the garrett blog

Stark Reality

I am showing some video clips in my Western Family Studies class to showcase the changing family values in America. I'm starting off with "Father Knows Best" then I'll show a clip from "Ozzie and Harriet" where Harriet is busily making the family pancakes (it's hilarious - as soon as Ozzie finds out the pancakes are from a new thing called "pancake mix" he decides he doesn't like them) then a snippet from the Brady Bunch where you see Mr. Brady with an apron in the kitchen and finally I'm ending with a clip from "Married with Children" where Peggy purposely makes Al's coffee taste terrible so he'll take her out once in a while.

It's taken me a long time searching on YouTube but I don't know if I could've found much better clips!

I'm posting the Father Knows Best one here. If you have a moment, please please watch it. The situation is that all the kids were going to be at other places for Thanksgiving dinner but they all miss home and end up coming back for dinner. But what amazed me was the very final shot of dad sitting at the Thanksgiving table and exactly HOW he gives thanks. Wow, I can't even imagine seeing something like that on television today.

- Chana

Meatfare Madness

Last night was "Meatfare Sunday" for the Orthodox faith. This is the last Sunday that meat can be eaten before lent. To celebrate, we went out to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant with our friends Katie and David Kruse and their kids.

Notice the sign next to Josh:

Although it says "Eat All You Can" in English, in Chinese it actually says: "Don't Waste Food." How funny is that?

Here's a pic of the boys - very excited about eating meat(notice the lack of vegetables on their plates):

And finally we come to the sad conclusion of our tale.... this is a picture of our scale from this morning, after Josh stepped on it. (I'm not kidding)

Guess there's something to be said for Brazilian BBQ!

Childhood is...

...enjoying a sticky creamy ice cream cone!

"There would be no need for sermons, if our lives were shining; there would be no need for words, if we bore witness with our deeds. There would be no pagans, if we were true Christians."- St. John Chrysostom

Ignorance

   Quoted from The Mountain of Silence:
"'The most basic illness that the holy elders talk about,' Father Maximos began, 'is ignorance.  In their language, however, ignorance does not mean lack of the right kind of information or the right kind of intellectual knowledge.  What they really mean is the heart's ignorance of God.  And this lack of direct experience of God renders human beings incapable of knowing what it means to live apart from God.  Consequently, they are not conscious of how abysmal their deprivation and predicament is.'"

Our semester break is drawing to a close

Chana and I have only 9 days left of our nearly 2 month vacation from the university.  This time off has been hugely needed for both of us.  Soon it will be off to the regular schedule of university life again.

Monday Feb 23 I (Josh) begin teaching 5 different courses.

• Listening for freshmen
• Social Communication for freshmen
• Travel English for freshmen
• American History through Movies (open to all at the university)
• Survey of International Relations (open to all at the university)

The teaching load is not that intense, and I should enjoy all my classes.  I hope my students do as well.

Chana is teaching 4 different courses.

• Reading and Writing for Freshmen
• Writing for Sophomores
• Western Family Studies (open to all at the university)
• Modern American Short Stories (open to all at the university)

She has also started teaching Saturdays at a preschool so that Annabelle can attend.

On top of these classes we teach, we lead a weekly home group in our home, help coordinate and lead a youth group, Josh speaks monthly at our fellowship, we attend Saturday night vespers, and teach the occasional private student.

Life is full!  We have enjoyed the break while it lasted...it actually is not quite over, but we have already begun preparing for our next semester.

Pray for us and for Them!!

Philippine Photos Part Two

Erica, Geoff, Annabelle and Ariel

The whole gang enjoying REAL Filipino food - YUM!



Friends for 20 + years!

The happy couple (us!) after a day relaxing at Chemas by the Sea!

well.... there are many more photos so I am sure I will do a "part three" soon - but right now there is laundry to do and clothes to unpack!

Back in China

We have just arrived to our home in China.  Our trip to the Philippines was very relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable, but it is nice to be home.  Once Chana unloads all our photos from the camera we will upload them here.

Thank you Geoff and Erica and Ariel the thoughtful conversations, gourmet food, and for sharing your home and your city with us for two weeks.   Sorry for the messes! :)  Enjoy your space and your routine again. 

I recommend that everyone go to Davao, Philippines.  It is incredibly inexpensive, gorgeous, and very laid back.  Beautiful beaches, very friendly people and great food await you.

Chemas on the Sea

We just had a spectacular day! Hopefully we will upload some pics
soon. The kids were left is trusty hands while the adults spent the
day at the beach at a local resort called Chemas by the Sea. We read,
lounged, thought, talked, swam, ate, drank, and watched the tide come
in. Life is Good!

The Philippines Trip in Pictures (pt. 1)