Mailing address in the U.S.

My mailing address in the U.S.A. is:

Elisabeth Hupp
c/o Paul Hupp
136 Kauai Lane
Placentia, CA 92870

A few have asked for this. Though I have not resided there the past 1.5 years, my brother has been kind enough to be the collector of a lot of my mail during my wanderings.

Things are going well here in Greece. I am enjoying watching all the relatives plan my wedding for me :). Actually, most of the wedding plans of done (at least what I can help with!), so hopefully, I"ll learn some Greek cooking the next few days before Yiannis gets here.

Ya. (i.e. Chow in Greek)

From Frankfurt

Hello from a public library in Frankfurt, Germanz. I am enjoying a 6.5 hour layover in this German city, though wishing Yiannis was here to see how good his German is (He had to take some German for his mathematics studies).

My German, though I have more German blood than he does, is nonexistant.

They are selling a lot of sausages...people are busy Christmas shopping...the one cathedral I wandered into has been turned into a lounge...there is a museum next door I am going to wander over to next.

I do hope I find my way back to the airport!

So, perhaps, I am a bit crazy to be having this wedding in Greece, but personally, I am loving the adventure. As Joan Goodreau noted it is my parent's fault...they are the ones that introduced me to all the interesting places outside the US many years ago :). I will be in Athens for 8 days without Yiannis. Hopefully, it will be a good time of language immersion.

Forgive my brevity as I am typing on a German keyboard...and am in a hurry to go and see more of the city. I am wondering if my Patron Saint, St. Elisabeth the Grand Duchess of Russia, who grew up in Germany lived close to Frankfurt. Hmmm....a question to go discover.

Update on the Nieces

My niece Ashya (born under 2 pounds) last June is thriving. Thanks be to God. She is also quite the world traveler. She went to quite a few States this summer (Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa), Ireland, and is planning on going to Greece this Christmas.

Thanks for your prayers along the way!

Updated Contact Info

Try to reach me at home first:

785-966-3112 (Home)

Then, if no answer, you can try my new cell phone (Reception out here in the country can be poor, and it is getting chilly, making going outside to get better reception problematic at times).

206-359-5968 (Cell)

Hope that helps. Yes, the cell is a Seattle zip code. Don't ask :).

Back at the "Hupp Monastery"

Ooops...that is Churchhill Island in Victoria, Australia and a Scottish Bull (I think) is what they are called. The "Hupp Monastery" is in the forgotten land of Kansas.

It is so quiet here. You fall asleep to the sound of crickets every evening. It is to be cherished.

I arrived back home in Mayetta, Kansas this evening. Phew....yes, I am keeping up my reputation of being one that flutters from here to there. My schedule for the rest of 2008 is as follows:

-Now to November 16ish (no return ticket as of yet): Kansas
*Yiannis visits in 2 weeks and we plan to squeeze in a road trip for the weekend to my family in Indiana
-November 16ish to December 6th: Los Angeles
-December 6 to beginning of January: Greece
-January 2008: Los Angeles
-Summer 2008: possibly move out of California to wherever Yiannis gets a post-doc or teaching position, but that is far too way to be talking about much at this point.

Address in Kansas:
David and Mary Hupp
c/o Elisabeth Hupp
17009 S. Rd.
Mayetta, KS 66509
785-966-3112
Cell: 206-349-0316

Now that I am back in the Northern Hemisphere, do feel free to give me a call.

I enjoyed every minute in Melbourne, and would make the same decision to go again in a heartbeat! Being an underpopulated place, they like their immigrants, and the common question when leaving is, "When are you coming back?" Hmmm....it is quite the tempting place to settle, but most likely I will never set eyes on that continent again.

I will try to post more later regarding reflections from Melbourne, but upon arriving in Kansas, I have already restarted the whirlwind of wedding details, will be working through a nursing staffing agency a few days a week, and of course, I dream of getting in shape and making time for Greek. And I worked up til two days before I departed the country, so forgive me for my lack of posting of late. Leaving involves cramming in last-minute touristy things, saying good-byes, paperwork (taxes, etc) and packing.

Yiannis and I did make time for the Great Ocean Road (Runs along the Southern coastline) and Phillip Island where we witnessed the famous, penguin-parade. Sorry, no pictures were allowed to be taken of the penguins.


Hmmm....what ocean are we standing in? Can you see Antarctica?


Yiannis did most of the driving, but I braved one very, small stint on a pretty, deserted dirt road :).

Fires

I am sad regarding the hundreds of fires in Greece.

May they not continue much longer!

