The Syrian Pound – the Aussie Dollar is AWESOME against it!!!
Getting from Lebanon to Syria was another service taxi and passing through many border control areas. It’s so weird, just driving into another country.
We stayed in Damascus, with a day trip to Bosra. Bosra has this huge Roman theatre that has been well preserved and is really awesome to walk around in, there are so many rooms everywhere. The best theatre we’ve been to so far. We then walked around some ruins just near the theatre, which I think was the old town. There were people living there in these little brick houses, so simple.
In Damascus we walked around the Old City quite a bit, there are so many alleyways and streets to explore. There are many shops also. What I like about Damascus is it isn’t an overly touristy town. Not all the shops aren’t set up for just tourists and most of them are there for the locals to shop at also. There isn’t (that I saw) a huge shopping centre so you basically shop where the locals shop. The Syrian Pound was great value against our Aussie dollar. The food at restaurants was cheap and if you barter enough you can get material stuff cheap too, I kinda felt bad to though because they already started at a good price, comparing to our dollar. Public transport is cheap and so are the taxi’s – those with meters. Having said that we jumped into a taxi to get back from the bus station after visiting Bosra and it seemed to be a “special” meter. It jumped quite a bit – it was still cheap to us though. It’s hard to argue and weight it up.
The food in Syria is pretty tasty, although we got a bit “belly” from it. They love their chickpeas! We were in a restaurant one arvo and ate a few plates of appetizers. We were pretty full after that and were thinking of getting a main to share as they were huge. There were two Lebanese couples sitting on a table next to us and they offered to pay for a main meal. We were stunned and so blessed. After the meal the restaurant gave a huge bowl of fruit, and a plate of biscuits and jelly type sweets on the house. We were belly-aching full! I had to go back to the hotel for a sleep! I told Dan to take a couple of pieces of fruit and told him to do it inconspicuously… so in true Dan style he took all the fruit and left a smiley face in the bowl – what a stealth!
We visited a mosque in the old city, which was really beautiful. Of all the places we’ve visited where Islam is practiced, this is the first mosque I actually visited. Boy did it challenge me though. I had to wear this long, hooded robe because women must cover their heads…and arms and legs. It felt so demeaning and ridiculous. It’s such a different culture. While I was in Syria, I read a book on the basics of Islamic belief, it confused me and for ages (and still now) I would imagine the type of conversation I would have with a Muslim. It would be an interesting one. It seems…incomplete. Anywho, I could go on.
I got sick the last two days we were there. It started off as a kind of hayfever, then into a flu. I’ve just gotten over it today (15th) after battling against it turning to a migraine. I’ve done really good at eliminating coffee, I haven’t had one since Easter. I’ve pretty much not had anything that I thought might trigger them – caffeine, excess sugar and wine. This one I think was muscular, which is the next investigation…time to pull out my knowledge from the fitness training…yikes!
When we left Syria, I had a feeling of tiredness from being in the Arab culture. It has started draining me…or it could be all the travelling. We’ve been on the road for some time now and I’m still fighting the thoughts of going back to a routine life. It’s difficult in another culture as I’m continually aware of it’s differences and I don’t wan to upset anyone and be a “typical tourist” who doesn’t care about the culture I’m visiting. So it’s taking a lot out of me to be conscious of what I wear and how I behave (maybe too much).
Oh well, must press on to Jordan.
Liz
xoxo
Monday, May 17, 2010
Cyprus & Lebanon - 4 to 9 May 2010
Cyprus – 4 to 6 May
No more apple tea, even in the “Turkey” side of Cyprus :o( That stuff was the bomb!
So we arrived on the Turkey side of Cyprus (North) and went to an internet café to book some accommodation. We then took a minibus, which we got off earlier than we needed to – but were able to buy some stamps, so the mistake wasn’t for nothing – and then got another bus to the accommodation, in the middle of nowhere. We booked for two nights, and if you ever go to Cyprus you need longer because you need a car, and they only do 3–day hire agreements. Planning is involved because you aren’t allowed to take them into the South if you hire them in the North – politics!
We basically chilled in Cyprus. We caught buses into town, which is basically hop on and off wherever you want. You get beeped at by every taxi that goes past, even if they’ve seen you deny the one in front of them. The bus beeps at everyone walking on the side of the road – even those who are on the opposite side! It’s kinda like, “Dude! They’re wanting to go in the opposite direction!” I did feel a little more at home because in Cyprus they drive on the left! And there were even normal cars - the steering wheels on the right :p
My legs finally saw some sun after goodness knows how long and I now have a sock tan. I’ve also got a bit of the panda eyes going on – belle!
Overall, Cyprus would be nice if you had a couple of weeks (though it is expensive) and a car to see things and places. We didn’t see much and it was more of a stopover to getting to Lebanon.
