Lunch at the Hochschule (09.06.2008)

Lunch with some friends, courtesy of Mathias!

[Andreas, Benjamin, Mathias, Tino]

[Benjamin]

[Mathias]

[Me & Sebastian]

[Andreas & Thomas]

Tübingen II (06.-08.06.2008)

This weekend I traveled with Helmut to visit our friend, Martin, in Tübingen. (The three of us were together in St. Louis last year.) We took the ICE (the fast train) Friday afternoon and arrived in Tübingen by 7:00. After grilling, we headed downtown for a "night festival". We sat by the fountain in the center of the Altstadt ("old city") and listened to a "Türmblasen" (literally, "tower blowing" - but in Germany, during Christmas and other festivals, brass ensembles will climb up into a church tower and play a concert to revelers gathered below). The next morning, we headed for the Burg Hohenzollern, a picturesque castle perched on top of a large hill, surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside Germany has to offer. Unfortunately, we missed the only bus heading from the train station to the castle (only one bus from the train station to the castle on a Saturday morning?) - but we were able to take a taxi; a little more expensive, but we made it. Unfortunately, too, it was a bit cloudy and misting, but beautiful, nonetheless. Worn out from the weather and a bit of a walk up and down the hill to the castle, we returned to Tübingen and watched Oceans 13. Sunday morning, we caught first the "evangelisch" (part of the "Landeskirche", or "state church") "Studiengottesdienst" (student worship service), then took a brisk walk through downtown to a SELK service with communion. Both very nice. After cookies and coffee (naturally), Martin walked with Helmut and I to the train station, where we caught the first of four trains on our trip home. It took about 6.5 hours to get back to Oberursel on a "Schoneswochenende Karte" ("nice weekend ticket") - which takes a bit longer, but cost us each about half of what a normal ticket would. (These tickets allow up to five people to travel on one ticket anywhere in Germany - though it excludes the express trains.) There was only one hiccough - I misunderstood Helmut and thought we had an hour layover in Heilbrunn, when it was actually 15 minutes; so we missed our train, but caught another 30 minutes later - which ended up being a beautiful ride through the countryside along the Neckar river. We got back to the Hochschule during halftime of Germany's first "Europeanmeisterschaft (EM)" (European Championship) soccer match (Germany beat Poland 2-0). A good weekend - part of my standing rule not to turn down an invitation to travel anywhere (especially these last two months) - but another one of those where it will take me the whole week to catch up!

[Helmut manning the grill. Once again, this begs the question, "which came first, the South African, or the grill?"]

[Light display at the Tübingen University main building.]

[The Burg Hohenzollern, Hechingen.]

[Martin and Helmut and our stellar view.]

[Me and Martin enjoying some bier, Bockwurst and Pommes as we wait for the bus back to the Hechingen Bahnhof.]

Sommerfest, 31 May 2008

The annual Lutherische Theologische Hochschule "Sommerfest" was held this past Saturday... there was beautiful weather, volleyball in the afternoon, an outdoor worship service in the evening, followed by a "Schwarz und Weiß" themed party, with lots of food, music and skits!

Istanbul, Monday, 26 May

"This is going to take more than four days." Said Aydin, our guide, the first evening as we discussed some of the differences between Christianity and Islam...

Monday morning I woke up a little early - about 7:45, which was early considering we didn't have to leave until 9:30 and I had packed the night before. My intent was to hit the pool before breakfast. So, not having a swim suit with, I threw on some shorts and headed downstairs, hoping to hit the pool right when it opened at 8:00. I stopped at the hotel bar, first, to buy a bottle of water. No sooner had I stopped, when this guy in the lounge made a line straight for me. "Hey," he said, "so where are you from?"
"The U.S., but living in Germany these days," I replied.
"Oh, working in Germany making lots of money for no reason," he said.
"Actually, no, I'm a student," I said, a bit shocked at his boldness.
"Oh! What do you study?"
"Theology," I answered.
"Theology? What's that?" he asked.
"The study of God, religion," I answered.
"Oh! Are you a Christian?" he inquired, further.
"Yes."
"Are you a devout Christian?"
"I think so." I answered. The questions were coming too fast to really think about how strangely this conversation had begun.
"Going to become a Muslim?" he asked.
"No. But I am here to learn about Islam."
For the next 20 minutes he drew comparisons between Islam and Christianity, between the Koran and the Bible, while I did my best to explain what we did in fact believe - there are many common misconceptions that Muslims in the Middle East have about Christians, most of which are errors in the Koran. He mentioned the first man, Adam, and I was able to explain original sin and why God had to send his son, Jesus Christ... and it was right about that time he had to go. "My colleague is asking for me to come," he said. He did tell me that he had been in a Christian church before. "Really, where?" I asked. "Here in Istanbul (he's from Istanbul). It was a nice experience." "Good" I responded. "Good."

