A Week in Taize #9 - One Week!

Sunday, 7 August 2011

So apparently a week on the field in Taize is wonderful as well. It's such a different experience with my three months stay in Taize on 2008 so I can't really compare it. Stay longer in Taize is about to live in the community of 40-50 boys from different part of the globe. But a week in Taize is more a pilgrimage from an individual person who come to this small village.

Sleep in the barrack with the other 5-6 pilgrims, take a shower (sometimes cold shower) in a shower room for 10 people, queue in a big line for every meal with the other thousands young people, get a very simple food that makes you craving and miss your own food at back home, do a practical work that you never did before in your life just to make sure this place keep running properly, listening to the brother about the bible and share it in the small group, and of course pray 3x a day in the church.

I'm glad I decided to stay for a week in Taize so I can experience the "both side" of life in Taize. On this week, somehow I can feel how the work, the bible introduction, sharing group and meeting people, and the prayers are connected in a way. I get the "theory" of how to live a life in the bible introduction, then applied it on the practical work and meeting people, then bless for it on the common prayers. Seven days is short (for those who love Taize very much), but somehow I made this shortness became limitation. From that limitation, I can respect more every time that I spent on the hill. Even though I catch cold, sore throat, and lost my voice, but I want to live up every moment. It's like to stay up until the late of the night in the church and wake up early in the morning to join the morning prayer. Or to arrange carefully every free time that I have to meet old friends, new friends, or the brothers and sisters.

One interesting thing that happens today is, I don't feel sad at all when I have to say goodbye to my new friends. And even when I get on the bus then the bus left Taize. Maybe it's because I already proved that, IT IS POSSIBLE to meet my European friends whom I met in Taize again in the future. Oh yes, my one-month visitation in Europe proved it all, I met and visit some of my best friend whom I met in Taize three years ago. Even I have to wait for three years later, or even four, at least I know and I believe that I will meet again these new friends that I met in Taize this summer. The power of possibility! :D

working team in Olinda

small sharing group

A Week in Taize #8 - Celebration of Light

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Today is my last full day in Taize. So I experience already, a week in Taize like the most people do. I do feel that 7 days in Taize is really really short, or maybe it's because I experienced to stay in Taize for three months already. But I feel like I really respect every moment on these last 7 days. Never miss one single prayer, always go to the church earlier to get the best spot, queue for the meal earlier, stay up very late in the church to enjoy the songs, etc.

But the time isn't enough to meet all the people that I want to meet. Especially the old friends that I haven't seen for years and I know that they're in Taize at the moment. Also some brothers that I want to talk to. But really seems like I enjoy very much to meet new people and make new friends as well. Well these past few days, I can see how much time I spent to hang around with my new friends that I've met in the bible group and the working team in Olinda.



It's good thing that I arrived on Saturday last week so I can join the evening prayer with the "Celebration of Light" twice! Thus, I can bring two candles home :D Yes, every Saturday on the evening prayer, they will lit the candle in the end of the prayer to celebrate the resurrection of the Christ. The children who sit next to the prior of Taize Community, Br. Alois, will lit the candle in the first time then they will spread the light around the church. The beautiful thing to see is how the Church of Reconciliation slowly but sure began to lighten up by the candles. It's wonderful experience to be part and to see how the light spreading around the church, it's like when I'll back home I'll spread the light from Taize as well.

A Week in Taize #7 - Meal in Silence

Friday, 5 August 2011

Today we had midday meal on the field in silence to remember our brothers and sisters who died and suffer in Somalia. Imagine, 2700 young people on the field, having meal in total silence! And it worked very very well! It's really beautiful to be part of this phenomenon. Queued up in the line, receiving the simple meal, looking for a place to sit while looking around at Point 5, all just in silence!

I've heard that this silence meal on the field already happens the week before I came. Last week they had it to remember the victims of the attack in Norway. I don't know about the week before that, but I feel like this silence meal on the field can continue on weekly basis.

Well, silence is already the main part of life in Taize. Not only on every prayers, but the brothers (and those who stay longer) always have meal in silence every day. There's also a program for those who want to spend their week in Taize in silence. For those who stay longer, this week in silence (or a couple of days in silence) is  common thing for them to take part.

