Spring Break: Neuschwanstein

TAAAA DAAA! That is what this picture says to me. Since we began planning this trip, visiting the Neuschwanstein castle was at the tip top of my list. My "must do". It was everything I imagined. We took a group tour from the train station in Munich with Viator Travel tours. I greatly enjoyed having a knowledgable guide to tell us all the history and little known facts about the castle and its owner. I must admit, I am not as up to date on my Bavarian history as I could be, but I have been intrigued by the mystery surrounding "Mad" King Ludwig II. 

 The steep walking leading up to the castle provided some impressive views of the castle. This beauty (the castle and my mother) never takes a bad picture! The hike was about 1 mile uphill, but our guide took pity on us and gave us some informative talks on the way up to catch our breath. Once at the top, he gave us our tour tickets. The castle tour operates on a system I have never seen. Because thousands of people come to the castle EVERY DAY, they have created a machine that cranks out tourists. Every person who buys a ticket is assigned a time slot in which they are given an audio guide. They follow the guide with a "small group" of about 50 people. Visitors are given about 2 minutes in each room (only the finished rooms, so maybe 10) before being shuffled into the next. The big crowd and confusing audioguide made me slightly stressed, so I just decided to marvel at my surroundings instead of fooling with the technology. Once we saw the inside of the castle, Seth and I sprinted to get the best view of the castle from Mary's Bridge. So glad we did. It certainly was a picture perfect moment!

 At the bottom of the hill/mountain of Neuschwanstein is a beautiful Alpine lake. We had to get a family photo. It was so serene. The small town at the bottom of the mountain was cute and had lots of little shops and cafes.

Hohenschwangau Castle -- the childhood home of Ludwig II. It is located at the bottom of the hill of Neuschwanstein.  

 

These are two of my favorite pictures from the ENTIRE trip. After the tour of the castle, Seth and I ran to the bridge and my parents began the long journey down the hill. On opposite sides of the hill/mountain, my mother and I took the exact same picture. Growing up in Mississippi, we don't see a lot of snow. Thus, we had to take a moment to soak up the magic. It is obvious that we are kindred spirits. These pictures are small reminders of how my mother taught me to be thankful for all small wonders and to rejoice always. Even when our husbands are hustling us down hills. It is no secret whom I come from. I am obviously Janet's child.

After we made our way down the hill, we linked up with my parents for a quick walk around the town. We visited the Alpine lake and saw the Hohenschwangau castle. It was a busy day!

Don't be surprised if you see this picture on a Christmas card in December 2015. 

 The picture above is of Neuschwanstein (from Mary's Bridge), and the picture below is of Hohenschwangau (from the path to Mary's Bridge). Ludwig II grew up in Hohenschwangau (glad these castles have such difficult names to type) and designed his dream home Neuschwanstein to be everything at Hohenschwangau and MORE. We didn't have a chance to look in Hohenschwangau, but I can't imagine anything as elaborate as Neuschwanstein. The guide said historians found plans made by Ludwig II for a "golden peacock" hot air balloon to transport him from Neuschwanstein to Hohenschwangau as he pleased. That's the good life!

 And that, my friends, was my magical day at Neuschwanstein Castle. Yes, it was everything I dreamed of and more. From the hike to the top to the quirky castle chambers to Mary's Bridge, it was all perfect.  This is a picture of a happy girl who got to see a dream come true!

While I was in awe the whole day of the magic of Neuschwanstein, I think my dad's highlight was getting to eat a true Bavarian "hot dog" (wiener?). I got a taste, and I can't blame him. It was delicious. It certainly wasn't Oscar Mayer!

GREEN!!! It was so green. The train ride to and from Fussen was absolutely beautiful. I loved taking in the countryside.  

This has little significance to the trip--but please say this word aloud. I can't help but giggle a little.

