going back

So I feel like its been awhile. The last couple hours I've been writing emails to language schools in Cairo, looking for a job/jobs there. I have a lot of info, if anyone else is looking at teaching English there, let me know!

I'm going to Cairo in June, pretty much nothing short of the clear Will of God is going to stop me. I'm really excited! I have been for awhile, but its now seeming like its within view and I miss Cairo a lot! It seems like everyone I know is gonna be there or around there or maybe there too! Pretty awesome.

So I think I'm living with Becca? And anyone else who's gonna be around? My latest plan is to work part time teaching English, part time copy-editing in English, and then part time taking Arabic class, hmmm. I figure that way no one thing will own my soul or anything.

It seems like everyone's looking at cool stuff, and whoever gets to work with Father Chacour in Haifa, I am really jealous.

Also, my host brother friended me on facebook!!! haha! Facebook really is taking over the world!

Otherwise in life I'm home for Christmas break and I feel relatively content, which is a big deal! I feel like everything's been working out well in life and even the crappy things aren't phasing me that much. So I miss u all a ton and wish I got to go to this reunion in Chicago, alas I am in California. All this talk of the Faith and International Development Conference though. I'm not gonna lie, the conference was kinda lame last year (I'm sure a bunch of you agree) but I know u all want to come to Calvin!

masalaama

Read Steve's email

Hey,

If you got Steve's email yesterday or today I recommend reading especially around the third paragraph. After the weather/work/school part.

Cheers.

Speaking of plans for next year...

I thought I'd pass this one on. The State department just posted their online application yesterday for "critical language scholarships."
They're available both for current students and recent graduates. Basically, it amounts to a free summer of intense language study in a handful of different countries. No obvious strings attached to it...but hey, it's the government paying, so I'm sure they'd prefer if in your application you mentioned how you wanted to fight terrorists with your new-found Arabic skills.
https://clscholarship.org/home.php

Any other takers for coming to my house after Christmas?
Alissa

Upcoming life

Hey y'all,

Ok, so I guess I'll jump on the whole..."and what does the rest of your life" bandwagon look like. Mandy and Tory, I'm jealous of both of you...it sounds like you're looking at some really awesome stuff.

I'm still very much in the "I have no idea" stage, at least long-term, but a couple of things look really interesting. I was really excited when I got that e-mail from Steve Byers about the volunteer position working for Sayeedna Elias Chacour...I feel like that's exactly what I've been looking for, a job that I'd be good at with a guy who I think really gets it, and in Israel-Palestine, which is really where I'd like to be. So I'm currently trying to get in touch with them to see about taking that position after I graduate.

I'm also thinking more and more seriously about MESP...I'd love to be back in Cairo, and I feel like the internship job would be a great next step. And that would work out well with the time-frame of the volunteer job in Haifa with Sayeedna Chacour, volunteer there until December and then move to Cairo. And Mandy...if you and I were interning at the same time...all I can say is il-hamdu lillah! That would be absolutely phenomenal. I don't know, what do y'all think?

After that...there's a big gray area. I had a prof sit me down a couple days ago for some life advice...well, we were talking about a research paper that I was working on, but we finished talking about that and he started asking me about what I wanted to do after I graduate. He thinks I should be an academic...not sure on that one. But when I told him some of my interests he told me about an interesting program called the Croc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame. It's a Master's degree program in peace and reconciliation which is really well-funded, so if you get in you're pretty well taken care of. I haven't looked into it a great amount, but what I know looks really interesting. But I'm taking it one step at a time right now.

More immediately...life's pretty good right now. I just flew home for Christmas Break yesterday, so I'm still kind of settling back in, but it's good to be back with the family. My little brother just finished his first semester at Covenant College in Georgia, so we're having fun hanging out...and of course it's just great to be with your family at Christmastime. Gotta admit, I will miss my great Anglican church back at Gordon...back among the Baptists, no advent liturgies...sadness...but oh well, what can you do?

My semester post-seeing most of y'all in Seattle was pretty good...some personal drama, as there always is in life, but overall not that much...I was too busy to have drama, what with work and school and honors thesis writing (Which is what I should be doing right now) and all that.

I've gotten to be really good friends with the two MESP spring '07 alums from Gordon...that's been a lot of fun, we talk about Egypt and processing and life post-MESP, and frustration with America, and all that great stuff. Hehe, their semester was very...different from ours. But they're great. There's nobody quite as cool as MESP alums.

I'm going to see if I can't get Gordon to pay for me to go to the Faith and International Development conference...I had a friend who got sponsored to go to that last year, and I think if I look into it early enough they might be willing to help me out.

Anyway, so that's what's up with me these days. I miss all of y'all...and Deakin, I'm sad I couldn't be at your wedding. Let's get the next MESP wedding scheduled so we can all make sure and be there!

Peace,
Jon

My heart is missing you!!

...so here I am...sitting at a computer lab at Wheaton attempting to pound out my last paper of the semester...and I saw Mandy's post and thought, "why not?" So here's my update:

First exciting thing, I don't know if any of you have heard of "Hands Along the Nile Development Services," but they basically are a DC based development firm headed up by a Wheaton grad primarily focused on helping Egypt and developing dialogue programs. Anyway, I met the director of the organization here at Wheaton this semester and she knew of MESP--she had actually been a lecturer for Dr. Dave before, and connected me with a project they are working on. So it looks like I'll be doing a sort of informal correspondence internship helping to develop a grassroots dialogue thing for Americans and Middle Easterners to participate in. Cool, huh?

Second exciting thing, I have been in the process of applying for the Peace Corps for a while now and just last week some decisions were made. If I am lucky, I will be heading out in June to do Youth Development in either Morocco or Jordan. Cool, huh? I have no idea any details beyond that--I am still basically applying, but I wanted to let ya'll know because no one here really understands why exactly I would choose North Africa/Middle East over, say, Africa. But I'm sure at least some of you can empathize with the heart aching desire to return to the region to learn and experience more. I just can't get the middle east out of my blood--even though many of you will remember how Egypt and the Middle East wasn't always fun and games...but there it is. Morocco or Jordan. In June. AAAHHH!!!

Third exciting thing, if I AM over there, I will EASILY be able to visit those of you in, say, Cairo. In fact, you'd better expect it.

Fourth exciting thing, I am heading home by Greyhound (yay gas conservation!) tomorrow. I am going to miss seeing everyone here, but it will be a very welcome break nevertheless. One final and one paper left...

In terms of alternatives to the Peace Corps--there's a certificate program in Palestinian and Arab studies at Birzeit University that looks interesting (and relatively cheap) that I might check out sometime between now and the end of my educational career. I am also seriously looking at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies--they offer a REALLY sweet fellowship for returned peace corps volunteers (so that would obviously be conditional on me actually going to the peace corps). I could also stay on at World Relief for a while if I really had nothing to do. My internship with them is over, which is a great relief, I must say. It was fascinating and I learned a TON, but it was uber stressful and draining. I'm not sure local refugee resettlement is something I am really passionate about. Next semester I will be working for World Relief's counseling center--data entry, support staff sort of work...but there are a TON of middle easterners there. One of the counselors is one of the cutest Jordanians I have ever met.

Mandy, I would love to join you for either or both of those conference thingys. I hope you get the internship! I can imagine it now: Tory and Mandy in Cairo again = crazy metra experience number two! Fun stuff.

Ok well, I should stop trying to avoid my work. But know that I love all of you so much and wish the best for you. Remember it was only a year ago that we started writing on this blog? I remember I was in Africa, missing you all like crazy. Now here I am in Wheaton, still missing you all like crazy. I'm getting all excited thinking about what we are all going to be doing post-grad. Keep us all updated!!!

LOVE and PEACE!!!

Tory

a grey sky, a bitter sting

Today, I'm sitting in my kitchen, having just finished my seventh semester--look at the one semester I have left, and I have been missing you all terribly and freaking out slightly about entering the real world. But I thought I would write to my habeebs and tell them about some exciting things and some less than exciting things!

First exciting thing...I think I'm heading to Chicago the 27-30th! HORRAY! I missed out on buying an Amtrak ticket--they ALL sold out (lame), but am thinking seriously about the Greyhound--public transpo--I should live out this energy crisis I'm always freaking out about.

Second exciting thing...I have had my references send it stuff for the MESP internship--I finished my resume and now have to come up with a reason why they should take me--I should probably say something more/else than I JUST WANT TO GO BACK AND LEARN MORE!! Shouldn't I? We'll see.

Third exciting thing...you are reading the blog post of the Palestinian Affair Council f(or one of them)of Kuwait at the Michigan Arab League this February. I need some help on coming up with proposals, and I'll keep you posted! It's at Grand Valley sometime in February, so those of you who live near...COME!

