by turns

Too...much...must...keep...blogging...

I'm not even sure where to start. I actually don't have much time to figure out since the internet access here is timed. But, we're in a small, beeyootiful little town outside of Milan called Stresa. We arrived late last night (after sitting for 2 hours on the plane while all flights in Tel Aviv were grounded (they said radio problems, but I've seen too many movies to believe that--I'm sure something big, probably related to state security and international cartels was going down. Like in James Bond)). This day was just a breather in between flights, mostly for Amia, partly for us. We're loving it. After the madness and hugeness of Rome, and the overwhelming power of pilgrimage, it's nice to just sit and decide, Hmmm...gelatto now or later? Amia is sure glad for the change. She did, again, AMAZING, during pilgrimage. It was only during the last day or two when she, and another little boy in our group, reached the end of their rope.

I was thinking about it from her perspective and it must have seemed so wierd. We're in these big beautiful buildings, many of which are associated, or have things associated, with the Founders of the Baha'i Faith, like the bed Baha'u'llah used to use or the bench He used to sit on, and they look SO inviting. But you can't use any of it. I was constantly saying, Sweetie, you can't jump on that bed, or, Amia, don't touch that chair. She just looked confused a lot of the time. But the key, we've found, is a well time visit to a rain puddle/body of water/ice cream shop to smooth out any wrinkles and she's good again.

So, I'm about to get kicked off, but we'll be home tomorrow and I'm sure we'll both be blogging and posting pictures. Although, I don't think we have any pics of one of the most amazing nights of my life that took place on my birthday. Shoot.

Rome is like, huge

Were in Rome (and the keyboard is in another language so this post wont have apostrophes for I cant find them. It took me forever just to find the parentheses). Were at the beginning of our pilgrimage. We wanted to both see Europe before going to Haifa but also give us, and particularly Amia, a chance to acclimate to the time change before pilgrimage. And we are so glad we did. We all crashed around 7 or 8 last night, then Amia and I woke up around midnight. I tagged out around 2 or 3 with Suzanne, who was with Amia until 4 or 5. Then we all fell asleep in there somewhere. Right now we're hoping Amia will go down for the whole night. Heres how the rest of the trip is going down (doh, I accidentally found the apostrophe under the a-double-dots key!)

We were a little worried about Amia on the flight over because she's never flown before. But she did AMAZING. It was unbelievable. She didn't fuss once. She jumped around a bit but that's normal-everyone wants to jump around a bit after sitting for 8.5 hours straight. Just after takeoff she said, Daddy, can I tell you a secret? So she had me lean in real close, then whispered in my ear, The airplane is fun. I knew it was going to be a good trip. And at the end she kept saying, Daddy, what's your favorite plane? This one is my favorite plane! It had been the only one she'd been one, but so far we're batting pretty well.

So after traveling for 24 hour straight, we made it to the hotel. The first thing that struck me about Rome is the huge, unbelievable number of scooters on the road. When I ride my scooter in Evanston and see another scooterist we wave to each other. I only see one every couple days. But here, wherever you look, there are dozens parked into whatever nook and cranny you can find. At first I thought, I'd love to ride a scooter here. But after seeing the driving I think I'd be too afraid to drive anything but a Sherman tank. The other first thing is how small the cars are. They have no SUVs. Every car here looks either like a tiny, tiny Fiat or a Toyota Yaris-small and round. I really like that. Then the third thing is the ancient Roman stuff.

That's what we saw today. I literally felt like Russel Crowe's character in The Gladiator the first time he saw the Colloseum and his colleague said, What kind of men can build such a thing. I was speechless. I'd seen pictures and knew it was big, but in my mind was thinking, well, it's not that big compared to Wrigley Field. But, my friends, I can't begin to convey how awesome it is. And then to image 50,000 people roaring during a game. Seriously unbelievable. And from there we went to the Forum and saw, you know, things like the spot where Caesar was cremated, where his house used to be, and the route he took the day he was assasinated by the Senate. Having just seen the HBO show Rome, that time came vividly to life. It was great to have that sensibility, that these were real people, walking through what used to be the center of the center of the world for 1,000 years. And the other building that blew me away was the Basilica of Constantine. A huge hall of justice that was impossibly big--impressive considering that the part left standing today is only a third of what it actually was. The Romans, I'm seeing, thought big on every conceivable scale.