 And one last picture:

Spring Break: Munich

While our students had Spring Break (which was extended due to Easter Break and teacher workshops),  Seth and I jetted off to meet up with my parents in Europe. We started our trip off in Munich, Germany. I have been to Munich twice before, but both stays were short (the first was one afternoon, and the second was 9 hours with Kelly). I enjoyed getting to see more of the city. I must admit, Munich requires a good deal of researching to find different things to do as not everything is close together.  We left Ouaga after midnight Tuesday (yes, I had to teach English that night) and arrived Wednesday around 2. We met up with my parents at our hotel Ibis Munich. We showered (not in a bucket like I had been doing in Burkina) with HOT water and got ready to go site-seeing. We went to Viktualienmarkt for a while and walked around. There was a lot of food--fruit, vegetables, meat, and cheese. It was fun to look around, but overall it just made us hungry. So then we went to have Mexican at Condesa. 

 What is this I see? I am not at Bingo Market in Ouagadougou. I am in Munich, a posh city in Germany. Yet I see pig faces. This could make anyone convert to being a vegetarian. Glad they took out the eyes first...? The little lettuce bit in the mouth is a little too much if you ask me...

 On our first day, we also saw the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz. It chimes everyday at 11am, but we missed it this particular trip. It has a neat story laid out by life-size figurines that spin and dance while music chimes. My parents are all about selfies!

 We made our way to the Residenz, the palace where Bavarian monarchs once lived for hundreds of years. The facade was under construction, and we were too late to see the museums. So we marveled at the square and continued our walk into the Hofgarten. I enlightened everyone with my tour guide abilities. Thanks Lonely Planet.

 We finished our walk by going to the Englischen Garten. It was ranked #1 tourist attraction according to Trip Advisor. And it is free. So how can we say no?!
The Garten was HUGE. We walked for hours and saw no end of the green space. It is bigger than NYC's Central Park. After a long day of site-seeing, we felt every step of it. The garden had many open spaces, and it was styled in a typical English way (no manicured gardens, statues, or sweet benches to have coffee and ponder life). Locals zoomed by us on bikes on their way home from work, and people were out playing with their dogs. It was also refreshing to see so much GREEN GRASS!

One morning, my dad (Frank), Seth, and I went to Dachau Concentration Camp. I had been in high school on a EF trip, but it was some 10 years ago. Some things I get excited to blog about, and this is not one. But I feel that it is an injustice not to share. The morning was somber, and the sky was overcast. It seemed to fit the place we were walking into.

Dachau was the first concentration camp opened in Germany and was intended for political prisoners (such as people opposed to Hitler). Opened in 1933, it was a work camp for many years before it took in Jews, Poles, and other groups of people the Nazis found to be "undesirable". We followed the audioguide around the camp. The audioguide included stories from survivors of the camp. I have often wondered what people outside the camp thought was going on inside the walls. According to the narrator, most people of the community said they knew something was going on but were afraid to ask questions.
This spurred the conversation in our little group of standing against what you know as wrong. When to be brave and when to be silent. We (our family of 3) began discussing situations going on today that are comparable to the silence of the Germans.  When peaceful people remain silent as atrocities occur because these people are paralyzed by their own fear. For example, in our world today, there are an estimated 1.6 billion Muslims. Some 7% (every source said something different, but this one seemed to be the average) of those 1.6 billion are considered "radicalized".  What would happen if the 93% stood up? I live in a country that is predominantly Muslim. I have never felt threatened or under attack because of my faith. I don't think we should stereotype 1.6 billion people based on the actions of 7%. That doesn't seem right to me. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the other 93% to take a stand on peace and justice. But I digress...

This is a picture of the roll call field where the prisoners would be forced to stand for hours every day, rain or shine.  This is where punishments were carried out in front of the entire camp. They were forced to bring any of their dead bunkmates to the roll call as well to be registered. Additionally, if escape attempts had occurred, the roll call could go on all day.
Over 200,000 men were registered at Dachau, and over 41,500 of them died there.

This is a picture of the camp road. This was the main gathering place of prisoners when they would see friends from other barracks and work details. The phrase "spirit of the camp road" refers to the small delight prisoners felt when they got to see others.
All of the barracks have been torn down, and only 2 reconstructions exist in the front of the camp. Inside the reconstructions, there are 3 model rooms--each symbolizing a different era for prisoners at the camp. In the picture below, this is the last model of the barracks. When the camp opened, each prisoner had their own bunk and locker. When the camp was liberated, the barracks looked like the picture below.

Several memorials exist in the back of the camp, including the Jewish memorial (picture on the right). Each memorial is symbolic of different groups of people there.