On Pascha

To any St. Michael lady readers:

Several times we had discussions about Pascha sometimes seeming anti-climatic and too brief. I received a Pascha card from St. Paisius Monastery (Stafford, Arizona) this just this week as my parents brought me my Kansas mail and it quoted the following passage. It is nice getting Pascha greetings two months late…

“Why is it that we so strongly desire to prolong this Pascha, which comes and then passes? Haven’t we celebrated it time and again in previous years? Then as now, Pascha comes and it passes by, for there is nothing in this present time which is constant, but all is temporary and fleeting. And the days and the times of our life vanish like a shadow, they pass by like the sun, they run on like a sprinter, until each of us comes to the very end of his life… But there is another, most beautiful Pascha, which does not come just once a year, but always and every day. What is this Pascha? The cleansing of sins, a broken and lowly heart, tears of compunction, purity of conscience, estrangement from carnal passions and from every sin and passion. He who is deemed worthy to achieve such works of virtue celebrates the Lord’s Pascha and keeps the radiant festival not just once a year but throughout his life. On the contrary, he who does not achieve this, but is the slave of the passions and of carnal defilements, cannot celebrate as he should. Such things are impossible. For just as it is impossible for someone in the dark to see light, so is it impossible for those who commit sins to keep Pascha. And when we come to understand what is of the greatest value for us, which is the continual Pascha every day, then let us strive to achieve it, celebrating it by the mortification of the passions and the resurrection of the virtues. May we all be granted to achieve that, through the grace and love for man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is due glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen."

St. Theodore the Recluse

And Romans 8:11-12 reminds us of who we are and what we are called to do so that we may enjoy this perpetual Pascha:

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him.”

It is pretty easy typing these thoughts…may God grant us the strength and will to keep fighting against the passions to the glory of God.

Hello mates.

Here are more pictues as promised before. The above picture is actually from this summer in Santorini, Greece. The one on the left is from the river we discovered near my home.

News from Melbourne:

1. We officially have a wedding date - December 26th at St. Irene's parish which is a short walk from Yiannis' home. We reserved the church seven months in advance. While this may not seem very long to many Americans to be planning ahead, in Greece though December 26th is a very popular day to get married, 7 months in advance is quite early to be making these arrangements.

So, American wedding guests are going to also experience Christmas in Greece (Hopefully this will work out ok though sadly, Joan Goodreau already let me know she now can't make it.). We are doing it so soon after Christmas due to Yiannis needing to be out of the counrty by January 1st so as to graduate before serving in the Greek army.

Since my birthday is on December 28th, this will make Christmas, my wedding anniversary and birthday very close together. However, this gives all the more reason for people to stop celebrating my birthday and instead remembering St. Elisabeth, Grand Dutchess New Martry of Russia's name day on July 4th. I asked my family to stop celebrating my birthday last year, and I was simply laughed at, but perhaps this will help?

Celebrating name days not birthdays is the tradition in Greece, and it was a bit scandelous to them that Pope Benidect had such a big deal made of his 80th birthday earlier this

2. I wrote a post in opposition to Dr. Reynold's statement that America should support Turkey, but I am going to refrain from posting it. "Rumor" has it that there will likely be a war between Greece and Turkey in my lifetime. Obviously, I am not going to support Turkey, and I only hope that my husband or children won't be fighting against America as well. Apparently, Greece is not planning on America as an ally.

3. I am trying to understand the virtues of American better and I would appreciate some response regarding this. If you are reading this and are American please send me what you see as the top five virtues or qualities of America.

4. My parent's are coming in two days.

Mostly, I just want them to get to know Yiannis better.

I work the first two days they are here, so Yiannis will be exploring Melbourne with them. Then we are off on a roadtrip to Malacoota where my roommate's sister has offered her home on the ocean for a few days and her partner owns a boating tourist company, so we will get a free "Koala sighting" boating trip :). After that, perhaps we will continue up to Sydney, or Yiannis and I would prefer to head West and drive the Great Ocean Road. We will see...

5. The first day of winter is today. The South wind blew up some chilly weateh from Antartica earlier this week, and I lost my mittens yesterday. Mittens have become somewhat essentially when riding ones bike to work at 6:30am. My hands were quite numb this morning.

6. The reason I am working two days while my parents are here is because my parents are flyign me to Kansas for two weeks in July for a family reunion and for "wedding planning" thus I am taking off more time then. Again, though the Greeks think a month is plenty of time to plan a wedding ( Yiannis and I will arrive in Athens a few weeks before we get married), my mother doesn't think a few months is enough time to plan this Kansas reception and get a dress ready for Greece. But, I do think the finery of a wedding is more for the parents than the enjoyment of the couple, so I chose to obey my mother's wishes :).

