We're learning more than the parts of speech.

Today after English lessons we ate at the camp. Sharing a meal is so important. It means a lot to both the refugees and us. They cooked their favorite foods for us, set the table for us. I'm definitely better at eating lunch than teaching English. I'm getting really good at eating unknown foods, too. :) We heard lots of stories, found their voice through the broken English. It was a good, good day.
Love,
Audrey

Gozo!!!

We all got to spend Friday and Saturday in Gozo as part of "school". It's a little island (even smaller than Malta) off the northwest coast. We were blessed with sunshine and warm weather---we even got to jump in the sea! We saw the Azure Window, it was beautiful. Nice to sit by it for a few minutes and breathe in the sea air. We also saw the oldest standing structure in the world, Ggantija Temple. It predates the Pyramids and Stonehenge. Very cool to think about all its 'seen'. It was great to stay in a hotel for the night, hotels = hot water! It was an awesome trip. We'll be in Malta now 'til Wednesday, Thursday we're off to Egypt!Lots of love,
Audrey

"Show me a day when the world wasn't new."

The words of Sister Barbara Hance, the woman quoted in my title, and author Byrd Baylor rang true for me this morning. I woke up early and watched the sunrise, it wasn't planned---the bird living in our bathroom (yes, living in there-nest in the wall and everything) sang loud for all to hear at 5am. At first I wanted to roll over and go back to bed, but then saw light crawling in the window and decided to go up to the roof to watch the day come in.

I have a book for teaching, it's called The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor. The words that we've read week after week echoed in my head as the sun came up over the white-washed buildings of Malta.

My favorite part is this, "The way to start a day is this-Go outside and face the east and greet the sun with some kind of blessing or chant or song that you made yourself and keep for early morning...your song will be an offering-and you'll be one more person in one more place at one more time in the world saying hello to the sun, letting it know you are there. If the sky turns a color sky never was before, just watch it. That's part of the magic. That's the way to start a day." -Byrd Baylor

Good morning, everyone. Enjoy the sunshine!
Love, Audrey

Turkey Top 10

I had an awesome time in Turkey, I fell in love with the culture---I don't even know where to begin. Hence, a Top 10 list. Here it goes...there's really no order, just the speed at which my internet connection can upload pictures.

1. St. Paul's Church: Selcuk, Turkey. The entire area was beautiful, we explored the ruins and green grass. The air is much better in Turkey than in Malta, we all enjoyed the fresh air and sun. It was very meaningful to walk the grounds---for me they bring a sense of wonder and awe.

2. Temple of Artemis: Selcuk, Turkey (one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the world). Another beautiful place, there's not much left of the original temple, but the remaining pillar was fun to see. Again, great to have fresh air and try to imagine what it was like in 550 BC.
3. Hotel Kalehan: Selcuk, Turkey. A nice little local hotel---they cooked for us, had very comfortable couches and even had HEAT. The decor was a little strange---but, the heat was very much appreciated. It's the little things. I liked the sign on the front door too. 4. Ancient city of Ephesus: Ephesus, Turkey. The whole city is beautiful, the pathway just kept going. The entire place was very inspiring, so old yet so beautiful. We saw the theater where Paul preached---it's huge. It had an awesome atmosphere. 5. The Hippodrome: Istanbul, Turkey. It is definitely spring in Turkey.

6. The Blue Mosque: Istanbul, Turkey. Beautiful. Everything about it was absolutely beautiful. I loved it. The lights hanging from the ceiling are incredible.

7. Hagia Sofia: Istanbul, Turkey. This was originally a Christian church and then taken over and turned into a mosque. I can't even explain how cool it was to see the Islamic writings next to the Christian cross. It is now a museum. It felt very peaceful. Very right.

8. Turkish Food. Turkey definitely wins for the most unidentifiable food. But, I found lots of veggies and tea. The tea rocks, I brought some back---I'll share when I get home. :) The veggies were interesting.


9. Topaki Palace: Istanbul, Turkey. The home of the Sultan, we were there for 4 hours and only saw 10% of it! It just kept going! 10. Great traveling experiences: Turkey. Between the connecting flight we didn't know existed until we landed in Bulgaria, trying to order Turkish food, attempting to put on a head scarf, navigating the 4,000 shops of the Grand Bazaar and everything in between, it was awesome.

