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Sometimes you just need a reminder...LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.
thanks to this street artist...i got my reminder very blatantly written before me.
sometimes we are so blind to the little things that we need it spelled out so, on the side of a wall, as we are going along our merry little way. it is silly how we let ourselves get so overwhelmed and blind and glossed over sometimes that we miss out on all the gifts we are given.
here are some of the gifts from last week...
I'm not sure if I've already introduced you to Wei Wei. Her family is from China, but she was raised most of her life in Wien and is an Austrian citizen. She is the long-time best friend of Monika and through our dear Mutti, has become a wonderful friend of ours. She is a fashion designer and actually just opened her own boutique in the 1st district/city center called "Meine Kollegen". But currently, she wants to re-learn how to knit...and thanks to my dear Mutti (my real one :) ) I can teach her! So last Thursday Alina and I met her for a coffee and knitting at a cafe in the 6th district. Very hipster. Very chill. Very Vienna. Very wonderful.
In the spring we became friends with a family from St. Leopolds Church (the parish that is together with St. Josef/Karmeliterkirche under one pastor)--the wife, Dinka, is originally from Croatia but grew up here in Austria, and the father, Lincoln, is from WISCONSIN!!! Unbelievable right! They are such a joy! Visiting them, playing with the kids, having coffee and talking with Dinka on the couch, eating "chocolate chip cookies" (Authentic american kind)--feels just like home...or like I am sitting on my Aunt Joni's couch talking about life. She is such a breath of American air....even though she is Austrian, she lived in America for a while and actually met her husband at Valparaiso in Indiana--they lived in America since then but just in the last year moved to Austria. Of course, they always take summer vacation time to visit family, friends, go to weddings, go shopping, etc. Dinka brought me back a little treat from WISCONSIN. Well, actually, more a treat for Fr. Jacques--its his favorite--BEER CHEESE SOUP. Wisconsin style. Perfectly in time for fall.
Now only if I had remembered to ask her to bring back canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for pie....looks like Im going to need to find an international grocery store or Youtube how to make "canned pumpkin" from a real pumpkin....oh im learning so much!
Last week Anton paid us a long-awaited visit. He successfully installed the second set of overhead cabinets and now the kitchen is (ALMOST) complete!!! Step by step we're making progress, but it already looks amazing! Can't believe what the Lord provides through the generous and open hearts of people we have met!
now this is funnn....
BUBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLEEEESSSSSSSS
bubbles bubbles bubbles bubbles bubbles.
the first time we used the dishwasher--we put the calcium fighting tablet in the dishwasher, but no dish soap. whoops. still need to work on that german
round two--this......
you know those things you are taught not by experience but by someone telling you so. And thus, you've always wanted to try what you are explicitly not supposed to do, just to see what happens?
well, Alina pulled out the liquid dish soap as we were searching for dishwashing detergent (which we had actually not yet bought, so which actually was no where in our kitchen to be found), and suggested we just use that. "It says its for dishwashing!" she said. In fact, the name for dishwashing and a dishwasher, like in english, is the same in German. So of course the soap would be called the same...naturally it does the same thing. But I, with my father's voice ringing in my head, thought--no. there is no way we can use regular dish soap. Its going to foam all over the place. You are never supposed to use it in the dishwasher. I meagerly protested, and when she tried to convince me further, I said, oh heck why not. I mean....really....I wanted to see what would happen.
sure enough......
FOAM PARTY.
I was in the middle of pureeing the carrot ginger soup I was preparing for lunch when I heard funny noises coming from behind me, bubbles seeping out of the seams of the dishwasher....all I could do was absolutely die laughing and call for Alina. We laughed, cleaned, researched in the internet, put some olive oil and salt in the dishwasher, ran it once or twice more, and everything was back to normal.
A week ago Alina ran down an up-escalator just to see what it would be like. This week we put dish soap in the dishwasher-we got bubbles. Next week.....we'll see :)
Then with all these wonderful gifts, I got time to sit in bed this weekend and think about being grateful for them. And I mean....a lot of time.
that wonderful little friend called the flu came to visit this weekend. My universe, from Friday through Sunday, was condensed to the area of my bed. Alina earned the title "Schwester" (as in Krankenschwester, or nurse) and I don't think I have been so hydrated in my whole 9 months of being here. Thankfully I am only left with a clogged head, sore throat and cough which is less of a nuisance than having to lay in bed all day! So on with life. Who has time to be sick...really. My only question is....what does alphabet soup look like in Greece, or India, or Saudia Arabia? I bet they have really cool letters!!! Definitely adding that to my bucket list---"Eat Alphabet Soup in country where the alphabet is different."
While I was sick I missed Gemeinschaft Schule, unfortunately, because I had done the reading (the next section of Spe Salvi) and it was, of course, really rich and insightful. Would have loved to be there, especially because two of our friends came for the first time--Gabrielle, a student in Vienna, and Volker, a young man who works in Vienna and who helped me move the kitchen back in June. Here is the link to the text if you are interested... SPE SALVI
Maria-Elisabeth (the girl who did a mission with Heart's Home in Peru and with whom we shared Christmas day in Hollabrunn when I sprained my ankle) came over for brunch on Saturday, which is one of the last times we will get to see her. In October she will be starting a two year long program in Germany at a place called Emmanuel School of Mission. (I would equate it to studying music, youth ministry, and evangelization at Steubenville, without the University part) She sat with me in bed for a while and caught me up on her life and what she is looking forward to. It was great to share some time with her before she leaves even though I looked like death.
On Sunday we celebrated Kirtag in Karmeliterkirche--a kind of Thanksgiving/Church festival. After the mass there was food and games and togetherness in the church square and it was a great chance to get to know more of the parishoners (who are back from summer vacations or summer houses in the country), most of whom are our neighbors! Also got to sit and talk with Wolfgang, the man who is responsible for opening and closing the Church everyday. He is a delightful man with a young family. In fact, his daughter, Leonie, is studying english in high school right now and needs help...so they have hired me to help her with her english once a week!
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