Author Archives: Sara C.

Well that was much-needed.

December 13, 2010 – 6:33 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Even as we began our pre-travel intensive studies, I recall realising how little I knew about Southeast Asia before that.  I was context-less.  It was very different going on the Europe travel semester.  Even if there was a certain teaching that you hadn’t heard before, you’d have some background knowledge of at least something that would help you make sense of it.  This was not necessarily so, at least for me, with Southeast Asia.  (Please forgive me, those of you who never wanted to hear another Europe-Asia comparison ever again.)

This helps me to recognise our tendency to get caught up in our own little worlds sometimes.  There’s a sense in which I can understand it.  I think it’s a human tendency to focus on that which most greatly affects us.  We would become overloaded if we didn’t.

Still, there’s something about stepping outside of our own immediate worlds (whether mentally or literally) that’s very good for us.  Individually, it allows us to open our minds.  Corporately, it has the potential to help humanity reconcile differences by building understanding.

I’m grateful to have been taken out of the Western hemisphere for a time.  I brought many of my Western ideologies with me, but they were constantly ground down, questioned, destabilized.  Uncomfortable?  Often, yes.  But also much-needed.

(I should note that there were many in our group who did not approach the trip in this way.  Several of them were well-versed in Southeast Asian history, politics, and/or culture long before we even started.  I say this in all honesty to those of you who fit this description: I give you kudos.)

Sara

Life as we know it

November 22, 2010 – 12:15 pm
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

The temple gong rings once.  It is 5:00 am.  This first blow to the gong wakes every dog in the neighbourhood and they all begin to howl in unison.  The gong sounds another thirty to forty times.  This occurs only on special days of the Buddhist calendar.  It is a wake-up call both for the monks and for the people of the neighbourhood; the people are thus encouraged to arise to prepare food, visit the temple, donate some food to the monks and money to the temple.

As we approach the day of the Loi Krathong Festival, the gong goes off about every second morning.  At other times of the year the gong would wake the neighbourhood about once every seven days.  Our homestay father arises at 5:00 am each day whether the gong sounds or not.  He goes for a run and proceeds to meditate before breakfast.  I am impressed by his dedication.

This is just a brief picture of life as we know it these days.

The Elderly in the Philippines

November 3, 2010 – 2:30 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

When we arrived in the Philippines, one of the first conversations we had with one of the members of our host family was about Canada.  Herself in her seventies, she told us that she had visited Canada and what now stands out to her in her memory is how sad she was at the way the elderly were treated there.  She shook her body then, as if trying to shake the memory out of her mind.  She followed up by making it clear that Canada was very lovely in other ways, but it was evident to me that this sadness stood out to her in her mind.

In the Philippines, as in other parts of the world, the elderly are highly respected and cared for by their extended families.  I enjoyed watching the subtle ways in which our host family treated “Mama” in extra-special ways.  I think of Canada and feel that we could learn some valuable lessons from the Filipino people in this regard.

Polarised Opinions

October 20, 2010 – 2:19 pm
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Our time in the Philippines has been very informative thus far.  It has been a treat to hear about the country through the eyes of its citizens.

The nation’s Reproductive Health Bill is of interest to many of us.  It is a bill that would allow, among other things, for sexual education to be taught in the schools to earlier grades, and would allow people greater access to contraceptives.  The liberal government passionately backs this bill while the Catholic church hotly contests it, even going so far as to briefly threaten ex-communication of those politicians responsible for the bill.  Considering that the geographically small country has a population of 92 million (& growing) alongside increasing disparity, it seems important that its citizens face the issue of overpopulation.

I’ve also been particularly interested in the Marcos legacy in this country.  Opinions of his rule are highly polarised, with those in Manila being largely resentful of him and those in the north being exceptionally proud of him.  I look forward to learning more about this controversial figure.

Wondering about David. (Jacques-Louis, that is)

August 19, 2010 – 9:35 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

What Angela says is true: it’s hard to believe that we just experienced all of that. The Europe trip was incredible. Right now, we’re all in the midst of our post-trip studies. For me, this has meant that I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the French Revolution. Would I have ever thought that I would find the French Revolution interesting? No. But to my surprise, it is.

I remember being in the Louvre in Paris and seeing one of the rooms filled with paintings by Jacques-Louis David. Museum visitors crowded around his works. Great as they are, I look at them through a new lens now that I have learned a bit more about their historical context.

Earlier in his career, David painted in the neo-Classical style for the Royal Academy under King Louis XVI. Feeling jilted about his inability to achieve higher positions in the Academy, he joined the revolutionaries, voted for the king’s execution, and became something of a propaganda minister for the Revolution. In addition to painting at least four great works during those years, he put on festivals involving the torching of symbolic statues, the releasing of doves, and emotional speeches. In the midst of all of the chaos, backstabbing, and guillotining, David was using his incredible artistic ability to twist facts and sway the masses.

