The other day while I walked down a busy side-walk, a cyclist passed me going in the other direction. I did a double-take primarily because the cyclist was walking his bicycle. At this point a lightbulb turned on in my head and I had a new observation regarding the difference between Riga and other European cities.
In some of the major European cities bicycles and/or motor-scooters serve as a major form of transportation for many people. SUVs are also a rare sight in these cities, while SmartCars (a sardine can on wheels, basically), and other smaller cars are the norm. To date, I have only seen one SmartCar in Latvia, yet at least a third of the vehicles I see are SUVs (American size).
Well, that's just a little observation from over here.
12 February 2008
05 February 2008
a little superbowl goes a long way...
Well, I (Dan) did it - I stayed up until 5am Monday morning watching Superbowl XLII. Earlier in the week I was 50/50 about whether or not to watch it. On Sunday afternoon I decided I would find a way to watch it. When I'm in the US, I will watch it, yet I'm more excited to hang out with friends.
During halftime I reflected upon other times when I have been abroad during Superbowl ('98 - Belfast; '04 - Germany; '06 - Paris). I realized that one reason I really wanted to watch it is that I find it helps me connect with some things that are familiar - things that I usually find fulfilled in other ways when I'm in the US. (Wow, it's already 10 years ago that I sat with friends in Belfast and watched the Broncos beat the Packers.)
So, a little Superbowl this past Monday morning went a long way to help my heart and mind during this time of transition.
I hope these thoughts make sense - I am still feeling the sleep deprivation from the other night, so I'm off to bed.
During halftime I reflected upon other times when I have been abroad during Superbowl ('98 - Belfast; '04 - Germany; '06 - Paris). I realized that one reason I really wanted to watch it is that I find it helps me connect with some things that are familiar - things that I usually find fulfilled in other ways when I'm in the US. (Wow, it's already 10 years ago that I sat with friends in Belfast and watched the Broncos beat the Packers.)
So, a little Superbowl this past Monday morning went a long way to help my heart and mind during this time of transition.
I hope these thoughts make sense - I am still feeling the sleep deprivation from the other night, so I'm off to bed.
01 February 2008
hamburg church photos
here are some picts of the churches mentioned in our blog about our time in Hamburg (19 Jan). These first few are of St. Nikolai's church which was bombed during WWII and now stands as a peace memorial. This one is St. Michael's
This one is St. Katherine
The next two are St. James' (the aerial photo was taken from the steeple of St. Peter's, which is the last photo.
whacky weather and olive oil
I read on BBC today that many places have experienced weird weather these past couple of weeks. My brother said that he saw snow in Iraq two weeks ago.
Well, in preparation for Latvia, Court and I read some different websites and different guide books. While each one had different things to say, they all had a common denominator - Winter! It is COLD, and it last from the end of October through March. Apparently, that is usually the case. However, many Latvians have told us that this has been a strange winter. Many thought it had come with the New Year when the Daugava River froze , the snow started consistently falling, and the temperature started to steadily descend. However, the past two weeks have been a bit of a reprieve - for which we are thankful because we are still trying to figure out a heating scheme for out apartment that actually keeps us warm.
But Courtney and I know it is warmer outside for a reason other than the river melting and rain instead of snow. See, our kitchen is a temperature gauge of sorts - if its cold outside, then it is cold in the kitchen. If it is warm outside (okay - wait a minute did I just admit that 39F is warm? Well, our bodies are at least adjusting to the cooler weather), then the kitchen is still cold. Courtney laughed/cried a couple of weeks ago when she went into the kitchen and found the olive oil congealed. This past week the olive oil was more like thick honey than a stick of butter - that's how we know it is warmer outside!
Anyway, many Latvians tell us that February should get cold (i.e. the river freezing so solidly that cars can drive on it, etc...). We think we'll survive though as we figured out that 30 minutes before we cook we should put the olive oil on the electric radiator, which warms it up quite nicely.
Well, in preparation for Latvia, Court and I read some different websites and different guide books. While each one had different things to say, they all had a common denominator - Winter! It is COLD, and it last from the end of October through March. Apparently, that is usually the case. However, many Latvians have told us that this has been a strange winter. Many thought it had come with the New Year when the Daugava River froze , the snow started consistently falling, and the temperature started to steadily descend. However, the past two weeks have been a bit of a reprieve - for which we are thankful because we are still trying to figure out a heating scheme for out apartment that actually keeps us warm.
But Courtney and I know it is warmer outside for a reason other than the river melting and rain instead of snow. See, our kitchen is a temperature gauge of sorts - if its cold outside, then it is cold in the kitchen. If it is warm outside (okay - wait a minute did I just admit that 39F is warm? Well, our bodies are at least adjusting to the cooler weather), then the kitchen is still cold. Courtney laughed/cried a couple of weeks ago when she went into the kitchen and found the olive oil congealed. This past week the olive oil was more like thick honey than a stick of butter - that's how we know it is warmer outside!
Anyway, many Latvians tell us that February should get cold (i.e. the river freezing so solidly that cars can drive on it, etc...). We think we'll survive though as we figured out that 30 minutes before we cook we should put the olive oil on the electric radiator, which warms it up quite nicely.
I guess they are used to waiting...
We are learning that sometimes things just take longer here - a reality that most people here just seem to accept. Now some of the drivers in Riga could benefit from a defensive driving class or anti-roadrage seminar, but most seem content to sit in traffic.