The other thing is just how old things are compared to things in the States. I know that's kind of a common refrain for people visiting ancient places and countries, but being in Chicago where everything I can see was built probably in the last 100 or so years, where there are still people alive who can remember what it was like before such landmarks as the Sears Tower or even the Baha'i House of Worship, it's amazing to see something that was built in...70. AD.

Tomorrow we set out for the Vatican, and I can't wait.

Shoot! The saga continues.

Everything's going great. Had a great lunch with my grandma. The hotel is great. Amia loves the pool and experienced a whirlpool for the first time. But...

We came back from lunch and tried to use our new iBook. It wouldn't start. Went to the Apple site and looked up everything. Nothing worked. Took it to a Apple repair store and they're looking at it now. It might have to be sent to Apple. Their records show that since the computer was bought new in 2003 no repairs have been made to it, so everything has been working fine up until yesterday, the day after it came in the mail. We think someone might be trying to tell us something but we don't know who it is or what they're trying to say.

If technical problems are your biggest complain that ain't all bad, I guess. Off to dinner!

If You Get Caught Between the Moon and Urbana

A couple weeks ago we traveled to Urbana and I was impressed by how much there is for a town of that size. Forget the northern side, past the highway. You can visit ApplebeesWallmartBestBuyBordersRedLobster anywhere else. The good stuff is in campustown, and in downtown Champaign and Urbana. Along with the usual enticements of family and friends, there's some really cool spots to hit. Since I've been feeling kind of listy at late, I'll continue with Things to See and Do in Champaign-Urbana.

• Visit the Baker's families, Bishops, and the Baha'i community. Good times. Laughter, games, and food!
• Rebeccas--a great little boutique owned and operated by Rebecca herself. She buys from artisans direct, when possible, and has a range of pricey exquisite stuff to fun and affordable. And if you stop and talk she'll coax your life story out of you and remember you every time you come in. She still asks about my daughter! And the hours posted on her door: "M-F 10ish-5. Closed on Sundays and My Birthday." Priceless.
• Since the largest minority group at the University of Illinois are people of Asian descent, within 3 blocks of the University you can find: Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Chinese restaurants in spades. Food ranges from more Western favorites to some places that don't even have English menus, and serve sea cucumber and other things you don't usually see this side of the Mississippi.  Was always grateful to have Korean friends to help me decipher and explore. This was also the first place I had bubble tea, which is a refreshing tea or fruit drink with tapioca balls, and where I was introduced to the idea that red beans could be dessert.
• And given the number of students, 30,000+, rivalling the population of Urbana itself, there are lots and lots and lots and lots of coffeehouses, almost all independently owned. The local Starbucks rival in terms of number of shops is Espresso Royale, which has several locations, all with different styles. There wasn't even a Starbucks in campustown the whole 8 years I was there. But there's also my favorite one, Aroma. It's in downtown Champaign. The owners used to live in the Dominican Republic so they fashioned it like that. Nice wooden tables. The best chicken wrap I've ever had. Spanish coffee drinks. Games to play. The best cheese and bread plate I ever did have. Fireplace. Free wi-fi. AND, an outdoor seating area that's in a large alley shared by several other establishments, with lights running the length of it and pedestrians the only traffic.
• Art Mart. Still the best all around boutique I've ever been to. You can get funky furniture, some of the best and most artistic greeting cards I've seen, any kind of kitchen gadget, almost all useful, fun little toys, cool lighting, bath products...yeah. Everything. And right next door is a toy shop that sells natural toys, and dolls that speak in several languages (last time I was there at least).
• Historic Lincoln Hotel. Kinda creepy, but lots of character. And ghosts.
• That's Rentertainment. This place holds a special place in my heart. It's small, but they have thousands of movies. I've never gone in there and been unable to find what I was looking for. They have what's called The Shrine, with most any anime film you can think of. Documentaries, hundreds of concert films, international films broken up by country (trying to find a good Swedish film? They'll have it). And they always have the craziest music playing, really, really loudly. Techno, industrial, punk, Bjork, etc. And staunchly anti-Blockbuster. Sometimes I was afraid what would happen if my Blockbuster card fell on the table.
• Courier Cafe. This little gem in downtown Urbana has the best burgers in town, I think. And probably the best fries and milkshakes. And the decor has stained glass windows from an old church that burned down a long time ago; a broken claw game that only costs $.10 to play but is impossible to control so if you win something you were meant to win it; a fan that doesn't look so much like a fan but an airplane; booth lighting taken from Pullman train cars; and a HUGE cash register, that I think is brass. It's broken now although they still use it. I think it's so old no one sells parts for it. When I first moved there it still worked and it would literally shake the floor because it has a big motor inside.
• Allerton Park, about 30 miles outside of town. It's an estate that was donated to the University, and has a mansion, big long fields, a sunken garden, and regular unsunk gardens. Great to spend an afternoon, walk the trails, and play soccer/frisbee.
• Pages for All Ages. Independently owned bookstore. Awesome.
• Restaurants in downtown Champaign like Radio Maria, that mixes Carribean, Latin, and some other kind of cuisine. Some wine bars that offer truffles and really high end. And I think there's some new stuff.
• Because of the University you can run into some amazing people. When last we were there we were at Schnuck's gocery store. I turned around and there was the man that started case studies as a tool for social research. I mean, before him people didn't do it. And then he thought about did it, and now lots of people all over the world do it.

