my motorcyle diaries

Friendship

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:38:26 -0700

Here in Argentina it is FRIENDSHIP DAY, and it´s a big deal. It´s the day in the year when the most texts are sent, beating even Christmas and New Year. My usual Sunday training run in the park was virtually impossible because of how populated it was, and restaurants have been fully booked all weekend, with people celebrating the day with friends.
I went to a party last night with a group of friends, where, towards the end of the night people went round expressing their gratitude for the friendships in the group.

Not waiting but living

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:28:38 -0700

I have just read the most amazing book by Bishop F X Nguyen van Thuan who was imprisoned in Vietnam for years for his faith. Whilst still in prison himself, he heard of someone who, on his release from prison, said that he had spent most of his life waiting.

This Bishop determined not to do the same. He would not put his life on hold, but would make the most of every moment. He would use his time in prison to write letters to his churches. The first chapter of his book is called "living in the present moment" and I love these words: "For you the most beautiful moment is the present moment... Live it in the fullness of the love of God. Your life will be wonderfully beautiful if it is like a crystal made up of millions of these moments. Do you see that it is easy?"

sweet 16

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:53:48 -0700

With a few minutes to go before I turn 27, it´s nice to be told I look younger than I am (not that I think 27 is past it, but still...). So when a taxi driver today asks me how old I decide to find out how I´m looking for my age:
"¿Cuanto me dás?" ("What would you give me?")
... long pause ... turns head round to carefully consider the matter...

small talk

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:32:23 -0700

I hate finding myself in a lift with a stranger, while you rise or descend in silence, trying to avoid eye contact, in what always seems to be a never-ending journey.

So today, on my long trip down from the 12th floor, when I found I had company in the lift, I decided to make a bit of small talk. The chit chat went like this:

Me: "Do you live here?" (I know, inspired question!)

the simple things

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:17:38 -0700

I´ve just come back from a weekend of visiting my friends from YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Mendoza, with a new appreciation for the simple things in life. The Mendoza base is set on a beautiful, rather dusty farm. You are surrounded by mountains, that are a constant reminder to me of the greatness of God, helping to put worries in their proper perspective. I walk on to that base and instantly feel at peace. This is exactly what I needed; to be miles away from the city centre, especially computers and internet; and to get a break from the constant traffic of a big city, from noisy neighbours, from the temptation of checking work emails whilst on holiday.

brief update

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:15:02 -0700

Life has been a little busy lately.... last week there was an all-night prayer event on Tuesday right in the centre of Buenos Aires, Plazo de Mayo... Straight after that I went into the office, and that same evening got on an overnight bus to Cordoba. We were due to arrive at 10am. We arrived at 6pm, having nearly passed out in the heat on route since the airconditioning broke quite early on in the journey.

The female phenomenon

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:20:58 -0800

It is International "Women's Day" today. This may not be headline news in Britain, but here they make a big deal of it. So I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon to celebrate the phenomenon of femaleness:

"Women are like a box of chocolates", to misquote Forrest Gump... Here are some of the deliciously complex and contradictory flavours of femaleness:

Please send me back to prison!

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 13:21:56 -0800

The week before last I visited a men's prison in Argentina. I have been in and out of quite a few prisons now and I always enjoy it, but this was the first time I truly had no desire to leave at the end of the day.

Believe it or not, the prison resembled a monastery, or a church buzzing with God's presence. Physically, the premises were filled with light, the bedrooms in better condition than where I lived for the past year with YWAM (!) and some of the walls displayed artwork of the inmates illustrating the gospel.

God's provision

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 05:08:26 -0800

A week ago I was lying in bed with an intense stomach ache and headache, courtesy of a nasty bug I picked up in Cordoba. It wasn't just annoying because I had loads of work that I wanted to get on with, but also because I knew that I had one week before I'd be evicted from my current abode. And it wasn't just the pressure of having to find somewhere to live in a week, but also the fact that I didn't really know how to go about it in a foreign massive city. Most places are rented without furniture, for example, and most places require you to provide a signature of someone leaving their own property as a guarantee!!

