Goldenrod

The best thing that’s happened recently is fall. The towering beeches, maples, and oaks are clothed in color. Orange and yellow are too bland as descriptors. Reach into your metal-themed colors and call them copper, gold, bronze, and rust. Also, one of my favorite colors, goldenrod (which reminds me of my favorite jacket ever, the vintage thrift store bargain I wore through college).

A week ago I was driving with a friend through his corner of Flanders when the gold, copper, bronze, rust, and goldenrod were suddenly alive – by which I mean the sun broke through the clouds. Yesterday I was at a seminar in Leuven and I had to go outside during a break to admire the trees in the sunlight. Even though I enjoyed the seminar, I wanted to wander through the trees for a couple hours.

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In the absence of mountains, trees will have to do for natural beauty. And these trees hold my attention all right. Clouds and sunlight are quite attractive too. I do miss Central California’s warm winter sun a little, but adding clouds to the mix adds interest. It’s more like my home city of Seattle, where the frequent gray makes the appearance of the sun seem like a resurrection has occurred.

We did recently see some hills; we traveled just over an hour to the Ardennes, a hilly forested region of quaint and gentle beauty. We checked out the cave of Remouchamps, which includes a long boat ride on a subterranean river. We also checked out a nearby hilltop, as well as an ice cream shop.

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The hike I planned for the next day started out through a wet cow pasture. That mistake got our feet soaking wet. Finally, we found and followed the somewhat randomly placed signs and made a loop through the village and then out of town into the woods.

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After the hike we conquered Belgium’s highest point. With a little help from the platform on top, it’s exactly 700 meters tall. There’s a reason Belgium and the Netherlands are called the Low Countries. Next summer I must visit the Alps.

That sunny day motivated us to check out a well-known nature area nearby. Although it was again gray, there were interesting things to find.

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I realized that it feels different being a foreigner here than in Mexico and Honduras, where Rebecca and I have also spent significant time. In Latin America, we looked different, so we constantly surprised people by speaking the language. Here we look the same and surprise people by not speaking the language. The former was easier. I get tired of saying, “Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands,” (I only speak a little Dutch). I started an accelerated Dutch class, but even that was stultifyingly slow. I’m above level one (My name is… I come from…), but I didn’t think I could test into level two. So now I’m looking for a private tutor. I figure that refocusing the hours spent in the class on tutoring and conversation partners will accelerate my language acquisition.

Part of the adjustment process includes the feeling of foreignness, which I sometimes experience as irritation. What in the world do these road signs mean? Is it really necessary to print a tag for my vegetables? Why are you trying to cut me off then flashing your lights at me? Feeling irritated at things makes me feel guilty, like I’m disrespecting the culture. I’m hesitant to even write any of this, because I should say I love it here, Belgium is awesome. I am enjoying it here, mostly, but there are still things to get used to. It takes time, they say, for a place to feel like home. Language will help. As friendships develop more that will make a difference too.

I love the church. That didn’t take any adjustment period. I am still getting to know people. Every time is a delight. The only problem so far is that I like everyone so much there’s no way to spend enough time with them all. In addition to people, there’s a near constant opportunity to try new foods: Iraqi, South African, Ethiopian, Filipino (okay, I’ve already tried that one), and of course Belgian. Home-cooked Belgian food has been fantastic.

Lest you think we are spending all our time exploring parks and taking pictures, let me assure you I have been busy. Quite busy. As I fulfill my calling, the pastoral role continues to fulfill me: preaching, leading, praying, counseling, etc. I’ve always liked the variety. I’ve even done a funeral already. It was emotionally difficult to be with grieving people, as I still grieve myself. But the message I preach continues to give confidence. One day, the bright and glorious sun of the resurrection will shine indeed.