Tuesday, November 25th: Your job? Buy groceries so you can make green bean casserole and deviled eggs. Easy, right? Well.. except you find out that there aren't any canned green beans..soo.... now we're up for Broccoli and Cheddar casserole! Wait.. but there's no cheddar. Okay... We'll do a random broccoli and carrot with white cheese casserole. Start feeling a bit cranky after running all all around town looking for ingredients, feel convicted about it after watching THIS!!!!!! at ESL that night.
Later Tuesday, November 24th: After going out for coffee with a people from the ESL class, you come home to find your water has been turned off. Start obsessing on whether or not there are any bills you didn't pay, and wonder how it will be turned on when all the businesses are closed tomorrow??? Thank the Lord for both bottled water and minty gum, and think through how to handle tomorrow's adventures in trying to get it turned back on.
Wednesday, November 25th-Bosnia and Hercegovina's Independence Day. Wake up early, have your needed coffee intake, regret not taking a shower Monday night (eww...), COAT on the deodorant, and study new Bosnian phrases to communicate with your building manager about the water. Talk with the building manager and find out you're an idiot because all of Grbavica (your neighborhood) is without water. But still take a moment to have a mental party that you were able to communicate with the landlady. Buy a few huge bottles of bottled water to last you. Get the realization that people lived in this city, specifically in YOUR apartment, for 3 years during the war without running water OR electricity (except for brief glimpses of it). Running water just turned into something else for you to give thanks for. The water comes on later that afternoon.
Thursday Morning, November 26th: Big decision time. Do you go to the gym for a needed pre-thanksgiving workout? Or is it ANOTHER trip to the post office to see if the package your dad sent has finally arrived? You go to the post office. You find that it indeed HAS ARRIVED and freak out! In it contains your new camera, instant food mixes, chai tea, jeans, and measuring cups! Among other things, you tell the post office worker "I'm excited! My father sent this to me!" a few times and once again have a mental party for remembering the words for it. Realize 10 minutes later that you were actually saying "I'm looking! My father sent this! I'm looking!" instead. Oops. No wonder they looked so confused. Egh. Who cares? The care package arrived! Next challenge? Figure out the best way to transport the very hot and very much need-to-be-flat casserole among packed bus rides and long walks across town.
Thursday Afternoon, November 26th: Spend Thanksgiving lunch/afternoon at the Eberle's homey apartment. Great food and great fellowship! Enjoy the fact that EVERYTHING is from scratch- including the pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake! Yum!
You walk home feeling grateful for such great people and a great Thanksgiving meal, but you also start to miss your family more. 1 Thess 5:17-18 comes to your mind: "Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks..." You start naming off things you are thankful for and decide to write down a list when you get home. This is what you end up with...
You head to a friend's apartment to play a few games before heading back to skype with the fam later that night.
Friday, November 27th: Wake up early to the sound of a city full of gun shots, fireworks, and a few shrieking animals. Forget black Friday, you'll call it Red Friday! Its Kurban Bayram, the Muslim holiday where you sacrifice an animal (here its usually a lamb). Praise the Lord Jesus for being the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Jump out of bed to take a few pictures...
The pijacas, usually packed with fruit vendors, are almost completely bare except for the many flower vendors...
Look! A marching band! Well.. sorta....
You get closer to get a better picture (and give the trumpet player a few coins). The baritone player on the far left reminds you of a baritone player you had in one of your bands...
Start feeling sick to your stomach after walking around a few more minutes and head back to your apartment to rest and get recharged. Get an overwhelming urge to pray over the city and head to the best lookout you know.
Meet a few beautiful, friendly, and English speaking young Turkish women... (who don't speak Bosnian, by the way...)
Ask them to take a picture of you too! Play with the effects later...
Decide to have lunch together, but only after they take time to do their prayers at the mosque...
Enjoy some burek, zeljanica, or krompirusa at a local buregdzinica.
Exchange contact info and plan on getting together again soon. Take more pictures around town...
Finish the day skyping with an old friend!
(Kristen, please don't hate me for posting this! haha!)
You finish the week off feeling spiritually and physically drained, but at the same time overwhelmingly grateful to have the opportunity to be doing what you are doing and for having the support that you have.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!
5 comments:
I was surfing around the blogosphere and landed on your site. For such a young person you lead a very adventurous life. It was interesting to read your post.
God Bless You and Your Family
Kat, I truly admire you and appreciate your display of sheer guts and ready humor. I hope to meet you in person some day...maybe in Bosnia? I always need an excuse to go somewhere new!
We missed you on Thanksgiving too! And, I loved your list of what you are Thankful for. Hope you framed it.
Carrie @ comfortedbyGod.blogspot.com-- This will be one Thanksgiving you won't forget! I'll never forget the year my husband & I lived out-of-state from family and ate Thanksgvg breakfast at IHOP and later joined new friends for lunch. It's different but definitely memorable. Have a great week!
i will not kill you for the pic...but there will be retribution. :)
Post a Comment