We took buses to the south side to fly out of the Greek Cyprus. Much more fun and cheaper than taking a taxi, though this was a time when I learnt how Dan orientates himself with or without a map – so different to me, but it works. A wise leader once taught me, “It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as it’s the same result.” Thank you my fearless leader and brother, Andy :o).
We got to the airport (really early) and just chillaxed. Dan got out the bubbles. So, I got to the passport check counter and they loaded me with questions about where I’d been, how I got there and who I was travelling with. They told me that coming in the Turkey side and flying out the Greek side “was forbidden” and that I should have come in and out of the south – politics! Meanwhile, Dan is standing on the other side of the gate waiting. Why me? I must look suspicious…or they sense the “I don’t like formalities” vibe oozing out of me. It mustn’t have been too forbidden because they let me through, I guess that’s where the word “strictly” has some power. Meh.
Our flight was delayed by 25 minutes, which could have led to not getting any accommodation in Lebanon…
Beirut, Lebanon – 6 to 9 May
So we arrived to have a dude greet us from the accommodation Dan had “booked.” When we got there I got into an accommodation-snob attitude and wanted to cry. The place was…different, not my favourite (terrible in my eyes) and the dude didn’t make the reservation saying he’d called the guy at the airport telling him to forget about us. Apparently this hostel is not known for it’s organisation, and VERY MUCH known for cancelling any “reservation” you think you may have. I had a bed to sleep in and a hot shower, even if the bathroom’s ventilation was a hole in the wall, so I was ‘okay’ with that. We could only have one night, and I agreed when the dude told us that, I was eager to get outta there. The next morning Dan went to another hostel down the road to arrange 2 more nights, which was much nicer. I have been blessed with the accommodation we’ve had at a decent price, I suppose we can go flash but with the amount of travelling we’re doing we gotta keep it to a budget…but this place was bad. Now in saying all that I feel terrible because there are much worse places in the world people are forced to live in from birth to death…so I shall ponder upon my accommodation-snob attitude and dismiss it if it should rear it’s ugly head again.
Anyway…Beirut is a city, and it’s big. We walked around quite a bit and I thought about getting down to Tyre and Sidon, but we didn’t. The city is quite fascinating when you see the old with the new. Buildings that were hit by gunfire in the civil war are still standing displaying their war scars…literally. They are friendly people and there isn’t so much trying to get you into shops as Turkey was. There are SO many hotels and accommodation buildings going up, they say that people are “beiruting again”, but the amount they’re expecting with all these buildings is pretty hopeful on their part.
In Beirut there are police and army dudes with guns everywhere. I don’t blame them. I read that they are on guard for any “activity” coming from Israel (which is comforting since we’re headed there in 2-3 weeks’ time). I’m not stressing too much as there hasn’t been much activity for a while. Though prayer would still be nice because I would love to go.
We basically ate out twice and were filled up big time. It was reasonably priced in Beirut, one of our meals cost ~72,000 Lebanese Pounds, which equated to ~$54, and we were full.
Then we left on Sunday (Happy Birthday to mah little sis!!!) to Syria – on election day. The guys at the hostel wished us luck in getting a bus, which was leaving at 1530hrs – maybe. So the only way to go was by a service taxi, which is the preferred way to travel anyway as then you don’t have busloads of people getting in and out of the borders.
I have found it difficult (and I mentioned this before) staying such a short time in all these places. We seem to just be doing cities because of time and cost, but I guess that’s just the way it is and what we have chosen. I just need to have the “taste test” mindset - that it’s enough time to mix with the people, taste the food, see the culture and figure out if we’d like to come back in the future.
So hopefully I can post photos on facebook. I’ve been having dramas lately with them – unable to find the server or something.
Anyway, much love to you all. Even as I travel, I get images of being back home and seeing your friendly faces.
Liz
xoxo
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Turkey – 21 April to 3 May
Introduced to the Turkish Lyre - finally a currency where we get more for our Aussie dollar!
We made it to Turkey despite Ashy. We spent 3 nights in Sultanahmet and basically hung out, ate lots of Turkish food and walked around a bit. We both weren’t a fan of the place, especially when we started comparing some of the inland places. We set off on a tour on the 24th to Gallipoli. Our guide was a last minute ring-in plus a few other things so it wasn’t very impressive. Getting down to the area was a long bus ride. When we got closer everyone was told they weren’t going to get an orientation tour around the area because there were some VIP’s visiting…pfft. So we got to the memorial service area just in time to get a spot on the grass to sleep. The line was huge and they had this male-on-male and female-on-female searching system, which made the ladies’ line huge! Funny how there were more women there. We were given little show bag things with some coolish stuff…including a booklet on the war…which helped.
When I learnt the basics of what happened in WW1 it confused me. I had/have strong opinions (as I think everyone does) and considered voicing them here but to be honest I haven’t read about it enough to. I just found this website (www.firstworldwar.com) which has a lot of information I want to read, more importantly the whole ally and treaty stuff which has a lot to do with it. Not understanding it completely I’m keeping my thoughts to myself and maybe come to a better conclusion (more positive one) about the whole ANZAC commemoration. To date, not impressed.
