am, get my stuff together, blah blah blah. Like that would happen! Ok so maybe it would have happened if I didn't wake up with a headache. I slept in, got ready for the day, and I think I made it out of my hotel room by 9:30, but I'm not sure. I headed over to the Louvre all excited to see it. The Louvre is closed every Tuesday. Guess what day it was? You got it. Tuesday. So I took some pictures of the outside of the Louvre and the pyramides. Then I headed towards... I'm not sure what lol! I ended up going inside of the Opera house. SO gorgeous! "It's so pretty" was constantly going through my head. Actually I said it a lot too. I also found Notre Dame and went inside. I didn't go up to the bell towers b/c they charge you money. It was smaller than I expected. I'm blaming Walt Disney. I never saw the movie, but the previews for The Hunchback of Notre Dame always made the church look huge. And no, I did not see the Hunchback.
I stumbled upon Moulin Rouge and took a few pics of the outside. Once again they had an admission fee. I saw a restaurant named "Indiana." I was going to eat there, but it was so expensive! I looked around for a cheap French place, but I couldn't find anything less than 10 euro, which would be $15. Ridiculous, I know! I ended up eating at Mcdonald's. If anyone has a problem with that, they can give me money to go back and eat at a real French restaurant.
I went and found Lady Liberty's sister, which was cool. It's kind of ironic though. I've never seen the Statue of Liberty in NYC, but I've seen her sister in Paris. I'm wanting to say there was something else that I've seen abroad but not in America, but I can't remember what. If it comes to me I'll let ya know.
I wanted to take pictures of Lady Liberty's sister from a nearby bridge. (Ok, when I say nearby, it was like a mile away) I took a bus as close as possible, and then walked to the bridge. It was an absolutely gorgeous view of Paris. A older man, who was walking his dog, asked if I wanted him to take my picture. I said yes, and he had me hold his dog's leash while he took my picture. So when I get my pictures online, that's why I'm hold a leash :)
After that, I headed towards the train station. My cabin-mates were interesting. (Using the word as Mr Trainer uses it.) One guy was 26 from South Korea and very talkative. For not know how to speak English, he sure did speak a lot of English. (He claimed he couldn't speak English.) I think he just meant he couldn't speak fluently. The other man was from Bangladesh. He is working in Greece until 2020. He has a wife and a two month old kid. Yes, I do know their life stories because they told me. lol. They were nice, but I didn't want to talk that much. Sleeping sounded better! The train was two hours late, so we got to talk even more! I was so excited... ok not really. They spoke English, but I don't think they comprehended English very well.
Just to give you an idea of how they were... the guy from Bangladesh told me that after I get married I should go to Greece on my honeymoon. That's not the weird/funny part. The weird/funny part is... he told me my husband and I could stay at his house. They told me numerous times that I'm so lucky b/c I'm young. I'm almost quoting them when I say, "You get married, you make child, you travel to Europe, oh you be so happy."
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Praise God!
Yesterday morning a Peruvian man who goes to the Bloyds' church called and wanted to stop by for a visit that morning. We were going to be busy going to the Questura, the train station, and some other things. Well, later that night the Peruvian man called and asked if he could come over, and Mr Bloyd said we were eating earlier than usual but he could feel free to come on over. So the Peruvian man came over with his son. The son ate some french fries with us, and then Mr Bloyd and the Peruvians went into the living room to talk. Mrs Bloyd, Paul, and I were still in the kitchen talking. We could hear things escalating a bit, so I just shot up a quick prayer for everything to turn out alright. It turns out the Peruvians wanted to get baptized, so Mr Bloyd talked with them to see if they were saved. In the end, the two Peruvians ended up praying and accepting Christ as their Savior! Praise God :)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Je vais à Paris!
I'm going to Paris for my birthday!!!!! I'll be there for two days! I'm taking night trains there and back.
Originally, I wondered if going somewhere by myself on my birthday would be fun, but I've had fun by myself going to some towns in Italy... I think I'll have a blast. Honestly, the bad parts of my last birthday were caused by other people in my group. Going by myself eliminates those problems :)
Last night on the bus back to the Bloyds' house I heard a girl trying to sing "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback. Her friend was looking in his electronic dictionary trying to figure out what the song was saying. It made me realize that an electronic dictionary would be a very good investment, especially since I want to travel the world. So if anyone wants to buy me a birthday present... I'd recommend buying an electronic dictionary that has multiple language capabilities.
