Skip to main content

22 kids, a barbeque, an armed robbery, and cardboard boxes.

Well, what to all of the above have in common, you might ask. Well, they are all events in the last 4 days.

Saturday.
Having spent all morning setting up an elaborate "Easter Walk" to do with my little discipleship group, I must admit that the stress level went up when 22 instead of 12 kids turned up. It is good that they come, but trying to cram 22 kids into a little office to seriously think about Jesus praying in Gethsemane is not ideal. Especially when they would be pinching and pushing eachother all the time. Still, we managed to get to Easter Sunday, and they all left content, I think. I got lots of hugs and little letters from my regular kids which was nice.

Sunday.
At lunchtime we had a leaving barbeque at the project. A lot of people came, and even if I am not one for big groups of people, it was nice that so many came to say goodbye. The food was nice and the people were lovely. A really nice ending.

That was lunchtime. At five in the afternoon I was strolling along with 3 friends to get the bus, when suddenly these two teenagers on bikes come up alongside us and start saying "it's an assault! it's an assault! hand over your cellphones and valuables!". I didn't quite believe what was happening. It seemed like a game or something, but thankfully I did as they said. Seeing on of them holding a gun pointed at us also brought me down to earth.  Although, not being very "literate" in the whole firearm-area, it could have been a toy-gun for all I knew. Two of my more "informed" friends told me it was a 38 gun, whatever that means. Anyway, I handed over my lovely little pink NOKIA phone and my money and they took one of my friends cellphone too. Then they left.

One of my friends said it seemed like the gun was without bullets, but we all agreed that it would not have been worth finding out. We briskly walked to the police station and reported it, but obviously there is zero chance of them getting caught. After that we took the bus to church (as some of my friends still had money to pay for it).
I am really grateful that it was such a light robbery. And I don't think that they will have any luck in even selling my cellphone as it is all in Norwegian and there is no Portuguese language option.

I thought I'd be going home with a clean robbery record, but I supposed it was not meant to be. And only being robbed once in six and a half years isn't bad either.

Tuesday.
As we were carrying the cardboard boxes tucked under our arms, Juliana commented that she felt like a little surfergirl with her board. We all laughed. Then we laughed even more when some men walked past us and one of them commented "they look like surfergirls". It's amazing how much joy and laughter you can get out of getting cardboard boxes at the supermarket. Neide and Juliana had come over in the morning because we were going to the beach. But evaluating the weather, and deciding that rain isn't really the best tanning mechanism, we didn't end up going. When I told them one of my tasks for the day was to get cardboard boxes to pack stuff in, they excitedly said they'd come with me. And for those of you who one day will need to get cardboard boxes also, it is a lot more fun if you make it an outing.

So there you go, another little insight into what my adventurous days are like.



Popular posts from this blog

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...
Read more

Getting to know the local culture.

Life is a strange thing. Last week went…not much happened, and then it was over. The weekend was quite calm without too many wild and exciting things happening. Except, of course, a wee outing to watch the National Championship for Veteran Ploughing. Now, like me, you might be sadly lacking an understanding of what this actually means. So I am delighted to be able to enlighten you in this respect. It’s basically (for the “farm-language-illiterate” like myself) a competition where you use old (hence the name “veteran”) tractors and ploughs, and plough up a stretch of field which is then evaluated and the one scoring the highest sum (accuracy, depth, how well the soil is turned is all given points) wins. I must admit that this information I got by eavesdropping on a conversation next to me where a man was explaining to some of my friends how it all works. So that was a fun adventure….although we only stayed for a bit. What is sort of occupying my mind at present is my upcoming travel abr...
Read more

What was your dream?- scraping the surface of the heart of Albania

“What was your dream when you were 20?” That was a question our guide asked us as we were standing outside a huge derelict cement monument in Tirana, the capital of Albania. We’d spent the day touring and hearing a lot about the history and journey of Albania, a young country with more Albanians living in other countries than in Albania itself. A country where tourism has only really been built up the past 30 years. It was eye opening to hear more of the history, and it made me realise that this country is so much more than meets the eye. A country where the beaches and tourist area of Durres Riviera was packed with tourists, mostly from the Balcan area. A country where hospitality is ingrained in the culture, and where the friendliness of the people was noticeable. After a pause to let us reflect over the question of dreams, for some thinking further back than others, our guide told us that for him it had been to own a pair of jeans. That simple fact said so much. Both of what he...
Read more