Patti Smith, Mikhail Bulgakov & Emperor Constantine’s Mom

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“…and I trust my guitar…”
Patti Smith

Patti Smith and Me

Patti Smith burst into my world in 1978 via her album Easter. The driving energy and the lyrics fit well with my personal reflections, philosophy readings and humor. It was poetry. It challenged my beliefs. It was wild. I soon explored her music catalog backwards and then forwards. I soaked it in.

Horses, Radio Ethiopia, Easter. This was music that made statements; it delivered existential moments; it energized. Her voice was alternately strident or low and heavy. Much of it moved me. Some of it did not agree with me; some of it did not speak to me. But, even those bits, I respected. Since that time, Patti Smith has drifted in and out of my play lists. Some of her albums seemed more relevant to me than others. I built a digital collection, so that I could focus on what worked for me.

Patti Smith's Exposition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris

Guide to the exposition, presenting her Polaroid Land Camera photos

And out there in the real world she would periodically become manifest in my life in various ways. A few years ago, Patti Smith launched a revival tour with a show in Switzerland and there was a glowing review in the Swiss paper, Neue Zuericher Zeitung, that caught my eye and prompted a revival in my listening. In 2007, she recorded an iTunes Originals album with interviews and new editions of old songs that provided insights into her perspectives on life. In 2008, I visited an exposition of her art at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, a show that was anchored by a long series of photos that she had taken with a Polaroid Land camera. Again, there were parts of the show that really spoke to me (e.g., a lone horse in a barren field) and other bits that I did not “get”. Then, there were a few concerts in Paris that stirred up discussion with some of my friends, but I never managed to get tickets to these sold out shows.

And now, Patti is back with a recently released album entitled Banga (June 2012). The deluxe edition includes a hard cover book of photos, text and lyrics. The book tells the story of the development of the album and its intellectual underpinnings. The project draws on her recent travels and the art and writings that she encountered. The music and poetry of the album provide a fresh sound, at times mellow, but often with a certain energy and strength. It is a wonderful, mature artistic expression.

In accomplishing this project, she pursued some lines of exploration where I lack first-hand experience. For example, she visited sites in Italy associated with St Francis of Assis and she sailed on the Costa Concordia (the same ship that later ran aground and partially sank off of the coast of Italy early in 2012). Nonetheless, reading through the short book gave me goosebumps. Unbeknownst to me, she was also out exploring paths that I’d been down in the last few years in search of Mikhail Bulgakov and Constantine the Great.

Bulgakov Lives!

In Banga, Patti Smith tells of discovering Mikhail Bulgakov’s writings. Bulgakov was a great Russian writer of fiction that spoke to reality during the first half of the 20th century. His classic book The Master and Margarita is a tale of oppression under Stalin, but also Christ’s crucifixion, Satan’s return to the Earth, and a large black cat. At about the same time that Patti Smith was discovering Bulgakov, my dear friend Volodya G was pointing me to Bulgakov as well. The Master and Margarita instantly became one of my favorite books: it made me laugh and challenged me to reflect on history and religion. There were layers of meaning. It was splendid.

Patti Smith’s album title is a reference to Banga, Pontius Pilate’s dog in Bulgakov’s tale of The Master and Margarita. The dog is the one creature to whom Pilate could tell his woes about his blinding headaches and torment.

Entrance to Bulgakov's House

The entrance to Bulgakov’s Apartment House, now a museum and a place of pilgrimage for fans        (© Doug, 2009)

On one visit to Moscow, I made time for a pilgrimage to Bulgakov’s apartment, which is now a museum. The walls of the stairwell are covered with graffiti from devoted fans. The museum presents artifacts from his life. A docent patiently explained a few things to me about the collection despite my broken Russian language skills. I felt right at home. There was camaraderie between the visitors. I would not have been surprised to find a few Patti Smith fans among them.

