Taize Rotterdam Day 3: It's Destiny

Thursday, 30 December 2010

On this third day, somehow i still can't believe that i made it to my very first European Meeting. A very complicated way to prepare my pilgrimage; start with saving money, a complicated visa application, then find the cheapest transportation. But anyway, i'm already here! So i have to seize the day!

This morning is like the other morning, start with morning prayer then a small discussion group. Today's discussion is about compassion and how we can care about each other, especially strangers. For me i just share about my experience doing social work for the homeless people in Glasgow. The interesting part is when everyone start to share what do they think and feel about this question. I have to say, this second day is easier to encourage them to share something. But this one girl when she starts to share, quite struck me because she's really honest about her feeling. I mean, this is the only the second time we have a sharing group and we still don't know each other so well but she seems to put a lot of trust for us so she can share such a deep feeling. It's so deep until she has to stop for every 4-5 words to hold her breath. We're just keep in silence to let her finish, and i was hoping that she can hold her tears.

When the discussion is getting more and more interesting, then i realize that this is the time when i should leave for my work. Oh how i feel bad and dissapointed at the moment! Because i just start to enjoy the discussion and i have to leave! But i don't want to miss the work as well because i like my work. So on the way to Ahoy, i was thinking to myself what should i do for tomorrow. I mean, one of the important thing about this meeting is the sharing group; how we share about something to another people that we've never met before. And i always like the sharing group in every Taize meeting because it always enrich me in a way. Then i think, about work, well in Glasgow i also do some practical work so it's not something new and rare for me. So maybe for tomorrow i'll just skip my work and stay in the sharing group until the end. Ok then, good point!

After took our earlier-lunch, we were going to our positions. Because yesterday i already hold the string, so today i'll try to become a "striker"; who direct the people to some empty space in the end of the line. Seems interesting and more energetic!

The first corner was easy, then we move forward a little bit. Later on i start to find the shape of how to direct people to some empty space for them to have a sit; greet with smile then direct them to some particular spot. So far i know, every work in Taize is important to smile at all time. Not a fake one, but an honest one :D

After we filled about 3 columns, then i feel bored about what i always said to greet and direct them so i think i have to find another sentences to make it more fun. Then improvisely, i acted as an usher in a five-star restaurant who greet the customer whom already book a VIP table in advance and lead them to their "table" by saying such things like, "Good morning sir! We're already expecting you! We already prepared a special place as you ordered before. Please follow me." I did this to some groups and especially those who came in a couple. Surprisingly, most of them "respond" my act and start to pretend that they're really in a five-star restaurant. Some of them even made an order, or ask to light the candles on their table. Then one of the team saw my act and joined me so our restaurant becomes more elite than before! Ahahaha it's so much fun!

Well of course i can't serve everyone who come because the later it gets, more and more people are coming. So i just serve some people or group in random. In the middle of this customers' invasion, i saw one familiar face belong to one tall guy. With a confidence, i call his name. Luckily he responded so i don't have to be embarrassed. Then i introduced myself in case he forgot who i am and we had a quick conversation.

After the hall is quite full, our coordinator called us to have a short break because we have to prepare our voice to have the repetitive-singing of our song. This time, i feel like we have to make some gesture to made us more visible and eye-catching while we sing our song. So i made this hand gesture to our left and right, and quickly the rest of the team use the gesture until we stopped our singing. Just like the other day, there's many people who stunned and start to take pictures or video of our "performance". Yeah at least we made their day! Good job, guys!

When the beautiful midday prayer ended, i teamed up with a Dutch friend whom i've met yesterday in the L'Arche' workshop to go to today's workshop. Just like the other day, there's a lot of interesting workshop that i want to attend. But later on i decided to come to this workshop; about the life of the sisters of Missionaries of Charity. Wow, i didn't expect before that they have community here in Netherlands. I'm always fond them a lot and that's why i gave some couple of days to volunteering in their community while i was staying in Manila. So to meet and listen their sharing about their life here in the Netherlands will be another experiences for me.

As always, on of the interesting part of going to a workshop is to get lost and find a way in a strange city. Luckily this time i'm with my new friend so i have someone to talk to. Apparently, it's not that difficult to find this parish which hosts the workshop because there's many people who going to the same direction. Surprisingly, there's a lot of people who interested in this workshop; i can see how all the benches inside the church are occupied. Later on, the sharing was divided into several groups so the sisters don't have to share in a large group. I'm glad that i decided to come on this workshop because on my group, the mother superior of the community in Rotterdam herself who share about her life in the community. Wow, what an honour!

