The Galápagos

Today Milton (the man who owns the farm we are staying/working at) told us some stories about himself, and the interactions with politics and the island. It was quite interesting to see the parallels between the history of activism on the islands with the history of activism in Bolivia. At one point, the island residents took over the airport and shut it down. These actions reminded me a lot of the blockades in Bolivia. The people do not have the ability to take on the outside world directly, but they do have the ability to take away valuable things like tourism. It’s funny how a little island can quickly become relevant when they make that kind of noise. It was also crazy to see how the gentle and kind man was quoted internationally as a leader of all of it. I really wish that I could communicate with this man. I’m sure he is a wealth of information.

-Travis Riesen

Today we went back to the area in the woods we were at on our first day here at la Finca (the farm we are at). We’re working on preserving scalatia trees and the areas where they grow. Once again today we cleared away blackberry bushes. Today was more fun than before when we cleared the bushes, because instead of working by myself, I worked with Marla. Not only were we more productive as a team, but we had some pretty great and funny conversations along the way. The highlight of my day though was watching Marla attempt to get on the donkey. At first she didn’t use enough force to jump on, then the second try was too much and she slid off the other side. When she and Alex finally got on though, it kept stopping, and at one point she fell off the back.

After lunch we began the sugar cane processing. To begin, we needed to carry over the sugar cane stalks that Milton had cut down. Instead of us individually carrying the stalks over to the processer, we made an assembly line and “passed them.” This was a lot easier, and more amusing for me because I got the throw them at Marla. At first we processed the green stalks, which Milton added lemons/limes to, and we were able to drink it and it was very delicious. We then processed a whole pile of browner canes. The process happens by Milton putting the cut canes in between the gears, and then people get on either side of the wooden bars and push it around in a circle. Once we were done and had a whole bucketful we came back for dinner. Afterwards they put the pot of sugarcane juice over the fire and cooked it into syrup. This cooking takes 3 hours. While we waited, Milton brought out a guitar, maraca and an instrument none of us had ever seen/played before…a horse jaw!

-Kaitlin Stauffer

I love the rain! Watching the low lying grey rain clouds role across the beach and lowlands was magnificent. I could see the rains sweep across the hills inching closer to our house. I was awestruck! I found the more I work here on the Galapagos, the more I connect with home. Today we continued to remove black raspberries from the fields that contain coffee and bananas. We also processed sugarcane for sugar in the raw. Both of which were labor and time intensive! I loved both projects! I could not imagine a better way to spend my time! When I’m at home I love working outside and being in the environment. Today we also discovered that our host, Milton, was the mayor of San Cristobal. I had no idea! He is so humble and down to earth, definitely not boastful or arrogant. I find that he is the epitome of a leader. I have discovered that I am adapting to not having continual access to my global community. At first I was struggling, like a drug addict going through a withdrawal. However it is nice to be disconnected and fully soak in the culture. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds.

-Blake Rogers

Working with the MAMA Project

June 3, 2013

Starting our first day with the MAMA project was exciting. Anticipation was in the air as we woke up early, packed our lunches, and loaded the vans to go. The hour and a half van ride was up tiny dirt roads into the mountains. A memory from Adam: “Oh yeah Jason, by the way, I don’t know if something got lost in translation or what, but I think I accidentally told Enrique that I have 5 kids and they are very expensive.” Hahaha, I don’t know if Enrique ever even knew the truth.

Anyways, we reached our destination and unloaded the big truck of supplies. The men really know how to functionally pack a van with tons of items. We were setting up at a school – so you know that means children. Immediately they were my friends and while everyone was setting up, I learned their names, ages, things they liked, and a few songs. I also got them to ask me some questions and guess a few things about me. This quickly backfired when they guessed I was 30 years old.

It was time for the center to be open and a line/more like mob of people quickly formed. We had a check-in station where people got weighed and measured, a vitals sign station, hemoglobin station, deworming and vitamin A, vitamin distribution, dentist station (basically they point at a tooth, we pull it out), and the donation station. This was only one part of the space. The other classroom housed the doctor and the pharmacy. There was also a crew on cement work that built two floors for two families.

I was at the donation station where I had three suitcases of donated clothing and shoes. This was the last stop in the line and each person was allowed to get one item. It was fun giving the little girls princess shirts, and the old men pants, and the women skirts, and the babies onesies. But my favorite part was giving people shoes. People would come in with either no shoes or not functioning shoes – mainly little kids. I would dig through the suitcases and find them a pair, put them on their feet and just watch them smile so big. It was honestly so rewarding and amazing and I loved getting kisses on the cheek for putting shoes on feet. The sad part of this is that we don’t always have clothes for the exact people that stop by. We needed way more clothes for 8 to 14 year old girls than what we had. I couldn’t help but think of the bins and tubs of that exact size clothing I used to wear, just sitting in my house. I wanted so badly to give everyone everything they needed – but we know this is impossible. An awesome part of this is that I had formed relationships with the kids outside, and then they saw me again at the station and I was able to give them something.

