I've made some uncanny realizations when it comes to driving in this country.  One I have not experienced in Czech Republic or Spain.  I never drove in Russia.  Now that is craziness I never wanted to attempt!!
Expectations of drivers who DO NOT have the right of way!  It is insane to me!!

Let me explain.

Let's say you are on a one lane road (one lane in each direction) and you stop at a light.  I understand that it is polite to stop at a parking lot entrance when stopped at a light to allow cars to come out in front of you or to cross into the other direction.  I get that!

I got honked at the other day because I blocked a car from coming onto the road.

In my defense, I didn't see him coming, plus MY LIGHT WAS GREEN!!!  I was only waiting for the cars in front of me to begin moving.  He honked and threw his hands up at me.

What did I do?

Looked at him and threw my hands up at him!!!

Good, Christian like come back, isn't it?!
How long did he actually wait after I got by?

All of 2 seconds before he could come onto the roadway!!

Come on people!!! 

And this whole politeness feels as if it almost extends to giving complete right of way to non-right of way traffic!  Yes, if I have the right of way I feel as if there is an expectation there for me to SLOW DOWN to allow those coming into my lane!  I'm not kidding!  It is weird!  I am always watching to make sure someone isn't going to turn into me!

Then there are roundabouts.  I don't think there are many roundabouts in the US, but they are common here.  The law is that you watch the traffic on your left.  Those already in the roundabout have the right of way and you must yield to them.

Well, the POLITE thing to do in Austria is if you are in the roundabout, you slow for those coming on to enter in front of you.  However, this is not the law!

 I GOT HONKED AT for not allowing a lady in a roundabout in front of me!!  Excuse me?!  I'm IN the roundabout and have the right of way!! 

Had she hit me, by law, she would have been in the wrong.

Culturally I was wrong.  What?!

I even watched another car get honked at that was in a roundabout and didn't slow.  What I thought was funny was that the car in the roundabout, who wass doing as the law states, actually stopped in the roundabout and proceed to point at the yield sign to the honking car to show he certainly did have the right of way (did you follow that?)!  Good job!!   Slowly they are figuring this law/cultural thing out!

I just have to remember why I'm here.  It's not about fighting over the driving rules, now is it? Ha!

We've heard about and been preparing for this process for months.

For the type of visas we need, there is only one time of year that we can apply. 

This is now our 4th country in Europe.  Russia, you can't even step foot in the country without a visa.  Czech Republic requires a visit to a neighboring country to their Czech embassy to start the process (never knew why, but easy enough to drive to Vienna, Austria or Dresden, Germany) and then in a few months you show up to the visa office, sign some papers and your done.  Of course, we had a Czech helping our colleagues that was knowledgeable in the area of visas to keep up with the laws.  She was a godsend!

Spain was a little more complicated with every piece of paper you own needing an apostille (a special kind of stamp).  Although lengthy and armed with more papers than they need, it wasn't so bad.

Austria, on the other hand, just doesn't make sense to me.  Lots of paperwork was also required, but here's where it gets crazy.  You are required to stand in line vying for one of 60 visa slots (or so we've heard it's 60) that are given that year for this particular visa. Doesn't sound so bad, right?  Problem is, there is NO order.

Our visa has to do with the fact that we work in the country, but are paid outside of Austria and will not be working for an Austrian company, therefore will not be covered by their social care. 

Seems to me they wouldn't mind these kinds of workers in their country.  They don't have to pay us AND we are contributing to their economy.  Right?!

In the past our colleagues have experienced some chaos in this process.  It has boiled down to being whoever can throw their elbow the hardest gets in the door first.

The last 2 years have been a bit better.  A lawyer representing certain clients have started a list of names of those who show up.  It's a first come, first serve bases, based on when you arrive at the door.  However, the visa office honored the list last year and we hoped it would be the same this year.

The line has gotten so crazy that it warrants an overnight stay.

In past years, our colleagues have shown up around 5 am to get in line.  Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky.  Some of our colleagues drove by the office late afternoon on January 1st and before 5 pm a line had already formed!!  The plan had been to get in line at midnight.  That was quickly changed when 20 people were already on the list at 5 pm.  Jerry showed up at 6 pm and we were numbers 47-51 for each member of our family.

Y'all (and I don't use that term often, but this warrants it), y'all I am getting too old for this!  Staying up all night!!  My body does not do so well.  Especially when I am required to take care for my kids the next day!  Which, by the way, our kids spent the night with some colleague friends!  They were not required to be there.....or so we thought.  More on that in a minute.

