Mission Navajo

Several months ago, one of my closest friends invited me to go on a mission trip with her and her grandparents. She had made the trip a few times before so I had heard a lot about. I put some thought to it and agreed to join her. However, at the time, I did not not quite what I was getting myself into.

We drove with her grandparents from Iowa to New Mexico, stopping for a night in Texas. When we arrived in New Mexico and went to find our rooms at the boarding the school that is when I began to panic. There were a lot of people I did not know that all seemed to each other. I also found out that I would be helping my friend lead a small group of high schoolers for devotion everyday. I was not exactly prepared to do that. Though I had gone on a mission trip with my church several years ago, I could not remember devotion being a strong focus on our trip. This trip however would have time for devotions each day.

Our first morning was a Sunday, the group went to three different churches. We would be hosting vacation bible school at two of the churches over the next few days. The church service reminded me of the church services I have been to in Tanzania, similar in style, organization, and timeliness. We sang hymns in English and Navajo. After the service, there was some time for fellowship where we ate Fritos pies, which are like walking tacos with Fritos instead of Doritos. Then we planned and decorated for vacation bible school. In the afternoon, the group met up at Window Rock, an aptly named rock formation with a large hole in it. Then we caravanned to Cross Canyon. Many of us made the hike down into the canyon. The view was absolutely breathtaking. After the hike, we had Navajo tacos and blue corn mush. The canyon was on a man named Jimmy's "property." Technically the government owns the land and it is leased as a trust to Navajo people. Jimmy and his family hosted us, leading us on the hike and making dinner for us. The land had been in Jimmy's family for several generations, since the Walk of Shame. When we arrived back at the school, we heard for the school's superintendent and one of the elders. They shared about their lives, the school, and the people.

Over the course of the next few days, my schedule was pretty much the same. After breakfast, there was the hour for devotions. Devotions were part quiet reflection and part small group. After devotions, we split up to work on different projects. My friend and I went to a woman named Dorothy's house to install a walk-in shower. Over the course of several days, we took out the bath tub and old panels and installed the new shower. We also spent time getting to know Dorothy, an loving and crafty elderly woman, as well as her nine-year old granddaughter Kimora. The one person spent a lot of time getting to know Dorothy while working on crafts with her. We played volleyball, dolls, and other games with Kimora. Each day we took a break to meet up with the group for lunch before going back to work. We had a little break in the late afternoon before going to the two churches for vacation bible school. I shepherded the 5 to 8 year olds. Though it was difficult because there were about twenty of them each evening. I loved getting to know those kids. The one I grew closest to was Jakob. The first night his mom told me that he does not talk very much and is quite shy. Slowly that first night, I could get him to talk to me. On the last night, I could see how much I had impacted him when he saved a seat for me next to him when our group had dinner time as well as much he would talk to me. His mom even hugged me as they were leaving. I think I impressed all the kids with how well I could remember their names from night to night. I loved getting to help with vacation bible school again because it was something that I had been missing.

Unfortunately, the second night there was a fight that broke out between to teenage girls. It was heartbreaking to witness. We also concerned about the well-being of some of the kids that we pick-up and drop-off from an nearby neighborhood called Kid's Canyon. Before leaving the church that night, the pastor spoke to all of us. His main message was "Let it go." To which, my friend, another girl our age, and I got very upset with. We discussed it afterwards. That was not what we thought our mission should be about. The motto for the trip was "It's not about the work, it's about the people." The fact that we were so frustrated with what the pastor showed how we felt about the people.

The one night we went on a short night hike to a nearby place called Resurrection Rock. We spent some time stargazing in silence. The only light came from the town and Route 66 on the horizon. The sky was so clear. Something about staring at the night sky makes me feel spiritually satisfied and brings me inner peace. That feeling of being so incredibly small in the universe is surreal and powerful.

