Nearing the End.

I can't believe that my time here is ALMOST finished. Four more days, and I will be on a plane and headed back to the
States. I feel so torn...a part of me is here and will remain even though I am excited to return home to friends and family.

The past week has been very rich. I have been able to hang out with a lot of the students from camp one on one over coffee.
Mana and I also planned a camping trip to Bovec, Slovenia. However, due to rain, our plans had to change slightly.
We ended up taking a few students to a mountain top in Vrsic. We stayed in a hiking lodge nestled back the the Julian Alps. It was absolutely beautiful! Mountains like that often times don't seem real to me. I kept waiting for some huge cosmic hand to pull the backdrop away.

We had a great opportunity to bond with students at the lodge. We played a lot of games and enjoyed classic Slovene mountain food. It was SO good! We had fresh mushroom soup (the mushrooms grew on that mountain) and crepes. We also had gulas, sausage, hot tea, and many other warm hearty treats. The next day, we went to a town called Lasko where we enjoyed an indoor water park/spa.

One of the students invited Mana and I to stay the night at her family's farm that night. She wasn't kidding when she said "farm." Her family had cows, ducks, chickens, wild blueberries/blackberries, apples, bees, and even a house pig named "Peppy." Peppy is like their dog...he will even roll on his back if you scratch his belly.

Last night, we had our last girls' night here in Celje. I'm going to miss these people a lot. They have a part of my heart that no one else in the world has.

I'm excited about having Mexican food, Sonic, and Panera again. However, I will miss the nutella, fresh bread, and ledena kava.
You win some, you lose some, I guess. American Friends, I will get to see you soon! :)

A Little Bit of Vienna

Wednesday night, the interns had the opportunity to go to Vienna, Austria. It was absolutely beautiful!
It was chilly and rainy most of the trip, but the cool air was refreshing compared to the hot weather we have been experiencing.
We got to see the Vienna Palace. This building has a balcony where Hitler gave a famous speech. We saw St. Stephens cathedral and St. Charles' cathedral. We also enjoyed Starbucks, which was a nice taste of home. Starbucks always look similar inside no matter where you are in the world.

I got to attend a Monet and Picasso art exhibit at the Albatina as well. This exhibit was SO amazing. I think this made the experience for me. Vienna was the seat of the Austro-Hungarian empire and has been marinating in rich history for hundreds of years. Getting to experience the architecture and culture there was really fun. :)

Bled, Velenje, and Girls' Night!

This week can be summed up in one word...BONDING.
Monday, all of the interns got together at Lake Bled (one of the loveliest places in Slovenia) in order to reconnect and debrief a little. I didn't realize how much I missed them until we were all back together. Although our time was short, our conversation was incredibly refreshing.

The rest of the week was scattered with coffee dates, group cooking adventures in Marko's kitchen, the LAST Harry Potter movie, and Velenje. Mana and I went to Velenje on Wednesday in order to hang out with some girls who went to camp with us. They showed us the Velenje Castle and lake. We also enjoyed some lunch and ice cream with them. Friday, Mana and I put on a girls' night for some of the students as well. After cookies, ice cream, a photo shoot, M.A.S.H.,"She's the Man," and good conversation, I would say we spent our night well.

I have been encouraged by my relationships here. I love so many of the people here in Celje! Many of them feel like family to me, and it's such a blessing to get to actually live life with them instead of just visit.

Things to Remember:
-Sometimes, Slovenes drive tractors to buy groceries.
-Because Slovenia is 7 hours ahead, I got to see Harry Potter before my friends in the States.
-Live, Slovene rock music is really good!

"The works of His hands are faithful and just; ALL His precepts are trustworthy." (Psalm 111:7)

Hot Weather and Turkish Coffee

Here, the weather has been incredibly HOT. Days like these make me feel like a winter-person. Somehow, the heat does not keep people from drinking coffee. I am amazed by the people who STILL sit outside and drink hot coffee even though it's around 90 degrees. Amidst this heat, we had a chance to go to AquaLuna, a waterpark in a tiny town that I can't pronounce. Everyone (the students/Nashville team) enjoyed the water park after a hard day of the Amazing Race.

The race was a success! A lot of students came, and I think they really enjoyed the competition. Perhaps the Americans enjoyed it more, but that's a story for a different time :). One team was originally in 5th place, and then they hitch-hiked and ended up winning the entire race! It was exciting.

The Nashville team left early Wednesday morning. I was very sad to see them go. It was so comforting and encouraging to spend time with people from home. Mana and I moved in with the Lajlars Tuesday night. The Lajlars are a wonderful family who attend the church here in Celje. We have been helping them around the house and just hanging out.

(Yes...I ordered this at McDonalds).

My main focus has been on follow up. I have been trying to hangout with students who went to English camp in order to continue the relationships we began there. I have had a couple coffee dates this week, and Friday night we had a girls' night at Hondo and Trisha Wynn's house in a village about 2 hours from Celje. The girls' night was a lot of fun. We played games, talked, and ate ice cream..what more could we ask for?

Tonight, I am moving into Maja Spindler's home. She is a friend of mine who I met the very first year I came to Slovenia in 2008. I am so excited about getting to spend time with her!

This Week I Learned...
-The McCaffe in Velenje is nicer than some of our Starbucks.
-How to make Turkish Coffee.
-Raw coconut and brown sugar tastes pretty good.

A Link for Your Convenience...

If you want more information on the history and culture of Slovenia, this website is a WONDERFUL resource.

Celje English Camp at the Croatian Seaside

For the last 8 days, we have been putting on an English camp at the Croatian Seaside for Slovene students.

A typical day:
-Breakfast in the morning.
-3 hours of English class.
-Lunch.
-Free Time.
-Evening session.
-Small Groups.
-Late Night Activity.

I had the opportunity to teach a class all week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I had a great time bonding with my students. I think we really connected this year. I feel like I come alive in the classroom! Teaching was one of my favorite parts for sure!

Free time was spent laying on the beach, swimming, and playing volleyball. The weather was beautiful! And the water was crystal clear blue.

The evening session each night was a very significant part of camp. Each night, Johnny or Hondo would speak about Christ and the Bible. This sparked a lot of discussion in the small groups about whether or not God is real and if He loves us. By the end of the week, my class agreed that they had never heard about Christianity in this way, and had developed new ideas about Jesus and what "being a Christian" means. This is SUCH an awesome step forward for them. I think the Lord moved in a big way during camp this summer. I am always thankful to see how God STILL chooses to use us, weak vessels, in order to proclaim the Gospel to students who have never heard it before. There is something SO amazing about feeling completely used for God's glory. It's what we were created for. There was a Spiritual groundedness to this camp that was very powerful. I think many of the students were aware that faith is a journey and not a one night decision, and this changed the feel of camp completely.



On a lighter note, Late Night activities were a blast! We had a Pirate Night that actually took place on a pirate ship. We also had a hip-hop night where everyone danced and ate chicken and waffles. Coffee Night was also vital. We were able to enjoy hot beverages and continue deep conversations from the night before with students.

Also, I got to hang out with my sister all week! Abby came in town with the Nashville team and we got to room together. It was a great time for us to bond and unwind. I am incredibly thankful for her friendship, and saying goodbye was really hard for me.

Tomorrow, we are putting on an Amazing Race similar to the one the interns ran last month. We are using this event to follow up with students and get them connected with the church in Celje. Mana and I had the opportunity to plan this event :). We will see how it goes.