Settling in before moving on

Monday, July 18th, 2011

We had a quiet day today, resting late into the morning after our weekend adventures. Michael and the two of us adventured on our own for the first time without a more experienced guide, which was a satisfying experience-we are beginning to settle in to the different space.
In particular, we survived buying tickets for later in our trip, to both Hardwar in the mountains and from Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) to Delhi for our flight home. We'd waited, because we'd been told that those were easier to buy in person, and it was a fascinating experience, waiting with about a hundred other people looking to also travel from point A to point B in a little basically unmarked upstairs room. We ended up having to skip the train we would have preferred-an overnight train-for one leaving at 5:30 in the morning, because it was already booked, but all in all, an interesting experience with Indian bureaucracy.
Then we went to a tailors where we got some gifts for our friend Agasteen who we visit tomorrow, and a sharp new Indian shirt for me. On the way home, we stopped at a roadside stand, where I purchased my first roadside food, a delicious mango. I felt very triumphant, even if I got the westerner's price.
In the evening, we had a very different kind of adventure-we went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2. It was a fascinating mix of a taste of home and a cross cultural adventure. The movie theater had both Popcorn and Paneer, that familiar language of entertainment palace with a unique Indian twist. The movie was fun, and it played more like a melodrama-oohing and awing and clapping at appropriate points, (and one unexpected cheer when Voldermort appeared, ready to attack Hogwarts), with all the emotions that I'm used to expressing quietly shared with the collective room around us.
Tomorrow we journey on from Chennai to Rajamundry, and begin our time with Agastine and Lalitha. It should be an interesting journey, we're looking forward to the experience, and learning about a different part of India, and experiencing the Christian community we'll find.
I'm not sure if there will be internet access, if not, we'll check back in on the 26th or so while we're in Delhi with a massive blog post that only our parents will read.
Now, its time for bed, tomorrow will be a busy day.
Samuel and Rachel

July 17-Samuel and Rachel's foodie adventure

Hello friends,
particularly those who are just getting out of worship as I write this. I'm thinking of SLMF this Sunday.

Rachel and I just got back from Mamallapurim, a small town about 1.5 hours south of Chennai on the Indian Ocean (or Bay of Bengal, to be perfectly accurate). It was a lovely adventure. The best part of Mamallipurim is you can walk everywhere-the town is about 2 miles by 1 mile, with the core covering just a few city blocks. It takes all of the noise and traffic and trash and chaos of India, and consolidates it into one neat manageable package, and adds a beach and several ancient temples.
We arrived yesterday morning, after a taxi ride with Michael and Aimee, Caroline, Whitney, and Roseline, a Malaysian woman studying in Australia, who is in India for study abroad like the other three. We grabbed lunch at a place that had omelets and crepes (those who have been here a month were craving western breakfast) and headed out to the temples. The Shore Temple is from the 7th century, and is known for a large sculpture of 'reclining Shiva' resting on the waves.

  We went wading on the way to the temple, at Mamallapurim's sandy beach, complete with surfers. After hiking through some hills with other ancient carvings, we went to The Five Rathas, which are chariot shaped temples from a few centuries earlier, plus a carved Elephant.

(can you see the Elephant?)
It is fascinating to see carvings from so many centuries ago, that remain vibrant and sturdy and communicate emotion and passion. These are all UNESCO world heritage sites, and its good that people are paying attention to this kind of history.

