Change We Can Believe In

One of the interesting things about living abroad for the past two years has been seeing our electoral process through the eyes of citizens of other nations. There is great interest in this election and there is great interest in Barack Obama. The McCain campaign continues to pummel Obama on his perceived “celebrity,” but in my mind, having 200,000 people show up to hear him speak in Berlin is an attribute and a testament to his character, not a detriment. The world is ready to be rid of the Bush presidency and be inspired by something new. I have been following Barack since his famous 2004 DNC speech and as the 2008 election cycle began, I wondered if he’d be able to make it through at such an early stage of his political career. He quickly silenced my doubts with his strong integrity and his inspirational message of Hope. Certain people like to be cynical about this message, but honestly, if you don’t have hope what do you have? It is the foundation of the Christian faith and it is how we should look toward the future – with the hope and belief that things will get better and that we don’t have to be stuck with the way they are now (not just in America, but abroad as well). The more and more I read and viewed, the more I realized that this is indeed the right candidate for America. Barack Obama is a role model, and despite the mud being slung his way this week, I am proud to support him. My hometown of Pickerington recently opened an Obama For America office, and while I’m in the process of portfolio-updating and job-searching, I’m volunteering there a few days a week. (If anyone in the area is interested in getting involved in the campaign, I encourage you to drop by.)

Following last week’s Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama and Joe Biden traveled to Ohio making a stop north of Columbus at Dublin Coffman High School on Saturday. In a Labor Day weekend filled with family, friends, baseball, and other excitement, it would have been hard to top the opportunity to see these candidates in person. Adam and Julie, newly returned from their year abroad in England, joined me in the early afternoon and we made the trip. We arrived around 3:00 and spend a few hours in line and then inside the football stadium before the event got started around 6:30. We were fortunate to be on the field and very close to the podium. The excitement of the event was palpable and the diversity of the crowd was inspiring. There were ages ranging from babies to senior citizens and a wide spectrum of ethnicities represented. Not only that, but the crowd was remarkably courteous, respectful of one another and exhibiting nothing close to the “anger” that the folks at the RNC seem to think defines the Democratic party.

The rally began with the pledge of allegiance followed by a prayer before several of the area’s Democratic candidates had a turn to speak to the crowd. Finally, Ohio’s Senator John Glenn took the stage and gave a fine speech endorsing and introducing Biden and Obama. The candidates spoke about their vision for the country and reprised several of the key points from the DNC. Ultimately, Barack reminded us that he’s running for the people and it’s up to us to spread the message of change and hope.

Ghandi said you must be the change you wish to see in the world. A defeatist attitude helps no one. I strongly believe that we have the power to change the planet and to indeed be part of God’s kingdom breaking through to this world in which we live. While it would certainly be naive to think that this election can fix everything, it is a huge piece of the puzzle. Together we can make a difference and a better tomorrow. Yes, we can.

Some photos taken by the three of us:





Me and Adam, pleased with how close we were to the stage




Senator Glenn









And an inspirational video highlighting the grassroots movement for change:

Such Great Heights

Some time ago now (at the end of June), Adam and Julie returned to Geneva for take 2 of paragliding (an item on my "things to do before I die” list). As you might recall, they had come through towards the end of March and we made an unsuccessful attempt thwarted by wind and rain.

This time, however, was much more successful. In short, we had gorgeous weather and great flights. We again headed to Interlaken and it proved a wise choice as the beauty of our surroundings was unsurpassed.

I won’t do much in the way of descriptions because in this case, the pictures are worth much more than anything I could attempt to describe. I will, however, say this: somewhat counter-intuitively, paragliding was one of the least frightening and most fun things I’ve ever done. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I’d be jumping off a cliff, but the truth is you just need to run down a gentle slope and the parachute just lifts you off the ground in a way I can only describe as “magical.” I highly recommend it.


En route to our departure point


Preparing for flight


Julie lifts off


The rest of the group getting into the thermal lift area


My flight instructor Dominick and I over the city




I even got to take the reigns for a few minutes to steer; fun stuff


another aerial view of Interlaken


amazing

After touching down and having another great rösti, we headed back to Geneva to go to a friend’s going away party.
In addition, being back in Geneva allowed us the chance to do some other fun activities on Sunday. One thing that it took me that long to finally get around to was exploring the Salève, a mountain just across the border in France. We didn’t have time to both ascend and descend on foot, so we took the funicular up and hiked down. It was another breath-taking day with some spectacular vistas.


