When one thinks of summer...

... most enjoy ice cream and friends - at least!

Summer in NC

[Free!] Stuff in the Triangle area:
+ American Tobacco Center (music every week)
+ Duke Forest
+ Duke Homestead historic site
+ Historic Brightleaf Square (music every Friday)
+ NC Botanical Garden
+ NC Museum of Art


Also:
NC State Parks
Outdoor Theater

AND, to join with any one of our ISI Circle-of-Friends, spontaneous group outings you might subscribe. See the box at right.

A Son in the Moon Family

Congratulations to Moon-Taeg Rhyee, our friend and famous chef of last term's Friday Lunch Group, and to his wife on the birth of their third son. "Daniel" arrived safely on May 13, and is now learning how to cope in his new environment. And how are big brothers doing with the new arrival? Dr. Rhyee informs that the mother is doing well too! See how very blessed you all are by the magnificent favor of our God.

Let's see... Moon told us that his wife's name is "Sun". So do we now conclude that the union of sun and moon results in a new star?!

Not Oprah

If you did not attend the ceremony that honored the graduates of Duke's Program in International Development Policy, then you would not have heard the encouragement delivered by the faculty speaker, Professor Corinne Krupp. Here are the notes that we took from her comments:

1. Continue to learn new things - be resilient
2. Do your homework - stay informed and thoughtful
3. Look for the "silver lining", e.g. think well of others
4. Take personal responsibility - be accountable to others, make good choices
5. Give back - apply your gifts and talents for others' benefit
6. Ask questions and listen - keep learning
7. Laugh often
8. Admit when you are wrong
   

Get Outside!

That's what a couple of groups did recently. About 25 (from Duke, UNC and NCSU) enjoyed a [warm] outing to Lake Crabtree County Park for a potluck picnic and some easy "hanging out" together.



About a week later another 12 from Duke joined the Piedmont Farm Tour. We stopped by four different small farms, e.g. herbs & vegetables, tomatoes and strawberries, a bio-dynamic family venture, and a lamb farm. When was the last time you added pea shoots to a salad, savored a juicy strawberry that *you* yourself had picked, or tasted a 'lamb dog'?

Kristos Anesti!

We join with brothers and sisters in the Orthodox tradition who celebrate "Easter" in 2009 on April 19.

KRISTOS ANESTI!

CHRISTOS HA RESUSITADO!

CHRISTOS A INVIAT!

KRISTOS VOSKRESE!

CHRISTOS IST AUFERSTANDEN!

KRISTOS TENESTWAL! B'ERGIT TENESTWAL!

AL MESSIAH Q'UAM!

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Christ Jesus is risen!

Why EASTER may be Important in American Society

There are two dimensions to the Easter experience in America. One is religious and the other does not relate specifically relate to religion.

The Religious-Spiritual. To understand the value system of a nation it is important to understand something about its religious beliefs and traditions.

Annually Christian believers throughout the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This is called Easter Sunday and it will be celebrated Sunday, April 12, 2009. The Eastern [Orthodox] Church, using a different calendar, will celebrate on April 19. This is the most celebrated holy day of the year for Christian believers around the world. In America church auditoriums are usually crowded.

If you are interested in finding out more about the religious life of many Americans, consider visiting a church gathering this coming Sunday. Churches expect visitors and should be welcoming. You will probably find the approximately hour-and-a-half spent visiting a church service on Easter Sunday morning a most interesting cultural experience: It is filled with music, a friendly and happy atmosphere, inspirational speech, and colorful decorations with lilies.



If the church has an Easter Pageant, that adds to the cultural experience, since drama and music are combined to illustrate the events surrounding the resurrection of Christ.

The secular. If you have not already noticed, stores do a lot of advertising this time of year – as they do on any holiday or occasion, e.g. Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday.

One reason for clothing stores to advertise at Easter, for example, is that many people are looking for something new to wear on Easter Sunday. It is a long practiced tradition in American families.

Also, displays of cuddly bunnies, baby chicks, Easter eggs, Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks and candy eggs are prevalent everywhere in the stores. In addition, Easter lilies are seen almost everywhere and often given as gifts. For many, it is a time to celebrate spring and the newness of life unfolding. For example, see how many non-religious images are shown with a simple search of Google images!

Families may gather together for a special dinner and often there is an Easter egg hunt for the children. Some communities also provide Easter egg hunts for the children. City parks may be used for such events.

For more information contact a fellow student, staff or faculty in your program who is a Christian believer or representatives of Christian organizations on campus; or, either person named below.


Thanks to Dr. Jack Burke - Director (retired), International Student and Scholar Services, University of Houston; NAFSA Christian Specific Interest Group (SIG) Membership Coordinator-West - for drafting the idea for this posting.