March: A little here and there

 For the first two weeks of March, we had a house full of fun. Some of our dear friends the Richters came to stay with us. We had 7 people, 1 dog, and 4 birds for 2 weeks. And it was a party in our little house! We loved having them, and I was reminded how fun it is to live with a big family again. The dog Little Ann was the sweetest beagle. The picture on the right is of Ashli's "really flat tire". Sometimes tires are flat, other times they are REALLY flat. Like this. Glad we had some gentlemen nearby to switch it out for us!

 Ashli and I had a lovely afternoon taking London (Richter) and the Wheatons to get ice cream.

 Thanking my lucky stars that aligned, I had all my high school youth girls in Ouaga for one weekend. This has never happened. Our youth live all over Burkina, and my girls all came to Ouaga on the same weekend for different reasons. I took the night off English teaching to take the girls to eat and have a slumber party. They have such busy schedules. Some of the girls couldn't spend the night, but 4 of them did! So we had 10 people one night!

I have bequeathed my Hey Y'all shirt to someone who will truly appreciate it. London, you wear it well!

 All of my pretty girls together at last! This picture makes our eyes look like skunks in a flashlight, but they are some of the prettiest girls!

Sometimes, life is really hard and Seth falls asleep putting his socks on.

So sad to see my sweet Emma and her mom Sherri go back to America. But glad Texas will be a better place with them. See you on the other side of the ocean! Also pictured is my buddy Molly who helps out with youth/is a rockstar.

A normal Thursday Night

Thursday nights are high-energy, action-packed, and utterly crazy. They are the highlight of my week.  I leave exhausted, sweating, and hungry. The kids love it, and they always say it is the best thing about life in Ouaga.
As hot season picks up, they are still committed. Youth in the States would never have so much fun without electricity. We are looking for a solution to our power problems. We currently have power cuts every Thursday just as youth group is getting underway. No electricity means no lights, no fans (add in 30 sweaty teenagers plus 104 degrees), no projector with words for worship, and no piano for worship. The kids don't even pay it notice. I can't imagine a youth group in the States being so carefree without an A/C (which our group has never had) in such heat. I know I would've struggled as a high schooler. They are troopers and never complain. It is us adults who struggle. Our youth never cease to amaze me!

We are blessed to have so many talented students. They lead worship on their own and have grown immensely.

Seth and I are not gamers. We don't know fun games. Luckily, we have student leaders who bring the fun every week. We play a lot of Murder in the Dark games due to power cuts. 

Ready for Bible study! Forget chairs. Our kids have a tiled floor and maybe a couch cushion. They are hardcore!

30 Hour Famine Lock-In

We had our second 30 Hour Famine lock-in on March 6-7. It was a night of games, worship, food, and fun. We had about 40 people in attendance. The students (and adults) began fasting at youth group on Thursday night. Seth discussed fasting and why it is important for believers. The students spent some time praying in small groups about the fast. We joined together Friday night to break the fast together at 1AM!

We loved getting to celebrate Amanda's birthday at the lock-in too. Notice the Roman candles on the cupcakes. This is definitely one thing I will miss about Burkina. Regular candles will never be as fun. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" more than fireworks and the fire alarm going off!

Our kids LOVE playing games. There are certain games reserved for the lock-in that the kids play every year. One is human tic-tac-toe. The students have to compete for their own block, and chaos typically ensues. Especially when Seth and Ben plant themselves on the game board!

Another highlight is the prayer room. I had this idea last year, and the students really loved it. Thanks, Swannanoa, for the idea of making everything crafty and fun. Some of the high school girls and I spent some time setting it up. Students signed up for times to go into the room and pray. Students were encouraged to look over scripture, pray for our 30 Hour Famine projects, and write prayers of their own. The room was occupied during the entire lock-in of students praying and worshipping together. 

Prayer room = pillows, twinkle lights, and construction paper. The kids loved it :)

Just an ordinary weekend

Here are some pictures of just another ordinary weekend in Ouaga.

Bike race in downtown. They close off traffic and people line up to cheer. Burkinabe love biking and celebrate it every year at the Tour de Faso!