Then we took a 15 to 20 minute lunch break. Apparently not as many people came as expected (due to the rainy season) so my station circle was done for the day, which means I played with kids all afternoon! It started off with really fun games and songs and lots of giggles. “Alisa! Alisa! Alisa!” was all I ever heard. It was so rewarding – and even more so ensuring that becoming a teacher is what I was meant to do.
All of a sudden, the sky darkened and the lighting cracked and the clouds open. Downpour might be a bit of an understatement. I think the water pipes of Heaven broke or something cause it was a torrential rain storm/pour/waterfall from the sky. All of the kids shrieked and giggles and we huddled under a canopy and played hand clapping games. Then we made a run for it to the classrooms. Ahh, so fun.

It was warmer and dryer inside but it was boring. So we all started playing with kids. I met Gavin who is 20 like me, and we talked for a while – it is SO GREAT to hold Spanish conversations. His little sister Abi, who is 5, became my friend and we played all afternoon. When it was time for her and her family to leave, I walked with her to the gate of the school. “Vamos a mi casa!” (Lets go to my house) she said. When I explained that I couldn’t, she crossed her arms, stomped her foot, pushed out her lip, and huffed. (It was like looking at myself). All of a sudden tears welled in her eyes and she just jumped into my arms and gave me the tightest hug from such a little body. I know that I will probably never see her again, and that hurts. But the memories made this afternoon were so great.

We cleaned up, packed up, and rode home. We ate a great dinner WITH MASHED POTATOES and then had a great group debriefing meeting. We made a list of every person we remembered/felt was important/played an important role in our journey thus far. Sadly, the majority of our important people were animals….Patrick the street dog that followed us everywhere, J-LO the parrot that ate Eric’s button, etc. etc. We did include real humans though. It was just a great way to connect the separate weeks of the trip, to realize the importance of relationships and people, and to prepare for heading home.

Honduras observations
1. Doctor lingo in Honduras for bodily functions is literally peepee and poopoo
2. We have traveled 26.7 hours in a van/bus in the past week
3. A nice young man told me I was “hermosa”. Look it up.
4. It’s muddy and rainy season; should be monsoon season.

Laugh and live fearlessly,
Alyssa

A sad day: preparing to say goodbye

Today marks 29 days left. Less than a month in Honduras and less than 3 days left in Copan. What?

It’s hard – and you can tell the group is feeling it too. We are just simply missing home. The realization of the actual length of 6 weeks has hit and it’s starting to cause frustration, sadness, and withdrawal. I think it’ll all be fine, actually I know it will. But for now, “when your lost and alone, and your sinking like a stone, carry onnnnnn.” Is our theme song.

Today was a relaxing day with a morning spent at the pool and an afternoon at school. I spent a portion of my morning playing school with Christal. Oh, we also tango like my dad and I used to. She was giggling just as much as I was. Now, she comes up to me all the time and says, “Quiero bailar! Quiero bailar!” (I want to dance! I want to dance!). So we tango and she giggles and I giggle, and we dance and we simply enjoy life – the way everyone should.

Someone once said that children know how to switch back and forth between reality and imagination, something adults have forgotten how to do. I have reentered that childlike place, I have found the me I remember from 12 years ago. Just thinking about leaving her in a few days makes me want to cry, I love her so much.

Scratch that. I am crying. Bawling like a baby in fact. I keep replaying in my mind all of our playtimes and giggles, her screaming my name at my bedroom door, her knocking and then hiding, her hilarious “you don’t make sense face”, and her 4 year old self singing into a watering can like a microphone. She is such a great little person.

Last night I heard her mom talking to someone else and she said, “whenever Alisa is here, Christal is smiling and happy.”

As much as I wanna go home, I don’t.

Tonight, our group watched a spanish movie at the school called “Sin Nombre” or “Without a Name”. Not necessarily a kid friendly film, but it truly enlightened us and put an image to the book we studied before we left for Honduras, “Enrique’s Journey”. Totally check it out for a great idea of the level of poverty, tragedy, and desperation in Honduras that is almost inescapable.

It’s been a slightly sad day as I realize my longest visit is coming to an end – and the movie wasn’t a happy one either. I have mixed feelings right about now and I don’t really know where to continue.

