Why I Blog

Looking at my blogging record for the past couple of months, I must stop and ask myself, "Why am I doing this anyway?" I am well aware of the fact that my blog is no state-of-the-art publication, and I'm pretty sure it's not revolutionizing too many people's lives, or even keeping people up on what I'm up to--certainly not when I publish something once a month.

I write for several reasons. For one thing, I like to think, and even if my thoughts are crazy, I like to share them with others. Along that vein, blogging about something makes me think more concretely about it. I think about a lot of things, but putting them down on "paper" makes me think of them in a more concrete way. In addition, I love language, and I'd like to learn how to express myself better in a variety of media. I will never become a better writer if I never write.

My final reason for writing, if my boldest, is that I believe I have something to contribute to the world. I don't say this because of who I am, but more because of who God is, and who people are in light of that. God has created us in His image. True, we are fallen people. However, we still can learn so much from the perspectives of those around us, through the relationships we have with them. In the academic community, I hear a lot about the benefits of collaboration and interdisciplinarity. At the heart of those sometimes lofty-sounding ideas is the simple truth that ideas grow into meaningful thoughts, words, and actions when you share them with those with whom you have contact. I suppose the best way to ensure that your life will not matter much is to stay to yourself and keep your notions in your own head.

Having said all that, no one really likes to read a blog that doesn't have a healthy dose of pictures, videos, or other more visually attractive elements. Since that's the case, I'd love to share a few pictures to capture a few of the highlights of my last several weeks.

The family enjoyed the puzzle that I got free from church and gave to them. :)

After a fun time bowling with CEF oldies, we made it to Annie's with the Lee clan.

We had to strut our gangsta-ness just a little.

I got to hang out with my former roomie Mike in Madison. Here he is in front of the seat of Wisconsin's glorious government.

At Northwestern, I was able to attend my first NU basketball game--all the more fun since we beat the University of Illinois 73-68.

I spent a little time in my beloved city of Chicago.

I also got to travel back on megabus with family, which was a new treat.

Here Dad and I stand next to the majestic bus itself.

Evanston

It is good to be back at Northwestern. I think that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" may be proving true here. So far I have not done much, nor seen many people, but I think this will be a great time of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. I also enjoyed seeing Mike in his new environment in Madison on the way over here. More on that at a more decent hour of the day. :)

Caroling

I love Christmas caroling. Singing the old Christmas carols not only helps get me more than ever in the "Christmas spirit," but it also helps remind me of the awesomeness of Christmas time and the miracle of the Incarnation of Jesus. He came to earth to humble himself like a little human--a little nothing--and then even to be humbled further and be nailed to a tree to redeem us from all our iniquities.

I also love sharing the joy of Christmas with others. Tonight we went caroling, as is the tradition, at the nursing home near our home. I love singing out with all my heart, along with people who used to sing these songs 70 or 80 years ago and still love them like I do. As we walked the halls, we met a woman who came to her door to listen to our singing. We asked if she had a request, and she said, "Not really... but you could sing Silent Night." We began the song she requested, and soon tears were streaming down here face. I'm not sure exactly what was going on--if she was touched by an old memory or by the fact that we were sharing the love and joy of Christmas with her--but either way, it was cool to be a part of that (assuming, of course, that she was not crying because of our singing. always a possibility). Moral of the story: people should carol more often.

Jet Lag

I'm feeling jet lagged for the first time in my life. I'm tired and generally not coordinated to the time here back in good ol' MN. It's funny, because I haven't really had this experience before, even when I went to Europe and Chile. I've been exhausted from travel, but I've always bounced back in a day or so. This time, even though I've been really exhausted, I've woken wide awake two days in a row early in the morning (when I wanted to sleep in). That means something is weird. :) Honestly, I was beginning to think that this "jet lag" was either a big deal about not much, or else something I was immune to. Maybe God's just showing me my place.

Munich Revisited

Munich is a beautiful town, so it deserves a few more photos. First we have an arch whose name I don't know, but which was quite impressive.



We passed a restaurant known for its beer. Interesting.







This particular tower was beautiful,



from all angles.



Especially cool were the gargoyles,



although they are rather creepy up close.



Here's John with his mouth stuffed with spinach. He would let it in, but swallowing it was another matter entirely.



We had fun relaxing together at the Freunds'.



Tiffany tickled the ivories for live entertainment.



And finally, here we are gazing upward to the heavens... or at least the reflective ceiling.

Munich--Edible Version

A chronicle of Munich without some of the foods that I viewed and voraciously devoured would be incomplete. Here are a few. We begin with my tribute to the fusion of Arab and American culture.



Next we have an array of luscious-looking fruit. Mmmmmmmmm!



The highlight of the food at the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) was the candied and chocolate-covered goods. I didn't get to sample any, but if looks say anything, the treats must have been outstanding.





Here's what Ruth looked like on the outside.



Here's a sneak peak into what she was thinking.



There were not only candied apples, but also all sorts of other delicious sweet nuts and fruits.





Naturally, we needed Jeff the Chef to complete the smorgasbord of delicious cuisine with his elaborate homemade pizza. We each got a personal pizza with our choice of toppings.



I didn't get photos of the dizzying variety of meats we tried, but that's probably just as well, or you would be tempted to envy. I am now enjoying French delicacies, so the culinary transition probably won't be so difficult. Au revoir!

Munich

Well, here I am in Munich! I don't plan to make this post long, but I think it's better to write a little than to wait until getting home to MN and having a severe overload of things to do at that time. So here's a bit of update. I did my grand world tour from Santiago to Minneapolis to Munich, thus making stops in 3 continents within 48 hours. The language and culture shock was definitely noticeable; it just doesn't seem right that you can cut across so many cultures and languages in such a short period of time. I am really thankful for the chance to be here, though.

I also am just loving being with family, as I expected that I would. It's especially fun to be with Ruth, Adam, and little John, who is really getting big and is now starting to talk and, well, be a big kid. He's really cute, and I'm not biased. Also, though, I think I'm starting to realize what a blessing it is to have a huge family--extended family, as we like to refer to them sometimes. These are the people God has allowed me to be in physical relation to, and I think it's really fun and eye-opening to get to know them better. Another reason that I'm thankful God provided for this trip.

Hm, I was going to upload more photos, but I'm going to bed. That will just have to wait, I guess. :)