Petra, Day I

...So, we left after school on Wednesday and headed to Eilat.  We spent the night at a Christian hostel called "The Shelter."  The room itself was not so great (it was clean though), but the people there were super sweet & that made it a really nice place to stay.  We got up Thursday & headed for the Jordanian border.  We got through fine, though they searched my bags (only mine - ??), and then we had to take a taxi to Aqaba.  Little did we know that this would be the first, but not the last time we would get taken advantage of during our 4 day adventure.  We asked the driver to take us to the central bus station in Aqaba and he told us that it was a holiday - Mohammed's birthday, I think - and that the bus station was closed.  He offered to take us all the way to Petra for a "good price."  The thing is that we had a friend call beforehand and ask about the bus schedule and so we knew that the buses were running.  We insisted that He take us to the bus station & it was obvious that he didn't want to.  He took us to a place where there were some big buses parked and so we paid him and got out and he left.  Then we discovered that he hadn't taken us to the bus station at all, but he had dropped us off in front of a hotel with buses parked in front of it.  Jerk!  So we had to tote our luggage for more than half a mile not knowing where we were going, but some friendly people pointed us in the right direction & we finally made it to the bus station.  The station wasn't very impressive & the buses were very small, but it was only 4 Jordanian dinar, or JD, to go to Petra, so we didn't complain.  It took more than a couple of hours driving through the desert with nothing around except a few camels here and there, but we finally made it to Petra.  We took a taxi from the bus station to our hotel, put our bags in our rooms, and then headed to "Little Petra."  It's a much smaller version of Petra, but it's still really cool.  We came upon a high, hewn-out monument with a couple of Bedouins hanging out at the entrance.  They asked us if we wanted to come up & I said yes thinking that there were stairs to walk up.  The guys informed me that there were no stairs and the only way to get up there was to climb up.  (I quickly discovered that Bedouins in Petra are expert rock climbers; they're like mountain goats in sandals. Seriously, they're amazing.)  Michael went up and then I tried.  Now, I'm no expert rock climber - if I can get my feet over and onto something, I'm good, but I had never attempted to climb the face of a rock before.  I didn't think it looked that difficult & so I had a go at it, only to quickly discover that this was going to be much harder than it looked.  I actually got a little nervous because I knew that if I fell I would get seriously injured.  I went back and forth for a few minutes trying to climb & then deciding not to because it wasn't worth killing myself over.  The two Bedouins offered to help me up.  One climbed up and the other stayed at the bottom & the plan was for the upper guy to hold my hands and pull and the lower one to hold my feet and push.  Again, I was really nervous because I wouldn' t have any control over, well, anything really.  I finally just gave up & let them help me & they got me up to a part that I could climb myself.I had to hug the rock for dear life, but I made it.  It was such a great feeling; the theme music to Rocky was playing in my head, you know, when he makes it up the stairs, & the monument was pretty great too.  I made friends with the helpful Bedouin gentlemen, enjoyed the adrenaline rush for a bit, & then we headed back down. The descent was an adventure as well; Wilma got several lovely pics of that part of the climb and of my male attendants who made sure that I didn't fall.  It was a pretty pathetic attempt at rock climbing - my brother probably would've laughed - but I was pleased.  Anyway, we were now friends with the Bedouins & so they walked with us the rest of our time there.  They led us through a narrow canyon wall and up to some breathtaking views.  One of the Bedouins showed me where he stays (he doesn't live there all year, just in the spring and summer) and he basically invited me to stay up there in the rocks and live with him.  He said that the sunsets were always beautiful and that it's wonderful to sleep under the stars every night.  I have to admit that it did sound pretty tempting in a way - the lifestyle, not the guy - but I declined his offer.  The time came to head back to the hotel;  Abdullah, my Bedouin "boyfriend," took a picture of me with his cell phone (yes, he had a really nice cell phone - everyone here does), and then we all said good-bye.  We went out to eat that night and stopped at a store on the walk back to the hotel.  It was here that I met a second gentleman (blue eyes are like gold over here, ladies!) who, after a bit of introductory conversation, invited me to come to his cave in Little Petra for some nice music, dancing, and drinks under the moonlight.  I guess all the men there have their own caves.  Anyway, this guy was really, really cute and I was blushing terribly - he was so charming that I actually got a little light-headed.  Wilma was with me and was thoroughly enjoying my embarrassment.  She bought a diet coke and I grabbed her arm & we walked out as he was still trying to talk me into a romantic evening in a moonlit cave.  It took me half the night to stop blushing...   

