The Kingdom Within

"The Kingdom Within" is a book that I am currently reading. It was recommended to me, by someone that I am not very close to but oddly enough, it is exactly what I need to be reading now. One of my favorite lines to throw out is that I am too stupid to know what I need, so God drops it into my lap. This is one of those cases where through a series of random events, I am now reading this book.

The book focuses on the internal struggles of finding God's kingdom in your inner reality. As I read, I realize that an active struggle would be a progressive step from my passive resistance to self-searching and intimacy with God and his plan for me. I am a procrastinator. Fear, laziness...I am not sure. But I am sure that I am resistant to the quiet and peace that would still my heart enough to hear Him speaking to me.

So, here I am in this foreign place. A place that I never imagined I would end up in all my wildest thoughts. All of the excuses that I have used in the past to avoid going deeper within have been removed...career, motherhood, family, friends, etc. Even my husband is absent for the next two weeks. I have decided to use these two weeks of solitude to embark on that inner journey. Spiritual disciplines such as fasting, prayer, meditation and study will fill my next two weeks. Not to say that I am going to be a recluse. I have already agreed to join a Dragon Boat team next Sunday representing the English Speaking Cancer Society in a competition. This is a stretch for me since I have never done any paddling, save the occasional canoe ride on the Neches River. I am just saying that for the next two weeks, I will be more conscious of listening for the inner voice of God and discerning what His will is for me in this life.

Pray for me. I am a reluctant follower.

Transportation

In Texas, there is really only one practical way to get around...by automobile. You can drive a scooter or motorcycle, but heat, inclement weather and long highways make this impractical for your sole means of transportation. Basically, if you don't own an automobile, you are underage or indigent!

I am unsure what the statistics are on car ownership in Geneva, but it is obvious to me that owning a car is more of a hassle than it is worth sometimes. They are very expensive. Gas is outrageous by American standards. My husband had the oil changed and it cost 300CHF. (A Swiss Franc is just slightly cheaper than a USD.) Parking, especially if you live downtown is a huge issue. We rent 2 spaces at the Kempinski Hotel, which is a block away, for about 420 CHF each, per month. You must own two sets of tires, summer and winter. And if you don't have space to store them in your apartment, you can pay the garage to store them, as well as change them twice a year. If you want to travel out of the city and get onto the highway, you need to pay a highway tax and put a sticker on your car. Highways are "highways," not "freeways." Toll booths come too often and are pricey. There are many other expenses and inconveniences, I am just elaborating my point.

Cars are also much smaller here. You have all seen the adorable Smart cars running around in the US. They have tons of them here, and believe it or not, they are not the smallest cars here. I have seen golf carts bigger than some of the cars here. I have seen a few cars with ONE seat. There are scores of motorcycles and motorized scooters. There is lots of equipment for these designed to protect a person from rain and cold that I haven't seen before.

So, you may have asked yourself, "how do these Swiss people get around?" Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of cars. But living downtown, it is by far much easier to use public transportation. There is an extensive network of trams, buses and trains. To get to my husband's office, for example, I can catch the #1 bus to the train station and get on the #5 bus and it will drop me off in front of the office, all under 20 minutes. (It is also about a 20 minute walk.) You can also take the #5 going the opposite direction towards the airport and be there in 25 minutes. (It takes just as long or longer in a taxi.) If you take the train to the airport, I believe it gets you there in 7 minutes, but I haven't actually done that yet. You can catch a train and be in Paris or Milan or Zurich in about three hours (give or take.)

Aside from public transportation, people are very creative in their ways of ambulating. Walking is always an option. There are bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, segways and scooters (not the motorized ones, the ones that you push with one foot - yes, I have seen old ladies and men in suits riding scooters, skateboards and the like.)

For me, I like walking or taking the public transportation. My bike just arrived with my belongings, but I still need to go pay my "bike tax" and get a sticker. My car pretty much stays at the Kempinski unless I decide to drive to Chamonix or Nyon, or Yvoire. But then when I get to where I am going, there is always the problem of parking!

Bora Bora

Wow! What a great vacation! Although I am not a watcher of "The Bachelorette," my son informed me that the show was recently set in the very hotel that we stayed in during our time there. (His girlfriend is an avid watcher) I can understand why it is a prime destination for young couples interested in romance. It is certainly great for older couples interested in the same thing! They greet you at the airport and the hotel with perfumey flower leis and ukulele players. The water varies in the most gorgeous shades of blue that you have ever seen. The sun shines brightly most of the time, but there is rarely a place where you can't find shade and a cool breeze to make you feel at peace. It is paradise!



We planned some wonderful excursions. We scuba dived, para sailed, went off-shore fishing, sailing, snorkeling and the boys skied and wake boarded.

My husband and I have scuba dived before, or I should say, we attempted to before. We had a scuba excursion on a cruise we took once. While I did...okay, my husband was having some sinus issues that triggered some breathing problems and panic during our attempt to dive. We ended up quitting early and just enjoying the sights. This time was different. I was the one with the issues! Both of my boys took off like fish on their first scuba experience, and my husband had no issues this time either. Me, on the other hand, well I told the instructor after my first few attempts to adjusting to breathing out of my mouth only, that I would just stay on the top and look at the fish up there while the others dived. The instructor was a young, tall, skinny, pale, Frenchman with very long dreadlocks piled on top of his head. "Don't be silly! Of course you are going diving with your family," he says matter-of-factly in his French accent. He took the three others down with him while the other instructor coaxed me down with lots of helpful encouragement and determination. I eventually got over my anxiety and had a wonderful dive. It was fascinating to see the fish and sea-urchins and starfish and other see creatures. Mostly I enjoyed watching the boys chest-bumping and high-fiving at things they saw just as if they were on dry land.


An unfortunate side effect of diving was that due to the pressure, some congestion that I was dealing with was forced into my inner ear. That afternoon, when we returned to the hotel, I thought that a decongestant or something might help. My husband went to the gift shop and discovered that they didn't sell so much as an aspirin. He went to the desk and inquired. They manager informed him that they couldn't provide any type of drug, even if it was over-the-counter. We could catch the water taxi in the morning to the main island of Bora Bora and there was a store there that sold over-the-counter medicine. Also, she informed him, the only hospital was on the main island of Tahiti. It got my mind wandering....

The island of Bora Bora is just one of many tiny Tahitian islands. Actually, Bora Bora isn't even really ONE island as you can tell in the previous picture. We flew from LA to the main island of Tahiti on a very large plane. Then, we boarded a small plane and flew 45 minutes to Bora Bora. Then we boarded a boat owned by the Hilton to take us out to a smaller, remote island of Bora Bora. So the only way off the island was by boat. What would happen if there was a serious medical emergency? In a place where about a dozen five-star hotels are located, you take for granted things like safety and accessibility to public services.


Fortunately, we never encountered any problems, even though I am still trying to get my inner ear to dry out. But on the plane ride home, I was reading the Air Tahiti Nui magazine about their latest initiative. Apparently, they are trying to provide regular flights to more and more of the small islands, even though the planes will operate at a loss on these flights. It is a public service to provide the locals with access to public services and transportation. Their road blocks are not just cost, but lack of internet connection for booking flights on these remote islands, and the problem of runway space, even for the tiny prop planes they use.


Paradise...remote, poor, and quite beautiful!