What do you like, either about Champaign-Urbana, or where you live?

Things I've Learned

We jus got back from our fantastalicious vacation late last night. Here's what I learned during our travels:

• I love South Carolina.
• The Bakers are a FUN family to travel with.
• One hour spent at a coffeeshop reading was enough to make me feel like a whole person again, not someone who lives completely for someone else.
• Having 1 child is nothing like having 3 kids. One seems like a walk in the park. A dangerous park, but a park nonetheless.
• Amia is protective, yo. Babies, her toys and clothing, the rules. She'll be on you like...manila on an envelope.
• Amia thinks the ocean is "so pretty".
• Amia thinks "Mama is sooooo funny" (actual quote).
• We all want to live somewhere warm. Where you don't leave your apartment and when it's 40 degrees say, It's so nice out!
• Vacations to warm weather have become necessary. Spring doesn't feel quite so far away after having warmed up a bit.

Shoot! There was other stuff but I can't remember it!

Anywho, for a fun and detailed account of our trip check this out.

The People I've Met

I'm sitting at a computer at Louhelen Baha'i School.

Right next to me is a chubby boy with big chubby cheeks, typing in one letter at a time, playing an online video game ("I'm level 10. Well, level 9...And I only started today").

Kit is here. I miss his wonderful and loving spirit.

A guy from the south is here and I've actually sought him out just to stand next to him and soak up his energy.

The Vanilla Gorilla is here. We been talking about babies, pregnancy and Steven Wright. Good things.

Myk is here and we been sharing a room. He's a great guy. It's funny to me that Lacey and I share him (he spends most of his time between the two of us).

Kim is here and she's been mc'ing this gig with grace, poise, wit, and love.

Someone else that's here has really inspired me by how he engages the world with a fierce intellect, unbridled compassion, and great physical presence and vigor.

Even though I'm missing Suzanne and Amia 10 outta 10, these are great people to be with.

Michael Moore Here I Come!

Can't write much, but I'm on my way to Louhelen Baha'i SChool in Davison Michigan! I'm going to a young adults conference, at which I have the privilege to present. I'm going to be talking about the Baha'i Funds and the Global Economy and how they influence each other. How by participating in the Funds you're helping to create a new economic system based on love and unity. I'm really excited to hear other people's thoughts on this. I've never presented it before.
As well as Louhelen, Michael Moore is also in Davison/Flint. I always keep an eye out for him now. I'd love to talk with him a bit.
More laters!

Otra Vez Con el Campo

Later that day, after the soccer game we went back to the home we were staying at. I spent some time with the mother of the family and the two children. The mother had just begun cooking dinner. They were happy because they'd just gotten a wood-burning stove and didn't have just an open fire pit anymore. She made some bread and I think we had chicken. It was funny to be having chicken though because the chicken were given free range. Literally. As in we were sitting in the kitchen/dining/living room and the chickens would come in and start pecking at crumbs and at our shoes. We talked for a while and I remember being surprised at something but can't quite remember what it was now. Something the kids knew, like a moderately famous US celebrity. But throughout the conversation the mother kept telling the daughter to go lock up the pigs. We kept talking though and I don't think the she wanted to miss anything so she hadn't done it yet. Then at one point the mother said, Ya, vaya buscar la chancha! It came out so suddenly that we all laughed. It translates into something like, Come on, go get the swine!...Oh, I remember what it was now. I made some balloon animals for the kids. They really dug them, but I remember being surprised that they'd seen them before because this place was out there. I've been out there in the US, but this place was really out there.

