Well, from the tone of the title of this post, you might imagine that my Sunday was pretty awesome. And you would be right! We were up late the night before, so I 'slept in' till 9, got ready, and attempted to find the church by 10:30. ..which mostly happened. I thought it was a clean, easy path to get there, and I was right. ..but somehow I complicated it and went over one block too many. Oh well, now I know. The church is based out of a school a little to the north of me. I was pretty sure I knew where it was, but I was sure when I could here talking and then singing filtering out through the large wood doors, one of which was open, welcoming. The singing came from above, and I walked up the stairs to find myself in the back of an auditorium, with red velvet-like upholstered theater chairs, sparsely filled by less than a hundred people. But it was beautiful.
The people, even by just their appearance, seemed to originate from all over the place. Some were dressed in traditional dress from and African country I am not quite familiar with enough to pinpoint. Others wore headphones to listen to the Italian translation of the announcements and sermon. Students, families, all were there, singing the best they could in a language that may be their second, third, or fourth tongue. The service was good. I still miss Hope and Terra most desperately, but I am so happy that the body of Christ continues across all man-made borders and beyond all language barriers. What I find so great about this church - this family that I am slowly getting to know - is their transparency. They are so concerned about knowing each person individually, praying for each person specifically. They refer to each person and prayer specifically.
I feel like especially in America, we are so nervous about "prying" into one another's lives, so we don't ask, don't approach on another on the state of our lives. But we are asked to be honest with one another - to share our lives. Not just the pretty happy things, but the hard, difficult, messy parts of our lives. We definitely all have those parts. So anyway, this church - this network and body seems to do that well. I have only been there once - my first Sunday was yesterday, but I was invited to play basketball afterwards (I don't really play basketball - I played one year in 5th grade...which was...... 10 years ago. ouch) But they were exceptionally gracious and let me play along. There were so many people from so many different countries! Three from America, one from Brasil, one Filipino, three from Ghana (I think).. and eventually a couple Italians, one Venezuelan, and one from Cameroon. All playing together; a friendly game of basketball.
I was pretty bad at basketball. And my running shoes did not help. But it was good exercise, and good bonding of sorts. (I was the only girl....RPI ratio anyone?) But it was really nice to hang out with all of them. On the way back, I got a ride with Dave and Chris was also in the car. We stopped at the mercato in Porta Nuova train station, and I bought some coffee because the apartment was running low. And you have no idea how nice it is to find a grocery store open late in the day on Monday! But I had heard rumors of peanut butter (they don't have it in Europe) and Chris though we should be able to find it at the Filipino mercato (I had no idea there was one!), so we went to it... which is actually pretty close to my apartment! They had peanut butter (!!!!) and I also bought white rice noodles and tamarind.
All were really good. Plus the guy at the store was really excited that I liked to try all of the different foods. So I will most definitely be coming back to try new things. And he said he would take me how to cook Filipino food. Pretty exciting :) I love cooking/baking wayyy too much.
Anyway, you have no idea how nice it was to be with some believers again. It was just so comfortable and homey, even though I've only known them for... a few hours. God has been so amazing with all of that. It's been incredible and I can't wait to see what is coming next. For now... I get to sit for 3 more hours and learn crazy commands on Grasshopper....I think I would rather be outside..or cooking. Soon enough...Chicken soup for all the sick people tonight :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
_crazy life beautiful life_
So I think two words to sum up my experience over the past couple days would be 1) crazy, 2) beautiful. Not that I'm saying my life is perfect...it's just been incredibly enjoyable and ridiculous the past few days. The end of last week was the start and the first presentation of a project - one created entirely by studying animal physiology and behavior in response to the environment and transferring it to building skin technology. It's actually REALLY COOL and I really enjoy it.
My group is amazing. It consists of two American students: Me and Sarah M., and two Italian students: Marina and Matteo. They are so great. They came up to us the first day when we were choosing partners and asked us if we would like to be a group. Because the partner choices were completely blind - we have no knowledge or history with the Italian students - it was such a nice surprise to have two smart, funny, generous and generally awesome Italians as partners. We have been hanging out with Marina especially - she has quickly become one of our favorite people. ((Marina if you read this, thank you SO MUCH for how inviting and friendly you have been towards us!!)) She has included us in so much and taught us a lot about the city and surrounding area.
On Friday we presented our project, which was a module based on the circulatory system of dolphin fins (actually really fascinating) which went well! And then we had no homework for the weekend!! AMAZING! Being archies and having no work over a weekend?! that never happens! So, on Friday night I went crazy with baking. Actually it was really nice. I made a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, a summer vegetable tian, and eggplant bruschette. I had an incredible amount of eggplant from that giant eggplant I bought the previous Sunday, and it took forever to figure out what to do with it all. Kateri and I then watched 'Penelope' which was really good. Though....Kateri didn't really watch it. She fell asleep on the floor about 15 minutes into it. I enjoyed it though. It was very entertaining.. and cute.
Saturday morning we went shopping with Marina in the market - I can't figure out the name. But it was primarily clothing. I didn't really buy anything, but maybe the next time. On the way to our touring meeting point, we stopped by a shoe store Marina recommended, where I may buy boots. We'll see. It's a lot of money to spend, but for good Italian leather boots, it may be worth it. Plus, I'm getting really bored of having two different pairs of shoes. ...It gets old.