Constantine and His Mom

Constantine's Throne Hall in Trier

Constantine’s Throne Hall in Trier, Germany            (© Doug, 2006)

Constantine the Great was the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. In Banga, Patti Smith tells the story of a painting she saw in Italy that presents a view of Constantine’s dream, a story that is recounted in various ancient sources. It appears that Constantine had a dream or vision of the Christian cross, which encouraged him to emblazon this and symbols for Christ’s name on his army’s standards and shields at a decisive battle for control of Rome. The battle was won and Constantine initiated reforms that greatly improved the situation of Christians. Constantine’s reach was impressive, with military campaigns and periods of residence stretching from Britain to Italy to Anatolia. Thus, his religious reforms helped align the Christian Church with the State and promoted a far-reaching diffusion of its teachings and influence.

Haggia Sophia in Instanbul

Haggia Sophia was the main cathedral in Constantinople (though it was built after Constantine’s time and was converted into a mosque after the Turkish conquest). Image is of a ticket to the museum from a visit in 1996.

Helen, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, accompanied him during his rise. In Trier, Germany, where he was resident for a time, there are still structures such as the emperor’s throne hall, where Helen may have walked. Sometime during 327-28 AD Helen visited Jerusalem. Legend has it that she supposedly found the true cross from Christ’s crucifixion under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. She is also said to have found Christ’s seamless robe, a relic that was given to the church in Trier. Having visited Trier many times, the connection to Jerusalem really hit me when I later stood in the basement of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. So many have transited the ancient halls and chapels, in effect making the connection between Constantine, his mom, the spread of Christianity, and now perhaps Patti Smith!

A passage under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

A passage under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (© Doug L., 2009)

A chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

A chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (© Doug L., 2009)

Fellow travelers

As I look back across several decades of life, it is surprising to me to see how often Patti Smith has cropped up. I have never met her, but I feel that she is a fellow traveler. She is 12 years ahead of me and has in some ways led the way, though at times our paths have also diverged. Still, her music, art and poetry have influenced me and over the years have become something familiar to which I periodically return. Life has taken many turns and, for me, the journey has conflated music, religion, art, poetry, history, and people like Constantine, his mom, Bulgakov and others, in a changing mix. While it can seem dark out there on the trail sometimes, I take comfort in knowing that there are fellow travelers exploring these places and that some of these folks are probably not too distant.

No Escaping Geneva

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No escaping Geneva

Geneva was meant to be a part of my life, apparently. It keeps inserting itself into my agenda. I find myself often pondering what I need to say or do there, when I can go next, how to fund the trip. It is not an unpleasant thing to contemplate. But when I am there, I know it will be intense. And, it happens a few times each year. There is no escaping Geneva.

A bit of history and geography

The geography of Geneva is wonderful, with the Alps to the South and the Jura Mountains to the North West, and Lake Léman (aka, Lake Geneva) to the East. The city is bisected by the Rhone River, which flows westward from the lake. Coming from Paris the high-speed train (TGV) runs up the winding Rhone Valley, revealing remote and wonderful mountain vistas. Lake Léman is one of the largest lakes in western Europe and accommodates a fleet of large steamships that transit the lake in the milder seasons.

Geneva is a fascinating place: a Protestant, French-speaking city that broke with the Roman Catholic church in 1536, a city that invited John Calvin (1509-64) to come and serve in leadership and that hosted other famous protestants including John Knox (1513-72), Théodore de Bèze (1513-1605) and Guillaume Farel (1489-1565). The city itself struggled for its autonomy from time to time, suffering an attack from Savoy (1603) and invasion by France (1798), for example. Finally, in 1815, Charles Pictet-de-Rochemont and colleagues succeeded in having the city definitively attached to Switzerland and the country’s neutrality established.

Geneva grew into a major center of diplomacy. In 1863, Henry Dunant and Gustave Moynier, founded the International Committee of the Red Cross (a private institution) in Geneva. In the first half of the 1900s, the city was designated to host the League of Nations and the International Labor Organisation (ILO), international organizations founded at government initiative in the wake of WWI in the hope of promoting peaceful means to resolve conflicts and advance the cause of social justice. Unfortunately, the US failed to join the League of Nations.

In the aftermath of WWII, world leaders made a new attempt at development of an international framework for peace, this time with full US engagement and eventual membership. The result was the establishment of the United Nations and the UN family of international organizations (including the ILO). Later, other international organizations established headquarters or branch offices in Geneva. A recent notable example is the World Trade Organization (WTO), which began operations in 1995.

