Travel Pics 2

Here a couple more pictures from our travels last week. This is the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence...


...and the Colosseum in Rome.

Culture Shock?

We're back in the United States after a fantastic adventure in Italy with friends from L'Abri.

It's been a weird and sometimes difficult transition back to the former life we knew. First of all, the jet lag has reeked havoc on our sleep patterns, even this morning. Second, processed American foods have been an adventure (though certain restaraunts have been a welcomed treat!) for our digestion. And third, Pierre ended up pretty sick for a couple days immidiately after getting to Illinois (maybe too much recycled airplane air).

Sunday was our first experience in an American church again. Simply stated, it was a challenge.

Monday was our first experience in American consumerism again. It almost shut us down. After half an hour of being barraged with "buy, buy, buy!" everywhere we turned, we were ready to crawl under a rock and hide. (And I've hardly left the house again since then, maybe in subconscious fear) .

It seems pathetic to call it "culture shock" after only being away a little over four months. Yet, I do liken it to getting off something like caffeine. Americans are used to it everyday all day. But if you take 4 months and get it out of your system completely, the first drink (coffee, coke, etc) will do a number on your adrenaline, your sleep, your persperation, and your bowel movements. Maybe that's what we're dealing with when it comes to something as simple as going to the store (minus the bowel movement part).

Travel Pics

Here we are in Cinque Terre on the northern coast of Italy with some of our travel friends.

And in Pisa at the leaning tower.

L’Abri in Review: The Slippery Slope

A few students have come in with adament views on certain topics or having little experience questioning details of their "beliefs." And from them we have heard on a handful of occasions how some of the formal discussions are stepping out on “a slippery slope.”

We realize now how normal of a response this sounds at first, as we’ve heard that response all our lives to certain topics. We've never really thought about what it meant. And now, it sounds like such a bizarre thing to say. It seems to be a discouragement to contemplate certain tough issues. Or maybe it is supposed to be a caution toward conclusions. Regardless, it seems to assume that there is a specific safe ground and a not safe ground.

Well, I’m not sure there is safe ground in most topics. It all seems dangerous ground if you’re taking it seriously. One of the tutors here gave a funny but serious response the first time “the slippery slope” came up at a meal. The response was, “well, I guess it’s time to get yourself some better shoes.”

And I’d say that is a great characterization of our time here. We have been changing shoes. Rather than just sit stationary on the hillside wearing our street shoes, we’re learning how to put on our spikes and now we’re venturing out into the otherwise “slippery” terrain.