The barrels of apples I helped pick months ago have been either consumed or rotted. So, sometimes I get to buy apples from the nice old lady two houses down. I walk up to her door and say something like, "Hi! I mean...Hallo! hmm... um... appels kopen?... voor L'abri... vier kilo... dank je wel.." Which translates into something like "Hi. (gibberish, gibberish) Buy apples?... for L'abri... four kilos... thank you!"And then she carries a further conversation with me in Dutch, except my only contribution to our dialogue is a big smile and a nod. But in the end I have a delicious sack of crisp and juicy, golden and red apples.I'm getting pretty used to my schedule here at L'abri. I make a lot of tea and coffee, wash and hang a lot of laundry, and scrub a lot of toilets. I drink a lot of tea and coffee and sit around the fireplace to keep warm. I go on a lot of walks with Kara from Portland--we toss around ideas about relationships, culture, and personal shortcomings. I have a stack of books I'm working through and I journal often. I play patty cake with five-year-olds. I bake fresh bread and make soups from scratch. I knit while listening through Henk's vinyl record collection--Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence." Michael Jackson's "Bad," and Dutch folk singer Boudewijn de Groot's greatest hits album are currently my favorites. I participate in group lunch discussions, most recently about perfectionism, work, idealism, purity and experiencing God. I do a lot of yoga and push ups in my 7' x 12' bedroom. Here you can see my room and yoga mat.
A vital part of the week is my Monday afternoon tutoring session with Christa. It's helpful to have someone to think with and who can articulate what I often cannot. She listens well and can quickly expose the root of my struggles. She also assigns homework so we have something concrete to work with. Most of what I gain through my experience here will come through these interactions, I am certain.
Last Sunday was Kara's (the other helper from Portland, OR) 27th birthday. The other students and I planned a full day of birthday events including a surprise birthday song at 7:30 a.m., a long bike ride to a surprise tea party, a Greek-themed toga dinner party with Greek music and dancing, Greek food and a pile of gifts for Kara to open. She was overwhelmed with our efforts and remembers it as one of her best birthdays ever. A very special memory for all of us.
