Amish Wisdom

In my time "out at the farm," I have grown an ever-increasing appreciation for the Amish and their way of life. This recent experience only stoked the flames of my horse-'n-buggy lovin' passion.

Dave, Pahdmae, and I were at the grocery store. As we turned down the cereal aisle, we saw a father talking to his little boy in front of the cereals. "See these," he instructed. "They put bright pictures on them and charge more, but they are actually worse for you. That's why we buy this (a boring muesli-esque mixture of oats and the such)." I proceeded to buy some double-chocolate Cookie Crisp. Pahdmae is a little young for those life lessons, and we do enjoy having a sugary cereal in the mix. My hypocrisy aside, how important was this simple grocery-store lesson? How much could our world change if we realized that the goods we are purchasing are the ones in the fancy boxes (or fancy boxes themselves) and the ones that are good for us are the ones in the plain packaging (or none at all).

I have been exploring the line between need and want lately. Here are some quick thoughts. We should try our best to purchase needs and not wants. Starting with a slow pitch. We should seriously investigate what qualifies as a need. Speeding up and taking practice swings. We should be careful to never justify our purchases that are actually wants as needs. "I need some new clothes...but, I mean...if I'm buying them, they should be nice ones...and might as well be in style." Curveball time. When our wants become needs, we are living improperly.

Enough Amish wisdom for now. They would probably be awake by now anyways...which means I should go to bed.

Before Sunset...

A scene from the movie "Before Sunset"...good movie...great dialogue... It is hard to find...I ended up having to buy it at Blockbuster, but it's worth it. The dialogue is very raw and real...like an interaction you could see yourself having. Well...here 'tis.

***
Celine: I was thinking...For me it's better I don'tromanticize things as much anymore. I was suffering so much all the time. I still have lots of dreams, but they'renot in regard to my love life. It doesn't make me sad, it's just the way it is.

Jesse: Is that why you're in a relationship with somebody who's...never around?

Celine: Yes, obviously, I can't deal with the day to day life of a relationship. Yeah, we have, you know, this exciting time together and then he leaves and I miss him, but at least I'm not dying inside. When someone is always around me, I'm like suffocating!

Jesse: No, wait, you just said thatyou need to love and be loved...

Celine: Yeah, but when I do, it quickly makes me nauseous! It's a disaster...I mean, I'm really happy only when I'm on my own. Even being alone...it's better than...sitting next to a lover and feeling lonely. It's not so easy for me to be a romantic. You start off that way, and, after you've been screwed over a few times...You... you forget about all yourdelusional ideas, and you just take what comes into your life. That's not even true, I haven't been...screwed over, I've just had too many...bla relationship. They weren't mean, they cared for me, but...they were no real...connection, or excitement. At least, not from my side. God, I'm sorry, is it...

Jesse: Is it really that bad? It's not, right?

Celine: You know...it's not even that, I was...I was fine. Until I read your fucking book! It stirred shit out from you, It reminded me how...genuinely romantic I was, how I had so much hope in things and...now it's like...I don't believe in anythingthat relates to love, I don't feel things for people anymore. In a way...I put all my romanticism into that one night and I was never able to feel all this again. Like...somehow this night took things away from me and...I expressed them to you and you took them with you! It made me feel cold, like if love wasn't for me!

Jesse: I... I don't believe that. I don't believe that.

Celine: You know what? Reality and love are almost contradictory for me. It's funny...Every single of my ex-es...they're now married! Men go out with me, we break up, and then they get married! And later they call me to thank me for teaching them what love is, and...that I taught them to care and respect women!

Jesse: I think I'm one of those guys.

Celine: You know, I want to kill them! Why didn't they ask me to marry them? I would have said "No", but at least they could have asked!!! But it's my fault, I know that it's my fault, because...I never felt it was the right man. Never! But what does it mean the right man? The love of your life? The concept is absurd, the idea that we can only be complete with another person is...EVIL! Right?

Jesse: Can I talk?

Celine: You know, I guess I've been heart broken too many times. And then I recovered. So now, you know, form the starts, I make no effort. Because I know exactly what hap...

Jesse: You can't do that. You can't do that, you can't live your life trying to avoid pain, at the expense of en...

