Tag Archives: School

Jan 16 2013
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Tips for Turkey

Today’s tours were cut short by lots and lots of rain and thunderstorms. We did make it to Assos where Paul was at least twice, meeting Luke once. Aristotle was also there. And you can see the island of Lesbos across the way, from which we get the word “lesbian”… No really!

We missed Alexandria Troas because of the rain.

We made it to Troy, where I visited the model horse of ancient lore, the museum, and the restrooms. I’ll have a better visit sans rain someday with my someday children after we’ve read the Iliad together. Haha.

Since today’s sites were brief, I thought I’d offer vocab lesson.
hello: merhaba
good morning: günaydin
good night: iyi geceler
good bye: güle güle
thank you: tesekkür (the s sounds like sh)
yes: evet
no: hayir (pronounced hire)

There’s no use in learning “how much?” or “how many?” unless you know all your numbers too.

$1 is about 1.76 Turkish Lira

Tip is generally 10%

If you are a lady in line for the restrooms and don’t mind using a hole in the ground, you can cut in line. Sometimes you have to pay 1TL to use the restroom.

There are cats and dogs everywhere and they are very friendly, well mannered, and well cared for. Those of us with pets back home have been grateful for the love these animals offer us at the sites.

I’ll add to this list later if I think of more tips…

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Jan 15 2013
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Silly Romans

Our guide, Gülin, told us that someone once asked on one of her tours, “Why did the Romans build so many ruins?” (Chuckle…)

After five days of visiting ~15 ruins, we find ourselves facetiously asking the same question. But the cool thing about seeing one Hellenistic/Roman/Byzantine site after another is that you really start to picture where the church was born—not just the Christian parts, but the whole of society that early Christians took part in. It’s like going from translating English to Spanish one word at a time, to thinking in Spanish. I can feel my mind starting to “think in” Early Christianity.

In the past two days we have been to:
Pamukkale the “cotton cliffs” of mineral deposits and thermal pools.
Hierapolis 2km of tombs in a necropolis on the hillside… As strange as it sounds, playing around in this graveyard was one of my favorite stops yet!
Sardis the first place to mint coins, biggest synagogue up until the Jews were driven out in 600CE, most grand “YMCA” we’ve seen (and we’ve seen a lot!)
Temple of Artemis not to be confused with the Artemisian temple from Saturday.
Acropolis at Pergamon the most magnificent view of the Turkish countryside from the highest ruins—just amazing. It was especially cool to hear simultaneous calls to prayer from 5-10 minarets in the village below echoing off the mountains.
Asklepion with healing waters and a temple to the God of Health (of course I had a sip…)
The Red Hall a church with Egyptian influence.

And something purely cultural we did today… A visit to a rug making co-op in Bergama. We watched how they make wool yarn, how they make silk threads, how they make various colors of dye, how they weave different types of rugs—it was amazing. I wish my dad could have been there with me. I bought a rug that I think Jay and I will hang on the wall of our next home. What a day.

And now I’m sitting in our hotel along the Aegean Sea, ready for bed.

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Jan 13 2013
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Historical imagination & imaginary history

Here are some useful things to keep in mind while visiting ruins anywhere…

There are three approaches to excavating:
1. When you find something, leave it as it is.
2. When you find something, try to reconstruct it using your research and imagination.
3. When you find something, dig it all up to see if there are older or more valuable ruins beneath it.

We have seen evidence of all three approaches in the past few days. In Ephesus we saw some Byzantine ruins, but most of them had been ripped up to get to Roman ruins beneath. My professor who used to work on that site said that she recalls reading the journals in German and seeing the phrase, “then we brought in the bulldozers…” Ugh! So much history gained, but so much lost.

And then there’s the bit about using your imagination. We all do this every time we come to a site with only bits and pieces of buildings. But we can get carried away with our imaginations too. Today we went to a site in Laodicea where archeologists are making what seem to be wild claims. If they are correct, we just saw the earliest church known to humanity. And that would be awesome. I’m glad I saw it. The oldest church we’ve uncovered thus far dates late 400’s, this one claims to be 312. Discoveries like this take time, and the archeologists at Laodicea seem to be in a rush to finish. My hope is that they don’t get sloppy in their rush. In any case, it was especially cool to see a site being actively excavated and to get any idea of the work that goes into it.

Imagination comes into play in our spirituality as well. Yesterday’s trip to the House of the Virgin Mary, for instance—did Mary really spend her final days there? Catholics say yes, Orthodox say no. But whether she did or not, the place is religiously significant and spirit-filled based based on the millions who have made pilgrimages there, prayed there, been changed there.