Fourth...I'm repeat offending the Faith & International Development Conference--care to join me?

Fifth...I began reading this blog and you should too http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ I picked up this book in the library on Saturday called Baghdad Burning, and it is all excerpts from this Iraqi girl who has been blogging from Baghdad since August 2003. I'm only two months into reading her posts and have already been driven to tears, anger, happiness, nostalgia for Arab culture, etc. It's an emotional rollar coaster, and she really is a fabulous writer.

Sixth...I'm applying to jobs I am not nearly qualified for, and thinking about Tulane University for grad school---a Master's in Public Heatlth with a subject focus on Sustainable Development in Disasters and Crises...sounds great huh?

Who the flip knows what I'm going to do!!!?!?!? What about ya'll? Anything good on the horizon?

love you, miss you, can't wait to see you.
Mandy

Hey Men You might want to check this out. it is an opportunity to teach english in Saudi Arabia. it's paid

http://www.esljobfeed.com/forum/index.pl?noframes;read=139

MESP reunion, for real this time.

Ok! Updated reunion info. Here's the deal. Anyone in, near, around, or willing to travel to Chicago is welcome to stay at my house anytime between the 27th and 30th of December. Come for an hour, a day, 3 days, whatever. There will be room at my house for whoever would like to come.

My address is:
930 Willow Walk Dr.
Palatine, IL
60067

Tory, no worries, I'll be home the 15th and you and I can hang out!
Let me know if you're thinking about coming!
Love you all.
Alissa

Just a quick note to thank you all for your support in the past few weeks. Thank you for the messages, cards and phone calls. Really and truly these have meant so much to me and I can't really say how much I appreciate you all! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Update: The three girls who survived the crash are all going to be ok. two are now at their homes recovering and at least one will be able to return to school in January. The third girl is still in the hospital due to a bleeding liver.
I am still struggling to get my mind around the fact that my roomate was here and then just like that...gone. It has been a process.

Once again thank you all so so much for your support and love. Your encouragement has really blessed me in ways I cannot even explain.

Oh yes...

... and I'm also taking beginner violin lessons from a friend, in an attempt to work towards fulfilling my lifelong goal of becoming a world famous fiddler and playing for Riverdance (I truly wish I was Irish, but that can't be helped).

"Life or Something Like It" (horrible movie by the way)

Well friends, I had this lofty goal of somehow communicating individually with all of you, and telling you what I was up to, and finding out how you were doing, but... let's face it: that's just impossible. I will still attempt to send letters and cards by mail as much I as I can, but in the meantime, I thought I would finally get around to posting. I'm trying not to become one of those people who only communicates via one Christmas/holiday card a year, but if you do end up getting some kind of "seasons greetings" from me in your mailbox, know that I still deeply respect you, I just haven't had the chance to send anything else.

Now on to my life in short form: At the moment, I am in Edmonton, Alberta, sitting on the computer at my parent's house, trying to stay warm. I'm currently living with them again after a 5 year absence, and I have been here since I got back from Egypt in June. It's been interesting, being "home" again, but interesting in a good (if challenging) way. My parents are pretty relaxed and always have been, so I've not felt restricted, but it certainly has been interesting to be living with a mom, a dad, and a sister, after living with friends since high school.

After arriving back here in June, I did a little travelling, spent some time with friends, attended some weddings (although sadly none of yours) etc., and in July I started working at a little place called "The Mustard Seed", which has kept me here until now, and will keep me here at least until summer 2008. TMS is, to put it in dictionary terms, an "inner-city humanitarian organization." It used to be called a "street church", but thankfully has changed its name, due to the negative connotations (particularly in terms of evangelism) that have been associated with that type of term. We have evening meals, a clothing bank, a Food Bank, recreation activities (baseball team, bingo, karaoke, art class, "Hockey Night in Canada"), afternoon and evening drop-in, and so on. Essentially it's like a community centre, and it's located in the inner-city - the "ghetto" if you will - so the community is made up mostly of those who operate on a lower income scale than the rest of the city. My official position is "Volunteer Development Coordinator", but I find that I do a little of everything, and I'm loving it. I came on temporarily in July to fill a 6 week opening, but ended up becoming invested in the people and the place, and I'm still here, 6 months later.

TMS has had its own learning curve and set of challenges, but really, I would highly recommend the "ghetto" to anyone trying to continue the processing of the ME and the issues encountered there. One of the most fascinating things for me has been to observe the parallels between the inner-city community and the Egyptian community, and the similarities between the issues faced by each. If we talk about Western imperialism messing up matters for those in the ME, we can definitely talk about it messing up things for those on the lower end of the social scale in Western countries (I think about this especially in regards to Native Americans/First Nations, who unfortunately make up at least 50% of those living in Canadian "slums").

I've been lucky to work with a lot of great people, who have a lot of great vision for what "change" looks like, and how we invest in the inner-city, as opposed to just shoving money and donations of used clothing at it. I've had my frustrations with the broader community and their attitudes towards the people I've come to know over the past few months, but I've also seen plenty to be hopeful about. Sometimes I think that working at a place like this goes against my socialist tendencies, but perhaps I'm becoming more of an anarchist anyways (particularly in regards to the current Canadian government).

I didn't imagine last June that I'd still be in Edmonton at this time (I thought I'd be back somewhere in the Middle East) but things didn't work out like that, and that's been fine with me. I don't intend to stay at The Mustard Seed (or in Edmonton) much past next summer, but in the meantime, I'm happy to be here.

I hope you're all doing well, wherever you are, and whatever you're doing. CONGRATULATIONS to all those who have gotten married over the last few months (wish I could have been there!) - I'm celebrating for you from a distance. Good luck to those of you who graduated last year, or are looking towards graduation this spring - leaving school is sad, but outside the campus bubble is a great place to be (not that I don't miss the bubble sometimes...). And hooray for those of you who are thinking about returning to the ME - beaucoup blessings and maybe I'll see you there in the next couple of years.

Cheers and much love always,

-Dena

Teaching ESL

I have had the amazing opportunity to teach ESL in several different distinct settings. Each one tells me two different things about the world we live in today.

Setting number one: I teach mainly Asian students. In this setting all that Thomas L. Friedman speak of in his book "The World is Flat" is confirmed by what I see in my students. Their ambitious. They are more technologically advanced than Americans. The are evidence that the world is flattening. Everyone is being given the same opportunities. Everyone can change their lives. America better prepare itself, for it will soon loose its status if it does not change its ways.

Setting number two: I teach mainly Africans, refugees. In this setting everything Friedman speaks of is dispelled. The world is obviously not flat. Instead, it is cruel, harsh, disgusting. it is more reminiscent of the world in which the prophets of the Bible lived in. Yes, they are fortunate to have survived, to have made it to a different country...but they are fortunate. They are the lucky few. They are plagued by disease, by memories. They are happy people, but their eyes are filled with a deep and dark history. They are just as smart as their Asian counterpart, but they do not have the same opportunities.

I am slowly beginning to recognize that some type of the Modern World System is true. The idea that there are core, semi-periphery and periphery states. The core dominate and control the market to benefit themselves and keep the other states out of the core. I do not think I agree with the structuralist solution to this problem, but I recognize there is a lot of truth in this theory. the more I learn about the world, the more I see that the evils that are discussed in the Bible are not exaggerated. They are real, and they are a live. It makes me feel so hopeless. I guess I need to go back and read the whole story, so I can remember to always hope.

MESP reunion, Midwest Style

So I'm going to go ahead and call it: Anyone who is in Chicago, near Chicago, or willing to travel to Chicago (and welcome to crash at my house), we're getting together sometime between Dec. 15th and 23rd. Tell me what day works best for those of you that will be around. My cell is 847.890.5837 for those who don't have it.

Also...I have a new website up for my slam poetry. There are a bunch of recordings posted on there from performances and competitions i've done. http://spu.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5854757869
Just thought I'd pass that along. I got to perform with two of my friends at a big SPU Christmas festival kind of thing--they played electric guitar while I did this poem about Jesus. It worked out surprisingly well!