After we shopped, we had a tour (boring....long...tiring...) and I went quickly to the market and bought large quantities of pomodori (tomatoes) and prugne (Italian plums). 2 kilos of pomodori for 2 euro and 3 kilos of prugne for 1 euro. So... I'm going to bake a lot of plum cake. But I'm excited. The market was INSANE. I'm so excited to go there every Saturday. Definitely looking forward to that. Especially since everything looks delicious and everything is pretty cheap! I'm such a foodie. ...and a nerd. I'm totally fine with that :)
Saturday night we went to the wine festival in Asti. "La Festival delle Sagre" Hmm.. how do I explain it...... well, craziness. There were so many people there. It was not a wine tasting - it was definitely focused on wine drinking. Lots and lots of drinking. Asti was about a 45 minute train ride from Torino, and only cost around 4 euro with a free trip back. Unlike American fairs, the food was cheap! and amazing! we had risotto con Barolo - rice cooked with wine. That sounds strange but risotto is so tasty and this version was really good! and a big bowl was only 3 euro!
There were 'houses' set up all around the area with dishes from the region - ravioli, pasta, risotto, desserts...and of course wine. The festival celebrates the fall harvest, so all the new wine has just come out and people get together to celebrate and drink it! For 50 euro cents you can get a really "classy" pouch with a wine glass in it, so you can eat hands free and still have access to wine. I had a small glass of a red with from Asti, which was really good. But that was it for me. I'm not a heavy drinker .....at all. I just like to taste :) But everyone else drank enough to make up for me. People were drinking ..... a lot. Sooooo many drunk people everywhere. Very happy, loud, hungry drunk people. Everyone was chanting and singing at the top of their lungs.
We tried to leave on the 12:30 train back, but it was too full. So we waited for the 1:00 train. ...which was also full. The train platform was basically a giant moshpit of chanting drunk happy Italians. They would sing one song over and over and over and over and over again. "Bevo bevo bevo bevo / Mi ubriaco / e son felice / anche se poi vomito!" At the top of their lungs. Jumping up and down. Basically it means, "I drink I drink I drink I drink/ I'm drunk / and I'm happy/ even though I am vomiting" We totally didn't realize that last line there. Oh well, it was hilarious.
The train was packed all the way back. As in, 'you-have-absolutely-no-personal-space' kind of packed. And it was full of, again, happy drunk Italians. We were pretty ready to get off at the end. But we had a really good night. It was so so much fun to hang out with Marina and her friends at the festival. I'm really glad they put up with having a bunch of non-Italian-speaking newbie Americans hanging out with them. But we really enjoyed it. It was definitely a highlight of the trip so far.
((So this was the train platform - and all of the singing..and craziness.. Sorry it's sideways, but I can't seem to rotate it in the Blogger video function! )
After we got back, we hung out on the floor of our apartment, ate my cheesecake, and chatted until around 3:00. The other apartment had been drinking heavily (seems it was the thing to do that night!) so everyone was having a lot of fun...even though we were literally just sitting on the floor of the apartment. I like our group. We all get along well.
Sunday was amazing. I'm going to just write a new post tomorrow about how great today was. So great! Basically, God has been so amazing and so evident these past few days - with getting me involved and connected with Italians here, finding a church here, meeting people at the church here, finding amazing markets, etc. Seeing beauty in the people and places of Torino. He truly is evident in the little things, the simple and the heart-warming. Grazie Dio.
My group is amazing. It consists of two American students: Me and Sarah M., and two Italian students: Marina and Matteo. They are so great. They came up to us the first day when we were choosing partners and asked us if we would like to be a group. Because the partner choices were completely blind - we have no knowledge or history with the Italian students - it was such a nice surprise to have two smart, funny, generous and generally awesome Italians as partners. We have been hanging out with Marina especially - she has quickly become one of our favorite people. ((Marina if you read this, thank you SO MUCH for how inviting and friendly you have been towards us!!)) She has included us in so much and taught us a lot about the city and surrounding area.
On Friday we presented our project, which was a module based on the circulatory system of dolphin fins (actually really fascinating) which went well! And then we had no homework for the weekend!! AMAZING! Being archies and having no work over a weekend?! that never happens! So, on Friday night I went crazy with baking. Actually it was really nice. I made a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, a summer vegetable tian, and eggplant bruschette. I had an incredible amount of eggplant from that giant eggplant I bought the previous Sunday, and it took forever to figure out what to do with it all. Kateri and I then watched 'Penelope' which was really good. Though....Kateri didn't really watch it. She fell asleep on the floor about 15 minutes into it. I enjoyed it though. It was very entertaining.. and cute.
Saturday morning we went shopping with Marina in the market - I can't figure out the name. But it was primarily clothing. I didn't really buy anything, but maybe the next time. On the way to our touring meeting point, we stopped by a shoe store Marina recommended, where I may buy boots. We'll see. It's a lot of money to spend, but for good Italian leather boots, it may be worth it. Plus, I'm getting really bored of having two different pairs of shoes. ...It gets old.
After we shopped, we had a tour (boring....long...tiring...) and I went quickly to the market and bought large quantities of pomodori (tomatoes) and prugne (Italian plums). 2 kilos of pomodori for 2 euro and 3 kilos of prugne for 1 euro. So... I'm going to bake a lot of plum cake. But I'm excited. The market was INSANE. I'm so excited to go there every Saturday. Definitely looking forward to that. Especially since everything looks delicious and everything is pretty cheap! I'm such a foodie. ...and a nerd. I'm totally fine with that :)
Saturday night we went to the wine festival in Asti. "La Festival delle Sagre" Hmm.. how do I explain it...... well, craziness. There were so many people there. It was not a wine tasting - it was definitely focused on wine drinking. Lots and lots of drinking. Asti was about a 45 minute train ride from Torino, and only cost around 4 euro with a free trip back. Unlike American fairs, the food was cheap! and amazing! we had risotto con Barolo - rice cooked with wine. That sounds strange but risotto is so tasty and this version was really good! and a big bowl was only 3 euro!
