Walking Meditation and goodbye to Doug 8/30/2012

After the Vatican, I was able again to talk my way onto the on/off bus to get a ride to the next stop, near the Piazza Popolo where the Walking Meditation was going to take place. I first had to find a place to eat lunch/dinner (only had fruit for breakfast so I was pretty hungry). Found a lovely place, a lovely large Heineken and a pizza and bruchetta – delicious!! I knew we’d probably get gelato later with Doug so I waited.

When I got to the square about 4:30, Thay was already sitting in the shade of a fountain and people were starting to gather around. Saw Doug and then sat with Sr. Trai Nghiem (the Japanese sister who had visited Wellfleet, plays violin – I’d seen her in Waldbrol). We chatted for a bit. She’d lived in Athens for a year when she was a musician so she might have a contact for me there. Thay just sat calmly and silently while hoards of people took photos. He gathered a few children around him from the Italian sangha and at 5:30 moved over to where the platform had been set up for him. Many people were already sitting on their cushions ready to meditate. I saw Silvia and Laura from Milan (paid Silvia the E185 for my plane and train tickets that she had purchased ahead of time). Anna was there; she had brought the posters of Thay’s calligraphy and a beautiful pink azalea plant for the stage.

Thay spoke for awhile and then began the walking meditation around the piazza. I was walking kind of off to the side and Doug spotted me (he’d been in with a group of monastics right behind Thay). He worked his way over and we walked the rest of the walk together, holding hands!!! Thay spoke again for a bit and then the monastics bused back to wherever they were staying – about an hour outside of Rome. Doug, Dylan, Phap Lieu (the Italian monk who had traveled with us, lives in Thailand, and translated for Thay during his talks today), and two Vietnamese monks who were leaving the next day, and a woman from Vietnam, and me all went hunting for gelato. An American from Chicago, Israel and Italy showed us his favorite and we all indulged – the Vietnamese woman treated everyone. I’m really going to miss gelato!

We wandered the streets to the Pantheon which Doug remembered from 1992. Phap Linh (Dylan) guessed 150 BC and Doug looked it up on wikipedia (on his iTouch) and it was pretty close. Well preserved building.

They then had to get a train to get their ride back so we parted. I tried to hop a bus but couldn’t find anywhere to buy the bus ticket. You have to get them ahead of time at a tabac shop but I stopped at 6 of them and no one had any. I got on a bus with correct change and the driver was very rude and said it wasn’t his problem I didn’t have a ticket. I had to get off. I walked for an HOUR on exhausted feet all the way back to the train station to catch my metro back to Anna’s. I was so tired I couldn’t even stand to pack my suitcase last night but did it this a.m. before I left.

AND I forgot to put my toothpaste in the checked bag and when I just went through security, they confiscated it!! Damn!!! I had already gone through security in Rome and here but went to the wrong gate for the wrong earlier flight to Heraklion. I had to come back out and go through again, and they took it!!

So, BAH! On the Italian bus and train system where you have to get a ticket ahead of time but there’s no easy way to know where to get them – unless you’re Italian. BTW, Anna gave me a ticket for the first bus this a.m. but when I put it in, it looked like it said it was invalid. But I sat down anyway and driver didn’t say anything to me. Whew!

So now the new adventure in Greece begins. This is a very busy airport and I have about a 4 hour layover. I don’t have my camera wire so can’t upload any pictures for Michelle to post yet. I’ll do that when I get to my hotel in Heraklion. Portia said she will meet me at 5:30 at the airport.

Adio! Is how you say good-bye (I think!)

Vatican and Walking Meditation Peace Rally 8/30/2012

I’m sitting at Fiumicino airport waiting for my Aegean Air flight to Athens and then Heraklion. Anna was very helpful online telling me what bus to take from her apartment, where to get off, what street to follow to get to the train to the airport. She even had a bus ticket for me. I, again!, couldn’t find a Tabac shop to buy a train ticket. When I got to the station, there was nowhere to buy one, as an English girl told me, but it was the right train. So I just got on and hoped! No conductor came by asking for a ticket. Made up for last night’s fiasco, transportation-wise. More on that later!


I went in Anna’s car with her to work – a small motorcycle shop that her family owned and now she runs. She had arranged for me to take a ride, around the garage, of a motorcycle as I’d never ridden one myself. She, and her work force I think, thought it was funny! But I had a great time! She printed out my boarding pass for me and then we went down to the garage where I rode in a big circle around the garage. It was really simple. Until I stopped and then tried to turn and start up at the same time – not what you do! – and tipped over, but slowly and wasn’t hurt and didn’t damage anything. There was an American who works there for her and said everyone falls at first and now I’ve gotten it overwith!














I left Anna to take a bus downtown to head to the Vatican. I realized on the bus that I’d left my 2-day on-off bus ticket back at the apartment. I talked my way onto the bus getting off at the first stop after Piazza Venezia where I got on, at the Vatican.


I had seen the crowds and lines the day before but just lined up at the end of a snaking line. I heard an American voice talking to the couple behind me saying did they really want to wait in long lines, or would they like a tour that skips the lines to Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum and the Basilica. Turns out he was from Michigan, Grand Rapids, went to Michigan State and we bonded. It was only E30 (E15 of which was for the museum ticket itself) for a 3 hour tour. He assigned me to Roberto (robertonotarmasi@hotmail.com 0039 333 8763410 – that is for my friend Joyce who will visit Rome in October. In case you wanted to contact him to arrange a tour.) The other couple opted out so it was just the two of us. We spent a good ½ hour in the shade of Bernini’s columns looking at the vast courtyard while he gave me background info on Vatican city, et. al. One of the more interesting stories was the erection of the 4000 year old Egyptian obelisk in the center. It stood here in Roman times when the emperor made a circus here – which meant racecourse. He told the slaves they had a certain period of time to get it up or else! As they almost got it erect, the ropes started breaking/burning. The director ordered water thrown on the ropes, even though the emperor wouldn’t like it! But it worked! Legend has it, (Roberto looked doubtful – no proof that St. Peter EVER even came near Rome!) that St. Peter was crucified, upside down so as not to outdo Jesus, here by the obelisk.