One of the days we spend doing cultural activities in the afternoon. We watched a couple of dances and heard some flute music. I went to meet a weaver. She was an amazing and kind elderly woman. She showed us how she spins and dyes her own yarn with wool from her sheep and showed us how to use her loom.

On the last day of projects, I went with a group to visit the food pantry. Though, we did not end up doing any work, I learned a lot. The pantry has a garden where people can rent plots. The garden is watered using rain water collected in massive barrels on around the building for the pantry. The pantry is not only providing food but education as well. They are trying to teach people how to budget their food as well as how to eat healthier. A man named Ken gave us a tour and shared this information. It was neat to hear him speak because he was so passionate about his job and was so opinionated. In the afternoon, I watched a video about the Navajo code talkers that was put together by a group of children at the school where we were staying. Then a group of us went to Kid's Canyon. The houses were like shacks and there were so many adults and children. It was powerful to see. 

Despite my concerns at the beginning of the week about the trip. I loved it! I learned a lot about the Navajo people and the circumstances of the people in the area through talking to the people I encountered. I made friends with people in the group as well as with the Navajo. I also learned about myself as I reflected on my faith.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The answer to the joke "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" However, my answer to that question involves a little more than just practice. The head choir director at my college was invited to conduct a festival choir at Carnegie Hall, so naturally he invited members of the choirs and bands who were interested to join him. I could not say no to this opportunity. So last month, I spent several days in New York City to perform in Carnegie Hall.

I car pooled with friends to the airport at 2 AM for our 5 AM flight. After some delay due to maintenance at O'Hare, which included having to un-board one plane and re-board another, we made it to Newark where a mini-bus was waiting to take us to our hotel in Midtown. Some how we were booked to come in a whole day early so we had no obligations until the next evening. So naturally, despite our exhaustion from the early morning, once we dropped our bags off, we were ready to get a bite to eat and start exploring. My friends and I ate at a deli before heading to Central Park. An odd treasure in the heart of the city. One is surrounded by nature, yet just beyond lays the concert jungle. Then we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, because it is open for free on Friday evenings. The most famous work there is Van Gogh's "Starry Night." I didn't realize that Dali's "The Persistence of Memory," the work with the melting clocks and Warhol's iconic Campbell soup work were there as well, along with so much more.

The next morning, my friends and I took the subway downtown, all the way to the port, to take the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We reduced our waiting time some because we reserved tickets at the hotel the day before. However, there is still quite the line to go through the airport-like security. The first stop was Liberty Island. We got off walked around the island, which is quite small, and took lots of pictures. We also had lunch there. Then we got on the ferry to go to Ellis Island. Because I had a few members of family go through Ellis Island, I was pretty excited to be there. Unfortunately, many of the artifacts were not on display because they had been removed for Hurricane Sandy, and the island had only been reopened in the past six months. The Registry Room took my breath away as it came into view as I climbed up the stairs. I can only imagine what it would have been like when it was being used at its peak. Then we took the ferry back to Manhattan and took the subway back to Midtown for dinner at a cafe before our evening rehearsal with everybody. After rehearsal, a group of us went to Serendipity III, famous from the movie Serendipity, and got frozen hot chocolates, a specialty.

After rehearsal in the morning and getting a bite to eat with part of the group, a friend and I got discounted tickets to a Broadway show for that evening. We went to the show Holler If Ya Hear Me. The musical was more of spoken word poetry, using the music of Tupac Shakur. We sat in the first row balcony of the Palace Theatre. The show was in preview at the time, due to open later that week. I can best describe it as the gang aspect of West Side Story with the activism found in Rent. It was different, but we enjoyed it. After the show, we met up with a couple the others to catch the synchronized light show at Times Square.