I do have to say though, I give a lot of credit to and respect for Turkey (which is what I thought about mostly during the services). We invaded their land and now they give a very big piece of it so we can hold our memorial services. We were told the government is concerned with the Turkish people as they really honour Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Ataturk meaning father of Turks, given to him by the people), a little more than they would like them to. He is a national hero, having founded modern Turkey, bringing about reformations and other things. He and our Australian Prime Minister at the time made piece in the end.
Turkish people are very friendly and hospitable. My first reaction (from the time in Milan) when everyone offered to help us was that they wanted money. They don’t expect anything in return. I think it’s part of their culture, that when they help it’s like a pact that you won’t bring them harm. You get hassled in the streets to go into EVERY shop - even if they’re all the same. They are friendly about it though, they stop hassling quickly enough and aren’t grumpy if you don’t go in and look. It’s been great in some ways to be backpacking because I have an excuse to say no, but also there are some things I like to have bought. I haven’t been too tempted though, I’m a simple girl and can’t justify spending money on a lot of the stuff they offer.
So, after that we went and saw an Acropolis in Bergama (one of the seven churches, Pergamum, mentioned in the book of Revelation), visited a carpet ‘factory’ where we saw the women hand making the carpets – madness! Visited an Onxy factory which had really beautiful pieces. The tour ended after four days in Kusadasi. We went on a tour to Ephesus, an ancient city where Paul visited and wrote a letter to the church (the book of Ephesians in the Bible), which has only had 5-10% uncovered. There was so much there already! I had just finished ready Acts before I reached Greece and it was cool seeing the towns where Paul lived and preached (on the map for most of them as we didn’t have time to visit them all). Visiting these places has strengthened my faith, seeing and hearing stories that align with the Bible. I believe you cannot just accept it for it’s history, there is a much more important message contained – what Jesus did for us and how much He loves us, in action. This is much of who the Bible is centered around - His purpose in bringing us close to God.
We stayed in Kusadasi for a few nights then went onto Pummakale. This place was pretty cool. Hard to explain without photos, so you’ll need to check out Facebook. There are all these calcium travertines, they made some fake ones so people could walk in and back down to the town. We had to wait a while for our overnight bus to Cappadoccia and decided to see the town. We got pulled into a house by this old lady. She gave us tea and then started showing all these hand made cushion covers, scarves and booties. I ended up buying some kinda outta compassion and how much work she’d done. I didn’t have the heart to barter for them. I know I probably got ripped off, but all I could think about was how they still had to make a living. It’s hard going to a culture where you’re not used to bartering, even moreso to understand that it’s an insult to not barter – I find it hard to comprehend, just ask the price you want for them! Simple transaction…grrr.
Cappadoccia was really pretty. It’s a valley where there are carved houses and churches in the rock. They where used by the early Christians to hide because they were sought after as Christianity was not accepted. Some of them are really cool and go on for a while. They are carved a couple of levels up, it’s quite amazing to think of how much work went into them. We went for a hot air balloon ride over the valley, which was fun – I was trying hard not to freak out, we went up about 800m. We went on a tour that took us to an underground city, with awesome ventilation. The first day we got there we got lost among the valleys and I had a bit of freak out trying to get across a certain section – we had to turn back.
From Cappa we went on a loooong bus ride to Tarsucu to then ferry to Cyprus. We sat at this little café near the water when a girl from a local family came and said hi. She was learning English at school and spoke it pretty good though it took her a bit to think about what she was going to say. Her mum, dad and younger brother came over and we showed them some photos of the Pilbara on a deck of cards (thanks to mama). They then invited us to their home. The ticket office told us to be there at 2230hrs so I thought, yeah we have time (as an effort to remain flexible). We had a couple of drinks and talked as much as we could with the daughter translating. When we’d first arrived the mother gave me a hand made tablecloth as a gift straight out, I was surprised. Something that took her 1 month to make. I felt really blessed. We found out the mother was ill and I offered to pray for her, which she accepted. The father explained where the ferries were coming in and I had not given it any thought at the time, then we looked at the time and it was 2320hrs. I then began to freak out cause it was some distance away and I’d realised why the office told us to be there at 1030hrs – so they could take us to the ferry! It was leaving at midnight. The father offered to take us, so we went to the office and then he drove us out. When we got there the daughter told me they’d closed the gate, but had opened it for us. The father was greeting everyone and just wandering through slowly. Meanwhile, I’m freaking out. I tell you, when I got on that ferry I was very happy…then it didn’t leave until 0130hrs anyway! So, the moral of the story – remain flexible, because you can in Turkey (btw – the whole remaining flexible is an in joke with my DTS outreach team, sorry).
So what did I get out of Turkey:
- they very hospitable, especially with their apple tea – YUMMO!
- they love to help, so let them!
