To Hades

Hades, my dear Hades,

It's been five months since we are far from each other. The time is long away from you, but we both know the choice of Zeus. There are only a few times before to meet us again and live happy. Hades, I miss you. Earth needs me to live, without the spring, there is no harvest and therefore no life. Pomegranate I ate before leaving Hell is our eternal love and you must never forget, even in my absence. And if you miss me, remember that pomegranate is the fruit of our love, it will make you happy and you will smile until my return. You know that it is very hard for me also to live away from you, my Hades. But here I must be strong. Oh Hades, the time seems to me very long without you. I feel alone, and lost, and distraught. I count every day that separates us. The leaves will begin to fall, and when the first will fall, it will be the sign that it is time for me to join you. Hades, here everything is colorful and beautiful, I would appreciate the landscape and this life, but I cannot. Because you're not here.

Fortunately, we'll see very quickly.

I love you.

Your Persephone.

A different way of life

“You will not conform to this world which will surround you”

The Amish are a community who live in North America, a little « different » compared to others Americans. Indeed, the case of Amish is particular, and can seem strange. First at all, the Amish are a group of Protestants Christians of the Radical Reformation, so they are Anabaptist. This community is called “Plain people” for their way of life. Their priority is God, but they carry a lot of importance to family and their farms too. These people have a strong sense of community spirit and help who need. In society, they don't go unnoticed. Indeed, they live like in the 16^th century, with the same clothes, without electricity, on horseback, working in fields. It is impossible not to notice them, they shock sometimes people, amuse them, intrigue them.

We can ask a lot about this original community. We'll talk about a few things. First, they speak a dialect of German, which it's surprising in America. Second, like you can imagine, there is no telephone, no Internet, or even cars. Third, when I visited Ohio, sure I was shocked by old clothes, but an other thing jumped me to the eyes : nobody have a mustache. They have beards but no mustaches. I ask someone to understand. The explication is purely religious : a long beard is for an adult Amishman, an Amishman who's not married haven't a beard. As for the mustache it is because this one is associated with the military aspect, which goes against the Amish's faith. And it's equal for women : they have to not cut their hairs.

Speaking of hair, beards and Amish, there had been recently attacks directly in the community, Amish against Amish. Indeed seven men were accused of having cut the other men and women's beards and hair, which is totally against their belief. The major accused is a sixty six years old man named Samuel Mullet who would have operate with three of his sons. Of course, he truly denied the all facts. He acted like the boss of the whole group and punished the others by locking them in “chicken coop”. As the police reported it, he would also forced women to have sexual acts with him to clean them of the devil. This act shows us that everything isn't always pink in all kind of populations, but we may not forget that a community mustn't be judged from actions that are done by a small group of people from this community.

- L.W.