tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47973604250286791152024-02-21T02:40:39.247-08:00Live from JordanSimone's Gap YearSimone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-62286368909911292712009-06-08T04:03:00.000-07:002009-06-08T04:28:45.070-07:00MET tournament<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The weekend of May 2nd, King’s Academy hosted over 100 students from three countries for the international Middle East Triangle (MET) track and field tournament. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The six participating schools were the American Community School (ACS - Beirut), International College (IC), Iraq Olympic Champion School, American Community School (ACS - Amman), Amman Baccalaureate School (ABS) and King's Academy.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qt_uwmMCv3FkUMEdFDsMDXxShPyQdkzx90Tc8Nxa8kyctULsYMNuhHdVobtdrgR5IJocT894NwIx4UXSjDpIhYpiL5FMegw4bKcv-MMsArYPz_oYilVncvpMhZi4YR-a1oy4NAQU9Aq-/s1600-h/ABS+baton.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qt_uwmMCv3FkUMEdFDsMDXxShPyQdkzx90Tc8Nxa8kyctULsYMNuhHdVobtdrgR5IJocT894NwIx4UXSjDpIhYpiL5FMegw4bKcv-MMsArYPz_oYilVncvpMhZi4YR-a1oy4NAQU9Aq-/s400/ABS+baton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344911970760212194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vd53lY2yeccb6HEWaBhaHrGyirfK_01eocXQHCDsK1PfGN3OnrADzg3mGQRoIs1CauoE9q8WDZNjY-jTUfMSuFNuV7xW1MmVUuY0gqGEdDZxwba2K9mQy8bHQuM0fHVEbh26xFGWD7Xe/s1600-h/iraqi+boys+3+B%26W.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vd53lY2yeccb6HEWaBhaHrGyirfK_01eocXQHCDsK1PfGN3OnrADzg3mGQRoIs1CauoE9q8WDZNjY-jTUfMSuFNuV7xW1MmVUuY0gqGEdDZxwba2K9mQy8bHQuM0fHVEbh26xFGWD7Xe/s400/iraqi+boys+3+B%26W.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344913409321570242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgyWs278219Quw1VCsi7tWtROyA2K_FoQEocVksnjtFgrGv0TOaL7fVn-94T9-dcW6oGpFNsSIdvx18sPqlzEFoWdB6lZOUzEgdTFAUkoQiC8NIHgDmAGDlIXlQCZl6pv8cph6DNSSIUM/s1600-h/tamer+%26+ghaith.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgyWs278219Quw1VCsi7tWtROyA2K_FoQEocVksnjtFgrGv0TOaL7fVn-94T9-dcW6oGpFNsSIdvx18sPqlzEFoWdB6lZOUzEgdTFAUkoQiC8NIHgDmAGDlIXlQCZl6pv8cph6DNSSIUM/s400/tamer+%26+ghaith.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344915109006695362" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The competitors were of all ages- from all levels of high school to elementary school students. In fact, one of the most exciting victories was a nine-year-old boy from the Iraq Olympic Champion School. He finished the 3000-meter race in just over nine minutes. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">All participants ran their hearts out- many of them collapsed as soon as they crossed the finish line, completely drained from the exertion.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVjbfFXRrwP6i5kRyb2XpNWJ1JCyJHQGAOzrNl2Z0M0ki_KUVIrdmI9SCI9EW68zRMEJ-zEecNXildEJ1GQelGEh5akBl_S5e6WXefyrZ4auivLD6saSOYajN0o_e4R-u3lWZP40qMDb_/s1600-h/iraqi+exhausted.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVjbfFXRrwP6i5kRyb2XpNWJ1JCyJHQGAOzrNl2Z0M0ki_KUVIrdmI9SCI9EW68zRMEJ-zEecNXildEJ1GQelGEh5akBl_S5e6WXefyrZ4auivLD6saSOYajN0o_e4R-u3lWZP40qMDb_/s400/iraqi+exhausted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344913412699347314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br />The youngsters from Iraq were quite a sight- they are so small and so fierce. With bright blue spandex uniforms and matching warm-up suits, they were by far the most professional looking team. They certainly lived up to their image on the track as well; their passion was intense and palpable. We kept forgetting they were actually children and not freakishly tiny adult athletes.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgHeoaD7sEukzO8-d4rkEXAMMKEQRAQQgCmDniwtGnQyz4ZMvmKxKlrWK0j8F4mkRjZusmbgdlXySn_liPcqTc-8ub4hDxJT0d_Vh_4K2d4nqJppVrIUHgAxUszpH2xwCVvGOudkNuYrO/s1600-h/+iraqi+girls+stretching+in+line.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgHeoaD7sEukzO8-d4rkEXAMMKEQRAQQgCmDniwtGnQyz4ZMvmKxKlrWK0j8F4mkRjZusmbgdlXySn_liPcqTc-8ub4hDxJT0d_Vh_4K2d4nqJppVrIUHgAxUszpH2xwCVvGOudkNuYrO/s400/+iraqi+girls+stretching+in+line.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344911966665172690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThUb4QeZ1QVRmYq-tTLqKNmFpAfROl4uNIjZeCG0rUELiwgWiAtLZcczh4r9PDPlG5fq5OGDTCsRWAKKkIutmyKIRhnDq8m_CtUysDY5NcR6oePoYnpfeGx4ug63n0Eho7jiQkG2_0UGF/s1600-h/iraqi+girl+stretching+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThUb4QeZ1QVRmYq-tTLqKNmFpAfROl4uNIjZeCG0rUELiwgWiAtLZcczh4r9PDPlG5fq5OGDTCsRWAKKkIutmyKIRhnDq8m_CtUysDY5NcR6oePoYnpfeGx4ug63n0Eho7jiQkG2_0UGF/s400/iraqi+girl+stretching+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344915099040433826" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN90dcV_iD1veHv3yNoKMZjH7WmJJBcUETfTLUrg3GNWBCABz5TmD-z3vOu8hudLJ8NemyzrNYkBFxq-QRdAsCKaqEsmRKA0maC5PRAeX6HJ8Z7qT9J__2iH9Rm1yLP35jFP9857h8EsTo/s1600-h/iraqi+girl+standing+stretch.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN90dcV_iD1veHv3yNoKMZjH7WmJJBcUETfTLUrg3GNWBCABz5TmD-z3vOu8hudLJ8NemyzrNYkBFxq-QRdAsCKaqEsmRKA0maC5PRAeX6HJ8Z7qT9J__2iH9Rm1yLP35jFP9857h8EsTo/s400/iraqi+girl+standing+stretch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344913418582506274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYp1JJu0NgoJe13iDzl5oEdqcBhoP4L7wlYgQpckDlpcGgI0MBZO6QXbQP4sJUWyvUBTw4Lz_8ng1ogvB4glwbUcy0ac9TryEHrX3PTx7iNF3EkAkZ5M1RJHzOd6nv7bOcIobVPJckJ3PX/s1600-h/iraqi+boy+stretching.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYp1JJu0NgoJe13iDzl5oEdqcBhoP4L7wlYgQpckDlpcGgI0MBZO6QXbQP4sJUWyvUBTw4Lz_8ng1ogvB4glwbUcy0ac9TryEHrX3PTx7iNF3EkAkZ5M1RJHzOd6nv7bOcIobVPJckJ3PX/s400/iraqi+boy+stretching.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344913399894832834" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40wXPtrLKVSFqPdITojkLL6Yuw1m4t4185twt7LLvHs9DECpEo16bT7ZEWUB0qC4_4sgCqU8TEPWqjP2Hf08HGpjrjkoScFTdT7ya7uVHX_ELMR2kQkt7mWkAOvlhAc1wr0A28d3Rhgz9/s1600-h/iraqi+team-+baton.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40wXPtrLKVSFqPdITojkLL6Yuw1m4t4185twt7LLvHs9DECpEo16bT7ZEWUB0qC4_4sgCqU8TEPWqjP2Hf08HGpjrjkoScFTdT7ya7uVHX_ELMR2kQkt7mWkAOvlhAc1wr0A28d3Rhgz9/s400/iraqi+team-+baton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344915105471229298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjhIcnnjWoHkMbeDzxigG5BFUg7mUxU6DybNjXkcpGw1_4ks9MBbQkokvMzSIUGt-htqDxv6uM9Udumjlpn21djV_8t27f-rNkK2-YngIp7NqCUOA3gWRqErdcqEU-nHrfPZpyW28rgW2/s1600-h/iraqi+boy-+baton.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjhIcnnjWoHkMbeDzxigG5BFUg7mUxU6DybNjXkcpGw1_4ks9MBbQkokvMzSIUGt-htqDxv6uM9Udumjlpn21djV_8t27f-rNkK2-YngIp7NqCUOA3gWRqErdcqEU-nHrfPZpyW28rgW2/s400/iraqi+boy-+baton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344916141095048674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnHKNNP8fs94KElARUicTzPHz6ZjVlNYl1vm_qIqzfkzhyphenhyphenWoBjseO7bm7Hl3nF0aaOMsX-PQGLv48thOxZShVlu8Tb-kpabvQTGfhVvOVW9S6Kb0U8rKPaHX2EewOt0Kh8y7YYgIT0xeU/s1600-h/iraqi+boy+warming+up.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HuQLJ_M8gIHzOnH04Hjz43Z9Cvqvj34RMBG-dNGaC_ocL1shAymXHCN0-CzXtmWR6InTniQjwqqI2pjL_OnwnwnA1xPuFoYTYKq1WUESCgePQrfEr7iipOH7bPqHryzJmQZ-cwQbxCpA/s1600-h/iraqi+kid-+startline.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HuQLJ_M8gIHzOnH04Hjz43Z9Cvqvj34RMBG-dNGaC_ocL1shAymXHCN0-CzXtmWR6InTniQjwqqI2pjL_OnwnwnA1xPuFoYTYKq1WUESCgePQrfEr7iipOH7bPqHryzJmQZ-cwQbxCpA/s400/iraqi+kid-+startline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344915101722370082" border="0" /></a></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Many staff and faculty helped with timing and organizing the events with the Athletic Department and were able to befriend many of the young athletes. Nayab even lent her Andover jacket to a shivering Iraqi runner while he watched his teammates from the sideline.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqPANNQFiJ57UTEptgcgwAExfKEZWUprlFonEMub9gDMd0rwRWbICIKddHa9c4w9wYymvx54iy54g-MS7CX6vAITn3gTwYa5F03BQjHKT2xN7wbgwCoP7PgMmQNOJ3ln_bhC3OYSrbk1q/s1600-h/andover!!+B%26W.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqPANNQFiJ57UTEptgcgwAExfKEZWUprlFonEMub9gDMd0rwRWbICIKddHa9c4w9wYymvx54iy54g-MS7CX6vAITn3gTwYa5F03BQjHKT2xN7wbgwCoP7PgMmQNOJ3ln_bhC3OYSrbk1q/s400/andover!!+B%26W.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344912000833079698" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The award ceremony at the end of the weekend celebrated all of the teams and their respective countries- flags waved and cheers rang. The tournament was a huge event that really shone an athletic light on KA and I hope it will become an annual happening for our students.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmpOkNgY_xPAMkOv4spYgNQSjB5A28YmPtQQb97jLCcRhMYmFUUzsmtKYTjWkUfKS4Vcmd46o77z1ES4sOkzg-UOxE3JKIWsGABDwKO1ftjaApT9MKwiMjQgyVK8TMRkj2EMRYB3VB3P5/s1600-h/iraq+award.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmpOkNgY_xPAMkOv4spYgNQSjB5A28YmPtQQb97jLCcRhMYmFUUzsmtKYTjWkUfKS4Vcmd46o77z1ES4sOkzg-UOxE3JKIWsGABDwKO1ftjaApT9MKwiMjQgyVK8TMRkj2EMRYB3VB3P5/s400/iraq+award.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344912003860969618" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-73761925258446247682009-05-27T03:21:00.000-07:002009-05-27T03:47:44.228-07:00Dead Sea<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi5daCqxSVArP9qxfffeyBpj7iJRerSGv3AOoUWQgRmx01NcR-XSmU38aTfTeJAcKxOA2JAe6wZuGA9qla1JLLFhw3aICTpHpE4Rrws6GxBD9CiV8QhWYdLSOwqXXll74Omx0OSlIbPpf/s1600-h/dead+sea2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmi5daCqxSVArP9qxfffeyBpj7iJRerSGv3AOoUWQgRmx01NcR-XSmU38aTfTeJAcKxOA2JAe6wZuGA9qla1JLLFhw3aICTpHpE4Rrws6GxBD9CiV8QhWYdLSOwqXXll74Omx0OSlIbPpf/s400/dead+sea2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340453556297174658" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7urSJ70jCmlwvvFtjcsK98Ruj0eQVvQoTGcBqsHi0QOlGnux0zCBtXEiruJDloofUfbH7krRFrq6BNWSX6f5WFO8WEDukfoBPwRFF5VPtYZRNozENMiWaP7GAY6KqLnAt2cnhGFToqRY/s1600-h/dead+sea2.jpg"><br /></a></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Reema’s sister, Nour, came to visit us in Jordan!!! It was such a pleasure finally meeting another from the Attyeh clan I have heard so much about. While Reema and their family in Jordan hogged her for most of the time, we were able to all go down to the Dead Sea and welcome summer properly with sun and water. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Dead Sea sits right between Palestine’s West Bank and East Jordan, and most importantly, at the lowest point on earth. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE15vLoPgxaHrA4BDylMi7LscQXyKtG_q54c-HPbbEuJRA5ryLWwtVlH9ybjOcaYtKqLADbjU3DLyHBELLBomxV_JAo3l0TIQzaxt9nTEYS_h9XFd33wfHOC829fvrFdZKQBW8HwHj2IX9/s1600-h/deadsea.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE15vLoPgxaHrA4BDylMi7LscQXyKtG_q54c-HPbbEuJRA5ryLWwtVlH9ybjOcaYtKqLADbjU3DLyHBELLBomxV_JAo3l0TIQzaxt9nTEYS_h9XFd33wfHOC829fvrFdZKQBW8HwHj2IX9/s400/deadsea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340447315618217234" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />The sea is the most serene body of water I have ever seen. The placidity of the light blue water and the misty horizon line had a soothing effect on all of us. The background of mountains were shrouded in a light fog which made the whole thing a bit surreal- it looked like a backdrop rather than a real landscape. We lounged on the beach all day, floated in the salty water and covered our bodies with the healing mud. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvEVLek7BaCZqpdo06scIJQknuPDku8WQAelgypCIg30BuLe6dO8alz-sln-v3OdpwWkZkJqKbcI4qyEamYFgVCQw1P6uzn7e3BuTkG9-oq91KFvOtdrX3F-J0WjdpHJDJm1vPhLTlUjy/s1600-h/mud.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvEVLek7BaCZqpdo06scIJQknuPDku8WQAelgypCIg30BuLe6dO8alz-sln-v3OdpwWkZkJqKbcI4qyEamYFgVCQw1P6uzn7e3BuTkG9-oq91KFvOtdrX3F-J0WjdpHJDJm1vPhLTlUjy/s400/mud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340447324230668690" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8ZCUbyoBD6SiwW83N28zjkLgCaF6ELCNhJtoTZpXTy8njVA1FyQ0ddZALECLGbM6AgonT4VL4PFNDUEoVx0RL9YHtDKSdAbCARQoGPSCzRLFgMbn_jWt09NNEV9_bbb8IFgUdZSue-hm/s1600-h/nour,+georg,+me.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8ZCUbyoBD6SiwW83N28zjkLgCaF6ELCNhJtoTZpXTy8njVA1FyQ0ddZALECLGbM6AgonT4VL4PFNDUEoVx0RL9YHtDKSdAbCARQoGPSCzRLFgMbn_jWt09NNEV9_bbb8IFgUdZSue-hm/s400/nour,+georg,+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340447320705211442" border="0" /></a></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />We ended the day with a delicious sea-food barbecue at a friend’s apartment. Up on the rooftop of his luxurious, newly built apartment building, we all ate jumbo prawns and watched the sun as it set over the water. It was the perfect ending to a day in one of Jordan’s gems.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhY-j4eXbJ_Szo75U9RNS8TVJ4F_24CFAdzZNopvGUODwBJyXjNljjZq69GamHJqJE3OqMtV58oDUYZy4x_FGXpvDOkONQxmFckNdFzDkytiGCXCbuWsln4_yeKcNaOEkWl1brRp5lyQb/s1600-h/sunset.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhY-j4eXbJ_Szo75U9RNS8TVJ4F_24CFAdzZNopvGUODwBJyXjNljjZq69GamHJqJE3OqMtV58oDUYZy4x_FGXpvDOkONQxmFckNdFzDkytiGCXCbuWsln4_yeKcNaOEkWl1brRp5lyQb/s400/sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340447332994252514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8ZCUbyoBD6SiwW83N28zjkLgCaF6ELCNhJtoTZpXTy8njVA1FyQ0ddZALECLGbM6AgonT4VL4PFNDUEoVx0RL9YHtDKSdAbCARQoGPSCzRLFgMbn_jWt09NNEV9_bbb8IFgUdZSue-hm/s1600-h/nour,+georg,+me.jpg"> </a> </div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-4343805858307411882009-05-27T00:12:00.000-07:002009-05-27T00:37:59.331-07:00Lebanon<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">That afternoon we left Syria and drove to Lebanon. This border crossing was significantly easier and we were in Beirut in a matter of hours. Once in Lebanon we stopped to observe the views of the city from afar. From atop a mountain a picturesque view of water and palm trees stared back at us. It was only from close up that you could see the damage from the havoc of the 2006 Lebanon/Israel war. We drove under an enormous bridge that had been destroyed and walked among buildings left completely decimated by the attacks. The overwhelming beauty of this European/Middle Eastern paradise and the intensity of the burnt and decayed buildings was certainly an odd juxtaposition and a reminder of the political turbulence that plagues the region.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGjPMbfphH_BlrCjf1FDa-qg9y7hrnhdB4lqUueU7EX3QCr_5kiT7OONFIvpvBa4Ep_VEF0U41BB3gg7-W-v8m7o-yfoKx-IHX5rc8v1ICgSz9gg4Fm8Wd9B1XEfSiwA41QUojPDcS_rQ/s1600-h/bridge.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGjPMbfphH_BlrCjf1FDa-qg9y7hrnhdB4lqUueU7EX3QCr_5kiT7OONFIvpvBa4Ep_VEF0U41BB3gg7-W-v8m7o-yfoKx-IHX5rc8v1ICgSz9gg4Fm8Wd9B1XEfSiwA41QUojPDcS_rQ/s400/bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340400534197530706" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5rGTlkYhW7e-f-k2fvHB3i4bM2qQYskHQTvbXWnaAXer2HW7HIKW8_wo56JC3u9xtxMY1XM4uYUv0W2r5ELVssKTw80nSqkiW-utU1iINTMTYmBDUobtNwOI7wAVcbrnG8P6Nqp1HVcs/s1600-h/bridge2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5rGTlkYhW7e-f-k2fvHB3i4bM2qQYskHQTvbXWnaAXer2HW7HIKW8_wo56JC3u9xtxMY1XM4uYUv0W2r5ELVssKTw80nSqkiW-utU1iINTMTYmBDUobtNwOI7wAVcbrnG8P6Nqp1HVcs/s400/bridge2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340400537292474690" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijpebJoADQEy81FgM-QU0B35gn2SqUvITHY9rWWwOW8FfIQc8YqrzwSDSLipQv4ZP2YyjLmcYmOpHO6rgk2_d7VZXGoE7Iz8sM4lfiGCftzatDsda2BfET0ak2sszquhqodjVE3rmJppg/s1600-h/beirut.