Honduras observations
1. Connections mean more than words can express
2. Kids have a way of finding your heart and staying there

Laugh and live fearlessly,
-Alyssa Cable

Mother’s Day in Honduras

Mother’s day is a big deal in Honduras. The shops are decorated and I woke up to greetings and giggles as family members dropped in to say “felicidades!” to my abuela and give her presents. I then attended my first Spanish church service celebrating mom’s everywhere!

I.understood.every.word. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT.

It was all about the mothers of the bible, raising their children in the Lord and being faithful to Him all of their days. It was a very powerful and moving experience as I realized the treasure that moms are, and how big of a deal it is here. In class one day, Nelly and I were comparing the US to Honduras. Many girls here get pregnant as young as 12 and its very common for the boys to disappear, leaving themnto be single moms. The rest of their life is a dedication to their children. I love how appreciated they are here, especially on their special day.

After church, all of the men cooked a meal for the women. We ate and then headed home. I got to skype the familia at home and they passed me around the dinner table, conversing with me one by one. LOVE THEM.

Here is the best part! We loaded vans and headed for AguasCalientes, hot springs, about an hour into the mountains. Here, the water is naturally a hot spring, that they almost made it a sort of spa. You have to cross a rickety bridge (like one from Shrek. I kept thinking of donkey, “don’t look down, don’t look down, I’M LOOKING DOWWWN!”) And they ask that you mentally leave your problems behind and enter a place of tranquility. To this, I say heck yes.

After crossing a bridge, you go through a stone tunnel and come up into the forest with steps leading to multiple places. The water running near you gives off steam and the entire atmosphere feels like those sound cds people buy to sleep easier. There is a waterfall with 5 levels of pools, each one hotter than the next. There is a mud pool where you can cover yourself with mud. There are cool pools of cool water, a foot , massage pool filled with rocks, and a waterfall that pounds so hard, it massages you. It was a beautiful place full of tranquility. I never want to forget that feeling. I didnt want to take pictures because I didnt want to hurt my camera, but I also think that the pictures wouldnt do it justice. Beautiful. God’s handiwork.

After a long bus ride of out of tune country songs, we all went out for pizza, at Copan Pizza. Afterwards, we went all touristy and went shopping. It was a beautiful sunday.

Honduras observations
1. Mother’s day is a big deal with a weekend celebration filled with parades, flowers, parties, special church services, and a mariachi band.
2. They sing menno hymns at church – in spanish of course.
3. There are no song books, everyone just knows all of the words. A few select people have a book.
4. At church, there is lots of amens, children talking and running around, and singing.
5. There are no bulletins.
6. It is weird that I am 20 and don’t have children yet. Atleast, thats what they say when they ask and find I have none.
7. It is not unusual for a woman to whip out a boob and breastfeed in public.
8. Soda comes in 3 liters.
9. I haven’t seen any Hondurans with tattoos or nose piercings.

-Alyssa Cable

Cochabamba, water, monkeys and coca

I am loving the culture here and the importance of family. I have been struck by how close families are and how my host family took me in as their own child. They didn’t have to be so kind and understanding, but they have gone above and beyond the call to be my host parents.

I love the speakers we have heard so far. They have given me a lot of insight on how much oppression there is in Bolivia and where we are currently living in Cochabamba. Water is something I have always had access to throughout my entire life. Being here in Bolivia makes me realize how I have taken water for granted. Something so important to maintain life is scarce here. It makes me so sad for the people of Cochabamba because they shouldn’t have to be without clean water. It doesn’t seem like the government is doing much about it, and that doesn’t make sense to me!

-Sarah Phillips

Today was a very long day. I decided after classes this morning I was going to do some exploring on my own. My first stop was a little Mayan Shop on Heroinas. I spent some time there looking at various items and decided on a new bag to carry my notebooks in. Back on the other side of the street I spent some time just standing and observing. On my right was an Aymara woman in the typical garb (skirt, bowler hat, two long braids) selling sunglasses. To my left there was a group of about 12 high school students dressed in uniforms playing with expensive looking cell phones.

It was hard to be inconspicuous and just observe. I moved back towards the school, bought a Coke and some papas fritas and settled on a bench. A bench littered with wrappers and fruit peels. The little plaza was quite lovely – save for the garbage. That sort of summed up my thoughts on Cochabamba – I was surrounded by so much potential beauty and so much poverty at once. That theme plays out through most everything our group has done. Concentrating on the problems of Bolivia’s past, present, and future has made me feel somewhat small and helpless. At times I feel I want to join all the causes (knowing that’s ridiculous).

