Kitchwa Tembo, Masai Mara, Kenya; Oct. 2010

Quick little memory I thought I would share with you all.

This was actually the most surreal moment of my life. It was an early morning for me and Mrs. Geri. We woke up at 5 something, and we were driven in a safari jeep-thing to a big open field. It was a pretty crisp morning...and it was still dark out. We got to watch them blow up our Hot Air balloon. They seem so much more daunting when you know you are about to trust it with your life. Once the two balloons were ready, we crawled into the buckets. There must have been 3 or 4 other people in the balloon I was in, and there was about 12 in the other balloon. When the wind was right, and when the fist glint of the sunrise was visible, 15 men hoisted the basket up, and the pilot gave the flame a little juice, and we were airborn. We sailed anywhere from 2 feet above the tree tops to 15 feet above the trees. We watched the sun rise over the acacia trees, and felt the temperature warmed up fast. We gazed down at elephants, giraffes, and every other species you would expect to see. Off in the distance, we could see the tail end of the Wildebeest migration, with hundreds of thousands of zebras and wildebeest covering countryside. We crash landed (the wind was pretty strong) and crawled out of the basket. Where we landed, some jeeps drove up and put together tables beautifully set up for breakfast. They popped champagne and served us mimosas, then they served us an elaborate hot breakfast.

Overwhelming. The beautiful nature, the conversations, everything...was exquisite.

It was my second trip overseas, but the first trip that got me on fire for travel. Hard to believe that was only the beginning. God is so good!

8 days, 14 hours, 4 minutes, 40 seconds.

Starting to get nervous, folks. I have just a little over a week left before I fly out, and only about a third of the finances I need to survive. Perhaps this impending doom is what has been wreaking havoc on my REM cycles these last few days. I have been waking up more exhausted then when I went to sleep, with a spasming back and an unpleasant attitude. Packing up my room has been one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to do. I never thought it would be so weird to me, but it certainly is. Items keep resurfacing from long ago -- items I had completely forgotten about. Diaries I had written in, letters from friends, pictures, receipts, books...its all bringing back floods of memories.

I apologize for the fact that this update is a more sombre one. As excited as I am for the wonderful opportunities that have been put in my path, there are still so many hard decisions and obstacles that arise from it.

I know that the Lord will provide for me, so I should't be worrying, but I can't help but flail. However, flailing rarely results in flying. (Shoot, did that just get a little poetic?)

14 Days, 15 Hours, 16 Minutes, 17 Seconds.

I would just like to share with everyone that there is an apartment that I will be moving into when I arrive in Herrnhut, Germany. I will be sharing a room with a really close friend of mine who is from Anacortes (her name is Taylor). I am so blessed to have a place to stay already, and I am happy to also share that I will have super inexpensive rent (because our room is very small). I am so excited! It was such an answer to prayer.

I am busily preparing for my open house tomorrow! And within the next week, I will also be posting on Facebook a Silent Auction of sorts, where there will be a few cool items up for bid, some of my photography, and some baked goods as well.

So much love,
Marlies

Toronto, Ontario, Canada [April 2012]

It has come to my attention that I haven't shared much of my travels with anyone outside of my immediate friend/family group. So I have decided that when a memory falls from my subconscious and starts rolling around in my thoughts, I will direct it to this blog. Maybe you will enjoy some of the stories, maybe you won't. I hope you will though.

I would like to preface my story with a disclaimer: None of my travels here nor there would have been possible without the unending grace of a beautiful God who opens incredible doors. There was a time in my life when I thought I knew what I wanted. But God kindly shut the doors on those things to make room for experiences I could have never dreamed of. Praise be to the Lord who knows us (and our dreams and ambitions) better than we know ourselves. 

Before I began my journey to Istanbul, Turkey, I prayed and PRAYED and prayed that there would be no delays, no miscommunications, no cancellations...nothing that might upset the itinerary of my trip. Secure in the assumption that nothing would go wrong, I began my trip. My flight from Vancouver, BC., to Toronto, Ontario was flawless. I arrived in the Toronto airport and practically ran to my next gate. Satisfied that I was just a smidge early, I plopped down in a seat and waited. Then an announcement was made: 2 hour delay. I cringed. Then another announcement: another hour or two delay. I can't quite remember. But then it came: that terrifyingly impossible obstacle that I had prayed so hard against...my flight was cancelled.