There were 'houses' set up all around the area with dishes from the region - ravioli, pasta, risotto, desserts...and of course wine. The festival celebrates the fall harvest, so all the new wine has just come out and people get together to celebrate and drink it! For 50 euro cents you can get a really "classy" pouch with a wine glass in it, so you can eat hands free and still have access to wine. I had a small glass of a red with from Asti, which was really good. But that was it for me. I'm not a heavy drinker .....at all. I just like to taste :) But everyone else drank enough to make up for me. People were drinking ..... a lot. Sooooo many drunk people everywhere. Very happy, loud, hungry drunk people. Everyone was chanting and singing at the top of their lungs.
We tried to leave on the 12:30 train back, but it was too full. So we waited for the 1:00 train. ...which was also full. The train platform was basically a giant moshpit of chanting drunk happy Italians. They would sing one song over and over and over and over and over again. "Bevo bevo bevo bevo / Mi ubriaco / e son felice / anche se poi vomito!" At the top of their lungs. Jumping up and down. Basically it means, "I drink I drink I drink I drink/ I'm drunk / and I'm happy/ even though I am vomiting" We totally didn't realize that last line there. Oh well, it was hilarious.
The train was packed all the way back. As in, 'you-have-absolutely-no-personal-space' kind of packed. And it was full of, again, happy drunk Italians. We were pretty ready to get off at the end. But we had a really good night. It was so so much fun to hang out with Marina and her friends at the festival. I'm really glad they put up with having a bunch of non-Italian-speaking newbie Americans hanging out with them. But we really enjoyed it. It was definitely a highlight of the trip so far.
((So this was the train platform - and all of the singing..and craziness.. Sorry it's sideways, but I can't seem to rotate it in the Blogger video function! )
After we got back, we hung out on the floor of our apartment, ate my cheesecake, and chatted until around 3:00. The other apartment had been drinking heavily (seems it was the thing to do that night!) so everyone was having a lot of fun...even though we were literally just sitting on the floor of the apartment. I like our group. We all get along well.
Sunday was amazing. I'm going to just write a new post tomorrow about how great today was. So great! Basically, God has been so amazing and so evident these past few days - with getting me involved and connected with Italians here, finding a church here, meeting people at the church here, finding amazing markets, etc. Seeing beauty in the people and places of Torino. He truly is evident in the little things, the simple and the heart-warming. Grazie Dio.
Monday, September 6, 2010
_first week_
Current location?
Sitting in a cold basement studio, surrounded by college students of various nationalities typing furiously away at their laptops, attempting with confused frustration to get Matlab to work. Mine, unfortunately, is ntot working at all. Apparently I must reinstall Matlab for the third time. So I'm sitting here, following along through the fifty pages of the tutorial and writing notes as quickly as I can with pen and paper and without a keyboard. Am I frustrated? Mmm...not so much, actually. I mean, I wish my computer worked, but I've actually been able to follow along pretty well. I guess I'll find out once I try it later! Anyway, enough boring talk.
Today is the second day of class, another long day of 9-6, computer talk, and semi-functioning communication between native speakers of two different languages. Actually, they speak English impressively well. We just have to work on our Italian.. it's coming... slowly...
Currently I'm waiting for my Illustrator to respond while I make pretty, yet immediately useless graphs and charts.
Sitting in a cold basement studio, surrounded by college students of various nationalities typing furiously away at their laptops, attempting with confused frustration to get Matlab to work. Mine, unfortunately, is ntot working at all. Apparently I must reinstall Matlab for the third time. So I'm sitting here, following along through the fifty pages of the tutorial and writing notes as quickly as I can with pen and paper and without a keyboard. Am I frustrated? Mmm...not so much, actually. I mean, I wish my computer worked, but I've actually been able to follow along pretty well. I guess I'll find out once I try it later! Anyway, enough boring talk.
Today is the second day of class, another long day of 9-6, computer talk, and semi-functioning communication between native speakers of two different languages. Actually, they speak English impressively well. We just have to work on our Italian.. it's coming... slowly...
Currently I'm waiting for my Illustrator to respond while I make pretty, yet immediately useless graphs and charts.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
_finally a post from Italia!_
So I'm finally posting something. I don't know how long I can write... but I figured I would post something finally!
Currently I am in Torino, in northwest Italy. It's much, much different from Roma, and definitely from the cities we saw on our central Italy trip. But I think I really like it so far. I just got back from the crazy huge farmer's market I stumbled upon on an exploratory walk. Basically I saw a yellow tent, turned the corner, and was confronted with dozens of yellow tents, selling fresh produce, wine, cheese, canned goods, flowers, meats, bread, baked goods... anything food related you could think of. Thankfully everyone is really kind even though I speak very little Italian and have no idea what I am doing! I bought cinque pesche (five peaches), una melanzana (eggplant) GIANT eggplant the size of my head, and arborio rice. So amazing. I'm really excited about that, except for the fact that it's only the first Sunday of every month. I might walk back tonight (I don't really have anything else to do), but for now I'm enjoying a break to write and to listen to the church choir singing out my kitchen window. It sounds pretty heavenly. The bells in the morning are a bit......loud, but otherwise it's pretty cool.