Ta, ta (as they say here).

In Remembrance of our Beloved Rev. Father Michael

Reverend Father Michael Trigg was the first priest I came to know. Prior to Father Michael, my spiritual pastors had been middle-aged men who would have no problem wearing t-shirt and jeans to church.

Interestingly, though I never saw Father Michael dressed in anything but his clerical cassock or collar, Father Michael was the most approachable pastor, I had yet known, and I received more spiritual direction and help from this distinguished gentleman than I had previously known possible.

As an enquirer into the Orthodox Christian faith I was directed to ask questions to Father Michael. At first I was a bit perturbed by this idea. The man who dressed in heavy and noble vestments, donned the mtire, and most importantly who served the people the Body and Blood of Christ was supposed to take time to talk to me. Amazing!

I thank God for entrusting me to the hands of Father Michael as my first encounter with a priest and confessor. However, I don’t think I was the one to approach him. Instead, as all men of great intelligence, he came down to my level. “What books have you read so far on the Orthodox faith?” was one initial question I received.

I don’t deny that my awe of Father Michael ever completely vanished. It was always a bit of an effort to put myself forward and ask for a blessing or simply say hello. After all, he was so loved that there were always plenty of people hoping to delight in a conversation with him. Yet, he helped me learn to trust even those we fear.

Father Michael was a man who had something to give, thus, in even a simple greeting or blessing; the soul would be uplifted and lighter even after a simple exchange of the holy kiss. Intellectually, from our Father in Christ, I learned about the nature of the Church and some about ante-Nicene Church Fathers. My heart learned the importance of guarding trust in relationships, prayer, and the richness of the Eastern Orthodox Faith. Father Michael respected the freedom God has given to humanity, and in turn allowed his spiritual children freedom, tempered with love and prayer, to take their own steps of faith toward the Divine. His Christianity was evangelical, because his words touched the heart.

Coming into Orthodoxy one suddenly encounters the idea of a “spiritual father.” I once asked Father Michael to help me better understand this concept. Namely, is having a spiritual father as easy as saying, “________, will you be my spiritual father?” He explained a relationship with a spiritual father is one that is developed over time as trust and love is developed. Thus, I felt peace that though I needed a father confessor, this idea of a “spiritual father” could remain a bit foreign to my life, until this relationship would in good time come to be. I think this response reflects Father Michael’s humility. Though, he had much to give, he did not try to push his faith into us, but waited for us to come.

My fiancé, Yiannis, remembers meeting Father Michael at least twice, though he expressed upon his repose that he feels closer to him than corresponds with the little personal contact they had. When Father Michael met Yiannis he wasn’t shy in letting him know that he thought I was deserving of a “nice, young man” (or perhaps he just knew I needed a lot of help!) Father Michael wanted to see me become more of a lady, and I am glad Yiannis took the hint.

I mourn the brevity of time I had to know Father Michael. Men of a gentle, faithful, logical yet mystical, and passionate soul like that of Father Michael are rare. But mostly, we give thanks for his beautiful life, which opened our hearts more to be able to receive the One who is Holy.

As our beloved Father Michael made a point to remember those who have gone before, we remember you, Father Michael. May your soul rest in peace while beholding the ineffable beauty of our Lord. Amen.

(Pictures complimentary of the CDs Nathan Jones burned for the St. Michael parishioners).

Melbourne Pictures: May 2007

Elisabeth Riding home after Yiannis and I discovered a lovely, calm and relatively clean river fairly close to my house. I feel a little silly for not searching this lovely location out sooner!






A close up of the river and some ducks and my Jaquar. This bike is my primary means of transportation, and I do not miss Indy 2 (my green Saturn) at all. No need for insurance, gas, major repairs, or oil changes plus I get a little extra exercise and wake up in the morning before arriving at work.

I am high risk for a bike accident. My dull brain still has a hard time figuring out which way to look first since the traffic goes on the opposite side here, Yiannis keeps pointing out I wear my helmet too loose most of the time, and I tend to daydream while biking. At least most streets have a bike lane which is most helpful.




Meet my roommate's dog Max. He was abused as a puppy, and saved from this abusive roommate by my roommate. Still a bit uncertain whether to trust me, he is 100% loyal to his master and has a most interesting whine when he can't find her.

