Mus-eum-ings
I volunteer at a local Mennonite Museum where various tourists drop in to watch an educational video and wander through the self-guiding exhibit. I would love to be a guide and explain the exhibits as the guests walk through, but the nature of the place is that I need to stay at the front door, start the video for people and answer questions. I encourage people to come to me with their questions after their walk through and I also welcome people's questions as they enter off the street. The questions deal almost exclusively with the stereotypical Amish and Old Order Mennonite lifestyle of the local residents who inadvertently draw the tourists in to town in the first place. At my post this past Sunday, I had some interesting conversations which I will try to transcribe here.

The first guy explained that he grew up in Romania. He looked to be in his mid thirties. He wasn't really all that drawn to Mennonites perse, but he wanted to see people who lived a similar lifestyle to what he saw in Romania in his childhood. He saw the Amish lifestyle as "romantic" because of his own upbringing instead of a glamourized Hollywood portrayal somewhere. He didn't see it as an honourable way of life or a cutesy lifestyle. The voluntary nature of their way of living was irrelevant because it reminded him of a time when he lived that way as a result of poverty, not as an act of conscience.
When he asked why there weren't out and about, I told him that they would all be home resting or visiting with other people since it was the Sabbath. He corrected me saying that the Sabbath was the day before. I wasn't going to get into it over that, and he knew what I meant, so I let it go.

The next couple was of Japanese origin. First the husband showed me a brochure of the town and asked me how to pronounce the name in English. After I said it carefully, he began repeating it until he felt he had adequately got it. Then his wife explained to me the appearance of a couple she had seen earlier on the sidewalk. She asked me which religion they were. I explained that they were likely from a conservative group of Mennonites. Upon hearing that her husband asked me to explain to him their way of life. As I outlined to him a few details, he nodded his head as though he already knew what I was going to say, but still astonished that I was saying it. Afterwards he said that other people had told him about Mennonites before, but he didn't believe it.

The final couple of note was a Welsch couple who had since moved to Canada. They noted to me how silly it seemed to them as Europeans that this 200 year old town with its Victorian era-esque shops, was a historical destination for tourists. They went to explain that life in the "New World" made them appreciate the historial value of European town when they go back to visit. They also learned to appreciate more sentimental moments like watching a sunset or spending time with family and friends. They were drawn to observe the Mennonite way of life because of those values. They also went to discuss the declining morality in the Western World. They bemoaned the fact that the era of individuals' rights was beginning to fail and that perhaps another method would be best suited for the present reality. The interesting part was that their displeasure had arisen from being mistreated themselves, from a moral superiority, or even from religious convictions, they were simply observations.

I think that I often get more out of my few hours of volunteering than the tourists who drop in with questions.

   [ posted by William @ 12:31 AM ]