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 325px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijpebJoADQEy81FgM-QU0B35gn2SqUvITHY9rWWwOW8FfIQc8YqrzwSDSLipQv4ZP2YyjLmcYmOpHO6rgk2_d7VZXGoE7Iz8sM4lfiGCftzatDsda2BfET0ak2sszquhqodjVE3rmJppg/s400/beirut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340400529149378402" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Upon arriving we settled in the hotel and then went straight to Barbar, an empire with absolutely epic Lebanese food. Falafel, Shawerma, fresh-squeezed juices…the list goes on and on, Barbar has it all. Our loyalty and enthusiasm even warranted us free Barbar t-shirts!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjBBLwQLOryQ3XF8tEPzTiVKqFX4_WfYpn1uiIrNIRqEfN76N4QMFRtU309_bEUb8FI9V8P7nVH-4Ap1DG9jR37PxRk2J4-PAsR3sq8uwwUBjB1Mw2E8wQg4t9Zt62EUp3w8eggDoE3eP/s1600-h/barbar.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjBBLwQLOryQ3XF8tEPzTiVKqFX4_WfYpn1uiIrNIRqEfN76N4QMFRtU309_bEUb8FI9V8P7nVH-4Ap1DG9jR37PxRk2J4-PAsR3sq8uwwUBjB1Mw2E8wQg4t9Zt62EUp3w8eggDoE3eP/s400/barbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340400518549377490" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We then spent the afternoon walking around the city. We toured AUB (American University in Beirut), which is a stunning campus. Situated on the water and amongst exotic Indian trees and as a fusion of Middle Eastern and European cultures, it was otherworldly. I am so excited that my friends Sam and Georgia will be attending school there next year and I will have an excuse to visit!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We stopped for street crepes and fresh blood-orange juice, and walked all along the water until sunset. The shore extends forever and makes for a beautiful walking city. We ended our journey at the infamous Pigeon Rocks and drank in the scenery.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhP0E9W7NgsWkSQS0eLnMeRGpdR1TizUi6_2uVURDb10rZuDoiCj6J2np_-5Gjl6EkDMpuMgREqZXvnV2LHEv6ZsvlXICi4BxJxHyKPpKzq8zZaZ8xzKMVzigIIiIYEPO5m1mGrtF3Uek/s1600-h/shore+beirut.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhP0E9W7NgsWkSQS0eLnMeRGpdR1TizUi6_2uVURDb10rZuDoiCj6J2np_-5Gjl6EkDMpuMgREqZXvnV2LHEv6ZsvlXICi4BxJxHyKPpKzq8zZaZ8xzKMVzigIIiIYEPO5m1mGrtF3Uek/s400/shore+beirut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340403054867126674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGu-GGepo_K3MZOztPnP76zNXGtYa84nZTmbjAtqvfWlA2-miCdLbCA6BRNVjuhreEEaWParJBxnLIKXXOEZ3NL5wZdpNE5Hm64r5XttnNQHnEf-tVXwIH9xlFIOnVcxc2A09zDksyHk6/s1600-h/piegon+rocks2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGu-GGepo_K3MZOztPnP76zNXGtYa84nZTmbjAtqvfWlA2-miCdLbCA6BRNVjuhreEEaWParJBxnLIKXXOEZ3NL5wZdpNE5Hm64r5XttnNQHnEf-tVXwIH9xlFIOnVcxc2A09zDksyHk6/s400/piegon+rocks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340403049594210018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After freshening up we headed for sushi and down the famous street Jameza to experience the chic nightlife and live music.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next morning we awoke early and the six of us crammed into a cab for a 2-hour drive to the mountains. The transition from sunny, spring weather to heaps of snow was bizarre! As soon as we arrived we unpacked, ate lunch, fitted for gear and hit the slopes. It took me a few runs to feel comfortable- I hadn’t skied for years. But it wasn’t too long before I was rushing down the slopes with ease. The adrenaline rush was amazing- I had forgotten how good it feels to have the cold biting at your face and to feel the burn in your thighs while soaring down a mountainside.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMv-9vdg6VbsmfB8jBwkjzyJH-aWd-v_5QFfxaaJ8hR8SJC4j24ZImLOJXU0_cYxA2PZfyaEyq-XbVZDg2rDdX1wltk_EfEWGpZ3mUxoACgPjRGcN2xNmFr2mE6RDNL9KpqZ6Bk7dahRY/s1600-h/on+lift.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMv-9vdg6VbsmfB8jBwkjzyJH-aWd-v_5QFfxaaJ8hR8SJC4j24ZImLOJXU0_cYxA2PZfyaEyq-XbVZDg2rDdX1wltk_EfEWGpZ3mUxoACgPjRGcN2xNmFr2mE6RDNL9KpqZ6Bk7dahRY/s400/on+lift.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340403042739736706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu__FXph3XkuwErUneaaG3x042d4bAbLDaLN4f3rjP03xaVyUOQZBI3K5fAH2GouKCuvxZ8lNy_0Ijc4LBgH-96HQrypqcLCMIqwcSI62u7WJhcf1Ctj5tdaOhMvT5wneB6M9nC7xVrNUE/s1600-h/chairlift.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu__FXph3XkuwErUneaaG3x042d4bAbLDaLN4f3rjP03xaVyUOQZBI3K5fAH2GouKCuvxZ8lNy_0Ijc4LBgH-96HQrypqcLCMIqwcSI62u7WJhcf1Ctj5tdaOhMvT5wneB6M9nC7xVrNUE/s400/chairlift.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340403038619436690" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The slopes in Lebanon are quite surreal. I used to ski in New England where pine trees are synonymous with mountains. Here, it was completely barren. It was all so wide-open and intimidating from the chairlift!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMib07kFL-9WiNmxX3DD2lonhE2EhCZRwmONzP_EYnBof2nkBeotn5Z9x9ls1KKHBA5ykFWQFnuC3XYrcRPad036VZ7usFv32Eh6z-6HLLguHChr2vOBcLiawYv_8ixEbTYHJN114N6CT/s1600-h/mountains.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMib07kFL-9WiNmxX3DD2lonhE2EhCZRwmONzP_EYnBof2nkBeotn5Z9x9ls1KKHBA5ykFWQFnuC3XYrcRPad036VZ7usFv32Eh6z-6HLLguHChr2vOBcLiawYv_8ixEbTYHJN114N6CT/s400/mountains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340403038012656210" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We skied all day-everyday for the next two days. As soon as the lifts closed we showered, napped and then explored the cute little restaurants and lounges in the resort area. It was quite the eclectic crowd- not the typical ski-bum scene found in New England. Woman were dressed to the nines! It would have never occurred to me to pack pearls and stiletto heels on a ski trip, but then again, this is Lebanon…</span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-89301901512220373072009-04-26T00:16:00.000-07:002009-05-27T00:11:37.633-07:00Syria<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">For the long weekend in March a few friends and I traveled to Syria and Lebanon. After waiting for about 9 hours at the border, we were finally welcomed into Damascus. We stayed in the city for a short total of about 12 hours, where we crammed as much in as possible. Our arrival was quickly followed by a quick midnight snack run and a much needed sleep.<br /><br />We awoke early and explored Damascus, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We walked down the narrow streets of the Old City- passing through 4ft thresholds, indulging in thick, bitter Arabic coffee from street vendors, and admiring the thousands of years of history at every turn.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANSpAWwzot0wDcvAGebb6cGkIeMeVchl4iFs5l2clHfkEG4fcZC8Ls0qn_4EPAKxjXWD2UVblD1MrPcPfeSTKEuMmlgxmND7fYTL5z1S_ZbjJgE8A-sXax4D4uBfzp5Px_TCdORkF5AoT/s1600-h/damascus10.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANSpAWwzot0wDcvAGebb6cGkIeMeVchl4iFs5l2clHfkEG4fcZC8Ls0qn_4EPAKxjXWD2UVblD1MrPcPfeSTKEuMmlgxmND7fYTL5z1S_ZbjJgE8A-sXax4D4uBfzp5Px_TCdORkF5AoT/s400/damascus10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328907120430475378" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3ke7k3sQcHi5ymPRLREZWjlUJq8iP4X7aMnfwXoexpc69hWL8aH8cb-q4rHUw7oJjtXTdflK-8M4pYwrtB_nJtPws3B-xd8pzPxrrJ2hxVkg8aWUll6UgkpTEpVAbU7kC9EfOZlniRxc/s1600-h/damascus9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; 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width: 196px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr0C2e8EGm32ia1vmDmnFd3wT9EfB6stlcDt4t5-cyYaOnTKIcWr72YA0vFiRA61PXhgooFiTWqi18VWb58H3bz3XRVy4FDgn79twTuAp5ifPGcEFEbnPpD7E1oLyE-tp__k_XE7TXJpM/s400/damascus7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328905735081388866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpp41uCmmYFvHvZUc5E4Yjg8fuvrja9MWbGiKh1-Q6VrZ3jVbF30qB2o5mXjzj95SiMfxVFbMMBNODS1HYeksFPudTN8gwz1TKHeb-WGyMOvnFVi1jWLJFpskodrechhQpMlgAGYhspiK/s1600-h/door"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpp41uCmmYFvHvZUc5E4Yjg8fuvrja9MWbGiKh1-Q6VrZ3jVbF30qB2o5mXjzj95SiMfxVFbMMBNODS1HYeksFPudTN8gwz1TKHeb-WGyMOvnFVi1jWLJFpskodrechhQpMlgAGYhspiK/s400/door" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328984771826506674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuWqgZ6Rc18_DamBBCcfYeoquL0kZRpv7zwqPDOfCZNxYUxSXE7Artn4ATbIQvn4ZSnBQvdxSkdvI22wssU42GXk-TKDBzyeLYxhDwRQ7l_gG1VmBaSolbDJjU9b9885Yb9PAqr5Ga6d2/s1600-h/damascus5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; 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width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_J5dVbibd1ZSWcLZo56i9bqRwB2_w2DZkD363ndenHOyFbvwU_OXJp3S8JEB6fxC07vHgH0G7-6Hvz7i2ZVQaF-9JjHIL0r-edXGP10mN5rTO87MMujHwDo6eM57Q3w9CtagsBZeGRgE/s400/damascus3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328904763825107954" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGBzqzmyr632lB74PJ2lyiEWLq7STeY5dXPnDa-GNIEimKtX4V6qMG2p9UgMVRmijbakMQv94gyn9jExc4a6dVCO-FpFNiGEh_pufanyjFvCmB-doxjSPb20-Q1v8opGWj0ucu1e5FVBt/s1600-h/+damascus+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGBzqzmyr632lB74PJ2lyiEWLq7STeY5dXPnDa-GNIEimKtX4V6qMG2p9UgMVRmijbakMQv94gyn9jExc4a6dVCO-FpFNiGEh_pufanyjFvCmB-doxjSPb20-Q1v8opGWj0ucu1e5FVBt/s400/+damascus+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328904753762697970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOggY8ektYJ_RMkfwa-dUZi0god3Ztlj1dB4LJRQQ_k9LqeOQf7JzMOL1bb5FrIlU2aNH2muP9Zx7IwvpWd7XwdVJNYXqAz1TMInAs2XNQ4K5gnRdw3G3F8Mc0Eh75Z_mBVsAVTMZG1gJd/s1600-h/damascus.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOggY8ektYJ_RMkfwa-dUZi0god3Ztlj1dB4LJRQQ_k9LqeOQf7JzMOL1bb5FrIlU2aNH2muP9Zx7IwvpWd7XwdVJNYXqAz1TMInAs2XNQ4K5gnRdw3G3F8Mc0Eh75Z_mBVsAVTMZG1gJd/s400/damascus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328984471193318274" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />Eventually we grabbed a breakfast that consisted of fresh squeezed blood-orange juice and the famous pistachio covered ice cream from Bakdash.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMmJPIhK13ksChf6xZxU1FgAro7njEv7wu6LMFV41abpBgtzYAcLioskc_hNTWTDscCcyEexxp0HczLKpEYYRsxBXs5Kkd4_xfPxlM8-gk-mEe7-h6fLNWYaMfqy0VvN_8oEuEgjWWcST/s1600-h/icecream.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMmJPIhK13ksChf6xZxU1FgAro7njEv7wu6LMFV41abpBgtzYAcLioskc_hNTWTDscCcyEexxp0HczLKpEYYRsxBXs5Kkd4_xfPxlM8-gk-mEe7-h6fLNWYaMfqy0VvN_8oEuEgjWWcST/s400/icecream.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328907121524146370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gyx2Xvbr8VAeTw1yQrC4gZWq2KaeWugD2tqgWU65a8ibm6XxeEoYzW9NI9ONTrKz5BQxkzCUenhLyzlLhrXfZ5_-NQkAaEGEa9HoqMkiP1xuOipU21VpvYXqnEWGYqM4LVumPQy4S1Ug/s1600-h/ice+cream.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gyx2Xvbr8VAeTw1yQrC4gZWq2KaeWugD2tqgWU65a8ibm6XxeEoYzW9NI9ONTrKz5BQxkzCUenhLyzlLhrXfZ5_-NQkAaEGEa9HoqMkiP1xuOipU21VpvYXqnEWGYqM4LVumPQy4S1Ug/s400/ice+cream.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328984766366701218" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />We then marveled at the handicrafts at Souq al-Hamidiyya, a long-established, infamous bazaar. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">But nothing rivaled the awe-inspiring Umayyad Mosque. Worship in this site dates back 3000 years (9th century BC) and it has been passed down as a holy site for multiple populations- from the Armenians to early Muslims. The sanctity of the mosque was palpable- it was a place of tranquility and introspection. We spent a good deal of time just absorbing our surroundings and the change of energy within the walls of the mosque.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVaBQqx0c9X2dVMGVnuoAXHHf53ytpjK7aixu_7esOe2eHHdmmjHgIYSSaeSYdDDRZo7jGxNfUCtg0lgo64BfHpb8wwOSzgLVK3aPpOqS_oTWodqgdWdxZKNds-3Gh_rs_lX1Xwia1bW3/s1600-h/mosque4.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVaBQqx0c9X2dVMGVnuoAXHHf53ytpjK7aixu_7esOe2eHHdmmjHgIYSSaeSYdDDRZo7jGxNfUCtg0lgo64BfHpb8wwOSzgLVK3aPpOqS_oTWodqgdWdxZKNds-3Gh_rs_lX1Xwia1bW3/s400/mosque4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328914424213387826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt4-1EF7QLoMV0MgMooArCt0Xpt_T1QouPFz6-WHu1GSjBIyAyK11d88R6TKnZSyJ9-UlrBrTe9N4NJ5726aUYcCwyJuuvUS09vDexSShW1LrmNlKzrobinpCdfzky0RRxUekwOpP6q-A/s1600-h/mosque.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt4-1EF7QLoMV0MgMooArCt0Xpt_T1QouPFz6-WHu1GSjBIyAyK11d88R6TKnZSyJ9-UlrBrTe9N4NJ5726aUYcCwyJuuvUS09vDexSShW1LrmNlKzrobinpCdfzky0RRxUekwOpP6q-A/s400/mosque.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328907126717362066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGdFpSsQFeuIZYp9tYfIGjvaU-Wdv_O3ny041EGFu46g3GalLRWglNnAukLKB7qyt2rofPAjAJsS1caANM0RYIGNiwv5Qyhc8rc3G9fHRv3kmt_vWxdX_wOVz8s-x0D8e3CxCqa_kqXw/s1600-h/mosque2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGdFpSsQFeuIZYp9tYfIGjvaU-Wdv_O3ny041EGFu46g3GalLRWglNnAukLKB7qyt2rofPAjAJsS1caANM0RYIGNiwv5Qyhc8rc3G9fHRv3kmt_vWxdX_wOVz8s-x0D8e3CxCqa_kqXw/s400/mosque2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328907131488697938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmb40RfiBp1yaRgzHnnDC1DRMS9Vk1OcYBDv7xSs42Nd80V3YKPmd0JHtXEG5zTI5GEiTu_t-95RSPdIljdeqRnIrkWT1-XgS3yai8n2_gt91Tf0HKTa66ijIJmZGhcZofasDFLK_pIgKy/s1600-h/mosque3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmb40RfiBp1yaRgzHnnDC1DRMS9Vk1OcYBDv7xSs42Nd80V3YKPmd0JHtXEG5zTI5GEiTu_t-95RSPdIljdeqRnIrkWT1-XgS3yai8n2_gt91Tf0HKTa66ijIJmZGhcZofasDFLK_pIgKy/s400/mosque3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328914420834391074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sf-ZdF1JIfB9l6PI1kQe3sRW_ULkLlOspRDkbDJ3q9pg1Ugsb7uuAXyOVnzVRVcdBOCEHWKsfZyLLL2rTptlvfbaAt_FJdw7ptwLN2D02CYoxGXQo2Tjwy2vexmmmbHd14jzZwtRoohG/s1600-h/covered.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sf-ZdF1JIfB9l6PI1kQe3sRW_ULkLlOspRDkbDJ3q9pg1Ugsb7uuAXyOVnzVRVcdBOCEHWKsfZyLLL2rTptlvfbaAt_FJdw7ptwLN2D02CYoxGXQo2Tjwy2vexmmmbHd14jzZwtRoohG/s400/covered.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328904757437825922" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-65717241848567281052009-03-12T05:13:00.000-07:002009-03-17T04:17:40.561-07:00Kenya<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">In early February, Nayab and I chaperoned a school trip to Kenya. We, along with Tiffany and Teddy, brought 10 freshman delegates to a Round Square conference and safari adventure. The Brookhouse International School, just outside of Nairobi, hosted the conference. Schools from all over Africa, Canada and the UK that are apart of the Round Square association attended. King’s Academy was the only school representing an Arab nation, which proved to be a difficult, educational and highly enlightening experience for all of us.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Round Square is an organization dedicated to experiential learning. Member schools share very similar philosophies and pride themselves on adhering to and promoting the Round Square IDEALS: internationalism, democracy, education, adventure, leadership and service, as a part of their curriculum. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">King’s Academy gained acceptance into the Round Square community earlier this fall- a process that Nayab and I became heavily involved and invested in. After working tirelessly on the application, and then more recently in preparing for the trip- choosing students, booking flights, registering, getting everyone squared away with vaccinations and such- Kenya became the light at the end of what seemed like a very, very long tunnel. This trip was truly a perfect culmination to our efforts.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We left early in the morning and flew to Cairo, where we had a 12-hour layover. We were lucky enough to spend this time exploring the ancient, mysterious marks of a distant and foreign civilization. We visited the pyramids and sphinx- absolutely massive and wondrous edifices I never expected to lay eyes on. This ancient splendor mixed with the grimy, overcrowded and industrious urbanity that is Cairo posed an interesting juxtaposition. A history book lesson set against a cityscape background. Perhaps the most bizarre part was eating in a Pizza Hut restaurant while looking out at the antediluvian Sphinx statue.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzL_vnwpuUmZn0uEwD7hJiWRXLKIscgOUzCO1sNxt1XoNxS5quh39VxdTleBFQ38LpaG0ot9U-PPhwfMxf_8JHdffqTQpF_EdpBSdka5pfSjcm1MCSq_Twv-Jy_L-fm3B1RShJJ1SZWnv/s1600-h/pyramids.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzL_vnwpuUmZn0uEwD7hJiWRXLKIscgOUzCO1sNxt1XoNxS5quh39VxdTleBFQ38LpaG0ot9U-PPhwfMxf_8JHdffqTQpF_EdpBSdka5pfSjcm1MCSq_Twv-Jy_L-fm3B1RShJJ1SZWnv/s400/pyramids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313863099901810562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMuAhH8eLNy3x9ouEKXpjfmZGn4AcAsepMxMuabgoCLYMGD5rsE2nWi8H3iTgLrDA1nN_TN_1wRJKE-y__bqPz7o_Pr4lUAHvp4kp2YWioa9jL6pLGrUQKwJiG94xmWBfUZwbY-Xurs2B/s1600-h/pizza+hut+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMuAhH8eLNy3x9ouEKXpjfmZGn4AcAsepMxMuabgoCLYMGD5rsE2nWi8H3iTgLrDA1nN_TN_1wRJKE-y__bqPz7o_Pr4lUAHvp4kp2YWioa9jL6pLGrUQKwJiG94xmWBfUZwbY-Xurs2B/s400/pizza+hut+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313864069081371394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP3mfWBJM5sFvYTu0WA_YvsJKD9g9w_I6qmK4AajG4XZk07wjeiRxGKjHSyjVQpKkIyLCBI9naedhinOl2PuZthw3yyESATFAsNd1ZvcJVbvVUqNWzrHUB1ewvo4tRVrMtbExeWfEMMuY/s1600-h/sphinx.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP3mfWBJM5sFvYTu0WA_YvsJKD9g9w_I6qmK4AajG4XZk07wjeiRxGKjHSyjVQpKkIyLCBI9naedhinOl2PuZthw3yyESATFAsNd1ZvcJVbvVUqNWzrHUB1ewvo4tRVrMtbExeWfEMMuY/s400/sphinx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313863108240489682" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Between the marvels of Egyptian culture and infamous Cairo traffic, we had no trouble filling up our long layover. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We arrived in Nairobi at about 5 am and headed straight to Brookhouse. From plane to bus to breakfast, our students were troopers. The settled in, mingled with the other students and dove head first into a full day of conference.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Each day was dedicated to an IDEAL. The first day was about Service and Environmentalism. We visited a slum in Nairobi where students interacted with the locals and helped with various community projects- cooking, painting, cleaning, picking-up litter, and playing with children. We were working in conjunction with a missionary group, which cast a positive but odd light on the impoverished community and its future.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We spent the afternoon in Nairobi National Park where we saw the aftermath of a lion hunt, planted trees and interacted with giraffes.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day was about Adventure and Democracy. The whole day was spent at Brackenhurst, an outdoor conference center, where our students were presented with various team challenges. Activities included conquering a ropes course and rock climbing.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The evening brought tension and confusion with a very controversial debate topic.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">All of the students were split up and asked to represent different countries. They discussed the issue and then presented their country’s stance based on how their country would respond to such a scenario. It focused on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict with an obvious bias towards Israel in its phrasing, which accused Syria of taking Ban Ki-Moon, Secrtary-General of the UN, hostage and threatening an attack of biological warfare. Our student delegates were mostly Palestinian, and it was a shocking scenario to hear. As can be imagined and expected, tension ran high and emotions flared. We asked our students to wait outside as we spoke to the administration. They were extremely regretful and embarrassed. They admitted not having realized the presence of a group for which the topic was so close to reality. We gave our students the choice to participate or to sit out. At the end of the debate, our students made an impromptu speech about the conflict and how it has affected them and their families. They spoke about the history and the current conditions of the region and really educated their peers who knew very little about the issue. Everyone was extremely open to learning and it turned out to be a very positive and enlightening experience for all. The King’s Academy group became quite popular and distinguished as especially promising leaders of the world. I was filled with pride for Jordan, my new home, King’s Academy, my new family and our students for inspiring both kids and adults at the conference.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn34rotGimQpoGALgBll87tkdG9DdbmIr9EcGSG6GJdcDkORl4xAcU86gqup5kovdW3U07GX3TP5-KhV8aZK9wCwPEMqqBXIb0GVIeSxIOFvSAaxq7YbdYX6HOgqjwf15E5hMO7V_BAn0C/s1600-h/debate.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn34rotGimQpoGALgBll87tkdG9DdbmIr9EcGSG6GJdcDkORl4xAcU86gqup5kovdW3U07GX3TP5-KhV8aZK9wCwPEMqqBXIb0GVIeSxIOFvSAaxq7YbdYX6HOgqjwf15E5hMO7V_BAn0C/s400/debate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314114009464319058" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The third day of the conference was dedicated to Internationalism. We visited a traditional market abounded with wooden masks, rich textiles and local crafts. At Brookhouse, Students cooked meals of all different ethnicities, which were featured in a sprawling buffet dinner. We delighted our taste buds with cuisine from around the work- Kenyan, Chinese, American, French, etc. Each school wore their national dress to dinner, making the clothing as colorful and diverse as the meal on our plates. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The closing ceremony took place after dinner. Each school group made some kind of cultural presentation- skits, dances, readings, songs and more. Ours took the form of the traditional dubkah dance and a PowerPoint presentation, which served as another opportunity for our students to educate their international peers about Jordan and the Middle East. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next leg of our visit to Kenya was not amongst students and teachers, but among wild animals. En route to our lodge, we stopped to take in the view of the Great Valley Rift. The rift was the most vast and infinite landscape I have ever seen. It was like watching the opening scene of The Lion King come to life.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vVKNRvyeqq__NZvTZOqHwosedq0fQ8qw8Jus6dwywOL0N3CKXAlL1bGfzDm6S4SasTTPI3RkYbP1MWxvPlY-CX839hWpTO06gXBQRuLF98k6lHoenNcX6hkKriPFVnY9Mg_AhrWZN2JG/s1600-h/great+rift+valley.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vVKNRvyeqq__NZvTZOqHwosedq0fQ8qw8Jus6dwywOL0N3CKXAlL1bGfzDm6S4SasTTPI3RkYbP1MWxvPlY-CX839hWpTO06gXBQRuLF98k6lHoenNcX6hkKriPFVnY9Mg_AhrWZN2JG/s400/great+rift+valley.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314087369883858370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnAqPWq57vhJ6fCG6Bf1_XYe5sho0tAAf0whc5UD9Vo8vG1BIMy5lsPHV1ew4oTfA6MUbQBCJPMWR-1jUhQMkgEeN1uwt-RzqAQ-8Ijfo66sZolouTNO2zHOx4C8pfg_iVPaW2ITxY-S2/s1600-h/DSC_0522.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnAqPWq57vhJ6fCG6Bf1_XYe5sho0tAAf0whc5UD9Vo8vG1BIMy5lsPHV1ew4oTfA6MUbQBCJPMWR-1jUhQMkgEeN1uwt-RzqAQ-8Ijfo66sZolouTNO2zHOx4C8pfg_iVPaW2ITxY-S2/s400/DSC_0522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314108576281834018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Next, we took a boat ride around a lake infested with hippopotami. The soft late afternoon sunlight, green-rolling mountains, exotic plant life and cool, blue water spelled out perfection. We were only feet away from multiple families of hippopotami in our skimpy little motor boats!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eYSOeZlTobFwL_koEftcllMO3t0Rur1rWV3uWbWm5DIGaR2eak3VpM56Nkl8EUBqYuMs8YlY6yiHRougUjZ7WQJ36VVejTIMmRQbmYvSgq4hNaHF95a41VMUco8EOErNNwXReBv_3J1A/s1600-h/hippos.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 54px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eYSOeZlTobFwL_koEftcllMO3t0Rur1rWV3uWbWm5DIGaR2eak3VpM56Nkl8EUBqYuMs8YlY6yiHRougUjZ7WQJ36VVejTIMmRQbmYvSgq4hNaHF95a41VMUco8EOErNNwXReBv_3J1A/s400/hippos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314087372054732498" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We first spent time at Lake Nukuru where we saw rinos, enormous flocks of flamingos and pelicans, a hollowed out buffalo carcass and lioness licking her lips, and a baby baboon kidnapping.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next two days were at the Masi Mara game reserve. We drove around for hours spotting cheetahs and other rare animals. At one point we were completely caught in the middle of a stampede of about 80 elephants. On another occasion we observed a pride of 15 lions. We were also given the chance to walk beside a river filled with crocodiles.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw1RhUDL2s9qDMvzfT5_ouUWW-tmq3-8tA5O8jsSFPhgvCndOpnJtKRQq1QYmKNukHEH9hM2cA2U36vcJY1ShbPUGgKarKZygr1kNWBuSda6QVm_NEZAgbZD7Icl7xYXreSe9p7LKnuSt/s1600-h/giraffe2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw1RhUDL2s9qDMvzfT5_ouUWW-tmq3-8tA5O8jsSFPhgvCndOpnJtKRQq1QYmKNukHEH9hM2cA2U36vcJY1ShbPUGgKarKZygr1kNWBuSda6QVm_NEZAgbZD7Icl7xYXreSe9p7LKnuSt/s400/giraffe2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314091697155610978" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I9Aql8AyZg0W_gizfYaB5uRBEMrgy5oI6t9vO-yiRSPouC5w2jV0d4xB4Lut0WdIoNkUK7mP3RvlWZRKyQa4zxipPBXp7J8-uWEQGXlh-UXLw36N16up2MU3DPHyCXJuiEBulU3yoJvK/s1600-h/giraffe.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; 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width: 400px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGvOzRlZhNVCWA1LFuAL1QFVRpjR_uh0-Qt1B3GXpMFrhHBmvmsWClha1yLycPeojaNfu3WKlS-vcXYlTL36ZE0uxvd0H-BN1vvJhaUQ3sP-StKjY3rxFZcwGnyqlrqf_en9SXQjkRtL8/s400/elephant+herd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314086756230668066" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirU9xJ5z2kJ6Upp1-vBFI7Ctls25RSBgfe_h6OXD2dbjdJJ5JRYnFb3gLdBC6o0FdGli73fn0MqVrhXURBP69sF34ufqkadY9LZr3Ke278XOF652JUHqOymny5GW9bfPM4p4TDWHWUin3/s1600-h/birds.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirU9xJ5z2kJ6Upp1-vBFI7Ctls25RSBgfe_h6OXD2dbjdJJ5JRYnFb3gLdBC6o0FdGli73fn0MqVrhXURBP69sF34ufqkadY9LZr3Ke278XOF652JUHqOymny5GW9bfPM4p4TDWHWUin3/s400/birds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314086754751454354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YVb9LvPx9okZWJpV1kXs_jZpa4a5ouuZ1it38IiXkyLgCfWo9pYs4Y1KBdNw4Ui-r7GKb96Yxo4Bgge0hlZDXSD_OVhl1c0FnFHYGjmwp129i72tWfjQeYb3PXMPFb-jiJVaqMLObrOC/s1600-h/rhino.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YVb9LvPx9okZWJpV1kXs_jZpa4a5ouuZ1it38IiXkyLgCfWo9pYs4Y1KBdNw4Ui-r7GKb96Yxo4Bgge0hlZDXSD_OVhl1c0FnFHYGjmwp129i72tWfjQeYb3PXMPFb-jiJVaqMLObrOC/s400/rhino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314090386201459842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBysOQXGOF2undfBTBVJyV5nfJ4yQh8ZoAUsC3xu4SOkPA6bWkHQ7c9trokqsw5qNGT2SCrePy_5KDC5GObOdDeEFKptxQhSUTxgYzq8sD_NpMBXE2gnnPUEcnVHttvwiIwMAXrpSf9S3L/s1600-h/zebras.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBysOQXGOF2undfBTBVJyV5nfJ4yQh8ZoAUsC3xu4SOkPA6bWkHQ7c9trokqsw5qNGT2SCrePy_5KDC5GObOdDeEFKptxQhSUTxgYzq8sD_NpMBXE2gnnPUEcnVHttvwiIwMAXrpSf9S3L/s400/zebras.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314090405314789906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjoTsgtb1BdcxfxMiQ4Va7Yw6WlXbbOX_lg7kg7mnxgwv72YcLB4ALwjE6WsmdXzJ9YREgzbzsMDyZMiJpUzIUcgPgE6YuF-uox67eDG16p1AHb-D6ksctk0BCypEtGnPxtIyOVBr-I1D/s1600-h/two+lions.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjoTsgtb1BdcxfxMiQ4Va7Yw6WlXbbOX_lg7kg7mnxgwv72YcLB4ALwjE6WsmdXzJ9YREgzbzsMDyZMiJpUzIUcgPgE6YuF-uox67eDG16p1AHb-D6ksctk0BCypEtGnPxtIyOVBr-I1D/s400/two+lions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314090401837917554" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfRhje9svQe6XUBlQEFTOH1Vu12TSBo79HqBzRQrdFz8nxe3qIGu1JWn8ZOTqezJj5F-2Gj6kjYTHp8wTr7LZmvew0kfLrqDSa0Fb6d84zGh2hMsdRLsvid0__wvloK63qxN9_DOsa-UM/s1600-h/monkeys.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfRhje9svQe6XUBlQEFTOH1Vu12TSBo79HqBzRQrdFz8nxe3qIGu1JWn8ZOTqezJj5F-2Gj6kjYTHp8wTr7LZmvew0kfLrqDSa0Fb6d84zGh2hMsdRLsvid0__wvloK63qxN9_DOsa-UM/s400/monkeys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314088566668236482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWHynHk9NM0XMvlLSKZK4uguPAuvqeTnhZKjkWfDGrqzDnoF1Tm8EC4t55BKYN4pyhoPRlL0vbNEHWkB8jtQ_7B91RhtNVpb3ucMB0TdS1f06OTOd_0-A5h8DQTJ-FTsPTBrsht7fjkbq/s1600-h/male+lion2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWHynHk9NM0XMvlLSKZK4uguPAuvqeTnhZKjkWfDGrqzDnoF1Tm8EC4t55BKYN4pyhoPRlL0vbNEHWkB8jtQ_7B91RhtNVpb3ucMB0TdS1f06OTOd_0-A5h8DQTJ-FTsPTBrsht7fjkbq/s400/male+lion2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314088556990438002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ019GYPQ5vfIed4jUpihapbkq9fRnl5QgN0eb0oo6k8eCRnYtnJo9ZvoEg73UK6nSg8YeER095s1LapjSmUvzkeYI7ZOKV9uffrgiz8TT1qsGtrrORVHj-uFi1agCquwE66hJh9G63kE/s1600-h/male+lion.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ019GYPQ5vfIed4jUpihapbkq9fRnl5QgN0eb0oo6k8eCRnYtnJo9ZvoEg73UK6nSg8YeER095s1LapjSmUvzkeYI7ZOKV9uffrgiz8TT1qsGtrrORVHj-uFi1agCquwE66hJh9G63kE/s400/male+lion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314088550596888850" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I never imagined I would be on a safari in Africa! My experience in Kenya was a wonderful introduction to Africa and I hope that my future is filled with visits to many more of its incredible countries. </span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-61222889622050134732009-03-01T06:02:00.000-08:002009-03-13T14:33:40.178-07:00December Break in India<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Over the winter break Georgia and I traveled to majestic and glittering India. It was truly a trip of the senses- every part of our journey left a lasting impression on us, reforming our consciousnesses and understanding of a part of the world unlike any other.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Realizing what an amazing opportunity being in India is, we took advantage of every prospect for adventure. From dawn till nightfall we heard ancient forts, gaudy temples, luscious gardens and exotic animals whisper our names enticingly, and spicy foods, crowded markets and time-honored instruments summon our more exploratory side.