Hannahweber’s Weblog

A lot has happened this past week. Along with learning from the culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we have been learning from each other in different areas. From sledding on cookie sheets after the first major snowfall, to vigorous talks at the dinner table, we have been seeking out truth in all we do, and the fun had while doing it is merely a bonus.

We have been away from Snow Wolf Lodge this past weekend studying art and culture in Santa Fe. The diversion from the routine that I have held for the past two and a half months has given me time to reflect on all that has happened here. Additionally, Eric has been encouraging us to write about our experiences here thus far. More specifically, how our views on God and man have changed. How has our thinking improved on the subject? Has our relationship with the two changed? How do they interact and how are we supposed to interact? It ultimately goes back to the beginning of the semester when we began to answer the question, “What is a human being?” And, as many of the questions posed at the start of our time here, this one continues to come up in our conversations.

I believe this new mindset is going to be a continual growing process that will carry on into my time back home. I am thankful for the constant support and encouragement I have received from my fellow classmates these past two months. We will all, no doubt, leave here changed, and eager to answer more questions that lie ahead of us.

As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend we embarked on a four-day long voyage to Santa Fe, New Mexico! This trip has been talked about since the beginning of the semester, and we were all excited when it finally arrived. The trip brought into view all that we had been studying in our “Art and Culture” class. At the beginning of the semester, we were assigned the task of defining art as we saw fit. This seemingly simple assignment proved to be one of the most talked about, as well as one of the most frustrating subjects yet. For the last day of class, our “revised” definitions of art were brought back up and scrutinized by Mr. Pepiton. I know we have all learned to look at art in a different way and have learned to appreciate it with a new perspective, even if we have yet to define it entirely.

We arrived in Santa Fe on Thursday afternoon and set out on our first adventure: an art-themed scavenger hunt down Canyon Road. As with anywhere we travel to, our large group seems to dominate any place we go. Downtown Santa Fe was no exception. We piled out of our vans and set off in search of Impressionistic, Fauvist, and Color Field art. The events on Thursday centered around impressionistic, and Friday we were introduced to modern and performing art. We visited Site Santa Fe, which was an annual art show featuring works created solely for the purpose of the exhibit. In a few short months, the pieces are either destroyed or given to charity. Afterwards, we visited the Georgia O’Keeffe museum and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Santa Fe. My favorite event of the weekend was the Kronos Quartet concert Saturday evening.

Now, before I continue giving all the juicy details of the weekend, I will refrain from writing out all of the events, since it has come to my attention that Trevor has already written about the weekend. Although much more could be said about our time there, I will turn my attention to our life back at Snow Wolf Lodge.

I am pleased to announce the end of the strep throat epidemic. For six days now, all of us that were sick have returned to our healthy selves ready to complete the semester strong. It seemed like sickness had been lingering here since the start of the semester. Although many precautions were taken so as not to spread the sickness, I am positive we can credit this dashing triumph to our use of paper products at mealtimes (a hint to the cooks – the dish crews thoroughly enjoyed having such a small amount of cleanup!). Being back in the kitchen today, however, caused me to realize how grateful I am for the loudness and chaos that washing dishes entails.

The weekend is over, and Monday is here. It’s the last full week of classes. Time has gone by all to fast. I know the things I have learned throughout my time here will carry on into my life back home. As Dr. Bauman told us at the beginning of the semester, “routine is the key to success.” Pray that we all continue this routine in these last two weeks, and into our time back home.

Wednesday, November 5^th

“But I trust in Your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.”  Psalm 13:5-6

Things have seemed to slow down this week. With the majority of our reading list finished, the focus has turned to preparation for time back home. With the work load decreasing, we have found more time to relax. Hours of free time throughout the week that have never before existed are now available. Leisure reading is a new concept to all of us. Swing dancing has become a weekly tradition. Bike rides into Pagosa have finally happened!  I have found that self discipline is key to making my day productive, and I pray that this mindset continues on into my life back home.  A verse that I am constantly reminded of is 1 Corinthians 2:5, which says “For my faith does rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” I am comforted by those words. 

Sickness has been lingering here since the beginning of the semester.  Beginning with a head cold, it has now turned into a slight epidemic of strep throat. Pray that we do not all fall prey to this sickness that has taken several of us captive these last few weeks.  The nearest hospital is in Durango, which is an hour away from Pagosa Springs. Trips into Durango do not come as often as they should. 

Regardless of the sickness, everyone seemed to brush their infirmities aside to play in the snow  this morning; it was the first major snowfall this semester!  With the help of Brandon, I mastered the art of “deck sledding”. Deck sledding is the delicate technique of being pushed on a plastic tray at full speed in the direction of the rails of the porch. The trick is to get up to speed in a short amount of time, then steer away promptly to avoid collision with the deck rails. Many sleds(not people!) met their fate and fell off the edge. Suffice it to say that much fun was had on the first snow day of the semester. 

Theology class has been discussing Mysticism; the definition, and history.  We discussed mostly  Bernard Benedict’s four step process to progress towards religion.  Bernard believes that it is human will that gets in the way of our spiritual progress. Contrastingly, the Dionecians, which we discussed earlier this week, say that it is the human mind that stints our spiritual growth.  Concerning our spiritual nature, he says that it is simply the “leprosy of the heart” that is disabling us from growth.  Created will has to be eradicated, and is often done by fasting, prayer, and manual labor.   Discussions of mysticism led us to the transformation of monastic life through the 1100’s. It was interesting to hear how monks have lived and developed throughout the years. 

Politics class has covered a broad range of topics this week.  From Thomas Sowell and his Civil Rights vision for America, to Affirmative Action; the weaknesses in it’s philosophy, as well as the dangers it poses to American citizens. Thursday, the subject of public education was brought up. Before starting the discussion, he separated the group into two halves:  those who had never been through the public school system, and those who had.  It made for a vigorous debate on the role of government in the education of american youth, and the role of parents and families in establishing those foundational principles. Every education rises from a worldview.  If the government is concerned with protecting families, should is also provide protection for education? and Is it the governments role to provide education?

Once a week, Dr. Bauman will set aside our regular lessons, and hold an open forum during class, and we can ask questions that have been accumulating in our minds for the past week.  While one question will usually govern most of the class time, this week we got through several, including:  

• How to argue infallibility of the scripture
• If I am to have the mind of Christ, how do I go about doing that?
• The association between homosexuality, marriage, and government.
• The orthodox definition of the trinity.

Looking forward to next weekend, we have our Art and Culture trip to Santa Fe.  Mr. Pepiton, the teacher, has been telling us about this trip since the beginning of the semester, and we are all very excited that it is finally in sight.  Events include: several stops at various art galleries in Santa Fe, a bronze sculpture pouring, and a Kronos Quartet concert on Saturday.   Additionally, for the final day of art class, which will be next Monday, our revised definitions of art have to be turned in and scrutinized one last time.  It is inevitable that many of our conversations from here until Monday will include talk of the definition of beauty, does art have to be beautiful? and is art subjective? All of which we can’t seem to shake from our minds.  

I will write more next week.