When Constantine became emperor and converted to Christianity (I think around 300+ AD), he had 3 churches around Rome as sort of headquarters. One was St. John the Latern and two others. There was some kind of a building where St. Peter’s is now but was crumbling. The whole area on the left bank of the Tiber was basically the cemetery for Rome plus the circus. So in 1500 I think it was Julius II began plans for St. Peter’s hiring many of the local architects, including Michelangelo, to help design. Arguments ensured as to whether it should be a Greek cross (all 4 sides of equal length) or the Roman cross where main aisle is longer, side aisles shorter and not in the middle). Roman won out. Michelangelo designed the amazing two-layered dome where you climb in between them to reach an amazing view of Rome at your feet.


Another tidbit, Rome was political as well as religious capital and so the ecclesiastics ruled the governmental aspects of Rome as well. The nearby Castel Sant’Angelo, right on the river bank, that was already there, became a place to escape to if the Vatican was threatened, as there is a long tunnel connecting the two. It was used in a couple of cases for the Pope to flee.


Bernini’s 4 rows of enumerable columns was added later, to tie the whole complex together. He pointed out the smokestack where either white or black smoke comes out from the Sistine Chapel where the conclave to elect a new pope is held. He pointed out the balcony off the Papal apartments where the Pope gives holiday blessings (I was here in 1966 and we determined it was Pope Paul VI – at Easter)


Then we headed back to the office (to actually pay for the tour) and they shifted me to a group led by Sara, whose English wasn’t as good as Roberto’s but she was very knowledgeable – an archeologist. There were 7 in the group which wasn’t too bad. We proceeded to the Vatican Museum which has an overwhelming display. She was able to point out some highlights to keep us from getting bogged down. Several hallways we walked down had these beautifully decorated enclosed bookcases (empty) where the Vatican Library used to be house. We passed it but no admittance.


This museum is the wealthiest and largest in the world. Many artists would give paintings as gifts to the Church. Beautiful tapestries adorned one long hallway. Sara pointed out several sculptures from Greek and Roman times that Michelangelo used as inspiration for figures in his ceiling and Last Judgment mural in the Sistine. Then we entered the SC. Signs said we should be respectful and silent but apparently most Italians disregard signs! A couple of guards kept saying something loudly which I’m assuming was be quiet! They were pretty much ignored! Too bad, this is a place that calls for silence.


The first time through it wasn’t too bad. First of all, I had been here in 1966, and the colors were very dark! I had to look in my guidebook to know what I was even looking at. Then in 1992 when I was here with Kerry, Doug and Geoffrey, the scaffolding was up and they were working on the restoration. Roberto told me the Japanese Nippon company agreed to pay for the restoration. They thought a few million! But it ended up costing about $18 million! So Nippon said, to pay them back, no photographs could be taken in the Chapel (so that people are forced to buy postcards, printed pictures, etc. ) which I assume Nippon publishes! R. said you can’t damage frescoes with photographing them! Interesting!


Anyway, whatever money they spent, it is magnificent!! The colors look as if they were done yesterday!! I believe I remember it took Michelangelo 14 years to do this! I think he did this later in his life – R. said he lived to 94 I believe! And he sculpted the Pieta at 24!! R. said he was a true genius! I was actually able to sit down on the sides at one point, to be able to look up more easily!


Next she wanted to show us the 4 Raphael rooms – when one of the Pope’s wanted to move his apartments to this area. Raphael (again about 25) painted huge murals that Sara explained to us. We had to do a lot of roundabout walking, passing again through the SC (which now was PACKED and you could barely get through!) to get in the back way, as one of the usual hallways to get there was closed for construction. They must ALWAYS be doing construction somewhere in this huge complex.


Oh, I forgot! Roberto also told me Vatican City only became a separate state/Country in 1927. It has its own currency, stamps, everything! Smallest country in the world, area wise. I/2 the size of Monaco. He was a font of information.


I was so tired at this point I barely glanced at Raphael’s work! Then Sara left us and we wandered down to the Basilica. R. told me 3 Popes have been slated for sainthood – John xxiii, Paul the x, I think it is, and Pope John Paul II. JP II is being fast-tracked because miracles have already been attributed to him, his body has been moved upstairs and I think it was him I was looking at behind the glass in a side altar, with a big crowd.


I had remembered in 1992, I think, going below the alter where St. Peter and other Popes are buried, thought I remembered seeing John XXIII through a glass display/coffin. But didn’t see him this time.


And, of course, the Pieta is a highlight for me. Sara had shown us a replica in the museum, because a few years ago someone tried to blow the original up! So now it’s enclosed in a bulletproof plexiglass. It’s hard to get the warm feel of the marble. It’s amazing! He sculpted a young Mary, she said, who couldn’t possibly be old enough to have mothered an adult Christ. It was Mary’s idea of what would happen that he was depicting. It’s just one of my favorites!!


More for another entry!

Touring around Roma-Aug 29

I easily made my way to the main train/metro station this morning. I bought a 2 day ticket for the Hop on/Hop off double decker bus (I paid E20 and then, when I was looking at the brochure while on the bus, I saw that over 65 is only E18. Had to return to the termini where I bought the ticket later and they gave me back my E2! Gotta have some advantages to getting old(er)!) J

Since I had gotten a late start, I stayed on the bus for a complete loop around town. We passed the Coloseum (unmanageable crowd!), the Forum, past the Piazza del Verite (big crowd here waiting to get into this church. Turns out that huge round medallion face, called the Bocca della Verita, or mouth of truth, that was shown, I believe, in Eat, Pray, Love. I think it was also in Roman Holiday where Audrey Hepburn stuck her hand in the mouth (it’s supposed to bite the liar!).

(Roman Forum)

Then the “Wedding Cake” or monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of a unified Italy, is off the Piazza Venezia. Another building nearby this piazza has the balcony where Mussolini was frequently shown rousing the crowds.

As we passed all these sites, there are Roman ruins hidden among the more recent buildings, some even blended the ruins into newer buildings. The tour tape said many buildings used stones from the coloseum after it fell into disuse.

We crossed the Tiber past Castel d’Angelo, that has a passageway so popes could escape (as one did when French king attacked). Then arrived at St. Peter’s square and that magnificent St. Peter’s cathedral, originally begun in 300 or so by Constantine, the converted first Christian emperor, but then completely redone in 1500s with Bernini, Michelangelo and Raphael, among some of the great artists, having a hand in it. Crowds also here at mid-day were huge so I stayed on the bus.

I finally came around again and got off at Piazza Verite (had NO interest in waiting in that long line to see the mouth!) and walked along, past the wedding cake and around looking for St. Peter in Chains church where Michelangelo carved Moses for the tomb of  Julius II. I had remembered it from 20 years ago. It was closed for midday and so waited awhile with the crowd and then wandered around. It was beautiful as ever, then went below the altar to see the “chains” which I guess bound St. Peter.