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We experienced life in style and comfort amidst gardens and parliamentary buildings, the life of a Hare Krishna devotee and the realities of spiritual awakening, the hustle and bustle of industry and urban chaos, and the pure bliss of children expressing themselves with music and dance in even the most difficult of circumstances. Two weeks provided us with an education that will last a lifetime.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Delhi</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We arrived before dawn and took a cab to the gorgeous Lodi Gardens. What a wonderful welcome- to be inducted into a culture and place by watching it wake up.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The gardens were landscaped in 1936 around historic 15th century toms of Delhi's last sultans. As we witnessed day break, men jogged passed us in turbans and tack-suits and it was clear that while preserving the tombs and gardens as they were years and years ago, the parks function has progressed with the times. This was the first of many moments that I was struck by the junction of history and reality, deep-rooted tradition and globalized novelty.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTiETfSWfthpGyWS5E0CYcMjHn3Xo7Kw2GNMzdCMTG_8q85KZbofPspZCPn99O1EmzP_L3JPx9BI5jVSE1W0qllW_VIMQafpmhlkCjZ2CxvqK0DmcjTG21-cw1va2QG_bYyTV7AL8mDt1/s1600-h/lodi+gardens.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTiETfSWfthpGyWS5E0CYcMjHn3Xo7Kw2GNMzdCMTG_8q85KZbofPspZCPn99O1EmzP_L3JPx9BI5jVSE1W0qllW_VIMQafpmhlkCjZ2CxvqK0DmcjTG21-cw1va2QG_bYyTV7AL8mDt1/s400/lodi+gardens.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308234129386634722" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKjpYKfUourViuVb1zFcPRPQzxbwcawTq9YTfoQc1pRlFi7jHpPV-b0BjChnclH8IC2VZP8VKlvg-zT4nRS-b16a8sqybw8EitYj1RyIT1v3mx-G9p3-sFHnY4fyzBRn4uOAIcZkkYnIw/s1600-h/india+blog.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKjpYKfUourViuVb1zFcPRPQzxbwcawTq9YTfoQc1pRlFi7jHpPV-b0BjChnclH8IC2VZP8VKlvg-zT4nRS-b16a8sqybw8EitYj1RyIT1v3mx-G9p3-sFHnY4fyzBRn4uOAIcZkkYnIw/s400/india+blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308234121242384898" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After settling in with our host, a family friend of mine, we headed off to see our first Indian landmark: The India Gate. Sitting in the middle of an enormous circular lawn in Rajpath and surrounded by cricket players, the Gate stands at 42 meters. It is also known as the “All India War Memorial”, as it commemorates the deaths of the 90,000 soldiers who died in WWI, North-West frontier operations and the 1919 Afghan Fiasco.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4cIJVAfEEB7qaHIs8iulI6aolicU_FSd3f-kMeh3EUwMBzlGp2dLlXHUVA8k88pxhEufXw7-8aiBRwoKzabX5u3j5LpPIUzZQoWYVFAPJn5gZzsbZ7zo_N-8Wb8sdFsdIKvt19aS8Z1V/s1600-h/india+gate+whole.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4cIJVAfEEB7qaHIs8iulI6aolicU_FSd3f-kMeh3EUwMBzlGp2dLlXHUVA8k88pxhEufXw7-8aiBRwoKzabX5u3j5LpPIUzZQoWYVFAPJn5gZzsbZ7zo_N-8Wb8sdFsdIKvt19aS8Z1V/s400/india+gate+whole.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308234128022027810" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We also visited the Crafts Museum of Delhi, which houses examples of every region’s art forms. The museum and organization were founded in 1956 to promote indigenous artists and is still used as a venue for demonstrations and lively cultural activities. I really enjoyed the galleries of textiles and tribal folk works, and the life-size examples of traditional housing found throughout rural India.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6oOOgdx0pVf5ffB1r3QItIL3z-GjIXVU5xkzsSDYtEItlj1kkPTNWOZYmcNsMtvfzb3nwR4WpLIG5qQRff4rlxPNpJzcBdDwT_yiGoKLK4CMM00y6EJ0lGB20t1SmppET5-QMmsGKW5S/s1600-h/simme+crafts+museum.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6oOOgdx0pVf5ffB1r3QItIL3z-GjIXVU5xkzsSDYtEItlj1kkPTNWOZYmcNsMtvfzb3nwR4WpLIG5qQRff4rlxPNpJzcBdDwT_yiGoKLK4CMM00y6EJ0lGB20t1SmppET5-QMmsGKW5S/s400/simme+crafts+museum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308234482907305490" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Inspired by the colorful textiles of the Museum, we indulged in some shopping at Dilli Haat, a very well known and extensive crafts bizarre. We then made our way to Khan market to buy some traditional outfits before heading back to our house for dinner.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day was actually my birthday! We ventured by metro to Old Delhi where we saw the infamous Red Fort and observed daily life. The contrast between Old and New Delhi is stark and shocking. Old Delhi was overwhelming in every way- not only did it take an incredible amount of energy to soak in the gorgeous fort, beautiful colors of the markets and the foreign sounds, but constantly saying “no” to beggars, street salesmen, and rickshaw drivers and absorbing the incomparable poverty and cramped living and understanding their magnitude, was exhausting. The piles of trash, the smell of unwashed and unkempt animals, and the heartbreaking helplessness of families on the street haunted us for the rest of our trip.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAenNvORmMpi5rGDMEL9iknZ_TRd9k4CQzwGJcfny0YaaJIaz8FLOVVeCHa_33DpMJMSCoRqBzJ6RQ5Ibxfp7KJ1ewkw9DQ3L4eH4_0XXkOXRztr-KKaaLMNN3JofMuVcERE64itcHDLW/s1600-h/red+fort+delhi.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAenNvORmMpi5rGDMEL9iknZ_TRd9k4CQzwGJcfny0YaaJIaz8FLOVVeCHa_33DpMJMSCoRqBzJ6RQ5Ibxfp7KJ1ewkw9DQ3L4eH4_0XXkOXRztr-KKaaLMNN3JofMuVcERE64itcHDLW/s400/red+fort+delhi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308235514698441282" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We sought refuge and revival in Connought Place where we had a long, delicious meal and a pleasant walk. It was here that we stumbled across a travel agency and somewhat impulsively decided to hire a driver for the next few legs of our journey.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The afternoon faded into dusk as we walked through the regal parliamentary buildings. The exact opposite of our morning squeezing through the crowds in Old Delhi, walking up and down this street was quiet and peaceful. The road was wide open and empty, and the buildings stood against a bright and clear backdrop of sky. We stood there, taking in the feelings and the beauty and poise of these buildings, and breathed.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmGZwDZ1PWLmPEktLdazOxAAEMaznXth2ki_QY5sl1lnxoO4kEO54Or_RGQMx8mrg0p5l3c-5WV0Lwn6BNDy-U-KyYJjktxwozA53n0VySAIytd5H4MNA2JvrJ8Tpmfk4s3yuNh_j2oUD/s1600-h/parlement+buildings.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmGZwDZ1PWLmPEktLdazOxAAEMaznXth2ki_QY5sl1lnxoO4kEO54Or_RGQMx8mrg0p5l3c-5WV0Lwn6BNDy-U-KyYJjktxwozA53n0VySAIytd5H4MNA2JvrJ8Tpmfk4s3yuNh_j2oUD/s400/parlement+buildings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308234475996424290" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Our evening culminated with a lovely dinner party at our hostess’s house. We ate, talked, and laughed with our new friends. Our company may have been three times our age, but we had an incredible time. They were charming and very interesting and scholarly people. They were even sweet enough to turn the evening into a kind of birthday celebration for me. I wouldn’t have wanted to celebrate in any other way or in any other place.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Vrindaban</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Vrindaban was really something else. We spent our days consumed by curiosity and straddling the line of spiritual enlightenment. Our host was a monk from Brooklyn whom Georgia’s father had met in the states. He set us up in a beautiful guest house set in the tranquility of the most divine garden.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">From the moment we stepped foot on the holy ground that marks the Mecca of India- the birthplace of the Hare Krishna phenomenon- we were swooped up by the monk’s religious fervor and going, going, going. We met a whole slew of Hare Krishna devotees, extensively toured the land of five thousand temples, and got in touch with nature and the lost concept of living in simplicity.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Our first activity in Vrindaban really epitomizes our visit: en route to visit a very respected teacher, we stopped and entered a very small, dark building. We walked across the first room and into a sort of cave sectioned off by metal bars. In this dark belly of the building men were sitting on the floor playing music and singing in a bizarre, hypnotic trance. After spending a considerable amount of time crossed-legged and humming, we stepped outside back into reality- which consisted of slow moving cows and wandering monks, but comparatively was pulsing with activity.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We went on a walking tour of gorgeous gardens where the local community grew all of their provisions- it was refreshing to see nature in its purest state, a provider for all living things. In the midst of this paradise we met a cow named Majuna, after the holy river. Majuna is considered more sacred than most cows because she is one of the “original white cows”. We also met Majuna’s neighbors, a lovely couple that has completely rebuilt their life in Vrindaban in the spirit of simplicity and independence from others and society at large. The man is from New York and his wife hails from Mexico city- two city dwellers that found fulfillment at last, away from urban chaos and the superficialities of western modernity. Their home was absolutely gorgeous- they had designed built-in shelves in their walls to hold particular items, created a masterpiece of an altar, and hand painted the walls with all natural and wildly colorful mineral paints.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lvk3RlXZhyphenhyphenB0Y7LuNQ7KEUGPCdPiHun8t8N0tWt01yXE8fCal7IFAL4PEFbV6nP5PRtlf8Tvvwovdos1nFEPdbQumG8G52sBkJEOB0MnfP2roHgIoTDUj77rn1spyCcSKuLS-d_2nMge/s1600-h/Simwith+cow.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lvk3RlXZhyphenhyphenB0Y7LuNQ7KEUGPCdPiHun8t8N0tWt01yXE8fCal7IFAL4PEFbV6nP5PRtlf8Tvvwovdos1nFEPdbQumG8G52sBkJEOB0MnfP2roHgIoTDUj77rn1spyCcSKuLS-d_2nMge/s400/Simwith+cow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236473867509298" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4X77rYK0R-UKY9I6UOTBbmknORwUmxYu7XM4e8NH3p70656gG6LknZpWNf25MqEu3Uj2RqJOJjRG9dqxUNsVFqQgbBaJaI2MznCbgpELLjQFJlgVu7hRptC06PyW-G1_kZfvq7W4Q2Fj/s1600-h/vrindaban+house.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4X77rYK0R-UKY9I6UOTBbmknORwUmxYu7XM4e8NH3p70656gG6LknZpWNf25MqEu3Uj2RqJOJjRG9dqxUNsVFqQgbBaJaI2MznCbgpELLjQFJlgVu7hRptC06PyW-G1_kZfvq7W4Q2Fj/s400/vrindaban+house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236814017443986" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Our host then took us on a tour of his favorite temples. We sat and sang at a hilltop temple, accumulated flowery garlands at another, walked ceremoniously with the pious worshipers around a series of tombs, and meditated into evening.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwFLGqwSkpm4quDmgzalXYXt_k-kIdl53FDC9r1904Bo6GLrGR0FSoi6VRxT69jeJMOQzSZoMw6_U3ZZS-VT_GQQtumWokTnmgyCW8LSHkUruwnyNLXr_cxksH7F66GVFIf0hpffwBild/s1600-h/vrindaban+temple+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwFLGqwSkpm4quDmgzalXYXt_k-kIdl53FDC9r1904Bo6GLrGR0FSoi6VRxT69jeJMOQzSZoMw6_U3ZZS-VT_GQQtumWokTnmgyCW8LSHkUruwnyNLXr_cxksH7F66GVFIf0hpffwBild/s400/vrindaban+temple+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236820828079266" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2DQ6VY_jnbc4um2A1MzAUMOJJgfDIO2TE6LV5z-Scx69u_l_QBu7uHfWHzDyaf40NhyRRunEilakpGsPb3rTub9on4IOVkxUCpWWxT5sNEi9FyG6tPcJZZGj_dhQib7uKhmmn_H2tW2u/s1600-h/vridndaban+locals.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2DQ6VY_jnbc4um2A1MzAUMOJJgfDIO2TE6LV5z-Scx69u_l_QBu7uHfWHzDyaf40NhyRRunEilakpGsPb3rTub9on4IOVkxUCpWWxT5sNEi9FyG6tPcJZZGj_dhQib7uKhmmn_H2tW2u/s400/vridndaban+locals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236477381151842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After dinner we accompanied the monk to a friends house for a chanting session. A group of eastern-European Hare Krishna devotees seemingly struggling to find spiritual purpose were gathered together and chanting a song- it was the closest I have been to participating in a cult. Because they all had their eyes closes I had the opportunity to take a good look around and absorb this strange happening. I couldn’t believe where I was and what I was doing. The people around me were rocking back and forth, swaying side to side, possessed by the slow beat of the drum. Some were ringing bells, some were crying, some were clenching their fists- suppressing some kind of overwhelming energy I could not quite grasp.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Georgia and I debriefed once we were finally alone and free to reflect in our hotel room. Appreciative of all that we had learned, but also eager to move beyond the Hare Krishna experience, we decided to set a different course the next day.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We rose early the following day and traveled to a newly renovated/revamped elementary school called Sandipani Muni. After extensive travel in Thailand and Mesoamerica I can say that this was by far the most developed school I have ever seen in such a rural area. We began our visit by attending the daily morning ceremony where a sea of students in bright red sweaters sat fidgeting through the meeting, waiting eagerly for the climactic song and dance. The kids gave us the traditional face-paint and encouraged us to dance with them.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPyQ3B4AqeNSAXWAGd65pL78Czq0yKIlusZ96B4_TETlWD8jNh66X087k1ae8Lb1XIiHz_wDq58rveF052vFlMsxr4Rr9H9qU8L0__7QDzk57sc8n1PYUahB3jSDcyE6-I4lHkmjCkyyR/s1600-h/simgirl+in+uniform.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPyQ3B4AqeNSAXWAGd65pL78Czq0yKIlusZ96B4_TETlWD8jNh66X087k1ae8Lb1XIiHz_wDq58rveF052vFlMsxr4Rr9H9qU8L0__7QDzk57sc8n1PYUahB3jSDcyE6-I4lHkmjCkyyR/s400/simgirl+in+uniform.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236466605120738" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkJyRvNiXlgWHihxredSLPnDIIs-Rl38wj_ENRhO9TlAw62vR5Db5-iioDoFcPUDwQmNUI72Eu34qrTgCIXJavvJKxZzq_cmUDWKTuZNwldyF8b5Bc7yu2hLqgfzNi_6RnOCRwLJrpBGU/s1600-h/simchild+in+uniform.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkJyRvNiXlgWHihxredSLPnDIIs-Rl38wj_ENRhO9TlAw62vR5Db5-iioDoFcPUDwQmNUI72Eu34qrTgCIXJavvJKxZzq_cmUDWKTuZNwldyF8b5Bc7yu2hLqgfzNi_6RnOCRwLJrpBGU/s400/simchild+in+uniform.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236062031047170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmNDH8MOqgY4dCpb_4MKTQLau-pQWIWPdhwZwJu0dvjIZmusRHM4E_gu0GlxNq9kvYIQhvjmwpOGPXVDucdsKNTvHNwsyk3jWUZqR-sOTODOualwm4OBdrXVQhcjS0KtGZ0JX9nyZxX8t/s1600-h/simbull+power.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 364px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmNDH8MOqgY4dCpb_4MKTQLau-pQWIWPdhwZwJu0dvjIZmusRHM4E_gu0GlxNq9kvYIQhvjmwpOGPXVDucdsKNTvHNwsyk3jWUZqR-sOTODOualwm4OBdrXVQhcjS0KtGZ0JX9nyZxX8t/s400/simbull+power.