My friends and I had an early morning to do some final sightseeing before rehearsal in the afternoon. We took the subway downtown to visit the 9/11 Memorial. I knew that this would impact me, but I could not have prepared myself to the extent that it did. A man who went to my church in my hometown was there that day and was killed. I managed to break away from the others to look for his name. When I found it, it all hit me. Not just his name, but all the names on the memorials at the foundations of where the towers stood. Each of those people had family and friends, had a story, and it all just hit me. I remember watching the news in class the day it happened. I remember the next day as both fourth grade classes sat together as we discussed what happened, as we tried to understand what happened. I remember the pictures of the newly widowed woman in the local newspaper. I remember the poems that read in ninth grade for English. It all just it me. I turned away from the memorial and walked to the nearest bench and let myself cry. When I collected myself, I found the others. Before we left I decided to walk entirely around the tower's memorial. Along the way, I found hope. The flowing water of the memorial produces a slight mist. As one is walking, depending on the angle, one can see a rainbow. I do not know if this was an intentional aspect of the memorial, but it gives a sign of hope. 

Since we were in the area, we decided to visit Trinity Church as well.

On our way back to Midtown, we stopped to take a look at the Empire State Building. Because we still had a little time we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unfortunately, there was a lot of restoration work going on at the cathedral so we could not get the best view of the cathedral. 

After rehearsal, we had to change into our concert attire before going to Carnegie Hall for sound check. The performance was that evening. I made it to Carnegie Hall. The auditorium was impressive. The hall was more vertical than I was expecting, but beautiful. Singing there was quite the experience! After the concert, we went to Hard Rock Cafe as a group to celebrate.

The next day we had to saw goodbye to the city. Despite only having a few days there, I am impressed with how much I was able to accomplish while I was there. It was an honor to get to sing in one of the most renowned choral halls in world, while under the direction of my own college's head choir director. It will surely be something I will not forget.

There's No Place Like London

We took the train to London Paddington Station and got our passes for the tube. We dropped our stuff at the hostel near St. Paul's Cathedral and headed back out. We stopped at King's Cross for cheesy pictures at the Platform 9 and 3/4 signs, where in line a won trivia face-off, winning a ticket for the Hogwarts Express.  Then we checked out to Piccadilly Square.

The following day, we used our Osyter cards to board one of the iconic red double-decker buses to go to the Tower of London. Though I had learned about the Tower some, I had forgotten that it is more than just a tower and is actually more like a little village. I learned that despite being famous for being a prison, it was built as a royal castle. Today, it houses the Crown Jewels. While the jewels are impressive to look at, I personally would not want to wear them. The Tower used to house the Royal Mint as well. From the Tower, we went to Trafalgar's Square. We explored the National Portrait Gallery featuring portraits of royalty, politicians, writers, musicians, artists, actors, and scientists. From the Portrait Gallery, we went around the corner to the National Gallery. The art there ranges from the 13th to the 19th centuries, containing hundreds of masterpieces, including those by da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, and more. The best part was both of the galleries were free.

The next day we we hit the major places people think of when they hear "London." We started the out with a tour of Westminster Abbey, which happens to be right by Big Ben and the House of Parliament. Inside the abbey is the tombs of a number of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth I. There was also a section devoted to writers, where one can find Chaucer's tomb. The section is tombs and memorials. We also so Sir Isaac Newton's. For class, we had high tea at the Cellarium of the abbey. In the afternoon, we did a Mrs. Dalloway walk to St. James Park near Buckingham Palace. In the evening, a group of us went to Evening Prayer at the Cathedral before crossing Millennium Bridge and walking along the River Thames. 

How is one supposed to decided what to do in one's only mostly free day in London? Because we had to stay in a group for class, my plans were partly dictated by others. However, it was a day well spent. After a little souvenir shopping, the group I was with caught part of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We picnicked for lunch in St. James Park before heading to the British Museum. I was completely ecstatic. I saw the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone! We only had a short amount of time at the museum and I could have probably spent days there. We met up with the class at the British Library for a tour of some of their treasures. My bliss from the museum continued as we were shown the manuscript of Beowulf, the Magna Carta, and so much more. After our class dinner, a group of us went to ride the London Eye. I was a little concerned about the price but it was a lot of fun. The view was pretty good as well.

