I found myself walking along a path of freshly packed snow outside of the town of Murren. A foot and a half of snow covered everything, and it was snowing. I could no longer see any sign of the town, or any human construction, for that matter. I looked around at the mighty Swiss Alps towering over me. They are so majestic. Not only for their size, but for how steep they are. Centuries of glacial carving have left cliff faces that lead your eye straight up to the top. I thought of their grandeur and their immensity. Then the falling of a single snow flake caught my eye as it sailed past my face. Landing on my glove I gazed at its intricacy. So amazing. In that moment God was so unfathomable and so real. He is beyond comprehension and understanding, there in the biggest of pictures and in the tiniest of details. "How Great is Our God" has been in my head since.
Over a hundred pictures and many stories and details will have to follow about Switzerland, but it even exceeded my expectations, which had been set very high. It is a beautiful country and Interlaken is situated in a valley among three famous peaks. Gorgeous, peaceful, serene, and two free days to enjoy it.
It was a quick transition to Venice, but this is beautiful too in an entirely different way. I will have to blog more about that later, as my time here is limited. I am excited to be home three weeks from tomorrow, but I am also glad to soak up Italy and Greece. Please pray for my endurance and ability to engage with all I am experiencing. I am in Venice and it is hard to imagine. I need to sit and soak it up, to journal and think, to talk it out with people here and with all of you as soon as I am home. I am anxious to hear how you all are doing, and to share my experiences with you as well.
God Bless,
Joe
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
From Paris
So the keyboards here, as was the case in Belgium, switch around about 5 letters and most of the punctuation marks, so if there are random letters in this message, I probably hit the 'wrong' key.
I have not written in awhile -- time is flying by and I cannot believe I did not write at all in Belgium or from Bayeux, both of which were great. Typing is going frustratingly slow, so this may be short...
I am doing well, fighting a bit of a cold but other than that great. Becca is doing well--her birthday was yesterday and we had a really good day, from the night before being at the Eiffel Tower for her first minutes of her birthday to last night being out with friends getting dessert. Grandma and Grandpa, she said to thank you for the fabulous dinner and the beautiful necklace. I am anxious to tell you more about it later.
Weather has been colder, but nothing terrible. Here in Paris it is cool during the day and cold at night, but I got a new jacket in Bruge because the one I brought was California thick, not northern Europe thick.
I am anxious to write more when I can, and when the keyboard is familiar. Know that I am well and still amazed by this trip and learning so much, but also missing you all and excited to be home again.
Love you guys,
Joe
P.S. Dutch pancakes > French Crepes, and Belgian chocolate has no equal...yet (maybe Swiss chocolate?)
I have not written in awhile -- time is flying by and I cannot believe I did not write at all in Belgium or from Bayeux, both of which were great. Typing is going frustratingly slow, so this may be short...
I am doing well, fighting a bit of a cold but other than that great. Becca is doing well--her birthday was yesterday and we had a really good day, from the night before being at the Eiffel Tower for her first minutes of her birthday to last night being out with friends getting dessert. Grandma and Grandpa, she said to thank you for the fabulous dinner and the beautiful necklace. I am anxious to tell you more about it later.
Weather has been colder, but nothing terrible. Here in Paris it is cool during the day and cold at night, but I got a new jacket in Bruge because the one I brought was California thick, not northern Europe thick.
I am anxious to write more when I can, and when the keyboard is familiar. Know that I am well and still amazed by this trip and learning so much, but also missing you all and excited to be home again.
Love you guys,
Joe
P.S. Dutch pancakes > French Crepes, and Belgian chocolate has no equal...yet (maybe Swiss chocolate?)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Bummer
So I am really bummed because I wrote a blog from here in Leiden, saw a mistake in it and hit what I believed was the Edit Button but was in fact the Delete Button, and it was gone. Bummer. (I should learn Dutch).
I only have a few minutes to fill in what I deleted, so I will be brief.
I am doing well, as is Becca. Healthy and having a good time. It was a busy week with our tests, but they are over and today we enjoyed a Free Day and opted to take the train up to the town of Haarlem to see the Corrie Ten Boom museum. She was a Christian who helped lead an underground resistance to the Nazis, hiding Jews in her house and finding them places to go. The book about her is The Hiding Place (Becca had read it, I have not). It was a great story and tour to hear, especially as it was a private, Christian museum and the volunteer tour guide really presented the Gospel of forgiveness, grace, redemption, and God's gift of strength very clearly in telling this woman's story. Very cool to see.
We also made our way to the coast today. Pretty, but overall an overcast day so nothing too special. Large beach with lots of shells. Cold water that didn't taste as salty as our water (yes, I had to taste it to see if it as as salty).
Weather has been cold. Definitely have seen frost on the ground in the mornings, and windy often during the day. I am very thankful for my layers.
