Just a quick note today.
Slept in until 11 today. I needed it.
Almira and I ran to the market just down the street. Picked up some apricots and carrots. My Greek needs a lot of work, so I did everything as a mute, but they worked with me. I'll be back every Wednesday if I can!
We then made our way to our team leader's flat across Athens via metro. We had a business meeting (which I actually enjoyed) and mapped out the plans for the next two months. There will be a group of people here from Egypt and California in that time, so planning gets even more tricky. We'll also be having a special day of activities for the children and another one for the women. I'm excited to plan for that. We also had to decide when we would be giving food away at tea house and when we would have a grocery give away.
We then ate...baked potatoes, salad and cake and then prayed with one another. I should take time to explain who is all on the team, but I'm realizing that might take a long time, so hopefully I'll be able to give you insights as the time goes on. In short, many of the long-term missionaries are from the US (California, Illinois, New Jersey) plus a couple of women from Canada, one Albanian (who jokes he's from the United Nations) with a few Greeks sprinkled in. We all work at the ARC and get help from Christian refugees (who are lifesavers when it comes to translating!).
I'm getting more used to the city, but I'm realizing that Athens is much like every other city in the US (pollution, poverty, stray dogs, ugh, the dogs...). This is especially difficult for the refugees and makes things discouraging for my team members who have been here for quite a while. Please pray for their continued perseverance among the chaos of this city. Also pray for my roommate Almira as she will be going in tomorrow morning to apply for an extension on her visa so she can stay at work at the ARC (Athens Refugee Center, the building for ITeams Athens/Helping Hands, the official name of this Greek charity).
Tomorrow will be a time that women come in to take showers. I'm excited to chat more with them and see the kids again! :)
I hope everything is well there. I hear it's pretty rainy back in Iowa...I won't mention how beautiful the weather is here....
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My first day!
Hello all!
I woke up at 2:00 this morning. Talk about jet lag. Read a little and got a couple more hours of sleep before I had to get up at 7. The showerhead, which you have to hold up yourself, made a mess and got freezing cold. Not a good start. Alas, Carolyn came over to the house and we bought my metro ticket (10 Euros for access to all public transportation for seven days) and climbed aboard a very crowded light-rail train and made the twenty minute commute to downtown.
Omonia is very crowded and very run down. We walked a little ways (4 blocks) to the center and began preparing for the day. After introductions, devotions and prayer our team started getting the food bags ready. Consisting of eggs, olives, peppers and pita bread the refugees come in with a ticket to receive one for their family.
A group of 4th and 5th graders from the International School of Athens (that means they have learned English) arrived with donations and to help out for an hour or so. We opened the tea house at 11:45 and the people started streaming in. I was situated in the children's room and we colored the hours away. The kids don't speak English so the language barrier makes it interesting, but smiles and laughter translate easily.
Later I was able to help a woman with her English lesson, making sentences and reading outloud. I found it fascinating how difficult it became to explain what words like 'announce' and 'judge' meant. She was grateful for the help and I was just impressed by how much she'd learned in a mere three months.
Most of the refugees I chatted with today were from Afganistan. Their living conditions here in Greece are awful, so most hope to move on to Italy or Belgium, but without papers that is proving difficult.
The children grabbed me and Rachel (a student from Spring Arbor College and Allise Vugteveen's cousin...small world) to play a version of duck duck goose. It hurt my knees, but it was worth it. The kids show affection by pinching your cheeks (a little too hard sometimes), and I love it. The women and kids are so wonderful and are able to show their thanks and love without words with ease.
It was a long day, didn't get back to the house for lunch until 5:30, but after eating and a nap Stephanie and I are ready to sit in Irakilo's square (our neighborhood hub) for a frappe and to cheer on Greece in their game against Sweden!
Today was a good day, but I'm still not fully adjusted, so please pray for good sleep and healthy eating patterns.
I woke up at 2:00 this morning. Talk about jet lag. Read a little and got a couple more hours of sleep before I had to get up at 7. The showerhead, which you have to hold up yourself, made a mess and got freezing cold. Not a good start. Alas, Carolyn came over to the house and we bought my metro ticket (10 Euros for access to all public transportation for seven days) and climbed aboard a very crowded light-rail train and made the twenty minute commute to downtown.
Omonia is very crowded and very run down. We walked a little ways (4 blocks) to the center and began preparing for the day. After introductions, devotions and prayer our team started getting the food bags ready. Consisting of eggs, olives, peppers and pita bread the refugees come in with a ticket to receive one for their family.
A group of 4th and 5th graders from the International School of Athens (that means they have learned English) arrived with donations and to help out for an hour or so. We opened the tea house at 11:45 and the people started streaming in. I was situated in the children's room and we colored the hours away. The kids don't speak English so the language barrier makes it interesting, but smiles and laughter translate easily.
Later I was able to help a woman with her English lesson, making sentences and reading outloud. I found it fascinating how difficult it became to explain what words like 'announce' and 'judge' meant. She was grateful for the help and I was just impressed by how much she'd learned in a mere three months.
Most of the refugees I chatted with today were from Afganistan. Their living conditions here in Greece are awful, so most hope to move on to Italy or Belgium, but without papers that is proving difficult.
The children grabbed me and Rachel (a student from Spring Arbor College and Allise Vugteveen's cousin...small world) to play a version of duck duck goose. It hurt my knees, but it was worth it. The kids show affection by pinching your cheeks (a little too hard sometimes), and I love it. The women and kids are so wonderful and are able to show their thanks and love without words with ease.
