Throughout high school and college, my friends and I have been big birthday people. So I've had all kinds of things happen for me on my birthday. A few of my favorites include a surprise party when I turned 17 (I seriously had NO idea), a birthday WEEK when I turned 19 (which included a scavenger hunt all around Columbia, many celebratory dinners, and 4 of my friends from out of town coming to spend a weekend with me), and being kidnapped (literally blind folded and shoved into a car) and taken to Atlanta for my 21st. Since moving to Slovakia, I've had to readjust my expectations for this day, knowing I'm not going to be surrounded by my best friends or family. And last year was pretty miserable to be honest. It included my friend's dog leaving a big pile of crap for me to clean up on the kitchen floor, a morning of staff meetings in Zilina, me missing lunch because I had to rush to catch my train back to Bratislava, subsequently starving through small group, and then pretty much going to bed hungry because I was too tired to bother with going to the store for food. It was a little depressing.
This year I was planning to take it easy on my birthday, which was this past Thursday. I was going to finish Christmas shopping, hang up some more pictures around my flat, meet with a few friends... really just enjoy doing whatever I wanted. But then Tuesday evening I received an email about our staff meetings in Zilina on Thursday... WHAT!? I had no idea this was coming, and was super frustrated at the idea of reliving the horrid experience of last year. The reason I didn't know I was expected there was a classic case of miscommunication between my boss and I, so I put on my best happy face and got on my train to Zilina Thursday morning.
The day started out rocky with the crap weather I stepped out into. It was that nasty mix of snow and rain, and it was not only coming down hard, but it was coming down pretty sideways thanks to the constant windiness of BA. So you can imagine what help my umbrella was to me. None. But once arriving in Zilina, my sweet teammates Maruska, Anka, and Janka really tried their best to make the day great for me throughout our day of meetings. Unfortunately for them, my poor attitude was pretty fixed all day, but I really appreciated their effort and need to apologize for my grumpiness. Part of the reason I couldn't shake it was the fact that in the evening we were having a Christmas party with the architecture firm that works below us. The idea of being the only foreigner (Zac and his wife, Kim, couldn't come) in a sea of alcohol and older Slovak men was not what I had planned for the evening of my birthday. Thankfully I was able to side up next to my friend Miska during most of the party, and ended up having a really great conversation with her that made being there worth it. Then I went to bed early, and thus was my the end of the day of my birth.
Last night, my dear friend Noemi threw me and her brother, Jakub, a birthday party. Their mom, Ester, made lots of amazing food, including a sacher tort and tiramisu for desert, which was fabulous because I hadn't eaten all day. The thing is though, I was turning 25, and Jakub was turning 18. So, next to Ester, their MOM might I remind you, I was by far the oldest person at my party. At one point they were playing a Dave Matthews song, and I just laughed and said, "This song came out when I was 11!" One of the girls then said, "that means I was 2!" Oh my.
This post may seem a little bitter to the untrained eye, but really I'm laughing at myself. I know how blessed I am. Especially at how much my life here has transformed over the past year. I'm touched by how many people wanted my day to be great and feel very well loved. However, I must admit that I still have the desire to do something selfish for myself. So, in honor of turning 25 and the desire to celebrate like an adult, tomorrow I'm treating myself to a trip to Czech to visit my close friend Katka for a few days. And I'm desperately looking forward to it!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Team Comes to BA
On Monday, my team and I had meetings in Zilina all day long. We started at 10am and finally finished at 10:30pm. I do not lie. Yes, we had breaks in there, but regardless I was a little brain dead by the end of the day. Thankfully, for Tuesday we decided to have a fun day!! So the next morning we all loaded into our van and headed to Bratislava. Woohoo!! It was the first time for my whole team to come and visit where I live, and I have to say it was quite the pleasant day. After visiting my flat, and of course fitting in a quick meeting, we grabbed lunch at one of my favorite places and then headed to the open-air Christmas Market on the main square. Later we came back to my flat, relaxed, ate some ice cream, and then they were off for Zilina!
Peto H. just bought a new camera, so we got some great shots during the day.
Here we are meeting in my flat before lunch...
A cool pic of Maruska taken at the restaurant. This was just one of many taken during the day though... homegirl LOVES to get her picture taken!
A team photo in the empty fountain outside the Presidential Palace... I don't think we were supposed to be there:
We all stared as we saw this little man carrying this HUGE instrument just outside my flat. This photo doesn't do it justice:
Janka caught me taking a photo with my own camera. And you can see one of the many sculptures placed throughout the old town in BA. During the summer there is some stupid street performer trying to mimic the sculpture. He paints his face gold and has this cardboard box that he's made into a manhole... I'm glad it's winter and I won't have to see him for a while.
Here are some of the pics I took...
This is the picture I was taking when Janka caught me:
Michalska Brana/Michael's Gate:
A tram passing by:
Some shots of the Christmas Market:
Peto H. just bought a new camera, so we got some great shots during the day.