-Katrina Price

Saturday, May 11

First we went to a Coca market in a city about 30 minutes away from here. It was in a huge hangar looking building, but there weren’t very many people in it. They had huge bags full of Coca leaves and people would come and buy amounts in weight. We then stopped at a fruit market; I bought some oranges-25 for 10b (bolivianos-the local currency). I also bought a pineapple for my family. The fruit was delish. It was so good! And cheap! We then continued back to Chapare for lunch at a really good restaurant we ate at last night. Then the most interesting part…We went to a park where they rescue monkeys- capuchin and spider monkeys. Our tour guide led the way as all of us began the 30 minute walk to the top of the mountain. We had previously been warned of an unfriendly capuchin monkey with no tail. Low and behold, the first monkey we run into is the capuchin monkey with no tail… At first he jumps on Sarah (probably the worst person in the group to jump on), who freaks out and luckily the monkey just jumps off her. Our tour guide, a rather large and goofy fellow, starts towards Sarah and so the monkey proceeds to bite his leg, then attack him sort of (I, think, it was all kinda a blur). I was standing on the top landing where all of this was happening with Alex and Evan. After the monkey bit our tour guide, he [the tour guide] started backing up behind me, and the monkey sat on the ground angrily picking up and throwing rocks onto the ground. We all somehow managed to walk away slowly, without further injury. After that excitement, we came back to the hotel and went for a swim. Then I went exploring around the town with Austin, Blake, Travis and Kurtis. The town is really cute and quaint and seems a lot nicer than Cochabamba…! There was a little park, which had recycling in it!

-Noel Johns

Who would have thought that such a little leaf could have such an impact?

I find the health benefits of coca very interesting and am excited to try to find more research on the topic. I also wonder if I could find any of these products in the States. It’s a shame that the perception is that coca is all bad because of cocaine, but this simply isn’t true. As a farmer’s grandchild, I also find it intriguing that the use of pesticides is an issue with this crop, even as it is grown in such remote regions by indigenous people. The main reason they are used is that there are restrictions on how much land you can produce coca on. I can understand that farmers want to maximize profit, but it seems to me that this is taking away significantly from the benefits and history of coca. I wonder if those using pesticides are doing so out of pure economic need. Another question I still had was whether or not the farmers themselves know when their crops are being used for drug production? This would weigh heavy on my conscious if that were the case. It is a shame that the pesticides are causing deleterious side effects on humans, which had not previously been seen with raw coca use. Getting to chew coca was an experience in itself and I’m glad for the opportunity. I’m also glad that we got to visit the Chapare before listening to this talk so that we had a background on the subject. Although I will not be seeking out the coca leaf to chew in the States, I think it is great that it is starting to become popular in New York for the health benefits to Americans and for the economic benefits of Bolivia.

– Kayla Smeltzer

Hangul and Host Families

Wow! The first week is done already and many exciting sights, sounds, tastes and adventures have been accomplished. Before I start talking about the week and our time spent at Hallym University I want to briefly mention the pre thoughts about the trip many of us had.

On our fights over to South Korea we had many thoughts flowing through our minds. What was it going to be like? Will I like the food? Will I get typhoid? Am I going to see Psy? Will North Korea attack? I don’t know anything about Korea! And many, many more. Though on our arrival, even with all these questions, and also MAJOR jet lag, the questions seemed to just disappear, and only the feeling of excitement was flowing through everyone’s heads.

That first week we had the privilege to learn some Korean Language at Hallym University with the international program there. On our arrival we were greeted with many signs of welcome to our EMU group. We had many great leaders that helped us that first week; the organizer of our time, Mr. Lee, our teacher, Yang Yun Jung, translator/tour guide, Antonio and Danielle, and our many host families that took care of us that first week.

The language course was a 16-hour, one-week class during which our common phrase was, “Korean is easy.” We learned many things that week in class, and it was awesome because even thought it was the start of summer the whole group stayed engaged and excited to learn. With our wonderful teacher Yang Yun Jung we learned the alphabet and how to pronounce words and simple phrases. This being said it was very quick to pick up. I’m not saying we could speak or understand the language at all but the fact that we can sound out and pronounce words (kind of) was a pretty good start.

A normal day consisted of us going to school in the morning for four hours, then going on a planned trip by the University to learn the culture of Chuncheon. We did many awesome things like: eat traditional Korean foods, visit Nami Island, go to a temple, danced K-pop with Koreans to PSY, and played traditional Korean drums. The first week was sooooo full but went by too fast. I’m interested and excited to see where the rest of the two weeks will take us but for now, Andrew’s out.