Dutch pancakes are amazing. Not really pancakes, but more like crepes. And the dessert pancakes are especially good. Tonight we had a hot raspberry with whipped creme pancake, and it was delicious.
That's all for now. In Belgium (we will be there tomorrow) I hope to find an internet cafe with Skype (my sn is joefoster86 if you want to add me) and make a few calls to connect with people. The trip is flying by and I am loving it and learning so much. I am anxious to be home again, and hope that telling you all stories and showing you pictures will help me to digest all that I am seeing, learning, and doing.
Love you all,
Joe
I only have a few minutes to fill in what I deleted, so I will be brief.
I am doing well, as is Becca. Healthy and having a good time. It was a busy week with our tests, but they are over and today we enjoyed a Free Day and opted to take the train up to the town of Haarlem to see the Corrie Ten Boom museum. She was a Christian who helped lead an underground resistance to the Nazis, hiding Jews in her house and finding them places to go. The book about her is The Hiding Place (Becca had read it, I have not). It was a great story and tour to hear, especially as it was a private, Christian museum and the volunteer tour guide really presented the Gospel of forgiveness, grace, redemption, and God's gift of strength very clearly in telling this woman's story. Very cool to see.
We also made our way to the coast today. Pretty, but overall an overcast day so nothing too special. Large beach with lots of shells. Cold water that didn't taste as salty as our water (yes, I had to taste it to see if it as as salty).
Weather has been cold. Definitely have seen frost on the ground in the mornings, and windy often during the day. I am very thankful for my layers.
Dutch pancakes are amazing. Not really pancakes, but more like crepes. And the dessert pancakes are especially good. Tonight we had a hot raspberry with whipped creme pancake, and it was delicious.
That's all for now. In Belgium (we will be there tomorrow) I hope to find an internet cafe with Skype (my sn is joefoster86 if you want to add me) and make a few calls to connect with people. The trip is flying by and I am loving it and learning so much. I am anxious to be home again, and hope that telling you all stories and showing you pictures will help me to digest all that I am seeing, learning, and doing.
Love you all,
Joe
Thursday, October 18, 2007
From Berlin
Hey Everyone,
I do not have much time to write, but want to let you all know that I am healthy and doing well. I continue to be amazed at this trip and all that I am learning. It is truly a priceless experience. Classes have been amazing, and even studying for the midterm I had yesterday was good. Not really fun because of the pressure to perform well, but the material is fascinating.
Berlin has been amazing. One daz I took the S train (faster than the Underground and mostly above ground) all the way from heart of East Berlin to into the woods outside of West Berlin. The line of economic development between East and West is still apparent, and that land is beautiful. I got out at a random stop by a forest and walked through a tunnel of brightly colored leaves falling in the wind up a hill to a large lake. It was just beautiful, and really made me miss the prominent change of seasons that I have not really seen since Nebraska.
I continue to have a great time with this group. A few people I would not have imagined becoming good friends with have become great companions, and it is an amazing blessing to have Becca alongside me as well. It would have been incredibly hard if just one of us went on this trip, because the experiences are impossible to convey and share with someone who did not actually experience it themselves. I am anxious to share stories and experiences with all of you, but it will also be great to have Becca and other Europe semester friends around to really remember the trip together. Hopefully my words and pictures (I updated the captions finally on those that are online) will be able to communicate mz experiences as much as possible.
Well this internet cafe is closing, but maybe I will get more time to write later. Tomorrow is a free day, but we have another Mid-Term Monday and there are several sites in Berlin I am still hoping to hit, so we will see.
Missing you all,
Joe
I do not have much time to write, but want to let you all know that I am healthy and doing well. I continue to be amazed at this trip and all that I am learning. It is truly a priceless experience. Classes have been amazing, and even studying for the midterm I had yesterday was good. Not really fun because of the pressure to perform well, but the material is fascinating.
Berlin has been amazing. One daz I took the S train (faster than the Underground and mostly above ground) all the way from heart of East Berlin to into the woods outside of West Berlin. The line of economic development between East and West is still apparent, and that land is beautiful. I got out at a random stop by a forest and walked through a tunnel of brightly colored leaves falling in the wind up a hill to a large lake. It was just beautiful, and really made me miss the prominent change of seasons that I have not really seen since Nebraska.
I continue to have a great time with this group. A few people I would not have imagined becoming good friends with have become great companions, and it is an amazing blessing to have Becca alongside me as well. It would have been incredibly hard if just one of us went on this trip, because the experiences are impossible to convey and share with someone who did not actually experience it themselves. I am anxious to share stories and experiences with all of you, but it will also be great to have Becca and other Europe semester friends around to really remember the trip together. Hopefully my words and pictures (I updated the captions finally on those that are online) will be able to communicate mz experiences as much as possible.
