Activity vs. Rest During Spring Break!

At the beginning of this semester, I had a big snafu and had to conduct a major operation on my academic schedule. Because of this, I have had the great fortune of getting to take a global religions course called “Judaism in America” where we have been learning about Jewish history and different Jewish opinions about what it means to be Jewish and how Jewish philosophies apply in different areas of American life. Needless to say, this has helped to make my semester extremely interesting and has made me change my perspective on several things.

Unlike most classes I’ve had, I was required to take 24 hours out of my spring break and do… mostly nothing. One of the focuses of this course has been understanding what it means to practice Shabbat (the Sabbath) and there is no better way to do this than viscerally. So, with my mother, I prepared during Thursday and Friday for a day of rest, which began with an extremely rushed dinner preparation and ended with a slow reintegration back into actual “work.”

Shabbat begins on Friday at sundown and doesn’t end until the following Saturday at sundown. It entails an investigation of oneself moving through time and there are many rules as to how one should appropriately do this. My mother and I decided on a few activities to do in those 24 hours: we made challah, mejadra, and latkes (all with varying levels of success); we slept in, dressed up, ate all day, read for a lot of the day, gardened, and enjoyed each other’s company. This was possibly one of the nicest days of the year so far and I felt that I was able to still experience a lot without having to fill my schedule like I do at school.

I’m hoping to somehow incorporate the ideas of Shabbat into my life moving forward and am glad that I was able to make it a part of my semester this year!

Also, there are currently a lot of dogs at my parents' house. They were very involved in Shabbat.

I Have Never Dyed Easter Eggs

Photo Source: http://www.whoknewtips.com/diy/how-to-dye-and-decorate-easter-eggs-for-free-with-household.html

Dear International Friends, 

I hope that you all guys had a nice and enjoyable Easter Break! 

Welcome back to the second and final round of the semester. It is definitely gonna go by fast, but let's just sit tight, I am sure we'll be fine!

Okay, let's talk about Easter! 

When I think about Easter, this is what first comes to my mind, 

Photo Source: https://senegalissimo.wordpress.com/category/nourriture/
If you want to try, here is the recipe: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Ngalakh

the dish is called "Ngalakh". I am not sure if you can pronounce it, but anyway it is usually made during Easter and shared with the community.

Being from Senegal, even though the majority of the population are not christians, Easter is still a big holiday for every family there. I could always feel that "Easter is on its way coming" due to the huge preparations. But more importantly, Easter symbolizes a day of sharing and community, where each christian family or community had to prepare this meal and share it with neighbors, relatives, and friends regardless of their religious background. And this is pretty much the way, each religious events are celebrated in my country. 

Different countries have different ways of celebrating holidays, so Easter might be celebrated in a different way in your country.

During the Easter break, I have had the chance to discover and learn a little more about how people celebrate Easter here in the U.S. through the help of some friends, housemates, and even coworkers. And today, I will share with you few things I have discovered. 

Here, in the U.S, as Easter approaches, families do a lot of activities. For instance, some people celebrate it at churches, some families organize Easter family dinners. But also many people hardboil eggs and dye them with brilliant colors to decorate their houses, these could be eaten later, but may also be model eggs made of plastic, chocolate, candy, or other materials. 

It is also common to organize easter eggs hunt. This is usually the most fun part as my friend, Madeleine, mentioned. Eggs of some sort are hidden by parents or a family member, and children then search for them. This is a popular Easter family game. 

Aside from the Easter Egg hunt, the White House Easter rolling is also a popular Easter game. 

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_rolling

It is an egg roll race, held each year at the White house lawn, where children and parents push the eggs along through the grass with a long-handled spoon. 

All of these activities constitute Easter here in the U.S.

These are all I got for you today!

Best of luck for the rest of the semester.

Your friend, 

Pape Mathioro Samba

Is P.L.U Religious?

Dear friends,

When I first heard about Pacific Lutheran University, I had no idea what the deal was. My host family and professors at school kept telling me how prestigious PLU was and how I would end up really liking the school if I chose to go there. My only concern, however, was that I had no interest in attending a religious school.

I was not a Lutheran, and I didn't think I would ever be one. Growing up in China, I had never been formally introduced to Christianity. I consider myself as an individual free from religious traditions, and I would like to keep it that way.

So I proposed the question to the international admission counselor, Hiro Kuroiwa-Lewis,

"Do I have to be regious to attend PLU?"

"No. Not at all," Hiro said.

Believe it or not, questions about religions and beliefs are often asked by many international students, who come from all over the globe along with various backgrounds. If you are eager to find out how religious PLU is, here is my answer:

No one is required to have religious affiliation to attend PLU.
If you believe in Jesus, great. There are many ways to nurture your belief. Chapel service is provided every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which is a special break PLU offers for you to reflect and appreciate your spiritual side of life.

For students of other faiths or of no faith, whatever you have is valued at PLU as well. The diversity of PLU and the appreciation of diversity are what make PLU unique. Every point of view matters here. At least no one has scolded at me yet for what I don't believe in.

However, you are required to take one to two religion courses.
The reason for that is to enrich your cultural experiences, which are in close relationships with religion's influence in our daily life. This requirement is to prepare you to get a better understanding of the impacts different religions have in the U.S. and other parts of the world. It is one of those things that you might not be interested in learning, but the learning outcome is often beneficial, and it gives you many Aha moment later on in life. If you are here to learn the culture, get ready to be open-minded and challenged, to engage in conversations, and to be comfortable of being uncomfortable.

Does this solve the concern that many of you have out there? Comment down below if you have more questions. I will be more than happy to answer them for you!

Happy Monday :)

Love always,

Shunying