Observations

Greetings,

I have always thought it a good idea to journal and have "encouraged" my students to adopt this discipline on several occasions, especially during our London excursions.  Well, as we teach in management, excellent and faithful execution usually makes any decision look good.  This is simply my professorial way of saying that I believe writing this blog is a good decision, but it has required more time and effort than I imagined.  I hope it has been a learning experience for the reader as it has certainly helped Cheryl and I to be more observant of the people and things around us.  With this in mind, we thought we would briefly share a few of these observations.

1. Common courtesies - Keep in mind, we have lived in Holland, Michigan for the past twenty years.  For those of you that don't live there, it is a place where nothing moves at four-way stop signs because everyone is trying to let the other person go first.  Opening doors for others is common place.  A smile and a word of hello is the standard form of greeting on Main Street, be it friend or stranger.  We realize this is not the norm across the United States and are reminded of it every time we visit Corrie and Ross in Chicago.  But, for the majority of Americans, common courtesies are still taught and if not expected, they are certainly appreciated.

This is not the case in Romania.  It certainly is the case within our Christian community at Emanuel, but outside of our "bubble", things are a bit aggressive.  Driving is an "every man for himself" proposition, walking down the street takes me back to the days of dodgem cars, and getting through any doorway is a "first come, first in" rule.  The deeper observation comes from the look, or non-look, on the people's faces.  Eye contact is never made, let alone a friendly gesture of greeting.

When we inquire about this, we are generally given two different, but related reasons.  First, during the Communist rule, the last thing anyone wanted to do was to stand out.  The saying was that "any nail that is sticking out will get hammered down."  Showing common courtesies and a friendly greeting were ways in which one stood out.  The second reason provided to us has to do with hope.  There is a certain sense of hopelessness that still pervades the people.  We know that the hope we have within us through Christ is an eternal one that not only influences our future, but also impacts our present.  We also realize that we can have a certain amount of hope because of the opportunities afforded us by living in the United States.  Romania is a country that systematically and proactively eliminated almost all the remnants of spiritual hope while simultaneously eliminating any remnants of earthly hope in the form of opportunity and freedom.  Hope is so closely akin to joy, and when hope is gone, there is very little joy.  Unfortunately, this is what we see in many of the faces.

Choir loft at Emanuel Church

Students singing during Wednesday Chapel service

First-year Management students during Fellowship hour

2. Singing - It is amazing to us, but it seems like everyone in Romania, at least everyone associated with Emanuel University and Church, has a beautiful singing voice.  This is such a foreign concept to me because as many of you know and have heard from experience, I can't sing at all.  We have been so blessed with the singing while we have been here and it is a big part of any gathering.  Perhaps the acoustics are better or perhaps the Romanian language is conducive to harmony and melody, but we have stopped trying to analyze it and have simply enjoyed it.  I tried to upload some videos of the students singing, but I kept getting an error message.  So, our plan is to bring back some CD's so you can enjoy them as well.  It will be one of the fondest memories we have of this place and certainly speaks to the power of music to move our hearts.

3. Salt & Light - The mission and vision for Emanuel has always been steeped in the notion of being salt and light to the community of Oradea and to a lesser extent, the country of Romania.  Sorry that I got a bit preachy during my first observation, but the contrast, in terms of hope and joy, within versus outside of the Christian community is quite remarkable.  Although it is difficult to see from the picture, the stained glass window in the chapel at Emanuel University depicts a sower who is sowing his seed into the city of Oradea.  It is a spectacular sight from the street when lit up at night and is a constant reminder of the purposes undergirding this institution.

Other news items revolve around food.  Although the food in the cantina is nourishing and satisfying, it can be a bit tasteless and is heavy on the starch.  So, Cheryl and I (mostly Cheryl) decided that we needed to eat out at least once/week.  Well, we have been doing this already, but Cheryl had in mind a nice place to eat once/week.  We have found a very nice place that we have come to call our own and are already on a first name basis with the waiter.  We can have an entire three-course meal with tip and tax included for about $16-$20 per person.  The food is top notch and the variety is impressive.  We are usually joined by others who are visiting Emanuel for a brief time and serving in some capacity.  Who we have met and their interesting stories is fodder for future posts.

Pace,

Cheryl & Tom