Alas, I have fallen victim to the trap. I wrote a laudatory, yet pretty much non-specific, account of my Chautauqua experience: highly unsatisfactory. Fortunately for me (I think), I have friends who do not balk at letting me know when I have fallen short. Thank you all. I shall mend my ways.
First, I have to say that I was not totally on board the Chautauqua Express when it left the station. The concept was sound enough, but when I looked at the theme for week 5, I was disconcerted. Pakistan. Uh-huh. Not a topic I would have selected. Unlike JC, I have a low tolerance for history and geography (perhaps because geography was my only sub-par grade in elementary school, but I digress..) and devoting a week to the study of Pakistan, while laudable, did not throw me into paroxysms of joy. Sure, it would be good for me to learn more about this area of the world, particularly in light of the Afghan war. But..spinach and brussels sprouts are good for me, too, and I have yet to dine out on them for a full week. I consoled myself with the thought of other areas of study--or even just the leisure to catch up on my reading.
I studied the Special Studies catalog and found lots of classes that I could get excited about. Unfortunately most of them were scheduled in the "Any week but week 5" timeslot. Billy Collins, for heaven's sake, was a writer-in-residence--Week One. Not my week. But I managed to find a class or two that sounded appealing: introduction to drawing, and one on tips and tricks for the iPad. I could deal. And so I did.
We arrived on Saturday morning and immediately scheduled ourselves for a bus tour to orient ourselves. We received some invaluable advice. If you're walking uphill, you're headed toward the gate; downhill, the lake--and if the ground is level, you're traveling east or west. Helpful. We also got the lowdown on how Chautauqua began, what it was like in the early days (arrive by steamer, tents on platforms, education for Sunday School teachers) and how it has progressed through the years.
Once on our own again, we got our copy of the Daily Chautauquan newspaper; then, the calendar of events for the week; and a holder for our gate pass so it would be at the ready for any and all comings and goings. We got lunch at one of the shops on the square, and walked around to locate the amphitheater and the Hall of Philosophy, as most of the lectures were divided between those two places. (Let me say at this point that absolutely everyone we encountered was uniformly thrilled to be there, and ready to proselytize. Talk about 'drinking the Kool-Aid'!!! They were dispensing it right, left, and center.) The first crack in my armor had been the quiet, and the beautiful houses, and the porches and gardens. The second was the bookstore. It is always easy to lose myself--and a pile of money--in a bookstore, and this one was full of tempting titles.
What did me in were the lectures. I did not attend all of them (my classes were unfortunately scheduled in such a way--unintentionally--that I missed most of the afternoon talks) The ones I did get to were intelligent, thoughtful, and even occasionally humorous...more like informal conversations than lectures. The speakers were, without exception, well-qualified and interesting. I learned more about Pakistan and its issues (and our own) than I ever knew I wanted to know. The key was the fact that speakers were scheduled to give a variety of perspectives: a CNN commentator, a former ambassador to the U.S., a member of the Pakistani parliament, and a former diplomat, now a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. To listen to the varied presentations, to be able to ask questions and use the information to synthesize an opinion...this is the way citizens should become informed on the issues of the day..but we seldom get the opportunity to listen to primary sources, to obtain information that is unfiltered by the media.
My classes turned out to be the least exciting aspect of the week. The drawing class was disappointing. I'd had similar classes before, and while I'd hoped for a refresher, I was more bored than refreshed. I stopped attending the class in mid-week. The iPad class was more productive; I picked up any number of useful tidbits that I can put to good use.
Along the way, I joined the longest-running book club in the country, Chautauqua Literary Arts and Sciences. To be a member, you need to read four books a year off the Chautauqua list (extending back to the mid-19th century and added to each year.) If you fulfill this requirement for four years (not necessarily sequential) you have the option of joining a 'class' and 'graduating' in a ceremony at the Hall of Philosophy one summer.
Anyone who knows me knows that food would be a consideration. It really wasn't, however. Most of our meals were informally thrown together--a sandwich here, a bowl of soup there, fruit and cheese and of course, wine. We had dinner one night at a fine restaurant not too far away--La Fleur--a charming French place with outstanding food. On our last night, we visited an Italian seafood place on the lake. The food wasn't special, but scenery makes up for a lot of culinary faults. And the 'Italian Nachos' ( a mountain of deep-fried pasta layered with Alfredo sauce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, peppers and sausage) were worth the trip.
And that was the week. In closing, I'd mention a story told me by a woman who had been a regular for some years. She said that she always emerged refreshed at the end of the week, and that one year, on her way home, she was driving along, feeling good, feeling energized, when she looked down and realized that she was driving along at 15 mph down the highway. Now THAT is relaxation.
| This is a copy of an advertisement for Chautauqua found in a travel guide to Washington, DC, in 1908. It still holds true today. |
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