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236061006549090" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Two young women, who are volunteering at the school and living within the community for several months, gave us an extensive tour of the school and explained all of the inner workings. Everything was so organized and ran so unbelievably smoothly! All of the students were provided with meals, the pre-school/kindergarteners were given baths daily, they have a tremendous recycling and compost program and provide jobs for woman who make and mend the school uniforms in addition to producing their own goods. The school also sponsors workshops for young mothers to learn about childcare and healthy living, and is creating a partnership with a hospital in the midst of being built.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The school truly thrives on its resourcefulness. Institutions across the globe would benefit from putting similar sustainable practices in place. It was clear that even in a highly religious region with five thousand temples, the schools are the center of the community- as they should be.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We then checked out the site of the developing hospital. On the property is a studio where people use the paper recycled from the school and other parts of the community reuse it to make paper pulp and produce new, handmade paper. From this they create paper goods such as folders, picture frames, envelopes etc. and sell them. It was an incredible process, yet so uncomplicated. They also weave gorgeous rugs from scraps of cloth- and I was lucky enough to be given one.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We went from a hospital under construction to a long established hospital. Only this hospital is for animals and run by an organization called “Care for Cows”. It is a shelter open to all animals that have been injured or found sick. They are nursed back to health and given a home for life. Because the region has been recently flooded with an influx of cars and motorbikes, more cows are being injured than ever. “Care for Cows” aims to protect India’s more sacred animal and preserve the respect, advocacy and love for all animals.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluxruW4S0xKuI-FkbWMAqpjBVtoQ0iDN8wRv6cw0OEzSXFgu72HkqE5QqxFw3oyOkdVX5kWTGz3u-hx-w5Cmwdr6rXtc6_vwKvbFtalYo32EsXzBMFyqxjRlIidrE_aQtRWZlZPkdplCA/s1600-h/care+for+cows+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluxruW4S0xKuI-FkbWMAqpjBVtoQ0iDN8wRv6cw0OEzSXFgu72HkqE5QqxFw3oyOkdVX5kWTGz3u-hx-w5Cmwdr6rXtc6_vwKvbFtalYo32EsXzBMFyqxjRlIidrE_aQtRWZlZPkdplCA/s400/care+for+cows+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308236053783852370" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Before leaving Vrindaban we had a most interesting lunch with our host. Seven times a day feasts are prepared and offered to the religious icons of the main temple. Our host arranged for us to eat this sacred food after it had been presented to the Gods. Even with thanksgiving and traditional family dinners in abundance, this was my first experience ritualizing a meal to such an extreme. We ate very slowly “tasting each particle and finding an experience or revelation in each dish” as our host instructed.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Agra</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">On our way to Agra, we stopped to admire the magnificent and gaudy Akbar’s Temple. Set in a sprawling, luscious garden and inhabited by exotic birds and elegant dear, it was truly a paradise. It was at this site that we were transported back to days of colonialism and British extravagance.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPHQl6Q0s03pve6fiGjRL4jjTezSzBPFWs1QY3sbWDBczbQWbe3w0NInDAQAlrU1Rno9ykxgRcwgqQ3LH0r8u1fn4v3o6FpWTqFZB0Oku9168YUdJpu9vjTddyCmPAyfUvn_9EAUdLBZr/s1600-h/akbar+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPHQl6Q0s03pve6fiGjRL4jjTezSzBPFWs1QY3sbWDBczbQWbe3w0NInDAQAlrU1Rno9ykxgRcwgqQ3LH0r8u1fn4v3o6FpWTqFZB0Oku9168YUdJpu9vjTddyCmPAyfUvn_9EAUdLBZr/s400/akbar+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308238785609777874" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegW8upJFX0MGy1jDiUGPU9PIUA1rsWXFtfMuY2Mtg1G_RIksloqczB22f5geW5PcNv5cZ8dt9zeOiKexY1XkBULui6WDrquqtSDt3tBuALBnuRWR1QdNrDh6FGNL6uxJohhvNdZ6ESbnO/s1600-h/monkey+at+akbar.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegW8upJFX0MGy1jDiUGPU9PIUA1rsWXFtfMuY2Mtg1G_RIksloqczB22f5geW5PcNv5cZ8dt9zeOiKexY1XkBULui6WDrquqtSDt3tBuALBnuRWR1QdNrDh6FGNL6uxJohhvNdZ6ESbnO/s400/monkey+at+akbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308238788250123106" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next morning we awoke before the sun, only to meet it as it rose above the majestic Taj Mahal. We were lucky enough to be among the first and only tourists and to see the Taj uncontaminated by any traces of modernity or people. The early morning fog wrapped the monument in an eerie but beautiful embrace. I could not have ever imagined the architectural triumph of the Taj- it is grand in pictures, but in person it is, quite literally, breathtaking. It is so massive, yet delicate, and so blunt and solid, yet unimposing and light.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC83bsSANWXsv84t9DLreDFTtzGrD3BdShgRbSYhsJjZqoq-zTp3LDlsbwi0x0IEix97fReTE6HQ6iKm2xEMw1GlKt3OxtT4z01zoczYU5oDRmzEHYw8A6LLMPst9L5wGYsItdWp-LVdkw/s1600-h/taj+mahal.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC83bsSANWXsv84t9DLreDFTtzGrD3BdShgRbSYhsJjZqoq-zTp3LDlsbwi0x0IEix97fReTE6HQ6iKm2xEMw1GlKt3OxtT4z01zoczYU5oDRmzEHYw8A6LLMPst9L5wGYsItdWp-LVdkw/s400/taj+mahal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308241055096014338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ay7FhGhTXdFQ9Mr74II4cOEoepuh4Lhe38kLXz5I9yzaq9Cl_g61gMrb8tRP3H53E-CxrEurAaR4s83sD8vcAOBHorhQhyhZyKwCtdtGpEenRbsnX0ZL6y9mJf1CFlumF64nI-3s2KId/s1600-h/taj+detail.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Ay7FhGhTXdFQ9Mr74II4cOEoepuh4Lhe38kLXz5I9yzaq9Cl_g61gMrb8tRP3H53E-CxrEurAaR4s83sD8vcAOBHorhQhyhZyKwCtdtGpEenRbsnX0ZL6y9mJf1CFlumF64nI-3s2KId/s400/taj+detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308241045808999282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvUCDuxz_4lAQ-3ePRzz4P3McxSbH904BEE37KbVJZnDZ7f4kXyvFZnftki8PC3E2BGxW0nbKAGrad68aJrMwdYyFsqGixwB6Nxc53oHDDd2sThpsRakUIgl7C2_twa3yGjDDAxoKn8s1/s1600-h/simtaj+.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 594px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvUCDuxz_4lAQ-3ePRzz4P3McxSbH904BEE37KbVJZnDZ7f4kXyvFZnftki8PC3E2BGxW0nbKAGrad68aJrMwdYyFsqGixwB6Nxc53oHDDd2sThpsRakUIgl7C2_twa3yGjDDAxoKn8s1/s400/simtaj+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308241050429166290" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After breakfast at our hotel, we spent hours exploring the famous Agra Fort. Being reined and utilized by many, we could see the changes in time and rule as it affected the architecture. It was especially exciting to see the influences of the Taj Mahal on many of the buildings.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">En route to Jaipur, we visited the site of Fathpur Sikri- a gorgeous abandoned Mogul town. It was much simpler in design than later sites, but was extremely well preserved.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHcMK1ghtL5LpOZYHOxnPUFAQ4ImXTTBH5gf1xztDD_IB1wU2iZNdjHmgn2l2BDpnBozSIZb9XD8uQS21CtJ36Ct2xTGjdrufvhZT6egqcw1EFmj8uOEu8qWStUzNXlQyfyEBRPQPgFfM/s1600-h/agra+fort+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHcMK1ghtL5LpOZYHOxnPUFAQ4ImXTTBH5gf1xztDD_IB1wU2iZNdjHmgn2l2BDpnBozSIZb9XD8uQS21CtJ36Ct2xTGjdrufvhZT6egqcw1EFmj8uOEu8qWStUzNXlQyfyEBRPQPgFfM/s400/agra+fort+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308239385369096002" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2DiArLzvA1TQj7J47FgyRuJNio-vE8bS4H5Fhb__fTQfVzFxo-RR5nx1GYx4h-3Lj2lRTweglMfgkX0jN104QuErDQo-Ff89EbkIWQMtWbFfY5WCG4s3T-7zIA3GpYptEOUVAbMH1Set/s1600-h/agra+fort+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2DiArLzvA1TQj7J47FgyRuJNio-vE8bS4H5Fhb__fTQfVzFxo-RR5nx1GYx4h-3Lj2lRTweglMfgkX0jN104QuErDQo-Ff89EbkIWQMtWbFfY5WCG4s3T-7zIA3GpYptEOUVAbMH1Set/s400/agra+fort+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308239376853335554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbkW6eKbPQOzqUWd-xd0yFTciKKGHm9bWi9np0gD3A_5K-LQG5AniP_rhhL8YJxxp2QIAnEELyBR-RgeDL6k7zhNGJJFNKgIasEUmp0u-ABFe7mIrnPNe2KRu_4e6yxfyDZb87XUO6Dxa/s1600-h/agra+fort+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbkW6eKbPQOzqUWd-xd0yFTciKKGHm9bWi9np0gD3A_5K-LQG5AniP_rhhL8YJxxp2QIAnEELyBR-RgeDL6k7zhNGJJFNKgIasEUmp0u-ABFe7mIrnPNe2KRu_4e6yxfyDZb87XUO6Dxa/s400/agra+fort+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308239385400258562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHv1d4mzN-MKTn0wASDXO_oYSHMbxwndnbBqox-YhLkzxwEBu8C4R1gO_NtjnXWmT1cTrHCQ6y3qdnmt3yAjVpMh_tV8s94Dm3f-bbC9z3rfzUlXeZQRk7E3-mYlr2F8jvDys98Vfu_so/s1600-h/Simone+agra+fort+4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHv1d4mzN-MKTn0wASDXO_oYSHMbxwndnbBqox-YhLkzxwEBu8C4R1gO_NtjnXWmT1cTrHCQ6y3qdnmt3yAjVpMh_tV8s94Dm3f-bbC9z3rfzUlXeZQRk7E3-mYlr2F8jvDys98Vfu_so/s400/Simone+agra+fort+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308240412193694178" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFXh7Ua8W1QFAliHcAxPr_MeqRCifV-kZtTr6KxKIpzygAU4J_uYsawgbD0znMvF_W5tZEdGC5z5WJVeP_CTR3mwOPT8JoYGO2jVDVxufn2P-Hv919sr5UbaxSnGSPmH1W0ZRsNRo_XeD/s1600-h/me+agra+fort.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFXh7Ua8W1QFAliHcAxPr_MeqRCifV-kZtTr6KxKIpzygAU4J_uYsawgbD0znMvF_W5tZEdGC5z5WJVeP_CTR3mwOPT8JoYGO2jVDVxufn2P-Hv919sr5UbaxSnGSPmH1W0ZRsNRo_XeD/s400/me+agra+fort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308240404994314082" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Jaipur</span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After a five hour drive, we finally arrived in Jaipur. The traffic was unbelievable- not only were we stuck, but our company on the road consisted of quite the array of transportation- including cars, tractors, humans, cows, motorbikes, bicycles and wheelbarrows.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We found a lovely heritage hotel, “Madhu Ban”, exquisite and affordable. To end our long day of site seeing, we had a wonderfully spicy meal at a fun restaurant called “Indiana” with traditional dancing.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMThcjxa-lQ0Ve4HCvuLNot5uva8YKazRf3ZnNU4IZTldrQyO8ggfEvuBN9dAF43ZtUC8Ivv8o0V0ixzsRdo2U3T_wqK7OmpbOCs9EWL61hGFNnJoDmQcLtSaYYBH8CCH_19Aq8oq1ihiJ/s1600-h/jaipur+hotel.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMThcjxa-lQ0Ve4HCvuLNot5uva8YKazRf3ZnNU4IZTldrQyO8ggfEvuBN9dAF43ZtUC8Ivv8o0V0ixzsRdo2U3T_wqK7OmpbOCs9EWL61hGFNnJoDmQcLtSaYYBH8CCH_19Aq8oq1ihiJ/s400/jaipur+hotel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308253636582185250" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Thursday morning we began our day at the Amber Fort. Even after seeing so many amazing places, the Amer Fort was completely shocking. It incorporated a piece of each site we had been to- this was the mother of all palaces. We took an elephant ride up the steep slope to the main entrance, absorbing the dramatic and unique mountain setting. The walls of the fort stretched on forever. We roamed about the fort for hours- exploring each and every room, staircase and balcony. We even managed to work our way into the forbidden areas undergoing restoration. The architectural grandeur was complemented by the amazingly colorful frescoes.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeEOsI82lfnslNAlPViRqs5D0XsW575X6tsJW6ZYZQh-coEWiNX7ZsmvWbqD2vo_ebBd259XeQAm2vUIdW_jHF70eoBrlCaES4-b7ksoPlrsvXEHEUcn1x_asiBxzznNx1_sJ8KMx9eOO/s1600-h/Simelephants.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeEOsI82lfnslNAlPViRqs5D0XsW575X6tsJW6ZYZQh-coEWiNX7ZsmvWbqD2vo_ebBd259XeQAm2vUIdW_jHF70eoBrlCaES4-b7ksoPlrsvXEHEUcn1x_asiBxzznNx1_sJ8KMx9eOO/s400/Simelephants.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308254376503723762" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After pouring over each crevice of the fort, we worked our way back to the city to visit the City Palace Museum. On our way, we stopped to photograph a bizarre lake palace. With no trace of an anchored foundation, it really seemed to be floating.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We had lunch at a local dive. The food was delicious and dirt cheap, it was no wonder it is so popular with the locals.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Well fed and refreshed we drove back out to the outskirts of the city to get henna. The woman was so decisive and sure of her drawing- it was amazing to watch. An audience of young children accumulated around us as our arms were transformed into canvases. As we waited for our henna to dry, we visited a quaint and absolutely charming temple called “Gatore”. This was certainly an unexpected highlight. It was like entering another world. The temple was made completely of intricately carved white marble, inhabited by hundreds of birds and gleaming in the late afternoon sun.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHOCeFMVUvP4Bi5FZwpdkgOHDnq1kBxL_4JINEj86LUwoLja437bF4xuLmZJ_VF4x8bqp33PWkGvzOzauEb-Ea6-jfrkUP9vOdLZ1e5g-rSFWt-FsfPZ5CVJjBGMqhRlzuAEouvvVNJ-S/s1600-h/georgia+hena.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHOCeFMVUvP4Bi5FZwpdkgOHDnq1kBxL_4JINEj86LUwoLja437bF4xuLmZJ_VF4x8bqp33PWkGvzOzauEb-Ea6-jfrkUP9vOdLZ1e5g-rSFWt-FsfPZ5CVJjBGMqhRlzuAEouvvVNJ-S/s400/georgia+hena.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308254376597660226" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMGF82qIxJdRGA5KD1rC863YVQyNFz9jqUSMPfjQURUX0WZHB3057CSz7OqpHV0CDQGGjoEYAB8jcZB1Ra0CPK4F4uL9QQH097XpGNosCXnSiIhnbk3CCFdJ7hXpIn6WZ2V3RZEEBzXUo/s1600-h/jaipur+view.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMGF82qIxJdRGA5KD1rC863YVQyNFz9jqUSMPfjQURUX0WZHB3057CSz7OqpHV0CDQGGjoEYAB8jcZB1Ra0CPK4F4uL9QQH097XpGNosCXnSiIhnbk3CCFdJ7hXpIn6WZ2V3RZEEBzXUo/s400/jaipur+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308253641681167314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTibPS0sHeQJAS2hSKBr2EKFYzurmzk8mOaiJVEvwRSGu0DrxMNYL4qtPS52qBcc11vj-JNatTvA1rV17G8g3VVuBeQ7Rx3B5Lmx1GfuNB-8AmwIgTcQ_-ZX7gMy3nFn8nUFAp-7voo-TU/s1600-h/gatore+temple+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTibPS0sHeQJAS2hSKBr2EKFYzurmzk8mOaiJVEvwRSGu0DrxMNYL4qtPS52qBcc11vj-JNatTvA1rV17G8g3VVuBeQ7Rx3B5Lmx1GfuNB-8AmwIgTcQ_-ZX7gMy3nFn8nUFAp-7voo-TU/s400/gatore+temple+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308254379579263970" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We then drove, winding and twisting, up a mountain to a European colonial style mansion. We were able to go all the way to the roof where we watched the sun set over the city. The view was phenomenal. But perhaps the sense that was most awakened was our hearing- way above the city we could hear each sound individually and together. It was like an orchestral performance of voices, laughter, cars, music and a cacophony of industrial noises.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8unCggArsGzwZ0Cgf0gpFuBLWKE4zAENFjH-x8g2c9wVAvxaxMHjLDR5UEOrlq9ihlBBmM7XzuoSm38TzZ0WvlM-B1GJlS-3Fikh8JXXqVs1l-Fw2ayf0v67-_vR7Ip0rmPuTMH8TEgZ/s1600-h/jaipur+view+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8unCggArsGzwZ0Cgf0gpFuBLWKE4zAENFjH-x8g2c9wVAvxaxMHjLDR5UEOrlq9ihlBBmM7XzuoSm38TzZ0WvlM-B1GJlS-3Fikh8JXXqVs1l-Fw2ayf0v67-_vR7Ip0rmPuTMH8TEgZ/s400/jaipur+view+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308253638934631554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day we caught up on some much needed rest- especially Georgia, who was quite sick!