Celine: Ok, you know what? Loose our words! I've gotta... I've gottaget away from you...
***

Europe pics

My posting has obviously tapered off...my life is slightly less interesting (not at all less blessed) to the general reader now. But...I wanted to put the link to Dave's online pics up...

It is: http://community.webshots.com/album/553376922KzXYvJ

I also put some of the better pics on my myspace.

It is: www.myspace.com/jdexshua

Maybe I can develop some more regular blogging habits....'til then...

A quick "I'm ok" from.....home

I'll keep this short, because the jet lag monkey has climbed on my back and is now getting quite moody. I got home safely....yes....'tis all a bit odd to come back to after such an absence....but....wonderful and odd at the same time. I must ward off the jet lag monkey for a spell....will try to find time to wrap up some returning thoughts tomorrow.

Glad to be back in good ole Lafayette.

Back in Dublin.....back to the States tomorrow

Greetings. We are back in Dublin where this whole adventure began almost two months ago! We had to drop in for a quick internet stop, so that we could get proper directions to our hostel for tonight. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 2:30pm Dublin time.......following an 9 hr. flight and a 5 hr. time change....we'll get into Chicago at 4:30.

We ended up chilling in our nice apartment in Waterford for the remainder of our time in Ireland. There was a deal for staying three nights.....and we just couldn't pass on that. We were warned that Galway was in the midst of a horse race that would leave us with a very busy city and no place to stay. Other places to visit didn't pique our fancy enough to stray from the comfort of our apt. On our last day, we did venture out a little more. We toured the Waterford Crystal Factory. It was pretty interesting and apparently world famous. If it weren't one of the only things to do in Waterford, we may have passed...but...as it was....it passed the time, and it was nice to do something touristy again. We didn't purchase any of the outrageously expensive crystal, although my grandma said she may have some....which I will promptly put my claim on upon returning. We went out to a movie in the evening.....the winner of the Cannes film festival....."The Wind that Shakes the Barley". It is about the struggle for Irish independence....couldn't have asked for a more fitting flick....and it was pretty good. We did talk about a few things that make a film festival winner afterwards (things this movie had).....1)end at a weird moment 2)no corny lines 3)plenty of loose ends. Dave and I are both looking forward to watching Miami Vice when we get back...probably not a quality flick...but the kind that gets the blood pumpin'......and the kind I usually prefer.

After the movie, we prepared a hodge-podge Indian dish (noodles, Pad Thai sauce, fried egg, string beans, pineapple, and onion). We feasted over "The Truman Show," which was on the tube. A good night's sleep.......train ride to Dublin......that pretty much catches you up.

We will now track down our hostel....waste away the day....get up tomorrow.....bus to the airport....and fly back to the States. Can't wait to see all of my friends and family again! 'Til then....much love. Josh

It's raining, it's pouring....it's Ireland!

Last post was from the sauna/internet cafe in Rennes.....I'll catch you up from there. We took a train to Roscoff (our port city). First stop was to Irish Ferries to buy our ferry ticket....which was a whopping 75 euro....100 dollarsish....which is outrageous for a ferry....Irish ferries is by far the most expensive and worst ferry company we have encountered. Second goal was to pass the time away until our ferry left.....a day later at 7:00pm. We......hit the public library (to read our own books...since all of theirs were in French).....watched a cheesy Christian music concert (husband and wife) at a local church....strolled the streets.... We slept outside in a park by the ocean to save some bucks. It got cold and a little wet (dew)...but, it wasn't too shabby. In the morning, we spent time in a little cafe to warm up and pass time. Hit the public library again....Dave got his haircut while I sunned by the pier. A grocery store stop before the boat finished up our time. I indulged in soem peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter is not a european thing (exception being Holland)...so...a small jar of Jiffy ran me like 5 bucks...but....pb and j on a nice french baguette rocked pretty hard.

The ferry was pretty standard. We snuck into the DaVinci Code movie that was playing in the theatre. It was good....but....a different experience when you've read that book....steals some of the suspense. We slept in a hallway (foot passenger rates are cheaper...and come without a "real" place to sleep. In the morning, our class difference was emphasized by the small child passing and telling his dad...."hey dad....they don't have a cabin". Ferries may provide one of the best modern obvious class distinctions.....I guess planes are another......long distance travel in general maybe. It wasn't too bad.....way over-priced....but....we slept fine....and awoke in Rosslare.