After a long hot day of exploring, we returned for naps and the first of several food adventures-a home cooked meal of prawns and small crabs in an amazing curry sauce. Our taste buds are slowly adapting to incredibly spicy food, and we retired completely satisfied.
Today, after shopping for more clothes for Rachel, (one of her previous tops ended up being too tight) we had a seafood lunch (also amazing) and wandered the streets of Mamallapurim seeing the sights and watching our friends barter for gifts. Our favorite bartering story involves a desperate stone carver, who negotiated in the shop for 15 minutes, then when we walked away first chased us down on his motorcycle to drop the price another 2 dollars, and hours later accosted us again in a completely different part of town on our way back to our hotel.
The afternoon was spent eating prawns on the third floor of a beach restaurant overlooking the ocean, watching the silly western tourists (like us) dance in the waves in very inappropriate swim suits (India has strong cultural norms against female nudity, which speaks to some complicated gender issues, but which the women try to follow as representatives of Western culture).
Finally, after supper we headed back to Chennai, braving nighttime driving past a huge political rally and other chaos before doing our first major laundry work and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Chennai, which seems crazy, since we just got here. Hopefully Rajmundry will be as wonderful as our time so far, though internet is likely to be less available.

Oh, and I forgot, but on Friday, Michael did this:

we're glad nothing went wrong.
We're thinking of everyone at home, and send our love and greetings.
Samuel and Rachel

Hot and tired.

Friday July 15th
Hello friends,
we've had our first India adventure, and lived to tell about it.
Yesterday we got to visit the Social Work department at Madras Christian College, where Aimee is working and living. She has a cute little apartment she shares with Caroline, another woman from Denver. It is a bit of a walk from our Guest House, the campus here is just enormous. We had a bit of lunch in the student center, and then Aimee took all of us out on the town to explore the city of Chennai a little bit.
We took the train in 12 stops to Najapurum (or something like that). The train was full, but not packed, so we got to sit down. Most striking to me on my first Indian train ride were the beggars coming through the cars, singing a mournful tune as they went. (though the complete lack of doors was also notable). When we arrived, we got off in the midst of heavy city traffic, and waited by the side of the road for a 'share car' a small minivan which holds about 7 people that goes in a regular loop and picks people up from the side of the road along the way. Its like a little minibus, which is rather neat. We got very cozy as we headed off into the city to the Spencer Plaza mall (yes, an Indian mall. It was very interesting-some similarities to ours, but also a lot more crowded.) Rachel found two beautiful Salwar Kami's at a little shop where Aimee had been before, she is going to feel much more comfortable settling in as a pastor's wife next week I think.
After a snack of ice cream, (fig and honey as well as black currant-yum!) we headed back into the chaos, attempting to find St. Thomas Mount, where Doubting Thomas was martyred in the 1st century (according to tradition). However, the sun was fading fast, and our guidebooks said 'its near the train station' which is not very useful for directions, when 'near' is defined as within a mile or so, there are no signs, and no one speaks English. Stymied, we retreated to a lovely Indian restaurant restaurant for supper (so spicy, but not inedible), after which we returned home, to cards, and a good night's sleep, since we were completely beat.
Today, we went back out into the world. In the morning, I successfully traversed my first solo cross cultural experience. I was sent out to collect breakfast for Rachel, Michael and me. I went to the student canteen, and learned how to order, how to pay, how to ask for things to go, and what an Indian doughnut looks and tastes like (not sweet, and covered in slightly less spicy than usual sauce, but delicious!). A small triumph, obviously, but I try to be pleased with small triumphs.
The bigger adventures of the day were two. First, we all went to Aimee's placement for the summer, an Indian agency working on reducing AIDS among transgendered, homosexual, and sex worker populations. There we got to see their headquarters, hear that Hillary Clinton will be visiting them next week, drink tea (apparently part of most morning rituals) and visit the hospital where they treat AIDS and HIV patients, attempting both to manage the disease, and reduce transmission. They help about 100 people a month at the hospital, with 3 people on staff. It was very interesting to hear some stories, and the social workers had lots of good questions.
In the afternoon, we gave St. Thomas Mount another try. It proved to be more like 2 miles than 1 away, which is a bit much in the 95 degree heat, but we found it eventually, and after a 200 ft. climb, the mountain gave us a tremendous view of the city, with people sprawling out as far as the eye can see in every direction (Chennai is the 4th largest city in India). On top is a very Indian monument to St. Thomas, with bright colors, a gilded crucifix, statues to John Paul the 2nd and Mother Teresa, as well as a Portuguese cathedral. It felt like the end of a good quest, or a pilgrimage, after the long walk and getting lost a couple of times.
After a rest break in the late afternoon, as went over to the Center for International Social Work at Madras Christian College, Aimee and Caroline's official residence, for dinner of various Indian Cuisines made by Caroline. We also met Aimee and Caroline's friend Whitney, a social work student from Canada, and had a lovely evening of chatting and eating good food with wonderful people.
It has been a good day, we're ready to rest, and for tomorrows trip to the beach at Mamalapuram (I'll try to check back in on Sunday evening).

