Time flies! I am learning that more and more.. unless you are waiting for someone to get out of the toilet, it goes really fast.
Here it is, already past the middle of October. I'm in the middle of teaching at Master's Commission Amsterdam Noord (check website here: http://mcan.nl/). I teach music/worship (imagine that?), and also girls' discipleship. And Joy (the other staff member) and I have fun going crazy with our 8 students... FUN! I'll introduce them all to you soon :)
Then I'm busy with Youth and Sunday worship at my church, Pinstergemeente Agapé (also located in the North part of Amsterdam). Leading worship is a passion of mine, and so is learning new languages. I get to combine them here as I lead in Dutch! I don't speak it hardly at all, yet somehow the words make sense when they are put to music. Go figure that one out... :)
And of course, my choir: FireChoir! FireChoir.nl if you're interested... We are down to less than 7 weeks until our concerts at the end of November.. WHAT?? How did that happen? Seriously, time is flying crazily by! Gotta love it!
Gods zegen allemaal :)
~A
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Wat zeg je?
Yeah, you're thinking, what is she saying? Unless you speak Nederlands of course.. :)
Since coming back to the Netherlands, one thing that I have been busy with is learning Dutch. I haven't been actively studying it (I have my Rosetta Stone sitting right here under my desk, waiting to be uploaded onto my computer!).. but I've been going to a Dutch church that has some translation, but not everything is always translated all of the time. I start getting used to hearing what Dutch sounds like: different letters make different sounds, some combination's make other sounds, et cetera. And a lot of it is about learning to "tune my ears" into those sounds, recognizing them, and knowing what letters make up those sounds.
One of the best ways I am finding to help me out with all of this is singing. I've been helping out here and there with the worship at my church, and singing in Dutch in a couple of weddings this past summer as well. There's something amazing about how singing in a different language can help with pronunciation. I've learned that singing can be a form of mimicking, which is why it works out so well. Of course the payback is that many people start speaking to me in Dutch because I should be able to speak it when I can sing it, right? Haha, well maybe. =)
Nonetheless, it is a privilege and honour to be able to help lead in worship here in this country where I feel so called and so at home. Even before I can fully communicate in the spoken language, I can communicate through my voice, through the gift that God has given to me. How very precious.
Blessings all :)
~Alicia
Since coming back to the Netherlands, one thing that I have been busy with is learning Dutch. I haven't been actively studying it (I have my Rosetta Stone sitting right here under my desk, waiting to be uploaded onto my computer!).. but I've been going to a Dutch church that has some translation, but not everything is always translated all of the time. I start getting used to hearing what Dutch sounds like: different letters make different sounds, some combination's make other sounds, et cetera. And a lot of it is about learning to "tune my ears" into those sounds, recognizing them, and knowing what letters make up those sounds.
One of the best ways I am finding to help me out with all of this is singing. I've been helping out here and there with the worship at my church, and singing in Dutch in a couple of weddings this past summer as well. There's something amazing about how singing in a different language can help with pronunciation. I've learned that singing can be a form of mimicking, which is why it works out so well. Of course the payback is that many people start speaking to me in Dutch because I should be able to speak it when I can sing it, right? Haha, well maybe. =)
Nonetheless, it is a privilege and honour to be able to help lead in worship here in this country where I feel so called and so at home. Even before I can fully communicate in the spoken language, I can communicate through my voice, through the gift that God has given to me. How very precious.
Blessings all :)
~Alicia
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