Twenty Days in the Ancient World

John Mark Reynolds of the Torrey Honors Institute (Biola University) is leading students on a twenty day trip through Turkey and Greece. I would love to be a mouse in the pocket of one of those travelers! Fortunately for the rest of us, Dr. Reynolds is writing daily entries about the travels at Scriptorium Daily. They begin here with Istanbul.

I've planned on going to Turkey for years...and look forward to seeing ancient Constantinople myself next year when my dad leads a group through Spain, Morocco, Greece, and Turkey. The Ephesian ruins...Athens...the mix of Europe, Africa, and Asia mixing together--it will be an unforgettable trip.

Also of note on SD, a recent series on depression is very insightful. J.P. Moreland writes:

I once heard a Christian psychologist say that we were made to live in a camel culture—slow-paced, relational and no electric lights to keep people up beyond sundown and deprive them of the eight and one half hours of sleep they need each night. But ours is no camel culture. We live is a rapid-paced, highly stressful society. We are constantly surrounded with noise, cell-phones, Ipods, television and, well, you get the picture. As a result, anxiety and depression are epidemic in America, especially among highly committed, achievement-oriented people.

Of course, none of us are highly-committed, over achievers, are we? :smile:

Kimonos and tea cakes...

This afternoon I went with the oldest three girls in my Oki family, along with their mother, to an Okinawan home to dress in kimonos and participate in a traditional tea ceremony. What a pleasant, relaxing, fascinating experience! I so wish I could take my best girlfriend and mom to the Green Tea Room. They would love it.

The mother is the tea master...she is amazing! Every movement was pure grace, so deliberate and quiet and gracious it was mesmerizing to watch her. They took us into the gorgeous little tea room with tatmai mats on the floor, obi and other things on the walls, and quiet Japanese music. In the center was an umbrella and a few things they used to teach us proper Japanese phrases, and around the edge were red velvet mats where we knelt (adults) or sat (children). For some reason I was given the seat of honor, on the far right, next to where Kanako Arisaki made the tea.
When we first got there they gave us some tea and Tammy and I could choose what kimono we wanted to wear--Emily and Abby had bought their children's version of kimono and they had just one that would fit Alissa. They were simple but pretty--Tammy chose one for married ladies, also simple with short sleeves (length from floor, not length on arm). I deliberated and ended up with a striking blue kimono (which you can see above) that really looked fabulous.
In the above picture I am getting ready to stir my green tea. They allowed us to prepare our own, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us! If you would like to see more pictures of my Oki sisters and me, we are currently at the top of the guestbook--and if we are not, we are pretty recognizeable I think. *smile* You can look at the guestbook here.

Then we went back to our places and watched Kanako perform the ceremony. Every moment had purpose...from purifying each element before use, to holding the tea bowl on left palm while turning it twice clock-wise with right hand before drinking. After she did this, they served us the tea cakes--these exquisite little cakes made from french cut string beans, as strange as that sounds. They were delicious and beautiful. I began, since I was the guest of honor, and had to recite a phrase to Abby on my left saying, "I will partake of the sweets." Then I said something about apologizing for going before her and Abby says Do u zo which means go head. ;) And then I took my cake with chopsticks, and set it on my napkin which had a little wooden knife wrapped in it.

When everyone had their cake we cut it horizontally, then the lower half we cut in half vertically, then you eat the left quarter, then the right quarter. Then you cut the top half in half vertically and eat first the left piece, then the right. They brought our bowl and cannister of green tea powder and bamboo whisk and scoop to us (I noticed that they never walked from the room--they knelt before the door and bowed out before again standing to their feet). Because we had little children with us we did not learn as much of the tradition behind all that we did, but it was certainly enough for one day.

We scooped 2 little spoonfuls of the green tea powder into our bowls, then Kanako came and poured hot water into our bowls. We used the whisk to stir it very rapidly up and down before picking it up, turning it clockwise, drinking, then turning it back counter clockwise before setting it down again. By the time we were drinking the tea my feet had lost all feeling from sitting in the kneeling position for so long. It took about five minutes after standing before the blood returned to my toes. :)

That is just a taste of what we enjoyed today...I wanted to share it with you all. Though shrouded in Shinto and superstition, there are some beautiful elements to Japanese culture that are worth appreciating: the grace and beauty, the simplicity and value of quiet. The emphasis on purity and appreciating each moment, respecting each person. How wonderful and relaxing it would be to take time everyday to drink tea and savor companionship with your loved ones. Someday I would like to start that tradition in my home.

Orphans in China

I am finishing a book recommended to me by the team I going to East Asia with, and made the mistake of trying to read the rest while I ate a quick breakfast this morning. Mom had warned me that the end was very difficult but I still was not prepared to just start crying at how horrible the truth is. I still feel sick to my stomach.

The problem with this book, "Daughter of China" by C. Hope Flinchbaugh, is that you can't shrug it aside. It's not history that you read but cannot change--it's reality that is happening right now. And as I read this I realize that this is the situation right now in China, and I am going to be going there. There is no avoiding the confrontation with this tragic reality. That's what is hard to deal with. What am I do to? What can I do? I can't just sit and do nothing.

The author has a website that offers more information. I encourage you to read this book and be challenged. As Dr. Clive Calver, president of World Relief said, "If you want to feel comfortable, leave this book well alone!"

Is the US right to support Taiwan's independence from China?

I think so...at least on the basis of my compassionate heart I think so...whether it is constitutionally allowable or advisable is another issue. I really don't know enough about that. But since I'm going to China this summer anything about that part of the world catches my eye these days...like this article here.

Some highlights:
"The incumbent Taiwanese president, Chen Shui-bian, has cast the vote on Saturday as a choice between subjugation to Communist China and Taiwanese nationalism, which some see as a stepping stone to formal independence."
"Although the Nationalist Party promises to improve relations with China, Mr. Lien rarely mentions reunification. He campaigns using Minnanese and stresses his ethnic Taiwanese upbringing."
"Mr. Chen's anti-Chinese populism is also seen by some as out of touch with economic reality. Last year, China overtook the United States and Japan as Taiwan's largest export market. Some 1.5 million Taiwanese now reside on the mainland."

Interesting.