Saturday, January 20, 2007

Homeward Bound

It is now 11:02AM Hong Kong time, and the "Gang of 15"--now 14, minus Alan Cook, who is traveling to Cambodia--is dispersed throughout the airport terminals looking for last-minute buys & quick "fixes." Hard to imagine that our journey together had begun 14 days ago--seems like it's been ages, and a few are heard saying, "It's absolutely fine to not have me seated with the rest of the group on the plane, please..."

What could be said of our last day in Vietnam? An early start at 6:00AM, with one last look at the calm, gray waters of the beach of Nha Trang, drooping palm trees, and rhythmic Tai Chi movements of early risers ... A painfully long and bumpy ride up a luscious scenic route up to the highlands of Da Lat ... A much-welcomed stop in Bao Loc Province, where fine tea & coffee were hastily purchased and lunch tiredly consumed ... An impromptu u-turn for an unplanned "pilgrimmage" walk through the church grounds of "Giao Xu Quang Thuan" in Tan Son, a Catholic parish built to resemble a Chinese pagoda, evidence of post-Vatican II's inculturation efforts in the context of Vietnam ... Reflective discussions; off-key renditions of favorite hymns, "hillbilly" and "Nam"-era songs which mark the generational differences of this bunch of delirious travelers; & made-up group games ensued as the bus ride continued--we thought we would never see the limits of Ho Chi Minh City ... Finally, arrival at 7:30PM at Que Huong restaurant to meet with a group of local pastors and theology students in the city for hurried dinner and conversation, which ended with each member of this group being presented with a small memento by which to remember Vietnam.

What have we learned? What do we take away? What does the context demand of us? In what ways will we never remain the same? There is much to take in, but communion on the beach the night before last in Nha Trang reminded us that we had been treading on holy ground all this time--from SFO to HK, to Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Holy encounters, holy conversations, all leaving us in a disorienting state of "holy ambiguity" (in the expression of Prof. Fumitaka Matsuoka), though a state to embrace and for which to give thanks.

May this 15th day not be the end of an "immersion trip," but rather the beginning of a long-lasting journey of mutual learning, friendship, and bold actions.

- malt

Posted by HT at 7:01 PM

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Discussion Calendar

  • Jan06 Depart SFO
  • Jan07 JK & MT
  • Jan08 Kelly: LGBT/Prog. mvmts
  • Jan09 Emily: Globalization/sex trafficking
  • Jan10 Susie: Islamic symbols/rituals
  • Jan11 Gary: Interreligious dialogue
  • Jan12 Abby: Neocolonialism
  • Jan13 Hoang-Anh: Tourism
  • Jan14 (Worship) Alan: Missionary mvmts
  • Jan15 JK & MT
  • Jan16 Candis: Youth/leadership/resistance & hope
  • Jan17 Amy & Melissa: Amerasian/children
  • Jan18 Pat: Indigenous symbols/rituals
  • Jan19 Theresa: Theologies of hope
  • Jan20 JK, MT, Ginny
  • Jan21 Return to SFO

Course Description

While Vietnam and Malaysia are both post-colonial Southeast Asian nations with a long history of colonial domination, they have very distinctive socio-cultural, political, and religious realities. This travel seminar seeks to introduce participants to the religious landscapes in these two distinctive contexts. Attention will also be given to the study of theology in Malaysia and Vietnam. There will also be short visits to theological institutions & sight-seeing opportunities in Hong Kong and Singapore. The seminar counts as a contextual learning course for PSR M.Div. students by providing experiences for cross-cultural and multi-relgious encounters and exchanges, as well as immersion in the cultures and everyday life of peoples and local communities in the regions which we will be visiting.

In this seminar, participants will:

  • 1. Visit a number of theological and religious institutions located in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam—including Protestant and Catholic seminaries, Buddhist temples and pagodas, Muslim mosques, Hindu temples;
  • 2. Visit vestiges and sites of cultural and political significance—for example, the Chi Lin Nunnery and Fish Gate in Hong Kong; the Haw Par Villa, Lit-tle India, and Kampong Glam in Singapore; A Famosa, Batu Caves, and Dataran Merdeka in Malaysia; the Cu Chi tunnels, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Thap Ba Ponagar, Dam Market, Thap Cham Phan Rang of Vietnam;
  • 3. Engage in dialogue with seminary faculty & students, religious leaders, and community activists to gain insights on the cultural and religious landscapes of Malaysia and Vietnam for the understanding of the negotia-tions between religion and state under the ideologies of “rukunegara” (Malaysia’s Principles of Nationhood) and “doi moi” (Vietnam’s economic reform policy);
  • 4. Read selected articles, research web resources, and do additional research necessary to gain knowledge on a particular issue of their choice related to any of the themes presented in the course description;
  • 5. Learn what it takes to cultivate a disposition of receptivity and reflexivity for engaging cultural and religious “otherness”; and the importance of re-flecting on one’s social location for critical social analysis and theological construction that takes seriously context and partnerships with communi-ties;
  • 6. Engage in self-critical reflection, connecting the personal to social, one’s own social location with the cultural-religious contexts of others; and ar-ticulate how this immersion contributes to one’s formation as a religious leader in one’s future context(s).