Here we are meeting in my flat before lunch...
A cool pic of Maruska taken at the restaurant. This was just one of many taken during the day though... homegirl LOVES to get her picture taken!
A team photo in the empty fountain outside the Presidential Palace... I don't think we were supposed to be there:
We all stared as we saw this little man carrying this HUGE instrument just outside my flat. This photo doesn't do it justice:
Janka caught me taking a photo with my own camera. And you can see one of the many sculptures placed throughout the old town in BA. During the summer there is some stupid street performer trying to mimic the sculpture. He paints his face gold and has this cardboard box that he's made into a manhole... I'm glad it's winter and I won't have to see him for a while.
Here are some of the pics I took...
This is the picture I was taking when Janka caught me:
Michalska Brana/Michael's Gate:
A tram passing by:
Some shots of the Christmas Market:
Friday, December 5, 2008
US Trip: High/Low Time!!
In college, my roommates and I would incessantly play the game High/Low. It’s incredibly simple really. All you do is select your best and worst moment(s) from the past month, week, day, hour, or any other time period you feel like. So often in life we just live and keep on living without ever reviewing what we’ve lived through. When we don’t stop we miss out on valuable lessons, themes, blessings, etc. that God may be trying to communicate to us. This activity is a way to stop and reflect. Of course journaling is another way to do this, which I also highly encourage you to do, but High/Low involves others, which is always more fun. So, here is my US trip in High/Low form:
HIGHS:
1) Family Time – My family pretty much rocks. I mean, yeah, we totally have our dysfunctions, but what family doesn’t? And whether I was bumming around the house with my parents, crying on the couch with Liz, or singing to ridiculous songs with Will and Sarah – it was so great for my soul to just be with them all.
2) Saturday, Nov 22nd – This day involved a lot of my favorite people: Steph, Mere, Christian, Addy, Katie… I love each of them a lot and this day was both super fun for me and spiritually refreshing. I constantly feel blessed with the depth of friendships that the Lord provided for me in college.
3) Corporate Worship in English – Singing worship songs in my native tongue rarely happensanymore, so I was soaking up each opportunity I had.
4) Driving – I never drive in Slovakia, so it felt great to be able to go and hop in the car whenever I wanted to go somewhere. Thanks SO much to my gracious parents for allowing me to use one of their cars for 3 weeks!
5) Breakfast with Susan – Susan and I have known each other since we were six. Seriously. We were out of touch for quite a while, but God brought us closer together after graduating from high school. Since then we’ve been through some crazy intense stuff, which has really tied us together for life. I adore my friendship with her, and it was a gift to be able to sit in on her couch in our pajamas, eat oatmeal, and pour our hearts out.
6) FOOD – Sushi, Indian, Mexican… oh, the list goes on!
7) Starbucks in ATL – One evening while I was in Atlanta, I went to Starbucks with my friends Margaret, Steph and Brett. And I honestly think this is the first time we had all been together since maybe late 2005. We had a ton of fun just reminiscing about funny stories from college, as well as talking about some of the things God had recently been teaching us.
8) The Clash of my Worlds – It was a joy for me to have my family get to know my Slovak team. I now feel a little less like I’m living two separate lives.
9) Asheville – Maruska and I traveled up to see my friend Elisabeth there, and it was so great to see her. I would have been severely upset if I had been home and hadn’t! It was also super fun to see Maruska enjoy the city, considering she’s a lover of all things art, like myself. And, before leaving we got to drive through the Biltmore grounds, thanks to Liz being an employee there!
10) Publix – I know, this may seem ridiculous, but grocery stores just aren’t the same in Europe! The last time I was in the States I cried the first time I stepped into one. Literally. And poor Will was with me and had no idea what to do. It was just so spacious and clean, and I could find just about anything I wanted there… so different from what I have become accustomed to here. I mean, come on, they have SUSHI people!! I desperately wanted to take one (yes, a whole Publix) back with me to Bratislava. This time around I didn’t let the huge differences get to me and just enjoyed the perks!
11) Danielsville with the Halls - My aunt Marla and her family live about an hour outside of Atlanta in the town of Danielsville. It's basically in the middle of nowhere and that's EXACTLY what Maruska and I needed after being in Atlanta for a week. It was such a needed escape for us to be able to just walk around their property, and then to come back to a home cooked meal of southern fried chicken! It was glorious. Here's a picture of what we were surrounded by:
LOWS:
1) Jet Lag – Wow. I continue to misjudge just how horrible I can be when I’m jet lagged. I need to send a blanket “sorry!” to my Slovakia teammates.
2) Overindulgence – I hate how overindulgent I become when I’m home! I think, “Oh, I’m never here, so it doesn’t matter!” But then after 2 weeks my body regrets it big time.
3) Losing My Voice – The last week of my time in the States, my one week at home, I conveniently got sick. And, to add to the lameness of being sick, I lost my voice for the first time ever! So for my last 2 days home I could only speak in a glorified whisper.
