Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

Sias University

Henan Province, China

I am teaching in China at Sias University.  I live in an apartment in the foreign faculty dormitory. There are 125 of us from the USA.  So as Thanksgiving begins to roll around, the university administration recognizes they have to make some sort of accommodations for us. There will be a traditional dinner and we are allowed to cancel our afternoon classes. All other faculty are not afforded this luxury.  It's business as usual for everyone else on campus.

We may bring guests but a dinner ticket for this meal is $30.  A regular guest ticket, any other night, is just $5. Additionally, our guests may not be Chinese.  They must be American or some other foreign nationality.  No Chinese are allowed to celebrate this unknown holiday.

All of the cafeteria staff have to report early that day and stay until the last of us have had our fill of this strange food.  Seven turkeys are cooked.  A large vat of mashed potatoes are made. Faculty members are allowed to make large quantities of family recipes. So the kitchen is packed with chefs and cooks and the atmosphere is chaotic and nosiey. There have been no efforts to coordinate what people are making.  So there are a few duplicates on the yam dishes and green bean casseroles. Because there is no bread in China, stuffing presents a challenge.  But some faculty knew to stock up on stuffing mix when they were last in the USA. There are plenty of desserts that are too sweet for the Chinese taste buds. We are even served beer and wine. It is a huge effort to make this quantity of food and everyone expresses their gratitude to the staff.

We all gather in the lobby which has been transformed into a large dining room.  At 6PM, grace is offered and we line up.  The turkeys are brought out, plopped on the table and the rest of the food is served.  There is no presentation of the meal.  There is only quick delivery service.  So one or two faculty members step off and offer to carve.  By the time they finished carving, there was nothing left for them to eat.  And that is just too bad, nothing else is offered to them. The empty carcasses are scooped up and floating in a broth soup the next day. Noting goes to waste in China.  So many of them are so thankful any day they can get anything to eat.

Shackleton's Hut

Shackleton's Hut

Antarctica

December 2007

I am obsessed with Ernest Shackleton and his adventures. I marvel at his vision, leadership and foolish courage.  I have read his books and his cook's book and people's biography's about him.  I've watched countless movies about him.  I can recite his advertisement that he sent out to recruit sailors:  "Wanted 30 men to join me on an exploration, dangers conditions, poor pay, long hours, may never return".  Over 300 people applied for these 30 positions. 

So when I heard that we would visit his hut while I was on my trip to Antarctic, I was thrilled.  And when the day arrived, I could hardly contain myself. But as the hour was upon us, weather conditions changed.  The winds picked up dramatically.  It snowed. Even though we were anchored, our ship tossed and turned and struggled with the anchor.

The zodiacs were released in to the water and we were told to suit up if we wanted to leave the ship. I hurried to my cabin and began to put on layers and layers of clothing, However, our trip leader  got on the PA system and warned us of the rough water conditions. "I am not recommending this stop for everyone", she told us, "condition are very treacherous.  The steps to the gangway are slippery. We have icy conditions.  It is going to be difficult to get on the zodiacs because of the wake of the waves.  Only our most fit people should get off the boat."

My heart sank.  I was nervous.  Getting off the ship was trying for me on calm days.  Now Susan  encouraged us to rethink this stop.  I decide not to go as I do not want to risk a broken leg or arm, trying to get off the ship.  I sat on my bed and took off my ten pound boots and pouted in defeat.

As I went up to the gallery to watch my travel mates get off the boat, others encouraged me to go with them.. "Come on, I'll help you.  You won't hurt yourself."  But their words of encouragement weren't enough. I decided that I was not going to join Shackleton today.  I didn't have his foolish courage. I stayed on the boat.

Goodbye Debbie

Goodbye Debbie

Bala Cynwyd, PA

August 2016

About 35 years ago Debbie married my cousin, Larry. Over the course of that time maybe I saw Debbie 15 or 20 times mostly at weddings and showers and funerals and occasionally at family reunion. We always met when was it too hard to have a long conversation. We had brief, pleasant interactions but not much more than that. About five years ago, Larry came to a family reunion alone. He didn’t mention Debbie. None of us asked about her. And when his Christmas cards came out that year, she wasn’t included in the signature line. His Facebook account indicated that his relationship status was complicated. We didn’t ask him about his status. We just made assumptions at the marriage was over and he didn’t want to talk about it. So we didn’t.