As the evening progressed it got dark out and the husband and Pancho came into the room. And all this was after the swine was gotten a hold of. There was no electricity so they lit some kerosene lanterns that gave off about a 1 foot circle of light around the can. But we ended up sitting at the table, had a delicious dinner, and then the mate came out. They've just started selling mate in the US, and sometimes you can get it at coffeehouses, although it's been Americanized a bit (not that there's anything wrong with that). Mate, especially in the south of Chile among the indigenous people and in Argentina, is a cultural ritual. Mate is a kind of tea taken from a shrub (I think), and is usually served in a gourd or horn with a metal straw (bombilla), sometimes with a heat resistant tip at the end so you don't burn your mouth. One person keeps the water, yerba mate, and sugar and keeps refilling everyone's cup. Sometimes one cup will go around an entire group and keeps getting refilled. This family had little steel espresso cups that we used so we each got our own. I tell you, if you put in the right amount of sugar this stuff is squeeze your ears delicious. It's pretty bitter at first, but as you go on the taste is just so sweet and warm. I've heard that mate was Che Guevara's favorite drink and that he drank it pretty bitter. The drink is also really good for you. It has tons of vitamins and nutrients, helps you sleep better, helps in...elimination, and can even help you get over some kinds of illness. So we were sitting around talking, drinking mate, passing it back and forth, me being careful to never say thank you (you only say thank you when you're done), when all of a sudden I hear this drumming. Then, right after the drumming I heard a large group of people yell at the same time. So picture it, we're sitting in almost complete darkness, both inside and out because there are no street or house lights anywhere, I'm in a completely different place than anything I've ever experienced, including the reservation, and the house in the valley right next to us apparently has large numbers of people yelling. I was a little spooked. And I could tell there was no way I was going to the bathroom unless someone else went with me. Here's why I was scared. It turns out that "next door" there was an old man who was very ill. The family had called a Mapuche healer, who are nearly always women, to come to a healing ceremony. The parallels between this kind of ceremony and the ones I went to on the rez were many. The ceremony was done in complete darkness, went all night and into the next morning, there was singing and praying, and it was all led by a spiritual healer. The experiences I had on the rez are ones I'll never forget. Seeing and hearing things that, in a sense, weren't there. Spirits. Very fuzzy distinctions between this world and the next. It's just a very different kind of atmosphere than anything I've experienced before or since. So for the rest of the night I heard drumming and this communal singing. After I got over my initial hesitancy, I guess you could call it, I realized how beautiful this was. How something so similar manifested itself later on in my life.

What I slowly came to crystallize in my mind is that this is how a community takes care of someone that is sick. Everyone shows up, brings food, prays, all night if they have to, and is generally there for the person. We don't have that so much here. Not to that extent. I never really saw it until my mother's illness. I saw very much of the same things, and kind of realized/hoped that this would be the pattern for the more spiritual civilization and culture that I and so many others have dedicated their lives into bringing about.

Gotta go...Almost done, I swear.

El Campo

I been thinking a lot lately about when the last time I went to Chile in '99. Suzanne was already down there doing her year of service at the Baha'i Radio in the southern part of the country, near Temuco (where they filmed that section of Motorcycle Diaries, which everyone should see by the way). I spent about a week visiting her. One weekend we paired up with someone and went to visit Baha'is out in the campo, or the countryside. The population is pretty sparse, it's pretty far out, and not many people have reliable transportation so they don't get too many visitors. The radio there is actually one of the main ways people keep in contact. It's the only radio station to broadcast in both Spanish and the native Mapuche language (the Indian nation that lives in the south of Chile and Argentina), so people use it to send messages to other people and, interestingly, to tell them to expect a call. In the campo not many people have, or had, phones, and there were these regional phone booths you'd see every so often. People would call the radio to have them broadcast a message like, Juan asks that Julio be by this phone at 10am and he'll give you a call.

So early one morning we set out. After travelling for several hours we came to a house. The family came out to greet us and brought out some food. It was the first and only time I'd ever had this. It was called mote, which is a kind of grain, kind of like oatmeal, but served with sugar and river water. Most places don't have running water, unless you count a river as running water. I remember being a little hesitant to try it because I wasn't too sure about the water. I had seen the daughter scoop out a bucket right when we arrived. But I considered 2 things. This family clearly didn't have much, so for them to offer us food was such a loving gesture that I couldn't say no. And, if I planned on drinking anything while we were out there this was it, so I might as well get used to whatever's in that water. Nothing ended up happening, except that to this day I still crave that mote. It was so good.