After a quick 10 minutes in the pool - the sun had not yet crested the buildings and the water felt great - I grabbed breakfast. Then it was back to the university for more seminars and discussion on Islam.

After two morning sessions, we were treated to lunch in the cafeteria and then invited to sit in the back of the mosque on campus during afternoon prayers. That was a surreal experience - unnerving and confusing. I'd been in Buddhist temples before in Japan and Korea, but this was really unnerving. Hard to explain why... Part of it may have been hearing the call to prayer for the first time in more than three years while on this trip, each time being reminded of hearing the same sounds drift in over the rooftops and walls in Baghdad several times a day for a year. Part of it, too, is that as a Christian, my faith excludes all other religions and their gods - as they do not lead to life and salvation. So it was hard to operate in the different roles as tourist, student - trying to learn about Islam in an academic way - and as a man training for the office of the holy ministry...

All in all, it was an amazing experience. There was a wide range of emotions to match the various and unique experiences. Istanbul is a beautiful city. I'd go back at a moment's notice. But like Aydin said that first evening, "this will take more than four days." I think it will likely take years to fully understand and appreciate what I learned and experience in four days in Istanbul.

[Mosque on campus, Maramar University]

[Closing remarks by the vice-dean of the theological faculty, Maramar University.]

Peace to you.

Istanbul, Sunday, 25 May 2008

Turkey is almost 99% Sunni Muslim. But Sunday morning we had one of the defining experiences of the trip. We visited a small wooden chapel in Istanbul where a Finnish Lutheran pastor held a worship service in Turkish. There were quite a few American and Finnish guests this particular Sunday. This isn't the only Christian church in Istanbul, but it felt like an island set in a sea determined to wash it away. Continuing the island analogy, I would liken it to a volcanic island, much larger than what is visible above the water and firmly anchored to the sea floor - in this case the power of the Gospel and Christ's church on earth. A volcanic island can seemingly emerge from nowhere in a short period of time. And given time, can become a lush tropical island. (Every analogy falls apart - in this case I want to assure you that I believe in a "young earth" that God created in six days.) I had some incredibly stimulating and "perspective-giving" conversations with my two new Finnish brethren, Ville und Vesi. As we walked back through the alleys and side streets to link back up with our group, I felt ever more assured by the power of the Gospel to bring light and life in the darkness...

So we missed the Chora Church museum - a former Byzantine Christian church - but I wouldn't have traded my experience that morning. (I'll just have to go back and see the Chora museum next time.) We met up with the rest in time for lunch on the "Istiklal Caddesi" - a street young Turks and tourists like to cruise for it's shopping and people-watching (I counted three Starbucks). By this time, I had already enjoyed five cups of chai this morning and, despite Ersin's warning, I insisted that I would try to drink ten cups of tea throughout the day. After some shopping, we said "goodbye" to Ersin and Yusef took us back to the hotel.

I had about an hour and a half before we were going to meet to try to take a ferry out to Leander's Tower (also known as the "Maiden's Tower") - featured in the climactic scene of one of the recent James Bond films, "The World is Not Enough" - so I decided to wander around the neighborhood and look for another cup of tea. I trudged up the hill through the decrepit streets behind the hotel. It was Sunday afternoon, so most businesses were closed (Turkey's secular society observes the same Monday through Friday work week as the West, even though Muslims worship on Friday afternoons). After about 20 minutes of searching, I decided to head back down the hill. I almost walked past the Cafe Kishla the first time. This was one of those "hole-in-the-wall" establishments and gave me another of those experiences that one can only have in a culture where no one looks like you and you don't speak the language. The only Turkish word I know is "chai". The proprietor nodded and said "yes" - perhaps the only English he knows - and I settled in at a table by the window. There were a couple tables of middle-aged Turkish men playing cards and another game that looked like dominoes with numbered tiles. Smokey and sweaty, I spent the next 40 minutes drinking tea and describing the setting in my journal.