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">By the evening Georgia was feeling a bit better and we continued on our journey. We took an overnight train to Jaisalamer. The train station was quite a cultural shock. There were just rows and rows of people sleeping on the floor- a human grid. The train was just as crowded. We took some sleeping aids and just conked out, and were only mildly aware of the symphonic range of snoring, rats and the putrid smell of who-knows-what.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Jaisalmer<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxFGQfbuN1Z_NAIVEMqc1AfE__PeEM6qQ443CyT2or1EJYtVkYn7WuckM9JJxs2vqOnxQC8SNoG15KjgrjTHUCeDjZrdJY-_93yxw_1zpc5Dc-6JoQkOHHoJc_cqJotasEm62CVechA8y/s1600-h/golden+fort.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxFGQfbuN1Z_NAIVEMqc1AfE__PeEM6qQ443CyT2or1EJYtVkYn7WuckM9JJxs2vqOnxQC8SNoG15KjgrjTHUCeDjZrdJY-_93yxw_1zpc5Dc-6JoQkOHHoJc_cqJotasEm62CVechA8y/s400/golden+fort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780805841055170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-OAkKLP6QHGqZWUnbrQfCpxfEKCqaFZY6K5kwlK2gnylgzLl_FQO0MzXkGdny1jZlIxmFBHR0r6MQ3nPGb9CanrgwQTnI482L6z9ovyug9UWjvTUescGz4iymrs0G-4JvH64L3ZKf7Po/s1600-h/jaisalmer+view.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-OAkKLP6QHGqZWUnbrQfCpxfEKCqaFZY6K5kwlK2gnylgzLl_FQO0MzXkGdny1jZlIxmFBHR0r6MQ3nPGb9CanrgwQTnI482L6z9ovyug9UWjvTUescGz4iymrs0G-4JvH64L3ZKf7Po/s400/jaisalmer+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312777812550248850" border="0" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Jaisalmer played a key role in our deciding to travel to India. While I have never visited physically, it holds a very dear place in my heart. My Godmother, Karen Lukas, runs Folk Arts Rajasthan, a nonprofit organization that works in concert with Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan, a Non-Governmental Organization to perpetuate their mutual missions of empowerment for the marginalized Merasi (musician) community of Jaisalmer. FAR also works to preserve the traditional Rajasthani music, arts, and culture. The Merasi community is socially disenfranchised and continues to be denied educational and employment opportunities. I have seen hundreds of pictures, heard the rhythmic tracks on CDs, run my fingers along the gorgeous textiles and listened to stories, travails and triumphs of her work and life in this foreign place. I never expected that my vicarious experience would be in preparation for an actual visit.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We arrived in Jaisalmer at 1:00 pm and were warmly received by our hosts Catie and Sarwar. Jaislamer was a calm relief from the hustle and bustle of Jaipur. We drove to the Folk Arts Rajasthan site (the Santhan) where we were welcomed by a herd of adorable Merasi children. We toured the facilities and drank tea and marveled at the beautiful colors, the striking instruments and the hospitality. The kids led us on a tour of the Merasi School- proudly showing off their classrooms and pictures.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyhY5SsTzxvGKILrqw3a3EVuTNIkhIG4r9kO9L6vqPfZJPmYefxheMtOtlRejtWGd_dSvOzGKZIyrks96J2Vzg7ERuB58S5AxAvNL4PObl6iwUzgr0EKe3Jo__qW8ZuHPjjLcq6Jb_z5z/s1600-h/me+w-+girls.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyhY5SsTzxvGKILrqw3a3EVuTNIkhIG4r9kO9L6vqPfZJPmYefxheMtOtlRejtWGd_dSvOzGKZIyrks96J2Vzg7ERuB58S5AxAvNL4PObl6iwUzgr0EKe3Jo__qW8ZuHPjjLcq6Jb_z5z/s400/me+w-+girls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780143310543010" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />Sarwar then showed Georgia and I his sacred museum of fossils. The room was an oasis of art and a tribute to nature. It was spiritual and energized. We were amazed at the collection of shells, fossils and rocks- they filled the entire room. Sarwar showed us his photo albums, which included pictures of my family and me during his trip to the states many years earlier. It was so surreal to finally be reunited with Sarwar and in India. In his haven of a room, he talked to us at length about the caste system and the challenges the Merasi face daily. We learned so much and gained deep, personal insights into the tragically outdated and prejudice social practices that plague modern Jasialmer.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The afternoon culminated in the music studio where the children preformed for Georgia and me. We were in awe of the children’s intensity. They shook with excitement and passion as their little fingers and palms produced music. They were so exuberant and so enthusiastic- it was very clear that the opportunity to create music and be a part of something so expressional was empowering. We were uplifted in a way- just completely captivated by their talent and love of music.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHhWlhl8KViRJnP1E2Jbt54nOfWNM7ipUPfjApzL_twzEjxiWj7J38zPC06w7bF7OMD6wHoJKMexyus6lD99A-LDovQPM9KA9SuQ58Qp_X_P1TARb9SFuRuXJMRSmA5u5pCIlr-Wm2dTm/s1600-h/music+class.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHhWlhl8KViRJnP1E2Jbt54nOfWNM7ipUPfjApzL_twzEjxiWj7J38zPC06w7bF7OMD6wHoJKMexyus6lD99A-LDovQPM9KA9SuQ58Qp_X_P1TARb9SFuRuXJMRSmA5u5pCIlr-Wm2dTm/s400/music+class.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780791717125250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPhAyQUjeuqRo5WdYX6Z02v8ykapnQx80yRh3EDXCBbxORIfaOS-vVrHv9_VJ4kJdJpGXPispzIOwkfDuvDyyVQqzyx22DY1xUA31tY-SuOlBmFUCsFY9oQyyPjLS0Mt62SpG4lfk9g6T/s1600-h/music+class+full.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPhAyQUjeuqRo5WdYX6Z02v8ykapnQx80yRh3EDXCBbxORIfaOS-vVrHv9_VJ4kJdJpGXPispzIOwkfDuvDyyVQqzyx22DY1xUA31tY-SuOlBmFUCsFY9oQyyPjLS0Mt62SpG4lfk9g6T/s400/music+class+full.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780154126575218" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Catie, Sarwar, Georgia and I then drove outside of Jaislamer to the Asha Artsists Residence- a creative space and haven in progress completely dedicated to the folk art tradition and aesthetic. Even in the dark we could sense how beautiful it was. It was out of a movie- the stars overhead, quaint huts painted in all sorts of glorious colors, candle lit rooms, and dinner around a fire.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE5tm5zn6ykDH5B3oN-aw4xsdReHSkFzVH6SeL2DMXHDpl3cdAUdRepp5pfFNzPRTRJ7uOZUR5Ycq5lnp70GzojzCBnxDmefU6ESp4biRPwMc0BAmqoPJ7eZp2YBufVmVPgLFT5IZLCl8/s1600-h/asha3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAE5tm5zn6ykDH5B3oN-aw4xsdReHSkFzVH6SeL2DMXHDpl3cdAUdRepp5pfFNzPRTRJ7uOZUR5Ycq5lnp70GzojzCBnxDmefU6ESp4biRPwMc0BAmqoPJ7eZp2YBufVmVPgLFT5IZLCl8/s400/asha3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312778634090011506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5XuFMJqmeVrrigUS6Oo8YcinAZAdkndEK49l__GXXBjv4zA52ERnRPRN7nxk5Tme1hSbkl0jVux8Bum5XPZWtSKiog5BhcMUQYrCDVHhH9Idz_ZvCKjhYldZJ5HFl6zlsbWVY90zmz-5/s1600-h/asha2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5XuFMJqmeVrrigUS6Oo8YcinAZAdkndEK49l__GXXBjv4zA52ERnRPRN7nxk5Tme1hSbkl0jVux8Bum5XPZWtSKiog5BhcMUQYrCDVHhH9Idz_ZvCKjhYldZJ5HFl6zlsbWVY90zmz-5/s400/asha2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312778266181909858" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next morning we returned to the Santhan where we met the tour guide Sarwar had arranged for us. He was extremely attentive and provided us with an abundance of insiders’ information. We visited beautiful havelis, ate lunch at a traditional rooftop restaurant and of course, saw the fort. We learned about the many issues surrounding the fate of the fort- because of the commercialism and tourist industry, it is deteriorating more and more each year. The locals fear for its future and we couldn’t help but to adopt the same concerns- it is such a shame that this historical and cultural landmark is on the brink of destruction.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rpA9VRqIYa_KB8cFtNRS1AhwJ2_Gf970bMn-iFsFQ2OBNGcQbznZ5saU8uTVS95RyowmWPP1dztReiHgfxZ9Ng5Y1nD4eP9npwo5D4YvCAy3g_gRFwl5fdZY1FiedePr-8769xtihFPp/s1600-h/haveli.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rpA9VRqIYa_KB8cFtNRS1AhwJ2_Gf970bMn-iFsFQ2OBNGcQbznZ5saU8uTVS95RyowmWPP1dztReiHgfxZ9Ng5Y1nD4eP9npwo5D4YvCAy3g_gRFwl5fdZY1FiedePr-8769xtihFPp/s400/haveli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780812302605938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6et64eTVrEeF2g2OPXFWwuJ9rZkLoc7uxsFYmnRAl2ThMe5wvf3MGkIQtPrq1VKX9gTY_vr5GmzTKk7dEE2jNN2B7YHScxDlbETadhJJOGZY3pq4OQqUENzy_KLq3EXTzOrhpqmhAUZJS/s1600-h/jasisalmer+door.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6et64eTVrEeF2g2OPXFWwuJ9rZkLoc7uxsFYmnRAl2ThMe5wvf3MGkIQtPrq1VKX9gTY_vr5GmzTKk7dEE2jNN2B7YHScxDlbETadhJJOGZY3pq4OQqUENzy_KLq3EXTzOrhpqmhAUZJS/s400/jasisalmer+door.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312780138702100754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTLYnB2EJWQW7gSl3omqLPS4Ob1p1dKaZQ_H1HE3Tq5kUXS8AYgxi_VdSlL590mL6YZmoJo9-J_Dm_Xd9QgUG9ZdkKS4FW0xQq44skRE0sHqaG5xU2bLXoeTZlcfm1b1rNXN3wQg8Oc_n/s1600-h/lemon+%26+chilli.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTLYnB2EJWQW7gSl3omqLPS4Ob1p1dKaZQ_H1HE3Tq5kUXS8AYgxi_VdSlL590mL6YZmoJo9-J_Dm_Xd9QgUG9ZdkKS4FW0xQq44skRE0sHqaG5xU2bLXoeTZlcfm1b1rNXN3wQg8Oc_n/s400/lemon+%26+chilli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312779187491104962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o5ZnmiBRiSF0CAB5WTuTUxoGNz3SNXfsJ0TYn63CnZxA6nDWMz5986VtRtyLdOTkOyZNPq8kHV9oE9qLjz39dPoNpFHSYcxe4GeihOmQk3whYSnh9uv4p9Qev0RCfNCyihhQm6z65eMD/s1600-h/jaisalemer+door+3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o5ZnmiBRiSF0CAB5WTuTUxoGNz3SNXfsJ0TYn63CnZxA6nDWMz5986VtRtyLdOTkOyZNPq8kHV9oE9qLjz39dPoNpFHSYcxe4GeihOmQk3whYSnh9uv4p9Qev0RCfNCyihhQm6z65eMD/s400/jaisalemer+door+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312779199806663794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvaqoZEsh4hmMPLZnVUHMUcFOMaxSNHQvCBIQoNBdi_s9WHQwXuhfo-3VLRyJp9auD87bS6rKaK7AtvcEQ4y7XFW9zhBVBlreMq-peudYKoLfqsqZSeKmF9CQtcxsHbBoRka2SdVkdvxK/s1600-h/jasialmer+door2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvaqoZEsh4hmMPLZnVUHMUcFOMaxSNHQvCBIQoNBdi_s9WHQwXuhfo-3VLRyJp9auD87bS6rKaK7AtvcEQ4y7XFW9zhBVBlreMq-peudYKoLfqsqZSeKmF9CQtcxsHbBoRka2SdVkdvxK/s400/jasialmer+door2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312779191979926066" border="0" /> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBoCnzEaAQfhoT3CxAbqlEa8zIcW0NfEPzMEXPxVTMewiNMv-gpmhxLzRkZL0iNZwAVg1QrVONVbiEDSxW9xLM4ANB8YQ6eIWI52ZWz1SumIfEVfmJl69sTxRZP12zi_GqMy8erv0cjQt/s1600-h/bookshop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBoCnzEaAQfhoT3CxAbqlEa8zIcW0NfEPzMEXPxVTMewiNMv-gpmhxLzRkZL0iNZwAVg1QrVONVbiEDSxW9xLM4ANB8YQ6eIWI52ZWz1SumIfEVfmJl69sTxRZP12zi_GqMy8erv0cjQt/s400/bookshop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312778636706027922" border="0" /></a></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />Before returning to the Santhan, we visited the home of a silversmith and looked through baskets and baskets of refurbished jewelry. At the Santhan we watched the music and dance classes and then the computer tutoring at the Merasi School.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">That evening there was an enormous rainstorm. We found shelter in the kitchen at Asha and challenged the cold with hot, lentil soup, and the crackling thunder with loud laughter and good company.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day Sarwar took Georgia and me on a walking tour of the different neighborhoods of Jaisalmer. We then hopped on his motorbike to see the lake and the majestic view of the fort in the distance. But this was only the precursor to a much grander adventure.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After lunch we motor-biked into the dessert. The wind, the blue sky, and the red sand- it was overwhelmingly beautiful. We stopped and found conch shell fossils, coral and mango seeds transformed into fossils from thousands of years ago. We rode deeper into the dessert and stopped at a small oasis- a tree springing up from a pond. There we collected shells hidden amongst sand and dessert rubble. We continued on our journey, riding on the SILK ROAD! I was overcome with realization of how old, big, and interconnected the world is- it was such an odd sensation, riding along the ancient trade route I read about it my middle school text books. We stopped a few more times to look at free-roaming peacocks and collect more fossils from Sarwar’s favorite places. We eventually headed back to the city center in the sunset. We stopped for tea and reflected about the amazing afternoon- we were so appreciative and grateful for being included in one of Sarwar’s most sacred pastimes. It was a day I will never, ever forget, and one I hope to rekindle often.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day we helped Jebu, Sarwar’s sister, make lentil chapattis, and read on the rooftop. Sarwar then took Georgia and me to the same silversmith we had visited earlier to have my nose pierced. Armed with rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer, I prepared myself for the piercing! We sipped tea as they assured me there would be no pain or infection. The jeweler took the stud and just stuck it through my nose- after disinfecting it, of course! I don’t know which hurt more- my nose, or Georgia’s hand that I was squeezing.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">At the Santhan we listened to some of the musicians playing- a private concert! We then hopped on the motorbike for round two of epic adventuring. We rode through another part of the dessert on a highway completely vacant of civilization. The view was incredible. The sand stretched on and on and on- and we could see the varying colors and textures of the terrain. Where volcanoes had erupted when India was once under water, the ground was a deep purple, and where the land was more fertile, there were traces of agriculture. Eventually we drove through a deserted village of ruins. Up a hill we stopped to take it in from a distance and listened to Sarwar relay the story of the whole-village flee to save a young woman from an unholy union. Further we stopped again and collected these tiny star shaped rocks. Right across the way was the Asha residence- and Sarwar explained how the little stars were miracles and marked the site.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJNQMvifmHRk_oVNUTFgjC1oX_jpIhRqS-ixNRcCqJz12b5f5pOGC4PlX5VVfdvWsXK3wq1Nz203hlngCR7gDCOJO55amhcPUZq9SMvmTyGQbL5UYdx8PKe2AziIYHiE3k7mpCrO2ltaX/s1600-h/sarwar.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJNQMvifmHRk_oVNUTFgjC1oX_jpIhRqS-ixNRcCqJz12b5f5pOGC4PlX5VVfdvWsXK3wq1Nz203hlngCR7gDCOJO55amhcPUZq9SMvmTyGQbL5UYdx8PKe2AziIYHiE3k7mpCrO2ltaX/s400/sarwar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312787488611029586" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">At Asha, we met our camels! Georgia and I rode out to the soft, rippling sand dunes. Georgia’s camel was 2 years old and named Hamalia- a clumsy fellow. Mine was named Rocket, and lived up to its name. At one point, it ran straight into a barbed-wire fence! I don’t think I will be riding another camel for quite some time…<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6L_w4WrD-6Cw66RkEtQc_dBTxbsOLZ1q-Ij6Sg8dsWQid7JQ2AisbpR98o5vbNovob6__vCzP1mBNYECLbjOPVV8_INIYcM1p9zIfz22TzWqQZTRM6HF-UBub0BoBXbVVOR9pyOLCr12C/s1600-h/G+S+india+sand.