- if you’re going to do a tour, make sure you have a good guide (don’t know how, just make sure) who knows his stuff and is not telling porkies…or do a self-guided tour
- get away from over-priced touristy places (like Istanbul) and get into the smaller country areas. I would say try and get further East if you can.
- be prepared for the “communication” coming from the mosques 5 times a day (call to prayer)
- if you think you have patience, come to Turkey – it will be tested
- them where you want to go once (public transport) and they will get you there. They’ll pass on the information to the next bus, and the next bus, and the next bus
Overall, Turkey has been a good experience. I have gotten tired of not being able to speak their language – haven’t really tried because it’s not a language I want to learn (I wanna learn Spanish and Italian), then feeling bad because I haven’t tried…grrr.
I am missing friends and family and there is so much going on at home. Peeps having babies (Hi Emma, Lisa, Meredith), and more babies (Hi Kristy, Jodie), getting engaged (congratulations Sandy and Saskia). It’s all happening!
There truly is no place like home, though I am trying to enjoy where I am and what I’m doing – more importantly what I am learning. It’s funny how during our circumstances/situations we can be focussed on one thing and totally miss the important things – those which will last.
Liz
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Athens, Greece – 10 to 21/04/10
Still in Euro-land
We made it! We did an overnight in Catania and after checking a couple of websites it was confirmed we were flying to Rome. We are blessed to not have been affected by the ash. Worst case we would have found a way to get to Istanbul and skip Athens. Dan managed to find out that our umbrella was found and they were sending it back to Australia – too kind. He really misses it though we don’t need it…yet.
So, we enter a country where we cannot read the language. Dan spent some time on the train figuring out the characters of some letters on the train into Acropoli where we were staying but it’s such a different style and pronunciation. I miss Italy – at least I could speak it, even if I wasn’t waving my hands all over and “singing” it.
I have come to the conclusion that Athens is “slippery city.” I don’t know why, maybe the marble or type of rock they use but you kinda slip anywhere and everywhere, especially climbing around the hill by the Acropolis. Some streets are slippery too.
We didn’t do too much around Athens and after we’d left I kinda regretted going – except that it taught me that “quick trips” really ain’t worth it. I wanted originally to go to Corinth but we changed dates to spend more time in Istanbul so I didn’t want to do too much and be knackered. I need chillout time in each place to catch up on and process all kinda of thoughts. Being a thinker is pretty draining.
We had a Greek salad, mousakka and the BEST tzatziki ever! We went for walks around the place, skyped the folks, went to a quiz night at the hostel and just generally chilled.
That is all…
Liz
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Italy - 30 March to (hopefully) 19 April
Back to the Euro’s
Rimini
The day we left Scotland the weather was terrible! We were waiting on the tarmac under this shelter thing, which only had one side to it. I thought, “What’s the point?” then was grateful I had at least one side to keep me sheltered – lookin at the positives in amidst the circumstances. So we got on the plane a little bit wet.
Once again I underestimate how big countries are and we are on the train for four hours, arriving at our hostel after midnight. Some of Dan’s Ulti team were already there so we stayed and chatted for a while. Good bunch they were.
The Paganello tournament was a lot of fun. Dan’s team (Shocker) were awesome and there was a mixture of people living in England, Germany and Australia (well, just Dan). They did really well out of the competition and came 5th in their division. It was real close though, from what I understand there was a 1 point statistic loss in the semi-final pool (Dan’s terminology). Basically, they could’ve come closer to the top if not first, but they were 1 point out when they did the statistics…but we won’t dwell on this in case someone from the team is reading this – love you Shocker :o) I really enjoyed watching Dan play again. The weather held out for most of the tourney. There was one really bad day when there was loads of rain and wind – Monday. This was the day I didn’t get to see them play their last games because I was being pounded by a migraine and cold at the same time – nastiness! I vowed to stay away from caffeine for the rest of the trip (however since then I’ve had tea…why do we not learn from pain, however extreme…this may come in handy when having children, so grateful…kinda) – a revow is required. Anywho…
Rimini was a beautiful town and there is so much surrounding it. We went for a bike ride along the coastline after the tourney and checked out what was down the road. We got a few beaches up and there were teams from a few Uni’s in England who roadtrip it to Italy every year and play a bit of beach Ultimate. Dan played a game for them. IT WAS THE FUNNIEST ULTI GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! These guys were half serious about playing, I think it’s more about the holiday. There were a couple of guys who played in an “interesting” uniform, don’t know how they did, but they were laying out and everything…let’s just say sand got everywhere…EVERYWHERE.
Roma
A long train ride to Rome (after stopping at a stop we didn’t need to) and into a hotel, which we were shown to a room where there was still someone living in it. Never had that happen, kinda funny and strange at the same time. Oh tip – if you ever want free internet go to Hotello di Roma, they don’t have a password to their WIFI.