When I got back to the hotel, I washed my face and met the rest of the group downstairs. We didn't make it in time to visit the tower, but after some ice cream we decided - and I have no idea how this topic of conversation came up - decided to find a cafe and try a "sheesha pipe", as Rachel and I were the only ones in the group who had every tried it. In Middle Eastern society it's popular to smoke flavored tobacco through a contraption that is essentially a water bong (I will assure you that it was only tobacco; drugs are illegal in Turkey, too, and from what I understand carry a much stiffer penalty than in the U.S.; "sheesha" is very popular at cafes in Istanbul). I've only tried a regular cigarette a handful of times, but one notices right away that it is much smoother than regular tobacco. (The first time I smoked a "sheesha" was actually on my first tour in Iraq in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert with some Kuwaiti soldiers.)

The walk back featured a beautiful view of the sun setting behind Leander's Tower on the European side. When we got back, Brent and I hit the sauna before dinner. Later that evening, Ryan and I tried to fall asleep in a room that felt like a sauna with our malfunctioning air conditioner. Keeping the door open kept the room cool, but then we heard the cheers, whistles and fireworks of families celebrating the departure of their sons into compulsory military service at the ferry landing below our hotel.

[Me and Brent Smith enjoying a chai Sunday morning.]

[Velle, me, Ryan, Vesa]


["Flat" bread (giant air bubbles). I really like Turkish food, by the way.]

[Istiklal Caddesi]

[Istiklal Caddesi]

[Ersin and me.]

[Cafe Kishla]

[Side street behind hotel. You can just make out the sign for the Cafe Kishla behind the first car parked on the right side of the street.]

[Boats on the Bosphorus.]

[Blue Mosque (six minarets) and the Hagia Sophia (four minarets).]

[Leander's Tower]

[Sidewalk cafe on the Strait.]

[Tea and sheesha.]

[Leander's Tower]

Istanbul, Saturday, 24 May 2008

Saturday morning Yusef, our driver, met us at the hotel with the van. We picked up Ersin, our guide enroute to the European side of Istanbul. The first stop was the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. I can easily grow tired in historical museums (art museums are completely different - I do enjoy leisurely browsing paintings and photographs), but the collections of manuscripts and carpets was extremely interesting. Across the street was the Hippodrome. On the far side, then, was the entrance to the "Blue Mosque" (which is not its name in Turkish, but rather it's westernized nickname). After walking through the Blue Mosque, with a fascinating explanation of the design and purpose by Ersin, we walked past the Hagia Sophia to the Topkapi Palace, seat of the Ottoman Empire for four centuries. This was a little too much museum for me. When given the opportunity, I relaxed on a bench in the exhibit of the royal treasury - cooler, darker and away from the crushing crowds - and on a shaded patio overlooking the Bosphorus. I'm neither claustrophobic or agoraphobic, but it was in the upper 80s and being a Saturday, there were lots and lots of people - too much for me on this particular day.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the Pudding Shop, a restaurant made famous in the 60s as an intersection where hippies embarking on expeditions east would meet those returning (this gateway to the East being effectively sealed off by the situations in Iran and Afghanistan in the 70s and 80s). After lunch, we headed to the Hagia Sophia, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Built in the sixth century, this incredible basilica was a Christian church for over 900 years, until 1453, when Constantinople was captured by the Ottomans. (It hasn't been used as a mosque since the 1950s, when the Turkish government turned it into a museum - which I'm sure is visited by most of the 21 million tourists who visit Turkey each year.) This is another one of those places I've encountered where I could simply sit and let my mind wander for hours - from the places where the cross-pieces of crosses were torn off, leaving still visible holes or mosaics of crosses or angels or Christ himself painted or plastered over, to the large Arabic seals hanging from the four corners of the basilica (the tops covered in pigeon crap, I noticed with some delight), it's a place of intense beauty and intense and conflicting emotion.

After the Hagia Sophia, we went underground to the old underground cisterns used to store drinking water for the people of Istanbul. But it was after the cisterns that we were treated to one of my favorite parts of the trip - a short seminar on Turkish carpets by our guide, Aydin. On Friday, he had instructed us that if we were near the bazaar, we should drop in and see him. Aydin has been a guide in his hometown, Istanbul, for over 40 years. These days, however, most of his time is spent with his first love, teaching lectures on Turkish carpets - either at the Istanbul Handcraft Center, where we met him, or on cruise ships in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.