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6L_w4WrD-6Cw66RkEtQc_dBTxbsOLZ1q-Ij6Sg8dsWQid7JQ2AisbpR98o5vbNovob6__vCzP1mBNYECLbjOPVV8_INIYcM1p9zIfz22TzWqQZTRM6HF-UBub0BoBXbVVOR9pyOLCr12C/s400/G+S+india+sand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312776607830424930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOqLTibjsiPiEeOM1pp6naIECVa9S83EjUd5V7arJGvAiHjQFoS3wstfskGikujoaidnEKgbNEtX6oH1qtfA19mwtQmA5YNKdEgcS71cfkihms-rae_FvLqGd2Z0WtR2dGeC4JF58BDJG/s1600-h/camels.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOqLTibjsiPiEeOM1pp6naIECVa9S83EjUd5V7arJGvAiHjQFoS3wstfskGikujoaidnEKgbNEtX6oH1qtfA19mwtQmA5YNKdEgcS71cfkihms-rae_FvLqGd2Z0WtR2dGeC4JF58BDJG/s400/camels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312776154019260434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Back at the Santhan and then at Asha we said our goodbyes and tried to express our deep thanks.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The next day we took a 19-hour train ride back to Delhi, where we parted ways. The trip was thrilling, educational, spiritual, life changing. I can only hope that my future holds encounters and experiences as meaningful as those that we had in those two short weeks- and if not, all that we did, saw and learned was enough to last a lifetime.</span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-8397166808483842052009-02-24T14:11:00.000-08:002009-02-24T14:30:53.191-08:00Peace Workshop<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">On February 8 we held a Peace Workshop for interested students and faculty in the side Dining Hall. We focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict but used methods of presentation and reflection conducive to talking about a range of issues, sharing ideas and proposing solutions.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Nayab and I brought in a keynote speaker from Amman, a co-founder of the youth awareness group ‘Haneen’. He presented a brief history of Palestine, explained the goals of Haneen and relayed his journey to activism. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Students also presented on various initiatives they have been a part of, such as ‘Seeds of Peace’, an international organization committed to instilling respect, tolerance and empathy in the next generation's world leaders, and ‘Peace Around the World’, a student club which works to raise awareness about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on campus. I also presented on Artsbridge and the challenges and obstacles that arise when working in conflict resolution and mediation.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The goal of the whole workshop was to stress the importance of instituting change through self-initiated, grassroots organizations and extra-governmental clubs. We wanted students to understand that being a part of a club, a conversation or even investing energy into just thinking about an issue is a step in the right direction. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">One student reflected, "I saw how kids my age were able to be active in this 70-year-old conflict- the small steps they are taking are making a difference."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After the presentations, the workshop participants split into discussion groups. The groups reflected on the days activities and brainstormed ways in which they could be involved with promoting peace and spreading awareness on an individual, campus and global scale. We all came together in the end and created a massive list of thoughts and ideas from the day. It was wonderful to see so many students for this event on a weekend and in the midst of exams and homework assignments. The students were really engaged and productive and have helped us create a foundation for a series of workshops and inter-school conferences to come.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZ9weBe2xtG9z92UL9vtg4xUGnJPumeaVtNZs6fikaiDV_HMpixHy7IzozptLB2ipmxZVY5Wr3ThyphenhyphennJifpnbSN7PjlXruvJOiOX9um2UDvSz1Em6-ZZcfPxtRW36wOoxEQ4KyyPc1vMAe/s1600-h/feb-8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZ9weBe2xtG9z92UL9vtg4xUGnJPumeaVtNZs6fikaiDV_HMpixHy7IzozptLB2ipmxZVY5Wr3ThyphenhyphennJifpnbSN7PjlXruvJOiOX9um2UDvSz1Em6-ZZcfPxtRW36wOoxEQ4KyyPc1vMAe/s400/feb-8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306494897001216626" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-1627371472042088652009-02-24T13:07:00.000-08:002009-02-24T13:29:44.422-08:00Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">On January 24, 2008 Nayab and I lead a group of King’s Academy students and faculty members in a volunteering effort to unload trucks and to repackage crates of medical supplies and food for the Gaza relief effort. The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization at a local warehouse in Amman hosted us. It was actually quite an exciting union as we were the first group of volunteers for the organization- I was extraordinarily proud to represent an institution that is a pioneer of actual, physical service and community action in Jordan.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5kmVYxzO-Df-0_q8yBi1GmqUA-C8BfrdunAu_y4pksfzSf89smxi78YiTy6FqVdCSwOOJeXT-c0Dbc9v_TmAaF_xHCOWMdCuaHrIPM3n950zcmZyuP8SeiccDUU67TAqA_RL36eC5RTo/s1600-h/group+picture.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5kmVYxzO-Df-0_q8yBi1GmqUA-C8BfrdunAu_y4pksfzSf89smxi78YiTy6FqVdCSwOOJeXT-c0Dbc9v_TmAaF_xHCOWMdCuaHrIPM3n950zcmZyuP8SeiccDUU67TAqA_RL36eC5RTo/s400/group+picture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306474057056979810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization has been sending 20 flatbed trucks with canned and dry foods, blankets, clothing and medical supplies to the King Hussein Bridge on a daily basis. The warehouse was literally filled with survival supplies donated from countries throughout the region. It was really humbling to be fully invested in laboring so intensely for a cause in such a direct way- the things we were touching, carrying, wrapping, were needed to save people from an all to terrifying fate. Everything else in our lives was trivialized, necessarily, and we felt very small and insignificant and yet that we also had a purpose and a responsibility.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYq7nbIzu2KQzuSisJfJb0mELO9Fq-Ofjy1BeGIkWX_jSeS9Wq7ve2fOam4xj641KbPdSsNUAITwvq-ZyxQ0vg-wrHc-hHgKD-aFYzJBGrNmhXGSeWqMT8Z9I_HGXNxaJc7rmprFy9tQg/s1600-h/warehouse2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYq7nbIzu2KQzuSisJfJb0mELO9Fq-Ofjy1BeGIkWX_jSeS9Wq7ve2fOam4xj641KbPdSsNUAITwvq-ZyxQ0vg-wrHc-hHgKD-aFYzJBGrNmhXGSeWqMT8Z9I_HGXNxaJc7rmprFy9tQg/s400/warehouse2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306474429387713090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UlvBZ7umBYggRqTaBuwXpVzEvVTJeZ7Vu8dncLwWGzLKZ6vBxq3X-Ck-eo5sx19MNLPeBLMb1Ga8CGzaygIib0YhpE_s2U_axG1K4V54C5J-ycrntLD-fOVSNzU28Tr2YquQdONDRJSg/s1600-h/moving.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UlvBZ7umBYggRqTaBuwXpVzEvVTJeZ7Vu8dncLwWGzLKZ6vBxq3X-Ck-eo5sx19MNLPeBLMb1Ga8CGzaygIib0YhpE_s2U_axG1K4V54C5J-ycrntLD-fOVSNzU28Tr2YquQdONDRJSg/s400/moving.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306476440668252962" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />The most amazing thing was the amount of energy and time employees have been investing in this venture when it is very uncertain if any supplies actually enter Gaza. Interception of emergency items is common and an unfortunate reality. But in such a crisis, what can you do but have complete faith that human nature is innately good and people in such dire situations will be given access to the emergency items sent. At least we can attain some peace of mind or feel a little less sick to our stomachs by being active and putting our frustration and sadness into action- one student told Jordan TV, who was interviewing and recording our group, “We are just happy to be able to support our brothers and sisters in Gaza in any way possible”.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN6I8aARo-oa4PWbI6BNxU7XhPIvqoB08nSOmTP0Exyy57QFuEBNyScuW9BlMSPq9pTPRJrVHSeMpjkOWczHgyeNqxielWGUazmKbqcj_jSj4pyhkioyFXWOFYJH2y3op-Xz6oH0wuGCe/s1600-h/me+%26+reema.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN6I8aARo-oa4PWbI6BNxU7XhPIvqoB08nSOmTP0Exyy57QFuEBNyScuW9BlMSPq9pTPRJrVHSeMpjkOWczHgyeNqxielWGUazmKbqcj_jSj4pyhkioyFXWOFYJH2y3op-Xz6oH0wuGCe/s400/me+%26+reema.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306476821371701570" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3b6R996aybHk0TtPg7v3AUoW30G4y-FMu1BYqj76bb943dqh9-MQjTiRZGE9HnYfeTbx-lq5xWxTrS45OGZo7iz21I_yOOMfL5zzcGchJJaGgNQUly4G-qyRuvZ5PbKVFY_450HWa9m3/s1600-h/working2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3b6R996aybHk0TtPg7v3AUoW30G4y-FMu1BYqj76bb943dqh9-MQjTiRZGE9HnYfeTbx-lq5xWxTrS45OGZo7iz21I_yOOMfL5zzcGchJJaGgNQUly4G-qyRuvZ5PbKVFY_450HWa9m3/s400/working2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306477803379783026" border="0" /></a></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-954532862190540112009-02-23T04:19:00.000-08:002009-02-24T04:53:25.349-08:00‘al-sho'ur bil gheir’<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Instead of with the anticipated renewal of hope and faith, the world rang in this New Year with violence and destruction. While Obama’s inauguration shed a brighter light on our future, rocket glare and fiery hatred shone on Gaza. In the midst of such a crisis, I was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. And being in a part of the world where the impact is so pervasive and the pain so blatant, I can’t help but to have a heightened awareness and intensified experience with the tragedy. But in loss and devastation comes unity and incredible support for those in need, and I have been inspired and proud to be a part of a country and community so swift to action and so empowered to help bring relief to a people who have suffered for far too long. Nayab and I are so lucky to have our focus be on community partnership and outreach; for we were able to pour ourselves into relief work and make use of our energy and frustration. Our job requires that we be informed, empathetic and in action- and for that I am so grateful. It was with constant planning of events, fundraising and spreading awareness that I was able to overcome the looming, internal despair and reaffirmed my commitment to act and stand up against violence and injustice.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span><div style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><div align="left"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWCteGmD3No-1Xf3TrFT8Rp6ZRhu0wiGzIzvRTCuDveMgvcKXhJwxKbUe1Uv9_M7QEymmvw7bI-AHSvkx-eagVZqcDvJ6hr7TF0Ssgpu76Mbl-SVK8aRK-JcCsoS2MQ_1dQKdgitY16Td/s1600-h/genimage.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWCteGmD3No-1Xf3TrFT8Rp6ZRhu0wiGzIzvRTCuDveMgvcKXhJwxKbUe1Uv9_M7QEymmvw7bI-AHSvkx-eagVZqcDvJ6hr7TF0Ssgpu76Mbl-SVK8aRK-JcCsoS2MQ_1dQKdgitY16Td/s400/genimage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306345123359922242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Nayab and I organized a week called ‘al-sho'ur bil gheir’, or feeling for others, to help aid the citizens of Gaza and honor those killed in the warfare. On the first day, January 11, we used the 2000 JD (2,820 USD) we had collected in a Support Gaza Coin Drive to purchase medical supplies. We were able to send Gaza City hospitals and communities 20 full medical kits, including necessary antibiotics and disinfectants.</div><div align="left"><br />The following day, in an all school meeting a few of our students showed a moving but extremely disturbing video depicting the Israeli bombing of Gaza and its victims. A handful of students and community members were unable to stomach the graphic images and walked out of the film early. The objective was to shock, and it did just that.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">On the third day, we held an open mic forum and a commemorative candle light vigil. Students, faculty and administrators gathered in the side Dining Hall after dinner to shares poems, songs, prayers and reflections. We then proceeded in candle light to the HM King Abdullah II Spiritual Center for a brief period of silence. On student poignantly stated: "We are all one hand, one heart", another requested:"I ask everyone to pray with all their heart, to just take one moment of silence before they sleep". During the spoken words and performances, students created prayer flags with markers and cloth we had provided. Nayab and I then hung these in the dining hall. We were overwhelmed with appreciation for how many came to the event and showed their support. In contrast to the passionate reactions surrounding the events in Gaza, this evening was dedicated to peace and a renewal of hope- it was a transformative experience for everyone.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoHRw7mc2uZY-juBPtot5XsvdFTNstVF5f5XENOcc5obd5YhIDin4pSkOkml8Cs-pluv36T0lDqyiiMbU2yj21fVbawF8A-AuYj0qNyFSLnQWm2OD04dt5fy8coJv-V70EPZ9Xkh43UOG/s1600-h/Tala-Mohammed-11-reflects-on-the-conflict-in-her-native-gaza.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoHRw7mc2uZY-juBPtot5XsvdFTNstVF5f5XENOcc5obd5YhIDin4pSkOkml8Cs-pluv36T0lDqyiiMbU2yj21fVbawF8A-AuYj0qNyFSLnQWm2OD04dt5fy8coJv-V70EPZ9Xkh43UOG/s400/Tala-Mohammed-11-reflects-on-the-conflict-in-her-native-gaza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305990020483153202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCmpNlQPrOTqbw7aCh7XO2gUNOKwOPymtdUXB7FB7h9h8FZsrDsAi7FwIiFo9LNmvBUrlJTw02Cxz-6HYeA6jNpGDIMTfW7lig2eOK8wNKm5WTwSBRl2cs8ZnUQXWU476vjYV4Mxhzy8Y/s1600-h/Joining-together-in-a-candle-light-vigil%2520for%2520Gaza.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCmpNlQPrOTqbw7aCh7XO2gUNOKwOPymtdUXB7FB7h9h8FZsrDsAi7FwIiFo9LNmvBUrlJTw02Cxz-6HYeA6jNpGDIMTfW7lig2eOK8wNKm5WTwSBRl2cs8ZnUQXWU476vjYV4Mxhzy8Y/s400/Joining-together-in-a-candle-light-vigil%2520for%2520Gaza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305989866594187410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to a great turn out- we had a lot of students take initiative and help us with the organizing and brainstorming for the event. Students also helped with preparation- creating<br />candle holders, selling promotional items, and with cleaning up.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsHUvqFh0EIA6H2z0Rq12nn9NXe7Xrwrp7QocfFBq6DqU6CBAGi4ZLun5MFyfdzbbxvWwDGxTZd4Fy5VnzXuuG8x7Bn798RslmNY2-KhV_fvNiVi-9jTGYXgrQ3ic5l2mULKFjC7HAV8g/s1600-h/preparing-candles-for-Gaza-vigil.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsHUvqFh0EIA6H2z0Rq12nn9NXe7Xrwrp7QocfFBq6DqU6CBAGi4ZLun5MFyfdzbbxvWwDGxTZd4Fy5VnzXuuG8x7Bn798RslmNY2-KhV_fvNiVi-9jTGYXgrQ3ic5l2mULKFjC7HAV8g/s400/preparing-candles-for-Gaza-vigil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305989936018649090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><div align="left">On the fourth day, we featured the documentary Occupation 101 in the Lecture Hall, after which students split into groups to discuss the film and share their fears and hopes for occupied Palestine.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">We also organized a fundraiser called “Pizza for Palestine”, in which faculty, staff and administrators had the opportunity to buy slices of pizza for lunch in lieu of the usual Dining Hall meal. Proceeds were used to purchase additional medical supplies.