Bell, continued

I have finished the reading relating to Gertrude Bell and her exploits. I want to reiterate just how wonderful it was to read her account! It was well written, entertaining, and easy to read. Her portrayals of the thoughts and opinions of the people she traveled with were vivid and engaging. I really feel as if I understand just a little bit more of this mysterious culture. The talk we had about Bell on Wednesday was really interesting and I enjoyed everyone's opinions and takes on different passages in her account. I would really have liked the writing exercise I did in class to be my blog for this week, but alas, we handed it in and I can't remember exactly what I wrote. The point that was made about middle-eastern eating habits sticks out in my memory. It is really interesting the contrast between Western culture thinking that eating a whole lot of food is good for you and the best way to remain healthy and the Eastern culture seeing excessive eating as somewhat of a weakness and should only be used for company. Looking forward a few hundred years, we see that in the West, obesity reigns supreme and people are very unhealthy, whereas the East still eat sparingly and much healthier and are hardier, not to mention thinner, than the West. The inverse meaning behind something as simple as eating is incredibly intriguing and gives me more of a diversity in the analyzing of motives. It was shown to me that, in all things, there is meaning that should be honored and repeated if we want to make progress with other people from other cultures. Looking forward to the wrap up and the next leg of our continuing journey.

A Different Point of View

I have just finished reading Bell's first two chapters and biography regarding her travels in the Middle East. I really enjoy her form of writing. It is entertaining, descriptive and informative all at the same time. When I printed out the selection, I was thinking that it was going to be a lot of reading, ick. Then, I started reading. Her flowy and descriptive writing style sucked me right into her story and it felt as if I was sitting around the fire in the cave with her and the men, discussing the weather and gossip of the day. She really is engaging and entertaining. I love her detailed descriptions of the ruins and other structures that she encounters. At this point, you don't see so much of her tragic love story shining through, but you certainly see her intellect and love of exploring places she has never been before. So far, I am really enjoying this author. It is also interesting to see the subtle differences in descriptions and opinions from the turn of the century versus victorian writing. Though Bell is extremely detailed and engaging, it doesn't seem to be infused with so much grandeur like her Victorian counterparts. Bell seems to focus more on practicalities, architecture and history, rather than the "quaintness" of the mysterious culture surrounding her. Though she does comment on different qualities and rituals of the culture, she doesn't seem to be so in awe of it. She seems more interested as a third party historical witness, than an interpreter of culture. The difference really is interesting to see. The discussion this evening should be really interesting.