I found a place for a lovely lunch almost across the street, it turns out, from where we had eaten with the archeologist on our tour on Monday. I’m starting to get the layout of the land. So many of the tourist sites are right in this downtown area on either side of the river. Those bus tours are very helpful, I find, in giving a great overview, without so much walking and wandering, of a place. Hopefully they will have this in Athens later on my trip.

Since I didn’t fall asleep last night until after 2 a.m. for some reason (could be the good book I’m reading!) that I was tired by midafternoon and made my way back to Anna’s apartment around 4.

Anna had to work today and then came home for maybe an hour and headed off to pick up 3 of the nuns arriving at the airport, which is an hour away. She didn’t think she’d be back until 10:30 or so. I think I’m going in to work with her tomorrow – she’s going to let me ride/drive a motorbike a bit!! I’m excited! Been on my bucket list! I’m sure it’s just around the parking lot but it’ll be fun! She is so helpful and gracious!

Tomorrow is the Walking Meditation somewhere at 5:30 p.m. so I’ll have another day to see a few more sites.

Ciao!

Rome Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

Arrived in Rome Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

We were met at the train station by Irene, our hostess and one of the Italian sangha organizers, and her 7 year old granddaughter, Gaia.  The monks walked a few blocks and I rode with the luggage, Irene and her granddaughter to her apartment. At first Irene insisted I was to stay in one of her two B & B rooms and the other 4 monks were all crammed into one room. But we finally worked out that I would stay in a hostel down the street, where she arranged a private room with my own bath for E35/night rather than the regular E55. She said she often takes leftover guests from the hostel at a cheaper price and vice versa. So he owed her. Before that, Doug and I had gone to the hostel and I had booked a dorm room, long galley type room with 4 sets of bunk beds and not much air circulation! For E20, so this was a much better deal. And it was just down the street.

 

Irene prepared a wonderful pasta dinner for us – I’ve NEVER eaten so much pasta in one sitting! I normally don’t even like pasta much but this was delightful and delicious! Gaia seemed very comfortable with the Italian monastics and even had Doug playing with her dollhouse with 30 minutes of our arrival! Today before we left she had 3 of them playing a card game with her. Her mom is expecting a baby next month, so she frequently stays with her Nonna. Nonna took her to work with her on Monday.

Irene had arranged for us to have a walking tour of the Colosseum area (we didn’t go in) and the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill area with an archaeologist, Paulo, and Patricia, an art historian. She spoke some English, him not much at all. But Claudio and Lelio (two of the Italian monks) and Phap Vieu, Italian living in Thailand, did a lot of translating. My feet were very tired and dusty by the end, and it was HOT!! But interesting! Saw a lot I hadn’t seen before, 20 years ago when Doug and I (along with Kerry and Geoffrey, ages 14 and 16) were last in Rome.

Arch near Forum

Beautiful gardens!

Stadium used to be filled with water for naval battles

                                                              
                                                                Finding hidden markings

 

 

Roman pine trees

Colosseum

Roma!

Kung Fu with the Gladiator!

Gaia ended up going with us, although I thought it was a bad idea at the start, as I was sure she would get tired and bored, and she did.

I met when I was at Irene's, a young woman also in the sangha who is coordinating the walking meditation on Thursday, Anna Ferretti. She is an English teacher and also runs her family’s motorcycle business. She’s taking a leave this year from teaching as two jobs is a bit much! Turns out she offered for me to stay with her for the next 3 nights, as the monks moved out of Rome to where the retreat will be held. I didn’t want to be so far out, as I’m not going to the retreat, Doug will be busy working setting this up (Thay arrives tomorrow and many of the monastics so they will go to the airport, etc.)

Anna is just delightful and I’m so lucky! It’s in a great location, near a new extension of the metro. So I’ll be able to easily get downtown to the main tourist attractions

When Anna came home tonight (I was just coming in from dinner), we had a delightful conversation while she fixed and ate her dinner and we shared watermelon. The fruit here is extraordinary!

Just Skyped with Jackson and Sarah – it’s so wonderful to see their faces. But they couldn’t see me so they had fun looking at their own faces, and making silly faces, on the computer. It’s very late so sign off for tonight! More on Rome tomorrow!

My Day in Milan – Aug. 25, 2012

I’m now on the train whizzing to Rome through the Tuscan countryside (I think!). We stop in Bologna and then Rome, just a 3 hour or so trip from Milan. The weather is gorgeous but hot!

We arrived in Milan’s Malpensa airport after a smooth flight over the Alps. Too cloudy to see much on the flight. We were met by Silvia and her husband John with some cold drinks and popcorn! So thoughtful! We split up in two cars – I went with Silvia – to drive to Vanda’s apartment. Vanda is the fourth in the team of Italian organizers, but she was away  on a holiday near Cannes. So she gave us her apartment to use. At the apartment we met Miriam and Laura, the two other organizers. These 4 ladies are doing it all! There is so much to organize for just a 3 day event for 25 or so people – housing, food, transportation, the event set up. We had a lovely dinner that Phap Ban, a tall monk, who’d come from Plum Village,  who showed us a video last night of his father’s art work. His father was a lawyer, recently passed away, but was also an artist. Phap Ban had videoed an art show around, maybe his father’s house, displaying his work. It was very varied, from sculpture, representational paintings, more modernistic work. Interesting!

Also there was Phap Bieu who had flown in from Thailand – he’s Italian and just “stationed” near Bangkok.  The two of them had helped prepare the dinner: couscous with tomatoes, onions, an eggplant (aubergine) dish, a lovely green parsley sauce that they put on everything (I got the recipe – reminded me of Kerry’s pesto that she makes); lovely bread, and a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner, John left (won’t see him again – they live about an hour outside Milan towards the sea). Also Miriam and Laura went to Miriam’s house in Milan. Silvia stayed in one room, me in another, Doug and two others in a bedroom and Phap Ban on the sofabed. It was very warm sleeping, they don’t have screens. The others had a hard night with mosquitos – unusually they didn’t attack me!

The apartment is on the 3^rd floor of a building, with a swimming pool in the back. The guys went swimming the first morning. Silvia and I swam last night after the guys went again.