Well this internet cafe is closing, but maybe I will get more time to write later. Tomorrow is a free day, but we have another Mid-Term Monday and there are several sites in Berlin I am still hoping to hit, so we will see.
Missing you all,
Joe
Friday, October 12, 2007
Poland
Poland is cold. With layers I am fine, but it is definitely the coldest part of our trip so far. We have seen 2 quite different cities here. Krakow (w pronounced v) is a cultural center that the Germans deemed "German built" because they had minor contributions in its construction a long time ago, so it was not attacked in WWII. It was the home of the Pope John Paul II before he was Pope, and Poles still think of him as "the Pope." He had a large influence in their faith--the Poles are very religious, attending Mass on Sunday at one of dozens of churches within blocks of our hostel I saw people coming to the service on time and having to stand because the seats were full. People came in and knelt and crossed themselves and the 8 year old boy in front of me was singing along by memory (in Polish, of course). It was a great display of genuine participation that was great to see after many Catholic churches seem "dead," especially in the states. I could write more, but people are waiting.
I am now in Warsaw but am taking an overnight train to Berlin tonight. Warsaw had 80-90% of its urban center destroyed in WWII, so it is very much a rebuilt city. When Poles rebelled against the Germans in the Warsaw Uprising in the summer of 1944, Germany replied by decimating the city. We saw a few of the buildings that survived, and many of them have obvious holes repaired with brick when it was a concrete building. Crazy to see.
We also vistied Auschwitz-Birkenau, about which there are no words but I could write volumes. I will be glad to share once home. I am learning a lot here and am also having a great time. It is great to soak in history and culture and then to be with a group of friends and having a lot of fun at the same time.
Our guide here in Poland, Gabrielle, is AMAZING. He is very intelligent and witty about his history telling and has been amazing. He has done a superb job in picking our restaurants for group meals, and even when I go out on my own or with friends Polish food has been very good, and pretty well priced, although we're told that the urban areas are much more expensive than rural areas.
Well I need to go, but I hope all is well at home and I will write more or call when I can. My new Skype name is joefoster86, and if you don't have skype you should really consider it. Free international calls as long as both people are on the internet. Quite a deal.
Peace be with you all,
Joe
I am now in Warsaw but am taking an overnight train to Berlin tonight. Warsaw had 80-90% of its urban center destroyed in WWII, so it is very much a rebuilt city. When Poles rebelled against the Germans in the Warsaw Uprising in the summer of 1944, Germany replied by decimating the city. We saw a few of the buildings that survived, and many of them have obvious holes repaired with brick when it was a concrete building. Crazy to see.
We also vistied Auschwitz-Birkenau, about which there are no words but I could write volumes. I will be glad to share once home. I am learning a lot here and am also having a great time. It is great to soak in history and culture and then to be with a group of friends and having a lot of fun at the same time.
Our guide here in Poland, Gabrielle, is AMAZING. He is very intelligent and witty about his history telling and has been amazing. He has done a superb job in picking our restaurants for group meals, and even when I go out on my own or with friends Polish food has been very good, and pretty well priced, although we're told that the urban areas are much more expensive than rural areas.
Well I need to go, but I hope all is well at home and I will write more or call when I can. My new Skype name is joefoster86, and if you don't have skype you should really consider it. Free international calls as long as both people are on the internet. Quite a deal.
Peace be with you all,
Joe
Thursday, October 4, 2007
From Prague, Part 2
So, as promised, here is another entry from Prague. I'll try to describe my feelings and thoughts about Bosnia here briefly. Lots of pictures and thoughts from my journal will come once I am home.
Overall, Bosnia is a very beautiful country, but our visit had very mixed feelings. We were led by a group that works for reconciliation, economic development (esp. with native agricultural workers), and tourism. They want to portray Bosnia as a great, safe, wonderful place to visit. And it is. We went white water rafting (mellow river overall though) through an amazing valley/canyon that was up in green hills covered with trees with leaves just starting to change color, and the water was drinkable, which is something I never would have thought about in Bosnia. At the same time, Bosnia experienced a war of ethnic cleansing among other things just 15 years ago, and many of its buildings and homes still show bullet and shrapnel damage, which is intense to see. We were told by our guide, a former soldier for the Bosnian army (the good guys, really, having studied the history myself) that if we had walked outside of our hotel room 15 years ago we would have been sniped merely for being in the open because Sarajevo underwent a 3 year siege in which Serbian snipers, artillery, tanks, and rocket launchers surrounded the city, covering the hills around it. They targeted anyone, hoping to weaken the city and its morale to the point of capitulation. That's intense, to live everyday, working, trying to buy what food was available, raising kids, in an atmosphere in which going outside meant risking your life. One image in particular that sticks with me is a 10-12 story hotel that still stands in the middle of the city completely bombed out.