Making the world a better place

The big multilateral organizations are far from perfect. As institutions intended to be global, many compromises were necessary to get buy-in from around the world. The global scale of their operations entails complexity and makes it difficult to operate efficiently and effectively. But, constitutions underpinning these institutions and the international agreements they have subsequently achieved, form a body of rules for the conduct of international affairs ranging from economics, to technical standards, to war, among other policy areas. Though there have been some tragic failures (e.g., in Bosnia), the multilateral system has delivered many successes big and small, ranging from trade liberalization to progress in satisfaction of development objectives (Millennium Development Goals), peace truces and humanitarian relief.

Mutual respect for the rules is important for the system to function. Member nations expend time and resources to meet their obligations and commitments; to justify these actions, they expect that other members will generally play by the rules or that there will be consequences for those Member nations that do not. Thus, for example, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and subsequent amendments establish rights and protections for prisoners of war and non-combatants. There is to be reciprocity. This is why it was so dangerous, when in 2001-2002 the US administration decided to suspend the application of the Geneva Conventions in cases involving “enemy combatants“; this established a precedent that some individuals or governments might have interpreted as leaving some US citizens without reciprocal rights and protections. While the Geneva Conventions have not always functioned well (some nations, big and small, have violated these accords), they have helped to mitigate some of the misery of war for many.

In some areas of the multilateral system, there have been improvements in efficiency and effectiveness over the years. For example, the establishment of the WTO introduced a dispute settlement mechanism that has improved the possibility to enforce binding trade commitments. Further reforms are underway in other international organizations and there is continued pressure for progress in the functioning of the multilateral system.

Old Town and Tourism

Geneva is about more than a beautiful location and international organizations, of course. One highlight for tourists is the somewhat sleepy old town. The medieval part of the city is built on a hill that at one time afforded some defensive advantage. Now, it is a place of cafes and restaurants, historic sites and leafy parks. Many of the historical sites relate to the Protestant Reformation and the earlier Roman Catholic foundations. St. Pierre’s Cathedral offers splendid vistas from its two towers, a plain interior and a restored and ornate Chapel of the Maccabees. Inside the main cathedral one can see John Calvin’s fairly plain and minimalist chair, as well as wonderful, ornate carved choir stalls. Underneath the cathedral is an archeological site with layers going back 1600 years.

Along the base of the hill (facing the Rhone River) is a nice park with the Reformation Wall, with sculptures commemorating the Protestant reformation, including Geneva’s shift to Protestantism in 1536 and statues of key founding theologians of this movement. (A small monument to Ulrich Zwingli, a Swiss theologian and an intellectual father of the Anabaptist reform movement sits vandalised in the park across from the Reformation Wall, as if he were outcast.) Along the base of the hill facing the lake, there is a fancy shopping district. After a few hours of hiking around the old town, there are wonderful cafes and pubs where a traveler can relax. Fortunately, some of the austerity of the puritan forefathers has worn off and comfortable establishments abound.

Time for a visit to Geneva?

Certainly, there is luxury and even a measure of grandeur to be found in the international hotels and institutions of Geneva. The many watch shops and the Patek Phillippe museum are certainly upscale. But, on balance, the urbanism is somewhat understated, in contrast to what one finds in Paris with its grand spaces. For me, “comfortable”  is indeed a good word for Geneva. The natural setting, the neighborhood cafes and bistros, the streetcars, the fairly compact city center, the fact that most things work most of the time, the calm on Sundays, all work together to create a comfortable environment. If this is your cup of tea, then it may be time for a visit to Geneva. You, too, may find it difficult to escape the charms of this city.

Photos from a recent visit to Geneva (October 2012)

(Use the arrows to scroll down to see additional photos)

Visit to the UN and surrounding area

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Visit to Geneva Old Town

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Map showing Geneva in relation to Paris

Chestnuts

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It has been a wet Fall around Paris. Running through the forest on my weekly jog last Sunday, it felt as if the moisture had transformed the place into a quasi rainforest. Pounding the trails, I could sense that the moisture had expanded the organic material underfoot; it felt like running on cork. The forest smelled of decaying wood, a rich, fecund smell. As I ran along, the occasional chestnut would fall. I cruised past three fellows from eastern Europe (well, speaking a Slavic language, anyhow) collecting chestnuts in sacks. Further down the trail, I spied some other folks rummaging through the underbrush in search of these edible nuts.