The sharing and the workshop itself ends with an interesting Q&A session. When we walked out the church, some guy approached me and said

He: Excuse me, are you from Indonesia?
Me: (surprised, feels like i'm the only Asian here ;p) Uhm, yes.
He: Oh so i was right! Do you remember, we've met before.
Me: Hm?
He: Yes we've met before back in your country, in Indonesia.
Me: Really??
He: Yes, we've met in an Indonesian restaurant. Do you remember?
Me: ?????
He: Along with your friends, which is one of them is my friend whom will get married at that time.
Me: ..... OH!
He: Do you remember?
Me: OH! OH! She's INGE! Yes she's already married now!
He: Yes yes Inge!
Me: OH! OH! OH MY GOD! Now i remember! I REMEMBER YOU!
He: *smiled*
Me: OH! OH! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!! *jumping around* OH MY GOODNESS! YES! Even we seated in one table! Even you sat next to me!! OH MY GOD!! NOW I REMEMBER!!! WOW! WOOOOWHHH! How come did you ended up here? AH BECAUSE YOU'RE FROM THIS COUNTRY!!! NOW I REMEMBER! OH MY GOD!!! But i forgot your name, i'm Timo by the way...
He: Ah Timo, yes! I'm Michael! I'm so glad to see you here! 
Me: Me too! It was around one year ago isn't??
He: Yes it's true! It's amazing isn't?? I didn't expect to see you here and now. And also there's a lot of workshops today and thirty thousands young people, i choose this workshop and i met you! It's like destiny!

For me, it's really really surprising! Maybe i feel like the Polish on yesterday when i surprised her. It's really amazing how life works! I mean, our first meeting one year ago back in Indonesia is only a very short meeting, maybe less than an hour. But somehow he recognized me in a way, well maybe i'm the only Indonesian in that workshop or i don't know. But still, this accidental reunion is the most amazing experience i have during the meeting! Then we spent our journey back to Ahoy by memorize what happens about one year ago on our first meeting and catching up each other stories.

Apparently, my reunion of the day didn't stop there. When we were taking our supper, i see a group of young people in one spot which each of their faces is really familiar to me. Then i leave my meal, approached them, and made a silent-screaming complete with the gesture. Then they just turned crazy! Start to hug me really really tight until they lift me up since they taller than me. Yeaaaaaay!

After a very nice conversation with them, we finished our supper and headed to the prayer hall. Because this evening prayer will be the last in the meeting so i want to sit as close as possible to Br. Alois because i'm sure tonight he will announce where the next meeting will take place.

In the end of the prayer, as usual he gave the meditation about forgiveness which we will discuss about it on tomorrow's sharing group. Later on he announced where the next European Meeting will take place which is not so surprising anymore since many many people already know about it. Then as i didn't expected before, he also announced the next meeting in another continent that will be held on November 2012. Now this one is surprising because not so many people knew about this before.

After the prayer, i decided to meet another Indonesian friend whom i knew but never met before. It's quite interesting because our only contact before this meeting is only commenting our friend photo. Then i knew that he came for the meeting just a night before when our friend tweeted and mentioned our name. Then i met him. Not only him but also with my other old-friends!

Then i went to the pub with them and had a very nice conversation with one of my friend until late in the evening. What a nice and a different way to end my day!

Taize Rotterdam Day 2: Reunited

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

I woke up quite late in the morning, had a quick shower and quick breakfast, me and my house/pilgrim-mate headed to our host church which is only 10 minutes of walk. We thought we already late for the morning prayer but apparently the prayer hadn't been started yet. When i was looking for a nice seat for me, accidentally my eyes dragged into one girl with typical and familiar hair and scarf. Apparently that girl also saw my coming, so we ran and hugged each other really really tight! It's the German girl whom i've met before in Manila ten months ago and in Manchester about two months ago. We already contacted each other about going and meet each other in Rotterdam, but we really surprised that we stay together in one host church! What a life! Then she told me that she's gonna be in the same discussion group with me. Wow!

After the beautiful morning prayer, which is i have to lead the singing and Our Father, there's one English guy came to me. Interesting what he said to me, "Hey, i know you. You're the Indonesian boy, right? Do you remember, we stayed together in the silence house during my time in Taize on 2008. But it's funny because i never heard your voice until now, of course because at that time we were in silence". Haha! What an interesting "pick-up" lines! Interesting isn't, how Taize connected people in such a way! Then we introduced our names and catching up about how we ended up here.

