Scotland in several parts: Edinburgh to start and finish

We flew to Scotland for our final European farewell trip before moving back to the USA! Edinburgh is a crowded city with amazing architecture and lots to see. We had a friendly and chatty cab driver from the airport, and our hotel was well located on “Cowgate”, one of the ground level streets at the bottom of the hill of old town, just a few minutes walk from the Royal Mile. 

Our walking tour brought us past the café where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books, but we didn’t have time to go in, plus there was a long line of people. Behind the café is a cemetery where she strolled and looked for names on tomb stones as inspiration for characters, including Tom Riddle.

St. Giles Cathedral was beautiful, complete with a thundering organ for hymns, and the most amazing choir stalls I have ever seen- seriously, check out the photo above: each singer had their own music stand built in with a light! The evening concert there included orchestra music for kids, and I have never seen so many listeners under 12 years old at any concert (Peter and the Wolf, Harry Potter music, Frozen, etc.).

The architecture is amazing, and although we were chilly, it was interesting wandering the streets and shops. The National Museum was terrific, complete with a history of Scotland, along with a science/animal life/outer space section and a transportation section for kids and adults alike. The lower level café had a yummy smoked fish stew!

We highly recommend Edinburgh to all travelers with good mobility. There are cobblestones, hills, and stairs everywhere. There are elevators and taxis, too, and new town doesn’t have the same architectural charms/challenges as old town, so be aware and prepared in order to enjoy all the city has to offer.

What I’ve been learning in school!

Going back to graduate school after working full time for decades is not too bad. That said, I’m grateful for the G.I. Bill, which allows me to be a student and not have to worry about bringing in a paycheck at the same time. Good thing, since I couldn’t find a social work job in this corner of Germany!

Last walk through "our" woods in Germany

Anyway, my classes are really interesting, so here’s a sneak peak:

“Lutheran Ethics” includes reading about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who participated in the resistance movement during WWII. We are also reading the social statements here about diverse topics such as the care for our creation, peace, and many other relevant topics. I was very sorry to learn that Martin Luther wrote some terrible things about others, including Jewish people. I want to offer my apology over that transgression. Growing up, I had only heard about Luther saying that some practices of the Catholic church were not in accordance with his understanding about the Bible, which I agreed with.

I don't normally sit in my car for class, just when our home router is packed up!

In “21^st Century Leadership” we read a wonderful booklet by Henry Nouwen, whose writing I highly recommend. We are learning about boundaries, servant leadership, and organizational development. There have been guest lecturers in both classes. I am participating by a video conferencing service called “Zoom” from my home in Germany, and either watching the class live or checking out the recording the next day if it’s too late at night for me. I’m really glad that I met my classmates and professors in person during the first week of September in Iowa.

 

Hotel restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany before our flight

What, you ask, are “plural worlds”? I have had some tough textbooks, where I needed an English dictionary to understand the vocabulary words! In “theological orientation”, students “explore the place and meanings of religion for human life in our contemporary and culturally plural worlds…”  I hope I will pass this class! I’m spending plenty of time in the Bible as well as other documents, such as the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification”. The class is basically about how Jesus and Christianity interact with other faiths around the world. Let me know if you want details!

In Research, I’m learning all the nifty things I can see from really far away. For example, I borrowed a Bible Commentary from the military library near where we live, and it was published in 1971. This tome is POUNDS heavy but full of interesting information. Now, the Bible itself has not changed since then, but I thought our living situation & upcoming transition would be a good time for me to go online and see about other commentaries through the school library.  I’m also reminded about how many millions of hits you can get on information you don’t want when you search for a topic with more than 1 word.

 

German garden show over many acres

In my course about the minor prophets, we’ve read Hosea, Joel, and are starting on Amos now. Classes have written assignments and also a new type of discussion board called a voice thread. I was nervous about those at first, but now feel that they are way better than typed discussion boards. The professor asks a question and students make a short video recording of their answer. Then each student replies to 2 other students (same as a regular discussion board), except again in a short video comment. 

In Spiritual Practices we are also reading Bible passages each week, always including a Psalm, and reading a terrific book by Deanna A. Thompson, “The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World”. How can faith communities support people through web-based methods? Some might say “no way, no how”, but for ill, homebound, snowbound, or people with long work schedules, online church may be their only church. Prayer can also be done on Facebook (see Planting Roots).

OK, that’s it for today. Ask some questions, and you’ll eventually get some answers!