      

  

Good Times

I've tried to write several times recently, but honestly I've been so busy and so tired that I couldn't finish what I started.  Oh, but there's so much goodness to tell!  First of all, Chrissie, a really sweet friend from home, is back in town & it's been great to see her again.  Wilma and I went to an "Esther" dinner with her and some other        Just to make you smile. 

ladies from home, and some local ladies - Jewish and Arab - several weeks ago.  It was a really nice time and I learned some sweet things from the Lord (there was some teaching before the dinner).  Since then we've seen her several times & she even stayed here for a couple of fun-filled nights.  I actually have lots to pray about these days, as Chrissie has given me several things to consider, but I'll write about that in my next post.  A couple of days after the dinner was Palm Sunday and Erin, Eric, Rula & I decided to participate in the annual procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City to celebrate the day.  Erin & I didn't do this last year & so we didn't really know what to expect.  

At first it was really hot and pretty boring, but depending on the sect that you were near, the mood alternated between joyful and depressing.  Some groups were aware that this was actually a day of celebration and a happy welcoming of Jesus into Jerusalem, but others were determined to make it a mournful event with low, monotone chanting and stiffness of body.          

 

A Bit of the Palm Sunday Crowd

There were hundreds of people there, so it was slow-moving, but we finally made it into the Old City through the Lion's Gate after several hours.  Eric got his guitar out and we went through the gate singing praise songs...how lovely. But the best part was in the evening when Scout Troops exited the Lion's Gate and marched around the Old City wall up to the New Gate.  There were hundreds of kids in different troops playing bagpipes and drums, and it truly felt like a welcome worthy of a King.  This was my favorite part of the whole day.  There had been a threat of violence against the parade because of recent deaths from an Israeli attack in Gaza, but thank God nothing happened.  It was such a good time.

 

We found this donkey, untied it, & told the owners that the Lord had need of it.  Not really, but we seriously thought about it.

 

I went on a field trip the next day to the Monkey Park.  It was full of excitement which included watching two large monkeys chase screaming children in and out of "Tarzan's Tree House" and witnessing a peacock, trapped in an enclosed walkway with 50 very excited and curious Arab children, frantically trying to escape from certain doom.  The peacock made a desperate, yet successful, attempt to fly out, grazing the heads of teachers and children as it passed overhead.  In this instance, kids weren't the only ones screaming.  I tried to get a picture of the fly-by, but I just wasn't fast enough with the camera.  What a shame too, because it was awesome, but at least it's forever etched in my memory.  It would have been enough just to be out of school for the day, but it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining as well.  

When I got home that afternoon, I made some very exciting plans.  Wilma had been planning to go to Petra for our Easter break, but I hadn't quite made up my mind to go or not.  Michael (another Daltonian who works with the school) was going as well and came over to make the final plans.  I made the decision to go and so we booked the trip, just the three of us.  We were to leave Wednesday right after school and come home Sunday, which is exactly what we did...    

