Tea Ceremonies

When I work, I usually drink a lot of coffee. But in order to relax, I need tea. There are deep philosophies behind making and drinking tea , and the difference between coffee drinkers (active, extrovert) and tea drinkers (meditative, introvert, like traditions). So my way of  consuming beverages is logical - and of course, my tea is not made by throwing a tea bag into some hot water. I like loose tea and the ceremony of brewing it.

In Hong Kong I visited the Museum of Tea Ware (Flagstaff House ) which shows beautful Chinese tea cups and pots, but also the different ways of making and celebrating tea. A bit of time is always needed. When I was at the coast of the German North Sea last autumn (a landscape called "Ostfriesland"), I learned  that there is a connection between this area of Germany and China.

First of all the connection of trade: we visited a museum, a captain's house, which had a whole room dedicated to the souvenirs from his trips to China in the 19th century. But there is more: people in Ostfriesland love tea (this is the only area in Germany where people drink more tea than coffee) and the tea ceremony is an important part of their social life.

The typical tea they drink here is a mix of Assam teas that has a dark colour and strong taste, which goes very well with cold, windy and rainy days at the seaside (as I could experience myself). After the tea is prepared carefully, you pour it into a small cup with some lumps of special sugar at the bottom that does not dissolve easily. Finally you add a "cloud" of cream, carefully, so that it does not dissolve at once, either.

Now you have about three sips: the first has the bitter taste of the tea, with the second one you taste the cream and the third one gets you to the sweetness of the sugar. If you are invited to a "Teetied" (tea time) in Ostfriesland, you must drink at least three cups in order not to appear impolite.

Do you like tea or coffee or both ? Whatever - may you have time to sit down and enjoy it !

Adding a cloud of cream

Harbour of the little town of Carolinensiel

Coincidence ?

Some encounters change our lives. Exactly a year ago I had one that definitely influenced the whole year of 2010 for me.  I was not only happy during this time, but does that mean I wish it had never happened?

Sometimes we wish something had not happened, sometimes we wish we had made a different decision. But really, it is no use to cry over spilled milk. Our life went the way it did, we cannot change it.

And finally we may realize that everything that happened had  also positive sides. We learned something, we gained experience, we grew and developed a bit.

A year later I stand at a new point  - it was an encounter that in the end even changed my life. Although not in the way I had expected.

Is our life a series of coincidences and  do we just create an artificial sort of meaning when looking back - or is there really a sense in all this ?

The church of the village of  San Juan Parangaricutiro (Mexico)  was destroyed by the eruptions of the Paricutín volcano - the church towers and the altar were spared.  Coincidence ?

Changes

Life is movement and change . A lot of changes have happened in my life during the past two years - not only a new hairstyle ! So I decided to change the design of my blog as well  and try out some of the new things that are offered.

Changes are usually met with a mix of apprehension and excitement. We are looking forward to new challenges and experiences, but a change also means "good bye" to something old and familiar. Some changes are inevitable - growing old for example - and all we can do is make the best of the situation. Others can be avoided, but then everything stays as it is .  If we are happy, there is no need to change anything. If we are not, we probably have to collect enough courage to jump. And even then we might have moments of regret ...

"No risk - no fun" is  a motto you can hear from young people in Germany.  So I risked a new design here and hope you have fun ... ;)

No change wanted ....

Esperanto - some questions

A few months ago I commented on a series of articles on Esperanto that was published in a Mexican paper. The author explained the history of Esperanto and its importance for the past, present and future. My first comment concerned the idea of a world language. Today I have some thoughts and questions that concern communication in general .

Communication is not only about words. A person can understand the single words and the rules according to which they are put together, but sometimes this can still mean, the person does not understand the message. We all know about things like humour or irony, where we say one thing and mean another. This becomes even more complicated when you consider cultural differences.  In one country it may be custom  to use  words like "dear/dearest"  frequently and they mean just normal appreciation. In Germany, however, "liebste/liebster" is used only in very close relationships . So, how do Esperantists bridge differences like these ... do two people really mean the same when they say "Kara..." ? 

Another example is literature. Literary texts express to a great extend the personality of the writer, which is formed by his/her cultural background. It is very difficult to translate idioms , proverbs and even metaphors into another language, as they are based on the historal, social and religious background of the country in question. I find it hard to imagine that Esperanto literature really works without being influenced by the cultural background of the writer. On the other hand, maybe the Esperanto community  will develop a cultural background of its own ... or does it already exist ?

As the language of a country is part of its culture, I like studying languages, even if I won't be as fluent in most languages as I am in English. But I get a glimpse of the culture this way.

All this does not mean that I want to belittle the idea of a language that provides an easy- to- learn means of communication. I have read some criticism of Esperanto which I don't want to go into here, as my own observation is that Esperantists are peaceful people interested in the world, its human beings and their culture.The Internet provides new opportunities for this - and who knows, Zamenhof's vision might become true one day.

The author finishes his articles with some personal remarks describing his own benefits from being an Esperantist. Of course, they are the same that I have from being a Jackie Chan fan (finding friends and learning about the world) - common goals and visions connect people across all borders !

I refer to :
Guillermo Macías y Díaz Infante: Pasado, presente y futuro del Esperanto (Primera de cuatro partes), in: La Jornada Aguascalientes, 2nd September, 2010, p. 6  (written in Spanish and Esperanto, part two to four on following Wednesdays)