louissa sinclair

so yes, i’m back.

so my second day back at work and i was sent home this morning.  traveling home i didn’t feel too well the whole time and my compadres were convinced that i was suffering from sun stroke (heat stroke or whatever you want to call it).  this morning after someone realized that even though i was at work, vacuuming the floor, i still wasn’t feeling my best, i was ordered home and told to drink a lot of water, even though the last thing i wanted to do was go home.

so i spent the next four hours downing too much water, falling asleep for approximately fifteen minutes only to be woken because my bladder was about to explode, and having to rush to the bathroom (restroom, washroom, or whatever you want to call it).  this cycle continued — them forcing water down my throat and making too many trips to the bathroom until i wanted to scream if i had to lay in bed any longer and decided that even though i don’t feel good i’m not sick enough to be in bed.

so after taking a walk, showering, and doing little things at my house, i’m here, in the basement office and i’ve spent far too long uploading pictures of my trip to Mallorca.  oh, and for all you English speaking people out there, i actually should be spelling it Majorca, but since i’m in Germany and bought my plane ticket through a German airline, i now spell it incorrectly (well, technically not incorrectly, but how Germans and Spaniards spell it).  it seems that for everyone else in the world this place has to “L’s” in it, but no, not for us.  somehow we had to make it just a bit more complicated and spell it differently.

anyways. 

so i was going to give a full review of my trip, what we did, how much i enjoyed it, and what i thought of the place, but i don’t think i will for a few reasons.  reason #1 is because i’ve been staring at this screen for too long and since i’ve not really done very much today i’m about to go out of my mind.  reason #2 is because after laying in bed all day and pondering all this i find that although some of what i could say about those who wear nothing at all to beaches could be somewhat witty and funny, at times i come across as rather brash and critical and since i’m in one of those moods, i find it best to just keep my mouth closed at this point.  i’ll keep all those funny little opinions to myself until i have my own column in the New York Times.  you can then send me all your hate mail and how you didn’t appreciate the most recent column and i’ll feel famous, k?

so i just read a book all about a columnist and i’ve decided that that’s what i want to do, can you tell?

but back to the point.

so no full detail account this time.  just know that Mallorca (Majorca) is beautiful.  the Mediterranean is incredible.  and the six of us who went had a jolly good time.  one of the best things about our time there was the bull fight we went to.  and as i said before, too much time has been spent getting these pictures online, so please, enjoy.

: )

i didn’t remember the Spanish sun being this hot or this intense.  i didn’t remember suncreen not working.  i didn’t remember how wonderful the Mediterranean feels on a warm afternoon.  i didn’t remember just how good Spanish tortilla is.  i didn’t remember how much i love the culture, the people (i feel so comfortable here — they’re loud!), the architecture, the history, the wonderfulness of it all.

i’m loving it and plan on enjoying this place as much as i can before i go back home (did i really just call the school “home”?) tomorrow evening.  man, time really does go by quickly.

after only four months of working i’m officially on vacation until next saturday.  i sit here with the world at my fingertips, knowing i can do whatever it is that i want to do right now and there is no schedule that will stop me.  as it is, what i’m doing and want to do includes the laundry that is being washed right now and the pile of my belongings that sit on my couch at home, waiting to be put in my bag.  my swimsuit, shorts, and sunscreen are at the top.

tomorrow i will take a plane, a train, and an automobile and will eventually find myself in Port d’Alcudia, Mallorca (Majorca).  this place boasts of their 8 km sandy beach where i will be able to enjoy the sun, the blue mediterranean water, and all that lovely sand that will naturally exfoliate my feet.  it is also the port of this town (for those of you who are interested, lots of great reading at that site), where i intend to spend much time walking around and exploring it’s old buildings.

a holiday on a Spanish island.  sometimes my life sounds so… luxurious.

is finding this picture on my camera.

and taking others.

yesterday i was a girl.

in the afternoon i sat on the floor of my home, surrounded by scissors, glue sticks, paper, pens, markers, rulers, and ribbons.  i listened to andrea bocelli and attempted to make a beautiful birthday card.

late in the evening, after our program with the kiddies, i sat on a couch eating food that had been sent to my group from Canada, and i watched Sabrina.  i’m not sure how many times i’ve viewed this certain film, but i don’t think it will ever get old. 

it was wonderful.

i’m in the midst of the last weekend with konfi’s.  and i’m so tired.

i have days where i realize what a jerk i am and all i want to do is go to bed and start the day over.  it really rots when you have two days in a row like that.

i am worn out.  and it’s times like these when i realize how much i need Jesus.

it’s 9:20 pm.  i’m freshly showered and am wearing my pink striped pajamas.  i feel the same way i used to when i was eight, was bathed the night before church, and was allowed to go and watch tv for a bit before bed.  i’m not sure how often i actually did that, but somehow the few times were special enough that whenever i shower in the evening i remember that wonderful feeling.

i guess you could say i’m being anti-social.  almost everyone is out of the building and i sit here.  this is the third time in the last week and a half that this has happened and it’s almost been surprising to me, the sanguine who usually does anything to be with people.  i know, it’s terrible.

i didn’t used to like pineapple.  it has recently turned into my favorite food and today, after only eating toast (at two different times) and a piece of banana cream pie, i’m craving this favorite of mine dreadfully.  i’m afraid that if i possessed the ability of such a feat, i would quick like a bunny go to the grocery store down the road, purchase the said fruit, and eat the whole entire thing.  i then would be quite content.