So we sat and talked a little, and then the person from the radio that drove us eased in that we needed a place to stay and if they could host me and Pancho we'd be grateful. The family quickly agreed and Suzanne and the rest of the group was off. What happened over the next couple days I'll still never forget.

The family showed us around their land, showed us the food they grew for themselves, the contraptions they'd built to irrigate their crops, the livestock they kept, and the outhouses over on the side of the hill. Then we sat and talked for several hours. After a while we went to a soccer game. About 6 or 7 teams had gathered for a regional tournament. The memory of one of the games still cracks me up. The first game we saw was really good, with the players displaying a lot of skill. The second game...not so much. When the ref blew the whistle to start the game the player with the ball for some reason kicked the ball as hard as he could, apparently without aiming because it hit the player opposite him on the other team right in the face. It kinda went downhill from there. At one point the goalie of one team, in an effort to get the ball far down the field with a goalie kick, actually kicked the ball OVER  the goal of the other team. At another point the ball was kicked up hight. I knew something wierd was going to happen. One guy went for the ball with his head, another with his foot, kicking up really high. The guy with the header won the ball, but the guy that kicked got his cleats stuck in the shirt of the other guy so as the other player started running down the field with the ball the other guy had to keep up with him by hopping on one leg really fast. Everybody watching was already laughing so hard at all of this. But what was funny was that the players were taking this all very seriously, and I don't think they ever laughed. Finally the last thing I remember is that one player threw the ball in from the side because it went out of bounds. A player from the other team intercepted the ball, but instead of stopping it to get control again kicked it as hard as he could. It went flying with everyone watching it, and went through this space in the trees towards the river, then out of nowhere somebody on the other side of the trees with their hand outstretched went flying by to try to stop the ball from going in the river. All to no avail because it went in the river anyway. So the mystery person went back to whatever he was doing (presumably going to the bathroom before he made his heroic effort), the ref told everyone that he took no responsibility for this game, and eventually the game ended and everyone went home holding their stomachs.

More later because I have to get to work now...

Blogdor Comes in the Night!

Now that I've begun I don't know where to start. There's so much to say. Well...I had a good day today.
-Worked on a paper for a class on religious pluralism. I've been researching religious trends in the US, then trying to see what the Baha'i Faith has to say. It's been fascinating...like, change my profession interesting.
-Met with a student about his term paper. He said that this was the first paper he ever wrote that he actually cared about! You can't beat that feeling as a teacher.
-Had dinner with my brother and sister (in-laws, but really close like).
-Maybe got tickets to see Ani!?
-Talked with my dad before his trip to Tucson. He said he's going to give me his copy of the West Wing DVD.
-Had a good Local Spiritual Assembly meeting (local Baha'i governing body with 9 people on it).
-Just got done having a soul-wrenching, worldview shaking conversation about the self and the nature and process of change with said brother and sister and wife. It really brought home to me why I like meeting and interacting with people. There's so much to learn. I've been working on allowing myself to step outside of my own thoughts and preconceived notions and having the humility to see life and God as others might. I think the turning point for me was this past summer. I was visiting Julie in Seattle and got picked up to go to the airport. The driver was a skinny, older man. I was wearing a shirt that I had just gotten at Pike Place Market about the School of the Americas, mostly to start conversations with people. First thing he said was a comment about my shirt. I expected it to be a conservativish comment. But he was all for it (closing the School)! I was really surprised. He then asked me if I travelled much. I said something about how I'd been lucky to go to several places. He said he'd travelled a lot too. He spent time in a Mexican prison ("just a little bit though", were his exact words) when he was a Marine, and had spent one year travelling once. He had 11 places he wanted to visit in the world that he called his String of Pearls, and he saved up some money, hooked up with someone that had more, and spent a year going to each Pearl. At the end he bought a small sailboat and sailed along the Atlantic for 3 months. He travelled exactly one year to the day. And along the way he fell madly in love with the woman he was travelling with. We then started talking about God, religion, the soul, the state of the world, education...He was one of the most intense listeners I've ever met (up there with my mom). It was an amazing experience that I was really sad to have end (except for this delicious bittersweet quality to it). So if you're ever in Seattle, look for a van driver that looks a lot like George Carlin, you won't be sorry for long.