I can't wait to see you all soon. Seriously, if anyone wants to travel down from Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa...I've got lots of room in my house!
let me know when would work best for you all.
Take care, my loves.
Alissa

Dordt

A lot of things have been happening here recently.
We had Tony Campolo visit as well as a few big time environmentalist Christians. It was pretty cool.
Emily has been organizing some pretty cool things. She spearheaded a protest on campus against poverty. 160 people showed up. We made the local papers and the next morning's news. It was pretty sweet. Emily also organized a trip to help distribute Thanksgiving dinners to some people in the area who might not have been able to afford it otherwise. Also, she and another MESP alum (from the semester just before ours) are organizing a fair trade Christmas sale. It is really sweet. I just thought that you would want to know. :)
Our Justice Matters club is also trying to organize a bunch of things. We are trying to get some dialogue going with the administrators about environmental things and some social justice things. Things are really happening.
In terms of my personal life, I am still really messed up. Everything seems so pointless. This is really scary for me. I have always been relatively passionate. That passion has always been directed and focused. There was purpose to it. I’m feeling quite adrift. The things that once motivated me are fading away or else becoming impossible to deal with and nothing is taking the place of these things. It is scary. Am I going to become just one more of those disillusioned college students who doesn’t care about anything because it just hurts too much? I’m getting a lot of professional help, but it is becoming less and less effective.
I think that I just need to get away from Dordt and everything that it represents to me. Maybe then, I can refocus my life and start over from scratch.

Here are the lyrics from a song that I like by Pedro the Lion called Rejoice:
Wouldn't it be so wonderful?
If everything were meaningless
But everything is so meaningful
And most everything turns to shit
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!

There is an internship offered through my denomination where I would go overseas to do relief work for two and a half years. It looks really cool. It might be just the thing for me... distance and meaning. I think that that would be a good thing to do before seminary.
Also, I was curious, is anyone interested in a MESP gettogether at my house this Christmas break? If you are interested, shoot me an email so I can pick a time. Or, we can pick a place more central to the Midwest... or even Chicago itself. Start brainstorming.

They got married.

Here's a photo of Matt and Lauren's wedding:














-Peace

my tragic little tale

it is nothing on the scale of world events or even national catastrophe, but i am feeling the need to share a little of my personal world with you all. bear with me. it started with a night in seattle: i had just flown back from visiting my sister in wisconsin a few weeks ago(and Abbie in minnesota!) and i had my luggage in the car. Scott and i stopped to eat some food and when we came back out to the car, it had been quite obviously broken into. everything was a mess and they had torn out my cd player. that alone was not so bad...its just that my suitcase was stolen! my Bible, my journal with my writings from the whole Egypt trip up through now, my camera, and other sentimental objects such as my scarf from Jerusalm were stolen! i know it sounds silly and little, but i have really struggled with feeling so violated and angry.
story 2: a week later my cousin who has schizophrenia overdosed on his meds and nearly died. i spent a lot of time in the hospital with him. he has been moved now to a psyche ward for who knows how long. he is really devestated and depressed to be where he is.
story 3: last night four girls from George fox were in a horrible accident. one died. she was my roomate when i returned from Egypt until i graduated. i knew all the girls pretty well. the other three are in hospitals but things are not looking good. these four girls also happen to be four of my brother's closest friends! i am hurting for him almost as much as for the loss of cara. please pray for us.
i'm sorry to write depressing things. i feel like thats the only time i ever write. i'm sorry. my heart is so heavy.

Calvin happenings

Ok so some crazy stuff has been happening here that has stirred up a lot of MESP memories and issues.

So Monday night we had this "ex-terrorist" who goes by the name Kamal Saleem come to speak at Calvin, sponsored by the Calvin College Republicans. Phil and I decided we had to go. Going in I had heard a lot of skeptical people talking about how his story didn't make historical sense, he was a fraud, etc.

So basically, he was the most exasperating speaker I have heard in my life!!! I was like jumping out of my seat for almost the whole time. He was making up crap about Islam, taking verses from the Qur'an out of context (and he couldn't even correctly pronounce Qur'an), and some that weren't even there, he was saying that Palestinians didn't live in refugee camps, Israelis didn't hurt anyone wheras Palestinians were just killing everyone, especially each other (and he supposedly used to work for the PLO!), that Muslims were out to get you and you better wake up and watch out because they wanted to kill the infidel (which is Americans and Jews). O and he showed a movie about how Arab children are all brainwashed to be violent wheras the Western media is so wholesome and unbiased. ARGH!!!

So some great good did come out of this though because a ton of Muslims from around Grand Rapids came to defend themselves. In the question and answer period, the "ex-terrorist" sounded like the idiot he was and the Muslims stayed afterwards to talk to us students (a good number of us stayed too). So anyway, Phil and I, and this Steve guy who did MESP the semester after us (who I finally met), and a few other students got some contact info for the Muslims and now we're working on setting up a panel of Muslims to come speak and an interfaith dialogue thing that would involve students going to a mosque and learning about Islam. Anyway, so even though this "ex-terrorist" tried so hard to ruin relationships between Christians and Muslims, it seems that bridges are being built anyway, thanks to the patience and understanding that is so little deserved from the Muslim community.

So anyway, I've been thinking about you all a lot lately because this was almost like MESP all over again, I hadn't been so worked up since MESP. Hehe.

And ya I just told Becca but I'll be in Cairo around mid June next year and staying at least a year, I would love company, especially roommates!

NCMSLC

Hey is anyone going to to the National Christian Multi-Cultural Student Leadership Conference this weekend at Anderson University (or College--I'm not sure)?!??! I'm going to be at Anderson (north of IWU, I hear) from Thursday to Sunday--and if any of you are going, I WANT TO SEE YOU!!! Or if any of you live near the area and would like for me to play hookie, skip a seminar and hang out with you, I'll see what I can do!!

Call me if you're around there: 517.617.2270

OH! I HOPE SOMEONE WILL BE THERE--PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE!!!

Love you all and will update soon, soon, soon!!

Cairo

Okay, Who else it totally psyched about going back to Cairo next year?!!?!? I am applying to the AUC, and also hopefully I am going to be teaching (that way I can afford to go to the AUC). If I get accepted, then I will have to leave for Cairo at the beginning of the summer. Would anyone else be able to join me? It's going to be crazy fun! hehe.

Becca.

P.S. Micah!!! I'm sorry life sucks right now. Know, that I love you and appreciate you and value our friendship! It's hard to be awake, but you can do it! Go Micah Go Micah Go!

Please pray for me

Im an emotional wreck. I cant go into details, but I am really struggling. Some days seem to go pretty well. Other days, today, just plain suck. I'm hurting in nearly every possible way. Again, I cant go into details, even in a one on one conversation. There is just too much going on to put it all into words that are constructive. So, please forgive me for this blurb without any real content. Just accept that I need prayer.
Thanks,
Micah

Recent Events

Life is staying pretty interesting. Last week, I attended a conference at West Point on academic ethics. It was really cool. I learned a lot and, of course, I said a lot First, let me say that West Point is simultaneously the most beautiful and most hideous school I have ever encountered. It is awe inspiring to see the dedication of the cadets, to see them stand to attention, to see their pressed uniforms, to see their devotion to duty, to see the way that they are respectful (in general) and to see their minds at work. It was beautiful. However, there was an ugly side. It kept coming back to me, these young men are preparing to kill and to be killed. They use bayonets, they fire artillery shells, they are going to war. The cadet that I stayed with had a piece of shrapnel on his desk that he had picked up after an exercise. I held the chunk of metal in my hands and imagined it traveling at hundreds of miles per hour through flesh and bone. It was terrifying.
There is a legend at West Point concerning the flag pole. According to the tale, at the top of the pole, there is a container with a razor blade, a match and a pistol with one shot. Supposedly, when the nation is attacked, the last cadet alive at the academy is supposed to climb the flag pole, cut up the flag, burn it respectfully and then kill himself/herself. I wanted to ask my guides whether they would actually do that. For once, I held my tongue. It would have been a less interesting conference if I had kept to that principle the rest of the time. I rocked the boat... a lot...
I asked a lot of questions and managed to make a number of people quite frustrated with me. And, guess what, I managed to do so without ever mentioning foreign policy or the military. All of my "offenses" involved my criticisms of Capitalism and Utilitarianism. We had a panel discussion with a large number of "big-wigs" including the CEO of Arbys, a Boeing executive, a judge on the US circuit court and a few others. We had the opportunity to question them. I took my opportunity. Basically, I stood up and called everyone in the room (myself included) murderers. I based my statement upon the unfair distribution of wealth which causes the deaths of 16,000 children per day. Then after monologuing for 2 minutes about how the philosophy of John Locke can no longer be applied to the 21st century, I asked them how they could talk about ethics when they were murderers. They didn't answer my question. They answered the question that they wanted me to ask: "How does your company help the poor?" Oh well...
A lot of the speakers were much less than stellar. One in particular really ticked me off. He kept saying one offensive thing after another about "liberals", immigration, muslims, the war and everything else. I nearly walked out. I with I had. I confronted him later in private. It was stressful. At every second and in every situation in the entire conference, I had to be filtering everything that everyone said. Some was good, a lot was bad. I could write pages about the little things that happened, both the good and the bad, but I will spare you more details.
There is one more thing though: I wonder if it is possible to go to war without believing that God is on your side. I have never gone to war. I do not know. But, something deep inside me tells me that that is a necessary condition before putting ones life on the line, or before taking the lives of others. Many of the Christians that I talked to at the academy spoke of church and country almost interchangeably. Can one be in the military without believing that God supports that decision? I don't know... But I am beginning to suspect not.
On a much lighter note, Emily has been organizing some pretty sweet things here at Dordt. It is really awesome to see all of the stuff that is happening. I feel like the campus is actually changing bit by bit. Ill let Emily fill you in on the details of the different events. They were her ideas.
I miss you all VERY much.
Ma3salema ya habibeen
Oh and one more thing. One guy (an adult!!!) at the conference said that I was arrogant for telling him that he didnt understand Arabic culture. He kept insisting that he DID understand it even though he had never been there. I kept insisting that I myself did not understand it even though I lived there for 4 months. He kept talking about the Arab world with very "western" categories like freedom, individualism and the like while completely dismissing any emphasis on community and honor. It was so sad that it was funny.

