Author Archives: jordan
Meet & Greet
Welcome to a new/another year at Duke! Join us for popsicles and yard games!
The Super Bowl
Q. What is football? A. (jokingly) A game played by two teams of eleven participants each, wearing much protective gear[1], who are desperately in need of rest while being watched by (in person and via TV by millions of spectators who are desperately in need of physical activity. Q. Why is it called a football? …
Spring – Nowruz
Several years ago we hosted a Nowruz gathering. An energetic group of students and spouses from Kazakhstan invited a large number of guests to taste, sing, dance, learn and laugh while sampling the cultural festival. What fun we all had! Since then I find myself paying a bit more attention to the first day of …
Not My Holiday #2
MLK Day, January 18, 2021. How much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Named after his father Martin Luther King, his first and middle names also recall a significant person from the early 16th century – in the Western world at least. But that’s for another chat. Some refer to MLK as …
Not My Holiday
I admit that may have been my first thought, when: Six months after moving to Ethiopia, my wife and I found ourselves with a day off from language study for Timket (Amharic: ጥምቀት), the Orthodox Church’s celebration of the occasion centuries earlier when Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan. During a three-week visit in …
A Brief Conversation
B. What’s the date today? A. Today is December 22, 2020. (depending on when you see this) B. Got it. What does the 2020 signify? A. Short answer: 450+ years ago Pope Gregory instituted a new calendar system throughout the Western world. The new way of dating would begin with the [approximate] birth of Jesus. …
Winter Break: What to do?
The semester came to end 3 weeks ago, you have (hopefully) caught up on sleep and rest and now, in consciousness of growing COVID numbers, you’re bored and looking for safe, distanced things to do. Enter, our Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) Things to Do Post! Below we have listed a number of drive-through/walk-by/virtually view …
Columbus Day
October 12 in the United States might come across as a confusing day. For years, the United States recognized October 12 as Columbus Day, the day to celebrate when Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas (Cuba area) on his quest to find a faster route to India. It used to be celebrated as a day …
Labor Day
Today, Monday, September 7, you may hear someone wish you a Happy Labor Day. What is Labor Day and why do American’s celebrate it? Labor Day is a national holiday that pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. The History of Labor …