Happenings
Howdy everyone!
I am now another year older. Am I wiser? Well, I must say that learning has not ceased in the least. I at least hope that I am gaining wisdom with all the lessons of the year. Someone recently asked me what wise words I have from the past year. I said, “It’s a lesson that I have struggled to learn much of my life, but I think it has been tested more this year than any other in my life: BE PATIENT. That includes letting go of control and worry, and not letting the pressure get to me.”
It has been a rather intense couple of weeks. As the temperature increases, things are heating up in other ways too. A dispute between students has divided many people at HMI, traditional values of parents continually clash against their more adaptable kids, the final days or weeks of classes bring the stress of exams and presentations, and so many hellos and goodbyes are causing either outbursts of emotion or overprotective attitudes for many.
To lighten things up and try to stay ‘cool’ with folks from HMI, I organized a birthday outing to visit the Medak Cathedral and it’s moving worship service as well as having a picnic near a lake there. I have been to Medak twice before, but most of the others had not been (even those from this state). The Cathedral is a pilgrimage site for many people, including non-Christians, and although our group
ended up being all Christian, they appreciated the interfaith element of the place. Our group was unique in the fact that in a group of 13, we represented 5 countries (Tanzania, Holland, India, US, and Sri Lanka). The photos here do not do justice to the experience of the worship, but the special offering time is quite an orchestrated and moving part of the service.
Our time at the lake was also ver
y nice, as many people in India don’t really take vacation outings like this very often. We relaxed and talked and ate… and some of us went for a little swim! It was not the most refreshing swim I’ve had, since the top 2 feet of the water was SO warm that I was actually hotter there than before jumping in. I managed to dive a little lower down and enjoy the cooler bottom.
Thursday was a very busy day this week because we had a graduation ceremony for the 4 Islamic Studies students (9 month program) and a goodbye to two other students returning to Tanzania a month earlier than expected due to visa constraints. Then, after that, there was an art and fashion show presented by several students who were in a special workshop about Art and Peace Building the last couple of weeks. It was very creative in presentation as well as the artwork itself. I'm adding a picture, but hopefully will get
more/better ones up later.
I am now another year older. Am I wiser? Well, I must say that learning has not ceased in the least. I at least hope that I am gaining wisdom with all the lessons of the year. Someone recently asked me what wise words I have from the past year. I said, “It’s a lesson that I have struggled to learn much of my life, but I think it has been tested more this year than any other in my life: BE PATIENT. That includes letting go of control and worry, and not letting the pressure get to me.”
It has been a rather intense couple of weeks. As the temperature increases, things are heating up in other ways too. A dispute between students has divided many people at HMI, traditional values of parents continually clash against their more adaptable kids, the final days or weeks of classes bring the stress of exams and presentations, and so many hellos and goodbyes are causing either outbursts of emotion or overprotective attitudes for many.
To lighten things up and try to stay ‘cool’ with folks from HMI, I organized a birthday outing to visit the Medak Cathedral and it’s moving worship service as well as having a picnic near a lake there. I have been to Medak twice before, but most of the others had not been (even those from this state). The Cathedral is a pilgrimage site for many people, including non-Christians, and although our group
ended up being all Christian, they appreciated the interfaith element of the place. Our group was unique in the fact that in a group of 13, we represented 5 countries (Tanzania, Holland, India, US, and Sri Lanka). The photos here do not do justice to the experience of the worship, but the special offering time is quite an orchestrated and moving part of the service. Our time at the lake was also ver
y nice, as many people in India don’t really take vacation outings like this very often. We relaxed and talked and ate… and some of us went for a little swim! It was not the most refreshing swim I’ve had, since the top 2 feet of the water was SO warm that I was actually hotter there than before jumping in. I managed to dive a little lower down and enjoy the cooler bottom.
Thursday was a very busy day this week because we had a graduation ceremony for the 4 Islamic Studies students (9 month program) and a goodbye to two other students returning to Tanzania a month earlier than expected due to visa constraints. Then, after that, there was an art and fashion show presented by several students who were in a special workshop about Art and Peace Building the last couple of weeks. It was very creative in presentation as well as the artwork itself. I'm adding a picture, but hopefully will get
more/better ones up later.And now, just to be random again… I want to introduce you to the HMI dog, Raju. This guy has a pretty nice life. Most dogs in India do NOT have a very good life from what I can see (I don’t think I’ve ever seen such pathetic looking stray dogs in all my life) but Raju spends the majority of his day moving from one favorite spot to the next for a nice nap. Once in awhile, he’ll pe
rk up and chase an invading critter on campus or just race around the devotion hall for no apparent reason other than looking for attention. Today, I am looking at Raju as my inspiration for ‘taking it easy’. Don’t you think he’s inspirational in that way?
Take it easy,
Sara
posted by Namasday | 8:45 PM
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