There was no better way to end our time in England then to take a tour of the Globe Theater and then see a show. Of course, we saw the show the proper way, as groundlings. We waited quite some time to be the ones right up against the edge of the stage. We saw Shakespeare's Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, which to be blunt is quite graphic. The play contains 14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3 depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity, and 1 act of cannibalism. So as groundlings, we got spit and a little blood on us but we still had a blast. During intermission, we gave the actor that had to sit on stage right by us a piece of chocolate, which got him to smile. Seeing the play live allows for more comedy than when I read the play for class, however, it is still quite intense. There was no better way to spend our final day in England.

Aquae Sulis and the Surrounding Area

Aquae Sulis is the Roman name for the city of Bath. The first place we visited of course was the Roman Baths. The complex includes several different bath rooms, the spring, artifacts, and more. Seeing the Roman engineering at work was a humbling experience. After the Baths, we visited the Assembly Rooms, which inspired some of Jane Austen's writing.

We were fortunate that for a day we were going to spend a lot of time outside, it was a beautiful day. We toured around the area near Bath.  Our first stop of the day was Stonehenge. Though it was smaller than I was expecting, Stonehenge was in way unimpressive. In a way there was more to Stonehenge than I thought. Like most people probably think, there is the main circle of stones. However, the landscape around Stonehenge is just as interesting. Our next stop was Avebury. Though the stone circle of Avebury was/is much larger than the one at Stonehenge, much of its stone was used for building.  Ironically, the Church, which did not like the circle, used the stones to build a church. The town of Avebury is actually set inside of the circle. Next we went to the little village of Lacock. The newest building in the town was built in 1824! Because of this, the town is often used for historic filming. It is used so often, that the filming industry paid to have electricity and other cabling all be under ground to not affect the picture. A couple of the Harry Potter films had locations there. The main street was used as part of Hogsmeade. One can also find the houses used as the Potter's house and Slughorn's house. Parts of the abbey were used as well. I loved wondering around the village because it was so picturesque. Our last stop for the day was another village frequently used for filming, Castle Comb. Most recently, War House was filmed there.

For class, we would only use seven of eight days on a BritRail Pass, so we were encourage to use our extra day on one of our free days. A few others wanted to visit a castle so they searched for ones nearby we could get to by train. I decided to go along we them. We ended up in Sherbourne. First, we visited the Old Castle. The ruins of the Old Castle sat on a hill in the countryside. We ended up being the only tourists there. From the Old Castle, we went to the New Sherbourne Castle, which was Sir Walter Raleigh's manor. At first, we were all a little wary of the cost to get in. However, it ended up being worth it. After taking lunch outside, we went into the castle. We also spend some time exploring the gardens.

The next day, the class headed to Glastonbury, which we had been warned could be quite interesting. We started the day by visiting the abbey, where supposedly the graves of Arthur and Guinevere were discovered.  After that we decided to visit the Tor. We took a bus to the base and hiked/climbed to the top of the hill to the Tor. It was quite the work out. Though there is not much to the building at the top, the view of Glastonbury and the countryside is quite spectacular. Despite not running into anyone peculiar, besides our tour guide at the abbey who pulled a Fisher Price dog around on a string and only acting crazy, it was a good adventure.

"All the world's a stage": Shakespeare's Home

A literary tour of England is not complete without going to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. This year just so happened to be the celebration of his 450th birthday. Our first day in the city, we visited Shakespeare's birthplace, the Nash House and New Place, and Hall's Croft. Shakespeare's birthplace was the Shakespeare family home at the time of William's birth. New Place was a house that Shakespeare bought. Hall's Croft and Nash House were houses owned by members of Shakespeare's family. Hall's Croft was owned by his daughter and granddaughter. Nash House's name comes from the husband of his granddaughter. The Nash House is a well-preserved Tudor house.  New Place is the location of Shakespeare's last home, however the building is no longer there. In the evening, we went to see Henry IV Part One at the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre. The theatre was rather vertical but it was an exciting performance.