Thanks for all the love and support, it was definitely felt in Turkey. Love, Audrey

Light

Today we went to St. John's Co-Cathedral before classes and tutoring. It was absolutely beautiful. I'm always drawn to candles in churches. They bring light and warmth. Always good things. :)

While our tour guide apologized profusely that there was renovation going on in the church, I considered us lucky. Not only was the church being renovated, but the organ was being repaired and tuned. As we left the organist played a portion of 'Ave Verum Corpus.' As a good friend would say, 'wonderfully terrific.'

We're off to Turkey at 3am on Thursday! Lots of pictures and stories to come, I'm sure! Hope all is well at home, take care!
Love, Audrey

Happy Birthday Mom!

She's a source of strength, wisdom, compassion, and love. We laugh at the same little things, she knows just what needs to be done to make someone's day a little brighter. I am blessed to call her Mom.

Happy Birthday. I hope you can feel the hugs I'm sending from 5200 miles away. :) Enjoy the (hopefully) warm weather, good chocolate, March Madness and Spring Training! I can't wait for you to come visit Malta!


We'll celebrate with chocolate cake and ice cream when you get here. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Love, Audrey

Malta has a forest?

We found nature today! We went to Buskett Gardens, got some fresh air and our much needed dose of vegetation. :) We have a concrete jungle here in Malta, it was nice to go for a hike in the woods. Some friends we've made picked us up and brought us (it was nice not to get lost on the bus), the driving part probably does not need to be experienced again, but overall it was a great adventure. I used my imaginary brake and tensed up my muscles to prepare for impact quite often, but all went well. The Maltese didn't seem to think it was any big deal...a little too similar to our plane incident. :) But, the gardens were well worth it and we spent a few hours walking, playing frisbee and soccer, and enjoying the day.

Everything else is going well, we leave for Turkey on Thursday. Take care!
Love,
Audrey

I carry your heart.

March is quite the birthday month in our family. A big honorary Happy Birthday goes to both Grandpa Thronson and Grandpa Seitz this week. On March 14 I'll be celebrating with a chocolate milkshake and the "Saturday Night Special." On March 21 I'll have peanut butter toast and dunk it (multiple times) in my coffee as I start my day. Their spirits are carried in not only my heart but also the hearts of many others.

Loving husbands.
Compassionate fathers.
Dear grandfathers.
Watchful brothers.
Friends to all.
Wonderful souls.

They're both missed. We remember the good times (they were all good) and celebrate.


here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) --ee cummings

Lots of love, Audrey

'Same-same'

We arrived at Hal Far to chaos, there have been high winds in Malta and a few of the tents have been blown down. Men are sleeping in the education center for the time being. We finally managed to move some tables around and found a place to teach. It was a tight squeeze.

After settling in, a rush of new students came in. More boats have landed and detention centers had to let some people out to make room for the new refugees. So, the camps have been filled past their max again. I had eight students today, 4 more than last week. They were all very beginners, we learned how to hold a pen and write the letters of the alphabet. Luckily, they all spoke the same language so they could translate for each other if they were confused. There is a phrase they use a lot, 'Same-same.' We have started to say it, usually during lecture or at school. It's one of those sayings that rubs off on everyone. The refugees use it for direct translations, words that are the same in Somalian and English, or for synonyms. Small, tiny, little...things like that.

We learned colors today, too. We went through red, yellow, blue, the basics. Then we came to gray, black, white, brown...a little harder. I said "black," pointed to the black crayon and the man pointed to his face. Then, he pointed to me and said "white." I didn't know what to do, I guess he was kind of right, those are common ways of using the words black and white, but I didn't want to reinforce the difference and whittle ourselves down to a Crayola crayon color. But then, he looked at me, pointed to the two crayons then to his face and to my face. He said, "Same-same." Yes. Same-same. He is right. I don't know how the other colors fared in the lesson---whether he knows the 'go' light is green or not, but we got to the point regardless. People are people.

Love,
Audrey

Happy Weekend

"The big thing for me is to love reality and not live in the imagination, what should have been, what could have been and what can be, but somehow to love reality and discover (love) is present." -Jean Vanier (edited by me)

"May today there be peace within. May you trust () that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you...May you be content knowing you are a child of (the Universe). Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you." -St. Teresa (edited by me)

I hope the weekend treated you all well! I soaked in some much needed sunshine, went on many walks, drank coffee on the roof, went out for dinner and finished up some homework. I even got to talk with my family---awesome. I am fueled for the week.