Tightrope of hope

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 22:58:52 -0800

It's very late but I can't sleep... I'm wide awake in that really tired sort of way. So I thought I would give my neglected blog a bit of attention and maybe declutter my mind a little... please forgive me for returning back to my favourite theme of the last few months: HOPE... This is how I'm feeling right now:

I am balancing on a tightrope of hope. The height is giddying. I can't even think about the fall, let alone look down. It's exhilariting but equally terrifying. The definition of instability. I want to get off; I want to stay on. I am on, whether I like it or not. It feels that this tightrope is part of my destiny. If I fall, and there always looms that possibility, I know there is a safety mat underneath. I know because it's saved me many times before. I might get bruised, even broken, but I'll mend. I'll heal.

Back in BA

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:30:14 -0800

I made it! It was a fairly eventful journey, although admittedly I'm counting the fact I actually slept a few hours on the plane as a ground-breaking event (secret: sleeping pills). Also watched 2 movies, one about Bristol which took me back to my uni days, and 'The Illusionist' set in Vienna, which took me back to where I grew up. Also had a lengthy and interesting chat to the guy next to me about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Then once landed, got in a cab with a cabbie who turned out to be a Christian who is passionate about God and was converted in prison!! He was full of inspiration and life - a lovely re-introduction back to the country.

Goodbye London

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:43:11 -0800

I hate goodbyes. I'd love to capture everyone I know and keep them in the one street and live a 'Neighbours'-like existence... When you keep moving, you always end up missing people, but then you also have the joy of being reunited with previous friends and meeting new ones. I suppose life is like that: a series of connections, disconnections; hellos, goodbyes; reunions, partings; highs, lows.

Wedding and EMEA debrief!

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 03:26:56 -0800

The wedding last weekend turned out to be totally amazing... Lyndsey was absolutely stunning (there are a few pics on flickr photos, more to come) and highlights included the speeches - all of which were hillarious - and the first dance, where Linz and Steve broke out into a jazzy choreography of "Eye of the Tiger". The service was very moving - I managed to cry all the way through, from the very first song "Amazing Grace" right through till the end, thanking God all the time for waterproof eye make-up. Thankfully, fellow bridesmaid Nic (Lyndsey's sister) kept me company with the tears. The weather was slightly chilly - it even snowed - but it didn't detract from anything.

Life as a TO DO list

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:50:14 -0800

I reckon I am in the running for the world's greatest fan of TO DO lists. They seem indispensable to everything. Work, of course. But that’s not all. One can "TO DO" about weekend activities, friends to call, places to visit, Christmas presents to buy, cards to send, and even items to be put on your to do list. The scope is vast – lofty dreams may sit alongside mundane everyday tasks such as “brush teeth”. Lists adorn my walls, fill my diary, and quite often stain the back of my hand. The mere act of creating a list evokes in me a sense of control; forms order out of chaos; brings about a feeling of purpose, accomplishment, progress. There's a reason to get out of bed in the morning, because there's a whole list of things to get through....

Wedding bells

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:26:15 -0800

My brother Steven is getting married on SATURDAY and it's amazing how his life has changed in the last couple of years... Steve's life took a U-turn about two years ago after going to an event in St Paul's Cathedral where a speaker called J. John was doing part of a series called "just 10", which basically aims to present the 10 Commandments in a relevant way to a modern-day audience. Steve only came at my suggestion, not out of much enthusiasm for the topic or venue! He definitely wouldn't have called himself a believer up until that point and hadn't willingly been to church for many years. Yes, he'd had a Catholic upbringing, but his belief and passion were all tied up with Celtic football club rather than God: in Glasgow (where our family are from) Celtic and Catholicism are pretty tightly linked.