So come to Turkey with a healthy dose of academic skepticism, but don’t let it close you off to the real wonders that have been and still are.

PS Aphrodesia was an amazing site as well—both because the ruins give you an especially vivid idea of what a typical Roman city looked like, and because the vistas are breathtaking.

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Jan 12 2013
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Emphasis on Ephesus

Today was a very full day in Ephesus. But one thing Ephesus was not full of: people. Turns out there are some perks to visiting Turkey in the winter!

We started at the Church of Mary–where it is thought the Third Ecumenical Council in 431 CE took place. The third council is where Bishops agreed on the title Theotokos or “God bearer” for Mary. There happens to be a great baptistry there as well that a few of us took turns getting into.

Next we walked up the “Harbor Road” from the harbor uphill into the town. It’s truly amazing to behold. You can see where stalls and shops would have been and just imagine the hustle and bustle of antiquity. A great theater seating 25,000 sits atop the hill. It may be the largest outdoor theater in the world. The scope is just breathtaking.

Hang a right and you’re on your way to the Roman Library of Celsus, originally constructed in 125 CE. This library would have housed 12,000 scrolls. The architecture is magnificent.

From the library the road goes up another hill, lined once again with shops and such. On the left side of the road is an extremely well preserved latrine. One of the few places our professor said she could be sure Paul visited, ha. Jay asked why such a thing would be preserved, and I can tell you that you’d understand why if you saw it. There must have been 40+ latrines lining the periphery of this single room at one time. Can you imagine all those men pooping together? And that was only the men that could afford it! How strange.

Across the street from the latrines is the entrance to some magnificent ruins of terraced houses. These houses are still being excavated, so they are covered from the elements (shielding us from the rain too!) It is so cool to see a live worksite. One of our professors worked on this very site back in 2009, so she was a wealth of information. I took particular interest in the eating areas since that is what I’m studying while I am here, but I’ll write more on that later when I have pictures handy.

Walking further up the road, we passed a number of bath houses. What is it about the Greco-Romans and their gyms and baths? It’s like a YMCA on every corner!

We saw another smaller theater for official announcements and the victorious goddess of Nike. We saw statues with crosses on the accompanying inscriptions indicating their Christian faith. We saw sheep on the hillsides and caves. It was like a 3-D backdrop to the Bible. So cool.

We stopped for a late lunch of home cooked food–the cook was expecting us. I bought her cookbook it was so good. Lamb meatballs, okra, spinach, chicken, beans, eggplant, stuffed peppers, yogurt, fried cauliflower, more eggplant, and some dessert made out of crushed walnuts and cinnamon. And apple tea.

Next we swung by the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Only one column remains of it now.

And finally we made our way to the House of the Virgin Mary–believed by Roman Catholics and others to be where Mary lived out her final days after John brought her to Ephesus. The Eastern Orthodox do not believe this to be where Mary lived, but people of many faith traditions make pilgrimage there regardless. I can say I was moved. I lit two candles and I bought two blue Mary medallions which I dipped in the Holy spring waters outside the house. (Spoiler alert, Mom… I knew you’d want one!)

A great day that will stick with me forever. Now if I can only get some sleep!

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Jan 11 2013
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Turkey: first impressions

After 24 hours of airplanes, airports, and buses, we arrived to Yeni Hitit Hotel in Selçuk Thursday evening. Everything is lovely and cold.

The lovely: Our guide Gülin (pronounced Goo-leen). Our warm Mercedes bus. Our slightly gentrified (I mean that in the best way–think of all the life experiences I can learn from!) group of 33 interesting people. Our two professors from back home. The people here. The food. The countryside. The sunset last night. The naps. The sites.

The cold: Sleeping in socks, pants, long sleeve shirt. Two wool blankets. Heat on full force (but windows and walls as breezy as the seminary). Turning the hair dryer on while using the bathroom. Standing in the cold rain, walking in the cold rain, grateful for respites on the warm bus.

Supper last night consisted of a soup with some kick to it, beets, couscous, yogurt with some dark red paste, broccoli, lettuce & tomato, potatoes, small tasty meatballs, cooked spinach, rice, chicken, and chocolate pudding. Then I asked for the sage tea, which was a simple sprig of sage with some lemon slices and hot water. Beautiful!