According to the French National Forest Office, chestnut trees make up about 50% of the forest in our area. These trees are an important part of the fabric of the place. In part of our forest they are cultivated and eventually cut, in other places they are protected. On sunny days, people come out to stroll on forest paths under their branches, particularly from the time of flowering in the Spring until it is time to collect and eat the nuts in the Fall. Our daughters, too, sometimes collected and roasted the nuts. (We discovered that if you don’t pierce the shell adequately, the chestnuts explode upon roasting.) Year round, one finds joggers, hikers and bikers out communing with the chestnut trees.

When my kids were young, we were walking through the forest near our home and came across a chestnut nut that had sprouted. We brought it home and planted it in a pot. Soon the nut was a small tree. Now, ten or twelve years later that tree has gone through several pots and is in the biggest size pot that we’ll tolerate in our garden. It is a sort of large bonsai. The tree fits nicely in our garden, standing about two meters (>6 feet) tall, but constrained by the size of the pot. Each spring it happily flowers and makes me smile. Unfortunately, the joy of chestnuts is now missing from much of the US forestland.

In the eastern US, the chestnut tree used to make up a large part of the forest (ca. 25% in 1900), but a blight accidentally imported from China struck. By the 1940s, most of the trees were wiped out or stunted. These fast growing and long-lived trees had been a major source of food for wildlife and people, as well as providing durable, rot-resistant wood for construction. It is hard to imagine the tremendous extent of the loss from the blight, but it is clear that it transformed the eastern US woodlands.

Yet, all is not lost. The American Chestnut Foundation is working to develop new hybrid chestnut trees that can resist the ravages of the blight. They are cross-breeding some resistance from Chinese chestnuts into the American variety, while preserving as much as 95% of the original characteristics of the American tree. Some of the work is being done near Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland, not far from the junction of the Monocacy and Potomac Rivers and a favorite hiking area for me back when I lived in Maryland. A breeding program is underway there. For the moment the chestnut tree remains largely absent from the US forests, but perhaps one day conditions will enable it to resume its natural place in American life.

American Chestnut

American Chestnut                    © Michael Zmasser-Drexler, Shutterstock.com

The Beatles and Me

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The Beatles and me in Edison, NJ

The Beatles and me, we go way back. Earlier this month, the BBC and Apple iTunes released a restored edition of the Beatles 1967 movie entitled “Magical Mystery Tour.” This film had not been widely distributed in the USA and its existence came as news to me. Watching it and listening to a newly purchased remastered edition of the corresponding album really “came to take me away” (in the words of the title song) … to Edison, New Jersey, in fact.

Beatles Lao Stamp

© StampGirl / Shutterstock.com
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This stamp ties together two unrelated dimensions of my life: the Beatles and Laos. Unfortunately, based on a notice from the Universal Postal Union (19 March 2001), it seems that the stamp may be among several that were not officially authorized in Laos and not valid for postal use. (The Union’s notice on this is linked, here: notice.)

As a kid living in New Jersey during the 1960s I had a transistor radio that enabled me to listen to AM rock and roll broadcasts emanating from across New York harbor. One of my staple programs was the Cousin Brucie Show from WABC, a show that often led me to stay up beyond my bedtime (rock and roll corrupting the youth?). I would also listen to more distant broadcasts when the conditions in the ether permitted me to capture radio waves from another state or even Mexico. The Beatles were at their prime at this time and across these various radio platforms they often had a hit in the top ten, sometimes two hits simultaneously.

At one point, our cousins came to stay with us while their new house was being constructed nearby. One cousin was an older teenager who shared with me his insights on the latest Beatles developments and let me listen to his copy of Rubber Soul. Wow! Shortly thereafter I purchased my first albums and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was on the list. That album marked a real breakthrough as the Beatles had begun to mature musically and push the limits of recording technology. It was different and amazing.

Do you believe in Beatles?

