Capela dos Ossos (and the rest of Evora)

Translation: The Chapel of Bones, which is exactly what it sounds like; a chapel built out of human bones! The chapel was built in the 16th century by the Franciscan monks as a place for prayer and meditation on the human condition. The inside is completely made by human bones that the monks dug up from graves in the area. Over the entrance is a marble slab that says "We bones that are here, we are waiting for yours." Creepy, huh? And one couldn't help but notice the size of all of the bones (skulls especially). I know people were smaller in the past, but some of these are really small!


The walls of the vestibule outside the chapel are decorated with tiles telling the story of the crucifixion. No burial, no resurrection, just the crucifixion. That, combined with my visit to the cathedral in town reminded me once again how depressing Catholicism is. Everything is focused on the crucifixion; preoccupied with death. The chapels and cathedrals have rich furnishings, elaborate architecture, and beautiful art; but they are dark, cold, dismal, and oppressive. How grateful I am that we have more hope than they give!


On to cheerier subjects! :-) Evora has a taste of Rome with the ruins of the Temple of Diana. Though I hope to see Roman ruins in Italy some day, there is no guarantee that will happen, so this was a nice treat. Another treat was the main square of town, Praca do Giraldo. After lunch we rested on benches, soaking in the sun, watching the pigeons, smelling the roasted chestnuts from the cart close by, and snapping picturesque photos of the square. It all felt so wonderfully European!

There are more pictures of the sites in Evora here if you would like to see them.

A different way of thinking

Now we all know that each culture is different from the next. But even knowing that, I've still been struck with the many small differences in the way people do things here. One of the most difficult things for me to get used to (though admittedly, I never forget it) is the fact that when you're paying for something, you better have exact change. If you hand the cashier a large bill, he will look at you as though you're crazy and ask if you have the exact amount. Sometimes the cashier actually appears irritated if you don't have it! My question is...how, then, am I supposed to get change for the next time?

Portugese people (like the rest of the world, lol) are a lot less hurried than Americans are. In fact, they will stand 10 deep or so in line at the grocery store and wait patiently for exact change to be counted out and given to the cashier. No grumbles or rolling eyes, much less outward shows of impatience. Similarly, I have seen 5-7 couples standing in line outside a restaurant waiting to be seated, when open tables can clearly be seen and no hostess or waitress is in sight. Again, not a grumble to be heard.

And on the whole, they are an extremely polite and friendly race. People driving by wave at you from their car, and when passing by everyone exchanges "good day"s. More than once on my walk home I have passed a group of people in conversation and one or more of them has broken off to look at me and say "Bon Dia". And then there is beijinhos ("little kisses"). I've visited several churches, and at each one someone who is just meeting me gives "little kisses" on each cheek. It's one of their greetings; thankfully one that I already knew about and actually rather like! :-)

My favorite thing is the clothes. Like other European countries, most people dress nicely to do anything. It isn't too common to see people at the mall in jeans, let alone pajama pants like we see in Ameria. One doesn't see a lot of sweatshirts or t-shirts either, even on the racks at stores. That's too casual for most people...I love it! What IS on the racks at stores is adorable; I've already bought more than one article of clothing and pulled myself away from several more. :-) Hopefully it will all fit in my suitcases on the way home....

Sightseeing!

I guess this weekend would be the first time I did any "sightseeing", unless you count going to the mall (more than once, lol). We've been so busy up till now that there hasn't been much free time; even this weekend we had a memorial service to attend. That wasn't until the evening though, so in the morning Marilyn and I walked and window shopped around Samora (the town where the Rusts live). It's a nice little town! There's something so appealing about a small town where one can walk everywhere, and there are quaint little shops lining the main streets. And yes, I did more than window shop. :-)

Marilyn was concerned about my not wearing a coat, but I only brought my winter coat and it's just not always cold enough for that. I would rather be a little chilled than sweating in my coat. So, partly to make her feel better (and partly because I was a little cold) I looked at the stores for a nice jacket. Sure enough...I found one! And it's adorable! A nice red, which is fast becoming my favorite color, in a fitted cut...I can't describe it really but maybe at some point I'll take a decent picture of it. The best thing; it was only 7 euro!

Jon and Marilyn (my cousins) have a friend visiting for a few weeks to help with re-painting the school. He was actually the one who painted it originally 10 years ago when he and his wife came before. Well after the memorial service, the four of us drove into the Belem district of Lisbon for dinner at Portvgalia. Mmmm...wonderful food! It's high quality, traditional Portugese dishes. I ate here last time I came and have been looking forward to it ever since.

Outside Portvgalia and facing across the Tejo River is the Monument to the Discoveries, which is a "statue" of sundry explorers, financers, etc led by Prince Henry the Navigator at the front. On the ground in front of it is a marble map of the world, given to Portugal by China. Being here brought back all kinds of hilarious memories from my last visit. :-) Unfortunately it was dark so it wasn't easy to take good pictures, but I managed to get a few.

It's easier to just link you to the pictures. I added more to the first album, so I'm posting a link to that one again. As before, just click on one of the links and it should take you there. If not, let me know. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60814&l=5e6b0&id=616731727 or http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57513&l=2b8af&id=616731727

Babysitting Noah

I've mentioned that one of the things I get to do while I'm here is watch a baby while his parents are in language class. Since this is really my biggest responsibility, I thought I might elaborate a little bit. :-)

Nick and Krista are a young couple who are in their first year here as full-time missionaries. As with all who come full-time, the first thing that must be done is to get a handle on the language. Up until now, Nick hasn't been able to take a class because he's been filling a need elsewhere and Krista has been able to go only seldom because there has been no one to watch Noah. But God has perfect timing! At the same time that I'm here and can take care of Noah, someone else is able to help with the need that Nick has been filling.

