PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Sabbatical Thoughts
June 30, 2008 on 1:56 pm | In PeaceBanging Around |I can’t imagine anything more amazing than being granted a paid sabbatical from one’s work, but I must say that the planning for it is far more time-consuming than I had anticipated. I have this sense that this is THE BIG OPPORTUNITY and want to cram in every bit of travel and learning possible, only to remember colleagues’ advice not to over-plan.
Some ministers take classes during their sabbaticals, or return to seminary for a semester. I’m in a very different place in my continuing education: having just completed coursework for a Doctor of Ministry degree, I should probably avoid the classroom for my sabbatical.
I still want to travel the USA and podcast and blog “Some Good News About Religion” by driving to visit you all and see you in your church/houses of worship setting. I want to hear the ridiculous, the divine, the heart-breaking and the triumphant stories about religious community. But I do not relish the idea of spending 8 weeks on the road.
So far, I envision this:
Early January: teach an intensive course on worship at my seminary. I love teaching and I haven’t offered the class yet this year.
Later January: go somewhere Spanish-speaking and warm, take an intensive Spanish language course, and rest for 2-3 weeks. Any ideas for locations, escuelas?
Mid- February through March: Travel the USA and collect stories for “Some Good News About Religion.” Start by driving South down Eastern seaboard, cut across the South/Southwest, drive up California, return home by Northerly route. (Eek, this sounds exhausting.)
April: Travel to Partner Church in Transylvania for a week or so and then travel to Turkey for Bible-themed tour (the latter is a deep desire I’ve had for a long time). Again, any ideas, recommendations?
Two weeks in May: Home, rest, re-entry.
This might be way too crazy and over-ambitious.
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My minister rode his bike across the country during a month of his sabbatical.
I’m guessing that anything’s possible.
CC
Comment by Chalicechick — June 30, 2008 #
Whew! Sound like quite a trip. If you pass through the Midwest, I’d love to introduce you to our congregation in Woodstock, Illinois. Like a lot of congregations we do neat, creative things and a lot of community service and advocacy while simultaneously thrashing about spasmodically trying to get a grip on other things. Woodstock–where the film Ground Hog Day was filmed–is a pretty interesting place in its own right.
Comment by Patrick Murfin — June 30, 2008 #
Come on down to the Ozarks and enjoy our little fellowship in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We would love to have you.
Comment by jacqueline — June 30, 2008 #
All of your ideas sound great and can’t lose - except for some sleep.
Having made the road trek from Texas to Mass last summer and being away for a few weeks, let me offer the experience of how road weary P and I were by the end. We had a great time and saw lots of family in New England and on the way back through Tennessee. We even made the spur of the moment decision to spend a day in Graceland before driving that final stretch to North Texas.
If you want to do the nation wide road trip, leave plenty of room at either end for preparation, rest, and recovery. And come on down to the Lone Star State.
If it was me, I might skip a big US trip and be sure to do the excursion to Transylvania/Turkey. From a “once in a lifetime” point of view, that kind of travel is harder to come by than scheduling visits with friends across the country. And maybe the dollar will be a little better by then.
Comment by jinnis — June 30, 2008 #
Wow, these plans sound good.
Have you ever thought of travelling Germany - homecountry of Martin Luther!
It´s just “on the way” to or from Romania and Turkey.
Comment by chavale — June 30, 2008 #
I suggest Nicaragua for your Spanish speaking adventure. Granada is a cute town (but maybe a few too many expats) on a big big lake, not far from cheap (yet nice) beach resorts, and cheaper and safer than most Latin American countries. I know some Nicaraguans that would love to meet you. They would host you too, but it wouldn’t be very “vacation-y” to live with them. In general, Nica isn’t very resort-y, but it is very cheap, welcoming, and I thought fun.
Comment by Elizabeth — June 30, 2008 #
p.s. Maybe it is just me, but this doesn’t sound very sabbatical-y. It sounds really exhausting….. Maybe cut agenda in half?……
Comment by Elizabeth — June 30, 2008 #
I’ll call you–or at least respond in more depth–later about the Turkey option. You cannot go wrong with a trip to Turkey, but I do have a slight Levantine bias
Comment by Peregrinato — June 30, 2008 #
I agree it sounds exhausting, but if it sounds like something that energizes you, go for it!
Come on in!
While you’re passing through Woodstock, may I also recommend visiting the Presbyterian church in Crystal Lake (aka me!)? It’s about 5-7 miles from the Woodstock church Patrick mentioned. We have lots of good news happening here in a variety of areas, in our 135 year old building.
Comment by Teri — June 30, 2008 #
Hi Peacebang,
Thanks again for meeting with me at Festival of Homiletics. I appreciated your great ideas, and am weaving them into my wardrobe. Good luck in your sabbatical planning. Here’s my suggestion for a Spanish-language immersion program, of which I participated when I was on sabbatical in 2002: http://www.cpi-edu.com
This is the website for CPI (Centro Panamericano de Idiomas), which has three locations in Costa Rica - either by the Pacific Ocean, rainforest, or San Jose. You choose your location, or move around to experience one each week. The program was excellent, with high-quality teachers. They were very organized and helped arrange transportation to and from the schools. You live with a local family and go to class for part of the day, with optional activities offered throughout the weeks (and I spent a lot of time on the nearby playa swimming and relaxing). I stayed for four weeks and learned MUCHO ESPANOL. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would either go back to Costa Rica, which is a stable, relatively safe country, or, as suggested in an earlier comment, find a school in Nicaragua, which is my favorite country to visit. The people are so full of hope amid such challenges. Buenos suerte!
