Return to Entity Green

This week Nayab, Will and I returned to the site of Entity Green for a more extensive tour and meeting with Philip about our flourishing partnership. We have decided to start with relatively simple projects to ease our community into forming good, sustainable habits. Two rather innovative projects are the collection of bread and hangers.
We will collect bread from our dining hall and dry it out in the sun- it can then be sent to Entity Green and sold to farmers to feed their animals.

We will collect the wire hangers from the laundry service, gather them in groups of 25 and deliver them to Entity Green, who will sell them for 1 JD/bundle to go towards the costs of transportation for employees and trainees.

It was unbelievable how much had changed at the site since my last visit. They have built a garden, with which they nourish with their full functioning and impressive compost system, and have reorganized the “stations”, where all of the sorting takes place

My favorite station is where they house the glass bottles. In the large, open space, and glistening in the hot, desert sun, the bottles look like an installation of artwork. They are truly gorgeous.

I am continually impressed with Philip’s creativity, dedication and hard work, and I am so excited for King’s to adopt some of his models and methods.

Ruwwad

Nayab and I have been working on creating a partnership in the realm of community service and outreach between King’s Academy and Ruwwad, a privately funded non-profit organization founded in 2005. Ruwwad runs a series of programs including, but not limited to, provision of scholarships, rehabilitation, and the creation of libraries and community centers in marginalized communities. Ruwwad aims to help under-privileged communities help themselves through sustainable development.

Ruwwad’s influence is particularly evident and successful in a community in East Amman called Jabal Nathif. This area is actually an unofficial refugee camp that has been very poorly constructed and maintained due to the lack of recognition and support from the government. The entire area suffers from high population density, crowded living conditions and lack of important public services. The area suffers from 50% higher unemployment rate than the national average, and 50% fewer higher education graduates.

When Ruwwad first came to Jabal al-Nathif, they spent the first year gathering information about the neighborhood and determining priorities by listening to residents. The residents prioritized projects according to their needs, and then worked with Ruwwad to create the necessary changes-which ranged from creating a children’s library to cooperating with the government to open the area’s first post office, police station, and public health clinic. Ruwwad brings dedicated, hardworking volunteers into the projects by providing university and college scholarships to 250 students from the community.

Upon being introduced to this organization, we were thoroughly impressed. We are developing ways to bridge the Jabal Nathif and King’s communities together in a working partnership. This past weekend we took a few students from King’s and visited the site. Upon arriving, Ruwwad volunteers shared heartfelt stories about their experiences and took us on a tour of the facilities. The faces of the buildings were painted bright colors, and the concrete walls covered with beautiful, folk style murals. They showed us the nursery, playground, administrative offices, crafts rooms and computer lab with pride and admiration for all they have accomplished in just three years. Seeing a thriving hub of activity involving engaged kids and adults alike, I was reminded of my days spent at the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club as a coordinator for my project working with young girls.

After the tour our students separated according to interest and worked at the library, creative arts workshops where they were making collages, paper and ceramics, and in the nursery playing with young children. I walked around and documented the trip, followed by a herd of wonderful children eager to show their community off.

We then had lunch and reflected on our day and brainstormed ways in which we could be involved and provide Ruwwad with seriously committed student volunteers. I look forward to further investigating the possibilities and working closely with Ruwwad this year.

Alistair Visits!

A dear friend of ours, Alistair, who worked at King’s for a brief period, recently came through Jordan a couple of times between trips to Iraq and the West Bank. Georgia, Eliza and I were fortunate enough to see him on each of his visits and hear all about his wild adventures in the hot bed of activity. He spent a few days traveling in Iraq- during which Obama was elected president- before retreating to Turkey for security reasons. It was really fascinating to hear about his impressions of the area- and troublesome to hear that his hope for the future has diminished. Coming from a pretty realistic, and sometimes cynical person I was surprised when he told us he had gone there with “too much optimism”.

It was really fun for me to speak with him about his trip to Israel/Palestine because I had just returned from the same places he visited. We were able to relate to each other’s border stories, observations and emotional responses to the divided territories. It is truly incredible to be in this region of the world where so many people are traveling to once seemingly distant and impossible places, and discovering parts of themselves along the way.

We took Alistair out to dinner at a famous dive restaurant downtown called Hashem. No plates, no utensils, no fuss- they just bring a pile of warm pita, a heap of falafel and bowls of ful and hummus to your table immediately upon arriving. We then went to one of our favorite spots, a traditionally decorated and cozy café, to sip on mint tea and listen to music. Jordan is truly a social hub where people take the time to relax and the priority is to enjoy the company of good friends and family.

Snapshots

These are two of my favorite students. They live in the dorm that I supervise and are absolutely wonderful girls.

After a fruitful shopping excursion to a notorious gift shop, The Holy Land.

India Here We Come!

Georgia and I are in the midst of planning a two week travel extravaganza to India!
We are leaving in a couple of weeks and are in the process of obtaining tourist visas- here we are at the Indian Embassy beginning the first stage of our journey.

We are quite ambitious and hope to visit Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Pushkar.