The more I plan my trip to Paris, the more it seems like a dream. It doesn't seem real. The only glitch is the weather forecast includes rain and wind. Pray it doesn't rain! I'm praying for two good days in Paris. Thankfully, my God controls the weather!
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 7:7 ESV
Originally, I wondered if going somewhere by myself on my birthday would be fun, but I've had fun by myself going to some towns in Italy... I think I'll have a blast. Honestly, the bad parts of my last birthday were caused by other people in my group. Going by myself eliminates those problems :)
Last night on the bus back to the Bloyds' house I heard a girl trying to sing "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback. Her friend was looking in his electronic dictionary trying to figure out what the song was saying. It made me realize that an electronic dictionary would be a very good investment, especially since I want to travel the world. So if anyone wants to buy me a birthday present... I'd recommend buying an electronic dictionary that has multiple language capabilities.
The more I plan my trip to Paris, the more it seems like a dream. It doesn't seem real. The only glitch is the weather forecast includes rain and wind. Pray it doesn't rain! I'm praying for two good days in Paris. Thankfully, my God controls the weather!
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 7:7 ESV
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
I went to the hospital...
Yesterday and today have been absolutely gorgeous. It feels like Spring :) Yesterday, I took the scooter to San Gemini and put tracts in the mail boxes. And after lunch, I went with the Bloyds to the hospital to visit a lady from their church. Going to a foreign hospital was really interesting. Their ideas of what is sanitary... not very sanitary. There was an anorexic man smoking inside the hospital, which would never happen in America.
We had McDonald's for supper, and we were talking about the rules a girl who lives downstairs will have while she studies abroad in America. Mrs Bloyd was like "She's not allowed to smoke, and she's not allowed to smoke Marijuana..." They were conversing about it, and I was like "Uh, well of course she can't; it's illegal." Mr. Bloyd said, "It is?" It made me laugh :)
I have more pictures online. The address is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ciaobella7310/ItalyPart2
We had McDonald's for supper, and we were talking about the rules a girl who lives downstairs will have while she studies abroad in America. Mrs Bloyd was like "She's not allowed to smoke, and she's not allowed to smoke Marijuana..." They were conversing about it, and I was like "Uh, well of course she can't; it's illegal." Mr. Bloyd said, "It is?" It made me laugh :)
I have more pictures online. The address is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ciaobella7310/ItalyPart2
Sunday, March 2, 2008
What if His People Prayed
What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more
What if the church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand on God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates
Chorus:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do
Chorus.
He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear
If only we would pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
chorus
What if His people prayed
~Casting Crowns
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more
What if the church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand on God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates
Chorus:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way
And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day
What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do
Chorus.
He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear
If only we would pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
chorus
What if His people prayed
~Casting Crowns
Blurb
I feel like just posting song lyrics tonight, but I suppose since I haven't updated in awhile I should do more than that.
Today, Mr and Mrs Bloyd, Tamara, and I went to Todi, a small town about 30 minutes away. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. 60 degrees with sunshine. I'm not sure if it could get any better :)
Language class went well on Tuesday and Thursday. My Hindu friend never did tell me where the other language class was, so I don't know if I'll ever go. On Friday I went to Narni and walked around for about 3 hours. I took 125 pictures... Craziness I know. On Saturday, I passed out tracts, went shopping, and oh oh oh! How could I forget??? We had company, and they are learning English so they would talk in English, and I tried out my Italian.
I have no ambition to write tonight... maybe if more people left comments ;)
Today, Mr and Mrs Bloyd, Tamara, and I went to Todi, a small town about 30 minutes away. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. 60 degrees with sunshine. I'm not sure if it could get any better :)
Language class went well on Tuesday and Thursday. My Hindu friend never did tell me where the other language class was, so I don't know if I'll ever go. On Friday I went to Narni and walked around for about 3 hours. I took 125 pictures... Craziness I know. On Saturday, I passed out tracts, went shopping, and oh oh oh! How could I forget??? We had company, and they are learning English so they would talk in English, and I tried out my Italian.
I have no ambition to write tonight... maybe if more people left comments ;)
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