What do I do?!

So... yes, I know. I have posted an entry in a dog's age! I've just been basking in the bliss of being home once again, give a girl a break!
Now that I'm home and back to the oh so wonderful mundane life on PEI, I find that I don't have as much to say... imagine that, Bev Clarke with nothing to say!!! Not true, I go over to the Barrett's on a weekly basis and talk Elsie's ear off! It's just such a novelity to participate in conversation again!
Work has been slow, but it making me rethink about what I want to do with my life. Haven't reached any solid conclusions yet, and probably won't til the conclusions are long gone, and then I'll look back and say 'Yeah, that's what I wanted!' It's funny what God does with your life. You always have a certain idea, then God does something else entirely and sometimes you don't even realize it. All these little things that shape who you are and what you will become. I even wonder at times, what God will do with my time in Switzerland. Will He use that in some bizarre way that I don't understand yet? I'm thinking He will. I have a sense that something in me changed while I was there. Whether I've come to realize that long term mission work isn't for me or simply to have a better understanding when praying for missionaries (as Elsie pointed out the other day). Still love missions and traveling but maybe more in a short term capacity. Also realized how much I love my church family and how much I need their close fellowship... there's no family like God's family!
I'm looking to apply at the hospital in Ch'town or maybe at Veteran's Affairs. Those are my options at the moment, so if you could pray for me that would be great!

Feels like home to me...

... Feels like I'm on my way back where I belong.
Many thanks to Chantal Kraviazuk for that line!
K, first things first... dang hard trying to get used to an American keyboard again! So Dan, please forgive any typos!
Wow... so I'M HOME!!! Had the best welcome party ever! 15 of y'all showed up and it was the greatest time. Mainly because I got to talk to EVERYONE in English, and every joke was funny!!! Nice to be able to be a part of every conversation once again! What a great time!
The jet lag isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Although I did wake up at 0530 this morning looking for some breakfast! Took a pill and went back to bed for a few more hours! Feel better now...
Well, I'm still in the middle of trying to clean and get things unpacked and in some semblance of order, so this will be short. Oh, yeah... got to vote today too... should get around to that soon.
It has never felt so good to be home and thanks to my 'precious few' (minus Erin... miss you terribly girl!) for coming over for a shindig!
To quote:
'There are stronger bonds on Earth perhaps, but few as tenacious and enduring as the bond between true friends.'

I'm coming home!!!... but first...

Wow... so my time in Switzerland is fast drawing to a close. I'll fly out tonight for jolly London town. I'll spend 2 full days touring around. (My picture of the Colosseum at night didn't turn out well at all, so I'll go to Big Ben and try to get a better pic than Jon... not likely to happen though!) BTW... where the heck is Jon?... he hasn't posted on his blog in ages and he's got a new computer... don't tell me he's left the country, maybe just the province!
So, it feels strange to be leaving, but then again it always does feel strange to leave a place after spending a certain amount of time there. After a while this place started to feel like home and now I'm leaving. It's such a mixture of feelings though, because I am SO pumped to be home again... words cannot describe the anticipation!... but I know tonight when they take me to the airport I'll be bawling my head off. And then I'll have puffy eyes for London... oh horror! It's tempting to just skip my trip to London and get right home but I know that I would probably regret not going and seeing the place a bit... and it's only 2 days.
Cannot stop thinknig about home... who will be there at the airport? what does Victoria's ring look like? will I fit in the car, since there are so many ppl coming to get me?! will my car still work? what has Joseph done to my apt?! does the Island have snow yet, for Pete's sake?! priority numero uno... get over to the Dennis' pronto cuz they're going on a cruise, days after I get home!!! lucky ducks!
There have been so many changes since I've left...
Well, this will be the last Trans-Atlantic post, I believe. In Noel's famous words... Till then!
Adieu!

