So I went to the website of the British Union (BUC) of Seventh-day Adventists. And I checked the gallery (click here). And I looked at photos from the camp meeting last week. And suddenly I felt a certain sadness. Something along the lines of, I should have been there. Or, these are my friends and colleagues. Plus, but I'm no longer part of that world... I believe they call it homesick.
But this could lead to the question, where is home? Hildesheim, in Germany (my birth place), Darmstadt, also in Germany (high school, national service, and a bit of university), London (university, friends, church), Gloucester (more friends, work), Bermuda? Where is home?
Recently I came across this thought, that home to a pastor is two-fold: heaven, and the place where one works.
So I'm at home at the moment--well, one of them anyway. And yet, there's a strange tugging on the strings of memory, a faint call to return to what once was.
And if I were to return to the UK, I'd probably long to be back in Bermuda--oh wretched human psyche.
What then, if any, is the conclusion of the matter? It's morning, and I haven't had breakfast? (solution: eat and get on with it). Probably that.
This "homesickness" may just be a feeling of having belonged to a group of friends and colleagues, and being part of a network of people, and deciding to step out of that circle. Unfortunately, separation is part of moving. Some things, and someone always get left behind. My mum, years ago, gave me a German poem which ends with the line, mein Herz nimm Abschied und gesunde (something like: my heart say goodbye and get well). I suppose the getting well process is bitter-sweet, like childhood medicine.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
An den deutschen Leser
Hallo Deutschland.
Einen kurzen Gruss in Deutsch. Es ist allerdings nicht mehr so einfach, und fliesst auch nicht mehr so recht aus den Fingern. Daher "kurz".
Wir sind jetzt seit fast 10 Monaten hier (am 16. sind es genau 10 Monate). Wir haben unseren ersten Winter überstanden, haben uns langsam ans Klima gewöhnt (obwohl, wegen der hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit bildet sich leicht Schimmel an länger nicht benutzten Kleidungsstücken--und da gewöhnt man sich nicht so schnell dran), kommen auch ohne Auto ganz gut über die Runden, und ab und zu geniessen wir auch die Umgebung. Daran sollte man sich nie gewöhnen. Es ist einfach zu schön. Und doch, der Alltag stumpft die Schönheit ab, und man muss sich dann ganz bewusst das Meer, die Strände, und die Landschaft anschauen. Was nett ist, sind die Baumfrösche. Sind ganz klein (ein paar cm), "flöten" aber ganz schön laut.
Und die Leute? Alle freundlich, mit den normalen Ausnahmen. Aber das ganze hat doch einen recht dörflichen Charakter. Die "Stadt" St George hat nur ein paar tausend Einwohner, und Bermuda insgesamt ist mit 68000 Einwohnern kleiner als meine Geburtsstadt, Hildesheim.
PS: Das Foto wurde am 24. Mai aufgenommen, Bermuda Feiertag mit Strassenparade. Ich bin rumgelaufen, weil mir das Warten--und sitzen auf dem blossen Bürgersteig zu langweilig war.
PPS: HM in dem letzten Artikel bezieht sich auf Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. Deren Geburtstag wurde hier am Montag gefeiert, als offizieller Feiertag, wie jedes Jahr.
Monday, June 11, 2007
HM's birthday
Today -- Monday -- while the general population of the UK (and the rest of planet earth) is facing another day at the office, Bermuda is celebrating the Queen's birthday. It's an official holiday. And unlike the recent bank holiday in Old Blighty, here it's been gorgeous. Yes it rained yesterday and it was overcast, but today, in time for the holiday, blue sky, sunshine, and free time...
So, I thought--in my ignorance--what does one do on the Royal birthday? Well, we could have gone to town and watch the parade and all that. In the end we had 8 girls staying with us overnight for our daughters birthday sleep-over. I don't know why they call it a sleep over as the 9 cute little angels would not go to sleep until way past midnight (WAY past, reminding me of my youthful days in my 20's, and these girls were almost half that age).
I'm digressing. So we didn't go to see the gun salute and the pagentry of the official birthday thingymajix.
But we got to see the boat race. Small sailing boats racing from one end of the island to the other. St George was the finishing line this year. So I sat with all the natives and watched the boats turn into the Cut (narrow channel into St George's harbour). There were definitely more yachts and motorboats accompanying the sailors, and it was fun to see that a lot of the people on shore knew a lot of the people in the boats (duh... it's Bermuda. Everybody knows everyone here.)
