Nostalgia

This summer has just begun, but the routine has been formulated. Two jobs, around 45 hours of work every week, very few days off, few opportunities to leave town. A lot of down time but not enough to really leave.
That's not to say I won't be doing anything this summer and that's not to say that Thousand Oaks doesn't hold its own in the adventure category, it's just to say that while I save up and hang out around school you can expect a lot of reminiscing.

Tonight, I'd like to share with you a few of my favorite pictures from last summer's trip to Europe.
Here are some fresh views of what I was doing a year ago and what I really hope to be doing a year from now.

Enjoy!!

The Duomo in Milan, Italy

Lake-side fortress remains in Lago di Garda, Italy

Lago di Garda, Italy

Gondolas in Venice, Italy

View from atop the Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy

Coldplay lyrical graffiti on the fortress walls of Luca, Italy

Michelangelo designed Duomo in Florence, Italy
(Never finished because he thought it "looked like a bird cage")

Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy

Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

View of the ceiling inside the Pantheon in Rome

Saint Peter's from a distance. Rome, Italy

View of Rome from atop the Spanish Steps

Government buildings in Den Haag, the Netherlands

Scheveningen Beach near Den Haag, the Netherlands

St. John's Cathedral, Holland

Basilica of St. Mary, Kevelaer, Germany

St. Mary's chapel, Kevelaer, Germany

Well... yeah, it's Amsterdam

Dutch countryside just before the storm

St. Mary's Basilica, Kevelaer, Germany

Not quite an English phone booth, but as close as I've came
Kleve, Germany

My neighbor for a week, Asten, the Netherlands

St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium
(Yes! We did climb the 500+ stairs to the top!)

Belgian side street after eating Belgian waffles covered in Belgian chocolate!

Rita and Om Jop <3

- Let me never forget to give credit where credit is due. I've learned, over and over again, that it is those you travel with and those you meet at your destination that make the trip all that it is. I strengthened bonds and made life long friendships in Italy. Then, in Holland, I was met by the open and gracious arms of my family who taught me about my themselves, our heritage and above all, myself. 

I've said before that the lessons I've learned abroad and in transit are innumerable and immeasurable. I've said before that my hosts and my friends will never know how great an impact they made on my life. All I can do is hope they at least know how thankful I am for our experiences together and for their generosity. I love you all so much, truly.

Molly, Lauren, Ryan, Nate, Katie in Rome

Amy and Liz in Venice

My beautiful family:
Jorde, Olaf, Peter, Wilem, Anne, Anne, Kj, Anneriek, Irma, Reike, Josen
(Our last day together in Holland)

**All pictures were taken and edited by myself, I use a Kodak Easy Share and iphoto.**

Gandhi's Way To God

At work we were surveyed about our "summer reading lists." What will you be reading over the summer?
My answer was:

"No God But God" (about early Arabia and the beginnings of Islam), "Her Voice" (woman's role in each major religion), "The Gospel of Judas", "Twelve Modern Apostles" (a book with twelve testimonies from twelve different religious people explaining why they are the religion they are), and "Gandhi's Way to God"

 Stuff like that. Yes I know, it sounds like homework. And of course we can't forget that I'll be brushing up on Qu'ran and Dhammapada verses as well as keeping up with passages from the Bible and raiding the house's philosophy books. This is what I do for fun (seriously).

I'm particularly excited about "Gandhi's Way to God." His philosophies are incredible, and thus far I haven't found anything conflicting philosophies of the Bible. Or the Qu'ran or the Torah for that matter!
Gandhi was a Hindu, but at the same time he says firmly "God is one." Not quite the polytheist many of us would take him to be. Then in stark contrast Ghandi says he venerates YHWY, Jesus, Allah, Brahman, and others. So how is this not polytheistic?

To Gandhi these are One. Just different names for the same god. The one God who is, according to Gandhi (and Christians and Jews and Muslims and Sufis and Sikhs) omnipresent, omnipotent, gracious, personal, loving and fair.
In spanish the word for god is dios, does that make Dios somehow different for a spanish speaking Christian? Of course not. Gandhi feels if you broaden the scope here you will find the same truth, especially in relation to the three religions "of the Book," Judaism, Christianity and Islam which each base themselves on the stories of Abraham, Moses and David.

Last night I attended an Egyptian church service in the chapel at my school. This weekend a group of Arab Christians have gathered for a retreat on campus and I was lucky enough to run into them and speak with a few members who invited me along. I sat in the back with a young Egyptian woman named Christine who translated some of the Arabic service for me.


I was able to pick up a surprising amount. Things like "heart", "life", "patience", "love" and then of course "but", "and", "yes", "no", "he", "she", "you", "sweetheart", "beloved". (and the Egyptian colloquial terms no one else would use like "yanni" which means "you know?" but is used like "ummm.")