                    ~To Be Continued~      

Great News, Hard Times

Here's the latest on what's going on:  The new school building is ours!  We're going to see it tomorrow & I'll write more on that when I've seen the building in person and have more definite information on the state of things.  All this means that there will be some major changes beginning very soon, and I've got lots of things to pray about.  I've offered to stay most of the summer to help get the building ready for school in August because I really want to be a part of that.  (I'm sure most of you know how much I love that sort of thing.)  Also, I spoke to the superintendent about not wanting to be a teacher next year.  I told him that I wanted to do a different type of "ministry," but that I would still like to be involved with the school.  I've been given the option to be an assistant in the classroom, since our class sizes will be bigger next year, and then to be a part of starting a ministry with the Arab teachers and even the mothers of the students, and anything else I would like to do.  As an assistant, I would help the slower students in the classroom (which I would love), and I would continue to help with the "extra curricular" programs for the students, and at the end of the day, be able to leave the classroom behind and have the freedom to be involved in other interests.  However, I would have to teach 2nd grade again for 3 months of school because the lead 2nd grade teacher is pregnant.  By the way, Wilma has been given the same option and she would also have to teach for 3 months because the lead 4th grade teacher is also pregnant.  What's so providential about this is that since Wilma and I already teach these grades we won't have to learn a new curriculum & it's only for 3 months.  It sounds incredible, but I have to admit that I feel quite intimidated.  Starting a ministry is way more than I imagined happening.  I really didn't think that I would be here again next year, but now I'm thinking that I probably will be.  As I said, I've got a lot to pray about.

It's clear that God is blessing the school and opening lots of doors, and when that happens, it's certain that the enemy will do what he can to stop it or bring discouragement.  It has come partially in the form of some parents starting a "PTA," though there are no "T's" involved.  They've been handing out letters to other parents and picketing the school, claiming that they and the students don't have rights, and they basically don't believe that its costs as much as it does to run the school.  There's a lot of ignorance and gossip involved - lots of people saying things that they have no clue about.  (That's actually one of the things I dislike most about this culture; it's a really big problem here.)  Right now we're just trying to keep a godly attitude and wait for the truth and the integrity of the school to show through all of this.  Last Thursday Wilma and I had back-gate duty and a picketing parent was outside and basically inciting a lot of the kids to chant "We want rights!"  (The "rights" they want are for a better playground, science labs, a nicer school, etc.  What's so ridiculous is that they know that we're getting the new building and that we'll have all those things once we're in it.  There's no way to have any of that right now in the buildings we're in, and so it's pointless to even discuss it.  They all know this, and knew this when they put their kids in our school, but for some reason it's coming up just now.)  So, a mob of kids were chanting and then they started running everywhere in the street and a fight broke out & Wilma had to run up the street to deal with it.  While this was going on, I had to deal with some other unruly kids and send them on their way to Ms. Mary's office.  After all this, and most of the kids were gone, I went inside to talk to Ms. Mary about what had happened.  One of the Arab teachers left to go home & came back in sobbing.  Someone had thrown a rock through her back window and messed up her side mirrors and license plates.  It was awful.  There's also been lots of arguing among the teachers - again gossip is a key factor, along with some back-biting.  Needless to say, we need LOTS of prayer right now.  Thankfully, God can handle all of this and so much more, so we can confidently trust Him in this.  We can and we should; please pray that we would - sometimes it's easier said than done.        

Exciting Possibilities (Plus a Nasty Encounter)

There's an exciting development with the school these days.  We're looking at a new school building and if we get it, it may affect my decision about what to do after this school year.  Here's what I'm thinking:  First of all, if we get the building, which is a 12-year-old unused school building, it will be a miracle.  There's no possible way that we could ever afford a building like this without an act of God.  It's apparently a magnificent building worth millions; it's not for sale, but it sounds like we would be able to rent it for the same amount of money we pay for our not-so-nice (to put it mildly) converted apartment buildings.  That in itself is amazing.  There are lots of factors in this that make it very much seem like God is at work, and I'm hoping we'll know in the next few days if we have the school.  If we get it, there would probably be a need for para pros in the classes because the classrooms are much larger than what we have now.  If this is so, then there's a possibility that I could be a para pro and have freedom to work with another ministry on the side, which sounds ideal to me.  Also, the new building would need lots of work because although people have never used the building, birds have made a home of it for these 12 years.  Scraping bird poo doesn't sound very appealing, but I have a very strong desire to help get the building ready for the next school year.  I'm actually more excited about restoring the building than anything else, as strange as that may sound.  The building also needs windows, toilets, etc., so it will take lots of money, time, and hard work to get this place ready.  But, God is more than able to handle all of this - if He supplies the building, He will supply the contents as well. 

