What do I do?

Recently I attended a beautiful outdoor wedding. It was one of the rare, gloriously sunny days we had this summer. It has been so rainy, that it was a surprise to see such a lovely blue sky. I arrived early, so chatted with a couple friends who were also in attendance. Then several of the groom's friends arrived and introductions began again. I met one friendly, outgoing gentleman and he initiated a longer conversation. As the wedding was still minutes from commencing, I stayed to chat. Then he asked the question, "So, what do you do?"

My mind raced. How do I answer? What is a simple response? How do I sound intelligent with my reply? What DO I do?!

"Uh, I, uh, work a couple part-time, temporary, seasonal jobs. Recently graduated with my Bachelors. Uh, newly arrived home from a four month trip around the world."

And basically, don't know what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone next month!

He was gracious and responded with "Cool!" and then asked about my travels. It wasn't as awkward as I initially thought, but it did start me thinking....

I've never been a longterm planner, in the sense that I've never wanted to stay in one place for a huge length of time. I like living year by year and God has been faithful in directing my steps at the right time. This summer has been a strange one however. I came home fully expecting to work full time at my airport seasonal job. I thought my summer months would at least be filled and I could set aside some cash for whatever next adventure presented itself. That wasn't exactly the case, my first week home, I was only scheduled for 15 hours of work. How was I supposed to pay my bills, let alone save for the future on that? I had ideas for the fall, so didn't want to look for another job, just to ask for numerous days off right off the bat.

But I knew that God has never failed me, His faithfulness has been a constant in my life and I didn't want to start doubting now. So, I prayed, waited and trusted.

My first two weeks, I picked up as many extra shifts as I could and spent my time working on home projects and reading. Then one day out of the blue, my dad asked if I wanted to work for a friend of his at his concrete cutting company. Now, I know nothing about pouring concrete, let alone cutting it, and we knew virtually what the job entailed, but the wage was something I didn't want to pass up. Some weeks I worked 3+ days and other weeks I only worked one day. But my God provided! And the other blessing is, it's summer/fall work. So I will still be free this fall/winter to persue other interests without being tied down to a job.

Once again, God made Himself known to me. And it wasn't the last time of the summer. He continued/continues to manifest Himself in my life.

Its not the easiest thing, humanly speaking to live week to week, but I can full rest in my Saviour's love and provision and KNOW that I will be taken care of. After all, he loves me with an infinite love.

So, now if you were to ask me, "What do you do?," my reply would be -

"Enjoying Life and Living by Faith"

Back to the Roman days of Africa

One of the really cool places I visited on my recent trip was the small country of Tunisia. For those of you not so good with geography, that is in North Africa, situated between Algeria and Libya. It is actually the northern most part of Africa, as it juts up into the Mediterranean Sea. It really is a fascinating place, with such a rich history. Ever heard of the ancient city of Carthage? Yep, that's right near the modern city of Tunis. 

One evening we went to Sidi Bou Said, a small seaside village. The streets curve all up and down the hill, so walking was fun, especially since the road is paved with flat stones. I slipped a couple times in my flipflops. :) This little town looks like that famous white and blue town in Greece that many are familiar with. There was talk of which one came first.... but I never did find out which one was the original. 

While there, we ran across another group of Americans. It is always weird to overhear your native tongue while out and about in a foreign country. Then one of them greeted us and asked where we were from. My friends are from Ohio and the other group responded that one of their Representatives was there. I really thought they were joking, but later we looked her up and sure enough she was a state representative! Never know who you'll run into while traveling!

Sidi Bou Said

overlooking the sea

I really love large, colorful doors!

One day we took a day trip about three hours south to El Jem. This is the site of a Roman amphitheater, similar in structure to the famous Colosseum in Rome. Built in the 3rd century, it is the largest amphitheater in Africa and is in remarkable condition. I've not yet been to Rome and seen the colosseum there, but I'm sure there would be a ton of strangers there to share in your experience. Here off the beaten path, we almost had the place to ourselves! My favorite way to experience history. There might have been a dozen other people besides us wandering around the building. 

Ancient buildings of that magnitude are hugely impressive; it's always a wonder to me how they built such amazing structures so long ago. And it is still in remarkable condition. One side had large, marble seats and stairs and across the way, there were three floors with separate suites.  

It was slightly sobering to think that many who believed in Christ were martyred there hundreds of years ago. If I had been alive in Tunisia during the 3rd or 4th century, it might have been me in the center of that arena dying at the hands of gladiators or the mouths of ferocious beasts simply because I believe in Jesus as my Saviour. 

eating lunch across from the amphitheater

first floor corridor

We continued our tour of El Jem by walking through part of the town to another old building. The mosaic tile work is intricate and complex. In many buildings, it was their form of carpet, better than sweeping a dirt floor all the time. At times they used tiny pieces and they are so well-laid, that they have withstood hundreds of years and millions of feet. 

old house with courtyard

Epic 30th Birthday!

Two months ago today I celebrated my 30th birthday! Well to be truthful, I celebrated my birthday over a couple months time. :) This four month trip that I recently returned from was graduation gift/birthday celebration trip to myself. I'd been itching to travel and since I had just completed my Bachelor's degree and my 30th birthday was approaching, I figured what better time! The celebrating began in Mongolia, where my friends threw a birthday party for me the night before I left. Numerous people were invited, old friends from ten years prior and new friends I had just recently met. Crazy that some of my old youth group crowd came with their young children! Trina made not one, but three cakes for us to enjoy! Apple spice, lemon poppyseed and of course, chocolate... I may or may not have had all three. ;) 

birthday bash in Mongolia

three delicious cakes!