Much more importantly, meet my fiance, Yiannis. My apologies for this picture not showing our faces. I will try to post more later. The newest update regarding wedding plans is we were not granted a blessing from Rev. Bisho BASIL for a Bethrothal service in Kansas. We are disappointed, but after some hard deliberation and consultation with parents, we will go ahead with the wedding, Lord willing, (Bethrothal and Crowning) in Athens shortly after Christmas.

The Port of Melbourne (I believe).

Taking a break

To give time to other things, I will not be posting here for a month or two. My goal is to be journaling more on my own, and then I will share some things from my jounal or book reviews.

Or perhaps, I will give it up altogether. It is the constanst struggle with me of missing friends and wanting to try to "keep in touch" with the awareness that I would rather spend my time on other things that surfing through blogs.

Trying for some time to post of picture of Yiannis and I this morning that simply refused to download from my computer, is most likely the primary source of my present frustration with wasted time.

Besides, the less we keep "updated" now, the more sweet it will be a sit down and have a long, drawn-out cup of tea together. And most likely, we will both have more to give as we have both wasted less time reading this nonsense that I have been writing :). I am currently reading "We of the Never Never" which is the story of a missus who is the lone lady in the outlack of the Northern Territory in Australia in the early 1900s. They received mail eight times a year, in contrast to our 300 or so days a year, and a whole chapter was devoted to the delights of receiving the mailman. I think I want to move more in this direction as I strive to learn how to best communicate with friends far away.

Ramblings on life in Melbourne

Perhaps I shall return to America a bit more leftist in my political thinking after spending some time in Australia. Why?

I just asked for two weeks of vacation for when my parents come and visit. Granted, I have only been working for 6 weeks, and only have a 6 month contract.

It was granted with no questions asked. And I"m already thinking of when I want to take my other week or so off before leaving the country.

In Orange County, as a full-time registered nurse, I believe I got around 2 weeks a year. Here, a full-time employee gets 6 weeks/year plus "ADO" (which adds up to about 2 additional weeks/year) paid vacation time. That is almost as good as the teacher's summer vacation every year! I believe the maternity benefits are much better here as well (3 months paid time off and guaranteed position for one year).

It is difficult to get an impression of the overall quality of healthcare being delivered simply from my day to day care of patients, but the technology, procedures, and medical knowledge/research seem very up-to-date.

Also, I have been impressed with how few homeless (and the weather is pretty moderate) or very poor people here in Melbourne. Yes, there are some housing projects for the new immigrant families, but I have yet to see a really bad part of this town of 3 million.

I am curious to compare how much I am being taxed here compared to the States. I bet it isn't more that 10% more. And heathcare professionals and charities here get some nice tax breaks (spendings of up to $9000 a year on things like rent, morgages, health insurance, car payements, etc. don't have to be taxed).

Work is going ok. Unfortunately, I will not be getting any of the post-cardiac surgery or really unstable patients while I am here, because I don't have the Australian post-graduate ICU certification. And, I have to go to classes once a month which are quite boring. However, it is nice to sit through an advanced life support class/simulation and not feel stressed. Overall, nurses in the ICU are not worked as hard as in the U.S. either. I have always had ample "tea breaks" and the nursing: patient ratios here are almost always 1:1 compared to 1:2 in the U.S. I was expecting it to be more overworked here as I have heard horror stories from British nurses, but this expectation was wrong.

They are kicking me out of the hospital library and so I'm off to a Greek lesson with Yiannis.

Christ is Risen.

I just want to give you my wishes for Pascha.May that we love God more these days and always, keep a warm heart toforgive others and celebrate Pascha in this spirit.

Of Yiannis and my few Australian acquantainces no one wanted to join us for a 3:00 am Paschal celebration ;), but all our food preparations are still at Yiannis apartment as we ended up accepting an invite from a Greek family last night after the Liturgy. It was nice experiencing the Greek traditions in a Greek home and I am finding the Greeks hospitable. I think it is because they feel for Yiannis having a American girlfriend who has no idea how to make all this Greek food :)!

Yiannis has also been looked after by a Greek family he made contact with here in Melbourne because of them both having a relationship with Father Theologos in Greece. So, today we are off to their parent's home for me to experience my first lamb on the spit. Thanks be to God for all this hospitality! We were also sent home with lots of pastries from other Greek ladies at church last night.

May I learn to be as warm as the love I have been receiving. Yiannis does have a 2nd-generation Greek/New Zeland officemate who we will be having over on Holy Monday. Though he didn't want to celebrate in the early hours of the morning, it will be nice to celebrate with him as well.