The part I recognized the most was this:

"Allahu Akbar"

 A saying associated with Islam for anyone with any familiarity. A saying associated with terrorists by those who "learned all they needed to know about Islam on September 11th." (the above quote has been seen on bumper stickers around the States and is absolutely repulsive and unacceptable, but that rant will be kept away from this blog)

So... what?! Christians say Allahu Akbar?
Well do Christians ever say "God is great" in english speaking churches? God is God is God. In english, his name is God. In arabic, his name is Allah. In spanish, Dios. In hindi, Brahman.
 Same guy? I think so.

Last night we greeted one another with the familiar phrases I learned from my Muslim arabic teacher "salam alaykum," peace be upon you and "ilhamdoullah," praise God.

I believe each form of worship is valid and valuable.
Whether you meditate, go to church every Sunday, sing, pray in an Ashram, face Mecca, volunteer and give back, tithe, take a vow of silence or chastity, dance, speak in tongues, show kindness to others in general... I think every expression of worship and faith that comes from a genuine place honnors God. And I think, or I would hope, that He enjoys the wide range too.

We should never feel threatened by another person's faith or expression of that faith. We only fear what we do not understand.
When I have a hard time showing love for others I try to remind myself that they too are part of God's creation. And he or she is as much a child of God as I am, no matter what they do or where they're from; if God can love me, God can definitely love them.


Pastor Melissa told me this little rhyme: "if God can love turkeys I can love you. Because I am a turkey and you are one too!"

So lets take some time to try to understand our neighbor and show love for everyone we meet. If you believe God loves you, you must know that God loves them as well


 On top of all that, I've found this idea very comforting in times of self doubt or feeling unimportant. Never forget that you are part of this beautiful creation and that someone made you for a specific reason.

This is my favorite quote (so far!) from Gandhi's book:

"We may not be God, but we are of God, even as a little drop of water is of the ocean." 

He then says if that drop of water was flung several miles away from the ocean it would be helpless. But if someone were to point out to it that it was a part of the ocean it would rejoice and dance in the thought of being a part of the ocean's might and majesty.

So REJOICE because you are part of an incredible creation! 

And LOVE those who are different from you because they are too!

New beginnings in similar places

The school year is drawing to a close. Today I finished my last final and said goodbye to all my friends.
It ended the same way it always does, despite all that had happened and all that had changed in the last year. We loaded the furniture, traveled to storage (operated a fork lift unsupervised...), stayed up all night studying and laughing on the floor because our minds were lost, attended the senior recitals, ran around doing paperwork... all that crazy busy stuff that would be draining on its own but somehow always happens to happen in the same week.

My favorite part and perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the end of the year is the chance everyone gets to reflect upon it. Sometimes we don't even notice how much has changed until we analyze it.
This time last year I was sitting in an empty room waiting to embark on the choir tour in Italy. I had never been to Europe, I had never seen my mom's birth place, I had never met my newest set of life long friends. I had never, I had never, I had never.

Today I went to a Mediterranean restaurant called Ali Baba's in Simi Valley. I'd been there once before.
I walked in and said hello in arabic to the owner (Omar from Palestine) and he said "Hello Kjrstin, looks like you got a tan!" We're obviously very good friends now that I've bought one felafel sandwich from him in my life. I ended up staying 15 or 20 minutes speaking with him (half in arabic and half in english) about traveling, CLU, Simi Valley, the Egyptian accent, Bakersfield, feeding the homeless (he opens his restaurant once a month specifically for a free meal for the homeless). By the end of the visit he had promised to only speak arabic with me so I "will HAVE to learn" and I promised upon my return I would have a newly burned Nancy Ajram CD for him.
A year ago I didn't even know arabic was read right to left. A year ago I didn't even like driving to Panda Express by my self much less striking up conversations with strangers.

A year ago.

A year ago my life changed. Completely. Starting the moment I boarded the tour bus with choir to fly to Milan.

So we all know about the travels... yadda yadda... yes I've written an entire blog about my traveling, so let's reflect on this semester.
This semester was for me the best semester at CLU so far. I was able to incorporate a lot of what I learned abroad into my classes and conversations with new people. And of course I now have a completely new lens with which to view the world =)
This year I lived again with my two best friends at school and a beautiful new one. My circle was expanded, I became close with some amazing new people, and finally started finding some adventures more locally. Last year I went home too often on weekends and probably missed a lot. It's amazing what kind of adventures one can find in their own back yard!

