Anti-Immigrant and Islam Attitudes in Netherlands

Mood: ill
Stage notes: I'm currently babysitting for an American couple in Köln. Normally this would be fun, but 5 minutes after they left I had to make a mad dash for the toilet to puke. Not fun. This afternoon I hung out with some friends to play board games and eat lunch together. I am in the process of re-evaluating what I previously thought was a very good meal.

I just came across this article. It made me wonder what the stats look like for Germany. I'll let you know what I am able to find out.

''AMSTERDAM — One in 10 Dutch people are racist. They feel superior to immigrants and believe Dutch people should not mix with other nationalities, according to a new survey. A quarter of the Dutch public is very negative about immigrants in general. . .Ten percent of the respondents openly supported racist ideals, including the idea that Dutch people are more intelligent than immigrants. Half of the people questioned expressed an aversion to Muslims and expressed fear about this group's influence on Dutch society. Some 43 percent said Islam is not for peace and almost two thirds said the religion is incompatible with modern society in Europe. The majority of the respondents favoured a multicultural society, but 80 percent agreed cultural tension and racism have increased in recent years. Director Ilhan Akel of the Dutch centre for foreigners (NCB) said the findings of the report were "very shocking" but he said he was not surprised by them. "The hardening in society has been going on for five years. . .'' Read the full story here.

Hochzeit

Physical Condition: tired
Stage notes: at the Bonnets

I babysat for the Bonnets tonight. Afterwards Martin put in his wedding video for me to see. It was really fun to see all of the people I have come to know in the Dortmund church as they were 12 years ago. Daniel Goering (having newly learned German) performed the wedding. Several people, who have since renounced their budding musical careers in favor of other pursuits, sang and played instruments. All in all, a cool wedding video. Some time I will have to tell you about the 2 hours Chinese wedding that I had the privilege of watching as well earlier this week!

Retreat

Mood: busy
What I'm Reading: Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi

Here are some pics of the kids I was hanging out with this week. We had a lot of fun, although a cabinet fell on one of the boys and hurt his leg, which gave me a bit of a scare. Happier moments included camping, roasting ''smores'', and singing camp songs (the fire and the food was imaginary). We partook of a feast made out of clouds and rainbows, and took several walks in the woods. I was also able to see a lot of Veggie Tales and listen to Adventures in Odyssey.

This was my room/the playroom.

As you can see, winter is still alive and well in parts of Germany.

The Dom. . .again

Mood: catching up with life! (Ok, so maybe that's not exactly a mood, but it's the best I've got)
What I'm reading: lots of old e-mails

I came over to the Bonnets this morning so that someone would be here when Jonathan got back from school. I'm still here catching up on more e-mails. The highlight of the day came in the form of a trip to the city with Heike and Jonathan. We climbed the Dom, went to the Lego store, and bought a pack of gum. You may think that all of these elements are not so important, but to Jonathan, each was a valuable part of the experience so I am faithfully recording them. In case you're interested, I found some really good 2 min videos explaining the Dom here.

Queaziness

Mood: physically drained, emotionally encouraged
What I'm reading: The Heavenly Man by Yun and Hattaway

On Wed. night I babysat for 4 kids and did not get home until about midnight. Although I was feeling fine when I went to bed, the first instinct I had upon waking was to make a mad dash to the toilet and puke. This was followed by cranking up the heat and laying in bed shivering. That pretty much sums up the rest of that day.

Friday I regained my confidence by eating about 2 ounces of cereal. Later I had lunch with Martin and we shared a spicy pizza (so much for my illusions of self discipline, but who can say no to a spicy meal?). These were the grand accomplishments of my day.

Although I think this is the longest ''unproductive'' streak I have had since coming here, I'm actually feeling quite good. I recently read an account of John Donne, who, laying in his bed believing that death was imminent felt gratitude for the ability to have extended time in isolation with God. I find that I share this sentiment. Lately I have been contemplating what my life would look like if I took one day each week to simply be alone with God and my thoughts. Even the contemplation of such a commitment is unnerving for me, but in some ways I think that there might be no better way to increase both my ability to work effectively and my general sense of peace. Maybe God was on to something with that whole thing about a Sabbath.

Lucky Sevens

Mood: quiet
Stage notes: at house church

Friday afternoon I went to Düsseldorf to help a family who is moving to a new place soon. I stayed the night and came directly from there to house church at the Bonnets tonight. I watched the family's seven children while the parents went shopping for things to fix up the new house. We had a great time and I appreciated seeing how efficiently their mother managed the household. I really look forward to visiting with them again.

Babysitting

Mood: sporty
Stage notes: watching the Bonnet girls color

Kindersport rules! This morning I am watching the Bonnet girls while Heike is at school with Jonathan. The kids and I walked to a local gym where equipment was set up for kids to play with. They had balance beams, spring boards, mounts, and ''slides'' made from long benches attached to the wall. I think that I did twice as much running around as the girls did, because this week there was a lot of potential for dangerous falls (at least in my mind). We also pretended to be a host of animals, and made up games like running around the room letting our feet touch only one color of floor tape.

Now I am trying to get caught up on some of my e-mail to people who may be coming to English Conversation this week. I've also been receiving an increasing amount of e-mail in German. Each day I wrestle with the choice of using a translation program for the sake of time, or using my brain and a dictionary. Viel spaß!

YMCA in Germany

Mood: rejuvinated
Stage notes: Turkish neighborhood in Müllheim

I just returned from a weekend spent in a beautiful youth hostel snuggled between snow covered hills in Siegerland. Actually, most of the weekend was spent in a padded room ironically labeled (in German) ''the still room''. It was anything but still, however, because this is where we decided to house all of the children under 3 years old while their parents listened to sermons and enjoyed fellowship with one another. David Goering helped me with the kids, and took lots of pictures which I am hoping to get a chance to see at some point.

In the evenings I was able to slip away into the woods for time alone with God. It was miles to the nearest town, and the only sound to punctuate the darkness came when snow fell from the trees. The stars, which are normally scared into hiding by the throngs of people in the city, came out to pay me a visit. I laid on the ground while making snow angels, praying, and singing. It was good for my soul.

kidsitting

Mood: amused
Stage notes: watching the kids at the Gaschos

The Gascho kids put on a performance for me tonight. They danced, did gymnastics, and were all around crazy to tunes as varied as "Silent Night", "When the Saints Go Marching In", and the "Lion King" theme song. I give it 3 1/2 stars.

Kinder Sport

Mood: happy, energized
Stage notes: just returned to the Bonnets

I just went to Kinder Sport with Pia. The time began with 10 other moms forming a circle with the kids and singing songs. Then we played in a big gym with mats, balance beams, slides, and a pen filled with plastic balls. At the end we sang more action songs together. I had a great time! I was able to talk to some of the parents in German and all of the 2 year olds were very fun and active.

Potty Training

''Möchtest du pee-pee machen?'' (Do you want to pee?)

This is one sentence I will not soon forget. Pia began potty training yesterday, and I am babysitting this morning. We'll see how it goes.