And my spirit yearns for more excitement with each passing day as if todays is not satiating enough!! :)))

Our 'Last Supper'

For the last few months I have been thinking of working on a 'Last Supper' picture for our dining area. But none of the many ideas in my head seemed exciting enough. Like I do with most things I wanted this creation to be a depiction of my own understanding of what Jesus' act of service and sacrifice means to me.

Last week one of the stores here called 'Lidl' had a wonderful offer for a metal tool that is heated to 500 degrees C and has different bits (like in a drilling machine) to make designs on cork. leather and wood. Basically it burns the material and you get a black and white effect. We have several planks of wood in our store room and once I had bought the machine I knew what I was going to do. First I practised on some cork coasters to check how it was going to react. I felt pretty comfortable in the initial 10 minutes of using it and I grabbed a plank of wood to make our very own Last Supper frame.

It took me about 2 hours to complete the work with occasional 2 minute breaks as the fingers got tired. The device gets very hot and so I could not afford to be distracted even for a bit. The task required a lot of concentration, patience and skill because everything was done free hand with reference to another last supper picture. Holding the metal tip at one point for too long over heated the wood creating smoke that hurt the eyes and irritated the nose. So I also had to ensure I was not over heating the wood and holding the materials at an angle where the smoke didn't enter my nostrils directly.

Hmmm so now to tell you what is so special about our Last Supper. You will notice two things: 1. Only the apostles seated on one side of Jesus are coloured dark while not the others. Each of us has a bright side (our strengths, potential) and a dark side (our weaknesses, limitations). I believe that Jesus comes to reach out to us irrespective of who we are. He comes to strengthen our strengths and heal our weaknesses. All of this being a reminder to treat ourselves with the same respect and care. 2. Jesus' face is coloured dark which makes it difficult to recognise him. Jesus didn't just come for us years ago but He keeps working in our lives through different people, often through strangers or the least likely people.

Our 'Last Supper' is an image of hope, faith, respect, service and love. Each day when we sit together as a family I hope and pray that we are reminded of these values.

I take charge of the way I learn...

In the current context I am talking about my decent and recent progress in learning German. I still have a long way to go. Based on my experience so far here are a few tips when planning to learn a foreign language. 

Is learning German difficult?? 
Now I wonder if doing anything the first time is easy. The same applies when learning a language. A million meaningless sounds flying around all at once. But once you hear them over and over again you may just manage to see gaps between two different sounds. The key is to LISTEN..

So even before I started attending class in Mumbai, Flav helped me find material online that I could save and listen on my Ipod and print and read when on my way to work. So I spent one hour everyday just listening and repeating what I heard while following on paper. I didn't understand everything I heard but I understood the difference between the sounds and slowly they didn't seem so unfamiliar. Few sounded a lot like words from the English language. This activity was such a blessing because when I finally started class after two weeks I didn't feel so lost.
http://multilingualbooks.com/fsi-sampler.html#german

Now I am in a place where I hear those sounds (which I can call words) all the time. My vocabulary is still very limited but I still haven't stopped "listening" to what people talk to each other at a supermarket, while traveling or over the phone. No am not hungry for gossip... just plain hungry to learn.

When I came here I criticized the system of teaching a lot... and I still do in some ways. But that process of criticism was only to help me understand what would help me learn better, what my strengths are and today I feel satisfied.
1. The dictionary is THE biggest help every time you hear a new word.
http://dict.leo.org/
2.  If I want to say something in German and I am not sure if I am right then I first frame the sentence based on what I can and then cross check with lingoes. You can use it for any other language. Its a freeware and also compatible with mobile phones. 
http://www.lingoes.net/en/translator/download.htm

3. I am not particularly fond of reading a lot but I do enjoy reading short stories and articles. So I try looking up material that interests me.

Short stories in both German and English! http://www.a-language-guide.com/german-short-stories/
http://www.fln.vcu.edu/menu.html

I may not have control over the way I am taught but I sure do over the way I learn!!!