BUJU
We are sitting in a medium-size concert hall. A furious thunderstorm broke over the festival with little warning, leaving half the camp stranded in their ill-prepared tents on the hill with the other half left in the fairground buildings below. I currently have one pen and my program pamphlet (plus a useless 20 euro) to my name, and I have nothing better to do.
Actually, it wasn't that bad. I was sitting in a hall with only the clothes on my back (which were a pair of shorts & t-shirt), there was a thunderstorm, and we were cut off from the tent camp up the hill. But that was because of bureaucratic reasons. The real story goes something like this.
The weather is nice, it is warm, and everyone heads down to the main stage for the evening meeting. After the meeting, many of us stick around and chill, eat something, and a number of the others head up to the camp for some much needed shuteye. Around 10:30, a thunderstorm suddenly breaks out. Big lightning, rolling thunder, then five minutes wind, then 15 minutes drenching rain. Absolutely drenching. Only how a thunderstorm can do it. And then, silence. As in, it stopped raining. Towards mignight, I headed up to the tents to sleep, and found my way blocked. By fallen trees? By a flash flood that tore up the trail? No, by a few workers. Apparently, the upper camp (with all it's tents, enough to sleep 3400 people) was hit hard; flooding tents, blowing away some, leaving people with not a single dry article to their name...
AAAAHHH!!! NOOOO!!! HILFE!! SIE KRIEGEN ALLE PNEUMONIA; WIR MUESSEN DEN GANZEN KAMP EVACUIEREN!! AAAAHHH!!
Or something like that. Everyone in the lower area (where the main stage and all the action was going on) were herded into one big hall, were we got emergency blankets and were told to wait for further information. After periodic updates which conveyed absolutely no useful information, we were able to head up to the tents at around 1:00 (but only as a group with our youth group leader). Turns out, the place was a little soggy, but 80% of the tents were perfectly fine, and most of the people who happened to be sleeping already didn't notice anything. So much for evacuation. So much for efficient German organization. So much for a good nights sleep.
But it was fun.
Oh, so what was I doing in a festival ground with 4300 other young people chillin' in the rain?
I was at BUJU.
BUJU (pronounce Boo-yoo), the event which our youth pastor Dirk had been raving about since I've arrived (and that was last November). BUJU, THE youth conference of the year (which actually happens every three years) where all the youth from the German FeG movement come together. BUJU, the event with 4300 youthful participants, 550 workers, and a budget of over half a million euros. And Elspe, the little town close by the Elspe Festival grounds where BUJU took place. BUJU, May 26-28. A load of people. A load of fun.
Yup, that's more or less it.
No, but seriously, I traveled back from Switzerland on Thursday (the last day that my Eurail pass was valid), met up with Stefan Urban for lunch, and got into Würzburg in time for dinner. It felt like coming home. I mean, it was liking coming home in a way, but I didn't think the feeling would be that strong. Just driving through Würzburg, the road through the country, into Giebelstadt, and arriving in the Pabst's courtyard, now all abloom with springtime goodness...it was good to be back.
The weather was warm and sunny, and after dinner I hopped on a bike and pedaled my way over to the neighbouring village where house group was taking place. Had a very easy-going evening where we actually did no bible work at all (I mean, half of the group wasn't there). Riding back afterwards through the wheat fields in the dark, I couldn't stop this heavyness in my heart that I would have to leave this place within a week.
Friday I had just enough time to sleep in, unpack, do laundry, and pack again before heading into town to stay at the church overnight. Actually, I had a bit extra time, because Anna's flight from Venice was late, causing her to miss her connecting train to Würzburg. She flew to Venice with a friend of hers for four days to celebrate them completing their "Abitur" exams (I would say how cool that is and how jealous I am, if I hadn't been doing the same thing for the last six weeks).
Everyone met in the church Friday evening, as we were due to get on the travel bus to Elspe the next morning at 2. Yup, 2. The whole bus transport thing is organized by the BUJU organizational staff, and because we would need five hours to get there, we just had to get up early. Those from München got on their bus at midnight. So, after an evening of talking, playing poker (yeah, teenagers here are just as wild about poker as in Vancouver. Maybe even more), everyone found a nook in the church building and caught a few hours of shut-eye. 1:30 we get up, shuttle the baggage down the road to a place where we would get picked up (we didn't want to disturb the residents by getting on the bus right at the church), and are all gathered in the sanctuary about to head out the door to walk down to the designated place...when our leader's (Rebekka) phone rings. The bus driver is on the line. An accident just occurred on the A3, 300 meters in front of him. A truck is blocking the whole highway. It could be awhile.