Kong

Just got back from my last 'date' with Oli before I go home. As you can tell from the title, we went to see King Kong. It was pretty awesome, but I have to agree with others, that it was excessively long. Most of the battle scenes, I found myself wondering, will this ever end?!? Could we have a few more T-rex's, not sure there's enough in this scene... although, have to admit when Kong finally does the last one in... it was sick but good! And could they have had any more bugs in it... uggh... man, I'm gonna have the willies for a week! And the tribal people were a little beyond creepy. The ending was great, drawn way out but very beautiful in the end.
So, that's my brief synopsis. Tear it to peices, Nate, spread rumours about my dating Oliver, Noel... come on, I can take it!!!

The Eternal City

Prego... I know this is long, and already people are saying 'I'm not reading all that!', but please do... it's awesome... and I don't want to tell the same thing a million times... so take the time and save my voice later on! Graczi and enjoy!
Wow... so how do you spell amazing? R-O-M-E!!! Never in my life have I seen such amazing man made structures! It was so incredible! I'll post pics ASAP. The history is so rich there. I'm so tired... but I'll give you a quick lowdown.
First night... boring as all get out! It got there just as the sun was setting and everyone spooked me about it being a dangerous place, so I pretty much stayed in the hostel the whole evening. Did wander to the Termini (train station) to have little boo around. Had a slice-o-pizza at a dodgy looking shop across from my villa. The hostel was freezing and I discovered the heat doesn't turn on until 7:30 pm! Yeah, it was a little chilly... put all the available blankets on my bad and slept with my sweatshirt on! The days were beautiful though... went up to 10 degrees everyday, and sunny.
First official day was incredible! Walked about 1o mins to the Piazza where most of the sites are, ie. the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Roman Forum, the jail where Paul and Peter were kept (yeah awesome, I know!), and some magnificantly huge monument/castle to Vittorio Emanuel II (does anyboby know this guy?!). Met an Italian man (not creepy... just your aveage grampa) first thing and he gave me the lowdown on all the places... in Italian! The language is much easier to understand than German, let me tell you! Spent 4 hours in and around here. I actually visited those places in reverse order. Saved the best for last, had lunch under the Colosseum. Did you know that the Colosseum is actually called the Flavian Amphitheater? It came to be known as the Colosseum because of the 40 foot bronze of Nero that was placed in front of it. (Learned that you don't have to pay for the guided tours... you can just as easily eavesdrop to get some tidbits!). After this walked to the Pantheon, hugely awesome! Then to the Fountain of Trevi... again hugely awesome... you'll have to see pictures to understand! Tradition has it that you have to throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain so that you come back to Rome some day... I only threw in a penny... might decrease the chances of my return...
Finally... getting super, unreal tired at this point, but there is one more place on my list to see... the Spanish Steps... long walk from Trevi but even longer from my hostel if I put it off til the moro. Get there... huge disppointment, as the beautiful church at the top of the stairs is covered in scaffolding, I don't even think I took a picture, I was that bummed out! Climbed to the top anyways, got a great view of the city and got to see the sunset... the sun was already out of sight at the bottom of the steps... yeah, they were big! Pretty much everything there was as big as you can imagine and then make it just a bit bigger! Walked for 8 hours today.