They herded us like cows to a counter to sort things out. As we were stampeding, I turned to a girl that was next to me, I can't even remember what I said, but we started talking. Her name is Anni. She was traveling by herself as well. We stood in line (a long line) and chatted for a while. When we got to the counter, we were informed that we would be staying the night in Toronto and would be leaving the following evening. We were shuttled to a hotel, and we got adjacent rooms. We went to dinner together, then to breakfast the following morning. We explored Toronto together during the day, and hopped on our plane to Warsaw, Poland (from which she had a connecting flight to Germany, and I had a connecting flight to Istanbul). We went our separate ways. About a month and a half later, we started talking online. I mentioned something like "if you are still in Germany when I am finished with my commitments in Turkey, we should go somewhere." And to my surprise, she was up for it! So we ended up going to Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Dresden each for a few days. Her Dad had planned out everything for us magnificently. It was such an incredible trip. (More stories to follow. It was quite the entertaining trip.)

This story prefaces quite a few stories I will share. But I think this might be one of the best, because it shows how God said no to something I wanted SO badly...because he had a greater plan that brought me to places I wouldn't have dreamed I would be able to go to at that time.

So much love, 

Marlies

16 Days, 17 Hours, 18 Minutes, 19 Seconds.

So much to do, so little time.

This weekend will be crazy -- I have so many things planned in preparation for taking off to Herrnhut, Germany again! I will be having a Fund-raising event on Saturday, where I will be cooking pizza for donations, and sharing some of what I will be up to. Sunday morning, I will be speaking at The Church at Bakerview, which is the relocated and renamed church that I grew up in. Later that day, I will be meeting with the Elders of my church to discuss what I will be doing for Ministry. I am so excited that things are finally moving and progressing! I have felt like I was in such a rut for so long, but now things are HAPPENING!

I will be flying out on May 4th, at about 2 in the afternoon I believe. Between now and then I am working (doing grocery store demos for Appel Farms) as often as I can to make a little more money. I recently sold my car, which was so much harder then I thought it was going to be! That car has been one constant security for me since I bought it when I was 15. But I know that the Lord has a plan for me, and material things are meaningless, so I have been praying I will find my security in him instead.

I will be making so much more of an effort to blog through the next stage in my life -- I want to keep everyone involved, because I wouldn't be able to take these steps alone.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Marlies

Minibuses and Market day :)

Well, I will detail some of the interesting things about my life here!

Minibuses. I have finally gotten to the point where I am totally comfortable on them! For those who don't know, there is this road called the Minibus Yolu (minibus road) that runs parallel to the coast. This is what I take from Idealtepe (where the apartment that I am staying at is) to Altintepe (where the Byles live) every day. Its about a half an hour walk, which I didn't mind, until it came time to carry bags, etc.

The minibuses are smallish, with probably four rows of two-seaters and one three- or four-seater in the back. The drivers are nondescript most of the time. Each day I just say 63 in Turkish (the street up to the Byle's) and hand my 1.5 Turkish lira, and theres no problem. The drivers are often smoking, the people are quiet, often with iPods and MP3 players distracting them, and...what was that other thing? Oh yeah. As a foreigner, the driving here makes me just about soil my pants every freaking day. However, I have come up with a foolproof Istanbul minibus stance (I usually just stand because the little old ladies are on and off the buses and they need the seats):

Feet just a little more than shoulder-length apart (if theres room). Left foot pointing left, right foot pointing forward. Left arm holding upper bar on ceiling, right hand behind back holding bar. Whole body leaned up against hand on back bar. And let me tell you, that whole 2 minute ride is white-knuckled. I cling to those bars for dear life. The drivers come closer to the other cars on the road then I thought physically possible! There have been times that if the window were open, I could have leaned over 3 inches and lost half my face! Sheesh. Its quite the experience. Today it was really cute because the driver was a lot younger then the other ones I have seen...probably 20ish, and he had a buddy riding shotgun. I got in and gave the money, and the friend smiled at me and stared for a second, then sheepishly hopped out of his seat and offered it to me. I smiled and told him no, (I didn't want to get there and have to get up in two seconds to get off). So I stood there, and handed people's money up for them (a common thing). Those who sit in the back just pass the money forward to the driver, and then the change gets passed right on back. Then another minute later, and the guy motioned for me to sit on the center median between him and the driver, and it was right at that moment that I needed to get off. It was really cute because they were sweet and weren't perverted! Amazing how happy that makes me. 

LOKUM. (Turkish delight). Its yummy. :)

Tomorrow is market day! Every thursday, part of the city is unrecognizable due to the stands and booths that line the streets. Veggies, fruits, clothes, beans, cheese, shoes, jewelry, underwear, tablecloths, curtains...you name it. Its there. The first market day that I went to was so much fun! I bought a pair of pants (quite like gauchos) and when admiring one of the dresses in one of the booths, the guy gave it to me, saying (in turkish) "you are our guest!" It made my day. Throughout the market, people were handing me things to taste. New fruits I have never seen before were handed to me (and thoroughly enjoyed). 

