Friday, November 15, 2013

Two Rocks

That is the only souvenir I brought back from Afghanistan: two rocks. That is about all I could find while I was there, partly because I was in the hinterlands and partly because the country is impoverished to the point of having little of the range of normal "souvenirs" that I might bring back. There were some high end items, such as rugs and shawls, very modestly priced, but these are not the typical things I bring back. These are things specifically made for tourists, and I prefer back to bring back artifacts of daily life. So, I brought back rocks.

Yet, even had I been able to find some others things, I may have chosen to bring back rocks, anyway. There is something special about bringing back a rock: it is a piece of the land. There is certainly nothing more Afghani than a piece of the country's desert or mountains.

My catechism students understood this very well on some deep level. Last year when I went to Bahrain, I told them I would bring them back anything (within financial reason) that they would like. They asked for rocks! There were many souvenirs I could have purchased easily for them. Instead, one of my good Bahraini friends and I spent an extremely enjoyable evening hunting for the very best rocks on the beaches around Manama. (An island has no lack of beaches -- or rocks.) So, instead of bringing back a curiosity or tourist's treasure, for my students I brought back rocks, uh, a physical piece of Bahrain.

As for the two rocks I brought back from Afghanistan, they will proudly join the rock I plucked years ago from the Yambash River in Turkmenistan near the Iranian border. I may have left both countries, but with my rocks, the countries will never leave me. Now, what could be a better souvenir?

9 comments:

  1. How very interesting to hold onto a piece of the earth! There's something very meaningful in that! It's as if you could build your own model of the world, piece by piece, by saving a lasting souvenir from each place you visit!

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  2. I had not thought of that, Anne. I suppose I could! You are up very early!! (Or are going to bed very, very late.) What is keeping you awake?

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  3. your post reminded me of something my younger sister and i did for my mother's birthday once back in the 70s. we collected little white rocks for her and put them in a pretty mug for her birthday. we had seen a show once where a girl collected little white rocks and polished them and gave them to her mom for a present. so, influenced we did the same thing. it was a good memory. thanks.

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  4. I have brought back rocks from a couple of my trips, too. I remember my daughter at 4 years old grabbing a BIG rock from a friend's pasture! Jesus said, "Upon this rock, I will build my church." Plus the rock is a visual reminder to pray for that area.

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  5. Oh dear that 's really good. Now you have a peice of Afganistan with you (smile).
    In India you can find thousands of very cheap momentos to tak back.

    An uncle of mine is travelling to the Holy Land I aske d him to bring back seeds from there and water from Jacob 's well etc.

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  6. Tooo cool...... Awesome souvenir!
    Awesome trip as well it sounds like!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Yeah... another non-shopper!


    God Bless,

    Holly :)

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  7. Thanks for sharing your memory, Michele.

    Interesting thoughts, Misslynda. So you go after rocks, too!

    Did the seeds grow, Amrita?

    Thanks, Holly. Yep, another non-shopper!

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  8. Hi Elizabeth, my uncle will go to the Holy Land next month. I have just made a request.Hope he remembers it.

    A lady once gave us a fig tree sapling which originated in the HolyLand and we had a huge fig tree in our back yard. But for some reason my parents had it cut down, maybe to make space for a vegetable plot

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  9. Ha! That reminds me of my youngest step-daughter, Sydney. She tends to pick up rocks from places we go hiking or walking: the lake, the trails, etc. I guess rocks have a special meaning. A piece of the place she is enjoying, taking back with her good memories!

    Doris

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