Breakfast this morning included homemade goat cheese, yogurt with fig compote, hard and soft boiled eggs, rolls, hot chocolate and tea. There were other items, but that was my selection!

Both breakfast and supper are served buffet style at our hotel.

We loaded up our bus at 8:30am and made our way to Miletus. It is crazy to think that the roads we are driving on used to be covered by the sea. The ruins we saw at Miletus were once on a peninsula surrounded by water. We walked around a Greco-Roman theater (4C BC), read Greek inscriptions, saw Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman structures from a single vantage point. We used our imaginations a lot.

Next we headed to Didyma (or Priene) for a visit and lunch. The ruins of the Temple to Apollos are unique architecturally, but typical in other ways. You could tell that the temple was unfinished (even though it was used) because of certain non-fluted columns, inscriptions in some of the stones indicating which quarry they had been brought from (these would have been smoothed out), and knobs on some of the stones that would have been used to pull them from the quarry. It was not unusual to leave a temple unfinished, as funds would sometimes run out–not unlike today! We did not get any word from the oracle.

We had lunch in a cafe facing the ruins: roasted zucchini squash and tomato, salad, and whole fish. My fish was twice the size of my plate!

I slept on the bus as we made our way back to Ephesus (Selçuk, where we are staying, is right next to Ephesus). We’ll spend more time in Ephesus tomorrow, but today we just stopped by the Basilica of St. Jean (St. John) 4C BC. Legend has it that John, the Beloved disciple, brought the Blessed Virgin to Ephesus after the resurrection of Jesus. John’s remains are believed to be at the basilica–so supposedly I saw those today. Many people have made pilgrimages here for that reason! My favorite part was the baptistry–which I’ll have to sketch out at some point. Father Malloy would have approved.

Tomorrow we are in Ephesus all day. I’m hoping it will be warmer and dryer, but it’s not looking likely.

Other random things of note: solar water heaters on every roof, orange trees, olive trees, wind turbines, paying for restrooms, minarets and calls to prayer, lots of happy dogs and a guy with a trunk-full of sardines.

That’s a wrap for our first day of touring about.

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Jan 07 2013
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french press

love muffins

This week the seniors took the General Ordination Exams.  Seven 3-hour exams over 4 days time.  It’s pretty brutal–both because of the schedule and because (like any comprehensive exam) the amount of material covered is daunting.  I mean, the church as been around for a while… so there’s that.

Each year, the Juniors and Middlers (and some lovely spartners & staff!) chip in to make sure the Seniors are fed and cared for during this grueling time.  It’s pretty special.  This year I decided to make a different kind of muffin for each morning. The first round (peanut-butter) were not so special.  But rounds 2-4 were yummy enough to share with the broader public.  Enjoy!

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rounds 2, 3 & 4 (because round 1 sucked)

Banana Nut Muffins: This recipe is a special one.  It comes from a cafe in Lubbock, Texas that has since closed.  My mom asked the owner for the recipe before we moved to Virginia, but she refused.  A few weeks later, Mom was sitting in the cafe for the last time when the owner slipped a piece of paper under Mom’s plate.  Mom walked out, unfolded the slip, and found this:

  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ cup wheat bran
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chopped nuts
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup bananas (2-3) mashed
  • 1 lightly beaten egg

Mix wet ingredients together, then add to dry ingredients mixing only
until incorporated.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes

The only changes I make to this recipe are: instead of bran I use a mix of oats and almond meal… and instead of oil I often use yogurt, apple sauce, or coconut oil, depending on what I have. 

Cranberry Walnut Muffins (Modified from this recipe…)

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 1/2 cups oats and almond meal (for nutty texture)
  • 1/2 cup craisins
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix wet ingredients together, then add to dry ingredients mixing only
until incorporated.  Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

And my favorite new find: Chocolate Banana Muffins (Modified from this recipe…)

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this will be a new “standard” in the holder house

  • 2 large bananas
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar (I used mostly honey and some sugar)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping

Mix wet ingredients together, then add to dry ingredients mixing only
until incorporated.  If batter doesn’t seem wet enough (like because I used 2 bananas when it called for 3) add some greek yogurt.  Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

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Aug 27 2011
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welcome to my hood

you really don’t have to worry about looking like a tourist taking pictures in nyc, because everyone is taking pictures. i snapped a few while taking an evening stroll down the high line, which is conveniently located one block from my new home!

while i don’t want to upload them all, here are two pics from a little shrine i stumbled upon and showed to jay later.

this is a little random shrine to hope, with lots of little pieces of paper to write your hopes on.

and this is what i wrote!

a big thank you to whoever made this lovely shrine.