My vinyl collection then expanded to include subsequent Beatles albums and old 45s purchased from yard sales. Although I moved to Maryland and my musical tastes broadened to include other genres, I still played the Beatles’ music with special attention. I played tracks backwards in search of their embedded messages. I tried to mimic riffs on my guitar. I studied the lyrics. I looked for clues to meaning in the album covers (well, not the White album). Notably, the quasi-classical or country interludes in the later Beatles tunes were part of what helped me to be open-minded about music from other genres. I played the orchestral bits for my parents to show them that this stuff was really okay.

In 1973, I bought Some Time in New York City, an album from the Plastic Ono Band. In the song “God”, John Lennon says “I don’t believe in Beatles.” That line really troubled me. Not that I saw anything God-like in the Beatles, but surely their collective accomplishments were phenomenal. They had attained excellence. I understood from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig, 1974) that pursuit of excellence was a worthy cause. John’s statement seemed to reject all that was good from the Beatles, to throw the baby out with the bath water. It took an act of David Bowie three decades later in his song “Afraid” (2002) to set the record straight. In that song, Bowie sings out “I believe in Beatles!”

Rock on

Thanks to the remastering and re-release of much of the Beatles catalog, most is now available digitally, including many previously unavailable tracks and related materials. Settlement of the long-running Apple Corps-Apple Computer trademark legal battles made it possible to distribute many Beatles tracks via iTunes. After loss or damage to most of my vinyl collection over the years, these developments have helped me to resuscitate my Beatles collection.

Listening to the Beatles’ music as I draft this post, I am really struck by the quality of the recording and the continued relevance of much of the music to my life. Unlike me, however, it has aged well. While there is other music that has since moved me or given me more profound insights or made me laugh, the Beatles influence on my music world remains substantial. We have lost George and John, but their contributions live on.

My recent tour of old interviews, hits and films with the Beatles and their associates is yielding new insights for me into the era in which I grew up. As a kid, naturally, I was much less aware of the context leading up to those times and the larger world surrounding the music. Understanding this context now is helpful in knowing where I came from. Not that the times were idyllic, but the context was richer in meaning than I knew back then. Knowing more about the past helps one to think more clearly about the future. And, so, with that in mind, it is time to rock on.

History and Faith

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History and faith, and empirics

Today, there will not be an opportunity for my traditional jog up to the prehistoric monolith that some ancient tribe erected on the hill behind our town, no chance to place my hand on it in a symbolic gesture of connecting to the past. It is a grey and wet day in Paris, a good day for catching up on my indoor to-do list. Some of the items on this list are mundane sorts of things like clearing and filing the papers on my desk. To get my history fix while going about these tasks, I’ve been listening to a lecture series on the Beginnings of Judaism by Isaiah M. Gafni, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The lectures offer an interesting view into use of empirical approaches to understanding history and faith in the Middle East.

The Gafni lectures were given to me by a friend in Jerusalem a few years ago. So, this is not the first time I’ve listened to them. They are quite extensive and a rich source of insights into the historical record and the origins of the theological orientations of Judaism (some of which were carried over into Christianity and Islam). Prof. Gafni has a deep knowledge of ancient texts relating to Judaism and an engaging ability to weave together the cross-cutting themes from religious and literary texts and to place theological developments in their historical contexts. He works in an empirical way, making references to the tangible historical record as he presents the material. His lectures proceed in an orderly, stepwise fashion.

Show me the evidence

While there are certainly big gaps in the ancient historical record in the region, it is impressive how much documentation has survived. Through ancient official documents, commentaries and letters, we can listen in to the actual narrative from a previous era. From time to time, Prof. Gafni presents the various historical figures via their own words. He may quote, for example, a Jewish resident of Alexandria (Egypt) seeking to appeal a tax levy or reference a text by Cicero defending Anatolian interests in a trial in the Roman senate. What strikes me is that some themes in the narrative seem familiar, even though we are separated in time by two millennia or more. For example, one theme is the desire of people to maintain relationships with friends, family or cultural roots, despite being separated geographically.