Second day... Vatican City! If I never see another more priest or nun, it will be too soon! Never in all my life... they were everywhere, from everywhere! Saw a friar, looked like he was right out of Robin Hood... tempted to take his picture. Eavesdropped again and found out that I could have met the Pope the day before, cause he gives private audiences to anyone who wants to see him... sorry Dad, missed my chance to say 'hi' to Benny for you!!! I can hardly speak German anyways, so it would have done no good! Went inside the Basilica... was going to take a free guided tour but I got tired of waiting for them to get the headsets you need to wear in order to hear the guide, so I took off on my own. Inside was incredible... but it was like a freaking Hindu temple inside... they had more icons in there than I have ever seen in a Hindu temple (although, the only one that I have ever seen was under renovation and it didn't have as many gods as it usually did), it was wild! Couple of dead bodies too... an old Pope (not JP II) and a cardinal, I think. Just nuts. Interesting picture in one of the 'chapel' areas... pic of Christ seated at the right hand of God, BUT Mary was inbetween them and higher than both Jesus and God... found that very intruiging. Got a pic of course! Okay, on to the Sistine Chapel... talk about a maze to get there! Anyways finally found the place, after going through the Vatican museum and 3 or 4 'Raphael Rooms'... which were awesome but I really wanted to see the Sistine! At one point, I was like, 'here I am looking at these amazing works of art by Raph and I could care less!'...sorry, Nate, I'm an ignoramous! Finally... oh no, wait just a huge corridor that one thinks is the Chapel. The paintings are beautiful but not yet the real thing! Yes... we are here! The room is packed with people sitting, standing, gawking... many mouths wide open. And amidst the 'No pictures!' and 'Be silent!' warnings, flashes blink and cameras click and people discuss the art... and of course I am of the guitly party!!! Hey folks I'm in Rome... where sins are forgiven for a couple of bucks!..... was that sacrereligious?
Moving on the the Castel of D'Angelo... massive structure... don't go inside, can't be bothered to pay the fee... watch some guys skate, yes in 10 degree weather, alot of melting was happening! Listen to some busker making his music. Look at the disgusting Tiber River, get disgusting picture to show you, then...
Take the bus back to the Termini, get back to the hostel, and decide to get some pics of the Colosseum at night... (to up Jon's pic of Big Ben!), went for a real Italian pizza at a place I had found. Note that I'm getting braver as time goes on! Only walked for 5 hours today.
Decided to sleep in on my last day since I had pretty much done everything I wanted to do. Doorbell rings at 8am... sleeping... no idea what's going on! Travellers at the door... up to this point I had the place to myself, which was nice but also attributed to my boredom the previous nights. Anyways they were Aussies (a couple who had been backpacking for a month already... don't have that kind of stamina, I'm beat after 3 days!!!). Little while later someone else shows up... so nice to have people around! So we sat around talking for a bit, then I took the Aussie couple to the Colosseum... one last time to look at my 'baby'! Love that place! Took a bus... yes, I figured out the transit system!... to the Piazza Nationale... another cool fountain, another beautiful church (on the inside, the outside was rather drab... a certain type of architecture, can't remember the era). Had some more time to kill, so I went to the National Museum, the whole thing was stautes, but it was really cool. Got a few clandestine pics... including one of Melpomene, in light of one of my previous blogs! Nice to be able to put my pack sack (kit bag, for the Islanders!) down for a bit since I had to take it with me when I left the hostel. Had lunch and then started my way home. Walked only maybe 3 hours plus the 1/2 hour walk from the train station home!
Low points... the dirtiest place imaginable, beggars everywhere, and sketchy looking men eyeing you at all times. A little stressed about the possiblity of getting mugged. Crowded! Sufferers of claustrophobia should not live here! And I thought places in Switzerland where crowded! Nice to get home, for sure, where it's clean and there's room to breathe.
So... that was long... hope you enjoyed the read. Wasn't planning on writing so much but it was good to get everything down while it's still all fresh.
Now it's really time for bed!!!