a few pictures

stories to follow.

Our plane in Chicago, getting ready to take off. 9 across is too big!

 Rachel, plus the view from our balcony.

this is where we're staying. Its a comfortable spot, and we're glad Aimee set us up here.

29 hours later, or are we there yet

Thursday, July 14th, 2011
Hello friends,
we have arrived safely in India, and I am ensconced on the porch of the International Guest House at Madras Christian College, our place of residence while we are here in Chennai.
Its about noon, we're waiting for Aimee, Rachel's sister in law to return from her placement before getting lunch and heading into the city proper for an afternoon of sights and shopping (Rachel is ready to dress more like a local).
Before my reflections on travel, a note. This is going to serve as an all-purpose diary for us-a combination of Voth family trip journal, a chance to update friends and family, an a place to reflect on any of the various cultural experiences we have, and anything else we want to throw in. Thus, fair warning, I feel no obligation towards subject verb agreement, or traditional concepts of narrative flow. This will be primarily for us, and our own enjoyment.
Anyway, first thoughts.
India is a long way away. It took us about 29 hrs. door to door to arrive at our current location, 15 hours of which were on the plane from Chicago to Delhi, squashed in the middle of the 5 across middle row, fighting for armrest space with strangers. It is not a good recipe to arrive rested and rejuvenated, though the novelty of playing tetris on a 777 did distract me for quite some time, and Indian food on an airline is a delightful treat.
Customs in Delhi were surprisingly non-anxious, they needed our word that we weren't smuggling anything illicit or dangerous, but there was no search. I presume they were content that anything Americans let on their planes is OK to allow in India. The men with big guns generally smiled and were helpful. At customs, they did need an address for our location in India, but "International Guest House, Madras Christian College, Chennai" was sufficient, so it seemed largely a formality.
The Delhi airport is nice (apparently, #4 in the world, according to someone), huge, and pretty quiet at 6:30 at night-the chaos of India had to wait until we arrived in Chennai, where there was ample chaos for everyone, from the busy baggage claim, the hundreds of people waiting to pick up travelers at the airport, and of course, the process of getting out of the parking lot.
It is of course cliche, but the experience of watching traffic flow completely naturally, with no concern for street signs, lane markers, pedestrians, or right of way takes some getting used to. As far as I can tell the only rules are stick to your side of the street (left) and don't hit anyone. It, I think, will continually flabbergast me that more cars aren't scraped and dinged up from their time on the busy streets. Even more fun, the Chennai suburban police randomly block off 1 of the 2.5 lanes of traffic on a regular basis with specially made barricades on main roads. They do this, I presume, to disrupt the flow of traffic and bring speeds down (or possibly they just like causing extra chaos). However, Sammy, our driver handled the chaos well, and we arrived in short order at our destination.
Sleep was a little tricky, since we got in at midnight local time, otherwise known as 1:30 in the afternoon, St. Louis, so we all got up early to walk around the quiet campus of Madras Christian College and walk with Aimee to get breakfast-fresh Mangos! The college is clearly an ex-British place, the amount of empty space and greenery seems to be quite unusual, and the shade of the banyan trees is very welcome.
The afternoon promises to be a hot and sticky adventure, but I think after our naps this morning, we will be ready to experience the adventure that is India.
There will be pictures later, I promise.
Samuel Voth Schrag
Thursday, July 14th (I'm going to try and keep track of days, it should be an adventure).

facts and beliefs

A friend of mine pointed me to this NPR report on global warming (NPR)-that fewer Americans believe global warming is happening today than 5 years ago, while at the same time, the scientific consensus has become more certain. 

