As it Goes

More days at the shelter equals more days at the shelter. It does not seem so glamorous any longer. I am not sure why I thought that it would, since I have been here times before. Maybe the secret is to touch and go.

     another day to early rise
     and think of no lies

Well, that is how I feel lately.

Now for something quite the same.

     Something profound about bitterballen I seek
     Yet find, do I not and think of snot.
     Different they are, yet both in my mind.
     There, in the orangish bowl
     They lay and stare at me.
     Odd it is they look at me
     So much more thay can gaze
     Yet on me they are fixed.

Zaan Tour Tagas

I returned to Zaan area yesterday. I have been wanting to return and was glad to do so. I also went fishing as well. I fished in the North Canal and a little in the Zaan area. I did not catch anything but that was cool. I had a great time. The day did not look so nice but really it was. The sky was a very vibrant blue. It felt nice to sit alongside the water. The North Canal was quite busy. I enjoyed just watching the boats of all kinds go by. I once planned a trip to Vancouver to do just that. Unfortunately I did not get to go but at least I got to be lazy by the waterway.

I had to repair my bike again before I departed. It is always nice to do so. I like such things for some reason. I replaced the front axle and I was surprised at the price of the item. It was very inexpensive. So I got to thinking... Maybe I can save a boatload of cash and just buy parts and assemble a bike. Then I can sell it for market value and make a hefty profit. Such a good business plan and I did not even have to spend 4 years in business school... ha ha

The Zaan area is quite nice. I got to tour a park that I had previously just passed by. It is a very gorgeous park and I thought that it was small. But once I went into it I saw that it was large. It had a few beaches and of course some fowls afoot. I would very much like to live in the area and when I go for a walk or run to be there. As an alternative I thought about biking over there to run...

Back in Amsterdam

I made it to Amsterdam today. I was not sure what the plane would decide to do. I even got upgraded to business class. I am not really sure what the difference was though. The seats were the same size and the food was the same. It was a nice flight and for the second time this week I was glad to hear a Dutch accent again. They were not speaking powerful words like Brother Frans did on Sunday but I missed the sound of the accented words.

It is good to be back. I got to do laundry and go on a quest for my room. And of course I had a toasty; it has been too long (well not really). I have three weeks in Amsterdam and I hope to enjoy it. The weather is kind of nice today but it does look like it may rain again (some say that rain makes the grass grow green).

I felt almost sad leaving Estonia. I wanted to stay and I enjoy it so much. There is much I still want to do. But I feel good to be here where things seem quite familiar (but things seem familiar in Estonia as well).

Eesti Goodbye

Today was our last full day in Estonia. It was an easy, fun-filled day. We packed and cleaned up around the church. We ate much and said goodbyes. We had an appreciation dinner at the country club in Tallinn. The food was great. The golf course is top notch. I wish that I could go golfing. It was a great time of fellowship at the dinner. Also more goodbyes and thank yous. After this we went to the the waterfall on the Jägala River. I did not think that we would make it by this year but surprise we did. This is my fourth time and I still enjoy seeing the waterfall. It is not overly large but still very nice. We enjoyed being there. There were many people there also enjoying themselves. I will miss Estonia yet again. Also, I hope to return. It would be more than nice if I could stay here for a long time.

Eesti Fin

The English course has come to an end. It was only 2 weeks in length but it was great. I had a wonderful time this year. The students enjoyed it as well. They did a skit at the celebration about the classes. They learned much while there and so did we. It was great to be among the Estonians again. Also it was great to interact with this team, they were great. But mostly, it was great to be where the Lord wants us and serving Him. It was Him who led us each day. I hope to return again next year if possible. I will miss talking to the students and interacting with them. I will also miss the challenge that teaching presented. Of course, I will miss the fellowship with the Estonians.

Kehra Fun

I have this habit of following the music when I am in Europe. Many times I have indulged my ears all the way to a concert. I have not been let down. In this great village there was a concert today in the park. You could hear the music from a distance when the train was not passing or the factory being overly loud. When we arrived, a punk band was playing. I have followed my ears to a punk band in Estonia before. This one sang songs in Estonian and English. They were pretty good and the atmosphere was good. Some folks were there and enjoying themselves as was I, it was great.

Estonian Fun

Today we got to travel around Northeastern Estonia a bit. We checked out an old castle. It was pretty cool to go all around a medeival castle and see what it was like. There were a few folks in costume and some artifacts as well. But mostly you got to just see the place. It had a simple construction, stone upon stone and it was quite large. But these stones too will find themselves to one day be tossed down to the ground. But we do not have to go along with them. If we build ourselves upon Jesus, the solid rock, we will be safe from destruction. Our hope will be in a place where moth and rust do not exist.



After the castle we went to a nice restaurant in the country. It is a great restaurant, but they were full so we went elsewhere. They were full as well so we were directed to another restaurant. This was a great place as well and conveniently located near the coast. The beach and folks were nice. The dinner was great. Afterwards we journeyed on to another place along the coast. We had a nice, short walk to the beach. It was nice though one could only see to the islands due to fog. We had a nice location on the point where the Russians had a lookout to catch anyone trying to escape. There are always reminders of things like that around Estonia. There are always reminders of God's goodness around as well. The berries in the forest are wonderful. The magnificance of the ocean is awe inspiring.

Eesti Semaine Uks

This first week in Estonia has been great. I have enjoyed being back in Estonia. I have gotten to travel to Tallinn and hang out. Also, it has been great to hang out in Kehra each day. Of course, we have had much food prepared for us and it all is wonderful. I have enjoyed teaching English again. It is nice to interact with students and learn more about Estonian life and culture. I also get along well with the other team members, a great group of pepople.

Kehra Tagasitulek

Once again I am glad to be back in Estonia. It is great to be here and see old friends. Estonia is a beautiful country with great people. I am in Kehra again to teach English and share the Good News about Jesus. We are having great weather here and everyone is having fun. I am enjoying working with the other team members; we will have much fun in the next two weeks. I do miss being in Amsterdam but once I arrived I remembered how much I love to be here. I am excited this time to be teaching the advanced class. The team is smaller this year but with the Lord's strength we will do more. Estonia is a wonderful place; I most definitely recommend a visit here. Moreover, I recommend a trip with Euroteam to teach English, do VBS, or construction in Estonia. I will update with more photos as I take them but in the mean time check my pictures from my previous two trips to Estonia: 2004 2005
Here is the local church's website about the Euroteam trips.

Back Again, again

I am in Amsterdam yet again. It is nice to be back and see people I know. Much is the same and much is not. One thing that I did not miss is the not so pleasant aroma flowing gently from the coffee shops. I must have forgotten about that but it all came back to me soon enough. The weather is borderline pleasant. The temperature is about half that of home. It is also cloudy and foreboding of rain; something that seems almost foreign to me. Which is odd cause I was only home for about 2 and a half weeks.