Being an animator for the discussion group isn't a new thing for me, since i've been an animator on my first week and an animator for the 15-16 years old group as one of my job in Taize. But it's two and a half years ago! Really, at this time i feel very nervous. Don't know exactly what to say so i just let it flow. If the people in the group quite easy to share then it made me easier, but this is the first day so i have to break the ice. I just think if i want to share something then more or less i have to know about this person. So i made a brief introduction not only about name and nationality but also how many European Meeting already been attended,   already been in Taize or not, and such thing like that. The problem is, my work for the entire meeting in Ahoy is circulation team for the midday meal distribution so on the half of the discussion i have to leave earlier. Apparently i'm not the only one in the group who have to leave earlier, but almost half of the group! I don't know if i have to feel happy because i have companions or i have to feel bad because now the group gets smaller.

Anyway, i'm not the only one from my host church who work for the circulation midday meal distribution but also the other Britons! Yeay! Maybe it's just because we were together during our welcoming in the first day. While waiting for our briefing by our coordinator, quickly we joined the Portuguese group to play some game such as "Coboy Game" which is really really fun!

But then i see one familiar girl who holding the big sign of coordinator's name. I ran and hide to her to make sure she didn't realize about my coming. After quite close then i accelerate my run and stop exact in front of her and gave her a very very big smile! Her reaction was totally unpredictable; she threw up her big sign, holding her head with both of her hands showing a seeing-a-ghost expression, and moving backward like she didn't believe that it is real. After 5 seconds of the-most-surprising-moment, we hugged each other really really tight. Not only one, not only twice, but thrice! During my work as a coordinator for breakfast and tea team in Taize, this Polish girl the coordinator of the small washing up in the big kitchen which is we have to work together in one roof everyday in one week. And that week we really had so much fun, especially during the business of the meal distribution. I don't think she knew before about my coming to Rotterdam even i already posted it in facebook, since her expression is really really shocking :D

Get a very quick briefing by our coordinator, we headed to our kingdom, the biggest meal hall; Hall 6. As i expected before, we get our lunch before the other pilgrims because when the pilgrims get their lunch then we have to work really hard!

After a quick-unfinished lunch, we have to be in positions. Accidentally, i get the position as the string holder; to make a human-string rail to circulate people in particular directions. The idea is to fill the hall in a very corner then go forward and so on. Well, at the first time i thought that what a silly job; just to hold the string and make a way for the people. But later on, i realize that this kind of job is a very important to make sure there will be enough space for the pilgrims to sit on the floor and take their lunch. If there's no circulation team, then people can take a sit everywhere in the hall and there will be not enough space for about something-thousands young people to take their lunch nicely on the floor. So yeah, sometimes some job might a bit silly but if you understand the basic idea then you might think in a different way about your job. It's all about perspective, isn't? ;p

Quickly i found out about what's the most fun part about this holding-string job; greeting people with a warm smile and saying "enjoy your meal" in every language as long as i can remember it. Worked in the big kitchen in Taize last 2008 made me learn about how to say "enjoy your meal" in several language. But now i only remember it in French, Spanish, and Italian so i have to refresh my memories. The good thing of doing this to every person that passed me is to see their reactions; many of them smiled, some of them laughed, and some of them greeted back to me in their own language. So i think i made their lunch time a bit different. Another good thing being the "circulator" plus "greeter" is you can see everyone's faces, includes your dear-old friends! Like this afternoon, i found my three dear-old friends already! Yeay!

Then i found out that being a circulator team isn't only about to circulate people in, but also to "circulate" people out! Yes, 15 minutes to the midday prayer, we invite the people to finish the lunch and go to the prayer  halls. Usually, the team just telling the people but the Italian group in our team has different idea; to SING!



Seeing several (crazy) young people to sing and dance and walk around the hall, instead of leaving the hall, they became more attracted to stay in the hall to take a photo and watch us marching around the hall. It's so much FUN!

After the midday prayer finish, me and my two British friends decided to stay longer in the hall because we want to look and meet a friend of us. When the choir stopped to sing, we start to looking around the hall. This friend is one of the Indonesian permanent in Taize and from the information i've got he's in charge for this prayer hall, so he's got to be here somewhere. After desperately looking and shouting his name, i tried to look behind the decoration and found him! As usual, i gave the best of my hug. Yes, i've met him in Manila for the first time, then when we're at Jakarta, he used to join the Taize prayers in my parish along with his friends. The good thing is, after he left to Taize, his friends still come and join the prayer every month in my parish.

Not only him, i also surprised one brother who seems to be responsible in this prayer hall as well. Then accidentally, this Italian guy bumped on me said that he already hear about me from the Indonesian permanents and very glad to meet me in person. Wow. So we introduced each other and had a very nice conversation, then we exchange contact details. I'm still quite amaze how Taize connected people in mysterious ways.