On Saturday they all had organizing work to do: going to the park where the outdoor day of mindfulness will be held, and then meeting back at the apartment. I took off for the day, with directions to get to a bus, to the metro station and then downtown. I had on my list to see DaVinci’s The Last Supper and the Duomo (the huge cathedral). Anything else was extra.

I was told that you needed advanced reservations to get into the church to see LS. I found a tourist information place near the Castle Sforza. They told me the same thing but said, since I was just one person, if I go there, maybe I can be added to a group. So I bought a ticket for the Hop On-Hop Off round the city bus (20E) and got on, headed for the church. As I had hoped, I was able to get a ticket (6.50 E) for 12:15. Since the painting is so delicate (it looks like a fresco but apparently was a different method, a dry application, that didn’t last very well. It has been heavily damage, and many times repaired, starting in the 1500s. Only 25 people are allowed in at a time, for only 15 minutes, and, of course, no photos! I bought a book in the gift shop.

Since I had over an hour, I hopped back on the bus and did the red route around, passing the Duomo (what a site!!), LaScala – the noted opera house, and other Milan sites. Milan was heavily damaged from bombs during the war – but not the Duomo as it seemed to have original windows, or the church where the LS is. I made it back just in time for my ticket – actually they had gone in even though I was 5 minutes early. I had to catch up. I saw a group and thought that was my group. After eavesdropping the English guide for a bit, she informed me it was a private tour. Excuse me!! It was worth the wait! The colors are very pale but still! He was quite a genius! My book seemed to indicate his works weren’t really signed and people guessed, from the style that was very different for the times, which works were his. He did a lot of unfinished work, a lot of sketches. On the bus tour it talked about the canal system he developed, to go from one level to another, that is used all around the world. I know there was a museum in town of many of his scientific ideas but I didn’t have time.

One of the sculptures in a square near my train station was called “Needle, thread and Knot” by two American sculptors. A huge needle, with three colors of thread wound around, then it goes underground and the knot appears in the middle of a fountain. It was cool! It seemed to represent the fashion industry for which Milan is famous. It seems a very industrious town with lots going on. It has a long history including being ruled by both the French and the Spanish. Napoleon was here. But now I think it’s known for it’s Opera and Fashion.

After Leonardo, I got  off at a nearby farmers’ market that is only on Tuesday and Saturday. I bought some strawberries and water! I kept drinking all day, it was so hot! Nearby I found a little café where I had a cheese and salami sandwich heated and a coke, and my strawberries for lunch.

I had a long wait (the bus takes a break mid=day so I had to wait) to get on again, headed to the Duomo. I found a McDonald’s for the bathroom and a gelato shop for a delicious snack, eating it in the shaded part of the huge plaza in front of the Duomo. It looks very Gothic, with tall spires and many statues. It is constantly being cleaned, which I think is a chronic problem with churches all over Europe. The same was happening in Koln, with scaffolding over part of it.

Anyway, it was a gorgeous site and I walked around inside. I tried to go up in the dome but couldn’t find where the ticket office was and by then I was getting short of time. I needed to be back around 5 or 5:30. I walked through the galleria, a sheltered high end shopping arcade that leads to LaScala plaza. I know there was a tour of LS but again I didn’t have time. Hopping the bus again I rode back to the station, made my way on the metro to the bus and home. The group was still meeting, organizing in the apartment so I read for awhile until they were finished.

They hadn’t yet gone to the Hostel where the group would be staying so I went along with them. When we arrived, there had been a market there also that day, and the garbage men were cleaning up the HUGE mess, of crates, rotted food, etc. Finally we were let in the gate. This place used to be a psychiatric hospital, with high fences all around. Now it has some of the former patients working there, they run a restaurant where the group will eat, and it’s a regular, but private, hostel. It looked pretty nice, it’s 19 E/night and there were several people staying there. Most of the rooms were dorms (like 5 sets of bunkbeds). Doug seemed concerned that Thay and Sr. Chan Khong (the elder sister who had come from Saigon with Thay back in the 60s and is now in her 70s) usually have a private bathroom. But it seemed to be a nice facility and I think it will work out. Most of the conversation is in Italian so I don’t know all they were discussing.

It was late when we headed out, and I thought we were headed downtown so the guys could see the Duomo, at least. Doug had never been to Milan before. But we stopped for gelato near where Miriam lives. I had the most amazing DARK chocolate, milk chocolate and a strawberry cone. I saw it had a Trip Adviser rating! That was our dinner! I think I paid for it later as I wasn’t able to go to sleep. I was still awake 3 and finally turned on the light to read.

Last Day in Germany 8/24/2012

This is my last posting from Waldbrol. At 1:30 one of the retreatants from Bonn will give the 3 of us a ride to the Cologne airport. Doug seems organized and is lunching with his mentor when he was a novice. I snacked on walnuts, chocolate covered almonds and a protein bar. The oatmeal with toppings fills me up at breakfast so I’m not that hungry. Maybe we’ll have a wonderful Italian supper in Milan!

I want to write down how proud I am of Doug and what he is doing. He is so valued here and you can tell that he’s loved as well by the community. He is using so many of his talents, music, both playing and singing, his humor, his wonderful smile and personality, his technical skills (even though he’d like to do something else, he says!), his intellect, organizational and motivational skills to help keep these huge events organized and running smoothly. And he seems so genuinely happy! So many people have come up to me here who know him, just met him, worked with him, and tell me how lucky I am and how grateful they are to have him in the community. What else could a mom ask for for their child? I’m very fortunate!

I’ve met some wonderful people, saw some old acquaintances from other visits, and had a very relaxing time. It’s amazing to me that so many people – 700-900+ - took time off from work for 5 days, really 6, and spent the time here getting in touch with very deep feelings. There is obviously a need for what this community does in so many sites around the world. I could see it being of more value to me if I was stressed by work, family, obligations, etc. It’s more restful and relaxing to me as I’m not in any life crisis right now. My new friend Marlis was saying how she came to know this practice maybe in 1998 when her mother, a very active, loved-to-travel 76 year old, who had raised her from 15 months and her sister still in the womb, alone, when their father died. She said she was the best mom in the world. And one afternoon she just said she didn’t feel well, went to lay down and died within the hour! Talk about shock!! At least we had some warning and preparation time!

Anyway, she and her sister were stricken with grief. Her sister heard about Plum Village and dragged Marlis there. Her sister ended up having to leave early but Marlis stayed. And it was so helpful and she’s been a practitioner ever since. She found it so helpful in dealing with her grief and her life.

