Memories w/ haga taani

Here are some memories from MESP:
-The fact that ketchup does not taste the same in the Middle East.
-The overpoweringly intense incense in the Coptic church.
-Altay, our amazing guide through Turkey.
-Europeans in spedos on the cruise.
-The way that Kareema said "Shokran" if you complimented her on her food.
-Dancing Diaa.
-(on the telephone) "Hello, this is Micah Schuurman..."
-Granola mixed with yoghurt in Israel.
-Playing ultimate frisbee and soccer in Galilee. (and the most memorable aspect of the game, Hawthorne running into a car and putting a dent into it... no Matt, Im never going to let you forget that... :) )
-Matt Gruelkirk losing everything (his backpack, journal and camera in the taxi, his nalgene bottle on at least two occasions, one occasion involving a river)
-Molly's spunk and determination in her battle with her worms.
-Pommegranates, sometimes with icecream.
-The gigantic fish that we saw while snorkeling in the Red Sea. It was a Baracuda and it was looking at me hungrily... I swear!!!
-Singing songs on the roof of the villa for devotions.
-Baclava
-The fact that Turkish Delight isnt as delightful as one might imagine.
-Sand-boarding in Siwa
-That picture of Steve, with a huge beard and a belly dancing outfit.
-Steve's revenge: A video of Dena bellydancing.
-El Abd cookies and cake.
-The super sour oranges at Anafora that Becca kept enticing people to eat. :)
-The beds at Anafora. I felt like royalty with those misquito nets.
-The ornate chapel at the Austrian Hospice. That place was incredible!
-Steve and Anna when she visited (I think that they are engaged now)

That is enough for the moment. Im sure that more will come back to me. Post your own memories that I have forgotten.

Im doing all right. I seem to be through the worst part of my depression. Il-hamdu-lillah! Im still sad a lot, but Im doing better. I have very mixed feelings about leaving Dordt. I want to get out of here. But, there is a lot that I will miss here. I try not to think about it.
The biggest thing that I am struggling with at the moment is my health. This is the third Sunday in a row that I have gotten hit with a fever. I get better after a few days, but it keeps happening over and over... every Sunday...
The nurse diagnosed me with mono. Then the doctor undiagnosed me with mono, saying that it was some other virus. Whatever it is, I dont like it.
I am applying to work with the Mennonite Central Committee. Im hoping to get a position almost exactly the same as Phil's. The interviews that I have had so far have been really encouraging. Please pray for this whole process.
In other news, I am about as close as possible to being a pacifist without actually being one. Im writing a paper on it in which I show the problems with the modern Christian interpretations of Just War Theory. For me, it hinges on Abraham. He is the father of our faith. He was willing to sacrifice his own son, his only son whom he loved. If you read the scripture leading up to the sacrifice of Isaac, you see that Isaac meant everything to Abraham. He was the son of promise, the son through whom God would bless the nations. Isaac was the summation of all for which Abraham had lived. Yet he was willing to make the sacrifice, fully believing that God would return Isaac to him.
If we would claim to have Abraham as our spiritual ancestor (Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham, I am one of them and so are you...) we should be similarly willing to give up everything, our liberties, our freedoms, our property, our own lives and even our sons and daughters whom we love. I say all this to make the point that self-defense is not an excuse to disobey the commands of Jesus regarding loving our neighbor. This does not "prove" pacifism. But, it is a serious question that we must ask regarding violence. God sometimes demands that his servants give all that they have. Look no further than the martyrs who have gone before us.
So, yeah, this is what I am thinking about. Jon, can you tell that I have been reading Kierkegaard? Can you tell which book? :)
Salaam ya habibeen

PS. Tory, when are you going to give us an update?