Back to Cairo?

So I'm curious...who's thinking about applying for this ESL job or the female MESP intern? What other organizations are people applying to work at after graduation? I'm compiling my list of potential jobs and I'm just curious to see what you all are thinking. You know, you guys being very cool and globally-minded and such.

Agh...today I'm falling into the clutches of Seattle-winter-rainy blues...and maybe with a sprinkling of PMS on top, too. I think I'm going to treat myself to some serious chocolate and maybe watch a movie this afternoon. I totally took for granted how nice it was to have that much sunshine last fall in Cairo, even if you had to suffer dust and pollution and wormy cats along with it. It beats winter depression (and daylight savings hasn't even hit yet!)

Alissa

Pictures

Well, I have about 500 mbs worth of photos/video of the wedding and would like to compile a cd to send to the Northwest. I have room for about 200 megabytes on the cd. If you could email your pictures/videos to my gmail email (first initial first name, last name at gmail dot com) before October 24, I will put all the photos I get on a cd for Matt and Suzannah.

Thanks, -David

Changes...(and Tupac)

yes, as Alissa so nicely alluded, things are changing in my life. The boy I talked about in a post a little over a month ago that asked me on a date b/c my views shocked him so much, is the same boy who asked me to be his girlfriend about a week ago. Brian and I are completely different in almost every sense of the word but we push each other. Have you ever had a friend like that? One that really questions your belief system, but in a loving inquisitive manner? I give him books to read about peace and the Middle East and he reads them. It's fantastic, really.

So I might have said ok to being his girlfriend. Some of you know how big of a step that really is for me. I have not been someone's 'girlfriend' in five years (to the week actually). I have a ton of learning to do and already I am being stretched. There are some BIG BIG BIG hindrances that are standing in our way, but we really feel like this is something we have to pursue and see where it goes. I don't know if any of you really wanted to know anything about this, but there it is. You all know me so well and some of you are probably rejoicing and some of you are mourning because you don't think I'm making the right decision and I welcome both responses. Know that I love each and every one of you and the weekend of the GruelKirk wedding I wished I was with you so often. I really REALLY want pictures and a synopsis of the wedding and weekend.

I love you all so much and have really been missing Egypt like crazy. What do ya'll think of Mandy applying for the intern position? Please be brutally honest. I welcome it with open arms.

Salaam.

Matt and Suz: Cutest Couple Ever. p.s., I missed the other 12 of you like crazy.

Deakin, I can't believe you guys are getting married during Thanksgiving weekend! I'm so bummed I won't be able to be there for it. Any chance of rescheduling...? : )
This weekend was a wonderful time--nothing like having Hawthorne, David, Micah, and Jon all sleeping on the floor of my apartment! Sitting around in our pajamas and eating breakfast together might have been the most endearing thing ever.
And, of course, the wedding was wonderful--Juliana and I sat next to each other and getting all misty-eyed. It was perfect--simple, perfectly them, and some of the most thoughtful content I've ever seen or heard in a wedding. I hope someone's putting pictures up soon, because I didn't get the chance to take any!
We also had one raucous evening all together with hookah and some choice beverages--and the video of Phil doing Gangster's paradise. We missed all of you and reminisced about memories including each and every one of you, so in spirit, it was like we were all there. It was amazing, though--I think we counted that 13 of us in total managed to make it. That's half our semester! Anyone else up for a trip to Seattle to celebrate Matt and Suz Gruelkirk's 1 year anniversary?!

-Also, you guys should all ask Mandy what exciting news she has to tell us.

-In other news entirely, I recently was asked to write a paper reflecting on my "spiritual journey" over the course of this past year. A lot of it had to do with MESP, so I thought I'd share it here, but I suddenly can't figure out how to post a text attachment. Shoot me an email if you'd be interested.

love you all!
Alissa

ps

check us out:

www.mattandlauren.net

wedding things

i wish i could have been part of the west-coast reunion this past weekend. i wanted to be there for gruel and suzanna and also to hang out with the rest of you. i called juliana later on saturday night hoping to catch everyone out clubbing or something, but instead she was heading to bed and nobody else was around. she filled me in on the wedding and the catching up. it sounds like it was a wonderful weekend and i'm sorry i couldn't be there. i miss you guys a lot...

on the topic of cool wedding reunions, i realized that i need to get on the ball and invite everyone to my wedding. it is going to be in KATY, TEXAS (right outside of houston) on NOVEMBER 25. we scheduled it around thanksgiving break so that a bunch of our college friends could come be a part of it. i realize that most of you probably have thanksgiving plans already and that it is sort of short-notice to put this up now, but i want everyone to know that each of you are warmly invited. lauren and i would be honored if any of you could come.

i am going to try and upload the graphic of our wedding invitation to the blog, but i wanted to get an invite on here ASAP anyway.

i actually have to start my shift at the restaurant in 16 minutes so i better get going. love you all.

-deaks

I wish I would have found this site at MESP

I think these two videos should be part of the BIG folder somehow.

On wi-fi connecting:
http://www.marksinfinitesolutions.com/tutorials/default.asp?tutorial=IS_Wifi

On food preservation:

http://www.marksinfinitesolutions.com/tutorials/default.asp?tutorial=IS_Produce

has anyone seen The Kingdom?

Ok so HAS anyone seen The Kingdom? If they have, I would like to hear your thoughts. I basically wanted to cry for like two days after seeing that. People thought it was sooo good and sooo realistic and me personally, I thought it was so oversimplifying, so over-violent and so despairing that it really lost a lot of meaning that it could have had, although it did have some good messages in it I thought too. Anyway I would like to know what my fellow MESPers thought

This weekend is going to be cool

I'm being brief.

blah...

I wish I was someone else or somewhere else... preferably both. I have lost all direction in life, all purpose, all hope. I keep going simply because I cant think of anything better to do. The worst part is that I cant get away from myself. I can never get away. Im stuck being me... forever...
Life sucks.

Happenings

I have been up to some interesting stuff at Dordt in the last few weeks.
A week and a half ago, I walked up to the front of the chapel just before chapel began (but while people were almost all seated) and took down the flag and took it out of the chapel. That got some flak.
Then, yesterday, I wore a white shirt covered in red food coloring and played dead on the lawn in front of the classroom building for 3 hours during classes. I had some signs up calling on people to work for peace. It wasnt specific to the Iraq war, just war in general. I also got some flak for this, but also some encouragement. I covered my face with a hankerchief in order to make it as anonymous as possible. However, anyone familiar with my body type was able to recognize me at a glance. :)
Appartently, my demonstration helped start a little bit of dialogue. Ive been looking for ways to make this happen for years. It is strange that I am only learning that actions speak louder than words now, after all of these years. :)
Other than these things, my life is pretty much same old, same old. Some days, I am super glad to be back at Dordt. Other days, I wish that I had never seen the place. I go into these huge funks where I completely avoid people for hours (Im in one right now actually). Im aware of the sorts of things that trigger these "episodes" but I have no way of controling these triggers... unless I become a hermit or something like that. But, hermitage doesnt seem to be in my immediate future. For the next 8 months or so, I am destined to pretend to be normal/happy. Im actually getting pretty good at it. I should be an actor.
*sigh* When I see you guys, Im probably going to burst into tears. Im already tearing up now just thinking about it. I miss you all SO much. We will all just sit down in a room together, look at each other, smile and understand. Words wont be necessary. We will speak of course. But, words wont be what unites us again. Mutual understanding on a deapth that words cant reach will make smiles and hugs the order of the day. Ana baheb intoo ya habibeen.
Ma3salema

randomness

So I just had an interesting encounter.

