How to show we are Thankful

Happy Eid al-Adha and Thanksgiving to everyone back home!  Two weeks ago we celebrated the Eid al-Adha Holiday here in the Holy Land which is a time when Muslim pilgrims go on the Hajj, donate food to the poor, have a feast with family and friends, and everyone goes on vacation.  This vacation ranges from going to exotic places in Israel and Palestine to visiting with family and friends close to home.  A time of fellowship, spending time with friends, and being so thankful for the things that we have in life.  All of this is all the more powerful because of it falling near the same time as the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  I guess what I am experiencing in my 3^rd month here in the Holy Land is a compilation of so many different emotions encompassing both frustration and happiness when I am reflecting on the things that I am thankful for, and take for granted.

There is no question that writing blog entries is becoming harder and harder to do, and it is not because I do not have enough to talk about.  I am becoming more aware of a new sense of being after three months of gradually peeling through the countless layers, and constantly being made aware of so many new stories that are reshaping my personal feelings.  I just find everything so fascinating about my daily life now.  The honeymoon period has been over for quite some time now, and the absolute reality that this is my new home for the next eight months puts things into perspective more than it did before.  I am valuing the friendships I have made here with a new level of appreciation, because these are the people that are going to continue to accompany me through this journey full of new discoveries.  Some of these new discoveries are simply new ways of looking at a situation with a clear lens, untainted, and willing to see the whole picture.  There is also a new awareness of things that have been right in front of me that I have simply overlooked for no good reason.  All of these different thoughts have been going through my mind as I am working through my own discernment for how to best be a faithful steward to accompaniment in the coming months, as well as how to take these experiences with me in my future.  An interesting thing is also happening with my discernment, because the experiences I am having here seem to be turning on more street lamps on the highway of my discernment to a path that has always been there but ignored. 

Some of the experiences that have been especially special to me these past few weeks have been the great friendships I am forming at my placement and in the surrounding community.  Whether these experiences are at school singing Christmas hymns with the children or sharing Thanksgiving with International friends at the Mount of Olives there are always opportunities to become a part of the greater community in the world.  I have found that with every new person I meet here, I become more aware of the Global community and how important it is to become more active in it.  I am just so incredibly thankful for the people I have met here, and how they have been such a guiding light for my own faith journey.  This goes far beyond reading Biblical texts where they supposedly happened, but knowing that Christ always reached out to those who were oppressed, and looked down upon to empower those who were oppressed to live a new life in him and with him so that good might overcome the evil in this world.

I recently read a wonderful text by The Buddha that read:

“The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit; and habit hardens into character.  So watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it spring from love born out of concern for all things.”  -- The Buddha

I think one of the reasons this stood out to me is because I am trying to become more globally conscious of the things occurring around me.  In addition to this, I want to be sure that I am always mindful of where I started at the beginning of this journey here in the Holy Land so that when I return to the States I can be a good messenger to tell the stories about the people I have met here, and how telling others about my stories will make a difference.  Maybe not a headline in a newspaper, or a highlight on the five o clock news, but the story about the familiar faces at the checkpoint, that taxi driver who always greets you with a smile, or the countless friendships that will never be forgotten be in someone’s mind before they go to bed at night so that maybe…just maybe…the walls of injustice may be broken down for good. 

Salaam dayman,

David

A Day in the Life Abroad

November 2, 2010

Happy Halloween, Reformation Day, and cool weather for the wonderful month of November!  I am going to change up my subject matter a little bit for this entry and give you a glimpse of a common day and week for me here in Palestine.  Of course sometimes I have more and less to do throughout the week, but this should give a good framework for you all. 

The Morning 7:30am-12:00pm

I usually set my alarm for about 7:30am, and hit snooze only once before getting up.  I brush my teeth, and then take 5 or 10 minutes to sit and listen to two or three songs on my iTunes.  I always let it play by random, and usually the music sets a pretty good mood  to the day for me.  Listening to the music is also a great time for me to just relax and not think about anything, which is great for me to clear my mind for a new day.  I leave my place at around 7:50am to get to school by 8:00am.  Most days I work in the office throughout the morning, and help with whatever the teachers need assistance with.  Often this is making copies, helping prepare tests, and anything really.  Today I was busy writing letters for the kindergartener’s to copy in their workbooks, and copied various papers for the teachers.  Some of the classes I have during this time are; Religion with 5^th graders, English with 9^th graders, or 11^th grade English.  10:00am comes quickly, and we have a coffee break where we all sit and have some Arabic coffee (which is amazing).  After our coffee break, I usually have my English classes with the 10^th and 11^th graders.  On Thursdays I have music class with the 5^th graders, and this is always full of energy.  Last Thursday we actually sang The First Noel (that’s right, a Christmas Carol already) in English and Arabic. 

The Afternoon 12:00pm-5:00pm

There is another break at 12:00pm, only for 20 minutes, but gives a chance for the kids to run around outside and burn off some energy.  Usually the afternoon for me is spent playing sports with the students outside.  I play football (soccer) with the 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th graders, and sometimes we do other activities like ping-pong.  They are definitely always full of energy, and enjoy playing with me even though I have lost much of my soccer skills.  On some days I also teach English in the afternoon, and help with whatever needs done around the school.  Some of the random things I did in the office today included making Christmas cards, copying papers, and proofreading speeches for the English classes.  Whatever downtime I have during the school day I usually spend studying my Arabic and practicing it with whoever is in the office or teacher’s lounge.  The school day then wraps up around 2:20pm, and I almost always stop at the little snack shop by the school to get a falafel sandwich or a meat sandwich.  There is also a corner store on my way home that I stop to grab snacks, drinks, and eggs.  If I want to get other groceries or some fresh vegetables I just walk 10 minutes into the center of Ramallah and get everything there.  After that I usually go home, check email, and unwind a bit from the day.  Then, around 4:30pm or so I make something for dinner and eat around 5:00pm or so. 

The Evening 5:00pm-9:00pm

After dinner I sometimes skype with family back home, Facebook chat with friends, or watch a little bit of TV.  Around 6:30pm or 7:00pm I usually get a call from one of my friend’s here and we go to our favorite restaurant/café and have a drink and socialize for a bit.  Tuesday nights I have a young adult church group that I will be attending more in the coming weeks, and every Wednesday I have my choir practice from 7:30pm-9:30pm.  The nights usually go by quickly, and I try to get to bed by 11:00pm, but usually check email again and then go to bed shortly there after.

The Weekend: Thursday-Sunday

Thursday nights are similar to how we would spend a Friday or Saturday night in America.  In Ramallah, everyone gets together with their friends and goes out to one of the cafés, bars, or over to a friend’s house for a big dinner party.  There is nothing open on Fridays, but traffic is usually non existent which is nice because I usually leave Friday morning for Bethlehem for Arabic lessons.  The total travel time from my flat in Ramallah to Bethlehem is usually about an hour and a half, but sometimes it can be longer depending on the checkpoints.  If we have plans scheduled for Saturday or Sunday I usually stay until Sunday afternoon in Bethlehem and then go back to my place in Ramallah, or go to church in Jerusalem and leave from there back home.

This is a little snippet into what a typical week would look like, but because of the Holidays coming up in the next two months everything will be more hectic, but more fun at the same time.  I hope everyone back home is doing well as the weather is getting much colder with frosts overnight, and even snow showers…because I am enjoying the 60 degree weather we are having here ;) ! 

 

Salaam,

David