That's the bigger picture of what's going on with the school, but thank God for the smaller details of each day that make life so interesting.  Take yesterday for example.  It wasn't a good day, but it was definitely eventful.  I stayed late after school to catch up on some work and to clean my classroom.  When I finished my paperwork I was the last one in the building, and I headed downstairs to get some hot water to mop my floor.  As I was going into the kitchen, a cat ran past me to the front door which was closed.  There I was with an empty mop bucket it my hand and a wild dumpster cat frantically scratching at the bottom of the door trying to get out.  I tried to talk calmly to the cat and hoped it would let me come near enough to open the door, but as I came towards it, it ran past me and up the stairs.  I ran up too, and saw it go to the second floor towards the second grade rooms.  I looked in one room and then I found it on the veranda.  It saw me and went nuts - jumping and clawing at the windows, hoping to escape.  Then it ran into another classroom and I followed it in and shut the door behind me.  The cat was running and jumping all over the room, knocking things over, and clawing at the windows. I kept trying to calm it down, but then it started hissing at me and I decided that I couldn't be nice any longer.  I got a broom and started trying to pin it down so that I could grab it behind it's neck and take it outside.  That's the most obvious and sensible thing to do, right?  I finally got it pinned down & I think it either urinated or sprayed some malodorous substance; whatever it was, it was terribly stinky.  I tried to grab it by the back of it's neck, but I didn't grab it high enough.  It pulled a Linda Blair on me and turned it's head completely around and then it managed to get it's legs around and tried to claw me.  I let it go, saw blood on my hand, and realized that it had succeeded in it's attack.  Yikes.  Ferrel cat scratches are not good.  I left the room, washed my hands, and prayed sincerely that I wouldn't get a disease from this cat scratch.  I decided that I needed a garbage bag to put this demon-cat in.  I got a bag, went back in the room, and prodded the cat out from behind a shelf with the broom.  The cat jumped back onto the window and caught onto something at the top.  There it was, hanging on for dear life, with me holding a garbage bag underneath it, praying that it would fall in.  It lost it's grip, but it fell to the side and missed the bag.  At this point, it was too traumatized to put up much more of a fight.  I slowly drew the bag over it until it had nowhere else to go but in the bag.  Once it was in the bag, I think the cat gave up hope completely.  It just laid there, totally limp and defeated.  I took it outside and opened the bag, gave it a nudge, and away it ran.  I was so happy to be rid of it.  I cleaned up the room that had been trashed, cat pee included, and then proceeded to mop my floor.  It was getting very close to time to go to church, so I needed to hurry.  I finished mopping my floor and as I was pressing the mop in the bucket drain, I accidentally knocked the bucket full of dirty water over on the floor.  Sigh.  I cleaned that mess up & rushed home to catch a ride to church.  I still had that nasty cat smell on me & I had to change coats & run out the door.  The stench lingered in my nose all night, but thankfully no one else could smell anything.  Church was good, and afterwards Rula and I had dinner at a nice restaurant, which she paid for even though I asked her not to - she's pretty stubborn.  But, I was thankful and we had a really nice time.  The day was long and full of surprises, and I was so happy to finally get back home for the night and look forward to a day off today.  Hurray for the Sabbath!!   