I say this because I know how easy it is to walk into someplace like the Louvre and put these artists on pedestals because of their great talent and skill. But based on my research so far, I have found his career to have striking similarities to that of Joseph Goebbels’, the Nazi propaganda minister that we learned about at the WWII bunkers we visited.

All of this is an excellent reminder of the importance of context. It also reminds me to be careful to use my giftings in ways that are founded on goodness, love, and truth. Finally, it’s a good reminder of the need for us to think critically about contemporary events.

Now just as a final note, I’ll say that there may have been some degree of necessity to the idea of revolution at that time in history, and there are ways in which contemporary Western citizens benefit from the events that occurred then, but its legacy is still rather mixed.

How are we to respond?

July 19, 2010 – 4:04 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Since our last blog entries, we have visited at least eight different sites directly linked to either of the two world wars. Suffice it to say that war is on the mind.

This topic is not an easy one for me. I often come away from these visits feeling horrified. I find myself desiring to say that war is never the answer, that there must be some other solution.

As I left the memorial site that was once the Dachau Concentration Camp, I came across one last information board with something that perplexed me even further. On it was a photograph taken around the time of the liberation of the camp by American troops. The prisoners, gaunt and bedraggled as they were, had gigantic smiles on their faces as they waved to welcome the soldiers. What if those soldiers had not come? Would someone have been able to come up with an alternative solution? One that did not extinguish millions of lives in order to save millions more? This photo made me wonder if there might not be cases where war is necessary. I still have a hard time thinking that this might be the case though. Regardless, the need for creative responses to group conflict is critical.

I also find myself wondering at what my own personal response should be as a Christian. Throughout history, Christian responses to war have run the gamut from pacifism to war enthusiasm. Is one response more appropriate than another? Should I choose a position and stick to it unswervingly or determine as best I can what the best response would be dependent upon the situation?

I don’t have answers for these questions right now, but I recognize them as good questions to be asking. I’m grateful to be seeing the kinds of sites that bring them up.

The Privilege of Travel

July 4, 2010 – 3:44 pm
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

To be honest, I was skeptical that a travel semester like this could be justified.  Travel is a privilege that relatively few people have access to, despite how it may seem to so many of us living in the Western world.  I wondered of its necessity.

Though I still could not argue for its necessity, I am much more willing to acknowledge it as an unparalleled way to learn.  (At least according to my experience.)

Whether studying Western history, literature, philosophy or biblical studies, it is impossible to avoid learning about Europe.  Much of it has strong roots here.  Already within the first two and a half weeks of the trip, I have seen things here that have brought to life various teachings from every single one of the classes I’ve taken in the past few years.

So far, I have listened as Catalonians have described their desire for autonomy.  I have seen Classical, Renaissance, and Baroque art and actually gained an appreciation for them.  I have noticed that I have been reading my Bible through a newly broadened lens in recent days.  I have had the opportunity to grapple with some of the difficult problems facing all/certain Europeans today.  I have been compelled to ask challenging spiritual questions after visiting Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis.  I have also gotten a better understanding of the power of language.

What a privilege this travel semester is proving to be, what a privilege.

-Sarah Coulombe

A New Curiosity

May 23, 2010 – 6:00 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

I have never had a great appreciation for visual art. Certain pieces have appealed to me, others have not; simple as that.

As I progressed through the art history worksheet in preparation for the Europe trip, however, my interest began to mount. To understand something of the historical contexts, styles, and the artists themselves opens up an entirely new way of looking at both the art pieces and at the world. While taking a walk one evening in Winnipeg, I stopped to look at the pond in front of me. I began to imagine what Monet might have seen. The clouds were lavender, not white. The mallard floating in the pond, whose head I knew was green, looked black to me from my perspective.  Likewise, I imagined what the world might look like through Picasso’s eyes. What sorts of shapes and angles make up any given object?

Gustav Klimt was especially intriguing to me.  I had seen some of his artwork before.  Much of it had appeared to be ornate, busy, and generally unappealing to me.  His Beethoven Frieze was bizarre; I could not comprehend it simply by looking at it.  His three paintings, Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence were more aesthetically pleasing, but I could not grasp his message.  Nor could I understand why the paintings were so controversial in Klimt’s time.  Was it simply the nudity?  That seemed unlikely considering that nudity was nothing new in the history of art.  After doing some research, however, I was blown away by Klimt’s skill and the depth of thought that went into each painting.  Nearly every detail has a reason behind it.  With just a little bit of explanation, it became significantly clearer why the paintings were controversial.  It was not merely the fact of nudity in the paintings, but it was the boldness of it.  Nor was it merely this that was controversial.  Though commissioned by a leading university, Klimt portrayed the disciplines of philosophy, medicine and law as being relatively incapable of significantly contributing to human progress.  What a bold move!  I would have researched his life and works even longer had there been more time before we depart.

With this new-found excitement about art, I have a brand new reason to look forward to the upcoming travel semester.