Dear Friends,
Already India seems long ago, but our experiences there will stay with us. The living situation at ECC combined the luxury of single rooms for students with rustic showers. The ease of having all our meals provided was tempered by the repetitiveness of the menu. The careful, generous attention of the staff could also constrain our self-determination. We learned much about India -- its people and its religions-- and about ourselves and our expectations. The final days in and near Delhi gave us a taste of North India's distinctive history, culture and food. Of course the Taj Mahal was a highlight, but so was the surprise of Agra Fort.
After a few days of fall break on their own, students are returning to Bangkok this afternoon and evening. In the morning we set out for Hong Kong to begin the second half of our semester together. I'm confident that the days in Thailand will have revived all of them, as it has my family, so that we will arrive in Hong Kong with renewed energy and appreciation for one another. There students will have more responsibilities for their own meals and be in a city again. Both are likley to be welcome changes. Our course at Chinese Univeristy of Hong Kong will focus our attention on the Arts of China. In my course we will consider especially the challenges and benefits of communities characterized by religious pluralism. As we come into the season of American holidays, I know that all of us will be thinking often of family and friends at home. Already I've heard anxiety about being far away and some planning about ways to celebrate. Once we arrrive in Hong Kong and see what our rooms are like Wrick and I will be thinking about how to host a few evenings of socializing for the Advent season. best wishes to you all,
--
L. DeAne Lagerquist
Professor of Religion
St. Olaf College