The Nehemiah Project had a concert last night that wasn’t here at Bodenseehof.  pictures, fun pictures, were taken and are here.

our lives are very routine here and center around one building where we live and work and spend every second of every single day.  as you can guess, after nine months of being here, boredom has taken over more than one of us, which then means that we end up doing crazy things to entertain ourselves.  dares and challenges are common and unfortunately, most of us crave newness in our lives enough that we are ready to take on anything.

at some point during my time here i was inspired to start running but by february i was still only running a dinky little 2k and pretty soon afterwards stopped altogether because i don’t like running, knee problems, and everyone left and there was no more pressure to continue. 

so all this to say, today i was “man challenged” to run four kilometers in thirty-five minutes.  for those of you who might be reading and are familiar with running, you’ll realize that thirty-five minutes for such a short ways is rather generous, but what can i say?  even though my life is non-stop being picked on and having things thrown at me by these silly boys, sometimes they can be rather sweet — like giving me the extra time.

i didn’t think i’d make it close and they didn’t think so either.  they gave me 35 minutes and i was back in 40.  i know that’s still ten minutes per kilometer and completely pathetic, but i surprised them and being able to do that was the best feeling in the world.

and now the challenge has been placed and i’m going after it.  thirty-five minutes, you’ll be mine.

today makes the third year in a row that i’ve spent the 4th of july in europe.  i know, strange.  i really do love my country.

happy independence day.

i arrived in Germany nine months ago very happy to be doing something with at least the following six months of my life.  i had somehow made a decision to leave home for a bit and was really more happy to have an answer for the ever present “what are you doing next” question than the actual adventure of being in Europe for six months.  when i applied for this school i filled out the questions on the application form hastily, asking siblings and pretty much siblings for help as i half-heartedly wrote down my interests and quickly scribbled out my testimony.  i didn’t really care where i went or what i did — i just had to do something.

i felt so relieved when my mumsie recieved the rushed email saying i was accepted (the email was because i was a last minute student) because i had figured out what the next step was for me and once again i had pushed aside the nagging and very persistent question: what do i want to do with my life?  i thought i wouldn’t have to think about it for quite awhile.

time has a funny way of slipping by too quickly.  it seems like yesterday i was sitting at a dirty kitchen table filling out that silly piece of paper that was supposed to give the staff here some idea as to who i am, but really only skims the surface of ones walk with the Lord.  and now nine months has passed and wouldn’t you know it — i’m being asked the same questions again:

louissa, what do you want to do with your life?  what’s next for you?

the people i’m surrounded by are amazing.  they love me, they, for some strange reason, are interested in what my next step is, and they are full of opinions as to what i should do.  if only i was as passionate about something as they are for me.

when i was little i drew pictures of a teacher in front of a classroom with a bun in her hair.  to me, all teachers in schools wore spectacles and their hair was in a bun and there should always be something warm and endearing about them.  the teacher would be standing behind her desk, in front of the chalkboard, and the students would be sitting politely in front.  there was usually an apple somewhere — don’t all teachers recieve apples from their students?  it’s how it worked in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life so of course it must work like that in real life.

when i was younger i decided that i wanted to be a teacher.  what could be more grand that having a life like Laura (i wanted to be her when i was younger)?  i thought teaching would be simple, exciting, and i’d work with kids.  it sounded lovely.

when i was thirteen i decided i wanted to be the next barbra streisand.  i’d move to NYC and sing in jazz clubs.  in the back of my mind i always thought of the scene in White Christmas after Betty Haynes runs off and she’s singing in a club, wearing that ridiculous dress, and i wanted that to be (only the dress would look a tad bit different).  a few months later i decided i wanted to dye my hair pink and be the next Gwen Stefani. 

i then decided that i was just a confused girl.

a few years later i realized that i loved writing.  well, really, i loved blogging, but at the time i thought i loved writing in general.  i decided that i’d be a journalist.  i’d work for a magazine, i’d travel, and i’d write.  life would be wonderful.  but then i decided that i’m really not all that good and well, if i’m not completely inspired then i’m dreadful at writing and really, the only thing i write well about is me and as a journalist you aren’t always guaranteed the pleasure of writing about oneself.

three months ago i realized how much i love history.  i decided i’d go to school for archeology.  my job would be history, i could travel, and i’d get to dig in dirt.  well, that specific aspect is not quite so appealing to me, but whatever — you win some, you lose some. 

two days ago i decided that i really don’t know what i want to do. 

and that’s okay.  tonight i took a walk and i told Jesus all about my quandary.  and in His timing i’ll figure this all out.  for now all i know is that i’m working here in Germany for two more months and on september fourth i arrive home.  and that will be lovely.

- - -

valentina taul is my hero.  i love her.

more pictures here.