The weather here is absolutely perfect. Your could wear anything and be comfortable - much different than Roma, where it was crazy hot all the time. I was so thankful when I could break out my jeans once we got to Firenze (Florence). Ah yes, our central trip. We spent five days traveling from Roma to Pienza, Perugia, Siena, Orvieto, San Gimignano, and Firenze (there were definitely a few more cities...I just can't remember them all). We saw approximately 3.2 churches per day (some days 4, some days 3, some 5...there were a lot of them). When going through my pictures I have no idea what is from which day. Or the names of any of them. But they were all beautiful. Each city we visited had it's own personality. Pienza smelled like cheese...perhaps due to the cheese festival that spanned the day we visited. Siena was busy and beautiful - the Campo in the middle was one of my favorite places I've been the entire time I've been here. One of the best places to just sit, relax, enjoy the weather and people-watch. Firenze was awesome because 1) we spent more than 18 hours there, 2) the view from the top of the Duomo was magnificent and 3) we had some excellent food and some interesting run-ins with the shop-keepers in the market. If any city had leather, it was Firenze.
The trip was amazing - Emilio, our teacher and guide, was hilarious. But he seemed to have a much better stamina for museum-going and sight-seeing than we did, even though he was 40 years our senior. By the end we were all exhausted constantly. It's just a lot to pack up all of your luggage (luggage for our 5 weeks in Torino) move in to a hotel, walk a few kilometers around a city, break for lunch, walk a few more kilometers, sleep, pack, and do it all over again the next day. Amazing, but definitely tiring. Finally on Friday night we arrived in Torino, moved in to our new apartments, and slept. Saturday (yesterday) we met the Italian students we will be working with for the workshop, and most everyone went out Saturday night to the discotecca with them. I, unfortunately, was unable to, due to a sudden fever that only escalated during the day, waned, and then came back in full force. Today I'm doing much better, thank goodness. It is no fun to be sick the first day you arrive in your new (5 week) 'home'
Today is Sunday, which has been a slow, yet ultimately pleasant day. I think I may have found a church! Unfortunately I did not find it before Sunday, but next week I will be able to find it and try it with less difficulty. It's an International church, and it's only a 10-15 minute walk from mi casa! I'm a fan already :) Plus I think the pastor is...Scottish? Who knew?! We just ate a simple supper, and I think we're headed back to the market to see if anything is going on. I may dive into the crazy library of cd's and books in our apartment - sometimes I swear we just moved into someone else's apartment, there are so many books, kitchen supplies, random odds and ends everywhere! I love it though. it's beautiful. Well, this is all for now. I'll write again soon, but for now I thought I would post something :)
ciao,
Angie
Currently I am in Torino, in northwest Italy. It's much, much different from Roma, and definitely from the cities we saw on our central Italy trip. But I think I really like it so far. I just got back from the crazy huge farmer's market I stumbled upon on an exploratory walk. Basically I saw a yellow tent, turned the corner, and was confronted with dozens of yellow tents, selling fresh produce, wine, cheese, canned goods, flowers, meats, bread, baked goods... anything food related you could think of. Thankfully everyone is really kind even though I speak very little Italian and have no idea what I am doing! I bought cinque pesche (five peaches), una melanzana (eggplant) GIANT eggplant the size of my head, and arborio rice. So amazing. I'm really excited about that, except for the fact that it's only the first Sunday of every month. I might walk back tonight (I don't really have anything else to do), but for now I'm enjoying a break to write and to listen to the church choir singing out my kitchen window. It sounds pretty heavenly. The bells in the morning are a bit......loud, but otherwise it's pretty cool.
 |
| The lovely bag of Arborio rice I got from a nice Venezuelan guy at the Farmer's market |
 |
| Pesche fresche (fresh peaches!) |
 |
| Melanzana gigante!! |
The trip was amazing - Emilio, our teacher and guide, was hilarious. But he seemed to have a much better stamina for museum-going and sight-seeing than we did, even though he was 40 years our senior. By the end we were all exhausted constantly. It's just a lot to pack up all of your luggage (luggage for our 5 weeks in Torino) move in to a hotel, walk a few kilometers around a city, break for lunch, walk a few more kilometers, sleep, pack, and do it all over again the next day. Amazing, but definitely tiring. Finally on Friday night we arrived in Torino, moved in to our new apartments, and slept. Saturday (yesterday) we met the Italian students we will be working with for the workshop, and most everyone went out Saturday night to the discotecca with them. I, unfortunately, was unable to, due to a sudden fever that only escalated during the day, waned, and then came back in full force. Today I'm doing much better, thank goodness. It is no fun to be sick the first day you arrive in your new (5 week) 'home'
Today is Sunday, which has been a slow, yet ultimately pleasant day. I think I may have found a church! Unfortunately I did not find it before Sunday, but next week I will be able to find it and try it with less difficulty. It's an International church, and it's only a 10-15 minute walk from mi casa! I'm a fan already :) Plus I think the pastor is...Scottish? Who knew?! We just ate a simple supper, and I think we're headed back to the market to see if anything is going on. I may dive into the crazy library of cd's and books in our apartment - sometimes I swear we just moved into someone else's apartment, there are so many books, kitchen supplies, random odds and ends everywhere! I love it though. it's beautiful. Well, this is all for now. I'll write again soon, but for now I thought I would post something :)
ciao,
Angie
Monday, July 19, 2010
_the Angie fan club_
To make sure you don't find me exceptionally vain and full of myself, I will assuage your nerves and tell you that there is no such thing as 'The Angie Fan Club.' If only some people knew....
You see, I have this not-so-lovely thing in my life I simply refer to as "The Ratio." It seems it is one of my few true discomforts and perhaps my nemesis some days. For a while, it was always, "The RPI Ratio," referring to the lack of girls as opposed to guys at the RPI campus. It's caused numerous problems. You see, in these situations, girls are quite the commodity, and guys seem to be suddenly interested in whatever girl returns a 'hello' rather than running away. Unfortunately, more often than not, I am "that girl."