People had brought out their canopies and tents, coolers and chairs, and just sat and watched the world go by. Cool.
Note for next year: get a tent, chair, and cooler. Or, better, get on a boat and go along with the race.
The house is quiet. Barbara's at the beach with a friend from church. The kids are with various other friends and their kids. And I'm taking refuge from the sun in the bedroom, windows open, a nice breeze in the house---what a life :-)
PS: Happy 25th Anniversary to the South England Conference Camp Meeting in Prestatyn. Hope the weather is good ;-)
So, I thought--in my ignorance--what does one do on the Royal birthday? Well, we could have gone to town and watch the parade and all that. In the end we had 8 girls staying with us overnight for our daughters birthday sleep-over. I don't know why they call it a sleep over as the 9 cute little angels would not go to sleep until way past midnight (WAY past, reminding me of my youthful days in my 20's, and these girls were almost half that age).
I'm digressing. So we didn't go to see the gun salute and the pagentry of the official birthday thingymajix.
But we got to see the boat race. Small sailing boats racing from one end of the island to the other. St George was the finishing line this year. So I sat with all the natives and watched the boats turn into the Cut (narrow channel into St George's harbour). There were definitely more yachts and motorboats accompanying the sailors, and it was fun to see that a lot of the people on shore knew a lot of the people in the boats (duh... it's Bermuda. Everybody knows everyone here.)
People had brought out their canopies and tents, coolers and chairs, and just sat and watched the world go by. Cool.
Note for next year: get a tent, chair, and cooler. Or, better, get on a boat and go along with the race.
The house is quiet. Barbara's at the beach with a friend from church. The kids are with various other friends and their kids. And I'm taking refuge from the sun in the bedroom, windows open, a nice breeze in the house---what a life :-)
PS: Happy 25th Anniversary to the South England Conference Camp Meeting in Prestatyn. Hope the weather is good ;-)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Dame Lois Browne-Evans
Today I attended my first state funeral.
Dame Lois Browne-Evans was a remarkable woman. She died on May 29, just 3 days before her 80th birthday. Google her name, check wikipedia, or even click on the link in the sidebar to Bermuda's daily newspaper, and you find her many achievements.
And today was her funeral.
And I got so much closer to the event than I had hoped. It started with me heading into town (Hamilton) to view the body. Dame Lois lay in state in the city hall, complete with 4 guards at each corner.
From there I made my way to the place where the procession would start to the cathedral. I had no plans, but I found myself marching with the dignitaries behind the casket to the cathedral, thanks to meeting up with the right people. I got into the cathedral and sat right next to the main altar at the front. Then I walked with the crowd to the cemetary. Followed a good friend and church volunteer to the grave, and ended up right next to it.
It was Bermuda pure... the closeness of it all. I was literally surrounded at one time by the MPs and the government of the island. The premier was just a few yards away.
And then from the grave we went to the "wake"... a social gathering, with food and music. Again, the community was out in force.
The only question I had was, where are my colleagues? Shouldn't we be where the people are, and today they were at THE funeral. It was another taster of "what would Jesus do".
Dame Lois Browne-Evans was a remarkable woman. She died on May 29, just 3 days before her 80th birthday. Google her name, check wikipedia, or even click on the link in the sidebar to Bermuda's daily newspaper, and you find her many achievements.
And today was her funeral.
And I got so much closer to the event than I had hoped. It started with me heading into town (Hamilton) to view the body. Dame Lois lay in state in the city hall, complete with 4 guards at each corner.
From there I made my way to the place where the procession would start to the cathedral. I had no plans, but I found myself marching with the dignitaries behind the casket to the cathedral, thanks to meeting up with the right people. I got into the cathedral and sat right next to the main altar at the front. Then I walked with the crowd to the cemetary. Followed a good friend and church volunteer to the grave, and ended up right next to it.
It was Bermuda pure... the closeness of it all. I was literally surrounded at one time by the MPs and the government of the island. The premier was just a few yards away.
And then from the grave we went to the "wake"... a social gathering, with food and music. Again, the community was out in force.
The only question I had was, where are my colleagues? Shouldn't we be where the people are, and today they were at THE funeral. It was another taster of "what would Jesus do".
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