"Greening Jordan"

Recently, a large part of our job has included revolutionizing the ways in which King’s deals with waste. Nayab and I are on an environmental rampage and are implementing a variety of awareness activities, recycling methods and forming campus habits that will reduce waste and benefit our planet. Among these are a film series, compost, regular collection of recyclables, and the cessation of paper towels and plastic bags.

To induce change efficiently and successfully we have forged a connection with a brand new, grassroots recycling agency in Jordan. Entity Green is a company led by Philip Griffith, previous head of Habitat for Humanity Jordan, which serves to educate and professionally train former street scavengers in the art and science of dividing waste and recycling. Their clients range from local family households to major hotels in Amman, who send their waste over to have it properly sorted and shipped out to major recycling corporations. The company is extremely innovative and finds a use for everything that passes through the site. For example, all of the bread that they receive in the trash is dried in the sun and sold to farmers and all of the remnants of water in plastic bottles is used for cleaning.

Nayab and I accompanied our boss to the site to meet the director and tour the facilities. It is basically a wide-open space with very organized collections of recyclables. There are heaps of industrial metal scraps, stacks of glass bottles, bags filled with paper and piles of wood. As the saying goes, one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.

Not only is this company extremely creative and successful in sustaining a business solely with its own and reusable resources. But it also serves as a forum for empowerment and educations. All of the employees come from the streets and are given the opportunity to have extensive training, pay and an education while making a huge difference in a country that cannot afford to generate so much waste.

After our extremely insightful visit, Philip journeyed to King’s Academy to take a tour, assess our campus and help us get on the eco-friendly track. It is our hope to become a green campus, and if we work closely with Entity Green, sending all of our waste to their site and make behavioral changes on campus, we can accomplish our goals to function responsibly and set the precedent for other schools and institutions.

Artsbridge in Jerusalem

A few weeks ago I traveled to Jerusalem to attend the Artsbridge Fall 2008 Reunion. While I was only in the area for 4 days, I saw and experienced an incredible amount. My visit was filled with both historical and cultural lessons as my students from the summer toured me around the city, invited me into their homes to meet their families, and confided in me about their lives since attending the camp in Beverly this summer.

I set out bright and early to ensure a smooth border crossing at the King Hussein Bridge- a border that had given my friends and I quite a bit of trouble when we traveled to Tel Aviv in late September. With my residency card and work permit in hand, I had a much easier time than expected- until I arrived at the Israeli side of the border. The border patrol personnel are quite skeptical and judgmental- they randomly select certain people to interrogate and hassle about entering the country. I spent quite a bit of my afternoon trying to explain what Artsbridge is, why I didn’t have my hotel reservations printed out and who I knew specifically in the area to a very cynical and unconvinced woman. Luckily I was let off the hook and joined the others fortunate enough to escape the doomful reception of the waiting forms, and merrily continue my way.

I took a service taxi to Jerusalem and upon arrival to the city, walked about aimlessly with two older gentlemen staying in the same area that I had met at the border. Being lost actually gave us a nice preliminary tour of the city and acquainted us with the local customs and people. Eventually I arrived at my hotel: the International YMCA Three Arches. With a 152 ft. high tower, the building is certainly a city landmark. The building is absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. It was designed by the famed Gregory Johnson; architect of the Empire State Building.

As soon as I entered the lobby I found my boss, director of Artsbridge. After settling into my room and freshening up, she and I followed one of the Artsbridge reflection/dialogue facilitators to a grocery store to buy snacks and lunch food for the reunion to take place the following day. We then went to the facilitator’s home where he cooked us an absolutely exquisite meal. After a long day of traveling it was so wonderful to be in a home and engaging in meaningful and important conversation with people I hadn’t seen in months.

The next morning I headed downstairs to meet my boss and help set up for the reunion. At about 10:15 kids started arriving- it was surreal seeing all of my students from the summer! We mingled and caught up and then began a dialogue session. The kids shared about what it has been like for them since being at Artsbridge, their views on the current state of the Israeli/Palestinain conflict and what they have carried with them and what they hope to be reminded of. It was clear that they missed having these intense and enlightening conversations, and they all took full advantage of the opportunity to share and reminisce. The dialogue sessions at Artsbridge, while tense and highly emotional most of the time, became a safe haven for the students to speak, listen and observe. They became so used to participating and having the sessions as a forum for discussion over the summer, that it was extremely comforting for them to circle up during the reunion and resume the tradition.

After the reunion, a group of my students took me out to see some of the new city area. We went to one of the infamous Jewish market places, the Mahane Yehuda Market, a bargain emporium for residents and place to hangout for local teenagers. The narrow paths are lined with spice and candy counters, vegetable stalls and small bohemian coffee shops. It began to rain so we sought shelter in a bakery and indulged in local sweets. We then went to one of the student’s homes for tea and Shabbat Challah bread. I felt so welcomed and was touched by his family’s hospitality. I had a wonderful time conversing with my students and our hosts parents and learned a lot about how Artsbridge changed their lives.

That evening, I explored the area around my hotel, Mamilla, and grabbed a quick bite to eat at a restaurant both recommended by my lonely planet guidebook and a helpful stranger. I then met a couple of my students for a movie- it was so much fun to socialize with them in their home setting and experience life as they do.