Downtown Sarajevo is full of vendors and the language (Bosnian, which is pretty much as similar to Serbian or Bosniac as Texan is to Californian) is not at all recognizable as it is Slavic based. The vendors would know enough English to sell you things, typically, and were often very aggressive salemen and women. Also interesting, if I can use that word, were the number of beggars and their ethnicity--most were what most Europeans call Gypsies, who are more properly called Roma. They have darker skin and have never really been integrated into any European society. The Nazis targeted them as they did the Jews, and today they are very prejudiced against. Because they are different, from skin color to music and culture, they are seen as scapegoats for societies' ills and stereotyped as thieves and beggars. Many of them become beggars when no one will hire them, and many live in "homes" where the owners "rent" them a small space in return for all of the money they collect begging all day, which is really a cycle they cannot get out of.
Last note. The leader of our guides there was an American who did the "backpack around Europe" thing after college in the States, found out about the war in Bosnia, joined an anti-war protest group, and has been there ever since working with the people and helping those in need while trying to promote tourism and overall understanding of the Bosnian people, who remain so divided that even on paper, such as government forms, they may identify themselves as Serbian, Bosniac (Bosnian Muslim), or Croat. There is no box for Bosnian. That's just a glimpse of how separated the country remains and how much needs to change if there is to be a truly united Bosnia.
Hope that gives some insight into my time in Bosnia, and hopefully I will be able to blog again from Poland, although we are staying in hostels and I will have to find an internet cafe in the city.
Thank you again for your prayers and messages. Please pray for me and my group and we travel into Poland and visit concentration camps as we discuss the Holocaust and contemporary Neo-Nazi movements and the rise of Anti-Semitism, which is significant in Europe today. Pray that we may ask the hard questions, the theological questions of salvation and why we weren't born into a Jewish family in Europe, and why those who were were.
May God's blessings be upon you,
Joe
Overall, Bosnia is a very beautiful country, but our visit had very mixed feelings. We were led by a group that works for reconciliation, economic development (esp. with native agricultural workers), and tourism. They want to portray Bosnia as a great, safe, wonderful place to visit. And it is. We went white water rafting (mellow river overall though) through an amazing valley/canyon that was up in green hills covered with trees with leaves just starting to change color, and the water was drinkable, which is something I never would have thought about in Bosnia. At the same time, Bosnia experienced a war of ethnic cleansing among other things just 15 years ago, and many of its buildings and homes still show bullet and shrapnel damage, which is intense to see. We were told by our guide, a former soldier for the Bosnian army (the good guys, really, having studied the history myself) that if we had walked outside of our hotel room 15 years ago we would have been sniped merely for being in the open because Sarajevo underwent a 3 year siege in which Serbian snipers, artillery, tanks, and rocket launchers surrounded the city, covering the hills around it. They targeted anyone, hoping to weaken the city and its morale to the point of capitulation. That's intense, to live everyday, working, trying to buy what food was available, raising kids, in an atmosphere in which going outside meant risking your life. One image in particular that sticks with me is a 10-12 story hotel that still stands in the middle of the city completely bombed out.
Downtown Sarajevo is full of vendors and the language (Bosnian, which is pretty much as similar to Serbian or Bosniac as Texan is to Californian) is not at all recognizable as it is Slavic based. The vendors would know enough English to sell you things, typically, and were often very aggressive salemen and women. Also interesting, if I can use that word, were the number of beggars and their ethnicity--most were what most Europeans call Gypsies, who are more properly called Roma. They have darker skin and have never really been integrated into any European society. The Nazis targeted them as they did the Jews, and today they are very prejudiced against. Because they are different, from skin color to music and culture, they are seen as scapegoats for societies' ills and stereotyped as thieves and beggars. Many of them become beggars when no one will hire them, and many live in "homes" where the owners "rent" them a small space in return for all of the money they collect begging all day, which is really a cycle they cannot get out of.
Last note. The leader of our guides there was an American who did the "backpack around Europe" thing after college in the States, found out about the war in Bosnia, joined an anti-war protest group, and has been there ever since working with the people and helping those in need while trying to promote tourism and overall understanding of the Bosnian people, who remain so divided that even on paper, such as government forms, they may identify themselves as Serbian, Bosniac (Bosnian Muslim), or Croat. There is no box for Bosnian. That's just a glimpse of how separated the country remains and how much needs to change if there is to be a truly united Bosnia.
Hope that gives some insight into my time in Bosnia, and hopefully I will be able to blog again from Poland, although we are staying in hostels and I will have to find an internet cafe in the city.
Thank you again for your prayers and messages. Please pray for me and my group and we travel into Poland and visit concentration camps as we discuss the Holocaust and contemporary Neo-Nazi movements and the rise of Anti-Semitism, which is significant in Europe today. Pray that we may ask the hard questions, the theological questions of salvation and why we weren't born into a Jewish family in Europe, and why those who were were.
May God's blessings be upon you,
Joe
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