The hotel was a bit out of the Rome area. So, we walked A LOT! My goodness, every night I came home with legs and feet aching, but saw it as good exercise. We saw a lot of things of foot. It was suggested to us to walk everywhere rather taking the Metro and buses, cause there is always something to see – so true! Dan is awesome as well cause he doesn’t do the typical touristy stuff and walks into the weirdest little alleyways – it’s rubbing off on me.
Rome is really expensive and we didn’t want to spend too much on touristy things. I figure I can see the inside of the Colosseum and Vatican on the internet. I think the museum inside Vatican City would have been awesome though, but oh well. The Vatican City was a lot smaller than I anticipated, but I guess if you consider the size of Rome, it’s pretty big. Loads of history and old stuff. Was the best city thus far cause there was so much to see. We stayed here for only 3 nights, so we saw Rome in 2 days.
I’m still not used to the breakfasts over here though. It’s granita (a flavoured icy thing), or sweet cakes/croissants with coffee. Un Caffe, their staple diet along with pizza, pasta and gelato. How ever do they balance their blood sugar?
On from Roma
We flew from Rome to Catania - which was an hour delayed, they attempted to charge us excess baggage when I’d already paid online, and they gave me an extra ticket – someone else’s, but I didn’t realize this until I got to Catania when we went to lodge a “lost and found” record for our umbrella. Happy times in Italy :o) We waited for our baggage at the carousel, which ours came out first, pretty lucky considering there were three flights’ baggage coming out on the same one! When the carousel started up the Italians started cheering… … …comforting!
We waited for a few hours for a bus (to go to Siracusa) because we couldn’t find where to buy tickets. We think they may have been closed for siesta and the “Information desk” couldn’t help. We arrived in Siracusa where Ben and Huiber-Jan from the Next Wave picked us up.
We stayed in the Siracusa port for one night then we had to anchor in the bay, where we stayed anchored for 2 nights. The weather held out and apart from a little rocking it was fine – love being rocked to sleep and the pitch-black room was awesome. We all went out for gelato one night, which we had to travel by dinghy for…I wasn’t keen and was holding on for dear life, but I couldn’t not do it for gelato! It was a big call :o)
We then got the go ahead to dock at the Augusta Navel Base and headed off on a sail just after 8am. We had four Italians join us for the ride and they bought sweet pastries…ah you can’t beat Italian hospitality…it didn’t sit too well during the sail though. It was nice laying on the deck in the sun. Had to look at the horizon for a little while then the stomach calmed. We were sailing cross-wind for a while and there was a huge swell, she was rocking back and forward – I had to remain flexible. Dan and I were “crew” for the sail and getting into the base, we looked the part in our shirts.
It was kinda exciting as I approached the Next Wave in the port in Siracusa when we first arrived. I was a bit apprehensive working and living on it because I didn’t know what I could contribute. I had an amazing thing happen before I got there and I really believe God was speaking to me. Before I arrived was thinking about how I could serve. The current period on the Next Wave is preparation for the Sicily Tour they are doing in the next few months and are doing a lot of maintenance. So, I had some thoughts go through my head and I came up with re-organising the library and maybe some sewing but I fobbed it off thinking, “there are more important things to be doing on the ship than that stuff!” So, I get on the ship and they have a list of “priority” jobs that need to be done and guess what! - “organising library” was on the list! I couldn’t believe it! The library is now all labeled and looking saweet! I had to resist reading all the books! But I had to type the list out for borrowing purposes so I have a list of them mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha :D I also did some sewing, formatting/creating of documentation (I used Powerpoint for a flowchart – glad I learnt that from you just before I left Kerry!), created a drawing of the Sconsin (where the library is, and a whole heaps of other stuff I don’t think they knew existed) and a list of what is under the seats – it was AWESOME! Listened to music and sermon jams – introvert HEAVEN! Tehehe.
So, there is still no hot water but at least the toilets flush when you need them to (the ‘yellow mellow, brown down’ rule still applies though). I was conditioned on outreach so it wasn’t too bad. The community onboard is really awesome. Everyone is out for helping each other, keeping each other sane…and out of the way if needed. These guys do it tough living in a small environment and all for the great cause of Christ. Such a self-sacrifice for the sake of others. I am really excited for them as they prepare for the tour of Sicily to share the good news and work with the local churches and communities.
So, I leave you now not knowing whether we’re going to be able to fly in and out of Rome to Athens. There’s been volcanic activity in Iceland, which has caused ash to slowly cover Europe in a southerly direction. Its currently Saturday 17th and we’re supposed to be flying out Monday 19th at 8am. We’ll see…keep you updated on Facebook.
Stay safe ya’ll. Peace, love and hope to you all.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
UK & Ireland – 16 to 30 March
England
Streatham
We stayed with Will, from our DTS family for a week with Serena, Rapha and Ben (who we met in Sicily on our DTS). It was such a blessing to be able to chillout for a week after the course and say goodbye to everyone gradually. We said goodbye to a lot of people in Harpenden and it was a bit of a shock and pretty emotional.