The next day I had a wonderful lunch and conversation with my boss about the previous day’s events and reunion. We talked about the dialogue, the upcoming reunion in January and plans for the 2009 Summer Camp. I was then picked up by one of my students and her younger sister to go to the Old City. We entered through the Jaffa Gate and met up with a few more of my students for a short, but necessary tour. The city was overflowing with tourists and the sun was soon to set, so we caught glimpses of some of the architectural sights and walked through the bustling market places.

I then left with my student and her sister to accompany them to their home in Bethlehem. We took a bus and then a taxi to the checkpoint. Crossing into Bethlehem we walked along a wall saturated with both liberating and empowering messages, and sad and hopeless declarations of oppression.

Upon arriving at the home of my student, we heated up her grandmother’s Maqluba (probably my favorite middle eastern dish!) for dinner. Maqluba is a dish made by layering vegetables (potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower) and rice cooked with broth in a deep pot, and then flipping it upside down so that the savory rice is now the bottom layer. It comes as no surprise that Maqluba literally translates to “upside-down”.

When her mother arrived, they all took me on a drive through the town. We drove down many streets where favorite restaurants, historical buildings and shops were pointed out to me. The most impressive sight was the Church of the Nativity. It was staggering to realize I was standing at the very place that is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. The church is large and while it looks historic, has been renovated time and time again due to the numerous attacks. Most recently, in 2002, it became a refuge for a Palestinian resistance force when Bethlehem was invaded by Israel. Despite being a target for controversy and conflict, the Church of the Nativity is the oldest continuously operating church in existence. My favorite part of this church is the ‘Door of Humility’, a humorously short door designed in the Ottoman era to prevent soldiers on horses from being able to enter. Here I am standing in front of it!

We then drove to a beloved bakery to pick up some traditional favorites. I was absolutely exhausted upon our return and went to bed early to ensure I was well rested for the long trip back to Jordan that lay ahead of me. I woke up to a charming family breakfast- the whole family had been so generous with their time and for allowing me to spend the night, I was so overwhelmed with appreciation with the morning feast they prepared! They had made me American style coffee, porridge, eggs, sandwiches and traditional bread with spices and olive oil. A hot breakfast in good company was the perfect send-off back to Jordan!

Deer at Dibbin

A couple of weekends ago, a group of faculty and fellows traveled to Dibbin Forest- the best remaining area of natural forest in Jordan. Dibbin is situated on limestone slopes of the highest hill range in the north part of the country. The reserve is inhabited by hundreds of deer! We were completely immersed in a sea of very unabashed animals- they even ate right out of my hands! Back in the states I would be excited to see a deer on the side of the road, so you can imagine how cool it was to be surrounded by them! The view was also amazing- the reserve is on the top of a very large hill, and under the crystal clear Jordan sky the landscape stretched on forever.

Tel Aviv

A couple of weeks ago I traveled to Tel Aviv with a group of friends for the Eid Al Fitr holiday that follows Ramadan. Our trip was off to a wonderful start as we took a very scenic route to the border, passing by Mt. Nebo and the dead sea. We even drove through the location where Moses is said to have parted the waters! Where I am living and all of my experiences continue to boggle my mind! Leaving Jordan and the holy month behind, we entered Israel on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. It was really interesting going from one religious holiday to another- on the streets instead of hearing “Ramadan kareem” we were hearing “shana tova”. The first two days we were in Tel Aviv the whole city seemed to be asleep, as everybody was resting on observation of the holiday. We also rested- on the beach in the sun and by the magnificent Mediterranean.

After Rosh Hashanah the city was pulsing with activity- it was very different from the urban rhythms of Amman, or even New York or Boston- in Tel Aviv there was a very high energy level, but with a more relaxed approach to life. People were active- all times throughout the night and day I saw people exercising, especially on the beach! There was even a collection of public exercise equipment! Also, people actually took the time to socialize. Everywhere I walked I saw people of all ages meeting friends, running errands together or enjoying a cup of coffee. The holiday was certainly not the only difference between Jordan and Israel/Palestine. The language, style of dress, sea-scape, flowers, prices- everything was completely different on the other side of the border. We stayed in a hostel in what seemed to be the arts district- our street was lined with small galleries, small cafes and chic boutiques. Our location was ideal as we were only a short walk from the beach and all of the restaurants. While our time in Tel Aviv was certainly relaxing- crossing the border was quite an ordeal. Coming into Jordan we faced a lot of issues, and even had to change plans and rush to another border crossing before it closed. Because our residency papers are not yet in order, we had large fines to pay and extra hassles. We also had to be very cautious that our passports were not stamped, and instead that a separate piece of paper was processed so we can travel to other middle eastern countries this year. By the end of our trip we were completely out of money, and had to scrape by on pocket change and pay our taxi driver after withdrawing cash from an ATM at Kings. But all of the trouble was completely worth a beautiful and amazing vacation- I’m sure we will return to the gorgeous blue waters, tropical flowers, and reggae beats of Tel Aviv many more times.