So far, I have posted a lot about what I’m doing here, the places I have gone and the things I have learned. But today I would like to share a little bit about a friend I have made. Her name is Jana (Yana).
Jana and I get along really well. She was one of the first people I met at the ski trip when I first arrived in Brno. Her sweet, bubbly personality caught my eye immediately. Everyone seemed to love her and I couldn’t wait to get to know her better. We had a few opportunities to talk at the ski retreat where I was introduced to her sensitive and caring nature.
We soon learned that we shared a youthful quality. We like to giggle. We giggle like little girls whenever we see each other. All Jana has to do is look at me a certain way and we both break out laughing with childish glee. I don’t know what it is about Jana, but the sun always shines a little brighter when she smiles. I love to spend time with her. Even though she is a few years older than me, I know I have found a kindred spirit that also shares my 12 year old soul.
I forgot to mention that Jana is one of my English students. And she speaks very little English. But somehow we have learned how to read each other’s mind. We laugh when I complete all of her sentences. When she can’t communicate her thoughts into words, she will usually break out into a game of charades making sounds and gesturing with her hands. After a few minutes of her frantically waving her arms and pointing to object in the room I confess that I knew what she was talking about the whole time, but I just wanted to see how well she could play our game. Then the laughing starts up all over again.
Jana has taught me a lot. She cares for people far more than she cares for herself. Her eyes light up when she asks me about my weekend, even if all I did was spend every day sitting in my dorm room. She makes me feel like hearing about my boring weekend is the most interesting thing she has heard all day. God has greatly gifted her with a care and passion for people. She might not always understand the words I say, but she can understand their meaning. I remember the first words she said to me were, “I’m sorry, my English is not good. But my name is Jana.” Somehow I knew then that there was something special about her.
This afternoon, Jana and I had English class. Instead of sitting in a gloomy room, we decided to go into the center and do some shopping. Jana had some errands to run and I was ready to get outside in the sunshine. I quickly revised my “lesson” to learning new vocabulary and proposed the plan to Jana. Her eyes lit up and she said, “Yes! What good idea!” As we walked out the front doors of the office, the warm rays of the sun were ready and waiting to meet us. But the cool spring breeze kept them in a comfortable balance.
We rode the two trams to the center and Jana led me around the cobblestone streets and alleyways to her favorite craft shops. She loves to do crafts, and today she was buying supplies to make beautiful organza flowers that could be used as pins for your clothes or for your hair. As we walked through the shops, we practiced all her vocabulary: beads, chains, clasps, stones, thread, yarn, and on and on. At each store, we had to stop and admire everything lavender. It’s Jana’s favorite color and she’s yet to find something lavender that doesn’t bring more joy to her life.
As the church bells rang, we strolled through the farmer’s market. We admired all the fresh herbs, fruit, nuts, vegetables and flowers the vendors were selling. Everything smelled fresh and juicy. The air was full of spring. We walked down another alley that lead to one of Jana’s favorite stores. It’s called Dominica’s Place. Inside the tucked away store were beautiful vintage place settings, candle holders, clocks, wooden boxes lanterns and much more. It looked like the store could have come straight out of a magazine. The spiral staircase in the back corner showcased a decorative place setting complete with ornamental duck figurines. It took little effort to imagine a fantastical, candlelit, garden party under a canopy of stars in this quaint little shop. As we left, we both sighed with the desire to stay in our dreamland.
No afternoon spent in the center would be complete without ice cream. Actually, most of what they have here in Brno is gelato. But you won’t hear me complaining. As expected I got chocolate and Jana took swirl. We walked and licked. We licked and talked. And as we headed back to the office, I had to suppress the urge to start skipping along the sidewalk as if we were two grade school girls on summer vacation.
I hope to spend more afternoons like this with Jana. Life always becomes a little fuller and the day is a little brighter. If only I could put her in my pocket and take her with me wherever I go. I know you all would love to meet her :)
People sometimes say that a blog is just an online journal. I have to agree to a point, but I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise that I don't share everything on this blog. But I've decided to give you a little excerpt today...
Lunch was FANTASTIC: fresh calamari, shrimp, octopus, and some kind of squid. I'm sorry if I'm making some of you turn green, but I'm in Greece. You have to expect me to talk about seafood. There was also some fresh salad and bread in there somewhere ;)