My micro-strawberry. It is currently the sad end of strawberry season. It begins in January until April. The price begins high (4,000 CFA/$8 for 2 pounds/1 kilo) and can become as low as 1,500 CFA ($3) for 2 pounds/1 kilo. As the price gets lower, the strawberries get smaller. This little one was the tiniest of my last batch.

My lucky stars have aligned! This weekend, I got to have all my high school girls in one place. London and Jana (far left/far right) live in smaller towns several hours away, but they were in town at the same time! We went to get some ice cream and had a great time. I love having all my girls in one place! Emma (middle in the back) leaves in one week to move back to the US, so it was good for us all to spend time with her. Love these chicks!

We have a family staying with us for 2 weeks. The Richters have been some of our dearest friends during our time here.  To prove their love, they even brought their dog, Little Ann, to stay with us too. She is the sweetest, and she is bringing a little comfort in Maggie's absence.

Rachel and Kaitlynn, or as I call them "The Bobo Girls", were in town this weekend too! We went to eat at Gondwana, and they ordered the Taxi Brousse ("Bush Taxi"). As you've seen in previous posts, bush taxis can hold an infinite amount of junk and stuff. Hence the name of this beast of a burger. They did share, but these girls dominated it! 

Outreach to Truck Drivers

My friend Ashli was a Labor/Delivery nurse for two years before moving to Ouaga 3 months ago. She did an excellent job taking care of the babies, translating (with only 3 months of language study...it was absolutely amazing), and encouraging everyone. She's a keeper!

For the past year (and probably beyond that), the IMB missionaries in Burkina (and other West African countries) have been developing a ministry for truck drivers. These men travel for months at a time. They live a nomadic lifestyle and often contract diseases based on their interactions. A small group has been going to the truck stops to story and share the Gospel with these men. To build their network, these missionaries invited a team from North Carolina to come and hold a medical clinic. All of the men who came were seen by nurses and doctors, received medicine, and were given Bible stories on audio.

About 10 minutes into the day, I realized I was the only person who did not have medical training. Rachel and I made a great team with my French and her medical expertise!

For those who know me, you know that I know nothing (like ZEROOO) of medicine/science/health things. I understand that if I feel sick, I need to go to a doctor and get help. That's the extent of my knowledge. However, my limited skills were put to use at the clinic! I had the lovely opportunity to put my French skills to use and translate.

I love babies on backs. So sweet!

It was quite the experience! Many of the truckers were NOT Burkinabe, and they were from Togo, Mali, and Ghana. Ghana is anglophone (which means English-speaking), so I was always thrown when they walked up speaking English. It was difficult to switch back and forth.

I loved being paired with my friend Rachel. She lives in Bobo, about 5 hours away. We worked out a system where I would ask the questions, translate what the men said to Rachel, and she would tell me what to write in professional doctor jargon. I got to ask a lot of awkward questions about bowel movements, urinating, and other colorful topics. I also learned a lot of vocabulary I never thought I'd need and hope to not use again. Last, I learned how to take blood pressure and pulse. Felt pretty legit!

The doctors who came have held several successful clinics in South America, and this was their first in West Africa. They adapted beautifully and had clearly done their research. They also came armed with a pharmacy to give the men medicine they would need based on common illnesses (parasites, malaria, ibuprofen, and hypertension meds). They were very prepared!

One fun note of the day: This was day 2 of the clinic. I was at a youth event on Saturday, but I got to join the team on Sunday. Word had gotten out to the Ouaga community, and we saw quite the crowd! We saw over 200 people in 8 hours. Because more locals came, the need for Mooré was greater. Lucky me, I have picked up on maybe 10 phrases. I can greet with the best of them. However, this clever trick often led to people breezing past my knowledge and wanting full-fledged conversations. Oopsy!

It was a great day. Definitely one of the best of this Burkina adventure so far! I loved getting to know other Ms, meeting the drivers, and working with a team. I felt like I was used and really am passionate about this ministry.
My father-in-law was a truck driver for 18 years. He has endless stories of people he met on the road. I have seen the impact a man of the Lord can have in this setting. My desire is to see these men come to the Lord and take the Good News to the ends of this continent. What a blessed ministry! I cannot wait to see how it grows!