If I was a normal girl, which I'm not apparently, I wouldn't care in the slightest. In fact, 'normal' girls delight in attention from guys, usually. Or at least they don't mind so much. I definitely do mind. In fact, it drives me crazy. The last thing on earth I'm looking for right now is any kind of boyfriend. And yet, when I am looking the least, they come out in full force. Now, I fully sympathize with these guys - I couldn't imagine how hard it is to put yourself out there and pick up a conversation with a girl or especially ask her out. I don't mind guys doing that at all. I just really don't like them asking me. Not now, anyway.
I have dropped 'RPI' from the name because it is no longer necessary, unfortunately. I had hoped so desperately to be rid of the stupid ratio and all of it's issues once I left RPI and New York for the summer and traveled back home. It found me. (And there isn't even a ratio here! There are tons of girls!)
Though not as severe, this old friend (or..'frienemy') has caught up with me. I swear, the Ratio must pack itself up in my suitcase whenever I travel. Anyway, I love meeting new people, I really do. Guys are awesome people to get to know. But honestly, give me some space. Just because a girl actually answers your questions does not mean that she wants to reciprocate full undivided attention for the next hour! If there is anything I enjoy about getting to know new people, it's the mystery. I love the intrigue of discovering the bits and pieces that make up a person, what makes them truly unique, truly beautiful in God's eyes and in other's. ....So don't tell me your life story all at once, okay?
I suppose this is some sort of weird preparation for the future. I've been told (and retold and retold by my mom) that this issue will only get worse as I head to Italy. Great...just great. But hey, I've been dealing with it for a few years now. And hey, I've got the best Lover in the world that has my back - God's got something up his sleeves, and I'm stepping forward with him in the strangest sort of service or ministry or lesson I've ever been a part of. If there's one person that can use a bunch of silly crushes on a plain Minnesotan girl to his purposes, it's God.
So, God, I guess I'm trusting you with this. Guard my heart, increase my patience, and ever always increase my love. ...but, just please don't let them get confused what kind of love it is! ;)
You see, I have this not-so-lovely thing in my life I simply refer to as "The Ratio." It seems it is one of my few true discomforts and perhaps my nemesis some days. For a while, it was always, "The RPI Ratio," referring to the lack of girls as opposed to guys at the RPI campus. It's caused numerous problems. You see, in these situations, girls are quite the commodity, and guys seem to be suddenly interested in whatever girl returns a 'hello' rather than running away. Unfortunately, more often than not, I am "that girl."
If I was a normal girl, which I'm not apparently, I wouldn't care in the slightest. In fact, 'normal' girls delight in attention from guys, usually. Or at least they don't mind so much. I definitely do mind. In fact, it drives me crazy. The last thing on earth I'm looking for right now is any kind of boyfriend. And yet, when I am looking the least, they come out in full force. Now, I fully sympathize with these guys - I couldn't imagine how hard it is to put yourself out there and pick up a conversation with a girl or especially ask her out. I don't mind guys doing that at all. I just really don't like them asking me. Not now, anyway.
I have dropped 'RPI' from the name because it is no longer necessary, unfortunately. I had hoped so desperately to be rid of the stupid ratio and all of it's issues once I left RPI and New York for the summer and traveled back home. It found me. (And there isn't even a ratio here! There are tons of girls!)
Though not as severe, this old friend (or..'frienemy') has caught up with me. I swear, the Ratio must pack itself up in my suitcase whenever I travel. Anyway, I love meeting new people, I really do. Guys are awesome people to get to know. But honestly, give me some space. Just because a girl actually answers your questions does not mean that she wants to reciprocate full undivided attention for the next hour! If there is anything I enjoy about getting to know new people, it's the mystery. I love the intrigue of discovering the bits and pieces that make up a person, what makes them truly unique, truly beautiful in God's eyes and in other's. ....So don't tell me your life story all at once, okay?
I suppose this is some sort of weird preparation for the future. I've been told (and retold and retold by my mom) that this issue will only get worse as I head to Italy. Great...just great. But hey, I've been dealing with it for a few years now. And hey, I've got the best Lover in the world that has my back - God's got something up his sleeves, and I'm stepping forward with him in the strangest sort of service or ministry or lesson I've ever been a part of. If there's one person that can use a bunch of silly crushes on a plain Minnesotan girl to his purposes, it's God.
So, God, I guess I'm trusting you with this. Guard my heart, increase my patience, and ever always increase my love. ...but, just please don't let them get confused what kind of love it is! ;)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
_favorite movies_
Typically, I don't really like watching movies over and over again. They lose their freshness, their intrigue, and most of the excitement. That is why it is particularly wonderful when I find a favorite movie - one I can watch over and over again and not get sick of. One that brings a smile to my face and that tingling happy sensation, even though I can practically quote the movie word for word. Those movies are few and far between, which is perhaps why I love them so much.
Some of these movies come from my childhood - movies that I grew up seeing, beloved because they were some of the few movies available. Consequently, I came to love a lot of old films simply because if we watched movies, it was with our grandmother. Sound of Music, Snow White, Singing in the Rain, and Don't Eat the Daisies will always be cherished. Later, Big Fish, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Fawlty Towers were added to my list of favorites. Wall-E and Up! became some of my favorite Pixar films. World's Fastest Indian, Sweet Land, Amelie and Catch Me if You Can are also movies I will always love. And, the girly part of my cherishes a couple movies: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.
Well, Pride and Prejudice was the choice last night. I hadn't watched it in a while. I forget how much I absolutely love that movie. Now, I know it's a "chick flick" and usually I protest them. ...but that's another story.. Pride and Prejudice grabs my heart like few other movies. Why? I have some ideas, but I'm not exactly sure.