Noah is about 8 months old and has almost never been away from Krista. She warned me of this right away. I'm glad she did! I would have been sadly unprepared otherwise. Poor Noah...he and I had a rough time those first few days. It had to have been traumatic for him - new house, new person, away from Mom for 3 hours, messed up schedule - and he let me know it. :-) It was hard for me because I can usually figure out what's wrong with a baby and comfort him somehow, but Noah was absolutely inconsolable. Nick and Krista and I discussed it and kept our hopes high that once Noah got used to the new routine, he would be ok.

Yesterday was...wonderful!! At least, comparatively. Sure Noah still cried some, but what baby doesn't? For the most part I was able to keep him distracted if not happy. I'm certain that this is almost entirely due to the huge amount of praying I did all morning. Monday had been the hardest day so far and I was at my wits end. So thank God that He answers prayer!

Please do pray about this for me. Patience isn't something that I have a huge supply of, and I feel almost frantic when I can't seem to help Noah. I really, really want our time together to be pleasant...for both our sakes as well as for the sake of whoever will end up watching him when I leave in April.

The second week draws to a close....

Wow it's been a week since I posted something! Good intentions....

I'm finally on a schedule, which makes me feel a lot more settled. I spend my mornings at the school and then head home to watch Noah for 2 hours while his parents are in language school. I hope to walk home most days (it only takes 20 min), as it is a beautiful walk and I can use the exercise! Weather permitting of course. My current project at the school is the elementary library; making sure everything is organized and in it's place, fixing old books that are falling apart. It shouldn't take me too long to finish, as long as I don't get too distracted by all of the good books I'm finding :-) or by the view out the window. I easily lose track of time while watching the "goings-on" outside.

I visited the Lourdes church last Sunday morning and, though I didn't understand anything that was said, I really liked it. The people are very friendly and there's a good spirit at the church; and the pastor is a good speaker. I'll most likely visit a few other of the churches too though before I settle in one.

The fog finally lifted, and when it left the temperature dropped. That's ok with me though because now the sun is shining, the sky is clear, and the air is crisp and invigorating. One can see for miles from our apartment on top of a hill; towns, farmlands, pastures. And the cloudless sunrises have been glorious to see!

I got quite a blessing the other day from "Jesus Loves Me". I was singing it to Noah putting him down for a nap and rather than repeating the same verse over and over I tried to remember the other verses as well. The third verse ends with "Thou hast bled and died for me; I will henceforth live for thee" and the strength of that phrase really struck me, especially being in a child's song. Parts of "Amazing Grace" stood out to me more than usual as well. In thinking about it I've concluded that we become so familiar with songs that we cease to notice the words, especially since we have the convenience of glancing at the songbook. Because I didn't have a hymnal accessible I had to concentrate on the words in order to remember them, which made me actually think about what it was I was singing. Anyway, it was a blessing.

The missionaries here are a wonderful, warm, and welcoming group of people. Every one of them is so excited to be here doing what they're doing. They love the people, love the country, love each other, and obviously love God. It's refreshing, and convicting, to be surrounded by people who are completely sold out to God and so clearly walk with Him. One can't help but be infected by it.

That feels too abrupt for a closing but I don't really have much more news! And this is already too long as it is. So...again, please keep me in your prayers . I'm having a wonderful time and enjoying every new experience that comes my way, and that's partly due to all of the support from back home.

Just a quick note:

I posted several pictures on my facebook the other day, so rather than putting up lots and lots of the same pics here on the blog, I'll give you a link to the album. Now before you email me to tell me that you don't have facebook so you can't see the album...let me say that shouldn't be a problem. If you click on the link you should be able to see the pictures (though you won't be able to see anything else on my account).

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57513&l=2b8af&id=616731727

I'll post an update on "happenins" shortly.

In the meantime, love to all! Thanks for the continued prayer!

FAQs :-)

In case you haven't heard, I'm here! Safe and sound! Total travel time ended up being 23 hours, but I and my luggage made it. Phew! What a relief!

Q1: Are you settled in yet?
A: Yep! It didn't take long at all to unpack. While packing I thought, "this is so much stuff!" While unpacking I thought, "sure wish I could've fit more stuff." It was not easy leaving some of my cutest outfits at home! But I was already wrestling with two suitcases in the airport; I don't think I could've handled another one.
Also, we went grocery shopping today, so now I have food too (notice how full my basket is)! No, I'm still not sure what my schedule will be. We have to hammer a few things out first.

Q2: Have you adjusted to the time difference?
A: Not at all. Jet lag stinks! I'm told it usually takes about 1 week. I sure hope that's right. The rooster outside doesn't help matters, lol. Oh and to answer another question, the difference is 6 hours.

Q3: How's the weather?
A: Wet! The temp is mid 50s with 100% humidity, so it chills you to the bone. And the temp inside isn't much better. Up until now there has been a wall of fog everywhere the eye can see, but this afternoon it finally broke. Now that I can see, there's a lovely view from my window. Before then, this was the view from our veranda.

Q4: Have you met the other missionaries?
A: Between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day I have met almost everyone. Now I know faces, but names might take a little longer.

Q5: How's your European apartment?
A: Pretty cool! I also mean that quite literally. We're in the basement of a lovely house, but being in the basement means it's a tad bit colder down here. Thank God for space heaters! It's a nice apartment. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I don't have many pics of it yet, but this is the view upon entering the door. I love the tiled wall! I'll post more pics when I take them.

Did I miss any questions?