After booked my return ticket back to London, i went to the workshop about L'Arche community. I know i'll be late for half an hour but still it's a worth to visit since i always interested in L'Arche community in every part of the world. Glad i decided not to give up this workshop and still came even it's already quite late, since the workshop is really beautiful! The residents tells their testimony, along with their parents, then they're singing and dancing some songs.

Back in Ahoy, before join the evening prayer i think it's a good idea to go to the loo. Again, good decision by me since in the way to the toilet, i recognized one guy and he recognized me as well. Our body gesture is quite funny actually, we just stare each other with our right hand pointing at each other trying to figure out who's this guy. Then i start to break this awkward silence by saying "We stayed together in Taize on 2008! But i can't remember you were staying in Neva or Tilleul at that time! You're from Germany right? I'm Timo, what's your name?". Haha!

There's one beautiful thing about this evening prayer; just like in every evening prayer, Br. Alois gave his meditation for the day, but this time in the end of his meditation, he spoke about how he very touched by his visitation in Haiti just one week ago. Then he let one Haitian girl whom stayed in Taize at the moment to share what's her feeling about the disaster and grateful how every young people in the world keeps praying for her country every 12 of the month.

After the prayer finished, i made my short contact meeting with my contact brother since i already made an appointment this afternoon. Even there's no proper room for our meeting, so we just sat in the dark corner in the sacristy. But beyond that darkness surrounds us, there's a little enlightenment about my journey in the 2011. I'll tell about it later :D Then yes i'm very glad to be able to meet my contact brother and had a very nice conversation and discussion.

The enlightenment that just struck me, calls me to make a prayer around the cross. By this time there's not so many people again who queueing up so i don't have to wait for a long time. Put my forehead on the top of the cross and pray, made me really really feel peace. Feels like life is getting easier. Then i asked for Br. Alois' blessing which he still in his place to accompany the young people who make a prayer around the cross. Having an opportunity to talk to him, i said, "Brother, thank you for still being here and accompanying us even you look really tired." But his replies surprised me and a very good yet thoughtful to ends my wonderful day,

Thank you as well for welcoming us

Taize Rotterdam Day 1: The Welcoming

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

This is it!

This is the day which i already expected since months, well 9 months exactly. I remember, after i came home from the wonderful time of preparation and the meeting itself in Manila, i really really want to experience what it feels to be in European Meeting.  To be in the middle of thousands young people, to meet, share, and pray together. Wowh! It's not because the meeting in Manila "only" attended by around 5000 young people, but maybe because i just addicted. Well, i think it's normal since i've met a lot of people who "addicted to Taize-thing".

After seven hours exhausting-coach journey from Manchester to London, plus nine hours another-long-exhausting-coach journey from London to Rotterdam really made me total tired. Well, it's a night bus so either you like it or not, you have to sleep in the bus which is i found out difficult to have a deep-sleep since the bus always stop for border check which is quite unusual. But that's ok because that's my first time to cross the English Channel by a ferry! Dover to Calais, YEAY!

Teamed up with the other British fellows who want to join the meeting as well, our bus arrived in Rotterdam Centraal two hours behind the schedule, which is 4am in the morning. Later we found out that we have to wait until the city of Rotterdam wake up on 6am from their sleep then we can use their transportation service to go to Welcome Point.

Quickly we teamed up with the French pilgrims, we headed to the Welcome Point by the metro. The one of the advantages to travel by group is to help each other, especially in the strange country early in the morning with all the signs in DUTCH. Yeah i just remembered, i'm in the Netherlands already! But with a good teamwork even most of us just have met nine hours ago, we made it to the Welcome Point in some part of Rotterdam. Welcomed by the infamous yellow-Taize-signs and the warm-and-full-of-smile welcome by the volunteers, suddenly i feel like home. Even Brother Matthew who greeted us told me in one point, "ah, you're the Indonesian boy! Come come, we were expecting you". Wowh, it's so Taize! Suddenly i remembered the time when the first time i came to the hill, after a very-very-long 24 hours journey, starving-exhausted-wet,  Brother Jean-Patrick welcomed me with a very warm smile.

The welcoming starts, and it seems we are the first English speakers who came in that day (of course, it's 6am in the morning!) since the volunteers still finding out their shape of how to welcome the pilgrims. But later on, we've got our meal tickets, the amazing MRT card with Taize sign printed on it, work sheet (i've got a circulation team for midday meal distribution), and a very - very wide map of Rotterdam, plus a sheet of how-to-go-to-our-host-church. I found out from our accidentally-British-group, we split up into two host churches. So me and the other fellow British pilgrims finding our way to go to our host church, a place where we will stay for the next five days. Yeay!