I have re-awakened my love for CLU by realizing how incredible it's staff is. This semester I have two new bosses at the library where I work and they have been a joy to get to know, always with good advice and a willingness to listen. In addition to that, I was able to work more this semester with my faculty adviser from the religion department, Dr. Thomas. I took my last class with him this semester and also was able to visit his office hours and chat about Egypt. I've never had a teacher I've enjoyed talking with more, even attending his lectures is alwas rewarding. He may never know, but his encouragement to become a religious studies major and then later to travel truly changed my life. The head of the Religion Department, Dr. Fogg has also been very inspirational to me. It was she who actually was the first to suggest I take arabic course, and look where that has lead me!

In the past I have often questioned whether or not CLU was a good fit for me. Here there is some missing element I've never been able to place, but something that feels different. I've had trouble connecting with students here. At some times it has been a struggle for me to find things I like about the city and even people I'd like to get to know better, but luckily I have always had a few good friends and the incredible staff to remind me why I've chosen to remain here the last three years. If not for the relationships I have developed with the teachers in the Religion department and the campus pastors, I can't say for sure if I would have stayed here. Thankfully, academically this school is a perfect fit for me.

I am excited to see what the summer brings! It will be an entirely new dynamic living off campus and with only one of the roommates I've had the past two years. Then in a few months, after a highly anticipated vacation with my family to the Midwest, I'll be off to D.C. to see what kind of adventures await me there.


You could say I am generally thrilled about my prospects right now =)

(No subject)

Think about that.

East Coast Choir Tour

I set off again on another CLU choir adventure. Last summer it was Italy, this year: NY, NJ, PA, MD and DC.
My love for traveling was re-kindled. I was so happy to be exploring new and exciting places again. I'd been to Carnegie with choir before, but this time inside was equally as humbling and awe-inspiring as it had been before.
It's amazing to me that every experience I've had with New York City has been so dramatically different. The first time I was 16 years old. Giddy and excited to be exploring such a beautiful place with some of my best friends. My favorite memories from that trip were shopping on Canal St and the harbor cruise the whole choir went on after performing at Carnegie. The five days we spent in NYC in high school remained some of the best days of my life well up until this summer.
My second trip to the city was with my brother and my roommate, Shelby. Andrew and I had gone to visit her in Rhode Island and got a nice tour of the East Coast. We stayed at her uncle's appartment and I really enjoyed being in a new neighborhood. The highlight of our NY trip was playing (yes playing) in FAO Shwartz. To this day I'm still considering buying a giant piano for my living room.

This last trip to New York City was another incredible experience to add to the list. In the city we did a lot of good old fashioned wandering, and I got to see a lot of things I'd never seen before. By day we hit Time Square, Rockafeller Plaza and Central Park. By night we wandered SoHo and Time Square again and tried our luck at New York pizza and cheese cake. We also spent some time in a classic East Coast Irish pub. All of the trip was an incredible bonding experience for the choir, that's the main reason I love traveling with choir so much. I feel like a came away with a good handful of new friends and a stronger bond with those I already knew.
I think my favorite part of our stay in NY (aside from Carnegie and the harbor cruise afterward) was visiting the top of the Rockefeller Tower. I went with friends Liz and Chaz and together we saw the most amazing view of New York City from 70 stories up. 

I love you concrete jungle!!

Central Park with Chaz and Liz

Lunch on the upper west side with Skelly!

Totally legal picture of the inside of Carnegie ;)

Our poster!!

Lady Liberty from the Spirit of New York
 harbor cruise after our concert 

Brandon, Kevin, Spencer, KJ

For the next few days, choir was packed up into two buses and driven from concert to concert. We woke up every morning around 7 or 8 and performed every night at 8pm in a different city, staying in the homes of incredibly gracious church and local choir members. NY - PA - NJ - PA - DC - MD - DC. The days were long and our voices and spirits tired, but we made it through and performed with new energy every night. Honestly, it's what we love to do.
Choir has been one of the most consistent things in my life sense I was in 8th grade. And besides my family and a few friends, the only consistency from year to year. It's my family, my home away from home =)

Pennsylvanian cemetery, cute houses and snow!

At the tail end of our trip we had some free time in Washington DC! I hadn't been there sense I was a toddler with my parents so I was thrilled. It's such a beautiful city!!
I went to the Holocaust Museum and the National Mall before heading to Georgetown. The "Mall" was beautiful but the reflecting pool was closed =( One really fun extra though was that the White House's front fountain was running green for St. Patrick's day. After seeing the monuments with Liz and Spencer, Liz and I hopped in a taxi to Georgetown to meet up with my friend Yousif (Joe)!
Joe was my Ra in Cairo and, I think, the first non-American I met there. He was the first to take me into town, the first to show me Egyptian food, teach me how to cross the crowded streets and even the first to teach me "hello," "please" and "thank you." He is from Bahrain but grew up in Egypt.
It was incredibly meeting up with him. We met at a shisha place off of the main street. It felt like home to me. A Mediterranean food place with arabic signs and decorations that let out into a courtyard where men were smoking shisha and speaking arabic. It was so nice to speak the tiny bit of arabic I know!! And catching up with Joe was beyond amazing, I really made some incredible friends abroad. He is in fact, the best. Ever.