The following day, we went to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Anne Hathaway was Shakespeare's wife. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on journaling and the course readings.

Our last day in Stratford-Upon-Avon, we went to Mary Arden's House and Tudor Farm.  Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mother. There was not as much to Mary Arden's house as the other places we had visited. However, the farm had a number of demonstrations. We went to a falconry one. After we returned to the city, I spent the afternoon in a tea with a friend. In the evening, we attended The Roaring Girl at the Swan Theatre, the smaller theatre of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Some aspects of the play were modernized, and besides a couple ways to interpret the play, it was fantastic.

Heart of Higher Learning

First off, I apologize for the delay for the rest of my England trip posts. Between journaling, reading, and all the activities, the trip was quite exhausting, but in a good way of course.  Since returning to the States, I have had a lot going, which will be included in a couple of other posts.

After our weekend in the Lake District, we headed south to what for me is the Heart of High Learning, Oxford.  While walking around the city, I was amazed by how much of the city is actually the University of Oxford. The University is actually made up of several dozen colleges.  The class did our own walking tour of Harry Potter filming locations by heading to one of these colleges, Christ Church. At Christ Church College is climbed up the stairs used in the first film where Professor McGonagall meets the first year students to take them to the great hall. Interestingly enough, the stairs actually lead to the dining hall that inspired the design of the Great Hall. After our walking tour, we made our way to the Eagle and Child, the pub where the literary group the Inklings meet, including Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.  In honor of the Inklings, I had a hard cider with my dinner.

The next morning we went to the small yet interesting Oxford University Press Museum. The Press is probably most well know for the Oxford English Dictionary. Surprisingly, there is no longer book printing in Oxford; book printing is actually done at other global locations. In the afternoon, we went to the Story Museum. A few of us checked out an exhibit called "26 Characters" where 26 authors dressed up as their favorite children's book character for portraits, as well as did interviews about writing, particularly writing children's books.  As a class, we attended a printing workshop to learn more about the old printing process. There is a certain art in this printing method which is getting lost in today's digital age.

The following day, we took the train to Winchester.  We started our day in Winchester at the Great Hall with King Arthur's Round Table.  Though the table was probably actually built by King Edward I for a tournament he held there, the table makes for a good tale along with serving as an example of the role of Arthurian legends in English history. Kings used Arthur's legacy to try to build their own legacy, linking the two. After lunch, we toured Winchester Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried.

There is no better way to spend a free day in Oxford than to explore some of the museums, many of which are free. To be honest, I could have used another day or two just to check out the free museums in Oxford. The first museum we went to was the impressive Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.  In our time there, I was only able to explore two of the five floors with exhibits.  Then we went to the smaller Museum of the History of Science, popular for a blackboard with Einstein's writing from a lecture on it.  A friend and I decided it was worth it to book tickets for a tour of the Bodleian Library. Though the tour was short, I loved getting to see what can be considered the "Heart of the University of Oxford," the Divinity School, which just so happened to be used as the infirmary in a couple of the Harry Potter films. The Divinity School was the first lecture hall of the university. We also saw the first section of the library, where during the Reformation almost all three hundred books were burned. The guide said something along the lines of ideas being more dangerous, because the decoration of the Divinity School below remained relatively undamaged. After our tour, we meet the others at the Museum of Natural History, where the dodo bird remains are found, and the Pitt River Museum. I could have spent several more hours in the Pitt River Museum which housed different cultural artifacts from around the world.

The next day we went to Blenheim Palace, the only place with the name palace that is not royal or owned by the Church. Today it is the home of a duke. Winston Churchill was born there. The massive building has extensive gardens that go with it. We spent a large portion of the day touring the palace and exploring the gardens.