In Rosslare, I enjoyed some authentic fish 'n chips in a portion large enough to feed a small army....or a hungry backpacker......it was good...although, I still think that Long John Silver's rocks pretty hard in comparison. We then visited our old friend Martin (you may remember him from an early post). He was thrilled to see us.....spoiled us with another "spot 'o tea (tay)"....more drawings of boats (he was drawing when we came in)....and some cute Irish pins he had purchased from a good cause of some kind. He is a trip....a real Irish bumpkin....and exemplary of the Irish hospitality we have enjoyed along the way since.

The furthest we could make it yesterday was to Waterford....not very far inland but better than nothing. The train was replaced by a van due to low turnout. I really enjoyed the ride. We got to see the Irish countryside and pass through some quaint small towns. On the bus we met a guy who was heading to visit his parents......who turned out to be a huge help. He found out we didn't have a place to stay (a situation made dire by the rain). So.....he had his mom drive us to a B&B and a hotel. The B&B was the reasonable option at around 42 bucks a night...but still high for us. We hit a grocery store to get a bite...and ask about other options. The store was getting ready to close...and gave us free dibs at any leftover bread items (we each got two small loaves....a muffin...a pastry)...and recommended a place right behind the store. The place....something Manor.....is student apts that are empty now due to summer. We paid around 30 dollars each......and expected something fairly drab. We were led upstairs to a fully furnished pad with a bedroom for each of us......and each bedroom has its own bathroom and shower! We have TV (in English!)......pots and pans......it's just ultra-sweet. So....we slept in before assessing how to tackle our last few days. It is still raining.....we are getting the true Irish experience.....which makes backpacking just a drag (I have a raincover for my pack that helps...but....'tis still a big pain)....so....we will stay at the posh pad again tonight before making it to Galway via train tomorrow. We will then have one day/night in Galway.....return to Dublin (we have our hostel reserved there already)...and fly home on Tues. It is tough to see Ireland in our typical quick-stop manner, because the public transportation is not equal to that of the mainland unfortunately. However, we are both ready to head home...and not overly disappointed by being stuck in nice digs (as opposed to hustling around and not knowing where we will sleep).

I am very much looking forward to returning to my beloved homeland (land of the free, home of the brave, and bestower of free refills on drinks!). I have dreamed about meeting up again with "mee mum" at the airport in Chicago enough that I may have zapped myself emotionally already. I was lucky enough to catch her on the phone this morning......

I wouldn't expect too much action on the blog before we return....possibly a post from Galway....possibly one before we take off from Dublin....but...the internet is terribly expensive here.....and we are erring on boring (in lieu of wet and unproductive back and forth travel)...so, we'll see. Enjoy the weekend all. Can't wait to return home and see everyone.

Much love,
Josh

PS-Dave decided to keep going on the Taize posting...so...you can check out his for that info....and mine for the boring travel details.

A slighter longer blog from Rennes

The ferry schedules do indeed hate us......there was one from Cherbourg today, but early enough that we couldn't catch it. The next ferry leaves from Roscoff in two days. We cut our losses by finding a hostel that has....a shower....and a kitchen. We enjoyed a nice shower before heading to the market to dream up some food concoctions (thinking curry chicken with pasta maybe....) before wasting time in this internet cafe slash sauna....it is boiling in here. The kitchen at the hostel opens at 6pm.

So....Taizé. Getting there proved to not be a problem. There is a bus from the closest train stop that heads regularly to Taizé. This wasn't surprising once we found out (at our welcome) that the community welcomes between 3,000 and 6,000 visitors each week (our week was closer to the 3 grand....although the week after us was slated to be closer to 6). It really is an international affair. We were 2 of about 8 Americans there our week. There were probably 25 countries represented. Thousands of people from countries all over the world converging in Mid-Southern France to pray and live together.....kingdom stuff going on for sure. We were initially surprised by the lax nature of the place.....our schema for understanding an event like this was church camp.....you can smoke....they sell beer at the concession stand......no dress code (which lead to some scandalous outfits)....asked to come to all things....but not required. So...odd to start with those differences......but....there will always be those there for reasons other than those supported by the community.