I currently have one more month of my three month sabbatical to go, and am happy that I did not overplan, but left lots of room for the Holy Spirit which has filled my time with delightful, unexpected insights and opportunities. I would also urge you to not overplan.
Blessings!
Comment by Manda — June 30, 2008 #
Later January: go somewhere Spanish-speaking and warm, take an intensive Spanish language course, and rest for 2-3 weeks. Any ideas for locations, escuelas?
Yes I do! How does Austin Texas sound? ETSS (Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest) is there. We do lots of hispanic ministry in the area and Spanish is taught on campus. While you might not want to join the Spanish intensive on campus (since you’re looking to avoid that!) the professor might be able to hook you up with a Spanish intensive in the area. (We do a Spanish intensive including ministry immersion in Jan so your timing is perfect.)
Email me if you want more info!
Comment by Tandaina — June 30, 2008 #
Yikes, PB, that’s way a lot of plans. If I were you I’d ditch one of those trips. (I went to Guatamala using Amerispan to help me plan. It was a great outfit but that was 15 years ago. There’s nothing like a homestay and private lessons in a country where nobody speaks English to force you to take the risks of practicing what you learned.
If I were planning this I’d give myself three weeks of “entry” and three weeks of “re-entry”.
Good Luck!
Comment by Christine Robinson — June 30, 2008 #
One less well known home-stay with classes language immersion program is in Queretaro, Mexico. It’s an hour or so north of Mexico City. I didn’t do the program, but I’ve visited friends there in a beautiful and largely unnoticed UN World Heritage Site town, one of the old Colonial Cities. My friends wanted to practice their English, so my idea of reviving my Espanol didn’t go far. After some wonderful time in the mountains, seeing some old churches, I got the notion of retracing the path of Junipero Serra, walking through the Sierra Gorda mountains and up Baja and the Pacific coast where he founded missions. I’d love to trace Thomas Starr King routes, which would be an interesting project. But if I had a sabbatical I doubt that I’d do either one. Queretaro is about half an hour from San Miguel de Allende in case you want to visit the UU fellowship there, see Virginia and Farley Wheelwright, or hear a lot of ex-pats talking.
The RT drive is an ordeal. I’d suggest flying in to one place and renting a car for a segment of the tour. One Way is the maximum to consider, IMHO. I just drove a few hours on the Kansas section of Interstate 70, including the first section of the Eisenhower interstate plan that opened, near his home town of course, Abileen. A few hours wasn’t bad, but days and days are another story.
Comment by Diane Miller — July 1, 2008 #
Borderlands Center at Brite Divinity School at TCU in Fort Worth, TX
Luis Bernard
Director of the Borderlands Center for Latina/o Church Studies
l.c.bernard@tcu.edu
817.257.7589
http://www.brite.tcu.edu/degrees/borderlands.asp
And, of course, if you do happen to be in the Fort Worth area, you are most welcome to visit us at Pathways Church, UU.
Comment by Tony Lorenzen — July 1, 2008 #
New idea:
Do this.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
[I love the whole Matt thing. It makes me so happy. -PB]
Comment by Chalicechick — July 1, 2008 #
I have studied at six different Spanish language schools in many different cities in Mexico and in Guatemala. Where to study depends a lot on your goals. These days every Spanish speaking country has schools in many, many, different places. I would pick a place you might enjoy visiting but avoid an area with lots and lots of language schools like Antigua or Cuernavaca. (too many Americans and less personal attention) If you want immersion, pick a city that won’t be overrun with Americans.
Host families vary widely, depending on the country and the price. My Mexican experiences were somewhat better in terms of the quality of the accomodations. However, if you are the kind of person that is fussy or likes things “just so” don’t do a homestay. I’m not fussy and I really enjoyed it and learned something, but a number of women complained about the cleanliness, the food, etc. even in rather clean, pleasant, but not American standard accomodations.
NRCSA is a good clearinghouse for schools and rates them. I liked the schools I picked through them somewhat better than the ones I found on my own, but they were a bit more expensive.
A personal favorite for a city in Mexico was Oaxaca. It was big enough to have a lot of interesting things to do — nearby ruins, lots of nearby villages with artisans, a great zocalo for people watching and eating. Small enough to do a lot of walking or cheap cabs. Temperate climate.
I found my time there I got lots of reading and writing done, but you have to bring your own books and I had a hard time carrying enough for three weeks! Three weeks is really a lot better than two. The third week I always made a lot of progress. [Thanks, hon. I’m thinking of starting my Spanish immersion studies in Boston this summer! Kinda pricey, though. Geez. And one of my pet peeves is Americans who travel and expect everywhere else to be like home. Have a great trip to DC next week!! xoxo - PB]
Comment by KJR — July 1, 2008 #
Hi PB,
If you think you’ll make it down to San Diego on the California leg of your trip, you’re welcome to stay with us. We’re members of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, which is a large congregation, and there are smaller UU congregations in the area as well.
(And it turns out that one of your high school singing chums is one of my wife’s college singing chums, so we come with references!)
Drop a line if you’re interested.
Comment by Everett — July 1, 2008 #
If you do the California wing of that trip, and need a safe haven in the San Francisco Bay Area, a friend here to take you to the sights, a place to do laundry, or whatever, I volunteer.
Comment by Nezuko — July 3, 2008 #
Be sure to plan a Sunday morning stop in Nashville! It would be a great joy to have you join us for worship.
Comment by Jason — July 9, 2008 #