La Bella Roma

Well, my friends, this time tomorrow will find me in Rome! I finally found a place to stay today, a bit more expensive that what I planned on spending but it sounds alot more safe and clean. Hope it actually is...!
Don't really have a definiate plan of what I'll be doing when I get there. I'll figure that out tomorrow night. I'll spend one day or part of one at Vatican City. I'll make sure to say hi to 'Ben' for you, dad!!! Cannot wait to see the Sistine Chapel! And the Colosseum! And, and, and...!!! Man, I'm excited! Are you jealous, Jon?!? I'll make sure to take lots of pictures, no worries friend!
These next couple of weeks will be busy, making them pass faster... I was blogging Nathan this afternoon and I told him that it was only 13 more sleeps til I'm home! Can't believe only a couple of weeks till I see everyone again! All I can think about is getting back into my great little apartment... that Joe is keeping in mint condition while I'm away... right?!?!
Well, I'm off to get some Chinese with 'the fam'. I'll try to find a moment to blog while I'm away. Ciao, bella!!!

The awful fate of Melpomene Jones

Melpomene: (Greek Mythology) The muse of tragedy.
This was one of my favorite essays in high school. It's all about civilities in proper society. Mr. Jones' awful fate is that, in having to be polite, he never leaves his guests' house and as a result becomes an old man there and dies. The conversations go some thing like this:
What a lovely dinner, Mrs. ---!
Why thank you, Mr. Jones.
Well, I must be going now.
Oh no! Please not yet, have another cup of tea.
Well then, if you insist, I think I can stay a little longer.
My good sir, it is getting far too late, you must stay the night.
All right then, but I must leave first thing in the morning.
He is content to stay for a little while but then it becomes tiring to be at someone else's house for so long. The great part of it, is that Jones really wants to go and his hostess really wants him to leave but in trying to be polite and a good hostess, the situation becomes quite ridiculous and laughable.
This story came to mind because I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and it had many similar situations in it. All the civilities that come along with travelling in the circles of high society... makes me glad that I'm a country girl at heart!!! I don't have to be so polite, I can just plead ignorance and kick everybody out of the house when I feel that the party is over!

Let them eat cake!

Here's a picture of the Black Forest in Germany. I was there a few weeks ago now, but I'll be going back tomorrow for a few hours. Reminded me that I was supposed to post a picture of it earlier!
Well, I've been a little busy the past few days. Trying to figure out a place to stay in Rome... so far I'm sleeping on the street! I've got a bunch of names of places but not very many look promising. Either there are bedbugs, or the propietor's a little creepy towards the femmes, or the main theme of the hostel is drink, drink, drink!, etc. Can't understand the rational of people who go to foreign countries and drink their time away, so much for making memories! One place I found sounds perfect but they haven't replied to my email... oh well, it'll all work out! Also got my ticket to London and a hotel room to stay the first night, since I'll be arriving at around 11pm. After that... well, I haven't thought that far ahead yet!
Sent a box home today via the post because in my short time here I have acquired a few things, mainly Christmas gifts, and since my bags were already significantly overweight when I first came I thought it would be a good idea to send a few things (15kgs worth) ahead of me.
I'm getting quite adept at hanging out with people who can hardly speak English... and I actually have a good time! Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Gina's parents. We went for a lovely walk in the mountains around Baden, the nearest city to me and where they live. Today I went shopping with Jasmine, Flave's girlfriend. Her English is fair, much better than my German so I can't say too much, and we have good laugh sometimes trying to figure out what the other is saying! She's a really sweet girl and I think that we would be better friends if we could talk more easily. Bought a couple of scarves, and they are divine! Can't wait to wear them!

My Covenant for the New Year

I am no longer my own, but Yours, O Lord. I am weary of living only for myself. Take me over and put me on the course of doing Your will. Move me where You will. Place me among those of Your own choosing. If this means suffering, give me the strength to pass through it with joy. If it means setting aside the things of this world, help me to do so glady. If it places in submission to others, grant me the dignity of Christ. If it means personal sacrifice, fill me with the Holy spirit to be my courage and my comfort. For now, O glorious and blessed God, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it, into the coming year and until the end of my days. May this covenant I have made on earth be ratified in Heaven.
To Your greater glory, O Father. Amen.
This was in our bulletin this morning. And since I've been attending a Presbyterian church here, this was a congregational reading to be prayed in unison. Ironically enough, at the same moment that I'm typing this up, I'm listening to 'I need Thee Every Hour' sing by Jars of Clay... how I will need Him every hour if this covenant is to be met out!
Looking back on this past year, it has been absolutely amazing! I have a great network of friends who love Jesus. And they have taught me much. I have grown closer to God this year... learned a lot of lessons, some hard and some a little easier, a few of them outlined in the above prayer. My insight into life has developed nicely but there is always more growing to do, isn't there? I have travelled and met His people in Europe! And got to see some more of this world that He has made... that's always my most favorite thing!
May everyone take a moment today to reflect on the past year. May you thank God for what He has done in your life thus far and and look forward with joy to what He has yet to do in your life.
Happy New Year, everyone!