I learned the Paschal hymn in Greek before church last night, and I am glad I did! It was sung many, many, many times and it was nice to be able to join in the singing.

"Christ is Risen from the tomb, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the graves bestowing life."

Marissa Emily Alcala

It is tremendously sad to be half a world apart from one's family. My sister sent me this picture of her "baby" today. At least she was a "baby" when I saw her last. And on the topic of babies, I am very excited that Jonathan and Reagan (my eldest brother adn sister-in-law) are expecting #4. Congrats!

More Pictures from Melbourne

A Roman Catholic Church...there are a lot of Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches.




Who knows what this symbol represents?



Model of Captain Cook's Home

Picture from Beautiful Melbounre Garden.

All pictures compliments of my bettter half.

Typical Greek Lesson

Beth reads Greek word.
Beth asks Yiannis for translation of a word in the paragraph she doesn't know.
Yiannis gives Beth an English word to attempt to help her figure it out herself.
Beth doesn't know English word.
Yiannis gives definition for English word.

On a positive note, besides mostly just feeling stupid, I guess I should be thankful, that this Greek language learning will help my English vocabulary as well.

Yiannis does have a Greek accent, and sometimes I have to have him repeat a word before I understand it, but his English vocabulary I think exceeds my own!

Contact Info

My new address:

56 Munru Street
Ascot Vale, VIC
Australia 3032

Phone: 03-93467013

Do write or call. The time difference is 15 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time or 17 hours ahead of Central Time.

So far, I have yet to be in my apartment much, but if you leave a message with one of my lovely roommates (I am living with two lovely, middle-aged elderly women. One has just gone back to art school and one is a teacher. They are both hoping to set up studious in this cool garage behind the house.) I will give you a ring back :). I will be working some early morning shifts (0700-1530) and some evening (1315-2145) and eventually some 12 hour night shifts so I can't really say what is a good time to call on a usual basis.

From Down Under

Life seems to have its lulls and its peaks.

Currently, it feels like a bit of a whirlwind.

Thursday: Arrive in Melbourne; settled in place I sublet for a week; open bank account
Friday: Four appointments visited at places to live: Akathist attended
Saturday: Liturgy; chose a place to rent; discover my LONG awaited work visa has arrived and I am expected at work at 8:00 on Monday.
Sunday: Liturgy and a day of exploring a beautiful park in Melbourne; move in
Monday: WORK!!!!

I was hoping to have some more time to get settled before starting work, and nursing and medicine here is QUITE a bit different, though so far I am pretty impressed with how organized and structured and up-to-date these Aussies are.

I am glad to be here and enjoying the cultural aspect A LOT.

I guess I should allow myself to be in a state of shock for a while. I have just traveled around the world to be close to the man I love, and there is quite a bit to get used to even in this English speaking country. Of cousre, Yiannis has been a tremendous help and support.

Food, clothing, and general household necessity items prices are outrageous!

Ok...time to go figure out the cheapest Aussie health insurance I can get (mandatory before I am put on payroll). The make it much easier on the Britains coming to Australia for this type of thing :). As an American, I think the process has been a bit more difficult.

Pictures of Melbourne

Counting...

Eleven days until I arrive in Melbourne.
Nine days until I depart from Kansas.

It is nice to be preparing for this new adventure, after being uncertain about it for awhile. The timeline has not happened as speedily as I would have chosen. However, this time in Kansas has been lovely, and I'll still make it to Melbourne for the last week or so of summer :).

I think my nursing experience here in Kansas has been somewhat helpful as well. I transitioned from being a spoiled, UCLA, ICU nurse, to working at a small, hospital in Topeka where I probably burn 10x more calories a day :). In my opinion, many of the patients should be in intensive care, but instead they are cared for on the floor, and this puts a lot more stress and responsibility on the nurse who has 5-7 instead of her usually ICU 1-2 patients.

I have a feeling Aussie nursing will be more similar to this than to all the resources that were available to me at UCLA. I will be in intenesive care in Melbourne as well.

The Three Great Hierarchs

The Lives of the Three Great Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom (Translated from The Lives of the Saints in the Russian Language, According to the Menology of St. Dimitri of Rostov).

Published by Dormition Skete: Buena Vista, CO (ROCOR)

January 29 is the Feast Day of the Three Great Hierarchs. It was a joy to celebrate Vespers on their feast day last year at St. Barbara’s monastery with friends from St. Michael in Whittier. Besides hearing Father Josiah of St. Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside, some friends from UCLA were there as well, and the trip was more than enjoyable.