-Andrew Penner

One of the best parts of my first week in Chuncheon was without a doubt staying with our host families. Ryan and I got to stay with Suna Won and Chungwon Park and their son Solha. They were so much more than a place to stay or a delicious meal; they were our window to Chuncheon. Through them we could experience the culture without being lost, worried, or confused.

Of course each host family was different, and Ryan and mine had different events planned every night. Whether we were going to taekkyeon class (a Korean martial arts/dance similar to taekwondo), playing traditional Korean drums, or just hanging out with the family, they made sure we were never bored. Thanks to our wonderful family we got to experience so many things for the first time. Delicious Korean barbeque called bulgogi was one of my favorites.

The host family that I stayed with had never hosted anyone before. Despite their fear that they couldn’t speak English well enough (they could) and that we would be hungry or bored (we never were), I can’t imagine a better host family. They really showed us the hospitality of the Korean culture and shared many experiences with us that I will not forget anytime soon. We were all very sad when we had to say goodbye to our host families on Sunday after church.

-Mark Harder

Service Learning in Colombia

I visited Medellin, Colombia for our week of service learning during the semester. On Thursday, April 11, Emma Dalen, EMU graduate Jessica Sarriot, and I took the Medellin metro to Interamericana Filadelfio church which hosts a program called Fundacion Raices de Fe, or, Foundation Roots of Faith, for students ages 8-17. It is a before and after school program because the schools have half day schedules and the kids need something to do the other half of the day. I’m an art and digital media major, so the program asked me to plan and lead some art lessons for the students. I’ve never taught an art lesson or led a bunch of kids before, so I was pretty nervous about how challenging it might be, especially with my limited Spanish. The morning group was about 30 students and arrived around 9:00.

We began with painting. Each student had a small piece of a photo to copy on a bigger paper. When everyone finished we put the parts together to make the bigger picture. It ended up being a little abstract, but the kids had lots of fun. Then we made origami paper cranes. Here I could really tell that these kids wanted attention and affirmation, more than any other kids I have met. They paid really close attention to each step I demonstrated, and when they got it right, they ran up to me and showed me what they did and waited until I told them it looked good. With 30 students, this was a bit hectic. Emma and Jessica were great helpers, showing the children what I was demonstrating up front. Around 11:30, the first group left to go to school and Emma, Jessica, and I got a break to eat lunch, play Rummy-Q with the pastor of the church and prepare for the 32 students that came around 2:00.

With this group, we did the photo enlargement activity again but with pencils to teach them about shading. Then we made cranes and painted as table groups the things that were most important to them. Again, without the support of Jessica and Emma, things would have gone badly. This group was much rowdier and messier, but they also showed incredible creativity. I was very impressed by some of the creative and clever things the kids in both groups came up with. I hope they learned something about art or at least became a little more comfortable with displaying their artistic side.

This experience for me was stressful and out of my comfort zone, but it was an important learning experience and an opportunity for me to give back a small amount of what the people in Guatemala and Colombia have given to me on this trip.

– Karla Hovde

April 6

Today I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to the sounds of engines, shouting, and roosters. It was day one of La Caminata, a march of 700 farmers from the Montes de Maria, who plan to march for a week to Cartagena, 180 kilometers from here. By the time I was ready, all 700 people were packed, dressed in their marching green shirts and straw hats, standing at the start ready to walk. The mounds of food they had all brought from their communities was loaded in the trucks, hammocks cleared from trees, and so at dawn we began.

We cheered as we marched. “La montana?” “Presente!” People would come out of their houses when we walked through neighborhoods, clapping at the cheers, giving leaders money to support the cause, or just smiling and watching us go past. They knew well why we marched for 6 hours in the hot Colombian sun to San Jacinto that day: so that these families and many more can finally receive government assistance after years of unused medical clinics and vacant schools with unpaid teachers, and so that communities could finally feel the support of a government that cares for their crops, their roads, their futures. And so, with determination under each step, and accordion music in our ears, we marched, and will march, until justice has been felt by Monte Maria.

– Lani Prunés

April 2

Today we had two interesting visits, but the speaker at the first one, Cesar Garcia, said something that was very interesting for me, and in many ways serves to reaffirm my belief in pacifism. Cesar said that the armed revolutionary movements created the conditions that led to the paramilitaries, and together, the two groups created an armed struggle which served to move more people off their land and further aggravated the gap between rich and poor. Ironically, the armed revolutionary movements were created specifically to combat this gap. It seems to me that this is a recurring theme on this trip. Violence does not address the problems that it was formed to address; instead, it often aggravates them. I’m left wondering what would have happened if the money and energy used on the armed movement had been used for a peace movement instead. Might Colombia be more peaceful today?