Lots of love,
Audrey

L-Universita' Ta' Malta

Here's some proof that we really are studying abroad. A few pictures from the University---note that I did not take them today---they are very sunny. Today was yet another 4 mile walk in a monsoon. This time with hail. I read in the paper that this past February has been the coldest and wettest February in 35 years. Perfect. :) Luckily we're all from the Midwest and I still think it's beautiful here, even if the Maltese are cold.

Everything else is going well here, Turkey is less than 2 weeks away! Happy Friday everyone!
Love, Audrey

It's the journey...

...not the destination. We tell ourselves that a lot. Especially when we get lost. We were happy to find out yesterday that our professor had to cancel today's class. With an entire day free, we all woke up ready to go. I was lucky enough to be able to start the day with a long run. It was sunny and warm this morning; taking Malta in by foot has become one of my favorite things to do. I love running by the fishing boats and watching them head out to sea for the day. After the run, I returned to the flat, made a quick lunch and we declared an 'Adventure Day.' These have become quite common on free days, they usually involve multiple maps, bus routes, schedules, some tension and lots of laughs. We decided on a village called Birzebuggia, known for its caves. It's on the opposite side of Malta meaning a definite way to attain a bus adventure. We went to Valletta and changed buses no problem. We found the bus to Birzebuggia, however, this thing always happens when we get on a bus---we never know where to get off. That happened again today and we ended up at the bus terminal (where everyone is forced to get off). But, we remembered that "it's the journey" and found a nice beach and view of the water and surrounding town while we tried to get our bearings.

After asking some locals how to get to Birzebuggia, they told us to get on another bus. "Only 4 stops," a woman told us. Famous last words. We said, "No thanks," and decided to walk. We sure got in our exercise. We finally found the town after an hour or so of walking on various highways. :) Once in the town we found the cave Ghar Hasan, our original draw to Birzebuggia. After seeing huge 'Danger' signs we realized that it had collapsed and people were not being allowed in. Good to know. We looked at our maps again and found another cave, Ghar Dalam. It has proof of some of the earliest human activity on Malta dating back to 5000 BC. We walked some more and found the tiny entrance. It turned out to be awesome, we walked around in it for a while and visited the neighboring museum. It was a great day to be out and about.



Finding a bus back always seems easier, we just look for the heap of weary tourists and congregate with them. They're mostly from the UK and speak English. We tell them we've been here over a month and can't figure out the buses either and they feel better about their struggles. It's a win-win. :)

Lots of love from Malta,
Audrey

Thoughts for the day.

The last few days have gone well. We've gone to class, worked on papers and attempted to teach English. It's always so good to go to the refugee camps, the men are so kind. Our students arrive and seek us out as we beckon them over. It is good to connect, they often make my day. They smile and ask us how we are. They have been through so much; they are often younger than me. They are married, have children, have walked the Sahara, navigated the Mediterranean and are now in the fight of their lives to gain freedom. They have been through all of this and are so kind. We learn from them. They are the true teachers.

A dear friend e-mailed me this a few days ago, it is so true yet so easy to forget.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
---Leo Buscaglia

Thank you all for your love and support, you're all thought of often. Take care!
Love,
Audrey

Running + Fishing Village = Fun

Today was an awesome day! It started off with the Malta Marathon. I loved it. Alyssa and I (the only 2 who think it's enjoyable to get up early to watch a marathon) found the finish line and cheered as the runners came in. The winner was a man from Belgium, he came in with a time of 2:25:48. It was a good day for them to run, overcast and about 55 degrees. It was great to be at a road race again, it felt so familiar. It was a little bit of home. I kept expecting to see someone I knew cross the finish line. I can't wait 'til I can get a few races in this summer. The finish line even blared the Rocky and Chariots of Fire theme songs. :)
Then, we came back to the flats for lunch and hopped on a bus to Valletta. In Valletta we switched buses and headed to Marsaxloxx. It is an old fishing village on the Southeast coast of Malta. It was nice to walk along the harbor, watch the daily catch come into the Market. We saw tons of fishing boats emptying their nets, all painted in beautiful bright colors. They are painted with eyes on the front symbolizing the gods watching over all the fishing excursions. It was so fun to see a traditional Maltese village, free of tourists (except for us, of course). Classes start again tomorrow, back to studying abroad. Happy March, everyone!
Love, Audrey