Naturally, the historical record leaves room for interpretation. We peer into the distant past based on incomplete information. Different methods of inquiry can point to conclusions that vary somewhat. Thus, it is important to consider history from multiple perspectives. In addition to Isaiah M. Gafni, four other authors have been particularly helpful to me in starting to get a handle on the history of this region:

There are certainly many others that could be cited here. Next on my reading list is the huge, intimidating tome by Diarmaid MacCulloch, Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years.

History, More Than A Hobby

From my partial reading of the record, it certainly seems that human nature for better or worse has not changed very dramatically over the centuries. Despite the many changes in some areas such as technology, people are still driven to some extent by emotions and motives such as compassion, anger, greed, lust, and fear of the unfamiliar, among others. We have improved our collective ability to respond to some of the negative tendencies (e.g., via international accords) and nurture the positive ones (e.g., by recognizing those who promote peace or by organizing associations to do good works). But, we remain far from where we need to be.

In my view, earnest efforts to understand this history merit respect. Insights into recent developments can be gleaned from a study of the historical antecedents. By proceeding in an empirical fashion one may have a chance to approach those with different views, to find common ground, to combat misunderstandings and to find a way forward. I think that such an approach can be constructive in various realms, from politics to theology. It is certainly not easy and requires a bit of humility, but it could prove better than the alternative for all concerned.

Neither here nor there…

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Expatriate life in France

On 5 October 1992, I started my career at OECD in Paris. While the experience since then has been rich and interesting, occasionally wonderful, I can’t say that it has been easy. Somehow I managed to make it this far and, with mixed feelings, celebrated my 20th anniversary last Friday with a few colleagues at Le Mozart (Le Mozart being the pub of choice these days for OECD economists). After all these years in France, I am still not certain where we will settle. Long discussions with spouse, family and friends have proven inconclusive. Where will we find the optimal setting for the next phase of life: here? there? or perhaps neither here nor there?

Living internationally has brought rewarding experiences and personal growth, albeit accompanied by the stresses and strains of cross-cultural life, as well as various challenges at work and in daily life. It makes me want to celebrate “Life’s Rich Pageant“, in the words of Inspector Clouseau; that is, I would like to have access to the best bits of both my home and adopted cultures simultaneously, though without falling into the fountain as Clouseau did.

France has welcomed my family and the quality of life here has been quite high for us. Our kids got a solid education here in the public schools. I love our house and the forests surrounding our little town. The countryside is gorgeous and the food is wonderful. The list of pros — and, admittedly, a few cons — goes on and on. Judging by several best-sellers, such as Peter Mayle’s “A Year In Province”, recounting my personal experience in this regard could easily fill a book.

What to do for an encore?

Once a person has lived for a prolonged period in another culture, one’s horizons shift a bit. There is a good chance that whatever one does for an encore (stay or return home or move on to somewhere else), something will be missing from the next phase of life. And, during a prolonged absence from one’s native land, it too will have changed. A bit like the situation of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, pondering her return to Kansas: can one really go home again or will home now be a different place? Kids growing up in such multicultural  situations are sometimes called “third culture kids”, because they have hybrid roots in two or more countries. Their cultural perspectives extend beyond a traditional base. Together with other expatriate kids they share a culture that is neither wholly from here or there, but has elements from various international sources.

In truth, my reflections on expatriate life leave me a bit conflicted. Surely, if we return to the US, there will be things that we will miss from France. (Where to find a proper stinky cheese?) And, if we stay, some things will be things missing here. (Where to find a proper bagel?) Therein lies the rub. For me, the experience of living internationally has been a positive one on balance, but it is not without trade-offs. I am not alone in this sentiment. I’ve had the conversation many times as I meet folks around the world who are living internationally. This is a real hazard of expatriate life: having one foot here and one foot there, or perhaps both feet on shifting lands.

Ethiopian epilogue?

This week I found myself careening down the Dulles airport access road in a mini-van taxi driven by an Ethiopian immigrant. We were discussing what it was like to live outside of our homelands. With my bags sliding off the seat and jacket long since slipped onto the floor, he turned and said “I love this country. Here, in the US I am free to say what I want.” Among a long list of other injustices in Ethiopia, he was explaining to me the plight of journalists reporting there: two Swedish journalists wrongly incarcerated in Ethiopia were recently released, but a number of Ethiopian reporters are still being held. (The media rights group Reporters without Borders discusses the situation on their website.)