– David Yoder

April 13

Last day in Medellin, Colombia

Today was a great ending of our time with Jess Sarriot http://emu.edu/now/news/2012/09/fresh-grads-serve-in-war-torn-areas-of-colombia/. We just hung out around the house and packed and ate, talking and laughing the whole time. Then we went to a nail studio 1) to talk to the woman who ran the salon because she was displaced and 2) so Karla could get her nails done. Jebeisa was a beautiful black woman originally from Choco. She was very welcoming of our questions and she felt it was important to tell her story. It took much longer than the usual 45 minute nail treatment for us to hear it all.

On May 3, 2009 Jebeisa and her husband were sitting in their living room around 7:00 in the evening when a man broke in the door and shot her husband in the head and her through the left forearm, breast and right thigh. She doesn’t remember who was shot first but that her son was safe in his room. She came to from a coma 29 days later, in Medellin. After about three months of recovery her son joined her in Medellin where they have been living ever since. She had a hard time getting things together with the insurance and government aid at first but with the help of her mom and dad it all came together and she owns the studio, her home, and is remarried as of 8 months ago. When we asked her who did it, she said nobody in the world could tell. It’s a common thing and it’s even harder to tell the reasons. I was amazed by how calm she was, she laughed a surprising amount and never once cried. She was an amazingly strong lady. Karla and I talked later about the numbness and vitality due to fragility complex that such violent societies assume. The U.S. is numbed to violence because of the media and entertainment, whereas Colombia is numbed due to the daily reality, but that same reality also makes life more precious too, in some cases.

After our time with Jebeisa we literally ran back to the house to grab our stuff and take a taxi to the bus station where we had lunch with Oscar, and got the opportunity to write down a timeline for him. We had a good goodbye with him before he had to leave, then just sat in the café with Jess and talked with her about sustainability and life in general. I really hope that this relationship can continue. We all had a really good time. The best part of the trip was getting to know Jess and learning through her about so many cool things. I also loved that it was such a small group that allowed for more intimate contact within and in relation to other groups, organizations and individuals. This was definitely in the top three best parts of cross cultural.

– Emma Dalen

Free travel reports from the Middle East

Wednesday morning (March 6) Jake, Hilary, Lydia, and I walked to the Jerusalem central bus station and each purchased a ticket for bus #444 direct to Eilat. We departed promptly at 10 a.m., and with the help of our daredevil bus driver, we were looking out at the Red Sea at 2 o’clock that afternoon, an hour earlier than projected. I had pulled up a walking route on google maps on the bus, using the complimentary wifi provided on the Egged public transport bus. Unfortunately, the map disappeared the minute we walked off the bus and away from the wifi, so we walked out of the bus station without a map. Luckily Jake, who had been planning on finding his own transportation to Eilat, was with us and had his own hand drawn map of the route from the bus station. We followed it as best as we could until we felt sufficiently lost and hailed a cab. We landed at a gated corner house that matched the address we found on the website. Success! But when we rang the bell, no one answered. We realized that our hosts were probably not expecting us for another hour, so we camped out on the steps in front of the gate and read for an hour, maybe an hour and a half. At 4:00 we decided we should try something else. Jake and I found a neighbor and asked to use his cell phone to call our host, but as we were dialing, the neighbor-man told us that the number we had was not an Israeli number. In fact it was not a cell phone number at all. “Who are you trying to call?” he asked. “Violette? Yes, she lives here, but she is at work, and her husband works at the U.N. She will be home later tonight.” Three phone calls and several trips to a nearby falafel stand later we were in our apartment. We spent the next week sleeping in, reading, lounging on the beach, snorkeling at Coral Beach, and visiting a tourist trap called the Ice Mall where we saw some amateur figure skating. All in all a good week, but we were happy to arrive at Ecce Homo on Sunday night, where we knew our meals would no longer consist of hot dogs, tomato paste, and canned peas.

– Becca Longenecker

Our group made the crazy decision to travel 20 hours each way to visit EMU grad Michael Swartzendruber in Egypt for independent travel. Amanda, Daniel, Bodner, Andrew, Laura, Lauren, Brandon, Heather, and I set off from the bus station in Jerusalem around 7 p.m. Saturday evening (March 2), crossed the border around 2 a.m., and made it (after a long, long, bus ride) to Cario around 3 p.m. on Sunday. We visited

the pyramids at Giza, the Sphynx, the Egypt museum of Cairo, the (modern) library of Alexandria, and stayed at Anafora, a Christian retreat center. We had a great mix of excitement and relaxation: discomfort crammed in a hot, stinky van for way too long, followed by super-comfort, relaxing and reading in a desert oasis. We were on the edge of our seats as we rode through the Bedouin Sinai accompanied by a convoy of soldiers, then again at the edge of our seats as we waited for our food at a delicious restaurant on the coast of Alexandria. I think that every one of us in the Egypt group grew in our ability for trust, flexibility, and wonder at the uniqueness of the world we live in. Linford likes to talk to us about the risk-taking life of Jesus, pushing the boundaries in order to show the immensity of God’s love. What greater way to appreciate God’s creativity and goodness than to step outside our comfort zones and experience a brand new culture?

