A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away

Very Happy and very belated Thanksgiving to everyone back in the States.

This was not my first Turkey Day away from home. You might recall that I celebrated this holiday in Scotland during my semester abroad. Wish I could say that this made the homesickness easier but alas a nagging melancholy dogged my comings and goings on this festive occasion.

"The interns," as we have been dubbed, were invited to dinner at our friends' Cory and Aaron's home. The four of us joined Cory, Aaron their daughters Hailey, Eden and Destiny as well as Cory's mom visiting from the States. This was not the extent of our dinner party though; Cory invited four of her Jordanian friends as well. These ladies had never celebrated Thanksgiving before so to start things off we were all treated to a presentation given by Hailey and Eden. Hailey played Percillia Alden, a pilgrim who had come over on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom and a better life in a new land; Eden portrayed Squanto, a Native American who had been part of the tribe who decided to help the struggling English settlers by showing them how to grow crops and hunt animals. Next we were all given large pieces of construction paper and instructed to draw the Thanksgiving scene of our choosing on what would become our personalize place mats. Finally it was time to eat. We had all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings: turkey, (s)mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. All the while good conversations ensued and cultural exchanges took place. It was not a bad way to spend the holiday and my list of what I was thankful for grew exponentially that day.

Today Kara and I went on yet another adventure together. Our visas needed to be renewed for the final extension that can be given. The problem with this was that we could not obtain this extension here, instead we had two choices: go up to the capital for a day or two and get the extension or leave the country for a few hours then come back. This time around we chose the latter. We decided to jump the border to see what it looks like on the other side of the line. Our destination: Eliat, Israel. We started our day early, grabbing taxi around 8 am. Right off the bat, our trip took a strange turn. After telling our driver the name of the border crossing and being assured that he knew where to go, we set off on a hour long ride in the wrong direction. Turns out he had no idea that was the name of the border crossing and a ride that should have taken ten minutes took the better part of an hour and a half. On the bright side we did get to see the country side as it began to wake up.

Finally we got to the border crossing. We went through the appropriate check points on the Jordanian side but got held up in the exit visa office. Our visas were overdue and we were financially penalized accordingly. Once we were through the gate, we (or at least I) self-consciously walked through no man's land to the gate on the other side. We were greeted on the other side by a nice man wearing dark aviator sunglasses and carrying a big gun who directed us to the entry office. Inside, Kara was waved through without a problem. I, on the other hand, was subjected to extra security checks such as being asked what my purpose for visiting the country was and having my purse thoroughly checked. This however was relatively painless and we exited quickly to the other side. All that was left to do was exchange our Dinars for Sheckles before moving into Israel proper. Today was a particularly windy day and as I took out my 50 Dinar note to hand to the clerk, the wind blew it out of my hand. I literally ran after it and had to jump on it to reclaim it (this ordeal took place in front of the entire border patrol and other travelers making the crossing). Victorious, I returned to the exchange window and received 200 Sheckles for my 70 Dinars. Though this might sound like a big amount at first, the cost of everything in Israel is quite a bit more than what I am used to. To put this in perspective: once we cleared all checks and received our money and stamps, we took a taxi into the city. This ten minute taxi ride cost us 40 Sheckles.

I wish I could say that we did many exciting things during our short trip to Eliat but our sole purpose of going was to eat lunch then cross back over the border to Jordan. People watching, wandering and picture taking were the main activities that constituted our time in this sea side get away. Wandering actually took up the bulk of our time. In doing so we realized at one point that we had come to the end of the city and were halfway to the border. Not seeing the point of getting a taxi, we continued on foot to the border. The wind that had caused me so much trouble that morning actually provided some nice relief for us from the afternoon sun. Walking along Kara and I talked about the mystery that is life and how we are each seeking to follow God's will for us in these different seasons of our lives. Kara, like me, signed up to do a year-long stay here and her year is coming to a close on December 15th. I on the other hand have just celebrated my 6 month anniversary here a few days ago and am working to balance making plans for the future with being present where I am now. After a bit, we came to a sign that said "Dragon Country". We had walked into a sanctuary for poisonous reptiles, housing vipers and lizards. We had to pass through it in order to reach our destination. Having had months of having to be hyper aware of our surroundings, we were not the least bit hesitant to trek through this section of the desert knowing that we would perceive and avoid any threat. Our hike from the end of the city to the border crossing was about 5 miles and provided a nice mental break between the events of the morning and those that were waiting for us at the border.

Back at the border, we passed through the appropriate check points again. Unfortunately after paying the exit tax we realized that neither of us had enough money to purchase the visa we would receive on the other side. Extremely fervent and earnest prayers ensued as we timidly walked up to the visa window on the Jordanian side. The man working this window began our interaction by joking with us which was either a very good sign or a not so good sign. As we talked with him about what we did in town and our work as English teachers, we became more and more impressed with us. He stamped our passports and sent us on our way...not asking for any amount of money. Much rejoicing and many prayers of thanksgiving were sent heavenward as we walked through the gate and got into a (different) taxi.

