So...I just arrived back here in Sunny Los Angeles California after spending a month and a half overseas traveling, performing, and volunteering abroad. It feels sooo weird being back here....the people, the culture, and the environment, i guess maybe i'm still a bit jet lag from my plane back home from London.
After when I came back, I hanged out with my wonderful TIP group (the group I went with mission with in China last summer) in Chinatown the following day....and it was amazing!! To see how much they have grown, how much they have changed, and to see how different they look from a year ago where my I was teacing English overseas was amazing.
July 31, 2008
These last couple weeks has been amazing...I spent an entire week at Stafford, England volunteering as a Cafe Team Facilitator with Soul Survivor, and I never had such a wonderful time meeting, serving, and assisting people grow in Christ. I love meeting English people, esepcially in Stafford where most people come from Coventry, England to attend this conference.
Soul Survivor operates Christian conference in the United Kingdom, and is geared for the youth culture between ages 14-18 years old.
One thing I learned about my time volunteering is how sensitive the youth culture are in England. While praying for these people, I notice how they become very vulnerable to the presence of Jesus Christ. The way how they interact, communicate, and live there life as follower of Jesus is soo different to the way how American Christians act today. I just had a wonderful time getting to know other fello brothers and sisters in Christ.
I was at the Lourve Museum yesterday at Paris, France, and I was amazed how big this place was from top to bottom. One thing that I learned was: if you stare at each painting for at least one minute in the Lourve, then it would take you at least 8, yes EIGHT months to see the entire collection in the museum.
That was how HUGE this place was....the beauty of there collection was like going traveling back to time and living there works in real life.
The Original Mona Lisa painting in the Lourve...she is like a celebrity in the Lourve :)
Overall, I enjoyed my time here in the Lourve Museum. I luv looking at the different art paintings, studying the artist, then look it up on wikipedia to read there amazing historical life....I guess that makes me a geek, haha! This is definitely a place I would like to visit again in the future.
ahhh, the green terrains, clean water, and crisp cool air is what makes Switzerland one of my favorite place to visit next year. I was at the highest mountain in Europe today called the Jungfraujoch Mountain (aka Top of Europe), and was amazed how cold it was up there. I had an amazing time seeing snow up at the Swiss Alps....having not seen snow since last year at Big Bear, California.
i also luv Swiss cheese...I brought like two packs of Cheese just for myself because it was sooo goood. one thing that I like is how beautiful the lakes are here in Lucerne, Switzerland. the water is soo clean that I heard you could just go into the lake and drink out of it....maybe I should have did that after my hike to the highest mountain in the world.
July 19, 2008
the city of luv...that's what they call it here in Venice, Italy. Although I didn't fell in love with anyone, this little amazing place in Italy is one of my favorite place in the world.
i haven't been in Venice, Italy since four years ago, when I went with my high school choral group to perform at a local church in Venice...but coming back here gave me all those wonderful memories from high school...seeing how much I have gronw, and remembering all the wonderful times acting like a class clown back then.
in any event, we visited the glass house factory in venice where they make all these wonderful glasses in italy today. too bad i find the store to be a rip off because they were charging three times the amount then if i were to walk two blocks to another store for less.
July 17, 2008
the hills are alive in Austria. i've spent like two days here in Austrian Alps.....and i think i've seen more castles and GREEN here since when i was in Wales last week with UCI.
but i enjoyed my short time in Austria....i had a wonderful bike ride arond the Austrian Alps, and am marvel with the lush green and blue skies during my time here....it was a just a great outdoor experience to get away a from all the tourist and see mother nature at its best.
July 16, 2008
i had my first german beer here in Bavaria, Germany...the captial of Munich, Germany. I must admit after my first taste of German beer, I was hooked on it....it was juss soo good and soooo much better than the beers that i had in America.
in any event, i visited munich, germany today while I was there, they were having a school riot where students were petitioning for lower tuition....like us where all the UCs are still having this fight for lower tuition cost.
July 14, 2008
these last few days have been quite busy here in Wales. our choral group at UCI is in Wales to compete in the International Llangollen Eisttedford Musical Festival on July 10, 2008...and our youth choir earned 2nd place, our mixed choirs earned 6th place, and our women's choire earned 1st place, ultimately qualifying them to participate in the Choir of the World.
aside from music, i enjoyed my time here in Wales....i luv how it rained almost like everyday since we got here on the first day....i luv the rain, so it was really nothing to me. i also liked how green the country was....like 70% of the population is covered with green. looking at the open space and the green fields just made me want to run away in solitude and enjoy the true beauty of God's creation.
overall, i luv wales..our choir group had the opportunity to visit bath, warwick, cardiff, and swansee....it was juss an amazing site, especially bath....now one of my favorite places in the world. i probably wouldn't mind living in one of those towns for a couple years or so, i guess that makes me a countryside person...haha!
