Time at Taize

I have been thinking for a while about how to talk about Taize in a blog post.  This is not the only reason why this post is so late...it can mainly be attributed to laziness.  After having a whirlwind adventure in Paris, I headed to the train station to make my way to Taize.  At Taize, the day centers around prayer and the prayer centers around silence.  Because of this, the experiences that one has at Taize rely almost completely on the individual.  I was at Taize from Thursday afternoon to Monday morning - kind of a strange period to be there.  If possible, it is best if one goes for a week.  

In order to save this from being a rambling post, I will comment on one observation that I made about Taize.  Taize is all about waiting.  I waited to catch the train there, I waited two hours to catch the bus there, I waited an hour to check in once I arrived, I waited for my room to be unlocked, I waited in line for food, I waited for prayer services to begin, etc.  I think I did more waiting during those few days than I have done in a while.  Usually, I am very concerned with remaining on time and ready to tackle the next item on the schedule, but at Taize things move at their own pace (but things still occur relatively on time).  In addition to physical waiting, mental waiting also occurs.  Since I was one of the few native English speakers there, I had to slow down my words and wait for my fellow friends to form their words.  Thank goodness Europeans usually know English - I have never felt more inspired to learn a new language!  Because of language barriers, our small group discussions about the bible passage for the day were very elementary and simple.  One of the 60 brothers at Taize told us that this is how it is supposed to be - we are not at Taize to become scholars, we are at Taize to understand and listen, there is no need to make things more complicated.  At Taize, you experience this religious time at your own pace...which I think is the hardest part.  There are no inspiring sermons, elaborate metaphors, or show-stopping moments - there is silence.  During the silence you must wait and come to your own understandings about God on your own.  

The welcome sign.

I was there at such a beautiful time of year - everything was green and in bloom.

The surroundings look like they came out of a picture book.