Yesterday we were in the supermarket and the bar code on our bag of onions didn't register. The cashier said, "Do you really want these?" I said, "Yes." But I thought, "Well, that is why I put them in the basket and brought them up here..." Her body language said, "Okay," even if her voice didn't. She stood up, locked the cash drawer, locked the cigarette display, and then walked away with the bag of onions. After a few minutes she returned with a different sticker, rang it in and told me the total. What shocked us the most about this transaction was the reaction of people around us. Courtney observed that in the states if that had happened, many of the people in the line behind me would have been miffed and got into different lanes to get out of the store more quickly. And while a person or two did, most of the people just stood and kept talking to each other...I guess they are used to waiting.
We went to a clinic last week because we needed to get chest x-rays for our visa applications (checking for TB and other lung disease). The receptionist told us that we should just take a seat and in a couple of hours they could do it, unless of course we wanted to come in on Monday or Tuesday at 8am when there would be no line. We opted for this past Monday, and we were in and out in 15 minutes. On the way back to the office we talked about why everyone didn't try to come in at 8am - yet people seemed content to stand and sit for hours just to get an x-ray...I guess they are used to waiting.
Yesterday we were in the supermarket and the bar code on our bag of onions didn't register. The cashier said, "Do you really want these?" I said, "Yes." But I thought, "Well, that is why I put them in the basket and brought them up here..." Her body language said, "Okay," even if her voice didn't. She stood up, locked the cash drawer, locked the cigarette display, and then walked away with the bag of onions. After a few minutes she returned with a different sticker, rang it in and told me the total. What shocked us the most about this transaction was the reaction of people around us. Courtney observed that in the states if that had happened, many of the people in the line behind me would have been miffed and got into different lanes to get out of the store more quickly. And while a person or two did, most of the people just stood and kept talking to each other...I guess they are used to waiting.
We went to a clinic last week because we needed to get chest x-rays for our visa applications (checking for TB and other lung disease). The receptionist told us that we should just take a seat and in a couple of hours they could do it, unless of course we wanted to come in on Monday or Tuesday at 8am when there would be no line. We opted for this past Monday, and we were in and out in 15 minutes. On the way back to the office we talked about why everyone didn't try to come in at 8am - yet people seemed content to stand and sit for hours just to get an x-ray...I guess they are used to waiting.
'Les Mis' is in Latvia
We saw advertisements for 'Les Mis' on our way to language class last week. On the way home from class we stopped by the opera house to buy tickets for Court's birthday. We decided to take the bus as public transportation is usually reliable. We didn't want to rush so we decided to take an early bus - only it never came. So after waiting for 45-minutes the proper bus came and we were on our way. Then our bus got stuck in traffic. We thought that we would miss the first half because if we got there late we wouldn't be allowed in to the show. Even though bus stop was 3/4 mile from the hall, we actually laughed as we jogged in mist. We arrived, checked our coats, and ran to the entrance hoping the usher would allow us to pass (it was 7.39pm and the showtime was 7.30pm). We walked into what turned out to be an arena and the usher said since they weren't sold out that we could sit anywhere we wanted. We slid into our bleacher seats just as the curtain opened. The entire musical was translated into Latvian - and we even followed some it! The Set: fantastic. The Costumes: brilliant. The Voices: brilliantly fantastic. We enjoyed our night out.
19 January 2008
Hamburg, Happy B-Day, and Remembering...
Hello All, Sorry that we haven't posted in 3 weeks - we are working on being more consistent. We had snow on New Year's and watched fireworks with folks from the church here and folks from Oslo who came in for the weekend to celebrate with all of us. Here's a pict of us ringing in the new year.
Happy Birthday to Courtney today!! Woohoo!
We just returned from a few days in Hamburg, Germany visiting our friend Krista who pastors a church in the city. I (Dan) wrote a bit on the plane last night and thought I would include that below. Yet before I do, I want to take a moment to remember an influential person in my life - Phil Berg. I met him and his family and experienced their wonderful hospitality during my time in Israel. Two years ago on the 16th, Phil died of a heart attack. His wife, Martha, and their five children still live in Israel and do amazing work with an organization called Shevet Achim (please check out their website at www.shevet.org) which works at building bridges of peace - "the holy work of mending the world."
Well, it's getting late here so I'll leave you with the journal entry from yesterday...
"... We have visited all 5 of the major churches in the city center and spent significant time in each one. Listening to the organs and gazing up at the vaulted ceilings has lifted my heart a bit. At times I felt as if the organ music itself carried me along the clouds.
We looked out the steeple of St. Peter’s viewing the entire city from 554 steps and over 350 feet above the ground floor. Yesterday (Thursday) we sat in St. Michael’s on the hill near the harbor. Beautiful, atypical lines for a cathedral, almost as if the design came from Atlantis or a royal architect of King Neptune – Fabulous. We stood in St. Nicholai’s and could not help but pray for peace in these ruins kept as a memorial for peace. The bell tower, foundation, and a few segments of wall are all that remain after the Allies’ bombing campaign in 1943 and 1944. The amputated arches and hollow windows stand in stark contrast to the new buildings around it. St. James and St. Katherine’s allowed space to pray amidst the remodeling efforts…
God refreshed us in visiting these churches, viewing art at the museum, spending time with good friends, and sitting in a warm house each morning and night..."
Good night and May God Bless You!
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