I was sitting outside of a coffeeshop in downtown Grand Rapids talking to my good friend Alexis and eating some ice in a cup when this old white guy in a leather jacket comes up and says,

"Hi, first of all, my name is Stephen. I'm a Sunni Muslim. I speak Arabic and Spanish really well."

Me: I speak some Arabic.
Stephen: what do you speak?
Me: I speak some Egyptian arabic.
Stephen: What do you say?
Me: izzayak? Ana ismi Kirsten. (hehe, that's all I could think of)
Stephen: No, the first Surah of the Qur'an is.. (And he proceeds to recite the Qur'an for like a minute!)

I was pretty impressed I must say. So then he started asking for bus money and stuff and telling us he could tell we were in college and that Alexis wasn't American (her parents are Korean but she's from Guam, which is a U.S. territory, and therefore definitely American). Anyway, weird.

But then I started asking him about when he became a Muslim, evidently 12 years ago when he was in prison. I asked him how and he said, because I believe in Allah. He told us we should read the Qur'an and I was so happy I could tell him I'd read a lot of it.

Anyway, it was quite random, but it was kinda just like a sign or something, and made me so glad I had done MESP for yet another reason.

I miss you all!

Class Discussions...

I was sitting in my eclesiology class this morning when the discussion came to questions of whether infant baptism was important and if it meant you were elect from that point or not. Several people in the class were trying to draw lines...."well my friend was baptized but is now an aethiest, what about her?"
I just sat back and was amazed by how western our religion has become but also how meaningless it all is. One comment in support of adult baptizm was "well I don't remember how I felt when I was a baptized as a child" Now I'm not trying to start a debate or take sides it just struck me how much our Christianity has become about how we feel, how the music makes us feel, or how the pastor keeps our attention. I remember devotions one morning , I think it was Phil, who talked about the dangers of drawing lines and how our God is far too great for us to neatly pack him into our little boxes of reason.
Basically this class is trying to answer the question of What is the Church? It's been an interesting dialogue trying to figure it out but it's not possible.
I really wish I could have all you guys back in one spot so I could pick your brains.
There was so much wisdom in our group and I kick myself often for not taking full advantage of having you all in one bus for all those hours.

on a seperate note. You should all be proud of Micah...he has been doing some demonstrations on campus to try and raise discussion about the place for Patriotism in the Church and the general attitude towards war. I'll let him tell you what he has been doing, but you will be very proud.

Craziness of life

Hey y'all,

I haven't looked at the blog in a while...so it was like a treat getting to read this great big cache of posts that I hadn't read yet. I miss all of you, and I'm getting more and more excited for October. Like Kirsten said, she's the only one who I've actually seen in the whole time since MESP...and I'm really jealous of all of you who get to keep hanging out with each other. The wedding is going to be awesome, and I'm super-psyched for the hookah reunion at Alissa's place that we've all been promised.

Umm, update from my end of things...things are really super busy for me now. This summer was really chill, with a fairly undemanding job and lots of reading and contemplating. I'm excited to hear that a lot of y'all are also reading about and thinking through pacifism. That was one of the big things I was thinking a lot about over the summer. I read a lot of essays by John Howard Yoder. I'm still...I don't know. When people ask me about it, I say that I'm "hovering around the edges" of pacifism. I would consider myself a pacifist for most intents and purposes, but I think that a commitment to nonviolence is something that you have to take really seriously, and I'm not willing to say that until I know that it's something I can remain totally committed to. There's lots of examples in history of people and organizations who made grand pacifistic statements but when the going got tough they gave it up for security (The Socialists of Europe before WWI for example). And I look at it in a similar way to what Becka was saying about Orthodoxy. Pacifism is something which really appeals to me, but violence-nonviolence isn't a game, and I don't want to jump into it now only to jump out again later.

Anyway, so that's where I am on that. Like I said, I'm super-busy right now...I've got kind of a supervisory position at my job, which means a little more money but a lot more time commitment...and I'm leading a student ministry, playing flag football, writing articles for the student newspaper, (hopefully) getting a part in the fall theater department show, and researching and writing an honors thesis...oh, I don't know if I've told all of you about this before. I'm writing on the history of the Christian Zionist lobby in the US and their effect on US foreign policy towards Israel. It's been really interesting so far, there's a lot of literature out there, but it is a LOT of work. There's a lot of different components to it, all of which I could write an entire honors thesis on, from the introduction of dispensationalism to the States, to the rise of the religious right, to the interplay between CZs and Likud, to Reagan and his semi-obsession with end-times stuff, there's just so much there...anyway, I'm having fun with it. Oh, and of course I still have classes, too. Yeah, those are also time-consuming. But fun...I'm taking Intermediate Arabic and I really like the new professor.

I don't know, I have a weird fluctuating combination of extreme senioritis, getting so stir-crazy and sick of this place that I want nothing more than to just pack up my car and drive...anywhere, really...and, at the same time, feeling so far from ready to be done here that graduating terrifies me. You know what I mean? I guess I just thought I would know a lot more by the time I was a senior, thought I would have a lot more life experience, be a lot more ready to go out and live life in the real world. Thought I would probably be engaged by this time too...but that's a whole other can of worms.

Anyway, I can't wait to hang out with all of y'all who'll be there in Seattle.
Peace,
Jon

Pacifism

Micah, I think I might be joining you in your reach toward pacifism. Over the last few weeks and maybe even months, I feel like I've been drawn toward the extreme end of peace. I have been investigating the Christian Peacemaking Teams (which I recommend also investigating), talking with my friend Stephen, reading books and discussing war and peace with a few of my friends here. (Actually, a side note, I was at my leadership training before school started and a sophomore boy started asking me questions--we have a somewhat long history of bumping heads, and I told him what I thought about peace, Iraq, the Middle East, life and he ended up asking me out on a date that next weekend--so there you go girls: truly appall some boy and he'll ask you on a date) I feel so drawn toward peace, like it's just sweltering inside of me, does that make sense?

I read Tony Campolo's Letters to a Young Evangelical (which I also recommend) and I came across the letter titled, "Blessed are the Peacemakers." It was amazing. He could articulate what my soul has been longing to say since being in Egypt. Nonviolence, as a whole seems not only the most biblical but the most humanitarian. As an assignment for a modern social problems class, I got to read Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail, and it was also amazing. It may have just become one of my favorite pieces of literature. Non-violence can achieve so much, why do we resolve to go to war so often?

I just wanted to let you all in on that little piece of my heart and my life recently. I'm missing Egypt so badlt this week; it was so hard and so easy at the same time. There's a lot going in my life, my brother(the twin) might go to jail, my parents might declare bankruptcy, my mom might lose her job, and I'm trying to settle into this new year and get into the groove, but I'm trying to cope. Actually a super cool thing that happened is my twin also told me he started reading the Bible and wanted me to find him a Bible he could better understand (he started with the KJV).

So if prayer means anything to any of you, pray for me, pray for my brother, for my family, and pray for peace.

Update and some thoughts

Well, Im back at Dordt. It is going all right. I have my ups and downs of course.
The good thing is that I have had some wonderful opportunities to talk to professors about things that confuse me. That is super.
One of the things that I have been thinking about a lot is the notion of Children of Empire. I talked with Dr. Jorieman (a wheaton poli-sci prof) about this. She pointed out that the fact that I am from an empire does not make my words any less true. She also pointed out that people who are actually living in Palestine (Chacour and Gershom Gorrenberg) are preaching peace as well. "Children of Empire" as a concept is wonderful when it acts as a caution to people going to the Middle East. It is true that we are from an empire and that MOST of our fighting has been done for us. Nevertheless, that does not make our words and our passion for peace any less true. What it DOES mean is that we have to be very very careful. Maybe you all arrived at this conclusion a long time ago... I didnt. I process things pretty slowly... Oh well, mafiish mushkilla.

Annother thing that I have been thinking about a lot is pacifism. I really really really want to be a pacifist. I just dont think that I can. I have had several long talks with Dordt profs. I am no where near a conclusion, but I feel like I am making progress. Good stuff.

Oh, and I was just at the all campus retreat for Dordt. At one point in the retreat, Emily and I got up to do Matt Gruel's song that he sang in Siwa. It was the Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken... song. We then did the Star Wars version and finally, the mixture.
Here are some pics. Oh, and Matt, we gave credit where credit was due. :)
Here is to you and your knobbly knees. :)

Kentucky Skywalker
















Mc Vader

Happy Girl

Il-humduallah! It works and I can post. This is amazing. So, I have missed you all terribly for an eternity now. Everytime I would try to post on this site I would be rejected. It was so sad. For months I did not read it because I knew I couldn't respond, but today I felt compelled to try and communicate with you all again and it worked!

