April 21, 2000
Hello family! Happy Good Friday to everyone!
Well, today my head is pounding, so forgive me if I do not sound like my usual self. I had four classes back to back, and two of them I had alone?which is usually not a problem. However, there ARE times when the language difference makes explaining very simple things very difficult. We forget how much we take for granted, you know? At any rate, I had worked very hard on my lesson, and it kind of flopped. Ugh. But that`s teaching, no matter the continent�cyou just never know what is going to work and what is not going to work until you get in there and try it. I am not discouraged, but I AM glad that the teaching load is over for this day. Sometimes I am guilty of being over-confident with my students. Today was a day like that. I just figured that SURELY they would understand what I was talking about, but the more I talked the more confused they became, and thus the more frustrated I became. So the result was that I spent two agonizing hours flipping through my dictionary for every third or fourth word. There IS a happy ending to it, though?because at the end of class, there was one student who came up to me (who has never uttered a word in English to my knowledge) with her dictionary in hand. She flipped (like I had) and said �gDin-dee sensei is not afraid to make mistake in Japanese. Din-dee sensei is courage has. I will courage has now. Speak English well I want. Go America someday I want. I very like English class with Din-dee sensei.�h Then she smiled at me, bowed, waved, and went off to her next class. And just like that the whole day is salvaged. Maybe the other 39 students got nothing today. This one 16-year-old girl is following my example and leaping out in another language even with mistakes. And for the first time, she is completely understood. Yes, the grammer is awful. Yes, the meaning is mildly humorous. But ANY OF US who speak English understand exactly what she meant. It was a breakthrough. I think she will try harder in class now, so it was worth it even if my lesson flopped. Teaching has been a wonderful experience for me in so many ways. I see my job here as being one of internationalization as much as anything else. I also know that what I learned from the instructors who were influential to me when I was going through school had little to do with the subject matter. I learned the subjects and the lessons often times through the convictions of people that I came to trust. After all, it is how parents teach their children table manners and stuff, right? I feel as if I will always be a teacher of some kind, but then?parents are ALWAYS teachers, and we never get a day off! I DO miss teaching the college age sometimes, because high school is, well, it`s just plain hormonal. And teenagers are just plain weird. I know that I was weird, and so were the rest of us. Jessica is forbidden to be one. She can get taller, but she must remain 12 years old for at least a decade. I can not fathom being the parent of a teenager. How my parents found the strength and resilience to allow me to reach adulthood escapes me. Lucky for them that Tracy was an easy teen. I know, I know?Jessica is about to make me pay for all the headaches I caused my folks. Mom-O and DaddyHorse will be avenged. She will see to it. (sigh�c) If you think about it, keep an eye out for a new jacket for me, you know, something with nice LONG sleeves that fasten in the BACK! All I can find here are white ones. I would prefer a nice green, something in a color that I can wear year-round. After all, it would only be acceptable to wear it through the summer?after Labor Day I would be out of style! Perhaps a winter white�c�c�c..
but I digress.
I am really doing GREAT today (hint of sarcasm�c) I have a headache, my hair keeps falling out of my clip, and to top it all off, my hands are blue and green and yellow and orange and purple. Last night, I dyed Easter eggs with the Akibadai English Club. We had a great time. I went home from work and boiled eggs for three hours. ( I only had two pots�c) Then, I got everything together and took Jessica and Ken with me to the meeting. The members brought their kids, and we all had a great time dyeing about 100 eggs. The dye is still all over my hands, and I guess I will be in the Easter spirit for awhile yet. You should have seen the students, right alongside their kids, creating designs and admiring each others` work, and trying out new ideas. It was the first time for most of them to dye eggs. Many years ago, there was a foreigner who lived here who did the same thing, and two of those ladies were there for it. So, they were able to help me explain what to do. I was glad that I told them to bring their kids. The kids had a fabulous time, and were especially excited when they got to take home the eggs that they had dyed. This was a first-experience for these kids, and they enjoyed hearing about all the fun that we used to have at home dyeing eggs as a family. I still remember the mugs that Mom used every year. They were on pedestals, like French-coffee mugs, and were white with yellow and orange daisies on them?vintage late 60`s and early 70`s design�cand every year, Daddy would make one that was green on one end and blue on the other. And every year, Mom would carefully crack the eggs on the tip and dump the contents out for a microwaved scrambled egg (ick?but Tracy and I ate them all the time�c) and those would be dyed, dried and then candy put inside. It would be held in there by a sprig of green plastic Easter grass. Sometimes, they would not be completely dry when the candy was put in, so the jellybeans and m&ms would all melt together with the football-shaped chocolate eggs and it would be completely disgusting. Yet, every year we ate them anyway. These are the stories that kept my students spellbound last night. And then, we would put on our new dresses and go to church, and would meet with the whole family for a big dinner afterward. I can remember nearly every Easter dress that I ever had. When I was Jessica`s age, my dress was white with multicolored flowers and a blue belt. I wore it for Mamaw Partee`s 90th birthday party the next week, and the pictures are on MeeMaw`s wall. I like that picture because I remember that Steve and I got in trouble for roughhousing (as usual) before the pictures were to be taken, and he had a grass stain on the knee of his best pants. As usual, it was my fault. So he had to stand with his knee behind someone so that it wouldn�ft show. I always liked Easter Sundays because we would go over to Mama and Papa Fenwick`s house, and sit in the back yard and smell the freshly cut grass (the sign that spring was really here!) and look at the flowers blooming, and listen to all the stories about squirrels who were thieving from the birdfeeders and all that had to be done to prevent them from getting to the goods! We would watch the birds and talk, and then, about the time that everyone started watching golf, we would go back over to MeeMaw`s house and have a huge Easter egg war with all the cousins. It would all start out simply enough?Steve and I would hide eggs for Tracy and Allison, and they would hunt. Then, they would hide for us, and we would hunt. We might do this several times, but then, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the front yard, somebody would chuck an egg at their sister, or a basket would �gaccidentally�h get dumped over Steve`s head, and before he could get all the plastic Easter grass out of his hair, the battle would be raging in full swing, and the air would be completely full of plastic projectiles and the sounds of screaming and laughing. Inevitably, somebody would get an egg in the face, and all the activity would cease just long enough to make sure nobody was blind or bleeding, and then we would start up again in full force. To this day, I am not sure if anybody ever won these battles, but I think it is pretty evident that we all did.