That evening we were supposed to see the world-renown Grand Bazaar, though at the suggestion of Dr. Hoefer, most of the group decided to see a performance by the "whirling dervishes", while a couple others went back to the hotel. So I tagged along to see this traditional Sufi Islam spiritual dance ritual (in a large, dimly-lit room in the Istanbul train station). Afterwards, we took the ferry back across the Strait to the hotel.

[Dr. Hoefer (extreme left), Yusef, and Ersin, our guide.]

[The Bosphorus Strait from the bridge.]

[Museum.]

[The "Blue Mosque" from the museum court. In the foreground you can see an Egyptian obelisk in the Hippodrome across the street from the museum.]

["Chai" - Turkish tea. I had had this style of tea in the Middle East before. One thing I really enjoyed was that everywhere you went you could find it - and almost always served in a small glass like this. They pour a bit of concentrated tea into these small glasses, draw in some hot water and serve with one or two sugar cubes. I noticed Ersin drank tea everywhere we stopped, so I asked if there was a special time of day - after meals or in the morning - when Turkish people drink tea and how many cups he drank in a single day. The answer: 10 to 15! Sounded like a challenge to me.]

[Ersin at the entrance to the Blue Mosque.]

[Inside the Blue Mosque.]

[Group photo with the Hagia Sophia in the background (from left): Ryan, Me, Rachel, Enoch and Kristin Peterson, and in the foreground, Dr. Herbert Hoefer and the Rev. Brent Smith.]

[Topkapi Palace kitchens. As usually happens, I'm more fascinated by the structure and the grounds than the artifacts inside - in this case, a collection of centuries-old Japanese and Chinese porcelain. I liked the bricks.]

[View of the Asian side of Istanbul from a patio at the palace. On the left, just on shore, you can see the pink facade of the Harem Otel.]

[Mosaic in the entrance to the Hagia Sophia.]

[I wonder what it looked like "back in the day"? (It was approx. 8" tall.)]

[Scaffolding in the dome. Ersin said they've been restoring the dome for nearly 20 years, but that it will be done in the next 1-2 years (I wonder how long they've been saying that?).]


[The next time I travel to Istanbul I'm bringing one of those little tri-fold camp stools and I will park myself in front of this mosaic until they kick me out.]

[Beautiful Savior.]

[They didn't have a stairway to get to the upper portico, rather this stone ramp. The lighting and the orange paint on the ceiling - a unique color in the Hagia Sophia - drew my attention.]


[A mosaic of Mary and the baby Jesus perched above Islamic stained-glass windows (not normal for a mosque, but they had to do something when they converted it from a church to a mosque, I guess). You can also see the top of the "niche" pointing toward Mecca at the bottom of the frame.]

[Mosaic crosses that had been painted-over.]

[The cistern.]

[Aydin delivering a fascinating lecture on Turkish carpets. After explaining the declining numbers of weavers and predicting the demise of this art, he mentioned the Starbucks on the street outside that had replaced one of the former stores where you could purchase this carpets. "The girls would rather make the same amount of money selling coffee instead of weaving carpets, I guess" he lamented. One of the carpets he showed us took two women two years to make. List price: approximately $50,000.]

[Whirling Dervishes.]

[The Harem ferry. You can just make out the bridge over the Strait in the background (right).]

[I'm really a simple guy. One of my favorite parts of the trip was this ferry ride. It lasted about 20 minutes and cost a little over $1 (US).]

Istanbul, Friday, 23 May 2008

Back in February, I emailed the Rev. Brent Smith, who lives and works here in Oberursel, if we could get together sometime to chat over lunch. Later that week, he sent an unexpected reply. "Would you be interested in a Muslim immersion trip in Istanbul?"

"Sure!"

Even more remarkable than this invitation was that the very next week I received an unexpected gift from my congregation back home that covered the cost of this trip - and I hadn't even told anyone about it.

The Rev. Dr. Herbert Hoefer teaches World Religions and Theology at Concordia University, Portland. He'd hoped to offer this immersion experience as a course, but didn't draw much interest. But here in Germany, Brent, myself, Ryan (the other seminary exchange student here with me) and Rachel, who also works here in Oberursel, we had enough to make the trip worthwhile. Dr. Hoefer arrived in Oberursel on Tuesday, which allowed us to get together on Wednesday and Thursday to get to know each other and get a few introductory seminars on Islam. (Dr. Hoefer had done some traveling in the Middle East last fall to take care of some of the groundwork and networking for this trip.)