As someone who agrees that this is happening (because I trust the scientists, and this chart:  (source)

  it makes me sad to see so much misinformation, much of it supported by major polluters like coal and oil companies, out in our marketplace of ideas.

But that’s not actually what I wanted to reflect on today. What caught my attention is the issue of different kinds of facts.

Global warming, like other issues of the day is becoming a political battle-divided between Democrats and Republicans, and I notice that the two political parties often have very different views of reality-

Think about debates on questions like

Are fetuses really persons?

Do tax cuts raise revenue?

Is government spending inefficient or wasteful?

Do anti-poverty programs help or hurt?

Is property a right or a privilege?

How should we treat immigrants?

These questions, and others like them are questions about the nature of reality, and they are important things that everyone should think about.

These questions fall on different points on the spectrum between questions of fact and questions of belief. Take abortion-everyone basically has the same set of facts-abortion is the destruction of a fetus, by definition. The question about abortion surround not the facts, but our interpretation of them-is a fetus a baby? Is it murder? Are there some situations where it is justified? These aren’t questions that you can answer easily in a correct or incorrect framework. 

On the other hand, some are questions of fact-global warming is going to happen (or not happen), regardless of what we believe about it.  Human beliefs about Global warming don’t shape the underlying reality.

Some fall somewhere in the middle-you can collect evidence about tax cuts and government spending, and make statistical claims about reality, while at the same time arguing the proper balance between property rights and  caring for the poor.

I think it would be really useful for all of us to pay attention to this distinction:

I think there should be a social safety net because God cares about the poor is a belief statement.

Food stamps have improved the nutritional outcomes for poor children is a question of fact.

It should be a lot easier to change our facts to cohere with reality than to change our beliefs, since they are more foundational. 

The problem is that in our arguments, all of this stuff gets conflated. We pick the facts we choose to believe based on which conclusions we want to draw. I noted with some amusement an article recently claiming that humans developed reason not to better understand the world, but to better win arguments with other people-"It evolved to help us convince others and to be careful when others try to convince us.” Truth and accuracy were beside the point. (link). 

I think it would be better for our world if we as individuals and a nation worked harder to determine where things fall on the spectrum.

In the church, we might say on the current controversy on LGBT issues, for example-

There is significant evidence that gay and lesbian people have no choice about who they are sexually attracted to. There are biological  realities that are correlated with being gay and lesbian. However, biological impulses are not sufficient to justify behavior-there is a lot of evidence that many choices that are sinful have some basis in genetics or birth context.

From this starting point, then we can get into questions of belief-

Personally, I believe God’s sexual ethics are based around covenant relationships, created between two people, God, and a community. That covenant creates a family, where two people work together in that broader community as partners, despite temptation and the challenges of being committed, creating a relationship based in integrity, equality, and mutual love and support. This vision leaves space for a variety of healthy family forms.   

Others believe that God’s core sexual ethic is based around forming lasting pairs to raise healthy children, and that blessing gay and lesbian relationships undermines that agenda.

This is also a question of fact (what God wants is a fact), but it is not a fact we can test in the same way that we can do twin studies and longitudinal interviews to test the permanence and biological basis of homosexuality.

 

At SLMF, we always try to answer questions and provide clarification on an issue before we enter the discernment process-to share the same facts before engaging values questions, and it is a process that is useful in all our debates. 

We have too many Guns

I am always struck by how much money we in the United States spend on our military.
One way to think about our Federal government is as an insurance program with an army (1/4 health, 1/4 social security, 1/4 military, 1/4 everything else), and that army is really really big.
How big?
This big:

Military spending
that's right. We spend more on guns than the next 17 countries combined.I think this chart is quite striking.

Imagine what else we could do with that money if we even cut 20 or 30% off of our bill.