We Keep Marching On

September 26, 2010

There are several situations that we encounter in our lives that can be seen as universal human traits.  The fact is that although my Arabic is not good at all, there are so many ways that we communicate with each other that we know what the other person is saying.  Our inflection, mannerisms, hand movement, facial expressions, and anything else can be used to communicate with one another.  Now that I have been here for over a month now, I know how to go through the ins and outs of daily communication, but there is definitely far more to be learned concerning what it is like to really live here, communicate, and commute through the West Bank, Israel, and other areas of the “Holy Land”.

The past ten days have really been jammed pack of excursions through our continuing education with our in country orientation, and random trips with friends who invite me to travel with them for an hour or two on the weekends.  I had that great privilege last weekend to go to an Eastern Orthodox wedding where my new friend’s sister was getting married.  I have put some pictures on Facebook from the wedding, but they do not give the festivities the proper excitement of that entire weekend.  Weddings here are not overly concerned with trying to save money, because Palestinians treat the celebration of marriage in an entirely different way than Americans and definitely one aspect is making sure the guests are blown away by all aspects of the wedding.  Even with all of the lavish restaurants that we went to, and the great meals we had, one thing remained the focus of the celebration…the couple to be married and everyone who was connected to the family.  I had only been here for a couple weeks, and at the wedding I felt so welcomed into this family that I felt like I had been a part of a celebration with someone that I had known for many years.  There were many times during the dancing, and ceremonial traditions that I had no idea what was going on (especially the ceremony at the church which was entirely in Arabic) but I could feel so connected with everyone that was there.  The motto of “being” has been present every single day here in Palestine, and I have really enjoyed not worrying about what to “do,” instead become a part of the community I was in and just live.

My time during High School was full of sports year-round, and through those experiences I learned how important those companionships were to me and how I was strengthened not only physically, but also socially to being in community with others.  The past few weeks at school I have been playing football (soccer) with the 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th graders, and although my Arabic is still very rough, there is one goal in mind when playing, to help each other succeed and this can be done without words.  Now whenever I see the kids in town or in between classes they are very excited to see me and during class they seem to take a great interest in how I am enjoying myself at the school which is really nice.  The kids, along with the faculty at the school have really helped me feel comfortable in my volunteer role and I am extremely pleased to be working with them over this coming time here in Ramallah.

Yesterday was also a very exciting, and tiring day of many activities including an amazing time at En Getti and swimming in the Dead Sea.  Traveling through these rolling hills really made me think about the bedewins and others that live in this arid desert.  Of course the caves and everything else was super cool and exciting, but I really believe that I reached a point on the drive back when the whole situation of this Land and the people of both Palestine and Israel are interacting together.  I can not comment on particulars, mainly because I am still finding it hard to articulate myself in a way to fully cover the conflict.  This wording will come in time, and when it does I will share it with you all. 

I think the biggest thing for me is that we are all people of God, and that the differences we nit pick with each other cause such great divides among us that we can not see the love and joy in others.  Sure we speak different languages and have different skin tones, but why not use this opportunity of differences to find the similarities.  Someone that I met at the beginning of my trip told me that a person could come here for a week or two, go back home and write a novel about what they saw.  Another person could come here for a couple months and write a long newsletter about what they saw.  A person who stays here for more than half a year and beyond could maybe write a page or two about what they experienced.  I really like this thought process because as soon as I arrived I felt like I was writing about everything I saw.  Now my personal journal entries are becoming more spaced out over a couple of days between entries.  I am not worried about not having enough to write about or talk about, but my point from that example is that basically being here longer opens your eyes to more and more, and trying to get a grasp on what is going on is difficult to say the least.  I will still chronicle the little things of my journey, but through this year the people that I will think about while telling heart wrenching stories will likely be people who are my friends, and people who I deeply care for.    

The difficulties of the area do not overshadow the great number of friends that I have made here in Ramallah, both Palestinians and internationals.  They have been so welcoming, and as we continue to bond I will always remember the great friends and family I have supporting me back home.  I thank you all, and I am looking forward to celebrating this great fall season with you all!!!