The plan was for me to show up at about 5 am.  I could do that, but the lawyer keeping "THE list" said if I didn't show up by 3 am I could be bumped for not being there in person IF a government official came by.  Did I show up at 3 am?  Yes I did (after 4 hours of sleep).  Did a government official come by before 5 or even 7 am?  No, one did not!  Oh well!

Anyway, Julie and I hopped in a taxi and got there by 3 am.  Insanity!!!

This is craziness!  Now, I'm not saying that the US system or any other is without flaw (ha, that sounds funny)

Really?  There is not a better system to standing out in the FREEZING, MIDDLE OF THE WINTER, COLD to get a CHANCE, not even a guarantee, for a visa slot?!

We did, however, have 2 cars nearby to get an occasional warm up and we did have access to bathrooms.  But, wait!  It doesn't stop there!  Sounds so nice of them to give us access to bathrooms, right?  Well, said bathrooms just happened to be located off of a HUGE foyer area!!!  Were we able to sit in said foyer????  Nope!!

It was somewhere between 6 and 7 that we were able to come into the foyer and line up.  It was much warmer in there.  We were all sprawled out on the floor, mostly heads nodding off.

Eight o'clock came.  There was a bit of pushing and a bit of stress.  People were walking in and not observing the line.  Come to find out, many of them were there for other reasons.  Oops!  Things remained calm and "the list" of names were honored and we were called in order.

We wrapped up our weekend festivities by attending the local carnival in celebration of San Isidro.  It's standard fare to have all kinds of food and rides,  pretty much just like in the States.
We had a tag along for the weekend.

It's fun to learn new things in a different culture.  I was waiting for my kids to get out of school when a mom, who I've had coffee with a few times, of one of the boys in Brennan & Reegan's class handed me a packet.
I've now been introduced to Torrijas.  A traditional pastry eaten during the Lent season.  I couldn't wait to give it a try and do a little research.

Torrijas are similar to French Toast.  Bread, milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon.  The only difference is they are deep fried in olive oil, which does give it a slightly different flavor and a bit more oily.  But they are good!  I plan to make them myself sometime!
 Do you like trying new foods?

Honestly, the questions in my last post were somewhat selfish.  Isn't that often how we as human beings think?  Or maybe it's just me!!
I often wonder what people, friends, family think of us living in Europe.  Are we crazy?  Are we on an exciting adventure in beautiful places?  Are we uhm.....crazy?  That first and last question are probably very true!  We are a bit crazy!
 
Thinking through and discussing these kinds of things is always interesting to me.  Peoples perspectives and ideas can be so vastly different based on so many different things.  Our education, experiences, places we've lived, people whom we know.

Sometimes I wonder how expats living in Europe are viewed.  Do you think it would be easy?  Western Europe has running water, toilets that flush, flashy fashion trends.  Doesn't sound so bad.

Honestly, it's not that hard to live here, comfort wise.  We have everything we need and more! I even have better internet than my parents!

I try to think back to before we moved to Europe and how I viewed it.  One of my lifelong dreams was to ride a gondola in Venice, Italy.  Based on that dream alone, I think I romanticized it just a bit.
Of course, there is plenty to romanticize.  It's beautiful!
Did I enjoy that gondola ride in Venice?
 Oh how we look so young....with glasses.....and skinny!!  Circa 2000 with our spankin' new mammoth of a digital camera!

Have I seen my fair share of beautiful castles?

However, the castles, the cathedrals, the Alps, the gondola rides are just a scratch of the reality that makes up Europe.

When picturing Europe most probably think of Western Europe, but in our communications work with our organization we see and cover Portugal to Far East Russia, from Finland to Greece.

It is put so well by a fellow in Spain.
"Missionaries living and serving in the Western Mediterranean region of Europe have a much different life than they grew up reading about in traditional missi. They have no huts, no bush and no fear of the jungle or cannibalism; nor do they see tribes of people converting to Christ. Instead, they live in big cities with busy people caught up in materialism and the post-Christian culture of Europe."

