Where time stands still in Amish community in Missouri
Published in The Straits Times, 27 March 2016:
https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/travel/where-time-stands-still
A horse-drawn buggy appears on the other side of the road. I catch a glimpse of the heavily bearded man, clad in a cerulean shirt and suspenders, helming the buggy.
He waves to barefoot children traipsing across the sprawling farmland, chortling and clutching their straw hats.
Life seems to slow down as we enter Jamesport, Missouri, home to the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi River in the United States.
"The Amish lead peaceful lives," our guide Jim Smith says, as we drive through the rolling hills. "Life is all about cohesive families, farming and strict discipline of faith."
He points out a yellow traffic sign with a symbol of a horse-wagon. "Here, these signs are more common than other road symbols," Mr Smith says. The Amish shun modern vehicles such as cars and travel only by horse-drawn buggies.
They also avoid electricity and appliances such as radios and television sets to prevent secular influences from intruding their homes and church, we are told. This has, perhaps, become the most public symbol of their separation from the contemporary world.
Jamesport, located 90 minutes outside Kansas City, is the only Amish community in the vicinity that permits organised tours within its borders.
Mr Smith is a Jamesport native who grew up among the Amish and their decades-long friendship has gained him access to Amish living spaces. Today, he is taking us on a fascinating visit to an Amish home, its adjacent farm, as well as old-world craft stores and bakeries in the countryside.
"It feels like time has stood still," my husband observes, intrigued, as we pass the four-way junction in downtown Jamesport.
A bearded man trailed by three little boys, clothed in identical purple outfits and broad-brimmed hats, disappear around the corner of a brick-laced store. A chestnut mare hauls an open carriage with girls in indigo dresses and black bonnets.
Passers-by - clearly "English", the local term for everyone who is non-Amish, regardless of ethnicity - pause to gawk.
I feel like I am on an 18th-century vintage film set, but as I am reminded, this is real and everyday life for the community.
The elderly Amish man stands on the porch of a homestead.
Mr A wears a thick greying beard without a moustache, the signature look of married Amish men. Moustaches have a long history of being associated with the military and are thus forbidden by the Amish, Mr Smith tells us.
The house, like many Amish homes we see in Jamesport, is a single-storey building of white wood panels and a brick chimney. The interiors, which are minimally furnished, provide insight into their simple way of living.
The walls are painted white or brown with touches of blue and green or the colours of nature. They are bare, save for a functional art piece that incorporates a handdesigned calendar.
"In Amish homes, there are no family photos," Mr Smith tells us. He explains that the Amish are not allowed to pose for photographs, prohibited by their literal interpretation of creating a "graven image" in the Bible.
I now feel awkward about the hefty camera in my hands. Mr Smith assures me kindly that in Jamesport, visitors are allowed to snap general photographs in which individuals are not recognisable.
I see a washing machine, albeit a hand-cranked one. My husband spots a refrigerator and lights.
The Amish have adapted some household devices to work with other energy sources. "We use compressed air and propane in our household," Mr A says.
His genial tone is typical of Midwest Americans, tinged with an accent from the Pennsylvanian German dialect. His ancestors originated from German-speaking parts of Europe and migrated to Pennsylvania in the US in the 18th century.
There are no television sets, computers, radios or modern appliances that are typical fixtures in modern homes today. Air- conditioners are also missing - a must-have for most Missourians, given the blazing summers of more than 40 deg C.
I step into the kitchen. It is equipped with kerosene and wood-burning appliances for cooking. Hand grinders and cast-iron crockery are neatly stacked on a shelf.
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