Reading all of your posts made me smile. I am encouraged by reading about all of the wonderful things you are doing with your lives (especially those of you who are through college). Right now I am trying to determine what post graduation will look like in my life, as I am sure many of you are. While attempting to be forward thinking, I am also trying to live in the present and make the most out of my remaining time at Malone. That is what is going on in my life.

Also, I am attending this event in October--the sixth actually--a wedding in Seattle. I can't wait to fly out and see the beautiful couple!

Grace and Peace,
Julianna

I am trying again

So, I have been missing MESP a great deal and I am going to try and blog yet another time...lets see if this one works.

Religion is not a Game.

This semester I have been suffering from major senioritis. I have been avoiding homework, and already, I am stressed about well everything, but this evening I had a chance to get away from my work etc.
Tonight, I had an amazing experience. I was able to have a two hour conversation with a MBB who I have known for some time. I have always wanted to ask him certain questions, and tonight, I finally had the courage to ask them....well some of them. He speaks of a Turkey that we did not see. He spoke of being tortured in prison during the five different times that he was imprisoned for his faith. He spoke of the beauty of the land and how much he missed it. I then got the nerve to ask one of the hardest questions, had he ever thought about converting back to Islam? (After all, when he left...more like lfed... Turkey his family faked his death). He laughed; Shoke his head and said, "No, No, No. Religion is not a game you know. I made my decision. I saw what I saw (referring to his dreams and visions), and I cannot deny that."
This lead me to think about my own faith. As some of you may know, I have of recent been seriously considering converting to Orthodoxy. I have had some reservations thought. The major one is what difference will it make? Is it really about me being Orthodox? I prefere some of the Orthodox forms of worhsip, but do I really want to sign myself to an institution? My greatest fear is that I am turning my faith, my religion, into a game.
I wonder what would I be if I where locked in a cell for five days without food or water, and it was too short for me to stand but to small for me to lay down...with water dripping on my head? Would I be a follower of Isa al Messi at all?
I wanted to share this with you all. I don't really know why, but there it is. i miss all of you very much. Everyday, I see someone and I think (more like hope) that maybe it is one of you. I hope that God will bless you all in whatever you are doing and where ever you are, and Tory, I desperately want to hear more about your visting the Orthodox church. Kristen, I very much wisht hat I could go to that Arabic church with you. I closed my eyes, and I almost thought that I was there.

Into the suburban wilderness

Just a uick update...

I have returned to Wheaton where I am interning for about 25 hours a week at World Relief...and am VERY excited about it!

I am living in an apartment where we had a random fourth person assigned...and it turns out she's a Palestinian who is dating an Egyptian. Whoot.

I have given up on the evangelical churches in Wheaton and am now attending St. Joseph's Orthodox church, a sweet church where there are tons of Middle Easterners.

I am taking a class by this guy who knows Dr. Dave and was in Egypt when we were...

I lead a wilderness trip for 10 freshmen and I love them to death and they are basically my life now and the reason I love school now

God is good.

And...I miss you all!!

Love you guys and hope school/post-grad is going really well! Let's do a reunion again!

Tory

New year?

So school's about to start. Nothing much is changing in my life, I'm still working the same two jobs and living in the same place. All that happens is I have to go to class and more friends are here but they probably can't hang out cause they do homework and study and stuff, hehe.

I don't know about the rest of those of you in my boat (I think about half of us) that are graduating this year, but I definitely am already suffering massively from senioritis (and was last semester) before school's even started.

OK well I wanted to tell you about lthe last two weekends. Two weekends ago I was in Chicago and after a few train rides I got to see Alissa, Mandy, and Micah! It was crazy. We had a good chat and some coffee on Alissa' Dad, hehe. These people have been doing amazing things.

OK so then, last weekend I was in Boston helping my brother get settled before school started and I got to see Jon. Evidently I'm the first person he's seen from MESP since MESP, also crazy! But it was so great to see him too, and I got to see the infamous Gordon as well. We also discussed how the entire year next year should be a MESP reunion in Cairo and how awesome that would be. Who's in?

Also one of my Egyptian friends Marcus lives there. His family runs an Arabic church and he invited me and my family to come. I convinced my family to go (which is somewhat of a feat when it comes to church) and it was awesome. It was in this gorgeous Greek church that they rented and there were like 30 people in the congregation. The service was in English and Arabic, like they'd say the sentence in Arabic and then English, so we could understand (but that's not why they did it, they always do) and I could pick up some words like kinesa, la'a, etc. But anyway, then the entire church had to come up and introduce themselves so we were there for like 2.5 hours. As Marcus said, "you can come here and feel like you're in the Middle East, its 100 degrees and everyone speaks arabic." Hehe, it was true. It just reminded me once again that I really really miss it there. You guys would've loved this church though.

And Phil's back! I accosted him outside the bookstore, hehe. AND I finally got the email from Dr. Dave which is one of the most hilarious things I have ever read, but in the most awesome way possible. So there have been a lot of MESP related people and places in my life the last few weeks, yay.

OK so anyway I miss you all lots, I don't think I can go to the wedding, which sucks, but I hope I see some more of you sometime soon!

Arab men and love

Okay, so does anyone remember the adorable little boy selling rocks in Petra or the camel man with a British accent at Petra? Well, my good friend happened to get to know them very well whenever she was studying in Israel....so well in fact, that she stayed with the family for some time and seems to have gotten very close to them! Crazy eh?!

Tonight I got to talk with her, and I heard a few of her stories. She worked in Ramallah for awhile, and she had a lot of interesting expiriences at the border.

It was great to hear her talk about things that we all had in common, but it was interesting to hear what she did since she had a lot more freedom.

See, the arab man with a British accent, it seems that they became very good friends. The mother of the little boy that some of us meet (he was the one who thought I was 12 or 13...his comment was the final one that made me decide to have my hair cut slightly in Jerusalem) was the woman who would hide behind the rock to keep from being seen. Well, my friend got to know her very well and spend time with her and the rest of the family! Amazing eh? It was interesting to hear of her encounters with Arab men as opposed to some of our encounters with Arab men...Anyways, I thought you all might find that story somewhat interesting. I hope that you are all doing well.

Zamalek Bridge

My sister just sent this to me, and I thought I'd pass it on: It's just this little thoughtful piece about the bridge that connects Zamalek to Agouza, the one that everyone stands on at night. The author just went around talking to the different people standing there and wrote it as a kind of snapshot of Egyptians' hopes and aspirations right now. It's nice. Anyway, happy reading!
p.s.... I get to hang out with Mandy this week, and maybe Kirsten, too. Hanging out with them makes me miss the rest of you, too--I hope you're all doing well, and everyone had better be planning to make it out to the wedding in Seattle...right?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bridge14aug14,1,7650722.story

Alissa

WHAT?

DR. DAVE IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!

Check your e-mail everyone...it's true. And really cool. Amazingly so. Is this blowing anyone else's mind?

Teaching positions

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The post-college life of Molly

I feel like its been a while... Mandy your pictures are amazing! makes me miss our time at Sister's of Charity.

anyway, i feel like things are finally falling into place after graduation. i have just received a job offer with medical teams international(which i haven't accepted yet, but i have to decide within a week or so) and i have an interview with world vision this wed. i am pretty excited to see what happens. i have been getting discouraged and feeling like my life is going nowhere and that i will likely end up like one of those sixty year old ladies working at mcdonalds.

if i end up with world vision, i am excited about the prospect of moving to the seattle area where their headquarters are located and being near some of you wonderful mesp people. not to mention the excitment of being closer to a certain person in my life. soon i will have a bit clearer direction and i can't wait to see where God takes me!

it is great to read all of your updates! i miss you all so much! come to suz and matt's wedding....because they are awesome and because then i get to see you! maybe i will have a place to house you by then. :)

A little update

Hello friends, it's Margie, finally contributing to the blog I set up. The last few months in my life have had the theme of transition. Or craziness. I graduated from college in May and then started working at a summer camp in West Michigan. My parents moved from St. Louis to Washington DC about a month ago, as I was in the great state of MI. So now, I'm with all of my belongings in a strange townhouse in Alexandria VA for about 2 weeks. During this time I will attempt to sort through everything I own. I have also had to find new homes for my cat, dog, and car. In two weeks, I will attend Eastern University in Philly to get my MA in International Studies. (Yes the same one Hawthorne was going to and then changed his mind.) Some exciting things consist of me getting a new car (Honda Fit) as well as getting to hang out with Phil last night! Now aren't you jealous? It was fun to see him again and hear his genius musings of the inner-workings of the State Dept., the church, DC, his future, Africa, and whatever else we covered. He even said "Bizupt" once.