We went into London and saw a few sites - watched the changing of the guards, visited the London Eye and chilled out a lot. I met Nicky Gumble! He’s one of the guys who helped start running the Alpha course outside the church. It’s running in a lot of churches for those who are interested, intrigued or want to get to know the Christian faith better, in an environment that is open and basically everything is up for discussion. It’s brought many to know what the Christian faith is all about, highly recommended. Even I did it and learnt a lot from it.
Ipswich
We stayed just under a week at Mikey (who I met in Wickham back in the day) and Michelle’s. Loads of people wondered why on earth we were going to Ipswich. We were looked at weirdly as we walked down the street with our backpacks – I don’t think they expected backpackers to be trudging through Ipswich…or it could have been Dan’s bright orange pants!
We went and visited Grime’s Grave flint mine which is “5,000” years old. We weren’t able to go too far into it. We got down in to the shaft and waited for the woman to come down and unlock the gates…nup. It’s not “stable” enough to be crawling around. We laughed cause we expected to be able to…let’s say it would be an unfair comparison to the caves in Margaret River.
We also visited Framlington Castle. It had the surrounding walls still standing. It was pretty cool to see such an old structure. It was a audio-guided tour and the history was pretty cool to listen to.
We then visited Orford Castle which was really amazing! It was tall and slim-ish but had all these little rooms you could go into - some were toilets. The spiral staircase was really cool. We went for a walk around the town of Orford and had some local smoked cheese – sooo really tasty, nothing like smokey burps! We also walked around a graveyard surrounding a church. It’s kinda eerie over there, many churches in England have graveyard surrounding the church within the fence.
We went for a walk around some woods in Ipswich and we were, I reckon, five minutes from seeing the birth of a calf on one of the farms! The mother was licking it down and Dan saw it eat the umbilical cord (if I had’ve I think I would have puked). I waited for like 10 minutes to see if the other cows would give birth. I don’t really know what I would have done - freaked out, tried to help pucked – but it would have been awesome to see…in a way.
So, I totally lost my return train ticket and we had to buy another one. I was spewing! The public transport system over here is very complex and awesome, but pretty expensive also. I was so annoyed at myself. But, I guess we learn from these things…Dan now holds the tickets. I have yet to create a filing system.
Ireland
Back to the Euro’s!
Cork
Made it to Cork in Ireland after my hand luggage was strip searched and violated because they detected “baby food” jars in my bag. They basically took EVERYTHING out and wiped down my stuff with this drug/explosives strip-thing. They took away my Vegemite I was going to give to Mama Rosa in Sicily and my almost-finished Promite. Liquid my butt!... and Dan gets away with having bubble soap mixture in his bag! Anyway…
Spent two nights in a cute little lodge just out of the centre of town. Awesome breakfast with yummy Irish yoghurt. I don’t like the black pudding much, but white pudding is nice (you’re right Michelle!). We went to the St Patrick’s Day parade which had some interesting floats and people in it. We didn’t do a lot in Cork, we relaxed a bit and caught up on some Bible reading. Acts is going well – for Lent (“40” days before Easter – a time to remember the temptations Jesus endured in the desert before He started His ministry) I am reading through Acts thoroughly, and I’ve given up coffee. It’s going really well and I’m getting so much out of it. Paul was an amazing man to go the places He did and be the man he was, so different to how he used to live before he met Jesus…literally.
We caught the bus to Dublin, which I was told was only 3 hours. When 5 hours had passed I got a little impatient and anxious to get off. So, what does one do when one is agitated? One sits up and uses the abs to keep one stable…and there you have it - an abs workout! Hmmm…
Dublin
I have to say, I wasn’t overly impressed with this place. It costs a bit to stay and be entertained. We had an awesome Mexican meal – so tasty. We visited Christchurch Cathedral, which we had pay to see so we didn’t go in. I can understand why they charge, the maintenance cost on the massive and hard-to-reach places must be enormous. We went to a huge park and rode on hire bikes. There where deer grazing on the soccer field and a cute little castle with grass hedging which reminded me of running around the bush amongst the spinifex. Oh, them were the days - innocent, easy-to-please, imaginative fun.
I have to say. The whole Ireland and Northern Ireland travel has been a little difficult for me. We, or I because this is travel I wanted to do, haven’t done too much investigating of the countries. We basically stayed in city/large town areas and didn’t get to see the countryside. We’re really rushing through these areas as we need to be in Italy for an Ultimate competition Dan is playing in, for early April. I am mixed in feelings – I feel like it’s been waste of time and money, and I haven’t done enough to see the place or work out what we can do and see. We’ve basically had one whole day in each, which has been difficult. So we walk around the city. I’ve struggle with the concept of wandering around and not having a purpose or mission, which those who know me will understand the frustration. So, I’m trying to work that out and be okay about the whole thing. The other thing is the atmosphere, in Ireland mostly. It felt kinda depressing. It was almost as if the only thing travelers did was sightsee, shop and get drunk, something that doesn’t interest me anymore. There are pubs everywhere! I feel kinda purposeless right now…
Northern Ireland
Back to the Pounds!