Of course, we all hope it will only be half an hour, so we try to keep ourselves occupied (no one is sleepy now). But, unfortunately, it's not half an hour, and we manage to get on the bus by 4:30. Ah, yes, good times. The cool thing was, we had a whole bus to ourselves as we were exactly 50 people (an impressive number, pretty much everyone from the teen group and the older youth group - that being the group I'm part of).
We arrive in Elspe by 9:00 to sunny skies, where we pitch our tents (up on the hill), wolf down a buffet breakfast, and then hang around until 3:00, when the first central meeting kicks off the weekend.
Elspe Festival grounds is nestled on the hillside on one side of the valley, divided into two areas. Below, the big event tent, Main Street, the Saloon, and another big hall. Above, all the stables are located plus the huge grassy hill were we all camped. The festival grounds house a lot of rodeos, and is decked out in cowboy theme. Along the main street is a saloon (where we had meals), a bar, various fake storefronts (with meetings rooms in the back), and lame Western signs like "Silverado gun shop" or Will's Seed and Feed".
The main tent was more like a ton of bleachers (covered) facing a central stage. Here we had the main meetings, the focal points of the weekends. Five times we gathered there for worship, entertainment, and sermons on the Beatitudes (the theme of the weekend). We had one at 15:30 (I'm accustomed to using 24-hour time now, which everyone uses in Europe. Way more practical), had dinner, then another one in the evening. Saturday night was awesome. Just a great atmosphere, incredible worship (with a really good band) where you could just feel the presence of God (I had goosebumps half of the time), and a powerful sermon on "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" although in German it is "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen; denn sie sollen getröstet werden", which is a bit different. This has always been a hard one for me to understand - why must people suffer? Or how do you reconcile an all-loving God with the knowledge of people who are going through incredible hardship unjustly (as in Job in the bible)? It would be difficult to explain everything here, but it really spoke to me.
And then we had that thunderstorm fiasco. Boo-yah.
Oh, yeah, Saturday night before I tried heading up to the camp I listened to this four man soul/gospel/jazz band in the saloon. Wonderful musical goodness. Great singers.
Sunday was full program, with a meeting in the morning, lunch, then two seminars (which you chose when you apply months earlier), dinner, then another central meeting. Sunday night were a number of concerts, including a talent night with five bands from FeG churches all over Germany.
Monday we got up a bit earlier, had breakfast, packed our tents together (in the rain), put them all in the bus and headed for the fifth and last meeting. Right after the meeting (because we are Bavarians and have a long way ahead of us) we hopped on the bus and headed home. The others stayed to pack their tents and help out with the whole clean-up effort (the whole festival grounds had to be clear by the end of the day).
A wild weekend. A good one.
Some highlights (because I love point form):
-seeing everyone again at the church Friday night after six weeks absence
-chatting quietly in the sanctuary in the middle of the night waiting for a bus
-seeing Daniel and Christian again at Buju (they had traveled earlier to help set up)
-The tent I stayed in with Jan. A five man tent for two people, well roped down, well waterproofed.
-worship at the central meetings
-listening and cheering with 4300 other teenagers during all parts of the meetings
-these caps that all travelers from Bayern got. Set apart who the cool people in the crowd were...I don't even know who distributed them
-that soul/funk/jazz band
-the thunderstorm fiasco
-Sunday lunch (actually, it wasn't that good, but in comparison to what we got the rest of the weekend...)
-strolling past the long line-up outside the girl's washroom in the morning on my way to the mens washroom (it's great to be a guy)
-washing oneself at the long cattle trough-like washing basins with plenty of other teenagers who haven't showered in a few days.
-noticing with amusement the many people primping themselves in the morning at the mirrors provided. C'mon people, we're camping! We all know you haven't showered in a few days.
-the smell of wet forest after a good rainfall (only had to close my eyes and I was in the Vancouver Island rain forest).
We made good time on the highway and were back at the church by 16:00, all a little exhausted and our baggage wet, but 'na, no one really cared.
It was at this point where I had to say goodbye to most of the people that I had got to know over the last seven months. Mr Pabst was already there to pick us up and I didn't have much time, for which I am glad. It was difficult.
The last two days I have had to control (sometimes with difficulty) this overwhelming feeling of sadness that this has come to an end. I do feel that the time has come for me to head back, work, start normal life again, but boy, that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye.
Tomorrow I pack my bags and clean out my room. We're having Raclette for my last dinner with the Pabst.
It is now after midnight.
