Learning Experience...

Okay folks, things just got real!  

I'm officially a European traveler, as I can say that I've stayed in a hostel.  Actually, I'm currently staying in a hostel.  I woke up this morning awaiting a phone call that didn't come, a phone call in regards to a housing arrangement.  I'm not going to say there wasn't a moment or TEN of panic and there were even a few tears shed.  Then I put on my big girl panties (sorry those of you who have an aversion to the word panties), spent some time pleading with the Lord for guidance and for things to just work out...and then I realized that I had some choices to make and needed to be proactive.  So, I got online and booked myself a hostel.  I was extremely hesitant about this, but was able to book five nights for the equivalent of half the rate of a single night at my hotel.  

So remember those massive suitcases I've been hauling all over? I still am.  I checked out of my room and left my bags at the hotel so that I could go to Starbucks. It's a place that feels like home to me and it also has air conditioning.  I was able to collect myself a bit while I had some coffee and then went back to the hotel.  I asked the gal to call a taxi for me and I left.  

So, riding in a taxi is an experience all in itself in London.  Lets just say that if your suitcases are on wheels you should lay them on their side when riding in a cab.  I might have a bruise from a suitcase that slammed into my knee as we suddenly changed lanes and stopped simultaneously. I was also warned that the black cabs are very expensive, so I was nervous when one pulled up for me at the hotel.  It cost me about $30 to go 3.7 miles.  Lesson learned, but I was dreading trying to lug suitcases up the stairs and was sure that the gaggle of Portuguese Middle Schoolers was a once-in-a-lifetime-pulled-it-out-of-nowhere God moment.  I'll pay the money.  Did I also mention that there are precious few elevators in London? Something I was completely unaware of before packing two enormous suitcases.  It's amazing the little things I take for granted.  Most of the buildings are older than the U.S. so elevators are precious few and mostly in more modern buildings.  When I got to the hostel, the girl at the front desk looked at me in disbelief.  I'm sure I've given every American a bad name by this point, so no need to thank me!  OOPS!  She was awesome though, and helped me tote them up the two flights of stairs to my room.  Let me say that if you are planning on coming to Europe anytime soon, start doing squats NOW!  I think I may at this point be able to "crush man's scull between thighs" (anyone get the reference? Wreck it Ralph? Anyone? No?).  I've never sweat so much in my life!  

I was the second person to arrive in the room.  Which I am glad of, as the bunks are three high. As soon as I saw them was having visions of crushing people as I came crashing through the top bunk in the middle of the night or getting a leg cramp half way up the ladder and clobbering some innocent bystander.  I digress.  I was greeted by Alex, he is British and Turkish and gave me a proper English greeting, which is a kiss on both cheeks (on my face, creeps!).  I apologized profusely as I was sweating like a whore in church.  He was very nice.  I immediately excused myself and passed out on the bed.  I slept for a few hours and when I woke up, there were more people in the room.  The room I'm in has 12 beds in total.  By now almost all of them are full.  There are people from Australia, Sweden, Finland and Germany.  Everyone is incredibly friendly and have interesting stories to tell about their travels.  I'm much more comfortable here than I thought I would be and feel that my stay will be memorable; not in the worst-mistake-of-my-life kind of way, but more in a wow-I'm-much-more-resiliant-that-I-ever-thought, kind of way.  

I have also been given a crash course in currency.  I went into a Starbucks near the hostel and met Jimmy.  Jimmy is studying architecture while working as a barista and moonlights as a currency tutor for ignorant tourist types.  Oh, and there was a quiz!  I've really only been using my debit card, so this was my first go-round with money.  The English love their coins and there are quite a few of them.  Jimmy told me all of their values and even gave me a one pence and two/five? pence because I didn't have any of those and was surprised that they were copper.  He was probably just trying to make me go away.  He also gave me cake, so there were mixed signals.  Anyway, we also covered a few different bills as they have different looks, just as our newer bills.  Then he quizzed me at the end.  I found out that Jimmy dislikes studying columns and building styles during his architecture studies just as much as I hate Math and we found common ground in that we both found them pointless.  I like to group learning currency in with Math. I did, however, pass the test, but with a B-, which in my program, is failing!

What I'm getting at is this: There are times in life when the answers don't seem clear cut or easy and the uncertainty seems paralyzing.  But you have to take risks in order to know your true capacity.  For me the challenge has been incredibly telling.  I'm stronger than I thought and there is a sort of confidence I feel knowing that I'm managing and that things are going to be okay.  It is in this that I see the Lord's provision. He provided a situation that would stretch me and test my limitations and ultimately make me stronger and more reliant on Him. I think we often see these as the times that God has "abandoned" us, but in all honesty, he's just taking the training wheels off.  He knows we can do it, but we have to believe that we can, and trust that He's not going to let us get hurt beyond the point of repair.  

  

I now have a wild night ahead of me...my "roommates" are all going out drinking and...I'm going to do some homework. Don't be jealous! :)