-Heidi Long

What a very different week! Adventurous, scary and exciting are some of the words people used to describe this week. My group consisted of Rachel, Elise, Erin, Victoria, Megan and myself. We traveled to the city of Haifa right on the Mediterranean Sea for a week of relaxation. Some of the amazing activities that filled this week were creating a homemade projector to watch movies off our iPods (it definitely worked), eating lots of food, (some good, some different) lots of sleeping, laying on the beach, eating at a restaurant where they spoke little English, basically just Hebrew, and just enjoying God’s wonderful world. This was such an amazing and thrilling week where we got to relax, but also get to know each other a little better. Even though it was sad to end this great week, I think we will all be excited to finish up the last part of our semester abroad. May God bless us with a good finish and with peace along the way. Peace be with you all!

-Liz Alderfer

Jake B-S, Mark, Jacob and I spent two days sailing the Mediterranean Sea. We sailed up the Israeli coast from Askqelon to Jaffa the first day. The sea was pretty rough so we all had less than enjoyable experiences. The second day was much better, though. We sailed back to Ashqelon and enjoyed the time talking and reading. The water was much more smooth the second day. After sailing, Jacob, Mark, and I travelled to Haifa for four days. While there we visited the Baha’i Gardens and had a relaxing day on the beach. We also walked around the city a little and enjoyed exploring this coastal city. We did have to survive on hot dogs and instant noodles but we managed.

-David Hooley

Free travel with Nate Bailey, Joseph Arbaugh, and Isaac King was nothing less than adventurous! We all braved the salty Mediterranean Sea for a two day sailing trip. The waters were very calm and our trip was equally calm and relaxing. Most of the time was spent talking to our dynamic skipper, Reuben, who told us stories ranging from his service with the Israeli Navy to life on a kibbutz. We were even lucky enough to see breeching dolphins from our boat on the first day! This is definitely an experience to remember.

-Jordan Luther

We all met back together Sunday night (March 10) from our travels at Ecce Homo. Ecce Homo is a convent for the Sisters of Zion in the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem. We spent the next day telling tales of our week travelling about (entertaining to say the least) and being introduced into the topic of Judaism, our study for the next week. While on this subject we took about 10 hours of Hebrew (we can now sing the alphabet and pick out Hebrew letters), learned about the ancient and modern religion of Judaism, and followed Jesus through Jerusalem. It was to our surprise when one night Linford led us to a room down under Ecce Homo where there is an old Roman street. This is the street thought to be where Jesus was interrogated by Pilate. We spent the evening in quiet reflection on what Jesus did for us and ended it with some singing and scripture. Then on Friday, we followed the path Jesus took the week of his trial. From the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place to the Garden of Gethsemane, the place Peter denied Jesus, walking the Via Dolorosa (the traditional path where Jesus carried his cross to Golgatha) and ending at the Garden Tomb. It was a unique and humbling experience for us and with Easter approaching I believe we all became a bit more aware of what our Jesus did for us. This week was also entertaining in that we lived in the Old City with the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall a couple of streets away. Most of us became experts at finding our way in and out of the crowds of people in order to explore and barter for gifts with the shopkeepers. It’s amazing how good you feel about yourself when you manage to save a few shekels. As much fun as we had at Ecce Homo we moved on to a kibbutz in the Galilee this past Sunday. We have spent this past week studying through Oranim College about the modern Israeli history. This has included talks with soldiers in the Israeli army, students from Oranim College, lectures and museums about the Holocaust and even being on the radio. These past two weeks have sped by quite quickly and we are once again packing up and moving on to Nazareth tomorrow afternoon. While we enjoyed our time in Jerusalem and on the kibbutz we are looking forward to the next leg of our journey: conquering the Jesus trail.

-Hilary Short

Challenges and callings

March 11, 2013

It’s crazy to think that even among all the challenges this trip has brought into our lives- challenges of former beliefs, relationships, hopes, needs, and faith- that one could feel a call from God and have it ring true.