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Aug 26 2011
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you should start a blog!

the past 2 days, while saying goodbye to the charm city and preparing for life in the big apple, several people have told me i should start a blog. little did they know…

it’s true that “lauren laughs” was a great way to let everyone what was up back in africa… and it’s true that manhattan is like a foreign country… so here we are. day one. blogging in nyc.

sloanie dropped me off at the airport this morning. we both fought back tears. “this is no big deal! i’ll see you next week!!” and i will see her and a host of friends next week at jay’s and my wedding (holy moses), but i still shed a few tears waiting at security, and again as my plane descended to jfk. oh, the life changes! so many.

made it to my apartment. my first thought was, ‘wow. this is even smaller than i expected.’ my second thought was, ‘aww, jay bought me roses!’ and the rest of the day has been filled with similar paradoxical statements.

‘ugh, i’m back in a dorm!!!’

‘wow, everyone is so super friendly.’

‘there’s no way i’ll be able to study in our apartment.’

‘ooh, i like the library.’

‘i’m not cut out for this much cement.’

‘i love the super green campus!’

‘this is home.’

‘i miss home!’

i’m sure the tug-of-war will continue for a while.

in the mean time, hurricane irene is making her way to nyc. mandatory evacuations have begun, but i’m sitting pretty in chelsea. the campus is raised and cloistered, so we’re not too worried. jay has been at work since 6am, and he doesn’t yet know when he’ll get to come home. he knows he’ll be spending the night at the station tomorrow night. needless to say i haven’t done any nesting yet, as i imagine there will be plenty of time for that in the next two days.

i’m kinda looking forward to it.

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Feb 15 2011
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open valentine year II

After half my emails bounced back (I really ought to update my address book!) I’m posting an open valentine to bloggers and facebook for the second year straight…

So much has happened in the past year to be thankful for. The biggest news is that the “guy” I mentioned last year asked me to marry him.  So I will! At a very small wedding on New Year’s Eve coming up. We are thrilled, our families are thrilled, and perhaps the most excited of all is Pepper. She adores Jay!

Jay synopsis: Jay is the supervising news producer for the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, finished in the top 1% of the Boston Marathon last April, placed 3rd in his age group in the Richmond Marathon this November, loves music and harmonizes with me in the car, hales from the village of Newark in upstate New York (where he is a local prank celebrity), and is a born and bred Packers fan.

I also mentioned last year that I had entered the discernment process to become an episcopal priest. After 18 months of interviews and prayers and many life lessons, the bishop granted me Postulancy for Holy Orders. Being a postulant just means I get to go to school to be a preist–Yay! There are still lots of steps before becoming a priest, though… so more on that in years to come.

As for where I’ll be in school next year–I’m waiting to hear back from my first-choice school: General Theological Seminary in New York City. I checked the mailbox this afternoon in hopes that I’d have news on that front for this (already day-late) Valentine, but nothing yet! Regardless, the plan is for me to go to school this fall, finishing my first semester without Jay while he finishes out his contract in Charlotte (boo!) We’ll be married between semesters so Jay and Pepper can join me sometime between January and March. We’re excited about starting our marriage in a supportive community of faith at seminary.

And that’s the scoop! I did take a group of 34 kids to Nova Scotia on pilgrimage this year, traveled to the Bahamas with Jay for my 30th birthday, spent a week on Lake Ontario at Jay’s family’s cottage, attended several best friends’ weddings (singing in two of them), celebrated several births, and celebrated my granddad’s 80th birthday in Texas with every single aunt, uncle and cousin on that side of the family. It’s been quite a year, with lots of love to celebrate.

I pray that you too are celebrating love every chance you get. May we all find even more love in our hearts this year than we knew we had, remembering Proverbs 15:17, “A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.”

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Dec 10 2008
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why not to blog

i haven’t so much been delinquent on blogging the past 2 weeks, as i’ve been sick and busy. but i did accomplish a thing or two… took my final exam (think i did okay), made a gazillion cookies with girlfriends one night, decorated the christmas tree, made a ginger bread house (though it’s actually 3 baltimore row houses because you know how i ❤ b'more), iced a gazillion cookies on my own, watched a few movies, hosted a small dinner gathering, all while fighting back strep with lots of vitamins, tea, and homeopathic remedies. i've got an acupuncture appointment friday. then i should be on the up and up.

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