First impressions

So when I landed at the CDG airport everything moved along quicker than expected. When I've traveled out of the country in the past, I'm usually required to fill out a customs disembarkation form. Not this time. In fact, when I passed through customs to get my passport stamped, I didn't even have to give a reason for my visit; just a quick "bonjour" and "merci" was all I needed to get me into Europe. Simple enough.

After following familiar passengers to the baggage claim, my check in popped out before I could even begin to worry if it stayed in Texas.

The dad had arranged for a cab to pick me up. His name was Mr. Linh and he would be waiting right outside of the baggage claim holding a "Diego" sign. Johnny on the spot (or should I say, Lihnny on the spot?). He helped carry my bags out into the 30 degree weather, knowing exactly where my destination was. Mr. Linh had quite a story: A Ox farmer from the age of 4, he had a

passion for the arts, which was quite contradictory to the traditions and aspirations of his people. As his family reared and broke in the 4-legged beasts, boy Linh would dream of the

day, in some way, that he'd perform in one of the biggest theaters in the world, in Vienna, Austria. Going against his parents wishes of carrying on and handing down the business that had supported generations upon generations of Linh's, he found the opportunity he needed to get his foot in the door by trekking all the way from the tropics of SE Asia, through the deserts of the Middle East, and finally to France, all by foot and hiker-friendly transport.

Actually, I just made all that up. That picture isn't even Mr. Linh. It's a picture that showed up on the internet when I typed in "chinese taxi driver." We didn't even speak more than a few words to each other. It was quite a peaceful drive to the family's residence. Here's a real photo I took:

Our 45-minute drive to Noisy-le-Roi was mostly foggy. A lot of cars are this size or smaller. It's rare to find any trucks or SUVs.

After being greeted by the mom, I was introduced to my first French pastry. I forgot what she called it, but it was the tastiest raisin-bread I've ever tried.

Afterwards I met one of the boys and was given a tour around the house.

More later...

Leaving on an empty plane

Hi everyone.
I figured I'd start a blog about my trip instead of emailing you guys every once in a while. It will keep things more organized.

So this trip was a bit last-minute, as I was expecting to do something a little more "missionary" in nature, but hey, I'm not gonna decline an offer to go to France if God could use me out there in some shape or form. Out of all the other travel opportunities I had in mind, the Lord began to close doors one-by-one, either by way of the other ministries not needing help at the moment, some didn't have room until a later date, and some simply never responded.
The guy I'm staying with now (I'll call him the dad)has 4 children, all boys and the mom is from the United States. I had spoken to them months before, but since they were in the middle of a move, they thought it best to get back to me at a later time. Right during my scramble to find a way to leave the states for a while, the dad got back in touch with me and made it pretty clear that he would value my help at this time.
So there's a little background.
First thing in order was to figure out what to take... and what not to take, as you see by these old shoes that I had to retire, after faithfully serving my feet for nearly a decade.

I didn't find replacement shoes that would suit me, so I decided on taking an older pair (but much newer than the ones I trashed) with me to the airport, because mom gave me the great idea of having them shined while I waited during a 4 hour layover. As you can see from the photo, this proved to be a wise investment of 7 dollars.

The flight itself wasn't too long. Especially since it seemed no one wanted to go to France today. The plane was practically empty which allowed me to sprawl out along the middle three seats and take the best nap I could possibly take on an airplane.

As we descended, I expected to see some great view of Paris, or even the surrounding countryside, but it was completely cloud covered. I thought I'd see at least a little scenery after we passed underneath, but when the plane touched the ground, we were still in the thick of it.

Well, I'm sleepy now, but I'll post more soon.

On your mark...

more...
Hi everyone. This is my first post on my first blog about some of my travels.

For those reading this that don't know me, here's a 30-second history: My name is Diego, I was born and raised in Belen, New Mexico with an awesome family. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until I hit 17 where I learned about and accepted Jesus Christ as my Creator and Savior. I kinda slipped by through college, not really passionate about my studies and since graduation I've held over 15 mostly un-related jobs.

As the Lord has matured me in my Christian walk, I discovered a passion for traveling and experiencing different cultures. I've been blessed to meet so many cool people and eat so much tasty food (I love food!). So that seems to be the season I'm in now.

I won't go into detail about my past trips, but I can give you a quick montage of my first few adventures.

It all began in a hospital on the dawn of July 26th 1982... Okay, that's a little too far back. In the summer of 2008, I expected to work as an assistant language teacher in Japan after being hired through JET program. Things didn't work out, but soon after, I found an opportunity to volunteer as an English teacher in Korea for the summer with the YMCA. With a mere two weeks notice and visa headaches, I was off to my very first far away place.

Korea was hot and humid... in other words, the perfect place for me. I, along with a group of other native english speakers, taught throughout the northern half of the country. Great sites were seen, tasty food was eaten, and many friendships were forged.

Teaching kids was something entirely new to me, and even though it was a little challenging at times, it definitely made for some good memories. The YMCA was founded on Christian principles, but unfortunately our teaching resources never even hinted of Christianity... as you can tell by the picture of me showing a class of Koreans what a burrito is.

That was the first taste I had of a global adventure that left me hungry for more. It left me so inspired, I made a music video of my trip: http://vimeo.com/1869664

So I returned home and worked another semester at the university (I do A/V work for interactive classrooms). The springtime was spent with my brother in California, and then my dad took us on a trip, and then I spent some time with my cousins. I thought I'd try picking up some guitar through a ministry at my home church, Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, but as often the case, it seems what Diego picks up must come down. It was fun though.

In the summer of '09 I discovered an opportunity to serve in Okinawa Japan on a short term mission trip. It was also through Calvary, and the bible college they have out there was running their first Summer of Service.

Here's where I met a fantastic fellowship of faithful followers of the Father. It was even hotter and more humid than Korea! The Lord revealed new and exiting things to me though our activities which ranged from friendship evangelism with local Japanese college students, to singing worship songs in one of the busiest intersections in Okinawa.

Witnessing the Lord's powerful work through his people was inspiring. The growth I had experienced from this trip was like a fertilizer to my spirit, and ever since I've felt a stronger desire to get to know my Creator.

Ironically, this is where I had hoped to teach english a year prior with the JET program. Even though I was disappointed that it didn't work out, God already knew I would make it to Okinawa in an unexpected way. If He was so powerful to fulfill this desire I had, what other adventures would He take me on?

Alright, so maybe that was a little more than a 30 second history. But now that you're somewhat caught up, enjoy the rest of this blog.