Actually, it wasn't that bad. I was sitting in a hall with only the clothes on my back (which were a pair of shorts & t-shirt), there was a thunderstorm, and we were cut off from the tent camp up the hill. But that was because of bureaucratic reasons. The real story goes something like this.
The weather is nice, it is warm, and everyone heads down to the main stage for the evening meeting. After the meeting, many of us stick around and chill, eat something, and a number of the others head up to the camp for some much needed shuteye. Around 10:30, a thunderstorm suddenly breaks out. Big lightning, rolling thunder, then five minutes wind, then 15 minutes drenching rain. Absolutely drenching. Only how a thunderstorm can do it. And then, silence. As in, it stopped raining. Towards mignight, I headed up to the tents to sleep, and found my way blocked. By fallen trees? By a flash flood that tore up the trail? No, by a few workers. Apparently, the upper camp (with all it's tents, enough to sleep 3400 people) was hit hard; flooding tents, blowing away some, leaving people with not a single dry article to their name...
AAAAHHH!!! NOOOO!!! HILFE!! SIE KRIEGEN ALLE PNEUMONIA; WIR MUESSEN DEN GANZEN KAMP EVACUIEREN!! AAAAHHH!!
Or something like that. Everyone in the lower area (where the main stage and all the action was going on) were herded into one big hall, were we got emergency blankets and were told to wait for further information. After periodic updates which conveyed absolutely no useful information, we were able to head up to the tents at around 1:00 (but only as a group with our youth group leader). Turns out, the place was a little soggy, but 80% of the tents were perfectly fine, and most of the people who happened to be sleeping already didn't notice anything. So much for evacuation. So much for efficient German organization. So much for a good nights sleep.
But it was fun.
Oh, so what was I doing in a festival ground with 4300 other young people chillin' in the rain?
I was at BUJU.
BUJU (pronounce Boo-yoo), the event which our youth pastor Dirk had been raving about since I've arrived (and that was last November). BUJU, THE youth conference of the year (which actually happens every three years) where all the youth from the German FeG movement come together. BUJU, the event with 4300 youthful participants, 550 workers, and a budget of over half a million euros. And Elspe, the little town close by the Elspe Festival grounds where BUJU took place. BUJU, May 26-28. A load of people. A load of fun.
Yup, that's more or less it.
No, but seriously, I traveled back from Switzerland on Thursday (the last day that my Eurail pass was valid), met up with Stefan Urban for lunch, and got into Würzburg in time for dinner. It felt like coming home. I mean, it was liking coming home in a way, but I didn't think the feeling would be that strong. Just driving through Würzburg, the road through the country, into Giebelstadt, and arriving in the Pabst's courtyard, now all abloom with springtime goodness...it was good to be back.
The weather was warm and sunny, and after dinner I hopped on a bike and pedaled my way over to the neighbouring village where house group was taking place. Had a very easy-going evening where we actually did no bible work at all (I mean, half of the group wasn't there). Riding back afterwards through the wheat fields in the dark, I couldn't stop this heavyness in my heart that I would have to leave this place within a week.
Friday I had just enough time to sleep in, unpack, do laundry, and pack again before heading into town to stay at the church overnight. Actually, I had a bit extra time, because Anna's flight from Venice was late, causing her to miss her connecting train to Würzburg. She flew to Venice with a friend of hers for four days to celebrate them completing their "Abitur" exams (I would say how cool that is and how jealous I am, if I hadn't been doing the same thing for the last six weeks).
Everyone met in the church Friday evening, as we were due to get on the travel bus to Elspe the next morning at 2. Yup, 2. The whole bus transport thing is organized by the BUJU organizational staff, and because we would need five hours to get there, we just had to get up early. Those from München got on their bus at midnight. So, after an evening of talking, playing poker (yeah, teenagers here are just as wild about poker as in Vancouver. Maybe even more), everyone found a nook in the church building and caught a few hours of shut-eye. 1:30 we get up, shuttle the baggage down the road to a place where we would get picked up (we didn't want to disturb the residents by getting on the bus right at the church), and are all gathered in the sanctuary about to head out the door to walk down to the designated place...when our leader's (Rebekka) phone rings. The bus driver is on the line. An accident just occurred on the A3, 300 meters in front of him. A truck is blocking the whole highway. It could be awhile.
Of course, we all hope it will only be half an hour, so we try to keep ourselves occupied (no one is sleepy now). But, unfortunately, it's not half an hour, and we manage to get on the bus by 4:30. Ah, yes, good times. The cool thing was, we had a whole bus to ourselves as we were exactly 50 people (an impressive number, pretty much everyone from the teen group and the older youth group - that being the group I'm part of).