I also really like this article and think it's a good definition of what some do in Europe called Horizontal Missions.  The article is describing this as it pertains to volunteers that come to work in Europe, but I think it is so true of those of us who live in Europe as well.
"With no physical needs to meet and with no apparent opportunities to assist habitants in daily life, the foci can be more on prayer and building relationships than performing specific tasks. Trip planning is less about a predetermined daily schedule and more about following the Spirit as He leads. A typical day on this mission trip might be spent prayerwalking a neighborhood or hanging out in a coffee shop, prayerfully seeking to connect with one or two locals.  
 Citizens of the United States have the ability to travel to remote locations of the world and help the helpless, and should, for the sake of the Gospel. Yet those who exist in cultures just as advanced as theirs should not be forgotten."

Yep, that about sums it up.  In Western Europe, we may have a lifestyle similar to that in the US, but the task before us is huge and long!

I guess this is a bit of a challenge to you.  Will you take the time to think past the things you know that make up the reality of Europe?

You may be asking what that is.

Human trafficking and prostitution, to name a big one!
I came across this blog post last year titled "The Sex Cafe." I would encourage you to read it. It gives insight into where the human trafficking begins. It's sickening, but it's reality.

Did you know that the city we lived in, Prague, Czech Republic is a main thoroughfare for human trafficking?  And even more pointedly, the district of Prague 3, where we lived, is home to much of the cities sex industry?  Among all that beauty, cobblestone streets, picturesque views is a very dark city.  A very lost country.

In another part of Europe, the country of France, one M speaks in this article about prostitution and how they are reaching out to these women.
"In France, legalized prostitution includes paying taxes, accruing vacation time and having access to social services such as health care. But despite the fact that a secular government has given legitimacy to this profession, its dependents are still robbed of their hope and dignity.
Most women on the streets are either victims of circumstance or something far more sinister. Sex trafficking is a thriving industry in France.  Many prostitutes have been brought from other countries, had their passports taken, experience physical, sexual, emotional, financial abuse, and are often forced into dependent substance use.  Threats and intimidation are an every day reality for these women. "

There are so many more, but this post is already getting long, so I'll spare you.  But just to give you a little peek.......persecution of Roma (Gypsies/Roma are the largest minority in Europe), war torn Balkans, alcoholism in Russia.  This is just a tiny bit of the realities we are faced with all over Europe.  Maybe I'll share more about these at a later time.

Did you know some of these things existed?  Are you surprised?  So what are your thoughts of on the  work in Europe??

Will you join with us and pray for the people groups that make up Europe?

I would be ever so grateful!!  And would love to hear from you again!  Thanks for all your comments on the last post!

I'm curious......a little interactive post here.

Three questions for you.

What are some of the first thoughts that come to mind when you think of Europe?

Do you think of it as a whole, as the European Union?

Or do you think of it individually?  France, Italy, Germany??

I hope to hear from some of you!  I know there are a lot of lurkers out there!!  Speak up!  I'd love to hear from you!!

I'll be back to tell you a little more of where I'm going with this.

Be thinking and comment away!!

My friend and colleague, Mara, hosted a Scrap n Chat event in our city of Alcobendas this week.  I wish I could say that I was crafty.  I am not.  But I went more for the chattin'!  Ha!
I obviously didn't read the information (in my defense, it is in Spanish!) because my idea was that we would be sitting working on photo books.  That's not what this was at all.

This is my neighbor, Chus (pronounced Choos.....it's an "s" sound on the end and not a "z" sound like in English).  We periodically meet for coffee (and sometimes Churros) and I really enjoy spending time with her!
She is one of my "go to" friends when I have questions.  Her family introduced us to membrillo and her highschool daughter is great with my kids.  They love them some Anna time!
She speaks much more English than I do Spanish,  but we definitely have the Spanglish thing going for us and often are looking up words!  Ha!

Chus is from Valencia (did you know in Spain it is pronounced Va-len-thia?).  Just like yesterday, she told me about Las Fallas (pronounced "fayas" in English), a fiesta in Valencia.  It sounds quite interesting!  Beautiful paper status are created all over the city and then on March 19 at 12 am they are stuffed with fireworks and lit on fire.  Spain sure has the most interesting and intriguing fiestas!  I love the creativity in this country!

Chus has invited us to go for a Saturday trip to a nearby city, Sigüenza.  We hope to plan it for two weekends from now.  I'm so excited to spend some time with them and see a new Spanish town!

If you think of it, will you pray for them?  Her husband, Alberto is an engineer and lost his job due to the economic crisis in Spain.  He is waiting on a phone call at the end of this month to see if he has been accepted for a new position with a Chinese company here in Madrid.