Funeral - Blogabond

Taipei, Taiwan

Translation: I love Taiwan! When I learned, during my 10 hr layover in Taipei, that the gov. gave out free tours of the area, I was ecstatic. Me and a few Assies got a 1st rate tour of a small town outside Taipei, and got to see how they make porceilin, a grand Buddhist temple, and some street scenes in the area. The guides engrish was very good, and he taught us a great deal of Chinese animal symbolism and how so many small things in their world are done to ward spirits, create luck, bring prosperity, increase health, etc. (Among the most interesting, Frogs=Lucky, Dragons=wealth, Turtles=Longevity, and ALWAYS remember to rub the top of the Stone lions heads who are guarding the temple). The lions are a very important symbol in Taiwan (they refer to themselves as China), as it is their national animal. Lions holding balls are men and lions holding babies are women. Their towns are very dense and multi-storied, all clustered around a main area, usually with windy streets. The Chinese build up, not out, as is evidenced by farms coewxisting mere blocks away from 10 story buildings. But by far the wackiest thing I saw in Taiwan was their version of a funeral. Firstly, they also use Hearses for their funerals, Ifound this an interesting borrowed aspect of our culture. But every other part they get completely mixed up on. Immediately following the slow-moving Hearse is...get this...a hired band of scantily clad women wearing Hooters-orange marching outfits, banging away on their instruments, and badly. For what is supposed to be a serious and solemn occasion, and they do look at it as such, these girls are completely out of place! And following these very un-solemn looking band members are the mourners wearing white Ku Klux Klan hoods with their heads bowed. I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. Overall it was a great (and free) way to spend my layover, getting to see an entirely new country. Wo ai Taiwan!

Huancayo, Peru

Yesterday Harry, Jimmy and I ventured out to Chupuro, a small town near Chupaca, to go hang gliding. After a half hour of contradicting instructions in Chupaca we finally found a sketchy cabby to take us to Chupuro.

In Chupuro a couple of drunk men in a small convienience store called us over, so not really knowing where to go for hang gliding we joined them for a few beers. My Spanish still blows, so understanding slurred Spanish was ridiculous. Nevertheless, we found out that hang gliding isn't for another week, so when they invited us to join them we had nothing better to do for the afternoon.

They took us to the shores of the Rio Mantaro via rickety trikes to meet about 20 of their family. After hello's I sat down with the younger folk and chatted what us young people like to chat about - swears, girls, drugs and politics. Later I found out the drunk guys brought us to a funeral gathering, which we felt pretty bad about. Wedding Crashers was a funny movie, but I never anticipated on actually crashing a funeral.

Anywho, the day passed with us witnessing local funeral customs of washing the grieving in the river and chewing coca leaves while drinking the sorrows away. Some of the older men - who happened to be the coolest dudes there - invited us to dinner with the family. We've heard not to refuse a dinner invite here, so naturally we accepted.

After a delicious courtyard meal we shared a sunset cab back to town with some older ladies. Along the way, in the neighbouring town of Breña, there was a carnival going down. While inching our way through the crowd a girl pulled us out of the cab for a quick dance before continuing our way on back home.

written by

ryanmyers on March 1, 2009 from Huancayo, Peru

from the travel blog: Ryan's First Sabbatical

tagged Funeral and Chupuro

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Jinotega, Nicaragua

The Lindalas

Last weekend we had a missionary couple stay with us. We had a great time. We warned them that our place was small. “It'll be kind of like sharing a largish hotel room,” Shane told them. Everything went fine. They have been here 6 years in Matagalpa where we go for assemblies and Jenny's 'hometown'.
They were really encouraging of all our plans. They told us some practical things about living in a missionary home.
And She brought me plants for our garden. Yes, we've finally bushwhacked it. No, we didn't need to use a machete. Although it might not have hurt. Another sister contributed some plants too. In a few more weeks they'll be something to take a picture of. Right now, they're just strugging to overcome shock.

Pantasma

Hurray! We found another way to get to Pantasma. Instead of riding almost two hours on a horrible worn out road, we went another way on Sunday and it was ½ hr shorter and the road was a lot better.
Shane wants you to know that the only disadvantage is we have to cross one river without a bridge. But he says that with a devious grin. So you might get the impression he likes it.
The other road used to beat us up, the rocks and ruts and loose gravel made it a rough trip. The road we are taking now had been under construction so it used to be a nightmare too. When under construction, they kindly put up signs to detour you into the other lane, but as you round a curve you realize the arrow was directing you to the wrong lane and ahead are holes, piles of rock, a big front loader and a group of men watching it, including of course the man who was probably in charge of the detour sign.

Here is a picture of Francisco. A man Shane is helping learn to read. He works with the road construction crews. He is probably 20 and the only one in his family of many who seems interested in reading. Our other two friends who had been in Pantasma met him the first time and started to study with him. They gave him four pages of 'homework' to do in their absence. When we finally met him, he proudly presented it completed, including a voluntary page he did just because he wanted to keep going in the book. Shane asked him why he wants to learn to read. He said he wants to be able to read the Bible for himself and understand what is really in it.

Funeral for Sister Nubia

We went to a funeral for a sister two weeks ago. Her name is Nubia Diaz. She had been sick for 15 years. Her husband is Panchito, the brother who owns the horse and cart. She was really really faithful to Jehovah. A few years ago, she was very sick in the hospital but pleaded permission from the doctors to let her leave for half an hour to attend the Lord's Evening Meal. They gave her permission, but wouldn't remove the I.V. tubing from her arm. She didn't care, changed into a nice green dress and went anyway. She helped a lot of people learn the Bible. The custom for the funeral was very different from what we'd ever seen. The night she died, many family and friends came to the sister's house and sat together, some quietly, some crying and some just talking. The family prepared the sister in her coffin and they also have to dig the grave themselves. So you can imagine how much help and support from the congregation meant. They planned the service for the next day. They don't have any luxury of time because they can't preserve the body well. They brought the casket from the family's house on the back of a truck. And the family and many many friends walked beside it all the way across town. The memorial service was held in the Kingdom Hall and afterward everyone went on foot with the family as they drove the casket to the cemetery. Then there again, it is up to the family and friends present to lower the casket into the grave. There was a large group of brothers who were able to do it. I need to add something else here. Even there in the cemetery, the insistent, vulture-like ice-cream salesmen pursued us with their carts and jingling rack of bells. They continued to ring away right through the last prayer. I'm not sure if anyone bought anything. And it is possible that no one else thought it was as inconsiderate as I did. Also, dear Panchito has been as regular in the ministry as ever, giving such a great example of how although he is missing his wife, he spends his time trying to help others.

written by

Shane Perry on March 25, 2009 from Jinotega, Nicaragua

from the travel blog: Shane and Vanessa's Nicaraguan Adventure

tagged Funeral, Francisco, Reading and Lindala

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Wo Ai Taiwan!

Taipei, Taiwan

Funeral Crashers

Huancayo, Peru

New happenings

Jinotega, Nicaragua

Heading South?