4) Atlanta – Although many people I love live there, I really dislike how freaking huge and spread out Atlanta is. Why is this necessary? And if it has to be this way, can’t they figure out how to make a better public transportation system than the marta?
5) Not Enough Time – This time around was such a tease. I hardly got to see everyone I wanted to, and definitely didn’t get enough time with the people I did see. Hopefully next time will prove better in this area.
6) FREEZING Weather – Um, who told Columbia to get so freaking cold in November?!? I get that enough here!! At least it was still sunny…
I could totally go on with my highs, but thankfully these are about the only lows I can think of at the moment! So, there you have it. An overview of my US trip High/Low style... Now go grab a friend and do some High/Lowing for yourself!!
HIGHS:
1) Family Time – My family pretty much rocks. I mean, yeah, we totally have our dysfunctions, but what family doesn’t? And whether I was bumming around the house with my parents, crying on the couch with Liz, or singing to ridiculous songs with Will and Sarah – it was so great for my soul to just be with them all.
2) Saturday, Nov 22nd – This day involved a lot of my favorite people: Steph, Mere, Christian, Addy, Katie… I love each of them a lot and this day was both super fun for me and spiritually refreshing. I constantly feel blessed with the depth of friendships that the Lord provided for me in college.3) Corporate Worship in English – Singing worship songs in my native tongue rarely happensanymore, so I was soaking up each opportunity I had.
4) Driving – I never drive in Slovakia, so it felt great to be able to go and hop in the car whenever I wanted to go somewhere. Thanks SO much to my gracious parents for allowing me to use one of their cars for 3 weeks!
5) Breakfast with Susan – Susan and I have known each other since we were six. Seriously. We were out of touch for quite a while, but God brought us closer together after graduating from high school. Since then we’ve been through some crazy intense stuff, which has really tied us together for life. I adore my friendship with her, and it was a gift to be able to sit in on her couch in our pajamas, eat oatmeal, and pour our hearts out.
6) FOOD – Sushi, Indian, Mexican… oh, the list goes on!
7) Starbucks in ATL – One evening while I was in Atlanta, I went to Starbucks with my friends Margaret, Steph and Brett. And I honestly think this is the first time we had all been together since maybe late 2005. We had a ton of fun just reminiscing about funny stories from college, as well as talking about some of the things God had recently been teaching us.
8) The Clash of my Worlds – It was a joy for me to have my family get to know my Slovak team. I now feel a little less like I’m living two separate lives.
9) Asheville – Maruska and I traveled up to see my friend Elisabeth there, and it was so great to see her. I would have been severely upset if I had been home and hadn’t! It was also super fun to see Maruska enjoy the city, considering she’s a lover of all things art, like myself. And, before leaving we got to drive through the Biltmore grounds, thanks to Liz being an employee there!10) Publix – I know, this may seem ridiculous, but grocery stores just aren’t the same in Europe! The last time I was in the States I cried the first time I stepped into one. Literally. And poor Will was with me and had no idea what to do. It was just so spacious and clean, and I could find just about anything I wanted there… so different from what I have become accustomed to here. I mean, come on, they have SUSHI people!! I desperately wanted to take one (yes, a whole Publix) back with me to Bratislava. This time around I didn’t let the huge differences get to me and just enjoyed the perks!
11) Danielsville with the Halls - My aunt Marla and her family live about an hour outside of Atlanta in the town of Danielsville. It's basically in the middle of nowhere and that's EXACTLY what Maruska and I needed after being in Atlanta for a week. It was such a needed escape for us to be able to just walk around their property, and then to come back to a home cooked meal of southern fried chicken! It was glorious. Here's a picture of what we were surrounded by:
LOWS:
1) Jet Lag – Wow. I continue to misjudge just how horrible I can be when I’m jet lagged. I need to send a blanket “sorry!” to my Slovakia teammates.
2) Overindulgence – I hate how overindulgent I become when I’m home! I think, “Oh, I’m never here, so it doesn’t matter!” But then after 2 weeks my body regrets it big time.
3) Losing My Voice – The last week of my time in the States, my one week at home, I conveniently got sick. And, to add to the lameness of being sick, I lost my voice for the first time ever! So for my last 2 days home I could only speak in a glorified whisper.
4) Atlanta – Although many people I love live there, I really dislike how freaking huge and spread out Atlanta is. Why is this necessary? And if it has to be this way, can’t they figure out how to make a better public transportation system than the marta?
5) Not Enough Time – This time around was such a tease. I hardly got to see everyone I wanted to, and definitely didn’t get enough time with the people I did see. Hopefully next time will prove better in this area.
6) FREEZING Weather – Um, who told Columbia to get so freaking cold in November?!? I get that enough here!! At least it was still sunny…
I could totally go on with my highs, but thankfully these are about the only lows I can think of at the moment! So, there you have it. An overview of my US trip High/Low style... Now go grab a friend and do some High/Lowing for yourself!!
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