To complete our day we joined Rana, Ziad, Hailey and Becca for Mensef. Rana and Ziad work at the Center as well. Both Rana and Ziad teach the ACCESS youth English program and work in different capacities at the Center. They have adopted the interns into their family and refer to us as their daughters. Today was Ziad's birthday so the four of us joined them for dinner. Mensef is the quintessential Jordanian dish. Some families eat it every Friday but Rana and Ziad prefer to only make it for special occasions. Made traditionally, this dish is a combination of lamb meat, rice, pine nuts and a yogurt based sauce. It is astounding how something so simple can be so good. I had had Rana's Mensef before but this time Ziad decided to teach us how to eat it with our hands. First you pull some meat off the bone and mix it in to the rice and nuts which are sparingly covered with the sauce. Once you have moved your small pile of food around so that it will not burn your finger prints off, you pick up a palm-full of it all and create a ball. When your ball of rice and meat is formed, work it to the end of your fingers and flick it into your mouth using your thumb. After a few awkward attempts, we all got the hang of it. Once we had eaten all we could, we hung out with Rana, Ziad and their kids, Nadeem and Lamar, for a while. We had healthy desserts that Rana made and Turkish coffee to end our visit. It was a great end to a great week that exemplified many of the things I love about this place: good food, great friends and grace & provision that only God can provide.

(photos of these adventures pending)

We all know I have been less than apt to keep promises in the past but I have decided to do Advent posts this holiday season. Starting tomorrow through December 31st, I will be posting anything from scripture to music videos to short messages that celebrate the coming of Christ and the implications thereof. I hope you'll join me and keep me accountable to this task.

Salt, Sickness and Fire

So you're probably wondering why yet again I have not kept my word and provided you with updates about the goings on over here. Well you see, life happens...

First the good news. Two weeks ago my fellow interns and I had the chance to chaperone an Access field trip. Access is the English program for teenagers that aims to not only improve the English skills of the students but also to instill in them a sense of personal value and obligation to the betterment of their community. Boys and girls take different trips because of the size of the classes; we went along on the girls' trip. Our trip would take about four hours one way so about nine in the morning a charter bus, a minivan and a red car set out from the center. The girls had been studying famous entrepreneurs so the first stop along the way was the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center. This center has hosted meetings of renown political and economic powers such as the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations. Here the girls heard about such meetings, the leaders who attend them and the true keys to success. Afterward we all made our way to the Amman Beach, which is the public section of the Dead Sea outside of Amman.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth making it painful to travel to and from since your ears pop so often. The Dead Sea is also the saltiest body of water on Earth. Sadly, the waters have been steadily dwindling over the past few years and without intervention it is estimated that in thirty years the Sea would dry up. At the 2009 World Economic Forum, Jordan unveiled its plan to pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. This system should be completed and the water level sustainable by 2017.The water is 97% salt making it impossible for anything to live in it and impossible for a person to sink in its waters. However, the salty water and the mud of the banks is said to have healing and regenerative properties. I'm sorry to say that the waters did not work on me. The level of salt in the water makes the water feel like oil and after wading in to mid calf, the salt started burning my skin. Needless to say I did not go in any further and instead I hung out on the beach with some of the girls while the rest floated out further. After a time we meat sandwiches over a grill and played a few relay games. Girls between the ages of 13 and 16 are the same wherever you are. These girls like to talk about the newest movies and One Direction while taking multiple pictures of themselves and the group with their iPhones. We had a fun day despite the long journey to and from our destination.

On to the bad news. I'm afraid our trek up north left me sick with a cold for nearly a week. I only worked one day out of the week before Kara sent me home. She said something silly about how someone with a fever needs rest. Luckily our English classes had not resumed yet and I could get some sleep.

More bad news. Thursday morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning. While questioning why I was awake someone came beating at the door of my house. After spending a few moments wondering whether to call for help or wait for it to stop, my cell phone rang. My manager Rob's name came up on my phone and I quickly answered it. It was his wife Jess; she was the one knocking on the door. She and their four children were outside. Their house had caught fire and they needed to come inside. Their youngest daughter had woken up to use the bathroom and noticed the house was full of black smoke. Soon everyone in the house was roused and taken onto the upstairs balcony. It became apparent that they could not stay there and Rob was forced to jump off the balcony to procure a ladder for his family. We all agree that he wins Father of the Year; unfortunately his fall broke his wrist severely. The hospital here was not equipped for the surgery he needed so before noon the entire family headed up to Amman to see a surgeon there. I am so proud of how our team came together. All week shifts of people ready to work switched in and out of the house repairing the damage done. A power washer was utilized, fingers and faces were blackened, walls were primed and painted, books were carefully cleaned and a white dog was bathed multiple times. This weekend everything was moved back into the house, only 9 days later.

Living and working overseas always has a unique set of obstacles that I do not believe anyone can prepare for. Reaction to such circumstances reveals character and I am so glad to report that good character is one area the team here is not lacking. I am indeed blessed to be here at a time such as this.