We arrive in Elspe by 9:00 to sunny skies, where we pitch our tents (up on the hill), wolf down a buffet breakfast, and then hang around until 3:00, when the first central meeting kicks off the weekend.
Elspe Festival grounds is nestled on the hillside on one side of the valley, divided into two areas. Below, the big event tent, Main Street, the Saloon, and another big hall. Above, all the stables are located plus the huge grassy hill were we all camped. The festival grounds house a lot of rodeos, and is decked out in cowboy theme. Along the main street is a saloon (where we had meals), a bar, various fake storefronts (with meetings rooms in the back), and lame Western signs like "Silverado gun shop" or Will's Seed and Feed".
The main tent was more like a ton of bleachers (covered) facing a central stage. Here we had the main meetings, the focal points of the weekends. Five times we gathered there for worship, entertainment, and sermons on the Beatitudes (the theme of the weekend). We had one at 15:30 (I'm accustomed to using 24-hour time now, which everyone uses in Europe. Way more practical), had dinner, then another one in the evening. Saturday night was awesome. Just a great atmosphere, incredible worship (with a really good band) where you could just feel the presence of God (I had goosebumps half of the time), and a powerful sermon on "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" although in German it is "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen; denn sie sollen getröstet werden", which is a bit different. This has always been a hard one for me to understand - why must people suffer? Or how do you reconcile an all-loving God with the knowledge of people who are going through incredible hardship unjustly (as in Job in the bible)? It would be difficult to explain everything here, but it really spoke to me.
And then we had that thunderstorm fiasco. Boo-yah.
Oh, yeah, Saturday night before I tried heading up to the camp I listened to this four man soul/gospel/jazz band in the saloon. Wonderful musical goodness. Great singers.
Sunday was full program, with a meeting in the morning, lunch, then two seminars (which you chose when you apply months earlier), dinner, then another central meeting. Sunday night were a number of concerts, including a talent night with five bands from FeG churches all over Germany.
Monday we got up a bit earlier, had breakfast, packed our tents together (in the rain), put them all in the bus and headed for the fifth and last meeting. Right after the meeting (because we are Bavarians and have a long way ahead of us) we hopped on the bus and headed home. The others stayed to pack their tents and help out with the whole clean-up effort (the whole festival grounds had to be clear by the end of the day).
A wild weekend. A good one.
Some highlights (because I love point form):
-seeing everyone again at the church Friday night after six weeks absence
-chatting quietly in the sanctuary in the middle of the night waiting for a bus
-seeing Daniel and Christian again at Buju (they had traveled earlier to help set up)
-The tent I stayed in with Jan. A five man tent for two people, well roped down, well waterproofed.
-worship at the central meetings
-listening and cheering with 4300 other teenagers during all parts of the meetings
-these caps that all travelers from Bayern got. Set apart who the cool people in the crowd were...I don't even know who distributed them
-that soul/funk/jazz band
-the thunderstorm fiasco
-Sunday lunch (actually, it wasn't that good, but in comparison to what we got the rest of the weekend...)
-strolling past the long line-up outside the girl's washroom in the morning on my way to the mens washroom (it's great to be a guy)
-washing oneself at the long cattle trough-like washing basins with plenty of other teenagers who haven't showered in a few days.
-noticing with amusement the many people primping themselves in the morning at the mirrors provided. C'mon people, we're camping! We all know you haven't showered in a few days.
-the smell of wet forest after a good rainfall (only had to close my eyes and I was in the Vancouver Island rain forest).
We made good time on the highway and were back at the church by 16:00, all a little exhausted and our baggage wet, but 'na, no one really cared.
It was at this point where I had to say goodbye to most of the people that I had got to know over the last seven months. Mr Pabst was already there to pick us up and I didn't have much time, for which I am glad. It was difficult.
The last two days I have had to control (sometimes with difficulty) this overwhelming feeling of sadness that this has come to an end. I do feel that the time has come for me to head back, work, start normal life again, but boy, that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye.
Tomorrow I pack my bags and clean out my room. We're having Raclette for my last dinner with the Pabst.
It is now after midnight.
37 hours remain.
posted by thomassanz at
9:54 AM
1 Comments:
Thomas,
Just reading about how you are sad to leave makes me feel sad - it reminds me of how I felt when I had to say goodbye to my life in Giebelstadt. Yeah, that heaviness, I know what you are talking about. Okay, I think Im going to go cry now...
The hardest part is saying goodbye. It will be easier after you are home.
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