On another note, I was blessed to see that there is an Eastern Orthodox presence in Buena Vista, Colorado. I spent a month in this beautiful, isolated, country town in the summer of 1997 volunteering at a Young Life family retreat center. I ended up being the "baker" for the month and loved making fresh bread every morning and cookies in the afternoon. I rejoice that prayer is going on in this mountain village day and night and thank God for having spent time (though unaware at the time) in this particular mountain town.

Regarding this particular book, it is enjoyable as it is full of narratives regarding events in the lives of each of these Great Saints. I loved the story of St. Basil after embracing the Christian faith, returned to where he had received his philosophical training in Athens and began discoursing with his former teacher Ebbulus and revealed to him the truth of the Christian faith. The obedience of St. Gregory to the wishes of his pious parents that prevented him from leaving for a more secluded monastic life, show an ancient example of the importance of loving those around us so that we may confess Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And lastly, St. John Chrysostom’s boldness that led him to being exiled twice and ultimately to his death and the final translations of his relics back to Constantinople reveal a life that brought the Gospel to the world.

And in answer to the question if the gift of "speaking in tongues" has taken place since Pentecost we find an example when St. Ephraim the Syrian goes to visit St. Basil:

"When afterwards, at Basil’s residence, they sat down to eat, the venerable Ephraim said to the holy Basil: "Most holy father, one favor alone do I ask of thee; be gracious enough to grant it to me!" Basil the Great replied to him: "Say what thou needest. I am greatly obliged to thee for thine effort, for it is for my sake that thou hast undertaken so long a journey." " I know father," said the right-honored Ephraim, "that God grantest thee all thou askest of Him; and I wish that thou wouldst entreat His goodness, that He grant me the ability to speak Greek." ...

"Choosing an auspicious time, they began to pray in church and spent a considerable time in prayer. Then the great Basil said: "Honored father, why dost thou not accept ordination to the priestly rank, for thou art worthy thereof?" Because I am a sinful man, O master, "Ephraim answered him through the interpreter. "O, if only I had only thy sins!" said Basil, and added: "Let us make a prostration to the ground." When they had cast themselves down, the holy Basil placed his hand upon the head of the venerable Ephraim and uttered the prayer appointed for the ordination of a deacon. Then he said to the venerable one: "Now do thou give the command that we rise from the ground." At that moment Ephraim suddenly began to understand the Greek language, and he himself said in Greek: "Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us O God, by Thy grace. Everyone glorified God, Who had given Ephraim the ability to understand and to speak in Greek."

"The Feasts of Memory"

The Feasts of Memory: Stories of a Greek Family by Elias Kulukundis

The tales of this Greek family come from the small island of Kasos, situated to the northeast of Crete and to the southwest of Rhodes. The largest impressions from these stories are how the life on an island differs from one who lives on the mainland. Islanders seem more prone to religious superstition, xenita or loss of the native land as the nearby sea draws them away, but they are less drastically affected by the devastation of war.

This book is worth reading for a few of its hilarious stories, but none is more comical yet tragic than "The Hollow Crown" or the story of the most eligible bachelor on the island and his search for his wife. I am tempted to relay the story, but I think it would be more fun passing it on through the oral route, and by story-telling abilities need to be practiced more :). So, feel free to ask me in person to relay this story and remind me of the words proxenia and mandinadhas and the words of the bachelor’s mother:

"The girl you marry will be clever and obedient, respectful and intelligent. She must have not only a house and a dowry, but also fields and vineyards falling to her name in all the regions of the island. She must have mills and sheepfolds, chapels and holy icons and many gold napoleons woven on her breast with golden thread. She must be the first daughter of a first daughter, descended in direct lineage from a noble Kasiot family, a true princess of the island."

And let me not forget the names of the two girls: Marika Yeroyioryis and Fifika Phillipides, the custom not being able to marry during Great Lent, and of the response of two unsuspecting bachelors: Pavlos the tailor and Kosta the cobbler.

Ice Skating and my Australian Visa

I received notification of my "nomination number" yesterday evening which gives me to go ahead to complete the final step of getting to Australia.

And it has been QUITE the process.

I filled out the final application this morning, and at the same time accepted a 6 hour nursing shift for the afternoon. Well, of course, it took me longer than expected, and I rushed out of my house to make two needed stops before work. As usual, being in a hurry was pretty detrimental.

Five minutes later, I was ice skating while sitting in my car, and promtly landed in the ditch. Hooray...it had to happen sooner or later on these ice-ridden, dirt roads :). I was going pretty slow, and though I knew I was sliding, I thought I could continue to slide around the corner. Instead, I did a 360 turn and barely missed hitting a stop sign.