Belfast
We stayed here for two nights, but still only had one day to do anything. We did a “Black Taxi” tour, which basically took us to the Prodestant and Catholic sides of Belfast. The story is quite sad and nothing to be proud of if you are of faith in Christ Jesus. It totally goes against what Jesus intended for His church to be. Human error and pride, and giving God a bad name kinda irritates me and NOT what God is all about! I’m not perfect at this either…Anyway...during the tour we visited a part of the Peace Wall that divides the two denominations within the area. Dan and I both wrote on the wall, there were loads of Aussie’s who signed it.
We then took a ferry, two trains and walked heaps to get to our accommodation in Edinburgh…never again. My advice – FLY. It took like 7 hours travel. Or you could use the time to…read or something. I guess if you prepare your mind for it, it would be okay. Once again I underestimate the size and distance of these countries.
Scotland
Edinburgh
Well, we spent 3 nights in Edinburgh and saw the city a bit. We visited Edinburgh castle which we did not pay to go in…I was kinda over castles by this stage. Dan tried some haggis, which my stomach could not handle at the time. The older I get the less I can try in terms of food. After Sicily, the thought of pizza or pasta makes me feel a little queasy, me thinks I overdid it on outreach…or maybe it was the all-you-can eat restaurant when we got back to the base. That’s right! We had lunch at the restaurant and I OVERATE, then that night I was…well, let’s just say “not well” and I think the body remembers the last thing you ate when this things sort of happens and it rejects it in future…even if it wasn’t the cause. There was sickness going around the oval at the time and it was pretty nasty.
We went on a 3-day tour to the Isle of Skye (you were right Peta – beautiful!). I loved it. It’s spring over here - snow-capped mountains that were melting, with little, and sometimes very large, waterfalls running down them. We did heaps of stops and had history lessons along the way. We had to wait in a town for over 20 minutes as we picked up some more people for the tour and I was glad cause we got to visit a MacNaughton shop. Twas so cool. Different spelling, but eeright.
We had pretty good weather the time we were in Scotland. On the tour there were times when the weather was shocking while we were on the bus, then when we stopped to get off and wander around, it was decent - less rain and bearable. The sun came out to say hi a couple of times but the wind just stole it’s warmth. The day we left and caught the plane was SHOCKING! It was freezing cold with rain and wind as we waited on the tarmac. We were looking forward to Italy…and maybe some sun…
For me personally, I am trying to focus on not having any regrets. Scotland was better as we got to see the country. I am learning a thing or two about myself, and situations are bringing to the surface some stuff I don’t like, which I want to improve on or get rid of, period. I think I process, plan and analyse too much and don’t “just do it.” I may be hard on myself, but I think sometimes it’s necessary to get my butt into gear.
I stressed out – again – about organizing travel. I’d spent hours on the computer trying to figure out what we were going to do between Sicily and Turkey – which is probably going to be Greece (Athens) for 4 days. There is so much to do and see I couldn’t decide, especially with costs and logistics with getting to places. I completely freaked out and poor Dan was doing his best to make me feel better. I get this way when trying to organise things I have no experience with, I can’t visualise or don’t have any knowledge of the place we’re going - I’m out of my comfort zone. That night, I put into practice “walking in the opposite spirit” and it definitely works, hard but it does work. Die to self – especially emotions that are not positive or helpful.
Oh mum (Laurel), I’ve been listening to the pre-marital counseling talks you sent a long time ago :o) They are long but sooo relevant. It’s been a little strange because at times I’ll be going through something and it’ll speak right into the situation. I think I might start taking notes to help me remember. Thank you for them!
I hope you are all doing well. I try and keep updated about things happening in Aussie but we’re totally out of the loop. So feel free to let us in on stuff and send me an email or FB me about yaself and what you’re up to. We may be on the other side of the world, but we haven’t forgotten where are roots are and who we love.
xoxo
Lizzie Mc
lizabef777@hotmail.com
Friday, March 19, 2010
Brighton, England - 3 to 22 February 2010
After we left Nicosia, we went to Enna for 2 nights which is Belly Button of Sicily. There I met Mama Rosa who is at the Il Faro centre there. She lived in Australia for a while and has a daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in Sydney. She was so hospitable and Rafa, Will, Rosa, Angelo, Dan and I had an awesome lunch there. Mama Rosa made this tasty zucchini bake which was delicious! She said it was basic, oh man yummo!