Le Salève from below


Geneva from atop the mountain

Finally, that evening before Adam and Julie returned to London, we had the chance to stop by a music festival sponsored by AMR, the school that puts on the Tuesday jazz jam sessions. It was a nice way to end the weekend, relaxing with beer and friends.


The Porrs


Me and Adam enjoying some tasty Calvinus

Barcelona, Spain

It’s now been almost two full months(!) since my parents and I ventured to Barcelona following their stay in Switzerland. In total, we spent about three days there as a family before they departed on a Mediterranean cruise with some of their friends and I joined friends of my own for the weekend.

All told, I enjoyed Barcelona quite a bit, but I’m glad I had previously been to Madrid because it doesn’t feel distinctly Spanish in the same way that the capital does. Barca is a much more international city of the ilk of New York, Paris or London. However, it does have a lot going for it beginning and ending with the architecture of Antonio Gaudi. A major presence in the city, his version of Art Nouveau uses undulating organic forms to evoke various natural elements. Underlying steel skeletons allowed his genius to take almost any form he desired on the buildings’ surfaces.

While in town, we did a lot including a Gaudi tour, the Picasso museum (which featured a great temporary exhibit of artists riffing on Velazquez’s Las Meninas), a nighttime bus tour, a trip outside the city to the spiritual center Montserrat, and time browsing around Las Ramblas and the general vicinity of our hotel. When I joined Kara and her boyfriend Sergio for the weekend we took a bike tour which took us to the beach and also climbed up to the center of the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Five days is a lot of time and I have a lot of photos, but in the interest of brevity (and in an attempt to try and get myself update sometime soon) I’m just going to post a few of my favorites here.


Joan Miro mosaic on Las Ramblas


Christopher Columbus column


an underpass at Gaudi’s Parc Guell, originally conceived as a housing development


one of the city’s unofficial symbols is this lizard (part of a fountain) at the park


proving that fact, here’s a street performer dressed as that lizard




detail from the newly completed Passion side of the Sagrada Familia church which Gaudi devoted the end of his life to (this facade was done by Josep Subirachs


nighttime detail of his Casa Batlló


Montserrat


the famous Black Madonna


a fence on the grounds which is almost certain supposed to evoke the crown of thorns




The “Magic Fountain” near the Olympic Village. Quite a spectacle (though not quite as cool as the Belagio in Vegas)


Kara trying a milkshake at a chocolate museum we toured


Olympic Stadium


Kara and me in front of Barca’s arc de triomph on our bike tour


Finally, this ad was everywhere the whole time we were there, so Sergio and I had to get our picture with the lovely Vanesa (apparently a Spanish soap star)

Florence, Italy

The train ride from Pisa to Florence is only about an hour so we had a full day upon our arrival. After finding Andy and Julie’s hotel, we headed off for the Accademia which is home to Michelangelo’s David. We had booked tickets online a few months prior but had a slight mishap when we got to the ticket counter. Seems that our reservations were for the Accademia in Venice. Oops. Even so, the ticket guy let us re-buy admission without having to wait in the really long non-reservation line so despite paying a little extra we didn’t lose any time.

Turns out the only really notable thing in the gallery is David. Even so, it was worth the price of admission. Out of all the famous buildings and pieces of art I’ve seen since I’ve been in Europe, the David is the most impressive/least disappointing. The larger-than-life size certainly helps, but the shear artistry of the thing is phenomenal.

Following that, we headed to the Duomo and then grabbed lunch at a little place our good pal Rick Steves recommended. Good choice, Rick. The afternoon took us to the Uffizi Gallery which includes Botticelli’s Birth of Venus among others. It was alright, but I’m starting to think that I might not really care for Renaissance art that much after all. At least they had some really nice Caravaggios (including the Sacrifice of Isaac).

We also took time to wander across the Ponte Vecchio, eat more gelatto, and climb the steep hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offers a magnificent view of the city. Before too long, it was time to grab dinner and jump on the airport bus so I could return to Geneva. The Daubenmires would continue on to Rome, but my midweek journey had to end here.


Duomo


front of the church


nice candelabras


the interior of the dome


crowd in front of the baptistry


close-up of one of the bronze door reliefs (replicas of the originals, apparently)


Alessi creates the greatest knife-holder ever


Replica David




Perseus slaying Medusa


UC has two little lion statues at McMicken Hall which are kind of unofficial school mascots. They are based on this guy. Here, I display a bit of UC pride.


the Ponte Vecchio


maybe the most dramatic statue ever. The dying guy’s hand is amazing




Beautiful view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo


the Daubenmires on the hill


another David replica which caps the whole thing off