But as he spoke of his homeland, he grew a little wistful. He went on to tell me how Ethiopian expatriates often buy property back home, seeking to maintain ties. With a sense of longing, he explained that he is hoping the situation will permit him to visit next Spring. Though committed to his life in the US and grateful for the welcome he has had, he seemed to me a bit unsettled. He proudly told me that his son, having mastered English and Amharic (the main language of Ethiopia), is now learning Spanish. It seemed to me like the family might be caught between homes, and not quite at home, neither here nor there…

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more

Such stories are certainly not rare in the mobile, modern world. During the 1990s, I co-authored a study of the US labor market for the OECD. One factoid that struck me as remarkable: 25% of the US population moved more than 25 miles from home every 10 years. That pace has decreased somewhat with the housing finance crisis, but certainly many people are not where they used to be and some are cut off from their roots.  Dislocation is a common phenomenon in a globalized world with constant adjustment pressures and far-flung economic opportunities. And, this comes on top of more traditional drivers of dislocation such as strife.

Thank goodness that distance is now less of a definitive impediment to maintaining relationships. Back when I lived in Burkina Faso, a move away from home meant being cut off from real-time communications. Now thanks to services such as Skype, Microsoft Messenger or Apple Face Time staying in touch is less of a challenge. Still, it is not the same as being there.

For me, the question of what to do when I grow up and where to do it remains unresolved. A bit like Kurt Vonnegut’s Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five, my geographic center has come unstuck in the space-time continuum. It is anchored by relationships that span vast distances, contexts and years, but it is no longer fixed to a specific place. But, maybe that is the point?  Perhaps the relationships are what matter most.

Reflecting on the past at 30,000 feet

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    29 September

At the present time I am cruising through the air over the East coast of the USA, flying in an Airbus 380 and listening to the album Murray Street by Sonic Youth on noise cancelling headphones. The sound is great. “Sympathy for the Strawberry.” I am reflecting on the past at 30,000 feet.

Looking down through the clouds at places from my earlier days got me to reminiscing fondly about people who have left us. Here are a few observations that have stuck with me:

– Great Aunt Coressa had an opinion about Woodrow Wilson’s long-ago Presidential candidacy (positive overall: “a decent man, who wanted peace”).

– The US Navy made port calls to mainland China after the end of WW2. I have photos of my Dad in Shanghai, riding in a rickshaw and chatting with a military policeman from India (a Commonwealth soldier) on the Bund, the waterfront.

– My Dad’s family raised turkeys in their garage in Aurora, Colorado, to help make ends meet during the Great Depression. Dad did not like dealing with the birds.

– As a child, my Mom used to swim in the stream behind her Dad’s ice plant in Glen Burnie, Maryland (something unimaginable now).

– My Uncle Bob extolled the virtues of having a longish walk at one end of his daily commute. He worked in Baltimore and one day he was mugged. He still walked, though.

– My Mom’s Irish grandmother had a house on the South River near Baltimore. Mom used to love to go there and visit with her. The grandmom had a goose who was mean-spirited and used to bite the kids.

I am grateful to have such memories enabling me to reach back into history through a first-person narrative. These family stories provide a view into the pre-digital era, linking me personally to the past. My reflections in mid-air remind me that it is important to take time for such conversations, because such opportunities are transient.

 

Impressions and photos from a visit to Korea

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Impressions and photos from a visit to Korea

Rounding out my recent series of blog posts, I would like to offer a few further impressions and photos from a visit to Korea (Republic of Korea). During our trip, we toured the periphery of the country and then spent a couple of days in the center (Andong) and a few days in Seoul, as well as taking a tour to the border with North Korea (i.e., the demilitarized zone, DMZ). Based on these travels, I can recommend the Haerang Rail Cruise and Rak Ko Jae traditional B&B stays to anyone seeking an authentic experience in Korea.

We have a few connections to Korea through my work (Korea joined the OECD in 1996), my wife’s family (who lived in Korea for several years), and via friends. This gave us some insights and notions as to what to expect, as well as some contacts. Still, Korea is developing and changing rapidly, so much of what we encountered was new to us and there is — in any event — a tremendous amount for a traveler to explore and discover.