What I’ve gotten out of this is a reinforcement of the here and now! That’s all we’ve got! You never know from minute to minute. So really appreciate, be happy, enjoy the beauty and experiences of right here and now. I’m reading a book I bought called No Death, No Fear, I think it is. So we’ll see what enlightenment that brings me. Sometimes Thay talks in circles, at least in my mind, so is difficult to understand any meaning. I think the written materials are a bit easier. So we’ll see!

Everyone is packing up and heading home. My roommates and I cleaned and vacuumed and stripped our beds. They each came by to say goodbye. It turned out to be very enjoyable!

Auf Wiedersehen to Waldbrol!

A little addendum! Our ride to the airport, turns out he was a guy in our dharma sharing group, dropped us off here and I can get on the internet at the airport. Couldn't get on back at the monastery so I just saved the posting.  He was a delightful guy, from Heidelburg, and was visiting a cousin in Bonn tonight, then going back to Waldbrol for the Day of Mindfulness on Sunday with Thay. This was his first retreat. He had been to several MBSR (Mind Body Stress Reduction) seminars based on Jon Kabot-Zinn's work - same ideas without the Buddhist element). He said he really enjoyed the retreat and would do it again. He works for SAP, I think he said, a competitor of Oracle - in the IT field. It was about and hour and a half drive so it would have been an EXPENSIVE taxi ride! Many people were posting they needed rides somewhere and everyone pitches in. It's really generous!

We're all checked in - but our flight isn't until 6:10 PM to Mailand (who would have guessed that means Milan!). I've got some new books to read as I finished the two I brought and left them there. Someone will probably toss them out as they are not exactly retreat material!! David Baldalucci and John Grisham!! I should have gotten a Nook to bring before I left! 

August. 23, 2012 Tea Meditation

This afternoon after going to the post office to mail Jackson a German birthday card, I took a nap. I want to be rested to stay up until 11:30 p.m. tonight (an hour more) to Skype with Kerry and the kids. We will leave about 1:30 tomorrow afternoon to get a ride to the Cologne airport for our trip to Milan.

We ate dinner together in our discussion group for the last time this evening. Then we were to come back for the Tea Meditation. Doug did a great job facilitating this group and they seemed to enjoy him. He explained how important tea was at Plum Village, a way to sit and get to know members of the community. We practiced some of the formalities but in a more relaxed way. Usually there is a “Tea Master” who prepares the tea; we each brought our own cup of tea already with us. Sister had prepared a lovely centerpiece on the floor of a blue hydrangea plant, with leaves just changing color on the floor scattered between tea light candles. Very simple but lovely!

There was a tray of cookies prepared and Doug showed us the formal way of passing the tray, started by the “cookie master”. Hands in lotus, bow to the person, looking them in the eye, take a napkin and cookies, bow again, take the tray and they bow to you, looking into your eyes. Then you go to the next person. It took a long time to get around 30 people! We had a lot of laughs along the way as people turned away when they were supposed to be looking, bowing, etc. Funny!

Doug invites the bell 3 times when everyone is served, and like meals, we drank and ate in silence for a few minutes. Then he “invites” the bell (meaning he clunks it) and we were free to talk. A couple of people had a little song to share, or a poem to share or a story. Doug then closed with teaching us a song from Deer Park everyone seemed to like – about All the Beauty around us – HO! This was a Native American song/chant. It was fun and funny!

The group adjourned around 9:20 to go to the main hall to hear a famous German singer – called an Overtoner, I think it is. I asked someone in the group what this was as I’d never heard of it. It’s a kind of singing/sound with your mouth and cheeks where you sing two tones at once! So I went to check it out. There was a guy and woman singing. He did the overtoning – a low tone with this high sort of melody over it. It was pretty amazing and new to me musically!!

That’s it for tonight. My roommates are already in bed so I’ll have to pack quickly in the morning sometime. At 6:30 some people are taking the Five Mindfulness Trainings. It’s a sort of promise that you sign and agree to try to do. I can’t find them in English but part of it is not to kill any animals – which basically means you become vegetarian. Another is right listening and speech – which means you don’t read books, magazines, watch movies, TV that promote violence, etc. I’ll have to get a copy of what they all are.

Oh, I forgot! There is a restaurant in Wellfleet, Moby Dick's, that posts pictures from all around the world, with people wearing Moby hats! So I brought one and had a picture of me, Doug, another monastic and a nun! Figured 3 bald heads and me might be an unusual picture! They laughed!

More from Italy! Not sure if I will have internet access where we’re staying in Milan.

Ciao!

August 22, 2012

Big doings at EIAB!

I was very lucky that Doug invited me here this week! We had a regular sitting meditation, exercise (I took a walk up towards the woods as my shoulder was still hurting a bit – walked barefoot through the wet grass in this orchard! Lovely!)

 and then breakfast.

But at the dharma talk, Phap An, head honcho here and director of EIAB introduced honored guests. The burgomeister of Waldbrol, who has been very helpful in this renovation/purchase was here, along with some other dignitaries for the ribbon cutting of the Asoka Monastery first floor (the one I scrubbed yesterday!).

Going to try posting this to see if it works with pictures. I’ll finish later.

Didn’t work so I’ll work on pictures later.

Anyway, after the morning dharma talk,Thay led a walking meditation, again with the children and then the rest of us following, down to the park where they sat on mats and there were some chairs for guests (and a few at the back). Doug pointed the chairs out to me so I was able to get one rather than sit on the ground which was great! He gave me his camera with this huge lens and his bag to watch, briefly showed me how to use the zoom on the camera and left. Turns out he was performing, but I didn’t know it.

First there were introductions by Phap An of the special guests including the architect of Asoka and the architect of the new Stupa and garden. A model of this was presented to Thay.

Then there was a lovely concert by the “PV Chamber quartet” which was really five – Phap Linh, or Dylan, on the cello; Sr. Trai Ngiem on the violin; another young lay woman on the viola, I think, a former member of the Munich orchestra, now married to a famous conductor living in Spain and she teaches (someone told me); another young woman on a violin; and then a young Vietnamese man who was introduced as Thay’s great-nephew, on the violin as well. They played a number of beautiful pieces.

They cleared to the side and the kung fu presentation began. There was Doug, with a red belt, hopping around with the best of them! It was really well done! He said they’ve been practicing for a couple of months.