Peace Salaam Shalom,

David

Seeing the Light in Others

September 16, 2010

Well, I am about three weeks into my journey now and it definitely feels like I have been here for a lot longer.  I am truly living a blessed life right now that is full of so many opportunities to be a witness to God’s creation.  This week at school has been full of so much activity that I can not believe that my second week is over.  Now I am just having a hard time trying to pinpoint things from the past week to focus on.  My thought process writing this blog entry is a testament to how scrambled my brain is in trying to process everything that is happening. 

Every week there is a young adult group at the Lutheran Church of Hope, and I have been to the past two meetings.  I have thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I have had at the past few meetings, and can not wait for upcoming meetings.  The Pastor at the church has been a great guide for me on my journey, and his stories and openness have truly opened my eyes to different things occurring here in Palestine, and the United States.  This unique perspective of the world is so refreshing and thought provoking, because although we may study cross cultural views we never really understand until hearing it firsthand.  The thought of looking at the United States from a Palestinian view is something that I have thought about before, but could never put a face to the reality.  Becoming a part of a new community is so much more than going to special events in the community or learning the language, it is the process of taking on a fresh new perspective with a new set of eyes that have not been tainted by other’s opinions.  This is one of many new thought processes that I will go through this coming year, and I hope that somehow I will be able to articulate this new lens that I developed in a way that can make a positive difference for others. 

I am already seeing how the relationships that I am forming are changing me.  The students are so interested in everything about me, even my name.  After playing some soccer with the students I fully realize some of them are very good, and definitely better than me but they are just so excited for me to play with them regardless of my skill level.  Today for instance I was able to participate in a lot of classes, and the music class especially touched me today.  The teacher started singing, and then the kids followed in singing and then a great clapping combination with the song.  I could not understand any of the song, but the spirit was so alive in that classroom that I could not believe these were 5^th graders.  The cohesiveness of the 32 kids in the classroom when the music started was truly amazing to witness, and spoke mountains to how music touches everyone in some form or another. 

Everything has really fallen into place here so far, and if there was a delay in plans something positive always came from the experience.  I guess my point is that the future is not worth worrying about, because with the right people and community we will always be in trustworthy company.  I am definitely a person that has always worried about everything, and even in these first few weeks I have found a new sense of calm and peacefulness that opens me to living without worrying about everything.  I have a feeling that this view is because Palestinians deal with things on a daily basis that many people would just throw up their hands and give up, but yet they live so closely with their friends and family that as long as that is present everything else will fall in place.  The amount of support and love that I have felt from the community here and from home is probably why I feel like I do not have to worry about everything anymore.  I encourage others to look around your community of friends and family, and see the strength and compassion expressed by them and use that support to live your life more fully and confidently.

Peace Salaam Shalom,

David          

School has Started!

September 10, 2010
The first week of classes is in the books now, and we already have an extended vacation because of many religious holidays occurring at once. Ramadan is coming to an end now, and the feast days are upon us at the same time as the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana) this weekend. This has definitely been quite an experience to have these two major High Holy days on the same weekend, but also means that everyone will want to travel in and out of Jerusalem to worship and pray at their respective Holy places. I experienced a little bit of this chaos when I traveled from Ramallah south to Bethlehem two days ago. Mind you that I have only done this trip once before by myself, and when I arrived at the Ramallah bus station there were mobs of people just waiting to go south for the holiday…just like me. I without a doubt looked like a confusing tourist standing there, and after asking some people where the Bethlehem taxis were a group of guys my age came up to me and after they found out I wanted to go to Bethlehem they told me to follow them. Needless to say I was not sure what to do, but I decided to follow them and attempt to make it to Bethlehem that evening. I then realized that we were trying to hail a taxi before it got to the bus station, and was trying hard to keep up with them as they weaved in and out of the stopped traffic. Finally after loosing one of the guys who found a last seat on a taxi, another taxi pulled up next to me and asked where I was going and after I said Bethlehem I hopped right onboard.

My trip to Bethlehem by taxi is also called taking the “container” which is basically a mini van taxi. This taxi is able to pass by the Kalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, and the 300 checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The taxi is about 18 shekels, which is a little more expensive then taking the buses but also saves a fair amount of time. The ride on the container is a bumpy, up and down hill journey through the Judean wilderness, but I love it each and every time.