I haven't been sleeping well at all lately...it has been really stressful. I don't know what is causing me to not get much sleep. I have been tossing and turning and waking up every hour. So needless to say, I am always exhausted which is really frustrating. I hope it doesn't last much longer! But seeing as though it is a little after 10 now, I have to start trying to fall asleep. :)

Love to you all, 

Marlies

Ahh Turkey...

Well, as I write this, I am snuggled in a cozy concrete corner of the Ankara bus station. My phone isn’t working, there is no Wifi, and this is a very large building. I have no idea at this point if the Telfords are already here and looking for me, or if they haven’t arrived yet. *Stress.* I am also STARVING but I am not starving enough to have to battle the language barrier to get myself something…I can be SOMEWHAT patient I suppose.

I am so glad that I got here without a hitch! Thankfully, on my way here I was able to find a two people who spoke a few words of English…that helped quite a lot. And there was one very enthusiastic Turk man who took my ticket and went to every bus in the lot to inquire if that was the one that I needed to be on (alas, none of them were, but bless his heart for trying).

The most entertaining part of my trip here to Ankara was when I went into the restroom at the first bus station (it was very small and out dated) and I got into the stall…the floor was sopping wet, the wall was sprayed with some unidentified liquid, there was no toilet paper or seat cover in sight, and the toilet seat was very clearly wet and sticky. Even now as I think about it, I move my feet further away from me knowing that they were on that floor. I was so stuck though, because I had to pee, and I had a 6-hour bus ride ahead of me. I went out of the stall to see if I could channel MacGyver and figure something out, and was mortified when I looked around and saw a vending-machine-sort of thing for little cardboard contraption that enables women to pee standing up. No way. So I looked in the other stall to see if there was anything in there to work with, and to my horror, there was a Squatty Potty (I know several of you know what that is) with a fountain of water draining onto the floor (that explained why the floor was so wet). NO FREAKING WAY. So I got back in the stall, and lets just say, I made it work, at the expense of an old T-shirt that I had just happened to pack.

The rest of the trip was spent trying to not bump the girl next to me ho was sleeping most of the way. I am so glad that I packed two iPods, because I have certainly needed them both!

Lately I have been trying to peg what stage of Culture shock I am at…I am neither ecstatic about Istanbul nor sick of it. I must say I think I have evened out and have reached a point of ambivalence to it. Indeed, I can’t wait to be home. Whenever I travel, I notice little things that I take for granted. Such as: hugs. Not just any hugs, but the hugs you give those who you are familiar with. The hugs that you are so used to that you don’t even think about. I also miss the friendliness of Americans. Granted, the attitude ranges in any country, but I miss the genuine friendliness in Lynden. Here all I get is blank stares, glares, and perverted gestures. Right now, in fact, there is a 30-something who has been walking back and forth outside, looking in the window at me. And just now he walked inside and walked by me again. To me its no big deal if a guy is looking at you, and then when you look at them, they look away. But what is terribly uncomfortable to me is when you look up and the guy keeps eye contact and just stares at you. Which is what this guy is doing. DUDE. STOPPIT.

Haha – not even half an hour ago, I was irritated with how my tailbone was hurting after sitting so long on the bus. Well…now I am sitting on cold concrete, and my tushey is even MORE uncomfortable! Go figure.

Another thing I have missed so much about the U.S. is control. When I am at home, I have control over just about everything. I can drive where I want to, when I want to, without any sort of hindrance. I can go to Safeway and know exactly where everything is. The cashiers recognize me, and I can joke around with them. I can go to Woods, and I know which baristas to get drinks from, and which to steer clear from. I have lost every bit of control since I have been here. I can’t communicate, and can’t drive myself, and beyond my everyday route, I don’t know where anything is. I can’t find anything in any stores because it’s all in Turkish, and I can’t ask about it, because all the Cashiers are Turkish!

I guess what I am trying to say is that I will always be a small-town person. There are a lot of wonderful things about big cities. But really, what I enjoy most is driving down the road and seeing four people I know. I love knowing and talking to cashiers…I love that just about everyone in Lynden knows eachother. I LOVE it.

Top on my list for things I NEED when I get back to the states:

East Indian food – spicy spicy spicy PLEASE.
Panera Bread – Cheddar Broccoli soup in a Sourdough round.
Olive Garden – Zuppa Tuscana
Sushi – Spider roll. (I think that’s what it is…the one with the deep fried soft shell crab).

Asian 1 – Fried rice

24 Oz. Blueberry White tea and 16 Oz. White Chocolate Mocha Shake with Irish Cream AND a 24 iced Americano.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries – anything.

SOMETHING BARBECUE. Anything. Just slap some barbecue sauce on some part of a cow that’s been barbecued low and slow. Thankyouverymuch.

A Good ol’ white bread and plain cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.

So that’s my tentative list. I guess. I am still hungry, and I am still trying to kill time, can you tell?