But the virtues of Kansans didn't take long to manifest themselves, as soon, I had three men, and three trucks pulled over and with the help of some chains and a truck, in ten minutes I was back on the road again.

So, now I am sitting in Kinkos, and though there is a small question I have before I can "lodge" my application, I will still be at work on time and hopefully will be looking for airplane tickets tonight. Lord willing, this part of the visa process will go faster.

Father Cleopa

Shepherd of Souls: The Life and Teaching of Elder Cleopa Master of Inner Prayer and Spiritual Father of Romania (1912-1998) by Archimandrite Ioanichie Balan

This book is highly recommendable due to the great spiritual insight of Elder Cleopa, and the help the book gives in understanding the Romanian Orthodox Church’s history. When I became Eastern Orthodox no one was more startled than my Protestant, Romanian friends (whether Baptist or Pentecostal) who have been taught that the children they were raised with who were Orthodox had a spirituality that was ritualistic and meaningless. I have heard more than one Romanian express the understanding that Orthodox are people who cross themselves when they see a church, but whose religion goes little beyond that outward ritual. So, now I have a Romanian Orthodox figure to introduce them to (if they are so interested) to help them gain a better understanding of the depths of Orthodox Christianity that have been painfully planted in their country over the centuries.

Most of this book is about the life of Father Cleopa but the last chapter is his words and instructions which cause one to want to read more of this personal writings. Father Cleopa’s life was one of humility, suffering, discipline, and love for Christ and the Church. He learned the teachings of the Fathers of the Church while being a shepherd at a monastery, and he learned suffering from having to flee into the forest on several occasions where he remained over a period of several years to prevent being arrested by the Communists. Here are a few of my favorite short quotes from the book:

When someone wanted to take a picture of the Elder, Fr. Cleopa would say to him, "Look for a donkey, take its picture, and write on it ‘Cleopa’".

When asked by the faithful whether it was good to read the Psalter, Father Cleopa would say, "St. Basil the Great says that ‘it is better for the sun to stop its journey than for the Psalter to remain unread in the homes of Christians.’ Let us approach the Psalter like we eat a good cake. When you are hungry, you cut another piece and eat a little more; likewise do a little more work and then read another kathisma, or two or three, as many as you can."

Father Cleopa: "Have the heart of a son toward God, the mind of a judge toward yourself, and toward your neighbor, the heart of a mother."

"Let us have the conviction that every moment we anger God. Without this humility from the heart, we cannot be saved."

Christmas Two out of Three for the Hupps...

Sledding, anyone?

"Eleni"

Eleni: A Savage War, A Mother’s Love, and A Son’s Revenge: A Personal Story
By Nicholas Gage

Village culture has traditionally provided the framework in which Greeks understand the world, and it is an honor to be able through the investigations of the author to be drawn into an understanding of the culture of the village Lia in Northern Greece. Lia is a village in the Mourgana Mountain range near the Albanian border. The story begins in the early 1940s and follows the events of the Gazoyiannis family from their pre-WWII peaceful existence to the uprising of the Communist party, through WWII, and finally through the brutality that came with the civil war between the Communists and the Conservative Nationalists.

It is the story of a mother trying to raise four girls and a boy in the midst of this intense time of struggle without the help of her husband, who is working in New York.

Russia was the only Allied country to suffer more than Greece during WWII with over 8% of the population dying either directly from the hand of the Germans or indirectly from starvation due to the plundering of their resources (Broome, 1996). However, what startled me most was the internal conflict that was brewing in Greece even during the Greeks proud moment of resistance to Mussolini’s forces in 1940 and the subsequent German occupation in 1941. Internal fighting between EDES (Conservative Nationalists) and ELES (Communists) had already begun, and after the collapse of the country in WWII they intensified their efforts to take over the vacuum of power that had been created in Greece.

The Gazoyiannis family ends up being in the center of this conflict as the Communist forces root themselves into the Mourgana Mountains. Eleni had the sense to flee Lia in June of 1947 when she feared that the Communists were coming back, but her husband in America writes:

“You have no business going anywhere. If they’re fighting in the spring right above the house, you stay in your home with your children. After all who are these andartes (the Communist fighters)? They’re Greeks, fellow villagers some of them, fighting for their rights. I have worked for my living all my life and never bothered anyone. Why should they bother my family?”