I continued to celebrate through out Europe and ended up waking up the day of my birth in Paris, France. Now, to be honest, Paris has never held much intrigue for me, it was never high on my list of places I wanted to visit. But when I realized that I would have to fly through there on my way to Tunisia, why not spend an day there!? So I began my birthday eating hot, fresh baked croissants slathered with Nutella at a French hotel. I got picked up and began to explore the city some. I didn't have much time, but we saw quite a bit in a short amount of time. Stopped off at the Notre Dame cathedral. Massively amazing, the architecture is simply incredible. Then on to the greatest attraction of Paris, the Eiffel Tower. Now, remember Paris was never a big wonder on my list to visit, but the Eiffel Tower is impressive. Well worth a trip there to just see it. Way bigger in person than in pictures. We climbed the staircase to the 2nd story and passed on the elevator to the top, because there were so many people in line already. 

We ate our lunch after that while on a riverboat that took us up the river through the city. The tour was all in English and I learned about several other old, cool buildings in the heart of the city. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Had to laugh at all the tourists with their selfie sticks. One middle aged guy stood and took selfies almost the entire one hour boat ride. 

Then the mad dash to the airport. Actually the drive to the airport wasn't bad. And check in wasn't either, but then the line for passport control...... it wasn't a dash either, more like a snail's crawl. I had plenty of time, or so I thought, but I didn't figure for an hour plus in line for emigration. I sighed a breath of relief after making it through finally, then turned the corner and remembered I still had to go through security. Ugh. Thankfully, that didn't take as long, but was still running late by that time. Then of course, found out my gate was the far end of the terminal.... so with my backpack and computer bag commenced to fast walking/running through the airport. My shin splints acted up and my legs were screaming in pain by the time I made it to my gate. BUT, I made it! 

And wonder of wonders, I was greeted in Tunis by four smiling faces and once at their house by a lovely oreo cheesecake to finish off the day. 

perfect end to the day

A Few Random Pictures

I'm sure nobody has even noticed my lack of blogging.... but I keep telling myself that I need to write more about my trip. Finding the time and energy however has been a struggle lately. I journaled a lot while traveling and it tends to be that the more I journal personally, the less I blog and vice versa. Though since I've been home, I've not done much of either. :) 

Today I just have a few random pictures from my trip around the world (it was more like half the world). I'll try to write more soon! 

Kids grow so much in 3 years time!

the beautiful, awesome city of Istanbul

Hagia Sophia

Met up with Dad overseas for a couple weeks 

a famous mosaic inside the Hagia Sophia

Back to Mongolia. Again.

The middle of April I found myself in Outer Mongolia, one of my favorite countries. I continually have people asking me what my favorite place is that I have visited. Honestly, I kinda dread that question, because there isn't a simple, easy answer. But Mongolia is one of my favorites, probably because it was the first country I lived in outside of North America. This was my 5th visit in the past 10 years. It was good to see old friends, who are now grown, married and have their own families, as well as make some new friends. The night I drove into Khatgal, there was a crazy blizzard;  I had to climb over major drifts on the porch to get into the house. But most of the weather was nice. It was spring, so warmish sunny days, but really windy. 

one of my favorite views ever

did I mention that it was windy?

Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I've been on the go for the past few months, the longest I've been in one place was 18 days in Mongolia. Otherwise I've been changing locations every 2-8 days. Its been an adventure and soon I hope to have some blog posts up about this trip. :) 

Turpan- Ancient cities and Mummies in the Desert

One of my last days in Xinjiang, we set out for a day adventure to the nearby city of Turpan. We took the highspeed train and reached the city in roughly an hour. The temperature was vastly different from Urumqi! It was like we transported directly into the middle of summer. Maybe it something to do with the fact that its a desert.... 

First stop was food. Our driver that we met at the train station took us to a local Uyghur place that was delicious! The Polo we ordered was 100x better than the stuff we had earlier in the week in the capital- probably the best I've ever had! And we had grilled meat kebabs also.... mmm, good! It was hot in the restaurant tho! whew. 

Next we went to the city museum. Some museums are cool and others are lame, but this one was interesting. Outside of town are some ancient ruins of a former city. In these ruins, several mummies have been found. They weren't embalmed like the Egyptians used to do to their dead, but simply because of the dry heat of the desert, these bodies have been preserved. One of the first things you see in the museum is several mummified hands. Kinda of startling if you aren't expecting it. Farther in are several full mummies, some remarkably preserved. One guy even had his toenails in tact! The history was interesting to read also- all the different peoples that inhabited that region over the centuries. There were a few dinosaur skeletons also. 

Now on to the ancient city itself! We drove out of town a little ways past vineyard after vineyard. The area is known for its grapes, raisins and wine. The green of the grapevines stood in sharp contrast against the tan sand. We also drove past the Flaming Mountain- its red rock sides look like flames of fire. Being non-tourist time, there was practically nobody at the ancient ruins. We wandered through old houses, climbed walls, peered into dried up wells and created random stories about the former inhabitants. I love history and geography, so exploring ancient ruins is right up my alley. 

Nearby is a traditional Uyghur village where the inhabitants still reside in mud/clay huts. This particular town has been in that particular location for hundreds of years. Now it has been partially commercialized, but still it was neat to visualize how these people lived for generations. The view was incredible, as the village is set back against the hills. Within walking distance are some old Buddhist caves that unfortunately we didn't have time to visit. Turpan is a place I'd like to visit again, for sure!