Tick-Tock November 20, 2008

Time in Bratislava is quickly coming to an end.  The last few weeks have been full of things–planning, cleaning, organizing library books, teaching, hanging out with friends old and new.  The next week and half is sure to go by quickly.  I’m feeling that time crunch of trying to fit everything in and trying to figure out what is most important.  One of those things I’m trying to fit in is blogging some of my thoughts on being here lately.  So here’s some random thoughts and observations about life lately.

Before I left for Bratislava, my community group at church had a little going away party for me and prayed over me.  It was such a special time and something I’ve really appreciated being here.  As a nice little bookend, the women in the two Bible studies I’ve been attending here both prayed for me as I return back home.  Future plans at the moment look a little undecided at the moment, and I’m trying to stay open to where and how God leads.  It’s been touching to me to not only being able to find community here in BA, but also to find people who have taken me into their hearts and prayers (and vice versa).

One thing that really touched me on Tuesday as the morning Bible study ladies prayed for me was how they affirmed the time I’ve spent here.  One of my concerns about being here for 3 months was not fully living into the time, i.e. not getting invested in people because I’m only going to be here a short time.  These ladies affirmed my committment to being with them each Tuesday and to getting to know them.  The tears that have surprised me lately when I think about leaving here are evidence also of how invested I’ve become in this place and people.  Leaving would certainly be easier had I not allowed people and places into my heart, but I know my cup would not be running over as it now with fullness had I not opened myself to this time.

So, part of the time crunch this next week is figuring out how to finish the tasks before me while also trying to squeeze out every opportunity to fully live with people in this place.

All Saints Day November 4, 2008

On All Saints Day, November 1st, it is customary in Slovakia and other central European countries to decorate graves with candles and flowers.  Heather, Roberta, and I walked to the cemetery after dark to see the candles.  One picture that I didn’t take was of a bunch of candles around a cross.  It was really beautiful, but I didn’t want to seem irreverent by taking a flash photo. 

Little Big City October 30, 2008

One of the slogans I’ve seen on buses and trams around Bratislava is “Little Big City.”  One of the things I like most about Bratislava is that while it is a big city with most of the advantages of a larger city, it still has a small town feel.

Old Town Square

One of my favorite parts is Stare Mesto or Old Town in English.  Unlike Vienna or Prague, Bratislava’s Old Town is not so crowded that you can’t walk around with some space between you and the person in front of you.  (I’ve experienced more than my share of being packed liked sardines in buses, metros, or city streets, but rarely in Bratislava).  There’s a slower pace and fewer tourists which is nice.  One of my favorite sites is walking on the square in front of the National Theater and seeing little old ladies sitting and talking on park benches on a Sunday afternoon.  I love exploring Old Town and walking down new streets that I haven’t been down before.

Just to illustrate the littleness of this big city–I had been here barely a month when I was walking around Old Town one Sunday afternoon to meet a friend for lunch.  I had some time to kill after church.  As I walking around, I heard someone say, “Hey Julie” in English.  I looked up to see someone I knew.  Later that day, I ran into another friend I had recently met.  Still later on, I looked out the window of the bus and saw a lady from my Tuesday morning Bible study. Just the other day, I was getting off the bus with Heather and heard a lovely British voice behind me say hello.  Again, it was someone I knew from church.

I don’t think I run into that many people I know in a day in Bristol.

Granted to You to Suffer October 30, 2008

My church Bible study has been studying Philippians.  Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.”  As we discussed this verse last night and whether any of us had suffered for Christ, this verse took on new meaning for me.  There was a lady in the study visiting from Budapest and another lady in the study is Slovak.  Both of them recounted different stories of how they or their families had suffered during Communist times because of being Christian.  One lady’s family wasn’t even Christian, but because she attended a church group just for fun, her father was denied a promotion.  Young children in elementary school used to be interrogated by their teachers.  What did your family do on Sunday morning?  Do you go to church?

As someone prayed and thanked God for our being able to meet together freely, I realized that only a few short years ago a meeting such as ours would not have been possible.  I often have heard people pray that prayer at home and maybe I just take the religious freedom available at home for granted.  It all became very real for me last night.

Pezinok Vinobranie October 1, 2008

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Originally uploaded by jarobers

On Saturday, I got to go to a wine festival in Pezinok, a town about 30 minutes outside of Bratislava.  I went with Heather and some teachers from the Narnia school in Bratislava that Heather knows from her church.

Wine festivals are a common occurence in Slovakia.  They occur at different points throughout the year to celebrate the various stages of making wine.  This was a very popular event.  We were waiting to take the bus to Pezinok.  The first bus didn’t even stop at our stop because it was already full from boarding at the bus station. Once we got on the bus, I got the very last seat available.

The wine festival was kind of a cross between Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots, Food City Race Night (only more people if you can believe it), and the Appalachian Fair.  There were craft booths and food vendors all up and down the street along with carnival rides and concerts.  I got to eat a chicken kebab, which is actually a grilled chicken sandwich with cabbage and mustard on a hard roll and loksie, a pancake like pastry filled with cinnamon, chocolate, jam, poppy seeds or nuts.  Of course there was lots of wine available.  The most prevalent was a drink called burciak, which is a young, sweet form of wine only available in September and October.  It is homemade and has a cloudy appearance kind of like cider.  They bottle it and sell it in reused plastic bottes, probably not the most sanitary. I did taste it, and it tastes pretty good.

I was amazed and even commented to one of the girls about how well everyone was behaving even though it was obvious people were drinking alot of wine.  I didn’t see all the usual police that would have been around Rhythm and Roots or at Family Race Night.  Of course, by the time we were catching our train back home, it was obvious who had had too much burciak.  Everytime the door opened in the train car behind us, we would hear people singing loudly.  It was quite the experience to say the least.