Larry died suddenly last week. He didn’t report for work one morning so his boss called him at home. He didn’t pick up the phone. So his boss called the police. They found him dead at his computer. They think it was an asthma attack. But we’ll never know for sure.

His sisters just had a funeral for him. Debbie showed up. She was filled with sorrow and we are also glad to see her as she was on everybody’s mind. We didn’t know how she currently felt about him. But we did know they have some happy years during this 30 years of marriage.

I hugged her and told this must be a very confusing time for her. She said it was. That she cried and cried and cried. “I just had dinner with him on Tuesday and we’re working towards something.  I don’t know. A reconciliation”.  She must have been filled with regrets and I felt so sorry for her.

When it was time to leave I sought her out. “Bye Debbie,” I said to her, “I hope you get over your sorrow”. She nodded and thank me. “Me too,” she said ever so tearfully. Then she shrugged her shoulders, looking for something else to say “and enjoy all your travels. Good luck to you”.

 Then we parted, probably never to see each other again

Afterthoughts on My Safari

Afterthoughts on My Safari

Southern Africa

July 2000

I just spent a month in Southern Africa. I visited South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The trip was magnificent. It pushed all my limits of comfort. Moments were mesmerizing. I was intoxicated by all of its magnificent vistas. The animals humbled me. As I leave this massive continent, here are some of my thoughts:

• ·       I wonder what will be the future of Africa. The animals have been pushed out of their natural habitat and the people are dying of AIDS.
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• ·       Worms and guppies are not tasty food, even if washed down with a cold beer.
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• ·       I never got used to the idea that Africa could be cold even though I was traveling during their winter.
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• ·       Traveling with so many other people from other countries has shown me how arrogant Americans can be.
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• ·       Being on the bottom of the food chain could be very humbling.
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• ·       The only defense I had all these wild animals was their sense of serenity. I had to pray that they do not prey upon us the same way we do to them.
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• ·       Paul Simon knew what he was singing about what in his song about African skies. Every sunset was spectacular.
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• ·       I would love to step into an elephant’s brain just for a day.
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• ·       Africans do not make good beer. When I may have accidentally mentioned this to one of the local bartenders, he very defensively told me they had to make the beer light because of the heat and the altitude. I didn’t notice much heat and I didn’t notice much altitude.
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• ·       The Oryx is my favorite animal.
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• ·       I was embarrassed by the arrogance and wealth of other Americans. My travel mates didn’t want to associate with them and I didn’t want to be associated with them.
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• ·       The starry, starry nights and early mornings were beautiful.
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• ·       The voices of the street singers in Zimbabwe were intoxicating to me.
• ·       Victoria Falls overwhelmed me. I wanted to baptize myself in that water.
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• ·       I wonder how long I will find it funny that I bought two large wooden giraffes home with me.
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• ·       I continue to worry about the lack of clean water for everyone but I continue to do nothing about the problem.
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• ·       I would love to have a party with everyone I ever traveled with. I think we would all be great company for one another.
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• ·       What am I searching for?
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• ·       Camping was not as difficult as I thought it would be but if given the choice, I’ll pass.
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• ·       There is no end to Africa. It goes on for miles after mile after mile after mile after mile after mile after mile after mile.
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• ·       I was stunned that our pilot wanted to fly over the water because it was so beautiful to him. I don’t worry about water even if we have a drought. I just assumed it’ll always be there on my terms. The Africans don’t have that luxury.
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• ·       I love the birds.
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• ·       I love the giraffes.
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• ·       The village people live in mud huts, insulated with old Coke cans. I wonder what Martha Stewart could offer them.
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• ·       Why do some people have so much and others have so little?
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• ·       Seeing elephant just roaming around our campsite was scary but thrilling at the same time.
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• ·       Being in Africa showed me how much damage we have done to the wildlife in America.
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• ·       Regardless of this great adventure with wildlife, I still don’t like squirrels.

The Alleyways of China

The Alleyways of China

Henan Province, China

Spring 2012

When I was teaching In China, I mostly traveled to places with one of my students.  I didn't speak any Chinese which could be a challenge if I wandered too far from the mainstream of taxi drivers who could recognize that I needed to return to the nearby university.  But sometimes I did just wander off and roam the alleys.  They were filled with people who struggled to make a living or gathered together to pass the time or hide in the knocks and crannies to avoid the masses of people.

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