We also went to Palermo for 1 night to stay with Angelo and a place he bought. Man it has potential. Needs a few touch ups but will be a an awesome place for YWAM. The garden is awesome and has many orange trees, sooo tasty! There is also a Vanilla Orange tree there, not as nice but novel. We did some gardening while we were there...in the rain. I'd had practice while in Nicosia so I was loving it. Pulling up weeds and carting leaves and soil to a compost area - saweet!
So, Brighton...
Brighton was jam-packed full of stuff. I am going to try and remember it all cause I sent my diary home in the post.
Well, we gained another member - Nargiz - and we stayed with the Salvation Army while we were there and they really looked after us. We slept on really thin mats on the ground and I wondered how I was going to survive - but I did. I think the week in Blackpool during the lecture phase was practice...as I look back on it now there is a lot of practice...which may be for something in the future, we'll see...
We were all split into 3 different churches - the Salvation Army, Montpelier Baptist Church and Gloucester Place Baptist Church, which Dan and I went to. We'd been split before but it was a real shock for us all as we'd been together as one big team for so long and then we had to split to do different ministries. It was also a bit of a culture shock and there was a different spiritual atmosphere which took some time getting used to. It was nearing the end of our outreach phase and we had to keep ourselves from being apathetic and lazy.
Ministry
- most of us were involved in a youth group, either running it or helping
- we served with an organisation called "off the fence" which goes to the streets every night and offers food and hot drink to the homeless/rough sleepers. I really enjoyed this one. I went on Friday nights and got to talk to some of them. I prayed with one guy who was sick and it was really cool.
- Rafa, Abby, Roos, Dan and I helped with a kids club day "our" church was holding. I helped out with the crafts which took my back to my childhood in school holidays when Mr Mills came and did craft (for my family mob who remember). I seriously got into it! I helped a couple of them make their fury pencil, then I made one (photo on Facebook). Twas chuffed! :D
- we did street evangelism with Montpelier Baptist which was a stand with information, tracts being available for anyone and everyone to talk
- we did a day of street evangelism in Messina where we held card with a story telling about how Jesus heals broken hearts. Andy and I had similar idea to do it in Brighton except this time everyone writes a question or statement they want people to know. I had two - "God wants to tell you..." which I then later wrote on it "I love you" and the other was "If you want out, let me know - Jesus." Whilst I didn't have anyone stop and talk, I saw people talk to each other about them and saw one particular lady's smile and knew it had touched her heart.
- we also did some dramas and teaching/preaching with a Christian rapper (yeah MC Tempo!) who had a speaker and microphone. We talked, did dramas and rapped for a few hours on two occasions.
I also spoke on one day. The day for me had the same vibe as being in the village in Catania - I didn't feel I wanted to say anything but when the time came I had something. I basically apologised to everyone and said that we (the church and me personally) have made mistakes in the past, and have not given people the best idea or representation of the God who loves them. From this day I have been concerned with how some of us as followers of Christ/Christians have behaved and what kind of reputation or image we present to others of God. It seems a bit unfair to me! I am guilty of much! Now I feel like Paul :) Seriously though, I walked around and called myself a Christian for many years and I am appalled at the image I've given. I know, it's a lot to think about, take on board and a bit extreme but if you were to represent someone you love and want to share with others, why wouldn't you think this way? It has definitely made me more discerning and thoughtful about how I treat people and what I do/say. Blessed for me (and anyone else who accepts) God is gracious and has, does and will forgive me, I know...and He is bigger than any image I can present...but tis is my journey thus far.
- we dressed up as cartoon characters as we were to go on a fundraiser walk with one of the youth groups, but it got cancelled because of weather....WHICH by the way, God gave me snow! First time it's EVER snowed on me. It was soooo much fun...and cold...but sooo much fun!....so we dressed up anyway and caught the bus to the youth pastor's office and had some fun walking around the streets. I was dressed as spiderpig - classic! Photos on Facebook.
I think to sum up outreach it was tough in terms of evangelism. We were in a country (Sicily) where people were open to hearing and talking about the Jesus but we couldn't speak the language, to a country (England) where we could speak the language but people weren't as open.
Back to Harpenden
We left Brighton on Monday 22 February to get back to the oval for debrief week. It was really exciting. We arrived at the train station and it was SNOWING again! So exciting. The guys got a ride to the oval and the girls walked. It was really exciting because the Ecuador team was already back. The oval was covered in SNOW! It was soo pretty! I made a snow angel (photos on Facebook). It was crazy times as we saw everyone again. The France team got in later that night - I was asleep, too much excitement in one day. Debrief week was really good and it was awesome to spend a week at the oval without too much to do. I find it great to be able to relax in an environment where I am normally busy and scheduled.
There was a sports DTS on base, they were a smaller group so I can't imagine what it was like having 28 students come into the house we were all living in. I got to run one last circuit class which I wasn't really too nervous about, considering I was running it for almost 30 people and they were "sporty." It was a lot of fun.
So, this concludes the period of time during DTS with YWAM.
There will be more postings about travels (with photos on Facebook) soon.
Lizzie
:o)
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