You know, now that I think about it like that, I am glad that my hands are stained and I take back all the sarcasm from the beginning of the last paragraph. I really AM doing great today. What a fun memory! Thanks for letting me share it with you.
Now, as I promised, I am sending you a copy of the text from my Easter lesson with my students. I found out a lot about Easter and the history behind why we do what we do. Keep in mind that I had to keep it mild for the students, who are Buddhist, and take thing from a very straight, very historical perspective. I hope you enjoy, and I hope that you have a very blessed Easter Sunday. I send lots of love to you all from all of us here, with the warmest of springtime wishes!!! Let me hear from you! (By the way?nobody seems to think I am serious about this�cdon�ft be intimidated by my long letters. Don�ft feel pressured to write long responses because sometimes I don�ft even have TIME to read them. Just let me know how you are! I miss everyone very much!) Okay, here is the Easter lesson, and I will write again soon! Love you--Lynley
EASTER
Easter is a holiday celebrated in the springtime. There are many different origins for this holiday. Easter is largely commercialized with rabbits and eggs, but it also has very deep meanings for Christians. I hope you will enjoy reading about this holiday that is celebrated all over the world!
The Christian Origin- The Easter Story
Easter is the most important religious holiday celebrated by Christians around the world. Christians celebrate the rebirth of man through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross according to a prophecy, and after three days he arose from the dead and went to Heaven to live eternally with God the Father. Christians rejoice at Eastertime, for they believe that if they have faith in God, then they too will live forever in Heaven with God after their death on Earth.
The Hebrew Origin
The story of Easter takes place during the time of the Hebrew festival called Passover. Today, the name for Easter all over the word is similar to the Hebrew word pesach, meaning Passover. In France, Easter is called Pasque. In Spain, it is called Pascua. In Norway, it is called Paaske. In Greece, it is called Pascha. Christians around the world link Easter to Passover because it was at the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem that Jesus, a Jew, was crucified and then rose from the dead.
The Pagan Origin
The name �gEaster�h comes from Norse mythology. Every year, there were many celebrations at the beginning of springtime to give thanks to the gods for new life after wintertime. Eostur is the name of the goddess of spring. The festivals of spring were at the same time as the vernal equinox, March 21, when nature �gcomes to life again�h after winter. Eostur changed over time to EASTER. Why did the Pagan name remain on the holiday? When early missionaries were spreading the message of Christianity, they had to do so by allowing the people to celebrate their traditional pagan feasts and then showing them how to live a Christian life. The celebration of Eostur was the same time as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The celebration slowly changed from pagan to Christian, but the name remained.
Explaining the Symbols of Easter
The Easter Bunny
In Norse mythology, the animal associated with Eostur is the rabbit, probably because they multiply rapidly in the springtime. The early Anglo-Saxons worshipped Eostur through her earthly messengers, the rabbits. Because rabbits were so closely associated with spring and springtime festivals, the Easter Bunny is now well-known as a modern symbol for Easter. He hides eggs for children while they sleep, and leaves small presents for them to find on Easter morning.
The Cross
The cross is the symbol of the Crucifixion, not the Resurrection. At the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 A.D., the Emperor Constantine decreed that the cross would be the official symbol of Christianity. At that time, the Council also decreed that Easter would be the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. It will fall between March 22 and April 25 every year, and is always tied to the lunar cycle.
The Egg
The egg is the most recognized symbol of Easter, but it also predates the Christian holiday. The custom of exchanging eggs in the springtime is something that has happened for thousands of years. The egg is a symbol of rebirth and new life. In old times, eggs were covered in gold if you were rich, or were dyed by boiling them with leaves or flowers if you were a peasant. Eggs were believed to have special powers. They were buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil. Pregnant women would carry eggs so that they would have healthy children. French brides step on an egg before they enter the door of their new homes. Eggs are still seen as the symbol of fertility and new life, and are often painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight and bright flowers of spring. At one time, eggs would be decorated and then given to friends or lovers, much like valentine cards are exchanged today! Eggs are used today in egg-rolling contests and in egg hunts for children to celebrate the coming of spring!
Happy Easter from Lynley-sensei!