Hey beautiful friends and family, 

It has been far too long, I know! Right now I am sitting in my flat in Agouza, Cairo, and just finished my paper on comparing Turkey and Egypt. The next one I am about to work on is about Eastern Christianity. The one after that is about the Arab/Israeli conflict. And a couple more, but I'll spare you the details! 

So we just got back from our "travel component" part of the semester a few days ago. We were started out by flying into Istanbul, Turkey. It was a STARK change from Cairo. A little chunk from my Turkey/Egypt paper to help describe the differences:

Picture for a moment walking the streets of downtown Cairo. While walking around, you hear the call to noon prayer, echoing above the sounds of honking horns and men selling goods on the street. Imagine an over-populated, polluted city, dusty from the sand blown in from the desert. Some men and women (probably from Upper Egypt) are wearing gullabeyas. The large majority of women are wearing headscarfs, brightly colored and usually fashioned to match the rest of their outfits. Less traditional men are wearing slacks and button-down shirts. You look over to discover a taxi driver reading the Quran as he sits waiting in traffic. On the corner you see a church, where a Mosque is built directly across the street from it. Men are hurrying to noon prayer, with their prayer mats tucked under their arms. You enter the train station and see the southeast corner filled with men bowing for prayer, facing the direction of Mecca.

Now place yourself in Istanbul, Turkey. You look around and see a thriving city filled with confident, young, stylish people. No one is carrying a prayer mat. Almost all the women are not wearing a headscarf, but rather sporting stylish modern haircuts. The pollution is minimal; the air is clean and crisp. You see the Blue Mosque in all its splendor, with tourists entering and exiting in a constant stream. The Turkish flag is sported on bridges, streetlights and balconies of homes. You begin to think you are in Europe until the Islamic call to prayer brings you back to reality. However, no one is rushing to noon prayer. Taxi drivers are not concerned with reading Quran while waiting in traffic. Mosques seem to be tourist sights rather than places of worship and prayer. 

All of us experienced extreme culture shock going form Egypt to Turkey. Turkey really does feel very European, with women wearing less, more consumerism, and overall more western. We spent a lot of time touring around the city, visiting famous mosques and other sights. We heard from the AKP, Turkey's Justice and Development Party, American diplomats, and university students. It was fascinating to discuss the differences between Islam in Egypt and Turkey, too. Turkey is a highly secularized, nationalistic state...similar to the US. Many people say it is the only success story in merging democracy and Islam. A lot of people will also say that if other Middle Eastern countries could just adopt their model of democracy, it would fix everything. It's a nice idea, but its definitely not that simple...there are so many other aspects to consider--economic, religious, geographical, etc. If I have learned anything while on this program, it is to be way more cautious about deeming what would be good for a country's well-being without having a holistic understanding of it...

After Turkey we flew to Aleppo, Syria. Syria was incredible. We spent all of three days in Damascus, hanging out in the old city. We also went to an old crusader castle at the top of a hill in Aleppo. It was epic..jumping around the ruins, playing mancala in the carved stone, taking pictures, laughing. It was a much needed break! Oh, and we got to visit Ben and Amber and hear about their work with MCC. Up until then we had been hearing about so much political stuff, so this was also refreshing. Their focus on peace-making, building relationships, getting to know the community, learning Syrian Arabic, raising Aiden, etc. Was so great. I stayed with them a couple nights. I also went to a Syrian Orthodox church service with them, which was really neat. I miss them so much!! But I'm going to Damascus again for Christmas, and mom is coming too! 

After Syria we drove to Jordan. We only spent a couple days there, more for a transition to Israel. One of the days we went to the Dead Sea and floated floated floated!! We rubbed the dead sea mud all over our bodies..you know the stuff they bottle up and sell for hundreds of dollars! It was great. 

After Jordan we drove to Israel and were there for a total of two weeks. This was by far the most intense part of travel component. It was a mixture of seeing Biblical sights, learning about the Arab/Israeli conflict, hanging out with Palestinians and Israelis (on separate occasions), visiting the "wall," hearing from politicians, church leaders, and students, and lots of reading reading reading. Overall I have come out of Israel with my head spinning, confused and angered at the the things I have seen and learned about. As an outsider it is so easy to gloss over a situation, offering solutions without knowing the full story. I knew a bit of the Palestinian experience before coming to the Middle East, but I have been blown away at the complexities within the situation. The people there working for solutions are knee-deep in the muck of remembered past violence, political warfare, religious ideologies, ethnic and cultural identity differences, land-grabbing, growing Israeli settlements and breaking international law, governmental corruption, refugees, the question of the "God-given land (Judea and Samaria, or modern day West Bank)," US pressure, the situation in Gaza, disenfranchisement of both Palestinians and Israelis, Christian Zionism from the US pushing their pro-Israli agendas, the diminishing Christian Palestinian population, deep fear of the "other," foreign involvement, Holocaust guilt, violation of human rights, and the list goes on and on and on...

One afternoon we got to hang out with a group of Palestinian students, and they took a group of us down to the wall. It was shocking to see how big it actually was, cutting through their community in Bethlehem. The psychological affects of the wall run deep...literally separating the two groups, causing more unknowns and less chance for reconciliation on the ground. This has potential to get controversial and heated real fast, but I will say that the human experience there is one of constant fear...they are literally living in a war-zone, and I cannot begin to imagine how I would respond if I were in their shoes. Can you? 

Now for a little transition...here are a couple journal entries from Turkey and Israel, when I had time to actually journal! 

10.31.08 -- Istanbul 

We are in Istanbul. This city is phenom! Very pedestrian-friendly...Black sea, parks, fall crisp air...really nice break from Cairo. It's been good with the students. Last night had a lot of fun with the girls. Took pics, ran around the park, sipped tea and munched on hot bread in the bazaar. Laughed, shared stories and dreams for the future. Tara looks forward to finding the person she will spend her life with. Chels looks forward to falling in love. Esther looks forward to settling into a place...doing life outside of a "program." I echo her sentiment. However, I know when I'm out of college I will miss the programs and communities. The prospect of LA is an exciting one, for sure...

Oops! We're going out! Gotta go...

11.14.08 -- Ankara 

Funny how lonely one can feel, even when surrounded by 30 people with the same passions and interests as you. We intentionally isolate ourselves, and in turn, feel sad that we aren't laughing with the group, or that we are sitting at the front of the bus. Ha! For once I am one of those kids...and it is good for me to experience, I think. When people can't fill the voids in our souls, who or what do we turn to? The Bible? Prayer? Books? Poetry? Exercise? Food? Funny movies? Shopping? I can tell there are people in the group who are having a hard time socially. I'm one of them sometimes. I just don't really feel like trying. It is a really good feeling when I can be joyful and happy as myself and not try to please people. 

11.15.08 -- Ankara 

Too much starbucks tonight. Ran around the room, dancing to hip-hop, sprints, sit-ups. felt good to sweat! Talked with D, kelly and Leah. Was SO good for my soul. It was a booster. So stoked to see them again, yet ready to re-engage MESP...

11.16.08 -- Jerusalem, Austrian Hospice

A great poem by Kahlil Gibran on love

when love beckons to you, follow him. though his ways are hard and steep, and when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. and when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your drams as the north wind lays waste the garden...

for even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth...

[end poem]

Well, thats it for now folks. I have 14 more days of MESP, and then I'm hanging out with my family in Cairo for five days...then off to Damascus for Christmas!! It's weird to think about coming back home; I've made some incredible friends here and have really been enjoying it lately. But it will be right when the time comes :)