First, the sets and locations are BEAUTIFUL. Sunlight golden prairies that almost make me want to drive to Wisconsin to experience something similar. Old brick and stone buildings that secretly scream of their warmth and character. Everything is in place, but very lived in. Even the grand palace of Netherfield (the Bingley's rented estate) has an older character to it, slight imperfections on the stone columns and banisters that give an air of grandeur but also a gentle humility, so similar to Mr. Bingley's personality. The Bennett's home is not as grand, but still seems to be about 5 times the size of my own home. But it is lived in, loved, and cherished by every member of that family. It is rustic, rural, and cozy. I wish I could develop sets like that. That would be an amazing job. Anyway, the sets steal the show.
But the actors aren't bad either. They create a wonderful view of a flawed, loving, beautiful family. They drive each other crazy sometimes, but love one another more than they could hope to express. The mother, Mrs. Bennett, is remarkably... obnoxious. She drives me up a wall. She thinks highly of herself, she puts others down, and generally says things she shouldn't. But she is still a mother, in love with her husband and her children. Because of that time, the only role of a woman was to get married, bear children, and make sure her daughter(s) get married as well. Under those cultural circumstances, I can definitely understand why she does the things she does, to a point. I love the father in the family. I love the relationship he has with Lizzy. And I love Lizzy, or Elizabeth Bennett, the most, because she reminds me so much of me.
Lizzy loves to laugh. loves her sisters and her parents, and has a good time dancing and meeting new people. She confides in a best friend and in her older sister, Jane. She is skeptical of men, and does not want to give into the cultural norm of marriage for safety and comfort's sake. She is no longer a child, but doesn't see herself as a woman. And, by coincidence, she is 20 years old, same as me. (at that last point, ... I could easily freak out Lizzy-style. I am nowhere near and have no desire to be married in the next couple years. Eventually, but not now.). Anyway, I know she is a beloved character by thousands of readers, and I will always be one of them.
And then there is Mr. Darcy. Now, I really don't fall for guy characters in books or movies much. Mostly because I'm just a bit too practical and know that with a moviestar there is absolutely no chance of even meeting them and with a book character ..well, he doesn't really exist. I was never one of those girls who paste pictures of guys and magazine ads to their bedroom walls or their high school locker. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just not me. But I will always have a small place in my heart for Mr. Darcy. Not because I want to marry him or anything, but because I see a part of myself in him, That proud part, that arrogant part, and the part that doesn't feel like I'm skilled at meeting new people.
Anyway, I could go on and on about why I love the book, or the movie (and yes, I know the newer movie doesn't exactly follow the book. But I still think it is an excellent film). But I think I just see it as intensely real, flawed, beautiful, and timeless. Something I look for in most of my favorite things and my favorite people.
<-- I notice weird things. Like I love how in one of the last scenes, arguably the most "romantic" when it's all foggy and dramatic, the ground is not perfect or groomed. They let it be normal and wild and not manicured. I know that's a weird thing to notice and appreciate, but I like strange things like that :)
Some of these movies come from my childhood - movies that I grew up seeing, beloved because they were some of the few movies available. Consequently, I came to love a lot of old films simply because if we watched movies, it was with our grandmother. Sound of Music, Snow White, Singing in the Rain, and Don't Eat the Daisies will always be cherished. Later, Big Fish, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Fawlty Towers were added to my list of favorites. Wall-E and Up! became some of my favorite Pixar films. World's Fastest Indian, Sweet Land, Amelie and Catch Me if You Can are also movies I will always love. And, the girly part of my cherishes a couple movies: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice.
Well, Pride and Prejudice was the choice last night. I hadn't watched it in a while. I forget how much I absolutely love that movie. Now, I know it's a "chick flick" and usually I protest them. ...but that's another story.. Pride and Prejudice grabs my heart like few other movies. Why? I have some ideas, but I'm not exactly sure.
First, the sets and locations are BEAUTIFUL. Sunlight golden prairies that almost make me want to drive to Wisconsin to experience something similar. Old brick and stone buildings that secretly scream of their warmth and character. Everything is in place, but very lived in. Even the grand palace of Netherfield (the Bingley's rented estate) has an older character to it, slight imperfections on the stone columns and banisters that give an air of grandeur but also a gentle humility, so similar to Mr. Bingley's personality. The Bennett's home is not as grand, but still seems to be about 5 times the size of my own home. But it is lived in, loved, and cherished by every member of that family. It is rustic, rural, and cozy. I wish I could develop sets like that. That would be an amazing job. Anyway, the sets steal the show.
But the actors aren't bad either. They create a wonderful view of a flawed, loving, beautiful family. They drive each other crazy sometimes, but love one another more than they could hope to express. The mother, Mrs. Bennett, is remarkably... obnoxious. She drives me up a wall. She thinks highly of herself, she puts others down, and generally says things she shouldn't. But she is still a mother, in love with her husband and her children. Because of that time, the only role of a woman was to get married, bear children, and make sure her daughter(s) get married as well. Under those cultural circumstances, I can definitely understand why she does the things she does, to a point. I love the father in the family. I love the relationship he has with Lizzy. And I love Lizzy, or Elizabeth Bennett, the most, because she reminds me so much of me.
Lizzy loves to laugh. loves her sisters and her parents, and has a good time dancing and meeting new people. She confides in a best friend and in her older sister, Jane. She is skeptical of men, and does not want to give into the cultural norm of marriage for safety and comfort's sake. She is no longer a child, but doesn't see herself as a woman. And, by coincidence, she is 20 years old, same as me. (at that last point, ... I could easily freak out Lizzy-style. I am nowhere near and have no desire to be married in the next couple years. Eventually, but not now.). Anyway, I know she is a beloved character by thousands of readers, and I will always be one of them.