When the Communist indeed come back Eleni’s father flees without even saying good-bye to his daughter, her brother-in-law selfishly refuses to be burdened with the responsibility of some of Eleni’s children, and finally when a kind friend offers to take Eleni’s two oldest girls (knowing that the Communists will most likely draft them into service), Eleni rushes home to get them ready. However, her husband’s instruction not to flee the city, and the indecency of allowing her daughters to travel with a non-related male who they had no business even talking to according to village custom, made her change her mind.

For most Western females her decision is astounding, yet, the village culture, is not so easily discarded for Eleni even in the midst a time when the chief principle is one of self-preservation.

Under the occupation of the Communists, life in Lia becomes a nightmare. The Gazoyiannis home is chosen as the headquarters for the party, and eventually they are kicked out of their home. The two eldest daughters are forced to be conscripted as soldiers (and wear pants…shocking!), and only the brilliant act of Eleni of pouring boiling water over her daughter Olga’s foot and when that is unsuccessful in crippling her, the hot coals of the fire burned onto the foot by the grandmother, are able to save at least one of the children from being drafted. The deterioration of trust between the villagers who have lived their entire lives in close proximity to one another is most tragic as they betray each other for the sake of their own survival.

The controversial "pedomasoma" or literally “the gathering up of children” policy stated that all children between the ages of three and fourteen in the occupied regions of northern Greece would be collected and sent to “people’s democracies” behind the Iron Curtain in order to protect them from conservatives. When Eleni was told that she was expected to send her youngest son Nickoli away she understood that she needed to escape from the village. Though their were guards stationed around the perimeter, skirmishes almost nightly nearby with the conservative troops, and mine fields surrounding the village slopes she conspires with a relative to plan the escape.

The details of the escape will not be discussed, but from the beginning of the novel the author never hides the fact that his mother ended up being tortured and killed by the Communists in her own village but is successful in saving her family.

I was hesitant to read this book initially, as the author (a former New York Times investigative reporter) conducts his entire investigation of the events of the village in the hope of discovering who is culpable for his mother’s murder. However, the confrontation between the author and the one responsible for his mother’s death does take place at the end of the novel, and he prevails in embodying the spirit of his fierce yet loving mother.

In a simple, secluded village, we find a cosmos. The abyss of the human soul and the tragedy of civilians in the midst of a revolution come to life in this historic novel.

The Princess and the Goblins: by George Macdonald

One of the nicest things about my move to Kansas as I continue to wait for my Australian business visa, is the added time in this State to read, and study Greek. I have started working as a "registry nurse" and even when I commute to a different city, my commute is incomparably better than my commute from Whittier to West Los Angeles that I was making the past few months. Plus, I have no friends my age here, thus most of my evening are spent at my desk and sitting on my bed reading and talking on the phone. Winter in the city of Topeka, Kansas simply does not offer many distractions. My hope is to post some reflections on some of the books I have been reading.
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The Princess and the Goblins: by George MacDonald

I feel I missed out as a child by not being introduced to George MacDonald’s fairy tales, but the present joy of reading them and giving them as gifts to my nephew easily removes any lurking resentment.

George MacDonald’s writing make the soul feel light and simple. It makes the soul want to wholeheartedly embrace goodness. For example the following sentence is a good example of the way moral truths are plainly stated: “Not to be believed does not at all agree with a princess; for a real princess cannot lie.” In isolation, this line sounds a bit dull, but in the context of the mysterious and unfolding story they are not read as boring, moral mandates.

However, perhaps I should begrudge not reading these stories when I was younger. Though I can gain enjoyment from George MacDonald’s style and creativity, is my soul as mutable as a 27 year-old to reflecting the goodness it sees in these books as it would have been as a young child? Perhaps not “as”, yet I don’t want to believe that I am wasting my time by reading these delightful, simple works.

At one point Curdie does not believe in and is not able to see the existence of Princess Irene’s “grandmother.” He has no reason not to trust the words of the princess, and thus comes to see he is in the wrong for discrediting her. Later, his own lack of belief comes to haunt him when his words that are needed to save the princess’ life are taken as delusional by the King’s guards.

Though this lesson of the importance of placing trust in those who are trustworthy is nice, the grandmother’s words to the princess upon helping her be compassionate toward Curdie’s lack of ability to see the truth are even nicer:

“But in the meantime, you must be content to be misunderstood for a while. We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary.”

“What is that grandmother?”

“To understand other people.”

“Yes, grandmother. I must be fair—for if I’m not fair to other people, I’m not worth being understood myself, I see. So as Curdie can’t help it, I will not be vexed with him, but just wait.”