      

A Weekend Getaway

You know that extra snow day I was hoping for? Well, it happened - thank you, Jesus! Three days off in a row and then back for a half-day on Saturday - hurray! I didn't know how much I needed the rest. I spent much of the day Thursday getting reacquainted with cross-stitching. Erin and I have a Palestinian needlework book and we've started some small projects. I'm working on some cute little coasters (actually, I'm still on the first one), but I had forgotten how time consuming it is. But, it's the rainy season here and going out isn't very appealing these days, so I should have more down time to do needlework. I hope to have a couple of sets of coasters when school is finished; we shall see. The only unpleasant thing about this day was that our pipes were frozen and we didn't have any water. Thankfully, our neighbors across the hall had water and let us take a few bucketfuls for bathroom purposes.
One of our thoughtful friends back home blessed Wilma by paying for a rental car for her this weekend. Friday was Tommy's birthday (Tommy is Wilma's late husband), and this was a special gift so that Wilma could have some fun and enjoy the weekend. So, on Friday Wilma, Erin, and I went to Tel Aviv and stopped at IKEA on the way. It turned out to be pretty much pointless, but it was a little bit of an adventure. We went in the wrong direction, starting with the checkout section. It was packed and so we had to squeeze our way through only to be there for 10 minutes and then get escorted out as the store was closing. It's best that we left when we did though, because it was a truly gorgeous day & it would have been a shame to waste time in a line. So, we headed for the beach and tried to find a place that a friend of ours had recommended. We never found it and we got a little lost, but we did get to see the Mediterranean for a bit. The waves were nice and big and there were several people body surfing.
We then headed to Cinema City in Herzilyya to watch a movie and got really lost on the way there. It took a while, but we made it and bought tickets to "The Bucket List" and then we ate at Black Bar 'n' Burger. I tried a veggie burger which unfortunately turned out to be disgusting.  It wasn't a total loss though, because I got a couple of pics in the restaurant that Sarah A. and Allison P. will appreciate. The movie was good and I'm thinking that I may make a list of my own, not necessarily a "bucket list," but something along those lines. It seems like a good thing to do.

Elvis got a little too friendly with me in Cinema City.

 Saturday we went back to school and afterwards Wilma and I decided to go on a road trip and stay somewhere for the night. We ended up staying at a bed & breakfast about 10 minutes from downtown Tiberias. It was such a lovely place and we met some great people. There was a woman there that we had met before who works at Christ Church in the Old City. She's Slovakian & I have a Slovakian friend that she reminded me of; I liked her very much. We're planning on going to see her again. There were also some other Europeans there, some New Zealanders, and a couple of Americans; all that combined with the way the center was run and the duties of the staff was almost like being back in the U.K. at one of the Ellel centers I worked at. It brought back so many fond memories & I was reminded again of how much I loved working with Ellel and being in Europe. Hmmm.

After breakfast and devotion, in which I was unexpectedly asked to give my testimony, we headed out and took the scenic route to Mt. Tabor - the Mount of Transfiguration. I've wanted to go there for so long and, oh, it was truly beautiful. We didn't get to stay very long because they were closing (there seems to be a theme here), but it was worth it just to spend a little time there. It's very high up and the view is breathtaking - I must go there again soon. On the way up, we came upon a very peculiar sight: we saw a cow eating on the side of a cliff. It was right in front of us and so we stopped and got a couple of pics. How random! Is there such a thing as a mountain cow? I would have to say yes to that.

The Mountain Cow  

Caesarea was our next destination, but the drive itself provided a special treat. Wilma brought Chicago's Best Hits for our listening pleasure & I made an amazing discovery: I know every word to almost every Chicago song, and to celebrate this happy realization, I sang as loudly and dramatically as I could. Power love ballads must be sung with as much passion and intensity as possible, and so I put forth my best effort. Wilma endured it well.
When we arrived at Caesarea, we walked around a bit on the shore and then had lunch outside overlooking the sea. There we were enjoying the gentle sea breeze and a nice, relaxing meal, soaking up the sunshine and having a lovely time, when suddenly I was startled by a loud thud next to my chair. I looked over to see what had happened and was appalled at what I saw. A huge and disgusting fish head had fallen from the sky and had landed about two feet away from me. Horrified, I looked up and saw that a big bird had dropped this grotesque thing, apparently his intended meal which was a bit too heavy to carry. It took me a couple of minutes to get over the thought of how close that fish head had come to hitting me, and I kept running my hands over my hair and clothes just to make sure there weren't any pieces of dead fish on me. Birds started congregating over us and the coveted fish head, making me wonder if I was really going to get out of this unspoiled. I've had a bird poop experience before that I

