Tag Archives: featured

All We Need Is Love…and maybe some equality

By: Lydia Tissue January 27, 2015

25 January 2015 Good evening from Beit Sahour! On Monday, we spent the morning at the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) headquarters where we heard from Shareen, a lawyer that works often with abused women, share about her life and work. And never have I ever been so thankful for my father and opportunities as a woman. In Middle Eastern … Continue Reading ››

Riding camels in Wadi Rum, Jordan. Pictured: Isaac

Beit Sahour

By: Martha Bell January 26, 2015

25 January 2015 Entering into Israel and Palestine has brought a whole new mixture of challenges, emotions, and incredible experiences. After a very smooth border crossing into Israel we headed towards our new homes for the next weeks in a small Palestinian city in the West Bank right outside of Bethlehem. Our group was separated out … Continue Reading ››

Exploring immigration on the border lands

By: Kari King January 21, 2015

20 January 2015

Our group arrived in Tucson, Arizona on January 8th shortly after midnight, and we spent several days in a hotel there while beginning our study of immigration issues at the US/Mexico border. Our first activity on the morning of the 8th … Continue Reading ››

Into the desert

By: Ruthie Beck January 20, 2015

19 January 2015 Marhaban - Hello from the Middle East 2015 group! This week has been a whirlwind of new sights and experiences, smells and sounds. From the Bedouins calling out to us, encouraging us to buy their wares, to the enticing dishes at each meal, we have arrived in a new world. Over the next … Continue Reading ››

Learning Bulgarian time

5 October 2014

Time flies. Our first assignment once we had settled into Bansko was to head out into town, find a cafe, order a drink, and sit for at least 2 hours. Andrew stressed the importance of this assignment: in the Balkans, afternoons are leisurely … Continue Reading ››

Relationship beyond language

3 October 2014

Yana, my beautiful Bulgarian host, is a typical Bulgarian grandmother through and through. Two things I have come to realize throughout the past week and a half of living with her is that 1) She notices everything, and 2) slippers are key to success … Continue Reading ››

A beautiful beginning

By: SE Balkans September 8, 2014

Leaving Goodbyes and hellos Well wishes and bus rides Excitement Finally getting there Jet lag Gazing out bus windows, Picturesque landscapes. Flashbacks to past travels Tight, cobbled streets Breathtakingly beautiful Babas and stray cats Greeted with bread and the salt of life Settling in and finding ground Traditional architecture, Romantic stone walls holding histories Red roofs and red roses Geranium leaves Venturing out to the Pirin mountains, a hike to crystal waters Slippery rocks A divine … Continue Reading ››

Sevilla

By: LMB June 23, 2014

It’s true. The sun does shine here in Sevilla. A lot. It shines until it is 100 degrees (10 second pity party- my house has no AC and no fan. Also, this is my second attempt at this post because I somehow messed up after writing for a solid 35 minutes...I'm all smiles right … Continue Reading ››

Immersed in the Babel

By: LMB June 15, 2014

The Tower of Babel-Genesis 11: "So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth." Since coming to … Continue Reading ››

Clean water and spiritual refreshment

This past week was full of ups and downs. Our group as a whole was quite nervous about our stay at Utooni for our sand dam project. We had no toilet, no shower, slept on metal cots, and ate the same food every meal for 5 days. For a typical American, it sounds a little … Continue Reading ››

EMU Intercultural Learning