intro

when i was a kid, one of my faves was for a Sunday lunch to have plum dumplings - not only for their gorgeous taste, but because it was a family process to make them. sitting next to the kitchen table at the age of six, packing the pieces of those blue fruits into potato coat, I would have never thought that the first round of plum dumplings made on my own would be served to a few benedictine monks in the Netherlands...

...but it happened, it happens, i am living now next to the Northern Sea with a few catholic sisters, a brother, and Thuy (- you may have already known her otherwise read the previous posts they worth it. ohooo, by the way, do not expect from my entries a similiar style - she knows how to write!).

what is: dwelling in a huge complex of a monastery, equipped by a good bike and a nice romantic attraction to farm life, i have found myself in the exact middle of nowhere (though the sea is acting somewhat like a border). going out to the sand dunes i have an impression that i am standing in the center of the universe. i guess it is just a silly joke of the clouds lining up in a circle tricking me to feel that. however it is, not a bad state at all.

so, what is the reason that one, this one has left all her life (a nice life) and Tolsztoj (my mongrel dog) back in Hungary to devote a year to volunteering at a Dutch convent? amongst many, the main one: is to experience silence in all the ways. a silence which can manifest by words, by the sound of rain, by the smile of the sisters as well as by real physical silence. a silence that is hard to understand but easy to feel - and sometimes the other way round. and a silence that will hopefully accompany all my life.

from this point of view, my situation is quite advantageous. i have left behind all the anxiety of my beloved city, my schedules, duties and roles -  most of the activities that i had found necessary to sustain a life. this gives an exceptional opportunity for a European to face with a deeper existence day by day. living open and simple.

otherwise, do not think that i am sitting still in a meadow with cows doing nothing other than meditating. there are several nice tasks to do as a volunteer. activities that hold real meaning to me. if you are still interested, follow my posts, you have a chance to get to know more about them later.

ildi