This is so much fun! Finding the way to go somewhere in a strange city, with a foreign language in every sign and announcement. The only help is the spelling names on our map and we have to match it because we don't know how to pronounce it correctly. I just keep telling to myself that; i survived in Japan, which they even didn't put Latin alphabet on almost anything! After a metro and a bus, we found out that our church is exactly on the side of the road. I was like, "ooooh it's too easy! i want more challenge!" ;p

After justified by a Taize-sign on the bus stop, we're heading to our host church. In the church, one guy with a camera - turn out to be their priest, greeted us with a very very warm welcome. Then we were being introduced to the other church members, which some of them are organizing the host family for the pilgrims in their parish. Later on, they welcomed us by things which us Britons already craving out since early in the morning; tea, coffee, and biscuits!

My pilgrimage on that day to the bed turns out to be not that easy as i expected before. When my fellow friends one by one already sent to their host family, I have to wait like another two hour until they gave me my host family. One thing  that i like about anything related to Taize is, everyone who participated is really really nice, kind, and warm-hearted so it's way too easy for me to make friends just to begin only with smile and eye contact. Around 12 in the afternoon, finally they sent me and another Slovenian pilgrim to our host family. The son of our family picked us up in the church and showed us the way to his home.

Apparently, our host family is originally from Eritrea. Seems to be that i'm the only person in the world who never heard about that country before. Anyway, he stays with his mother and his younger sister. The children can speak english very good, but not their mother. But it's not a problem since i have a good Tarzan-language. The interesting thing is, when the mother always answering me in Dutch, i found out that there's some of Dutch words which is have exact the same of the pronunciation and the meaning. Interesting!

After a nice conversation of getting know each other with a nice tea and biscuit, finally i can have a proper deep sleep even it's only one hour and a half. Go back to the church and teamed up with the other pilgrims to go to the main venue, Ahoy. Apparently, my host church is not that far to Ahoy, it's only two bus stop and we're there!

This is it! This is the moment when i always watch in the Taize-video (even for hundred times during my time in Manila!) and i always whispering myself that someday i'll be one of them! The moment of thousands of young pilgrims walking together to one direction! And this time i'm really being one of them! In the Taize-videos also showed that in the main venue there must be a giant poster about the European Meeting. But this time, it's on giant screen on the main venue! W.O.W.

Queuing up for the meal distribution, then had my first-simple-meal-package-Taize-style; two breads, cheddars, cold meats, an apple, and a bean-soup in a tin. Had a quick dinner in purpose, i headed to the prayer hall because i want to sit in the front as close as possible to the brothers. So i pick this one nice spot next to the one young seems-to-be nice boy. And quickly we had a very nice conversation, which turns out that he already go to Taize since he was a little kid and this is his first European Meeting because he's just turns out 17 years old and he's very happy for that! Now i regret my self not to ask his contact email/facebook/whatever because he's really nice young boy!

In the middle of our conversation, someone poke me from behind. It turns out to be Br. Jean-Patrick! With a wide surprised-smile he asked me such questions like, "Timo, what are you doing here?? How did you ended up here??" and i was just like "I don't know, you tell me, brother!". Ahahaha! But seems that he's in the middle of something so we had a very quick conversation and catching up each other. After that, i saw Br. Andreas walking across the hall. I ran to him and hugged him! He was like laughing and i said to him, "Brother, i am here!" then he replied "Yes i can see that! So the pilgrimage continues, huh?". Again, he's in the middle of something, well he ALWAYS in the middle of something! So i back to my nice spot and waited for the prayer to begins.

Then the choir leaded up the opening song and suddenly these several thousands young people joined the singing, and i had a goosebumps all over my body. It's...BEAUTIFUL! Especially the moment of silence, WOW around 30.000 young people in silence for 5-8 minutes. Indeed, beautiful!

The prayer continued with a prayer around the cross, as always in every meeting i guess. As i've expected and experienced, many many many people queueing up to pray around the cross. But i'd prefer to stay in my spot and continue to sing. Then until one point i saw this brother going out from the brothers' place and went to the sacristy. Quickly i ran to him until he saw me, but he just ran away from me! Haha! Finally i've got him and i hugged him, my long-lost brother Andre! We had a nice conversation in the sacristy and catching up each other, until i realize this is the time i should go back to my host church to attend the animators meeting.

After had a quick meeting of the animators, i'm going home and i'm really really exhausted. But i had so much fun!