Как у вас дела?

ինչպէս էք?

Τι κανεις;

Gearing up. It's language learning/refresher time. Maybe, with some new Turkish, brushed up Armenian, Greek, and Russian I can communicate in something other than English next February.

Unlike Spanish, written Turkish gives me no clue on where the accent goes. I am adjusting to the i without a dot over it (ı) having a schwa sound. I popped the first CD in and listened to the first conversation with introductions. This is going to take a while. I cannot use latinate roots to help me along.

Possibly the only time I ever heard Turkish was when Roxie and Jack were chatting and did not want their children to understand. I was in the same class as their son Charlie. He and his sister Susan did not speak much Armenian but understood it when their parents spoke, so "adult" conversations were in the language the kids did not know. But if I heard any Turkish fifty years ago, I do not really remember. The sounds and rhythms of Armenian are familiar to me, whether I understand the words or not.

My conversational Greek is limited to about five phrases. Not really a lot more in Armenian.

I know I could travel in Turkey using English alone, but what's the fun (or challenge) in that? And where is the effort to open up to another culture? That, for me, is one of the most important reasons for traveling abroad.

The Blessing of Our Relatives tomorrow! Fr. Anskar, my Swedish priest teddy bear, will join us to bless the animals on the feast of St. Francis. My friend Jan rides her horse to church and we have a hitching post. I imagine she and some of her friends will have the equine contingent there for this event. Rhonda+ will preside over the Blessing, though we will share the individual blessings, and I will preside at the Eucharist. I anticipate a bit of chaos. Par for the course. In communities that trust God and one another we can all ride with untidiness.

May Francis and Clare intercede for us all. Blessings on San Francisco, the see city of my canonical diocese, and ongoing prayers for my bishop, +Marc.

--the BB

Light posting today

I haven't put much up because I don't have a lot to say at the moment. I know, here I am typing when I don't have anything to say. Just can't help myself.

I am intrigued by the primaries but have nothing to add to the commentary floating about. Not in one of my rant modes at the moment. Fear not, Bush will do something evil or stupid or both very soon and I will be off and running again.

Not full of theological ponderings or spiritual wisdom at the moment either. [You needn't speculate what I am full of because we all know the answer to that.]

A very minor tidbit of news: last night I signed up for beginning Russian to be taught at the University of New Mexico (continuing education program) on Tuesday nights beginning in February. I loved my two trips to St Petersburg and want to go back (and catch Moscow next time around as well). Cassettes and CDs have given me practice saying a limited number of phrases and I have used phrase books to good effect but I want to be able to do more. So, a new linguistic adventure.

Languages for which I have taken classes (of any kind)--plus reasons why I took them:
Spanish - beginning in the 8th grade--because it was there
Latin - beginning in the 10th grade--because I wanted the classical background
French - beginning in freshman year of college and I majored in it--because it was fun
Classical Greek - three semesters in college--because I wanted to read the New Testament
German - one year in college, on review quarter in grad school--so I could understand the Bach St Matthew Passion
Hebrew - one year in seminary--so I could read the Old Testament
Old French - one semester in grad school--to expand my French and read the chansons de geste in the original
Japanese - night classes in adult school but not long enough--because it was so different and I had friends who had studied it in high school; a change to learn a bit more
Armenian - also night classes in adult school but not long enough--because I grew up with Armenian friends and I would be one of the few odars who bothered [an odar to Armenians is like a goy to Jews]
Italian - nigh classes in adult school (plus the menus and operas!)--because it's beautiful, of course
Russian - coming soon at a university near me!--because it is so different from the Romance languages I've studies, has wonderful collisions of consonants, and can get me around in St Petersburg

I have about five sentences of Khmer (Cambodian) just because of Cambodian friends through church. I tried to learn more but, Lord have mercy, have you looked at the Khmer alphabet? I, who learned the Greek and Hebrew alphabets at age twelve (and bits of Russian and Arabic alphabets too), was defeated with Khmer. One can clearly absorb so much more before age 20 than one can after age 55 (over 60 now).

A question for readers: What is the most unusual/exotic/obscure language you have studied and why?
--the BB