We found the country to be very accessible. Some Koreans have had experience in the United States via their education or work and many others have studied some English. Many signs and menus are in English as well. So, we were able to get by with English and a Korean phrase book. Nonetheless, outside of Seoul, we found it very helpful to have a guide.

Initial impressions

The dynamism of Korea is impressive. Economic growth is modernizing many aspects of life. Construction seems to be booming. Cultural sites and traditions are being renewed. Innovation is valued and is being pushed forward on many fronts ranging from smartphones to K-pop music. Most people we encountered radiated optimism and a healthy confidence, as well as good humor. Other countries in the region have taken note. For example, Korean soap operas and music are popular across Asia and beyond (e.g., this wild K-Pop music video by Psy has had more than 255 millions hits). All of this seems to me in striking contrast with the gloom that in recent years sometimes seems to hang in the air in Western Europe or the United States.

There remain some significant challenges for Korea. Most notably, the terrible situation in North Korea is a clear concern. In addition to the strain on the South from provocations and threats by the North, many people we spoke with were clearly pained by the fate of folks in the North and the separation that has unnaturally split the Korean people.

There are also some economic challenges in the South. For example, productivity growth in agriculture and the retail sector greatly lags that of the industrial sector. Another example is duality in the labor market, whereby workers for large industrial firms benefit from stable and relatively well compensated employment while workers in smaller establishments may face much tougher conditions of employment. However, these are challenges that arise partly because much of the rest of the economy is surging forward.

Our visit to Korea left us with a very positive impression. From the beautiful landscapes, and warm welcomes, to traditional arts, good food and interesting cultural experiences, we found ourselves being pulled in and wanting to see and do more. A main conclusion from our trip is that we need a lot more time in Korea!

Photos

Linked below is a gallery with a sampler of landscapes, cultural sites and food, as well as some glimpses of the economic progress.

(Use the arrows to scroll up or down, click on the photos to see a full edition)

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Traditional Korean folk village stay

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Hahoe: A traditional Korean folk village

During a traditional Korean folk village stay, one of the first things that one notices in the evening are the crickets. Especially if you come from Paris, the contrast is striking.

With their song as a backdrop, one tends to lower the voice and to speak in warm tones. Here in Andong, Korea, in a traditional village called Hahoe, the pace is calm and the echo of tradition a bit more clear than in the city. Situated at a bend in the Nakdong River, beneigth a high cliff, and surrounded by hills and forests, the village has an idyllic setting.

We are staying at an excellent, small, Korean guest home called Rak Ko Jae, which I would recommend to those seeking a glimpse of rural life here in Korea. The food and hospitality are wonderful. The ambiance is a genuine echo of the past, though updated with a few key modern amenities discretely folded into the simple room design (e.g., wi-fi).

Restorative Properties

There is art in the structures and depth in the approach to life that resonates with people, even many who come from different cultures, like me! One can sit under an ancient tree or at a former Confucian study centre and gaze out at the river while pondering what really matters. I’m thinking the experience might help to restore those bruised urban warrior souls who take the time to visit and soak it all in.

A few random musings while sitting in Seoul, Korea

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Sitting in Seoul

Just sitting in Seoul, Korea, one can see that it is an amazing case study in development. There is evidence all around demonstrating that economic and social policy can make a difference.

Seoul, the capital, is huge, clean and modern, while also keeping alive its traditions and remembering its past. The city is bursting with entrepreneurial activity, public investment in infrastructure and education, cultural initiatives, new housing and much more.

During an hour-long stroll in Seoul, one can encounter sprawling markets, wonderful palaces, great food, world-class museums, and quaint leafy lanes. But, the city is expansive, and there are many worthwhile hour-long strolls to be had around various neighborhoods such as Bukchon, Etaewan or Insadong (to name just a few).

For optimal enjoyment, you will want to take your time and allow for a bit of serendipity. There might be something interesting just around the corner, such as a fine old tea room. And, sometimes it is interesting just to stop a while in the shade and watch the city go by.

A few decades ago, Korea was war-torn and poor. Now, the country is counted among the advanced nations of the world. And, Seoul is a fine showcase for this progress!

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