It was a long day, didn't get back to the house for lunch until 5:30, but after eating and a nap Stephanie and I are ready to sit in Irakilo's square (our neighborhood hub) for a frappe and to cheer on Greece in their game against Sweden!
Today was a good day, but I'm still not fully adjusted, so please pray for good sleep and healthy eating patterns.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Location: Athens, Greece
Greetings!
I arrived safely in Athens, with my luggage, only a half hour late.
Woke up at 3:00 a.m. to the sound of tornado sirens in Council Bluffs, but with the help of some amazing girls (Thanks again Kalie and Laura) I made it to the airport and departed without a hitch.
It finally hit me that I was off on my own to a city I knew hardly anything about and a language I couldn't speak...all alone. I spent most of my layover in Philadelphia weeping, much to my discouragement. I was for sure that I would feel all Ms. Independent (cue Kelly Clarkson), but feeling overwhelmed and weak is all part of the process, and I think it was good I felt it.
I ate some food (to please Aunt Jane) and was given the chance to chat with a great couple on their honeymoon. Just talking made me feel much better and I thanked them for their kindness. Paul then said, "The Father puts people into your life at just the right time." This same phrase had come up so many times this past year (Sara James...) and so I knew it meant something.
After a ten hour plane ride I was greeted by Carolyn and Kenn (leaders of ITeams Athens/Helping Hands). We found our way to the apartment...driving in Athens is crazy. The cars are just like in the US, but the streets are nuts. Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way and motorcyles do whatever they want. Pretty dangerous, but all part of the adventure I suppose.
Carolyn oriented me to the neighborhood and my apartment. I will be sharing it with women in and out over the summer. One woman, Almira, is from Russia and loves to cook, which was perfect for my empty stomach. Stephanie, from Ohio, is here on a cultural studies internship and we are already having a great time grocery shopping and discussing Irrestible Revolution. An answer to prayers for sure.
After some Starbucks I'll be sure to stay awake for some time yet, but when it wears off the sleep will be great. I will wake up at 7 and get ready to take the metro to Omonia, or downtown Athens where Carolyn will do some more orientation and then we will prepare for Tea House. I'm excited to meet the women and children...I hear they are super cute!
Thank you for your prayers, I am convinced that it was what brought me here so smoothly. Please pray for my travel on the metro and around downtown (don't worry, Mom, our neighborhood is super safe).
This internet cafe is pretty great, so I suppose I'll come here often. It's fun to hear the local boys playing their computer games, shouting in Greek and jamming to this very techno Euro music.
Until next time!
I arrived safely in Athens, with my luggage, only a half hour late.
Woke up at 3:00 a.m. to the sound of tornado sirens in Council Bluffs, but with the help of some amazing girls (Thanks again Kalie and Laura) I made it to the airport and departed without a hitch.
It finally hit me that I was off on my own to a city I knew hardly anything about and a language I couldn't speak...all alone. I spent most of my layover in Philadelphia weeping, much to my discouragement. I was for sure that I would feel all Ms. Independent (cue Kelly Clarkson), but feeling overwhelmed and weak is all part of the process, and I think it was good I felt it.
I ate some food (to please Aunt Jane) and was given the chance to chat with a great couple on their honeymoon. Just talking made me feel much better and I thanked them for their kindness. Paul then said, "The Father puts people into your life at just the right time." This same phrase had come up so many times this past year (Sara James...) and so I knew it meant something.
After a ten hour plane ride I was greeted by Carolyn and Kenn (leaders of ITeams Athens/Helping Hands). We found our way to the apartment...driving in Athens is crazy. The cars are just like in the US, but the streets are nuts. Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way and motorcyles do whatever they want. Pretty dangerous, but all part of the adventure I suppose.
Carolyn oriented me to the neighborhood and my apartment. I will be sharing it with women in and out over the summer. One woman, Almira, is from Russia and loves to cook, which was perfect for my empty stomach. Stephanie, from Ohio, is here on a cultural studies internship and we are already having a great time grocery shopping and discussing Irrestible Revolution. An answer to prayers for sure.
After some Starbucks I'll be sure to stay awake for some time yet, but when it wears off the sleep will be great. I will wake up at 7 and get ready to take the metro to Omonia, or downtown Athens where Carolyn will do some more orientation and then we will prepare for Tea House. I'm excited to meet the women and children...I hear they are super cute!
Thank you for your prayers, I am convinced that it was what brought me here so smoothly. Please pray for my travel on the metro and around downtown (don't worry, Mom, our neighborhood is super safe).
This internet cafe is pretty great, so I suppose I'll come here often. It's fun to hear the local boys playing their computer games, shouting in Greek and jamming to this very techno Euro music.
Until next time!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Soon to depart...
It's the first post!
I'm excited to use this blog as a way to keep everyone updated while also creating a virtual journal for myself. Internet access shouldn't be an issue in Athens, but you just never know. Check in often.
I will fly out of Omaha bright and early Sunday morning. After catching flights in Chicago and Philadelphia I will arrive in Athens on Monday morning. Please pray for safe travel and the arrival of my luggage! :)
Talk to you all soon!
I'm excited to use this blog as a way to keep everyone updated while also creating a virtual journal for myself. Internet access shouldn't be an issue in Athens, but you just never know. Check in often.
I will fly out of Omaha bright and early Sunday morning. After catching flights in Chicago and Philadelphia I will arrive in Athens on Monday morning. Please pray for safe travel and the arrival of my luggage! :)
Talk to you all soon!
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