After that, it was the sisters’ turn. The quartet played Pacobel’s canon, while maybe 10 sisters, with beautiful flower wreathes on their heads “danced” in, in a line with a little step. I was told they were honoring all the various sites connected with Thay’s teaching. I wasn’t sitting near the English translation so I couldn’t hear but the German. I did hear them mention PV, Deer Park, Blue Cliff, EIAB, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as some other sites. Oh, yes, Maple Forest/Green Mountain in Vermont, not far from Dartmouth, which is how Doug got in contact with this order initially, after he’d graduated and was working in a bookstore in Hanover. Three of the sisters came forward and did a little skit related to each site. Sr. Juwel was in one where they removed her wreath and cap and mimed shaving her head! I asked Al, her father, later whether she had choreographed this whole thing. She said “everyone did a little” but he said her masters after Stamford was in some kind of specialized ritual/dance from African (she is ½ African-American; her dad I think she told me was a former Baptist minister, lived in Houston, now Atlanta).

Then the special surprise was a lion dance, like they have at Tet or Chinese New Year, with 3 lions (with 2 monks inside) and two comic characters that did tricks! Everyone loved it and it was very colorful! Then the crowd walked up from the park to cut the ribbon and enter the Asoka Hall first floor where a gorgeous display of Thay’s calligraphy, with amazing Ikibani (Japanese-like flower arrangements on the floor in front of each) were on display. In a side room was a well laid out display of Thay’s books in many languages under glass displays, with an explanation in each.

I needed a break so I walked into town to find a birthday card for Jackson from Germany and bottled water.

Dharma discussion with my Ananas group takes place at 4:30 each day. Doug is facilitator and if the German monk is there, I know what’s going on. The Sister is too soft-spoken (yes, K, I’ve had my hearing aids in all the time, but she’s STILL too soft. People the first discussion could bring up whatever they wanted – whatever is said there, stays there! Tonight we have a special Tea Ceremony where we are supposed to each sing a song, recite a poem, share something! Aargh! I think I’ll stick with the Family Song – I see the Moon!

There was a “hiking” meditation up into the forest hills behind the center for a couple of hours. There was a shnell (fast) group, a medium group and I went with the langsam, or slowly, group. I saw Doug standing around with Phap Xa and then the two of them took of alone – for a fast run/walk!! He said they planned it!!

My group headed up into the dark forest on miles of trails. We stopped at a stream where water comes down from above and I heard the monastics climb up and bottle it for themselves – with no chemicals added to it! Pure mineral water, I guess. I didn’t try it. Have too long a trip ahead, in case it doesn’t agree with my system. We also stopped for a quiet sit deep in the forest for maybe 10 minutes. Lovely!

On the way down, I met one of the hikers, Marlis, from Basel, Switzerland, who has two sons living in US, one in NY in Finance in Greenwich (he does a reverse commute). The other son, Lucas Ettlen, I think it is, is a film director in LA. We had a lovely chat on the way down and will keep in touch with e-mail. She comes for a couple of months at a time to visit her sons. The uncle of her daughter-in-law from NY, who used to give her an apartment to stay in while she was in NY, recently moved to P’town so she might get to the Cape.

All for now!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Don’t want to get behind so I’ll keep writing! It’s HOT in here! I’m in the computer room and all the monastics left – think they might have a meeting – usually it’s busy! But I brought my own MAC so I’m not using theirs.

Have made the sitting meditation at 6:30 each morning so far. Two more to go!

Actually slept really well until 5 a.m. last night. They didn’t start chopping fruit until then!! And it was cooler. It’s really crowded in the room with my two roommates. One is 62, from Munich, had a stroke when she was in her 40s, so her left arm is paralyzed and she hasn’t been able to work since then. On some kind of Social Security disability.

The other is also from Munich so they know each other – same sangha I guess (a sangha is a group who “practice” together, usually once a week.) Then after meditation instead of yesterday’s
qi gong, I tried the bamboo sticks that you stretch over your head and move around. I thought it looked like fun. It was very tiring and I’m having pain in my left shoulder, probably like a little rotator cuff tear or something. Well, this really aggravated it!! So I took two Tylenol and put on some BioFreeze!! It helped!

Doug has been doing Kung Fu for a couple of months. Only the monastics were doing this.

After breakfast, the morning dharma talk starts with Thay bringing all the children (maybe 20 of all ages) up to the front. Yesterday, he talked to them about meditating on 4 pebbles (he wrote a children’s book about the pebble). Today he talked about seeds – he gave them each a corn seed, had a small corn plant there they brought from PV. He talked about them starting from a seed in their mommy’s womb. He was pretty funny and got a lot of laughs. Like the womb was better and more comfortable than a 10 star hotel. He LOVES gathering children around him.

He did the same thing when we went for a walking meditation outside in the park afterward. I couldn’t see what he was doing with them as Doug and I were too far back. Doug grabbed my hand and we walked together for ½ and hour or so. It was very nice!! I’m sure he did it to slow me down!!!! It’s VERY slow walking!  Just kidding!

Doug and I shared an avocado he’d bought in Koln on our way here, some oranges and apples, rather than the lunch. Too much food, 3 times a day. So we ate light!

He was having consultations this afternoon. People can sign up for an individual consult with a monastic if they have issues they want to talk about in private, not in the dharma discussion group. So he was booked up this afternoon. I did my floor scrubbing (back to being a putzfrau! For those who don’t know, in 1965/66 I worked in Munich in a krankenhaus (hospital) as a scrublady along with friends Mary and Betty! No one at the hospital spoke any English so we learned pretty bad German for 4 months. $75/month PLUS room and board! I earned my ticket home, as I had come with $600 and a one way ticket! We spent a year hitchhiking around and visited 28 countries!! That was the start of my passion for travel.

Off to bed!

The “Healing Hearts” project

Tomorrow is a special event – the dedication of the ground floor, renovated main building, of the Asoka Institute at EIAB (European Institute of Applied Buddhism). There is also the opening of the “Healing Hearts” exhibit, an artistic installtion of the 700 hearts in key locations of the impressive ground floor.

The building was built in 1897 as a psychiatric hospital. Under the Nazi regime it was remodeled to serve as a hotel, but instead it was used as a military hospital during the war. After the war it became a general hospital and then the German military managed it until 2006. Inside are huge floor-to-ceiling mosaics of Aryan-type figures working!