So, if anyone is every on the East Coast, let me know, we'll hang out as well. Peace out habebes.

The Philippines and a Journey Home...

Salamat Po! Excuse Po! Thank you Mum, Excuse me Mum. This is what I heard repeated over and over during my time in the Philippines. If you can tell from the pictures I fell in love with the most beautiful people. I love their dark skin and almond shaped eyes. I fit in with height, but as always stuck out with my light hair, skin and eyes. It was so strange for me being in a foreign country that wasn't Arab! I could wear shorter sleeves, shorter skirts and I could look men in the eyes. At first, I wasn't quite sure how to handle the whole situation. I wanted to revert back to the Egyptian mode of walking confidentely but not over-confident, ignoring calls, with my arm through another girl's to show we were not intimidated. Instead I could laugh and joke with our drivers and ask questions to the men if I needed to for my job. It was a strange experience. I can't say I liked Southeast Asia more than the Middle East, but it was different and I still loved it.
My internship was completed, and I can say I'm happy it's over and happy I did it, but it caused some confusion for me. I always thought I would be working for an NGO someday, but this summer made me second guess that. There were some things I just didn't like and didn't get and am not sure I could be on board with. I'm still processing and cold have an entirely different opinion tomorrow, so I'll keep you updated.


IN OTHER NEWS: I'm on the road again! I'm in Las Vegas right now, hanging out with my nephews and plan on hitting the road Monday morning for the Summer 2007 Road Trip ( i need a more creative name--any ideas?) !! I can't decide if I'll go north through Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa or South through AZ, New Mexico, OK. I could make a decision if any of you say: come see me!! (please do, please do!) I would love to stop by if any of your homes are close to my route and don't mind going out of the way a bit. Let me know, call me, email--find me!

I love you all and wish we could all be heading back to Masr in a few weeks...

The Bridge

Hey Everyone...
So, Unless you live in a box, you probably know that a huge bridge collapsed into the missisippi river in minneapolis yesterday. It so strange. That bridge is a half mile away from my house and I use it every single day to go to work and to school. I went over at 4:30 and it was gone at 6:05. It was strange because at 6:05 our power went out and I was so annoyed and complaining about it and then I started getting calls about the bridge, but had no idea what was going on becasue we had no power. Needless to say, I stopped complaining, but then we started hearing sirens like crazy and there was smoke all over the sky. Everyone I know is just fine but there were a lot of close calls. A HUGE part of our city is gone and it just feels strange to be here and know that I can't drive into or out of the city like normal....Anyway, thanks for those of you taht thought about Abbie and I and for those of you who didn't...well...I don't know....:)
Anyway, I miss you all and wish I was shopping for long skirts and stocking up on hair spray to go to cairo in a few weeks
Hope everyone is well!
Anna

la yanqui returns home

Wow, hey, kids. It's fantastically refreshing to read over this blog after having been away for two months! I miss you all.
So I just got back from 2 months in Europe--most of which was spent studying Spanish and Iberian history in Salamanca, Spain, some of which was spent travelling by myself through Rome and southern Spain (read: al-Andalus, with historical and current Muslim-influence). It was bizarre to travel through the "first world" for the first time in my life; I'm glad I saved it for last. Traveling to places like Ecuador or Egypt is much more difficult, to be sure, but then also more deeply impacting. Traveling through Spain was a two month vacation, in the best possible sense. I also made some good friends there from SPU (people I hadn't known previously), which makes it a lot easier to go back to Seattle for my senior year. But really, there's nothing like living in an intense environment like Egypt to make you bond with and appreciate the people that you're with. Even though I spent a month with these friends, a month together with all of you in Egypt felt like a lifetime. I missed having you all there with me--it just seems wrong to travel abroad without you all, you know?
That being said, it was such a relief to actually speak the language in Spain. I am going to start up Arabic classes again at an institute in Seattle starting in September--but with 10 years of Spanish already under my belt, I had a blast getting to know Spaniards and actually being able to express myself well with them. (I may or may not have also had good enough Spanish to score a 34 year-old Spanish lover for my last 2 weeks over there... oh, Juan Carlos)
Anyway-- I can't wait to see you all at Suz and Grueler's wedding! Soon, very soon. I've also been inspired by reading up on all of your busy and interesting lives to snap out of European-vacation mode and get back to my Middle East books and start doing something meaningful again.
Finally, if any of you are lurking around the Chicago area in the next few weeks, let me know, because I'd love to see you.
Take care, my friends--
Alissa

Stuff

So, in roughly 40 hours, I will be getting on a plane, headed for Sierra Leone. Im going there to help monitor an election. I will be there for two weeks. Im pretty excited, but the reality hasnt really sunk in yet. That happens...
Ill keep you all updated with what it is like.

I remembered some more funny incidents from MESP:

- Fruits of Winter!!!
- The time that I bought two large bottles of cologne (that ended up smelling like mousquito repellant) from that very pushy vendor.
- The pianist at the hotel in Ankara who just played random notes and chords in musical gibberish on the piano in the lobby.
- Eunice and Deakin showing off their mad skills on the same piano mentioned above.
- "La'a, kidda mamnua3!!!" (shouted during the sex scene in "Kingdom of Heaven")
- The protest that we saw in the street outside of the Austrian Hospice
- Abouna Chacour's awesome beard
- Deakin's struggle to make Nahed Turban not hate him
- "We are over de-Nile" (the joke that never got old) : )

Life

Well it seems that life changes as quickly as ever. One minute I am going to Eastern in the fall and the next I am going to be working for the Red Cross through Americorps for a year and then going to Eastern after the year is up. It seems forever ago that I was sitting around a circle with you guys doing devotions in the heart of Cairo, even if it has only been a short time. I look forward to being near some of you guys again. While I was in Indy I applied to an Americorps position that eventually led me to the position I am going to have now in Indy with the Red Cross. I want to say congratulations to Julia and her husband on their marriage and I ask forgiveness for not being able to be there. I do hope that I will be able to make it out to Matt and Susanna's wedding in October and I hope to see some of you there too. I miss all of you very much.

Matt

weird

So this actually happened awhile ago but I wanted to post it cause it still kinda upsets me and you guys would get it.

So anyway I had set up to talk to/interview with this woman in admissions who just started and would be my boss for the last part of the summer when I would be working half time in admissions. So anyway she seems really nice and really cool. She has to run off to ask some people questions and leaves me in her cubicle, which is cool. I start looking around and she has this giant tapestry covering the wall and it looks vaguely familiar like and it seems to be a scene of Mary and Joseph in the bible. I was gonna ask her about it.

So she comes back and we start talking about work and stuff and then she asks me what I'm planning to do when I graduate. I told her I was planning to go to Egypt for a year or two. It turns out she lived in Cairo for five years! And the tapestry was from Egypt! I was so freakin excited! But then she was like, "how does your mother feel about you going there?" And I was like, "not good, but that's how it is with most things." So anyway then she proceeds to lecture me about how its not very safe there and I better be very sure that God's calling me there. She was like, "it was safe when I was there but not anymore." "I don't understand Islam and I don't understand Muslims and they all want to kill you." "My sister was there for 9-11 and they were all dancing in the streets. Its a strange mentality." "The Muslims hate Americans so much and they all would like to kill you."

Holy crap! This woman was IN Cairo, just like us, for five years! I was so confused! She was doing missionary work there in Little China I guess which is evidently near Agouza. But anyway she kinda looked at me and asked how it was being there and I was like, "well I always felt really safe and most people were really kind and respectful to us. Yes they hated the American government but were really sweet to us. I stayed with a Muslim host family and they were amazingly nice to me." She was really impressed I stayed in Embaba, haha.

But anyway, I was really thinking about it for a few days straight and still can't really get over it. I mean, she was there! And this is what she tells me! I wasn't expecting that. I mean from people that have never really interacted with Muslims or the Middle East I can kind of excuse a little bit of ignorance, but really she should be the more knowledgable one and this is what she says, all Muslims want to kill me, especially in Cairo. Any interpretations? I mean I don't think she was interacting with Muslims on a personal level all that much, but seriously.

Ok I just wanted to rant....

O other news. I'm working at the Center for Social Research here and they're doing this study called the Kent County Congregations Study. This involved interviewing religious congregation leaders all over our county. So anyway, one of my friends interviewed the Imam at the Islamic Center here and now they're good buddies and he told him that I might call him about setting up some interfaith dialogue thing, so I got the hook up with the Islamic Center finally, sweet, but I am so bad at actually putting things like this into action. So ya, I write a lot, but love u all!

