Belgrade

Hi there! This is from Belgrade, capital of Serbia but rather run-down. We're on week 2, exactly, in the EMW mayterm and it's been a mixed bag type of trip. To be brief (if that's possible), the scenes are awesome, the intercultural experience stupdendous and the weather...lousy. I've gotten many, many, many beautiful pictures of the Dalmatian coast, of Zagreb, Budapest, Krk, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik, Shibenik, Cetinje, Perast, Sarajevo, Visegrad, Kraljevo and Belgrade. I'm loving the different sounds, different foods (pastries!!!!) and life in the Balkans. I've been reminded how blessed I am as a American, which is a prosperous country where people can debate giving healthcare to all and a stable government to enforce such absurdities. Here, things are still chaotic and unstable, with burnt out remnants of hourses bearing witness to a war that no one has forgotten and no generation will be allowed to forget.
The weather, due to Icelandic interference, is rainy and generally bleh. That has affected tempers (plus seperation from the home front) and made a few of the days rather miserable. But on the upside, I know a whole lot of people a whole lot better than I did before.
From Belgrade,
Bog je Kralj (in my poor Serbo-Bosnian Croat)

Pondering the Second

Pondering the Second sounds like a royal title. King Pondering the Second, Lord of Bessarabia, Potentate of the Sky, Son of XYZ, the Magnificent, the Awesome, etc, etc. Sorry, my mind wanders. Maybe that's because I watched Return of the King with S-, A- and K- tonight. Or maybe it's simply because I'm psyched for the Balkans. About 36 hours to go and then I'm in Budapest. I've got about half my stuff together and about half my life strewn across my bed (balancing that stupid checkbook. Whoever invented the process out to be flayed and then hung and then drawn and quartered and then kept on bread, water and okra for a week).
Again, I digress. I had a simply incredible (checkbooks aside). And an incredible concert by Dr. and Mrs. P-. He sang in German and I understood, eh, 60% of it. That was an incredible experience. I'd like to go to Germany at some point to gain a 100% understanding.
Once again, I digress from my account of my day. Let's see, checkbook, bank shtuff, LOTR, concert, dinner...not much else. So if I don't blog until June, here's a "have a happy May" and may God bless your footsteps.

Smoke in the Eyes

I always seem to sit downwind when I'm seated by a fire. Maybe it's my introverted nature, maybe it's just a sheer fact of life, maybe smoke just has the hots for me. All I know is that smoke and my eyes don't mix. I'm really trying to pull a spiritual lesson out of here somehow, because it seems like smoke in the eyes should be a Biblical metaphor for something. Anything. But the only thing I could think of was the passage I read yesterday from Isaiah about the destruction of Israel's enemies and persecutors. That would entail a lot of smoke.
K- and I were debating the origin of evil and the role of predestination. This is a hard topic because the Bible is rather unclear. God cannot be tempted (check the Book of James) and He is not pleased with evil. But never does it say that God did not make it. In a sense, God did make evil because He defined what was good. And yet he also did not desire to have the triumph of evil.
I suppose this all stems from Dr. P-'s books I've been reading on free will, predestination and warfare theology. It's all rather laughable now that I've read both sides of the argument. Both accuse the other of being heretics, of mixing Greek philosophy in with their theology, of deviating from "the clear truth" of Scripture. And yet I am convinced there is a truth out there, somewhere within the Biblical texts. God is not a god of obscurity and confusion, but a God of knowledge and order.
I'm enjoying seeing those little siblings of mine. The littlest two are always coming up with the rummest sayings, including long diatribes on things I discovered 15 years ago. I love it when they fall asleep. The little faces are so innocent and trusting it's hard not to love them.
And I really want to watch a movie with my oldest sister, so have a great day until I blog again.

Papers and Baseballs

I turned in my paper today! Last paper for over a month! So I'm excited about that. Also, S- pitched 3 innings today, including a perfect inning.
Thursdays are always hard in my family. People are tired out from staying out late (for Janneys, that means 9pm) the night before at church. There's also way too much sugar in the church-provided Wednesday meals, which leads to cranky kids (and some adults too).
I don't know why, but my mind is being dragged back to Civil War songs we used to blare at POTS. Crazy, really, but all I can to say is, "The Union forever, hurrah boys, hurrah! Down with the traitors, and up with the stars! As we rally 'round the flag, yes we rally once again. Shouting the battle cry of freedom!"
I had training today at the Inside Scoop. That was my old job last summer and I loved it, so now I'm excited to return. Some things have changed but I was amazed how quickly I jumped back into the loop.
And now I'm tired and I need to unpack some more and the dishes need, well, cleaning. So talk to y'all when I have a spare moment.

Home at Last

I suppose there's nowhere quite like HOME. I suppose that is why I love Michael Card's song "Home," which talks about, well...home. My home is (I think) rather unique. Beautiful in a sense, really. An old brick house, caressed by a Japanese maple a few months younger than I and flanked by arborvitae. Some would say the lot is small, the house dark and cramped, the inhabitants loud and melodramatic. I say the lot is cozy, the house warm and inviting, the inhabitants eloquent and loquacious. I love to walk up the short concrete path and see the signs for "Faith," "Hope," and "Charity."
I don't know how many people know about my family's miscarriages, which are one of the more painful parts of my past. We lost three babies in the first trimester - one when I was 6, two when I was 12 - and our family is still coping with some of that trauma. In my mind, those three siblings are Faith, Hope and Charity, three pretty little girls I won't meet until Heaven. Maybe that's why I love those round, inscribed plaques my mom put up years ago on our front porch.
I'm sorry, I'm wagging on and on about three little plaques! I got to see S-'s baseball game today, which was incredible. My younger brother is turning into a catcher of superior merit and I'm very proud of him. It was a close game because the pitchers on his team were rather off their game tonight. Nevertheless, the Iron Pigs managed a 8-7 victory which is, frankly, incredible. S- made a play at second, which is rare in his league.
I need to get some sleep. God bless y'all and May the Fourth has been with you.

Pondering the First

Welcome to my humble abode (virtual, online and otherwise non-real but still an abode nonetheless in the howling wilderness of cyberspace)! I just moved in (ok I set up the blog 20 seconds ago).

I started this blog to keep people I know up to date about my life. I've just finished my first year at Houghton College. This has been a crazy year, really. What with settling in as a Freshman and then going through the EMW honors program and in the meanwhile weathering who knows how many crises, I think the year has been productive. I'm now in that part of the semester where I start packing up to go home. Campus is vacant, almost deserted, with everyone either studying for finals or gone home.

I have a hard time believing I'm in college. I've spent most of my life trying to get here. Ever since I was a little kid, really, I've wanted to go to college, learn, get a Ph.D and then torture undergrads in the name of "teaching them." I've even got the arrogant attitude down...

Well, I have a bibliography and title page to write, some friends to bother and a room to clean.