I’m guessing in the 30’s sometime, the Nazi party moved all the patients who were housed in this building, a former hospital for the mentally handicapped. Many of these patients were spared the first wave of the “euthanasia” program by hospital staff who intentionally delayed the process of selecting which patients would be killed. Of the 700 patients, 320 who could work were allowed to stay in nearby Hausen, and the majority of them survived both euthanasia and the hardships of war. But the rest who could not work were sent to other institutions where most of them were murdered by intentional starvation, hypothermia or poisoning.

EIAB invited individuals in the local community of Waldbrol as well as practitioners near and far to each make a heart in memory of one of the patients. Making a heart became a way to honor and remember their own relatives with great suffering or with a mental illness, even if they were not house in this hospital. Groups of children who came on retreats made them, sanghas took up the sewing of hearts as a mindfulness practice, a meditation together, an act of engaged Buddhism. “In the light of interbeing each heart reminds us that we must also remember and pray for all those who perpetrated the euthanasia, starvation and poisoning of mentally handicapped people. We know that somehow they are also victims of the ignorance, hatred, discrimination and violence in them and around them.” – from the EIAB August Newsletter.

It’s a pretty impressive display of hearts! I’m sure it will be a moving ceremony. Many of the citizens here in Waldbrol, I heard, were initially reluctant to even come here, and were grateful for the community of Plum Village for purchasing this hospital. When Doug showed me around, he said the building was cheaply purchased. But the building requirements are expensive! The glass wall/doors dividing this long hallway must withstand fire for 90 minutes, rather than the usual 60 minute requirement, for the building code! They each cost $800,000!!!

When they began renovating under the entrance way, they found large stone column pieces already carved, originally intended to create a plaza for gatherings of the Nazi Party. These columns will be used to create a large Stupa of Inclusiveness between the two buildings, dedicated to Thay’s life of teaching and peace work. Its overall shape is in the form of joined palms representing a respectful bow that accompanies the Buddhist greeting, A lotus for you, A Buddha to be. 

My working meditation today, and about 12 other people in my dharma group, was to wet mop and clean this HUGE long hallway, preparing for the dedication ceremony tomorrow. I was supposed to do it SLOWLY, MINDFULLY!! Hard for me! That’s not the speed in which I operate!! I worked up a huge sweat and rushed to shower before my 4:30 dharma group discussion! I don’t fit in real well here!! J

Hence, I’m typing here tonight, rather than attending the 5 Mindfulness Practice explanation. I’ll try to sneak down to the computer room to upload this. Guten Abend!

Monday, 8/20/2012 - Mom's birthday

Monday, August 20, 2012 – just realized today would have been Mom’s 92^nd birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! Miss you!

I have a few minutes after breakfast and before Thay begins his dharma talk to finish writing about Sunday. Doug, Phap Lindh (Dylan from UK), and the Indian monk whom I met at PV last year as an aspirant and is now ordained, walked into town for lunch. This was the monastics last shot for this week of going into town so they wanted to eat out. We found another outside café and ordered several appetizers, hummus, etc., cheese bread (looked like a pizza) and a veggie pizza and a big Greek salad for the 3 of them. I had Wienerschnizel (really dry and NOT what I’d been anticipating) and salad and fries. We were very hot by this time so had several bottles of mineral water mit gasse (sparkling water). Some other monastics had been eating inside and brought us their water as they were leaving. I guess they all had the same idea.
On the way back we stopped at everyone’s favorite ice cream place but this time we sat down and I had a banana split, others had berry sundaes. All delicious! Only 15 Euros for all 4! It’s the bargain of the town, apparently.

We had a very hot walk back (this is a heat wave for them – apparently it’s been over 100 degrees at PV) so I showered and lay down for awhile. The German retreatants were arriving between 1 and 5. Overwhelming!! I got two ladies from Munich, one who speaks some English and the other not. The first one has a paralyzed left arm so she wasn’t able to make her bed so I did. She looks maybe late 40s or 50s. This room is made for 2 (only 2 closets) but they added another bed so we are scrambling for space.
At 5 or so I went outside into the crowd registering.

 

Met Tom and Katherine a maybe 30 something couple who live east of Bavaria near the Czech border in the forest. She is a potter and he is an osteopathic doctor. We were supposed to meet with our dharma group, mine and Doug’s is called Ananas – pineapple, for dinner. I wasn’t in the least hungry so just took over some tea. We were lucky, meeting inside Asoka, which is the big building they are renovating. It was relatively cool inside and had cool marble floors. Doug is the monastic facilitator and he had a German nun, newly ordained, as a translator. He explained inviting the bell to start and she was translating everything he said. When someone came a bit late, he rearranged and had me sit between him and the translator, so I could hear her English really well. It was very sweet of him to even think of it!! I was grateful! So every afternoon this group of 30 Germans and me!! And Doug and the translater will meet I guess to discuss the talk this morning by Thay. We will also eat dinner together every evening.

Then after dinner was the opening ceremony of the retreat. Monastics (that refers to both monks and nuns) were on stage and behind Thay seated was Sr. Trai Nghiem, the Japanese sister who stayed at my house last fall, who gave me the names of some friends in Japan that were so helpful to Betty and I traveling last year. She is a concert-level violinist, 5 years ago was playing with the Berlin Orchestra traveling around Europe, and decided this was what she wanted to do. Then Dylan, a Cambridge graduate and high level cellist played. Doug was on the drums (right behind Thay so I couldn’t see him much but he kept a great beat!) and Phap Lai, from UK, on guitar. They played and then accompanied the chanting. It was beautiful!

Doug’s main job here for this retreat, besides being the monastic facilitator of the Ananas group, is the webmaster who puts the live stream of this retreat on line. So if you go to www.plumvillage.org and find German Retreat, you might see the opening ceremony. I know he was streaming this morning when Thay was giving the first dharma talk.

I didn’t sleep too well last night as now we are 3 crowded into a small room for 2. Also it’s HOT here and we opened the windows. But then it poured rain and I woke around 3 to hear the rain pounding on the awning downstairs. Then at 4:30 while I was still lying and tossing and trying to get back to sleep, after a trip down the hall to the bathroom, they started chopping fruit outside and downstairs under that awning. That’s where part of the kitchen is, set up outside, so they were starting on breakfast. Have to get an early start when you are feeding about 900 people!! They are pretty efficient about it. Breakfast is my favorite meal – oatmeal, probably soy milk (they are vegan here – no animal products), nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, and fruit. Oh, and bread and various spreads. Nutella is very popular.

That’s all for now! Next I’ll write about the “Hearts” project. It’s pretty amazing!