The Fish Head  (It was actually much bigger than it looks in this picture)

wish never to be repeated, and I was beginning to think that it might be. It didn't happen - thank God. We were laughing hysterically and several Asian people came over to see what had fallen from the sky. Finally, one of the staff came over with a tissue and tossed the head over the railing, starting a bird fight over the fish head. What fun! Then one of the Asian men asked me to take his picture as he looked thoughtfully out at the horizon. It just doesn't get much better than that.

We sped home to get the car back in time, returned the car, and then made the final stage of the journey back home. The whole trip was delightful and surprising; so much so that we decided to take a roadtrip once a month. Erin will be joining us in our future ventures - we missed having her with us on this one. Now we have something fun to look forward to, which makes the frustrations that come with school much easier to bear. This trip was truly a gift from God, and my thanks goes to Him for such a sweet blessing. Wilma got to have a great retreat instead of being sad and I got to enjoy it with her. How wonderful it is to have a Father Who knows all of our needs and takes care of us. I am blessed to be His.

The New Year So Far

**Note: There seems to be some concern about anything involving the school or the kids in the school being on the internet, so I have removed a picture and the name of the school from previous posts.** Having said that, I will continue to write anything that I feel is worth mentioning, just without the name of the school or any pics of the kids.
Things worth mentioning since I last wrote: a new year, a confirmation, belated Christmas presents, and major drama with a teacher. For me, the New Year came in very sweetly and quietly. I had an invitation to go to a New Year's Eve party in Bethlehem with Rula and her family (Erin went), but I just really didn't feel like staying up until 4:00 a.m. in a room full of smoke with a bunch of people I didn't know. That might have sounded appealing to me about 10 years ago (with the exception of the smoke), but it's just not how I would choose to spend an evening anymore. Instead, I spent the Eve praying with Sarah, one of the high school teachers. It was such a nice time; God was with us and we felt strengthened and encouraged by Him when our prayer time was over. It was exactly how I wanted to bring in the New Year.
I asked God this past summer to let me know if I would be teaching here again next year before this Christmas Break was over. Last year, He let me know that I should come back 2 weeks before I went back home for the summer, and I really wanted Him to let me know much earlier this year. Why, I don't know - I just wanted to know earlier this time. During Christmas break, I kept remembering that I had asked for this, and so I waited and wondered if He would answer me by the end of the break. . . and He did. The last night of Christmas break I received a Word basically saying that it was time for me to turn and head back in the direction of my core calling. (Just in case you don't know, teaching elementary school is not my core calling.) I couldn't believe it and I was so excited because the thought of teaching for another year is just not the most thrilling for me. Now please understand that I love my kids and that I'm not unhappy teaching and I know that I"m supposed to be here presently, but I also know that this is a temporary calling. It's important, fulfilling, worthwhile, and life-changing, but temporary. As for my core calling, my heart is for ministry and my desire is to see Jesus heal, deliver, and set people free in all areas of their lives; to see Him bring wholeness physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Ideally, I would love to do some sort of "humanitarian" work like helping build houses for poor people or something of that nature, alongside the ministry aspect of things. So now the question is what am I going to do next? This is my most pressing personal inquiry to God these days & I can't wait to see what it will be.