We met at 5:15 Friday morning and headed to the Frankfurt airport, where we caught a 7:25 flight to Istanbul on Turkish Airways.

[The first stop was Marmara University, where we received a series of presentations on Islam from their theological faculty.]

[That evening we checked into our hotel. This is the view from our room. You can see across the Bosphorus Strait over to the European side, with the "Blue Mosque" (six minarets) on the left and the Hagia Sophia (four minarets) on the right. Right below our hotel was the ferry landing and a container yard.]

[We dropped off our bags and went down poolside to meet with our guide, Aydin, and his Imam (known for his perfect memorization of the Koran). We were able to ask some more candid questions and gained some unique insights into the religion that claims 1.2 billion followers, globally.]

[The Harem Otel. So-named for the neighborhood, not what you think.]

[Sunset on the Maramar Sea. You can see the silhouette of the ferry in the foreground and the Galata Tower in the background.]

60. Jubiläum (19.05.2008)

Today is the 60th anniversary (60. Jubiläum) of the beginning of theological instruction at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel! The official celebration is in three weeks, but after chapel this morning, a photo shoot for the new Hochschule brochure provided the perfect opportunity to sit in the sun with friends and enjoy some "Kaffee und Kuchen" - two of my favorite things! (The "props" for the photo shoot were, in fact, delicious! Andrea has been busy taking photos this spring for the new brochure.) So, on this special occasion, I wish you God's peace. Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone the glory)!

[L-R: Andreas Otto, Ryan Loeslie, Roland Johannes, Andreas Berg]

[Foreground: Tino Bahl, Helmut Paul; Background: Andrea Otto, Thomas Beneke, Anna Bartelt]

[Sebastian Anwand, me]

[Little Sophie asked Adreas if she could try on his "Brille"]

Der Hausmeister

You can hear him before you see him. The caretaker for the Hochschule is a gentleman in his 50s. He's always got a smile on his face when you greet him - but communication proves difficult (even for the Germans); he's got a heavy Hessian accent. (Hesse is the state I live in. When I flew to Germany last fall, I was sitting next to a couple for almost 20 minutes thinking "what language is that" before I found out they were German and from Hesse.) The students and residents here laugh that we never need an alarm on Saturday morning. Every Saturday he's out with his leaf blower - a large gas-powered apparatus - at about 9:30 - to the bane of any student who reveled into the wee hours on Friday night. (Last fall I saw him blowing the leaves out of the trees in a preemptive strike.) So, here is how I will always remember Herr Reichel, "der Hausmeister" (this picture is worth the "click" to see a larger version):

Brunnenfest

This weekend is Oberursel's "Brunnenfest" (Fountain Festival). It's a lot like the Christmas Market - except fewer booths selling gifts and more booths selling beer and food. It's nice - they block off all the streets in the "Altstadt" (the old part of the city). In front of every building and shop is a food or beverage stand and it seemed like every street also had some live music. It started Friday, so that evening, 14 of us from the Hochschule walked downtown and enjoyed the weather, the food, the beer and some good conversation!

Sankt Johannes Gemeindechor (14.05.2008)

One of the truly wonderful experiences this year has been singing in the the church choir - "Gemeindechor" - at St. John's. Directed by my good friend, Roland Johannes, many of them have gone out of their way to help me feel at home in Germany. Wednesday night, after a brief rehearsal, we grilled. So, here are some pictures of some of my favorite people. Peace to you.

[Hilbert and Heinz getting it started.]

[Andreas, Frau da Silva, me.]

[Back: Hilbert, Helmut, Mathias; Front: Roland, Benjamin]

[Thomas (front) and Sebastian (back, white shirt) playing "Tischtennis" with Pastor Wenz's kids; little Johannes spectating.]

[Johannes]

[Helmut, Heinz, Renate. (I'm not sure what causes what: are The South Africans attracted to barbecues? Or, will a spontaneous barbecue break out when The South Africans get together?) My kind of people.]

[Thomas, Helmut, me.]

[Sing-along with Frau Eichmeier, Herr Pick, Andreas, and Roland (playing the piano)]