Something Quick

I was at work yesterday. It was dreadful. I just wanted to go home. Then, all of a sudden, a memory from Jordan came to me. Im not sure who knows this story, so itmay be a confession or a reminder... Im not sure.
Anyway, Deakin, Jon, Phil and I were in our room at Petra making prank phone calls. After a few times, Deakin prank called Steve's room pretending to be an agent in Jordan's department of tourism wishing to speak with someone regarding the incident where we all went in in smaller groups instead of as a big group in order to avoid paying the larger group price. Steve was convinced that it was for real. Deakin told him that we would be coming to his room shortly. Deakin, Jon and I then went up to his room and knocked and tried to convince a sleepy, but very frightened, Steve to open up. After a minute, Deakin broke character and started laughing and we ran for it.
The mere memory of this incident made me burst out laughing. I got some wierd looks, but that isnt anything new.
I miss you all.

Julia's Wedding

Okay, so I finally got around to publishing some of the pictures taken during Julia's wedding (about a month ago). I had a wonderful time with Suzannah, Becca and Tory at my house and then we met up with Micah and Brian at the wedding - it was a blast. I love reading all the posts and such from you all - hope you enjoy this one!
Abbie

Finding a job.

Looking for a job and having ill success I read these books and recommend them:

Title: Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Jobs of Your Dreams
Author: Kimm Alayne Walton

Title: What Color is Your Parachute?
Author: Dick Bolles

Title: Brazen Careerist
Author: Penelope Trunk


I'm still looking for an accounting job, but now I am using different techniques and strategies that seem to be working.

Cheers.

My House Got Struck By Lightening

So I had an 'interesting' experience tonight....please read this story with more of a light hearted tone than a serious one. I wanted to share with someone my exciting story, so I thought I would share it with many people instead.....

Tonight began...eerie to say the least. I went into my room with a creepy feeling that something bad was going to happen; that is to say, not something terribly bad, but the feeling that something queer was going to take place tonight. I did not give it too much thought. Instead, I blamed it on the storm.

This afternoon it started thundering. No biggie...right? Well, we knew it was going to be a big storm by the sound of thunder (it was a long, deep and dark sound that resonated within oneself). As the night went on the thunder continued...finally we could see lightening...then a while later the rain began. It was a storm seemed that came straight out of a Harry Potter novel....(just think of those storms that they have...anyone seen the fifth movie...”there's a storm coming Harry. We better get ready for her. Actually to be quite honest that storm wasn't that bad literally speaking figuratively different story). Anyways, our house got struck by lightening (or so we think)...we are still trying to figure out exactly what happened (was it lightening or a small explosion..sounds crazy I know or what not all have possible explanations behind them believe it or not), and we probably won't know the full story for several days. Luckily, we are alive and our house has survived. Praise be to God. Back to the exciting story...so when I got creeped out...I did anything any person feeling a little nervous in a storm would do, I went to get a flash light, and turned on the tv to see what the weatherman thought about the lightening and thunder. That was when it happened. Big boom!!!!! (my ears are still ringing and that was several hours ago) coinciding with the electricity going out and a loud siren going off!

All I could do was sit there and think o shit I really don't want to have to leave the house in this storm. As I go up the stairs...all I can think of is it's the fire alarm!!!!! (You might be wondering I am going up stair right now....I have to to find my family...and discuss what to do). These fears are seemingly confirmed when I get to the top of the stairs, and I smell what seems to be an electrical fire. Luckily, I don't see smoke, so I do what anyone else does in a crisis.

I go down stairs, find the little wheel of crisis that the federal government gave to us, turn it to fire, and let it tell me what to do.

Anyways...back to the real story...my little sister is now having a panic attack (shaking in a violent odd manner that quite honestly freaked me out), my youngest niece is balling, my mom is trying to act as nothing is wrong, my dad is walking around smelling things (frantically I might add), and my oldest niece looks as if she has seen the bloody ghost of Christmas past or whatever. First I calm down my sister, and get my nieces down stairs. I put my youngest niece in charge of the flash light which calmed her down a bit. My sister....she continued to freak. I failed at keeping my parents out of the attack (come on seriously people...there might be something up there and you want to open the damn door!!!!! What happened to common sense 101?! if there is a fire you want to keep it shut up!) I finally convince my mom and dad to let me call the fire department and let them investigate the fire. I calmly call 311...which transfers me to 911 (exactly what I didn't want to happen....grrr) which led to an interesting discussion with the 911 woman of what is your emergency...welll..er...i'm not wuite sure its an emergency....

The men arrive to investigate several houses in our vicinity. They find that there is some strange heat stuff going on in our attic and recommend to keep the a/c off (I know some of you normally keep your a/c off all the time...but for tx i don't know anyone who can survive with their a/c's off during the summer...I must question if David could though.....). So we don't really know what we lost. here's a quick count...all of my sisters electronics (which is prob. worth well over $800-1000), the control circuit, the a/c, three computers, tv, and we'll have to see what else. Luckily for us, all of these things are replaceable, and in the big scheme of things hold no value of importance. Interestingly enough, it seemed that whatever happened it knocked some of the paint of my sisters walls...or whatever (her room is covered in a white powdery substance weird i know). All in all, it was an eventful evening that left me in want of an ant-acid, wine and/or advil.

More Mesp Memories

Ok, I listed some random happenings from our trip and I got some positive feedback from some people. I have some more. But, I would also like some of you to join in. If you can think of an awesome incident, post it.

- Gummies in Jerusalem
- The time that Hawthorne ran into a car and put a huge dent in it while playing soccer in Galilee :)
- Ashraf's smile
- Altay's jokes
- Singing Christmas carols while descending Masada
- Singing Christmas carols while journeying through Hezekiah's tunnel
- The fact that Kareema always made popcorn for our breaks (and sometimes ice cream too)
- AiEEEEEEEEEEEsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- The call to prayer
- The thousands of disgusting(but sometimes irresistable) cats who lived on our street
- The coffee which we were given in Syria for Abuna Athanasius' talk on Orthodoxy
- Tea made without tea bags
- Lots and lots of mangoes
- That papyrus painting that I got conned into buying... of my "mother"...
- The baby shower for Mariam
- Bathrooms that had holes in the ground instead of real toilets
- Dancing (in Siwa, in the hotels, on the Nile Cruise, on the bus...)
- The long walk to and from the American University
- Devotions
- The devotions where we sang Sunday School songs
- Standing on top of the Austrian Hospice, looking at the Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, Lion's Gate, Damascus Gate and The Church of the Holy Seplechure (sp?)
- Eating Turkish Delight and finding less delightful than we had hoped, but still pretty good
- Apple Tea
- Camel? Camel? Camel?... all the way up Sinai
- Nutela
- Bishop Thomas (does anyone know how he is, by the way?)
- The fact that crossing the street was the most dangerous part of living in Egypt
- Ana Fora, especially the encouragement circle

Well, that is all that I can think up for now. Please contribute your own memories. I like being nostalgic every once in a while. :)

as you like

something happened yesterday that made me think of you all in a particularly focused way. i am here in D.C. for the summer, and it turns out that the CCCU's directors' meeting is this week at the CCCU headquarters place in town. as you will expect, dave has to come to this, and so last night for the fourth of july, there was a picnic/watch-the-fireworks time for about 14 mespers from this past semester plus me, another random mesper from like 3 years ago, and two other random CCCU people. and dave. it was such a wonderful time, i don't even know what to say to tell you how good it was to see dave again. and it was so fun to hear people going around saying mumking and mafiish mushkila whenever they wanted (i only wish it had been you saying it instead of all these people i didnt know). but the group was really nice and it was just really fun to see all of them wearing kifayyas (it was funny actually at the beginning---i was standing outside the building just waiting for whoever was going to come to show up, and then this group of 10 or 15 kids with kufayyas come walking around the corner---i felt like i knew them a little bit already---the bond of the kifayya is kind of magical like that) and then of course to hear them talk about all the speakers they heard and the places they went. the whole evening was really quite wonderful, i just wish others of you could have been there to share it.

and just as a quick note about my internship: it's going really well. im in the central african affairs office, and i've been able to do lots of substantive work so far. besides kind of small projects here and there, i've been able to spend quite a bit of time pulling materials together in order to brief people who have been nominated for ambassadorships to particular countries. this is when i get to learn about the issues in particular places, and it's pretty interesting. i really like the other intern in my office, and most of the people i work with are cool too.

i think about you often and love hearing about what you're doing.

with love,
phil