For my self, silence itself is beautiful and such a rare thing to find in this modern world. Especially silence in context of spirituality. I found a really good analogy by one of the brother to describe it. In two-way communication between two people, one of them have to be in silence in order to listen the other one. Between us and God, if we're keep talking on and on, then how we can listen what God want to tell us?

It's really connected in a way with the evening prayer, because the end of the prayer, the cross of Taize will lied down on the floor. First, the brothers will pray around the cross, then they will invite people to pray around the cross as well. Most of the people put their forehead on the top of the cross. This way of pray symbolizes how we can give our burdens and weary to Jesus, and pray for it. Sometimes if I feel too much or overwhelmed with all the problems that I have and I don't know what to say, I just keep my self in silence and surrender my self.

A Week in Taize #6 - The Brothers

Thursday, 4 August 2011

I like to watch how the brothers enter the church when the prayer about to start. With their white robe with a very long sleeves until it covers their whole hands, they walk from the front of the church to their place. Then they kneel down, put their tabouret (prayer bench) on their feet, and ready to pray. Then one by one, the other brothers did the same thing until they filled the brothers' place in the middle of the main church.

I like to watch as well how they pray when the prayer started. Solemnly they look at the altar and sing each songs by heart without even looking at the song book. My favourite part is the silence, some of them they bow and put their forehead on the floor. Some of them just put their forehead on their knee, and some of them just keep staring at the beautiful altar. Overall, I'm amazed at these brothers. Maybe I'm not the biggest "fan" because I know there's many young people here also have the same feeling. But I fond them.

It's about how they run their community in this small village in France. How they always open their community's wall for the "outside world", especially for the young people. Since Br. Roger founded Taize Community until this second, they let another people from different part of the world to join their daily prayers, in their church! Even they build barracks, prepare wide open field for people from the "outside world" to stay in their small village.

They organize many things in a very systematic and simple way in order to welcome these thousands of young people who want to stay and pray with them. They didn't create such a movement to spread the Christianity through Europe. Among with the young people who come to their village, they're just doing the same thing they have in their community. They invite the young people to join their morning prayer, followed by breakfast, then bible introduction or practical work in the morning, stop for midday prayer followed by lunch. Then the afternoon continues by the bible introduction or practical work, then tea time. Then they have a supper and closed the day by evening prayer. It's a very simple daily routine, but all these young people just keep coming and coming every year, either because of loving the songs that used in every prayers, or for a thirst of looking for such a "Great Divine".

The beautiful thing is, the word about Taize is spreading around the globe. The prayers continued in different part of the globe using the same style just like the brothers do in Taize. Lucky for me, I found one Taize prayer in my own parish in Jakarta, back on 2004. And I just easily fall in love with the prayer's style, with the silence, the candles, and the repetition of the songs. If I didn't follow my friend's invitation to join the prayer on that time, maybe now I will not be sitting in the Church of Reconciliation in Taize at 11.30 pm to enjoy, pray, and sing the song.

A Week in Taize #5 - Losing Voice

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

So the highlight of today is, I lost my voice. Yes it's the middle of the week, I still have 4 more days in Taize, and I can't sing even once single song during every prayers! And even on the day that seems like they sing most of my favourite songs! Argh!

But this losing voice means something else; I'm having a great time in Olinda! So since I introduced the Maquentuetuetama to my small English group, my coordinator asked me to taught the song & dance to the big group as well, which is contain about 47 kids with 6 different languages. So today is my second day to lead the Maquentuetuetama in the big group, and I also taught a new game as well. Maybe I used the wrong technique to shout, instead of using diaphragm I used my throat. But at least I'm having fun with the kids!

I still like the meeting people in a long queue of the meal distribution thing. When I queued, I'm always afraid of end up being alone to have my meal. But apparently it never happens! In the beginning usually I just by myself and pick the shortest line. But soon I get in the middle of the queue, there's always some people poke or call me, then we had a conversation in the queue and I had my meal with them. So I think this is one of the positive thing of coming to Taize by my self and stay in the field.