Wilma came back the weekend after school started again, and with her came all kinds of love and goodies from home. Sweet cards, pics, money, music & audio books (Chronicles of Narnia & L.O.T.R. - yes!), clothes & jewelry, and a new digital camera!! I have such an amazing family and group of friends - I am truly blessed. Thanks guys, I love you so much!!
The first week back at school came and went without a hitch, but a very unpleasant situation occurred the middle of the 2nd week. One of the teachers who teaches National Studies in my class each week basically roughed up a couple of my 7-year-old kids during class one day. They were okay, but there were a couple of scrapes, and of course it was completely unacceptable behavior. Other teachers have had problems with this teacher also, some very serious and personally witnessed, and of this same nature. When my kids told me what had happened that day I was furious, but I wanted to get the facts straight. I talked to the teacher's supervisor and then had my class tell my principal everything that had happened in class that day. And so, a week went by and I heard nothing else about it. When the day came for him to teach again, my kids were begging me to stay in class with them. I decided to sit outside my class while he was in there, but I didn't tell my kids or him what I was doing. At first, neither my kids nor he knew that I was sitting outside the door and the class was crazy. But then he opened the door & some of my kids saw me and told him I was there. He saw me and shut the door and then started actually teaching. After school that day, he told me it wasn't nice for me to sit outside while he was teaching. I told him that it wasn't nice for him to abuse children and that he shouldn't be teaching here. I was pretty mad & I went to ask my principal if anything was being done about him. While I was in there, he walked in and I lost it. He started saying the kids were lying and telling me not to believe them (his usual story whenever he gets into trouble) & I basically called him a liar and told him that I would sit outside my class every time he was teaching it. (There was a lot more said than this and at a very loud volume. . . .) He was sent out and I told my principal that he should not be teaching at the school and I walked out. I apologized later to my principal for losing my temper in her office because I seriously have never gone off on someone like that before and I felt bad about how upset I was, but not about what I said. I do not hate this guy, but I know that he is seriously troubled and has no business being in a position of authority over children. I truly hope that he comes to know Jesus (he doesn't believe in God) and that he receives the ministry he needs very soon. I found out the next day that he had been fired the day before our confrontation, though I was never told this when I asked about him, and his last day was this past Saturday. I am sorry for him, but I'm not sorry that he's not working at the school anymore.
On a lighter note, today has been truly wonderful. It snowed last night and so we didn't have school today. My class and I have been praying for snow for over a week now & it finally came. When I woke up this morning I was praying to see the ground covered with snow & when I saw that it was I was so happy and inspired that I wrote Erin a poem letting her know that she didn't have to get up. This day was a sweet gift from God to all of us, teachers as well as students, & it's possible that we'll be out of school again tomorrow. If so, then we will have 3 days off in a row because we're off on Fridays - how wonderful that would be! And so, here's looking forward to another lovely day off tomorrow.

