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dislemonde
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Name: Heather
Birthday: 5/29/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: Finishing School.
travel. music. Jesus. international students. blue skies and 75 degree weather with a slight breeze and open fields.
dancing. being free to dance however i want, not worrying about what people think.
french. dreams. films. fire.
business+teaching+acting+travel=?
Expertise: right... that's why I'm in school, so I can supposedly find some expertise in something.
Message: message me
AIM:  MissKircher CEO
MSN: dislemonde
Member Since:
12/3/2003
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| I saw a film yesterday that I'd like to recommend to you: Waltz with Bachir.
It's an animation, along the same narrative lines as the film Persepolis (which describes the Iranian revolution through the eyes of a girl).
This one, I confess like many films I've seen here in Europe, I had no idea what the story line was before sitting down. Not really. I knew it had to do with war. I knew it had to do with a guy seeking truth, seeking to piece together his involvement in the war, but I didn't really know much more than that.
I left the theatre crying, stunned, speechless.
It's important to know what's going on in the world. It's important to know where we've been and where we're at, so that maybe we can be more efficient as a global community in steering our future.
Do you know the whys and the whats of the IRA?
Did you know there was a war in Lebanon and a massacre of innocent people? Did you hear the Sabra and Shatila massacre and all the controvery involved?
Do you know the whys and the whats and the hows about Rwanda, the Congo?
No, these are not easy things. But it's important to be informed so that NO ONE can tell you what and how to think. It's better to be informed so that you can more specifically pray, and if compelled, get involved.
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| Okay, not entirely. I'm still in France (now in Strasbourg, to be precise), but after almost a year, I'm blogging again.
Last night, I was walking to the tramway stop, only to find that my tram was being deterred due to tecnical issues. These technical issues consisted of a rather small protest in the city center with a large force of police watching, waiting, etc. About 150 people were gathered at Place Kleber, many with flags whose designs I could not make out in the shadows of the night. But the voice over the loud speaker was clear: this was a protest against the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A man cried out over the mic and the crowd responded with passionate repetition, "We are ALL Palestinians." "No to Israel".
Passerbys stopped and watched and muttered to one another approvingly or disapprovingly. Protests are not uncommon in Strasbourg, and certainly not in France. But this was the first time I'd seen so many cops for so few people.
This made me think about the current conflict going on. I saw a film a few months ago that gave a shocking portrayal (for me anyway) of the situation. Perhaps you've seen it or heard of it? Did it even come out in theaters in the states? The Salt of the Sea. Unlike all the other Israeli-Palestinian films I'd seen during my time here in Europe (which were mostly Israeli-produced), this film gave a rude jolt to the ignorant bystander, little versed in the Palestinian perspective.
And I, as a sometimes ignorant American, always blindly assumed that Israel was the good guy, and their actions were justified because of the Bible. blah blah blah. Perhaps there is a measure of truth in that. But perhaps there is as much truth in that as there was in the justification of the Crusades or the 100 year war between Catholics and Protestants. All that was equally in the name of God.
So today I decided to do a little research online, and educate myself on the history of the conflict. I fell upon an interesting website: http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/. This following bit, I found extremely striking: U.S. Involvement Largely due to special-interest lobbying, U.S. taxpayers give Israel an average of $7 million per day, and since its creation have given more U.S. funds to Israel than to any other nation. As Americans learn about how Israel is using our tax dollars, many are calling for an end to this expenditure. I don't claim to know anything about anything. I'm merely articulating a current propondering that has pushed me into a greater desire to pray for the situation over there. God certainly made promises to the Israelites in the past, but He generally honored those promises once they honored their side of the bargain. I wonder just how much of that is being done today.
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| no news on the new job that i was offered for september 2008, so basically the future again looms in the shadows of the unknown. I hate that.
i have to work tomorrow night, which means rather than leaving royan tonight to spend my birthday with friends, i must stay another day, celebrate my birthday in my wee little apartment alone, unless the sun decides to come out and grace us with its presence, and then dine with a bunch of frenchies and correct their english. what a fabulous day!
i hate bad weather and birthday blues.
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| My life is not so confusing anymore!
Ok, so I still don't know what I'm doing with it, but it seems that at least the next three years of my life are falling into place.
At the end of August, I will move to Strasbourg, France and work at the university for one year. Then in the fall 2009, I will return to FSU to pursue a masters degree in French, FULLY PAID plus living stipend... IN THE BAG!
PRAISE THE LORD ALL MY SOUL! BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!
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| I went to Istanbul last week. It was amazing. When Laurence initially proposed the trip, I jumped on it without thinking or hesitating. And one time in a quiet time, I began to pray for Turkey, which was a new thing. I felt that God had something supernatural planned for the trip.
Well, life got in the way, as it sometimes does, and the trip leapt upon me without the time to prepare. Before I knew it, Claire, Laurence and I were whisking away to another world. I was excited, and rightly so.
We arrived in Istanbul at 2:30 AM on Tuesday morning. I had arrranged to have our hostel pick us up. Good thing too. After the long flight and the language and culture barrier, it was good not to have to hassle for a taxi.
We spent the next few days visiting the Mosquée Bleue, Saint Sophie, Taksim, the Tour de Galata, The Basilica Cisterns, the Bosphore, the Grand Bazar and Spice Bazar, etc. etc. I got frustrated with the girls after a whole day was wasted in the bazars when there were so many other things to see! Oh well. Travelling with companions requires compromise. We tasted the delicacies of the area... lokum, meze, the breads, the desserts. I totally gained weight that week, but it was worth it! We also did the Turkish Baths, and rather than paying for massages, we gave them to each other! Ha ha ha!! Cost efficient to the end! For one week, including housing, I spent less than 250€! Very cool!
On Friday, we met my friend Ozlem, a Turkish girl I met at FSU. She is now a professor at a univerity near Istanbul. She took us around and showed us some interesting stuff. We had turkish coffee and tea on the hill at Eyüp at the café Pierre Loti. As we overlooked the city, sipping tea, and discussing... I had the overwhelming sensation that I had come for this moment. Ozlem and Laurence fell into a deep political discussion in their broken English, and I served as translator and spectator to what felt like a revolutionary moment. Ozlem described the political and social changes that were taking place in her country... the religion overwhelming secularism. It was very emotional, very powerful... and I was, I feel, forever changed.
Sunday night, Laurence and I fell into a deep conversation, debriefing from the week and that moment at the café. In talking about my "destiny" feelings... the conversation opened, and I was able to share the first part of the gospel... God creating man in his image for a relationship, sin separating man, God's pursuit of man. I wasn't able to get to Jesus... yet, but that will come. The openness that Laurence expressed to listen and exchange was just wonderful. Both of us, having to pee like crazy from the herbal tea, but not wanting to break the conversation or the moment... it was a good time.
So yes, now I'm working like a maddog, and waiting for my colleague to finish class so I can get the materials necessary to hit the books tonight and prepare tomorrow's lessons. I have some major decisions to make tonight about the future, too. AND, despite all these good things, these wonderful moments and memories, I find myself in a bit of a spiritual and emotional funk. I'm content, but just the same, I'm lonely. I'm sad. I'm angry. Voilà. Such is life.
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