The people onboard the container for this trip was 4 guys around my age, and we had the greatest time getting to know each other. All of them spoke English quite well, and we talked about everything from sports, to where I am from, and religion. The unconditional friendship that they showed to me on that hour drive to Bethlehem carried on after we arrived at the bus station. Two of the guys were going to a different area of Bethlehem, but one of the other guys accompanied me to babaskot in Beit Jala. The custom here is that everyone seems to cover your expenses for whatever you are doing after befriending them, and this was definitely the case for the taxi ride to babaskot (a central location that leads to my home in Beit Jala). We all exchanged numbers so that we could possibly meet up at another time in this coming year, and hopefully we will.

This kindness and love to your neighbor is everyday here living in Palestine. Just last night we struck up conversation with a taxi driver outside of the 300 checkpoint (Bethlehem checkpoint has many nicknames) and another man that has a little convenient store invited us in for tea and café. This kindheartedness that we have been shown wherever we go here is something that I love greatly, but at the same time I think back to the States and how we treat foreigners. If we were walking on the street in our hometown, and someone looked lost we would probably not go up and ask them if they needed help, they would have to try to confront us in order for us to help them. Our great country of Freedom and independence leads some of us to live lives separate from others, where we avoid too much connection to our fellow neighbors. The fact of life here in Palestine is that family, friends, and their fellow neighbor is central to the way of life here. The great adversity and conflict that Palestinians face everyday is something that is present, but the love and friendship they have with family and friends is something that is worth more than noting, it is necessary to replicate in our own lives. Loving our neighbor has been the topic of many conversations among the six of us here volunteering in Palestine, and I encourage everyone back home to explore how they approach living in community with one another and loving their neighbor.

Once again I thank you all for the wonderful support and love that you are sharing with me over this coming year, and if you ever have more specific questions about anything email me at Kingsborough@susqu.edu. May God’s peace be with you all!


In Christ,
David

The First Week

September 3rd 2010
The hardest question for me to answer right now is how to articulate what I have experienced over the past week. The growth of a person occurs at so many levels when they are totally immersed in another culture where the language barrier exists, but the layers of the onion are yet to be uncovered. I find it funny how this past week has truly felt like a month already, but I really can not believe that I am living in the Holy Land.

First off I want to apologize for not posting an entry for quite some time now. I had some problems with maintaining an internet connection, but I will have access on a more consistent basis soon. The flight to Tel Aviv was filled with exhaustion from all of the traveling, and a high level of excitement that was draining. All of this excitement led to the drive to our first place of residence at Teleta Chumi. This was our home-base for the first week of orientation which was very close to Martin and Suzanne Shoffner (our in country Coordinators). Each day we experienced a different aspect of the culture in the Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas. We visited the Church of the Nativity, Shepherd’s Field, the Holy Sepulchre, and several other sites. The visits to these sights were amazing to see the sights that I have always read about in the Bible. My reaction afterwards was one that I was not expecting. Frustration, confusion, and sadness. I did not know the extent to which the different sects of Christianity such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, Armenian Church, Roman Catholic, and several others fight over the control of each Holy sight. Not only are there divisions between Christianity, Judaism, and Muslim, but also within each religion itself.

Although it has only been a week, there is a deep compassion I feel for this region. I am always inspired greatly by exploring historical places, but the Holy Land is definitely a bit of an exception as being one of the most religiously significant regions of the world. This new and exciting place is my new home, and just the concept of that is throwing me back right now. For instance, today (September 3, 2010) Luke, Sarah, Janelle, and I met up in Nativity Square to have falafels for lunch and right across the street was Nativity Church. Afterwards we walked around to some of the surrounding shops and met a very kind man who invited us to have tea with him at his shop simply out of the openness of his heart.

Adjusting to a new home is very hard to do when you are separated from everything that you know, but similar to my past international service experiences the surrounding community embraces everything about who I am, and that support is not measurable. The kindness and compassion that the people in my community are sharing with me shows me that Christ works through so many outlets that one must always be ready for anything. The support, prayers, and love that I have been receiving from home are amazing and I continue to keep you all in my heart and prayers. School is starting up for me this week and I am extremely excited to see what they are going to have me do, and can not wait to fill everyone in on how it went.

In Christ,

David