A Christmas Story in Palestine

I just realized that it's been a month since my last blog - completely unacceptable! My apologies to anyone who has been anxiously awaiting my next post. So then, there's a lot to cover; I'll try to pass on the highlights as I remember them. After Thanksgiving, we (the elementary teachers) had to decorate our classroom doors for Christmas. I must say that I loved mine. I made a nativity scene that included a stable with opening doors - it was so cute! I wish that I had a picture of it that I could post, but unfortunately my camera died and I've been unable to take pictures for quite a while. A sad affair, but c'est la vie. The last week at at school before the holiday break was tiring, but fun. The kids were so excited and hyper, but I was already on holiday in my head, so the craziness didn't really bother me. We had a Christmas program and my kids did two songs. I was really frustrated with them because they just didn't want to do anything. Last year, my kids were so excited and they really wanted to do well, but this year I felt like I was pulling teeth just to get them to even participate. I chose a song that we did last year, a really fun version of "Joy to the World," in which the whole class sang, and then I chose a very special song that I had envisioned for one kid in particular. It was the Elvis version of "Santa Claus is Back in Town." If you've read my previous posts, then you will have noticed my "little Elvis." He's the one that I had in mind when I thought of this song, and so it had to be. (Both songs were performed along with CD's.) In order to make this fun for the others (only guys did this one), and really, the only way I could get them to even want to do this, I had to make instruments for them to "play" in Elvis' band. I made 7 guitars and a set of drums out of craft foam, and we used the piano upstairs for the pianist. The instruments turned out great; they even had guitar straps and real drum sticks - so, so cute. We practiced for 4 days and I taught them motions to do for "Joy. . ." and barely got them to even sing up until the last day. And then I taught the boys motions for "Santa. . . " and they were mostly cooperative. The day came & I knew that if all went according to my "vision," it would be the best act in the program. But I also knew that if they didn't cooperate, it would be the biggest flop. So the day came and . . .it pretty much flopped. Most of them barely moved or even sang for "Joy" and for "Santa," well, some of them did well, but some of them stood there like a deer frozen in headlights. I danced and sang more than any of them and I think most of the kids and teachers in the audience were watching me instead of them. I must say, though, that "Elvis" did a very good job, even though at the end of the song the guitar fell down around his ankles and he was yelling "Oh my God!" instead of finishing the song. It was an adorable disaster.
The last day of school finally came; we had our party, and the kids were so happy. They loved their gifts and were on top of the world, for that moment in time at least, and they left school on a very high note. All the stress of the last week had finally paid off. It was so wonderful and fulfilling to see the joy on their faces - it was priceless.
The time came to send Wilma back across the pond for the holiday break - she ended up missing her ride to the airport, so I had to drive her at the last minute, but of course I didn't mind. Michael, another teacher from Dalton who happened to graduate with Wilma, was with us and we all had a pleasant drive. We did have to say a little prayer though, because our vehicles aren't registered (for reasons beyond our control), and if we got stopped it would have been really bad. But, thank God, it went smoothly. Wilma is now having a lovely time with her family in the States, but she is very much missed here.
The first few days of the break, Erin and I pretty much just rested, occasionally going out in the evening. Keeping a Christmas tradition that I share with my dad, I watched "A Christmas Story" a few times, which never gets old to me. Erin, Eric, & I spent Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, which was something I really wanted to experience this year because I didn't get to last year. Plus, I'm not sure if I'll be here again next year, so it had to be done. It was nice enough; the music was lovely - the choir was singing Handel's "Messiah," and the weather was nice: cold, crisp, and clear - just the way I like it. It was very crowded with nothing to do but stand around and listen to the music, so it got boring after a while. We chatted with some of our fellow teachers at Manger Square and at length, we left and went to the Tent to eat, with Michael and a couple of our high school students joining us. The food was good, but the restaurant was full of smoke. We stayed there for at least 3 hours & I was tired and miserable when we finally left. Christmas morning arrived and I felt horrible from the smoke exposure of the previous evening, but I had decided to make makloubeh for the teachers and so Erin and I had a Christmas party to host. I got up, got groceries, & started on the meal. I was really excited because I had plenty of time to get everything done, but then sometimes things just don't go as we expect them to. I was preparing to fry some veggies, but apparently the oil was way too hot because when I dropped some carrots in, they instantly turned solid black, smoke started going everywhere, the oil started boiling over (onto the GAS stove), and I was praying that a fire wouldn't start. I stayed in as long as I could; coughing and hacking, tears streaming down my face, nose in a terrible mess. . .it was not a pretty sight. Erin came in and convinced me to come out and take a break and so I did. I sat for a while, unable to open my eyes, and just had to laugh at the situation. Once I recuperated a bit, I made the decision to go buy more oil because what I had used was ruined. And so I did. I got back, started afresh, and apart from running late, the meal was fabulous. Erin took care of the ambiance and hors d'eurves, and played hostess while I stayed in the kitchen. I finished the makloubeh, and then made brownies. Everyone loved it and I was so happy. We ate, chatted, had a white elephant gift exchange, and watched the animated Santa Claus is Comin' to Town classic from 1970. Plus, I got some special phone calls from home & that was lovely as well. It was a very pleasant evening and everyone left with full bellies and a smile on their face - a very merry Christmas in Palestine.