We traveled in two groups (one on the 27th and one on the 28th of February) to a part of Guatemala City called La Limonada. La Limonada is considered a “zona roja” by the Guatemalan government and an uninhabitable place that leaves a bad taste in your mouth by the Guatemalan people. Made up of 10 barrios each run by rival gangs, it serves as a border between zones 1 and 5 and houses roughly 60,000 people in an area 1 mile by 1/2 a mile. It is the largest urban slum in Central America. The people who live there face many challenges, including lack of education and job opportunities, spiritual darkness, unsustainable living conditions, no running water or electricity, and a stigma of living in a sub-culture of extreme poverty that leads to illegal activity and a culture of fear.

So what could possibly compel someone- especially a white, English-speaking woman- to return to a place like that? Some may say that it’s the hope that organizations like Lemonade International bring to the area. Founded by cooperation between Guatemalan Tita Evertsz and U.S. aid organizations, Lemonade International has six programs established to help the people of La Limonada. These include two academies, scholarship programs, vocational training and a micro-enterprise program, a community of faith program, community development program, and the Mi Casita safe home, which I will be returning to for my week of independent travel; alone. Although organizations like these certainly provide many with hope, I can’t say that my nursing background would lead me to choose this place solely because of that hope. Without a doubt or any hesitation, I’d say that this choice was a call from God. Ojalá que (God willing) I’ll stay safe and not only be able to help out next week, but be able to learn from the people who, according to others, aren’t worth listening to.

-Afton Vanderwarker

This is a very obvious type one incident* but it continues to bother me! And I’m continuing to withdraw instead of trying to figure it out, because in my opinion, there is no ethical reasoning behind this action.

* A Type 1 incident is when we are offended by something in the host culture and are tempted to withdraw in disgust. It is resolved when we consider and understand the logical reasons for that behavior or custom. –Craig Storti (2001)The Art of Crossing Cultures

So today we get back from our week long trip and like other Sundays, my family and I go to church in the evening, but this time I noticed something different. As we walk onto the church property there is a young man standing there with a HUGE PERSON-KILLING GUN. Of course I see these on a daily basis in front of every store or building, but outside of the church gave me such a weird feeling.

As if that wasn’t enough, the entire sermon was about peace! Sharing peace, promoting peace, loving PEACE!

Ah, Irony! I know guns/guards here are extremely cultural and come from a heightened sense of needed protection and (many times) justified fear, but I just can’t see past the irony of accepting guns outside the church while preaching a life of “peace like Jesus”.

Granted this phenomenon of gun toting Christians is the same in the U.S., just not quite as visible. I definitely feel like it’s a type one incident and I don’t have the patience to hear the explanation. I’m stuck in my ways and I have no desire to change, only the desire for others to change.

This brings the question, “Am I culturally stuck in my pacifist Mennonite ways, or is this a Biblical truth?” I’d like to think it’s a truth. Isn’t “peace” and the meaning of it translated the same everywhere?

I hate being so “stuck in the mud” and “closed minded” on an issue, but I am!

-Emily Shenk

Israel: learning Biblical geography firsthand

This morning we all gathered, anxiously awaiting free travel, to take our final exam on Geography and Physical Settings of the Bible and to finish our lovely time that we have had over the past two weeks at Jerusalem University College. Once we finished the exam, we all celebrated and received certificates of completion of a wonderful program. (We hope they don’t get revoked once our exams are graded.) The past two weeks have been much fun and very busy for our group. We have traveled to almost all corners of Israel and learned about the Bible, geography and stories from history and modern time.

Some of the highlights were exploring the Old City of Jerusalem and meandering our way through an underground pitch-black aqueduct that still had water in it, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea while we visited Ashquelon, playing in water falls while being watched by ibexes and rock badgers, and then crossing the street to float in the Dead Sea and to choke on some pretty salty water, and a four-day trip up to the Galilee. We stayed in Ein Gev while in the Galilee where we had our own private cabins right on the water’s edge. While we were in the Galilee, we went to Dan, where one of the country’s largest springs is, saw a massive water fall, found a temple that used to house dancing goats, and rode a boat across the Sea of Galilee.

Although we are all very tired after these past two weeks and a lot fuller of knowledge, we are all really glad and feel fortunate for the experiences that we have been able to undertake. It has helped us all to go to the places where Biblical stories happened and to see the context for which they were written. It has let us gather a much deeper understanding of this land and the people who have been living here for thousands of years and what hardships and celebrations that they have as we have felt them too. This coming week, we split paths and go on free travel. We are going all over, including to Egypt, sailing on the Mediterranean Sea and spending time exploring Jerusalem further.

-Nate Bailey

EMU Intercultural Learning