Oh another nostalgic moment. I joined the workshop about "How to Share a Life with the Moslem Believers". Three years ago, I was one of the people who share the experiences, and now I'm happy enough to sit as the participant and listen to their experiences. The other good thing is, I know this workshop didn't happen every week, but it happens on the week when I came! What a chance, what a destiny!

A Week in Taize #4 - Meeting People

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Taize is the perfect place to meet people and make friends. Since Saturday until today, I have many of surprise meeting with some friends that I've met in Taize 3 years ago. With some friends, we already knew via FB that we will meet in Taize. But this surprise meetings occurs whenever and wherever the destiny wants, especially on the long queue for the meal.

Seems like every time I queued in the line for every meal (and I'm alone), I always met people and made friends. It happens in a very simple way; eye contact and smile. The universal pick-up line is "where are you come from?" is always work. The conversation even more become interesting after I said "I'm from Indonesia" and usually this statement raised another question. Even they're more surprise knowing the fact that I stay in Taize only for a week, but later on I have to explain the story behind it ;p

The other good thing is, if I already visited some European countries and I met people from that country, then I can share my experiences and my point of view about their countries. Such as today's evening meal in the line I met Romanian girls and they're quite surprised that I visited Romania two weeks ago. They even more surprised when I showed off some Romanian vocabularies which I learned. Yes, even for the Romanian themselves, they're quite surprised if there's someone visit their country because usually Romania isn't the "main destination" for vacation. So with this, I even more proud that I already visited this beautiful country.

My other highlight meeting is, there's this German guy whom I met in Cadole on summer 2008. That time he came to Taize with his 15 years old girl friend and they only stay for a week. We worked together collecting rubbish outside Taize. Me and my Argentinian friend on that time didn't believe that this 15 years old girl is actually 15 years old because she's quite tall. After they left Taize, we lost contact. Until a couple of days before I came to Taize, my Argentinian friend mentioned me on his comment on a photo of this "15 years old girl". Then this German guy somehow managed to found me on FB and added me as friend. Yesterday when I was queueing in a long distribution line for evening meal along with the other 2700 young people, a guy next to my right poke me and gave me a have-I-met-you-before look. Then I just greet him, "Have we meet each other before?", "Yes", "2008?", "Yes", "Tilleul?", "No", "Neva?","No", "Hm?", "The 15 years old girl?", "WHAAT?? You just added me as a friend on FB a week ago!". Ahahaha indeed the destiny has a good taste of humour.

A Week in Taize #3 - Good Start

Monday, 1 August 2011

So eventually I had a good Sunday! The First Welcome job made me have to move on from the old memories. I did this job before to welcome adults but this time I have to welcome young people particularly from Scandinavia. This job is really fit for me on Sunday to made me to be able to welcome new young people, and not to cling to my old friends. The other good thing is, I work with the working team as well so I can do a tricky thing to get the job that I wanted so much. Three months in Taize on summer 2008 I experienced the job in all places in Taize except one; OLINDA, a place for the kids. So from the working team, I know where the rendezvous for Olinda Work Team. I came there and eventually I've got a place as an animator for the 6-8 years old kids! Yeay!

Today is such a great day to start the week. The big group of Olinda is coordinated with an English girl (I love English accent!) and the small group of English speaker contains 4 kids; 3 English kids and 1 Czech kid. It's a pity that we don't have Czech animator, but hey language isn't a barrier to communicate. Eventually it worked out with my only one Czech word that I know (dobře). Also there's one Dutch boy who is very shy but quite talkative on one-on-one, so I just tease him and carry him all around the field. Special tribute to Pedro Sandoval from El Salvador, I taught this small group how to sing and dance the infamous Taize song of 2008, Maquentuetuetama.

The bible introduction and the small sharing group in the afternoon is even more wonderful. I came to Point M by my self and a bit afraid if I get a not nice small sharing group, such as with teenagers. But apparently the brother divide the big group according to age, so I get a group of older than 25 years old (which is this age group doesn't suppose to work ;p). And I love my group already! They're mature and deep thinkers, so we had serious discussion on heavy topic. We just started the discussion with one question from the paper and our discussion just goes with the flow.