Vote Votipka/Berg in the next presidential election! Haha!

Joey!!!

The next day was one of my favorites of the trip. I woke up early and hopped on the subway to have tea with Joey before I left for Maryland for our last concert. First of all, the metro in DC is phenomenal. Really beautiful and sooo clean. (Not compared to Cairo clean, real clean). It was easy to use and I got there and back just in time to pack up and hop on the bus. Then choir headed to Elicott City, Maryland which it turns out is fairly close to my roommates home in Pennsylvania. My roommate who happened to be home for spring break!
This turned out to be a complete God-send. As luck would have it, another friend of mine is visiting Maryland from Egypt. So! Mohamed needing a ride, and Caitlin being one of the greatest friends ever, the Skelly family made their way to see the CLU choir, picking up Mohamed on the way. We all had dinner together at a BBQ place. It was amazing to see him and catch up, and especially relieving to actually have him in front of me sense I had been so worried about him during the revolution. It was an awesome day, and the concert went really well! I also got to see my cousins Chris and Jenn and their beautiful little girls Emily and Hannah. I havent seen them for a few Christmases so it was really great even though it was brief. The girls drew Dr. Morton and I pictures during the concert =) They are CLU choir Alum too!! I could tell it meant so much to Dr. Morton was really touched that they drove all the way out to watch us! And I was too!!

محمد haaabibi

The CLU choir Bergs <3

Our last day we had a few hours of free time in DC and wandered the Mall one last time.
The entire trip was amazing. I feel very privileged, especially to be able to travel so much this year.

Molly, Liz, Kj, Lauren, Lincoln

Airports

My 2010 hyper travel adventure came to an end on Christmas eve as when I finally stepped onto American soil to be greeted by my beautiful family.
I can't even call the trip home merely a trip, we'll very poetically call it "my journey home"
But that'll come in a minute.

Our last few days of the semester were spent doing the things we loved most, like shopping at Khan el Khalili, drinking mint tea and eating taumea, ordering Dishesh Kentucky up to the flat, things like that. On our last night we decided to visit our favorite club one last time. We suspected it might be dead seeing as it was a tuesday night, but it was actually really nice that way. I got to spend my last night in Cairo with my very favorite people there and that's it. I remember wishing the night would never end.
But it did end, of course, and I had to get back to the real world, put all my belongings into two bags and make them weigh less than 50lbs each, and head home.

Suzuki, Mohamed, Kj, Margaux, Sophie, Alex, Joey
<3

My disdain for airports only grows every time I approach one. Why do they always send you from desk to desk? Why is it no one can actually help answer your question? Why is it you don't find out you're in the wrong line for at least an hour?
My airport adventure started off on a good note. Earlier in the evening I went with Alex and Sophie and a grumpy taxi driver to drop off Margaux. It was heart breaking, but it went smoothly. We all cried, and the taxi ride home was almost silent. The end of an era =/

Alex and Margaux

I left around midnight that night. Sophie, Alex and I hitched a ride with Mohamed and they waited as I got situated and then went through the gate. It was difficult to say goodbye, but in hindsight really not hard enough. It didn't feel real even until I walked off the plane at LAX.
Anyway, the way home wasn't quite as smooth as my trip there, the plane from Cairo to Frankfurt was delayed 2 hours, making me miss my connection to LA by...... 15 MINUTES!
And if you were watching the news around Christmas eve you may have seen images of frustrated travelers huddled in blankets, sitting on the floor, frustrated and stuck somewhere in Europe waiting for the weather to clear up... well that was me. I was lucky enough to run into some other AUCians trying to get home early on, and we stuck together while we waited 5 hours to be re-scheduled.
The next plane to LA was at 9 the next morning (christmas eve). But we got put up in hotel rooms and some free food. It all worked out okay, I would call it an exhausting hick-up. But no problem! Mafesh mushkida =)
I took a walk around the hotel with a girl from Louisiana and we made a snow man! It was beautiful outside, I hadn't seen authentic snow in a few years, so that made being stuck more than bearable.

Herbert and I in Germany =)

Then, finally finally finally, I met my family at LAX, just in time for In-n-out on the way home and a beautiful Christmas eve at home =)

Andrew and Dad wearing their xmas gifts,
traditional muslim dress, the galabeya