For the first day, we felt fairly isolated....odd for being around that many people...understandable when you realize there were many languages going on......none of them English. We would soon learn that while english was the first language of very few.....it was the second language of all....so....we could communicate well in that environment. Our small group reflected on this fact briefly....and we realized that is probably a post-WWII thing...because not many parents of our fellow group members speak english.

On day 2, we were put into small groups. Our group consisted of 2 Dutch, 2 Germans, obviously two silly yankees, one Swiss, and a Serbian group leader who got pushed into the role....and was hilarious. Oh man...trying to sum up a week...this is tough....and...the French are against outside influences on their culture....so......A) there is not much english spoken hear as opposed to other european countries B) their keyboards are messed up beyond belief.....for the French reading this....adopting QWERTY (which to prove my point took me about 25 seconds to type) will not lead to the downfall of your culture....it just makes sense. The period should not need a shift key.....and you should not have so many symbols tucked away everywhere that you need an alt and an alt-gr. The @ symbol for instance is alt-gr and 0......e-mail addresses are a blast.

Done with my rant.....our group was awesome. There was a truthfulness I have never found in this environment. I might attribute it to the openness of Taizé or maybe the need to speak directly when using a second language....but......some of the conversation was simply amazing....and the mix of cultures was huge. The girl from Serbia was talking about what her family went through during the bombing.....which was carried out by.....the US a few years back. And......we could joke about it.....which is odd unless you understand Serbians joke about everything. She mentioned the bombing....we said sorry.....in a......we both realize that we could't help it way...and she just kept chatting. But...what beauty in us coming together to worship like this.......

I am not being cheap....but.....it is so hot in here....I will move on with what I can....but....I will be cutting off soon.

So....from our small group we started to team up with a group of about 6 Dutch folks that were there for the week....we ate meals together....played games to waste time....and at the end of the week always went to worship together.....they were......tons of fun.......we learned a lot about each other all week. Did you know....the Dutch think peanut butter and jelly is odd.....in the same manner we may think their cheese and jelly is odd....... They spoke great English, which made communicating easy....and fun, since their accents were super-cute....and we both found ourselves explaining different unique phrases to each other......"let the cat out of the bag" in English is "the monkey came out of the sleeve" in Dutch for example.

I won't try to skim across other details, but I will save some fuel for future blogs. Tomorrow, we will train to the cost, where we will buy our ferry ticket....then spend a night and a day waiting for said ferry to depart. Here's to being stuck in France for two extra days....but being close enough to seeing my beloved American soil and loved ones so soon that I don't too much care! As an interesting sidenote.....we were on American soil in France when we visited the American cemetary at Normandy.....the land of the cemetary was officially given to the US by France in gratitude of the US efforts to free Europe....beautiful stuff.

A quick "we're ok" from Rennes, France

Howdy,

I hate to make this such a quick post, because there is much to be said.......but.....we must return to the train station shortly to try to catch a ferry to Ireland.

The last week has been spent in a monastery in France called Taizé. It was superb........great enough to deserve many posts...it would be an injustice to even try in the few minutes I have here. In short, we met a group of Dutch folks who proved to be our family for the week....and we already miss them very much (and are scheming ways to get to the Netherlands and visit soon).

We left Taizé early Monday morning.....rode on trains all day....made it to Pontorson....our resort-style campsite from many weeks ago....only to find the town mobbed by vacationing French...go figure. Everything was full, and we ended up camping in the lawn of an apartment complex....free....and it worked out ok. We are now in Rennes, attempting to find a ferry to Ireland....there are two ports......one that leaves today and will be difficult to reach by departure time.....one that leaves in two days and would be easy to reach tonight......ferry schedules hate us.....and the feeling is mutual.

We are both itching to get back home....it didn't take me long to tire of traveling....although it has gone in phases, and I've loved most of it.....Dave just reached the "tired of traveling point" a day or two ago. We have a week to pass before heading home.....in Ireland....rough, eh?

Fresh news......I am excited to return to the Best Western on a part-time basis shortly after my return to help fill-in for a vacationing night auditor for a month....then hopefully take a part-time position helping to manage reservations. It will be nice to make some money instead of spend it......although, time with family and friends will be my foremost goal....my work schedule will fall in line with that goal....but....can't wait to see all those great folks again.

Much love to all.......we will blog more in depth within a few days.