And then there is Mr. Darcy. Now, I really don't fall for guy characters in books or movies much. Mostly because I'm just a bit too practical and know that with a moviestar there is absolutely no chance of even meeting them and with a book character ..well, he doesn't really exist. I was never one of those girls who paste pictures of guys and magazine ads to their bedroom walls or their high school locker. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just not me. But I will always have a small place in my heart for Mr. Darcy. Not because I want to marry him or anything, but because I see a part of myself in him, That proud part, that arrogant part, and the part that doesn't feel like I'm skilled at meeting new people.
Anyway, I could go on and on about why I love the book, or the movie (and yes, I know the newer movie doesn't exactly follow the book. But I still think it is an excellent film). But I think I just see it as intensely real, flawed, beautiful, and timeless. Something I look for in most of my favorite things and my favorite people.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
_answers and things_
Well, I've been absent from my blog for quite a while now. I feel like I need a port-a-blog, because I always want to blog so badly when I have nothing to write with, and then when I'm around my computer I have nothing to write about. Which doesn't help things at all.
Anyway, this summer has been quite.. interesting so far. Part of me feels like it's practically over, the other part feels like it began yesterday. At the beginning of this summer I was pretty stressed. To say the least. I was actually probably more stressed than I was during this past semester. If you know what that semester was like, you should know that this is not good, at all. Running through my mind constantly: I have no job. I have no money. I am supposed to be going to Italy at the end of this summer. What do I need? Money. How? A job. Do I have all the paperwork set? No. Do I know Italian? No. I missed New York and the people there. I missed knowing what to expect, generally. I felt over my head, out of touch with everyone, and even out of touch with God. And all of this was eating me alive.
However, God had some other things in mind. Part of the awesome part about being back home is church. Hope has been my home for so long, and still feels like it even when I'm gone for most of the year. It's like an awesome family that I get to just be with and worship with on Sundays, and fellowship with during the week if I'm lucky :) Of course, there are a TON of new family members that I have not met yet, and many, many babies. ha. Anyway, one of the things I love about Hope are Communion Sundays - the first Sunday of every month. Now, communion is awesome all by itself, definitely. But when Hope has the prayer team praying over each person as part of that, it makes it hit home a lot stronger. I'll be the first to admit, I do not enjoy telling people about the crap in my life, especially if that is the lovely first impression I'm giving them. Some Sundays, I would really really rather just take the bread and the cup and go sit in my seat and deal with it all by myself. I don't think God's a fan of that so much. Being alone with Him is some great quality time, but coming before others in the Body and just sharing life is also part of His plan. And it blows me away every time. Pretty much every communion Sunday I cry. I really don't enjoy it, but I usually do nonetheless. Why? Because God absolutely blows me away those Sundays, in a really personal way. When I go up to someone to be prayed for after taking communion, I may or may not explain everything that is on my heart. Actually, I usually don't. (My heart is kind of messed up and worried about a lot of things to just go through the laundry list of items for a quick prayer) No matter what information I give the person, no matter how little they may know me, they always pray for exactly what is on my heart, what I truly need to hear. Is that the person being a remarkably brilliant guesser? Nope. I'm definitely sure that's God working. And every time it blows me away.
So, particularly this past communion Sunday, I was blown away in an extra special way. At that point in the summer, I was exhausted and overwhelmed to my capacity. I didn't feel like getting prayed for. But I did anyway. I simple said that I was supposed to be studying abroad in Italy this fall, I had no money, no job, and no Christians on the trip for me. I don't remember his name, but he prayed for exactly what I needed. He prayed that (paraphrasing) the money would come pouring in that week, that I would be given a job, that I would be able to connect with Christians in Italy, but also be of use to God and serve while I'm there. I did believe with all my heart that God could do these things. I just didn't feel like He would want to do something like that for me right now. I didn't feel like I deserved it, or was seeking him fervently enough, or loved him enough.
Guess what. God still works despite those things. That's why He's so unbelievably awesome. That's the part that blows me away. He chose to answer that prayer, and still is. On the Monday or Tuesday of that same week, I talked to my grandma asking her if she had frequent flyer miles to spare, which she had none. However, she did have some cabinets that needed refinishing. I would have done them for free, of course - they're for my grandparents! But instead I was given a "job" with the ability to have some money toward my trip in return. Definitely a God thing. Next up? the infamous elusive job. Now, I was hoping to find an architecture internship this summer. That would have been fantastic. I'm studying architecture, I plan on doing architecture for a while, having an actual internship would be realllly helpful. But there aren't many available in the country anymore, much less in Minnesota. Unless you are a grad student. Or better yet, a licensed architect. Even then, you're extremely lucky to have a job.. and keep it. So, architecture job was doubtful. Nannying? I applied for every job I could find. Other odds and ends? Yep.
But a week or so after my cabinet "job" started, an old connection from last summer came in to play. A friend from church had "trained me in" as a location scout the previous summer, and now needed some assistance. So I get the crazy (awesome) job of driving around the state looking for places to shoot commercials. AMAZING. Just to have a job would be amazing. To have a job that's actually really enjoyable? Well, that's God amazing. The way he works things out is... unbelievable. So I figured that was just about it, right? I was gaining some money toward my trip, finding some work. Super. I'm pretty content, at least infinitely more so that I was.
Remember how I needed to find some fellowship over there? Well, just so happens that there is a Christian ministry there, which has people in both Torino and Rome, both of the places where I will spend the majority of my time. Also, on the stateside, it just so happens that my mom has a cousin who lived in Italy for a while, and now owns a gelato shop near Phoenix, Arizona. Guess what! I'll be learning how to make gelato, practicing some Italian, helping out with what I can, and staying in Arizona for a couple of weeks! The crazy stuff God has up his sleeves.... I just don't believe it. It's crazy. and amazing. SO amazing.