I have arrived!

August 19^th:  I have arrived! I am Home! – this is one of Thay’s calligraphy sayings that is hanging on the wall of my house, for those of you who have been there. It’s also one of the songs they sing – we sang it this a.m. after breakfast.

Didn’t have an adaptor so I haven’t been able to post before. Today is Sunday, the first day, or day of arrival, for the German retreat. 900 people are expected!! I think the other 2 beds in my room will be filled by tonight. I have a lovely room on the first floor of the smaller building here, where the offices are and Doug spends a lot of time. He lives across the walkway in the larger building, that was a 200+ bed hospital. The ground floor has been renovated and this week, on the 22^nd there will be a grand opening ceremony, since Thay is here.

So let me start at the beginning. The flight from Boston was smooth, although I moved around 4 seats before I got settled. I know I had reserved, on the transoceanic part of the flight, a window seat. But I was assigned a middle seat in the middle row when I got on board. Eventually I ended up with two seats, near a window to myself. So I was able to kind of lay down and, I think, sleep for part of it. Watched The Artist before sleeping as I hadn’t seen it before. Enjoyed it.

Had a long walk across the airport – maybe 25 minutes of fast walking – to get to my KLM flight in Amsterdam. We flew low so I got a good view of Holland into Germany on the way. When I came out of the gate in Dusseldorf, no Doug! I figured probably two bald guys in brown robes shouldn’t be too hard to spot! I hung around for a bit, then spotted a McDonald’s close by to get a breakfast sandwich. As I was waiting for it to be prepared, I spotted the two brown robes! We met up and he had a monk from Indonesia with him. He’s just visiting for a year in Plum Village (PV for future). Doug looked healthy, wonderful! We headed out to the van and headed for Cologne (Koln) to visit the Dom or large cathedral there from maybe the 11^th or 12^th century. Not sure as everything was written in German and we didn’t find an English guide. We parked by the train station  (Hauptbahnhof – refreshing my German!) and walked to the Dom. It is in a constant state of being cleaned and there was large scaffolding over one of the peaks. Doug said there is always work being done on it. Many of the windows had been blown out during the war and the surrounding area had been leveled. So this area of town was relatively new construction. It was a Friday so it wasn’t extremely crowded with tourists and we were able to wander around and see all the side altars, many with what looked like maybe crusaders tombs? Went downstairs under the altar to where the past archbishops of Koln are buried.

We then headed back to the autobahn and out of town to Waldbrol, the small town east of Koln where the monastery is.

One of the nice things, for me, is you can walk down the driveway and be near the main street of town. So yesterday, Saturday, Doug and I walked around downtown as I had a few errands. We had a wonderful pizza lunch and then ice cream, a favorite here with the community.

Doug had meetings all afternoon (he is really pretty much in charge of the upcoming Italian visit/retreats and was doing a lot of organizing). I rested for awhile, already have blisters on both sides of both feet from my new (mistake!) shoes/sandals. So today have switched to my sneakers for relief. Then I walked back into town (this was before the blisters) again and tried on my own to find an adaptor plug for my computer, cellphone charger and curling iron. No luck after pretty much covering the town. But this morning, Doug came up with one for me to use! 

I stopped during my walk back at the pizza place, with a lovely outdoor terrace, and had a heavenly beer and French fries!

I had a bit of salad when I came back at dinner but wasn’t really hungry. Doug also provided me with a selection of peaches, nectarines, oranges, bananas, and an apple. I also have walnuts, protein bars, chocolate covered almonds to snack on. So I won’t go hungry.

Doug invited me to the Italian trip planning meeting in the main hall of the large building. There were about 30 monastics there who are going. I’m going on Thursday with Doug and one other monk, flying to Milan where we will meet two others, one from PV, and one coming from Thailand. We are the advance team to check out arrangements with the Italian sangha for Thay’s public talk in Milan after the Rome retreat. We will stay 2 nights there and then train to Rome and check out arrangement there. He said we are staying at a B & B owned by one of the Italian sangha. There are only 2 rooms so I may try to find another B & B nearby so the guys aren’t all crammed into one room because of me! We’ll play it by ear. This Italian sangha is apparently very accommodating, very anxious for this retreat to occur. Not sure if Thay has done a retreat there before. Hopefully I will have time, either by myself or with Doug, to do some sightseeing there. Would like to see the Last Supper in Milan if I can. And then some sights in Rome.

Right now there are a few (maybe 30 or so) Germans here who are lay staff to help out with the retreat. And a large group arrived from PV yesterday of monastics. This is the largest retreat they’ve ever held here. Tents are set up behind this building for the overflow. There will be 10 food station rows plus a children’s line and an Express line for those who have to go through quickly to get to a work station. Everything is set up under tents outside, each Dharma group will meet somewhere under a tent outside, but have a backup place inside in case of rain (which is expected 60% chance tomorrow). For those who haven’t been to a retreat, basically each morning after breakfast and working meditation (everybody helps clean up!), Thich Nhat Hanh will speak for maybe an hour and a half on some talk (a dharma talk). Then after lunch each monastic and assistant are assigned to a group of people (30) to meet each day with the same group and have a discussion. So I will just follow along with Doug’s group.

So far the weather has been beautiful, cool (for me! They are all bundled up and think it’s cold!). Doug was actually stopped by a reporter when we were walking around town yesterday and asked how he would deal with the coming “heat wave” today!! It’s apparently been a very cool summer here, unlike America!!!! I actually saw some leaves that had turned yellow and felt a nip of fall in the air yesterday.

Doug said Madrid is on a latitude line with New York and we are 16 hours north of that. So I’m figuring it must be close to Montreal or so latitude-wise!

There is a large pine forest and hills behind the hospital/monastery but I haven’t hiked up there yet.

Have seen a few familiar faces: Phap Lai, from UK; Phap Linh (Dylan) from UK and he visited my house last fall; Jackie, Sr. Peace, whom I met in Saigon in 2005 when she was still a lay person, from D.C.; Sister Juwel, from Atlanta, whom I also first met in Saigon, and then one other time. I remember she had graduated from Stamford, her father was a Baptist preacher. I just met him, Al, here when Doug introduced me. He’s been in Europe for 3 months, here and at PV. We had a nice discussion about Houston where he grew up. We’ll talk later.

So that’s all for now. I’ll try to load a couple of pictures to add here. Wish I had Michelle here to help me! She’s so good at this! But I’ll give it a shot!