or 1, 2, 3...let's go!
that's how i feel right now...we are always running off to the next thing. and really, this part of the trip is going to be the most restful out of all of them. it is tiring just thinking about it.
today I visited the modern downtown shopping mall. we had an assignment to explore the mall and compare it to the Old City souk. I got subway and a donut for lunch. :) crazy, right? I bought my brother a cool gift - I can't wait to give it to him!!!! haha.
yesterday our group was privileged to meet a Bishop in the Syrian Orthodox church. Amazingly enough, he has been to EMU before! In 2002 he attended EMU's summer peacebuilding institute. We enjoyed hearing his perspective on what it means to be a Christian in the middle east, what peace means, and how all Christians share the same faith. The Syrian Orthodox church is active in the world ecumenical movement, which I think is pretty cool.
and guess what? we might get to meet the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox! he is sort of like how the pope is to the Catholic church. so that's pretty exciting. There is a couple here who work for MCC and they do most of their work alongside the Syrian Orthodox; apparently a good working relationship between the two groups has developed here.
I've been reading a lot of interesting books. For those of you interested in what I'm reading, so far I have almost finished The Brothers K, am halfway through Everything is Illuminated, have just started The Time Traveler's Wife, and am contemplating beginning Jesus among other Gods.
I think I will finish this post by remarking on some small parts of Syrian life that don't really deserve their own post:
-there are cats everywhere
-only men ride bikes
-taxis honk when they are empty at pedestrians to see if you want a ride
-baklava is SOOOOOO good
-there are bakeries that sell these awesome chocolate ball things (about the size of a clenched fist) for between 5 and 35L (between around 5-50 cents)
-there are juice stands throughout the old city and on the walk from the monastery to the old city that have bags of oranges hanging from the ceiling. if you want juice, you go ask them and they grab an orange or two from the bag, peel them, and juice them in front of you.
-used toilet paper is thrown in trashcans, not flushed...the plumbing here is quite delicate ;)
-the best conversations always happen over food
and i think that's all for now. Salaam!
that's how i feel right now...we are always running off to the next thing. and really, this part of the trip is going to be the most restful out of all of them. it is tiring just thinking about it.
today I visited the modern downtown shopping mall. we had an assignment to explore the mall and compare it to the Old City souk. I got subway and a donut for lunch. :) crazy, right? I bought my brother a cool gift - I can't wait to give it to him!!!! haha.
yesterday our group was privileged to meet a Bishop in the Syrian Orthodox church. Amazingly enough, he has been to EMU before! In 2002 he attended EMU's summer peacebuilding institute. We enjoyed hearing his perspective on what it means to be a Christian in the middle east, what peace means, and how all Christians share the same faith. The Syrian Orthodox church is active in the world ecumenical movement, which I think is pretty cool.
and guess what? we might get to meet the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox! he is sort of like how the pope is to the Catholic church. so that's pretty exciting. There is a couple here who work for MCC and they do most of their work alongside the Syrian Orthodox; apparently a good working relationship between the two groups has developed here.
I've been reading a lot of interesting books. For those of you interested in what I'm reading, so far I have almost finished The Brothers K, am halfway through Everything is Illuminated, have just started The Time Traveler's Wife, and am contemplating beginning Jesus among other Gods.
I think I will finish this post by remarking on some small parts of Syrian life that don't really deserve their own post:
-there are cats everywhere
-only men ride bikes
-taxis honk when they are empty at pedestrians to see if you want a ride
-baklava is SOOOOOO good
-there are bakeries that sell these awesome chocolate ball things (about the size of a clenched fist) for between 5 and 35L (between around 5-50 cents)
-there are juice stands throughout the old city and on the walk from the monastery to the old city that have bags of oranges hanging from the ceiling. if you want juice, you go ask them and they grab an orange or two from the bag, peel them, and juice them in front of you.
-used toilet paper is thrown in trashcans, not flushed...the plumbing here is quite delicate ;)
-the best conversations always happen over food
and i think that's all for now. Salaam!
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