So yes, this month of June has been pretty amazing. God grabbed ahold of me in a big way, loved me when I really didn't feel like loving him back, pursued me when I shrugged him off, and gave me so much more than I could have dreamed for myself. Even if things weren't going this much better, I would still be learning to trust him. God really lavished his love on me this past month. I totally didn't deserve it in the slightest. I still don't understand why he did it. But he did, and I am so thankful and blessed. My socks have been blown clear off.
Anyway, this summer has been quite.. interesting so far. Part of me feels like it's practically over, the other part feels like it began yesterday. At the beginning of this summer I was pretty stressed. To say the least. I was actually probably more stressed than I was during this past semester. If you know what that semester was like, you should know that this is not good, at all. Running through my mind constantly: I have no job. I have no money. I am supposed to be going to Italy at the end of this summer. What do I need? Money. How? A job. Do I have all the paperwork set? No. Do I know Italian? No. I missed New York and the people there. I missed knowing what to expect, generally. I felt over my head, out of touch with everyone, and even out of touch with God. And all of this was eating me alive.
However, God had some other things in mind. Part of the awesome part about being back home is church. Hope has been my home for so long, and still feels like it even when I'm gone for most of the year. It's like an awesome family that I get to just be with and worship with on Sundays, and fellowship with during the week if I'm lucky :) Of course, there are a TON of new family members that I have not met yet, and many, many babies. ha. Anyway, one of the things I love about Hope are Communion Sundays - the first Sunday of every month. Now, communion is awesome all by itself, definitely. But when Hope has the prayer team praying over each person as part of that, it makes it hit home a lot stronger. I'll be the first to admit, I do not enjoy telling people about the crap in my life, especially if that is the lovely first impression I'm giving them. Some Sundays, I would really really rather just take the bread and the cup and go sit in my seat and deal with it all by myself. I don't think God's a fan of that so much. Being alone with Him is some great quality time, but coming before others in the Body and just sharing life is also part of His plan. And it blows me away every time. Pretty much every communion Sunday I cry. I really don't enjoy it, but I usually do nonetheless. Why? Because God absolutely blows me away those Sundays, in a really personal way. When I go up to someone to be prayed for after taking communion, I may or may not explain everything that is on my heart. Actually, I usually don't. (My heart is kind of messed up and worried about a lot of things to just go through the laundry list of items for a quick prayer) No matter what information I give the person, no matter how little they may know me, they always pray for exactly what is on my heart, what I truly need to hear. Is that the person being a remarkably brilliant guesser? Nope. I'm definitely sure that's God working. And every time it blows me away.
So, particularly this past communion Sunday, I was blown away in an extra special way. At that point in the summer, I was exhausted and overwhelmed to my capacity. I didn't feel like getting prayed for. But I did anyway. I simple said that I was supposed to be studying abroad in Italy this fall, I had no money, no job, and no Christians on the trip for me. I don't remember his name, but he prayed for exactly what I needed. He prayed that (paraphrasing) the money would come pouring in that week, that I would be given a job, that I would be able to connect with Christians in Italy, but also be of use to God and serve while I'm there. I did believe with all my heart that God could do these things. I just didn't feel like He would want to do something like that for me right now. I didn't feel like I deserved it, or was seeking him fervently enough, or loved him enough.
Guess what. God still works despite those things. That's why He's so unbelievably awesome. That's the part that blows me away. He chose to answer that prayer, and still is. On the Monday or Tuesday of that same week, I talked to my grandma asking her if she had frequent flyer miles to spare, which she had none. However, she did have some cabinets that needed refinishing. I would have done them for free, of course - they're for my grandparents! But instead I was given a "job" with the ability to have some money toward my trip in return. Definitely a God thing. Next up? the infamous elusive job. Now, I was hoping to find an architecture internship this summer. That would have been fantastic. I'm studying architecture, I plan on doing architecture for a while, having an actual internship would be realllly helpful. But there aren't many available in the country anymore, much less in Minnesota. Unless you are a grad student. Or better yet, a licensed architect. Even then, you're extremely lucky to have a job.. and keep it. So, architecture job was doubtful. Nannying? I applied for every job I could find. Other odds and ends? Yep.
But a week or so after my cabinet "job" started, an old connection from last summer came in to play. A friend from church had "trained me in" as a location scout the previous summer, and now needed some assistance. So I get the crazy (awesome) job of driving around the state looking for places to shoot commercials. AMAZING. Just to have a job would be amazing. To have a job that's actually really enjoyable? Well, that's God amazing. The way he works things out is... unbelievable. So I figured that was just about it, right? I was gaining some money toward my trip, finding some work. Super. I'm pretty content, at least infinitely more so that I was.
Remember how I needed to find some fellowship over there? Well, just so happens that there is a Christian ministry there, which has people in both Torino and Rome, both of the places where I will spend the majority of my time. Also, on the stateside, it just so happens that my mom has a cousin who lived in Italy for a while, and now owns a gelato shop near Phoenix, Arizona. Guess what! I'll be learning how to make gelato, practicing some Italian, helping out with what I can, and staying in Arizona for a couple of weeks! The crazy stuff God has up his sleeves.... I just don't believe it. It's crazy. and amazing. SO amazing.
So yes, this month of June has been pretty amazing. God grabbed ahold of me in a big way, loved me when I really didn't feel like loving him back, pursued me when I shrugged him off, and gave me so much more than I could have dreamed for myself. Even if things weren't going this much better, I would still be learning to trust him. God really lavished his love on me this past month. I totally didn't deserve it in the slightest. I still don't understand why he did it. But he did, and I am so thankful and blessed. My socks have been blown clear off.
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