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">As a culmination of the week, we secured a spot in a charity fair over the weekend. Nayab and I along with our boss and a few volunteers ran a stand at the ‘Souq for Gaza’ in Amman selling donated books, candles, pictures and bric-a-brac. The goal for the whole day was to raise 1000 JD- everyone involved exceeded expectations and we ended up with over 5000 JD! The day was indescribably momentous. I really felt a part of the Amman community. It was so refreshing to see so many people gathering together and working towards a common goal that we all felt passionately about regardless of ethnicity or circumstance. The event catered towards all ages and audiences with music, games, food and all sorts of odds and ends- it was truly an event for the people by the people. With my Palestinian hattah warped around my neck, my King’s sweater on and an ‘aid Gaza’ bracelet on, I finally understood the meaning of a uniform- to be distinguished as a representative of something- and I am infinitely proud of the uniform I wear in support of our brothers and sisters next door to Jordan and in favor of peace and human compassion.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UjzKQ3PEXg76fK9Ug0ULm0kXBNj7StWOy4cWxbghJTq1uTIVM_FsmWaT4MK90ZReTEzAD5hZF6NumD_jaEvat2Nx_15PySkiqBMKfvuVaJu1kdVOC6TDC9DeG1k17-j4oD3D7tTiwEsr/s1600-h/stand.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UjzKQ3PEXg76fK9Ug0ULm0kXBNj7StWOy4cWxbghJTq1uTIVM_FsmWaT4MK90ZReTEzAD5hZF6NumD_jaEvat2Nx_15PySkiqBMKfvuVaJu1kdVOC6TDC9DeG1k17-j4oD3D7tTiwEsr/s400/stand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992187217153266" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s1600-h/souq.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s1600-h/souq.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgallvPPvX7X9L_9rYZN7OpPeIWaJ5HsT72sTxE3YJnWOloBzwT26vTpF7_xXPNz8X1FgEtfgt6ZUQczH0Xxw07IiTj84EKS1SZ37DJbOiP5JGAF13zwBkmJKyG5uREt5uK5o4Ypio2qU8J/s1600-h/geniage.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgallvPPvX7X9L_9rYZN7OpPeIWaJ5HsT72sTxE3YJnWOloBzwT26vTpF7_xXPNz8X1FgEtfgt6ZUQczH0Xxw07IiTj84EKS1SZ37DJbOiP5JGAF13zwBkmJKyG5uREt5uK5o4Ypio2qU8J/s400/geniage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306345123636785714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s1600-h/souq.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UjzKQ3PEXg76fK9Ug0ULm0kXBNj7StWOy4cWxbghJTq1uTIVM_FsmWaT4MK90ZReTEzAD5hZF6NumD_jaEvat2Nx_15PySkiqBMKfvuVaJu1kdVOC6TDC9DeG1k17-j4oD3D7tTiwEsr/s1600-h/stand.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsl-5OIEoeB3DRm2FX0HaMuypRqhEKKCUelxpu1LKH1XRBMG1qDo-lzE_Oitz8WM8ZOJ_6_qS59ct3XwaNkX687G041v_aBsumq9oqTiKqAE5f8ccCSjksLfbNAD_r2wa5TJJQhdKuye5/s1600-h/tessa+%26+pam.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsl-5OIEoeB3DRm2FX0HaMuypRqhEKKCUelxpu1LKH1XRBMG1qDo-lzE_Oitz8WM8ZOJ_6_qS59ct3XwaNkX687G041v_aBsumq9oqTiKqAE5f8ccCSjksLfbNAD_r2wa5TJJQhdKuye5/s400/tessa+%26+pam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992187139036242" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s1600-h/souq.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s400/souq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305992327978631586" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9JrAKWroxUtgujhlryu-kIi7kD5W20aoEaywE3WgCcgK2b_Tvf2L-skIoZV7SisaBCD0pQfbSJyO4pxT5jtn-dwVppU1UUFGYEeYKY3aJJTV2B2ZKwzS25u0_l0llOUd3md8tSyoUPzD/s1600-h/souq.jpg"> </a></div></div></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-68659598866872907832009-02-23T00:29:00.000-08:002009-02-23T00:34:03.370-08:00Dear friends & family,<br /><br />My sincere apologies for my lack of updates!! I am reflecting on recent experiences and am trying to get up to speed with posting, so bear with me!<br />Please look out for upcoming posts on King's Academy Gaza relief efforts, my trip to India, and my trip to Kenya and collaborative efforts between King's and Artsbridge.<br /><br />Best,<br />SimoneSimone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-12763521202954307532008-12-04T05:17:00.000-08:002008-12-04T05:30:39.498-08:00Return to Entity Green<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqS5m5ovgJ1dtrBya335ootT96j2o3Qy5h-JMGOKQCNnCw3iGjVjsMpFB6XroiwQN1LUAhXSFp2X0fFsYuCpI1R1rQ7qmtVm4m-NsfmyXj6-UiOfHei7dnnfE-ZricBPwHZGPScG3SJ45/s1600-h/plastic+waste.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqS5m5ovgJ1dtrBya335ootT96j2o3Qy5h-JMGOKQCNnCw3iGjVjsMpFB6XroiwQN1LUAhXSFp2X0fFsYuCpI1R1rQ7qmtVm4m-NsfmyXj6-UiOfHei7dnnfE-ZricBPwHZGPScG3SJ45/s400/plastic+waste.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275924282784882530" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />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.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VFyEud-R3sfqFcECgC4aUuOtWlIdJ4BDOqkpovq_mi7glTxnekCXsokZE3HtZUPClxqpFRN9tcuu0KhL1L40mnFD2JYliMWX-muYTCuzyuZmZM2t_RrVNqHMoFymI5hksWEu3MOho3lq/s1600-h/bread.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VFyEud-R3sfqFcECgC4aUuOtWlIdJ4BDOqkpovq_mi7glTxnekCXsokZE3HtZUPClxqpFRN9tcuu0KhL1L40mnFD2JYliMWX-muYTCuzyuZmZM2t_RrVNqHMoFymI5hksWEu3MOho3lq/s400/bread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923937696460290" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />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.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gqCu6DGef8ZPmjR6Q0mEHwZwCiihg0D4Bfa2zoUX34-sUP9OGSn9S2n90fIKXYHKeMUBWnb9Na7iitTGU4e-jLmG7WRbLKTk5exKuG4ANU25dYZeVbPqjFezQArGXqDdyllTc8QYw0dH/s1600-h/hanger+sorting.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gqCu6DGef8ZPmjR6Q0mEHwZwCiihg0D4Bfa2zoUX34-sUP9OGSn9S2n90fIKXYHKeMUBWnb9Na7iitTGU4e-jLmG7WRbLKTk5exKuG4ANU25dYZeVbPqjFezQArGXqDdyllTc8QYw0dH/s400/hanger+sorting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275924271708692754" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFtcVFOyxBZXXHYI8joq1WqNYdLCE2XI8xZmriAPSeTntfbh7b_jDTIb8nLdgalWLzjFWFfKypxBMqGGrMC2GtBThvcobGOds-JuqtCEAK9-4yqvrJpWTK1hxBNB8kRC_-AwkQ_6u5lkY/s1600-h/hanger+station.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFtcVFOyxBZXXHYI8joq1WqNYdLCE2XI8xZmriAPSeTntfbh7b_jDTIb8nLdgalWLzjFWFfKypxBMqGGrMC2GtBThvcobGOds-JuqtCEAK9-4yqvrJpWTK1hxBNB8kRC_-AwkQ_6u5lkY/s400/hanger+station.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275924381988028626" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />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<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkVwTzVd5n42zINWdncZwMMOQKmmA0ZN1N1dHi73OJc5XWh2G1Exniyz3JbO1EydK1ArllvhpPGNEOroe-goBB_DvF31C8J4h1MpdtiD70SQ6QWrMXZ_5uam2mz1TABifdX3ZEq-w62n2/s1600-h/garden.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkVwTzVd5n42zINWdncZwMMOQKmmA0ZN1N1dHi73OJc5XWh2G1Exniyz3JbO1EydK1ArllvhpPGNEOroe-goBB_DvF31C8J4h1MpdtiD70SQ6QWrMXZ_5uam2mz1TABifdX3ZEq-w62n2/s400/garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923940923766690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFosSZYm0oKwC9Y0HenLKiHu9c7Y2tyxnC0L0BTIjlrLLtgohvfg875KmBefROx_DfKHWDJdagLnLE6g0trFmRU477GydKDXdwIIPx9Dfy_6Du-rThvy5SY5aV468fadKijXS78vGBUCE/s1600-h/bottles+sorted.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFosSZYm0oKwC9Y0HenLKiHu9c7Y2tyxnC0L0BTIjlrLLtgohvfg875KmBefROx_DfKHWDJdagLnLE6g0trFmRU477GydKDXdwIIPx9Dfy_6Du-rThvy5SY5aV468fadKijXS78vGBUCE/s400/bottles+sorted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923819683955938" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQFYSRWfhSnGX2oeKMLq8I2XcflF0vI3UXkHbtR131y2eQqYHrb0yvWKxilbp3VeOZE2TBlyMUOr_69CL5xQ0ADCQ3raMvOQie8JmvTt7O5MpLOQX77JVjtN2QFv1MHJwes9l_0GJJspU/s1600-h/bottles+arrangement.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQFYSRWfhSnGX2oeKMLq8I2XcflF0vI3UXkHbtR131y2eQqYHrb0yvWKxilbp3VeOZE2TBlyMUOr_69CL5xQ0ADCQ3raMvOQie8JmvTt7O5MpLOQX77JVjtN2QFv1MHJwes9l_0GJJspU/s400/bottles+arrangement.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923674412050594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrikFf0Jx2ig7A7hS7WEVc2ECpjnKCyHcFjgqE6_FdXt4gCItcpfAyaGoSWxZQgAUlFHlzO5OVB0s5aJ5-_rPhTlsy3oG11V9ZXzAPOoLdYDuJ7aewmVBfW39wgeUiO2jnGIa1imeiBn0F/s1600-h/bottles+clear.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrikFf0Jx2ig7A7hS7WEVc2ECpjnKCyHcFjgqE6_FdXt4gCItcpfAyaGoSWxZQgAUlFHlzO5OVB0s5aJ5-_rPhTlsy3oG11V9ZXzAPOoLdYDuJ7aewmVBfW39wgeUiO2jnGIa1imeiBn0F/s400/bottles+clear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923684005035122" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyeDW1trizsdpf2TY7K3B5mvaD92OncDiTThXXLfm5l3bZI8PWGPI1O6J8-93AXLCjRICoKoMyjsvtdH_LnVbUMpR8oQ-JnScrIHJE0tiWydgzwZt6uEMBikNr-8XhVBlFwmyo4EIKOFx/s1600-h/bottles+green.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyeDW1trizsdpf2TY7K3B5mvaD92OncDiTThXXLfm5l3bZI8PWGPI1O6J8-93AXLCjRICoKoMyjsvtdH_LnVbUMpR8oQ-JnScrIHJE0tiWydgzwZt6uEMBikNr-8XhVBlFwmyo4EIKOFx/s400/bottles+green.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275923815182757090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyeDW1trizsdpf2TY7K3B5mvaD92OncDiTThXXLfm5l3bZI8PWGPI1O6J8-93AXLCjRICoKoMyjsvtdH_LnVbUMpR8oQ-JnScrIHJE0tiWydgzwZt6uEMBikNr-8XhVBlFwmyo4EIKOFx/s1600-h/bottles+green.jpg"> </a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyeDW1trizsdpf2TY7K3B5mvaD92OncDiTThXXLfm5l3bZI8PWGPI1O6J8-93AXLCjRICoKoMyjsvtdH_LnVbUMpR8oQ-JnScrIHJE0tiWydgzwZt6uEMBikNr-8XhVBlFwmyo4EIKOFx/s1600-h/bottles+green.jpg"> </a>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-22513922024232969732008-12-01T01:03:00.000-08:002008-12-04T12:55:29.081-08:00Ruwwad<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhREIqZSJCy-UnAZNyTaVOy7-6vZ0Kb9A4T7ISQZr64W4DPgmBgBtBEMG3H8cfNxwsf7y2Ug38EsQqZX9DwTz_s36pcxJBmGArAOr8y0yhgb14TXB_SceDeMGU8NcquJcEP8ZyfwIkF3M/s1600-h/buildings+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhREIqZSJCy-UnAZNyTaVOy7-6vZ0Kb9A4T7ISQZr64W4DPgmBgBtBEMG3H8cfNxwsf7y2Ug38EsQqZX9DwTz_s36pcxJBmGArAOr8y0yhgb14TXB_SceDeMGU8NcquJcEP8ZyfwIkF3M/s400/buildings+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275913670729872098" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEt4UyNZD2nH9ogGvcWL6PPr5Fg-xubwU2yNGK6yFCvAvJXJVM3RKKsqF2fd8D_jBWJsaI7ANm-MovYg6J3GRLpgC8sJuHyX2Y1ry_Wvii8IHnKWA6-3t5140eiWuH3dGXn-HG7QZr1vG6/s1600-h/mural+b%26w.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEt4UyNZD2nH9ogGvcWL6PPr5Fg-xubwU2yNGK6yFCvAvJXJVM3RKKsqF2fd8D_jBWJsaI7ANm-MovYg6J3GRLpgC8sJuHyX2Y1ry_Wvii8IHnKWA6-3t5140eiWuH3dGXn-HG7QZr1vG6/s400/mural+b%26w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275912404346624546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEbtBIvEsRNNoLGkW4L2Kkf752dGtm6D64U9_E5_1bWNUSRV6c5EWe9GtFN4fCDJjiXw6UcJRam9kdk7Q-FJQ8A6bHJPdIoNw_DhveMSi18x5ix5ydgXbET4MZuHQKei6LVi0bbz9AppI/s1600-h/boys+%26+mural+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEbtBIvEsRNNoLGkW4L2Kkf752dGtm6D64U9_E5_1bWNUSRV6c5EWe9GtFN4fCDJjiXw6UcJRam9kdk7Q-FJQ8A6bHJPdIoNw_DhveMSi18x5ix5ydgXbET4MZuHQKei6LVi0bbz9AppI/s400/boys+%26+mural+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275911487978900530" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNXxkhxmN9VHB2Dw1IRMMLJInlOqhinZeC7mGApqDxtVGrPTiyc2w1_P7PqrfHO-md5-r7vIMM1rVl8GQhQkkMZArDH6v1mZ0F2sfPSFRUVnSXZqN4JaM-toj3ZT6llcR5M199vgZz_ps/s1600-h/mural+house+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNXxkhxmN9VHB2Dw1IRMMLJInlOqhinZeC7mGApqDxtVGrPTiyc2w1_P7PqrfHO-md5-r7vIMM1rVl8GQhQkkMZArDH6v1mZ0F2sfPSFRUVnSXZqN4JaM-toj3ZT6llcR5M199vgZz_ps/s400/mural+house+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275912316180464082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW-8r4hSXZkShZe23MSbDuez6b9nOYWzzZepBcVUzbmRVrV41qg6PondvdV2kcM2DqvdqKz6teHsfZ-yTKhBwN_Uxka-85vwhyDuo_qxWEBTUbSO2B3MXs99qqsnsmnyaIYS_hLBT-2kh/s1600-h/boy+in+tree.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW-8r4hSXZkShZe23MSbDuez6b9nOYWzzZepBcVUzbmRVrV41qg6PondvdV2kcM2DqvdqKz6teHsfZ-yTKhBwN_Uxka-85vwhyDuo_qxWEBTUbSO2B3MXs99qqsnsmnyaIYS_hLBT-2kh/s400/boy+in+tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275911398698311266" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Zsone5G0ePsBoGwZRzViAp0KV8AC8wuwEXxr3JVGPNoElInS7VibsGc3TDNmbAqw4VS5k33TstAtjtcUUo2rC98_BQZPT0y3dPifFPkdn57uvaVSFjyldo6C0NEvPWsfh7hAAFnqMHP/s1600-h/boy+on+stairs+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Zsone5G0ePsBoGwZRzViAp0KV8AC8wuwEXxr3JVGPNoElInS7VibsGc3TDNmbAqw4VS5k33TstAtjtcUUo2rC98_BQZPT0y3dPifFPkdn57uvaVSFjyldo6C0NEvPWsfh7hAAFnqMHP/s400/boy+on+stairs+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275910935470538978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfDoRRBYZxQpYoqN-ISsjmqLc3GLm1SXW81ALHBnvcpCSn5lkIohYbAt1uRzhoX2c2WseNxh3TH9StbUg4lDHqWGpLa-jnSmyOQCg8ev_B_CSBGumBudOqD7QbkGCYWeZRZtP0Wha7mAZ/s1600-h/boy+%26+mural+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfDoRRBYZxQpYoqN-ISsjmqLc3GLm1SXW81ALHBnvcpCSn5lkIohYbAt1uRzhoX2c2WseNxh3TH9StbUg4lDHqWGpLa-jnSmyOQCg8ev_B_CSBGumBudOqD7QbkGCYWeZRZtP0Wha7mAZ/s400/boy+%26+mural+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275900084956034914" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu4wEk5m42wnsmq0zRYObtRaB4AFsaJKXu5VIzSF57BTO_2TOtU2AmNZudxIJtrVhNnCHgblh76qK9kcK3UuIHocENrRN3Ma6Uh7BIiec_zhiP9K0NT-vCgBR4fg7dAXjxbYcgEOGqO_s/s1600-h/library+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLu4wEk5m42wnsmq0zRYObtRaB4AFsaJKXu5VIzSF57BTO_2TOtU2AmNZudxIJtrVhNnCHgblh76qK9kcK3UuIHocENrRN3Ma6Uh7BIiec_zhiP9K0NT-vCgBR4fg7dAXjxbYcgEOGqO_s/s400/library+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275915599379444130" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfaQW3kxy8ArhTeFfCaLAh6J3Op7-d97VL9L3o0xkVtDXu_RzDGKqE3xhpp6kAi9CmbLAwlHilraVFBDMqpMNpe-uAi_Dv3oM-ov09d6V6jPt_YlfLOcmMWUuq8AZp23pRJZnh6rllyAw/s1600-h/child+in+library+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfaQW3kxy8ArhTeFfCaLAh6J3Op7-d97VL9L3o0xkVtDXu_RzDGKqE3xhpp6kAi9CmbLAwlHilraVFBDMqpMNpe-uAi_Dv3oM-ov09d6V6jPt_YlfLOcmMWUuq8AZp23pRJZnh6rllyAw/s400/child+in+library+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275914927786156546" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zBSpT9J6AfR87X4hWmC4MnsDv8BxxREGTHqvGOI0OVwVdKLMYTsAXv1iv7cuUu1WQBs4gvUwsjMJXvgA1iIwLIXHn8t7L2Af_T6sxPuH04LFzADJAZPHR-V8e7w5bKf6riLM9k4BsidP/s1600-h/kings+students+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zBSpT9J6AfR87X4hWmC4MnsDv8BxxREGTHqvGOI0OVwVdKLMYTsAXv1iv7cuUu1WQBs4gvUwsjMJXvgA1iIwLIXHn8t7L2Af_T6sxPuH04LFzADJAZPHR-V8e7w5bKf6riLM9k4BsidP/s400/kings+students+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275915259647511138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAhbdfLarPY1lULcUbjett2kCBi9Vjh8nN34lrV1r6Yk_KR8cvrTriR6ERRQ9nhccQ3ZBkeYdUJ9tMSUC4Rz7wS7dAO13rTvhWvs73HrPX9_YUZOzJhhfjEJcvWuw1b5boESqOiic1ku6/s1600-h/sally+and+hala+2sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAhbdfLarPY1lULcUbjett2kCBi9Vjh8nN34lrV1r6Yk_KR8cvrTriR6ERRQ9nhccQ3ZBkeYdUJ9tMSUC4Rz7wS7dAO13rTvhWvs73HrPX9_YUZOzJhhfjEJcvWuw1b5boESqOiic1ku6/s400/sally+and+hala+2sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275915601733995778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vS889NWeEXNHRFSPFVOzQYNxnMkr1CWm4Fbuxe2uCGVQTEZz-oJg0wjK3crR0xuY9zkzzZQAFC_XWg68Yr8aU2s7tkQRW8m3NvMi3GZCyQzMpzvRO2kftTj71S7zJPlhIYZuhFkmqrcD/s1600-h/happy+children+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vS889NWeEXNHRFSPFVOzQYNxnMkr1CWm4Fbuxe2uCGVQTEZz-oJg0wjK3crR0xuY9zkzzZQAFC_XWg68Yr8aU2s7tkQRW8m3NvMi3GZCyQzMpzvRO2kftTj71S7zJPlhIYZuhFkmqrcD/s400/happy+children+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275915255773877170" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIkw6FJt9qBMLXqfRBv8j_JhqDHWOzFmzZ9q11CfkXeoID_AzgTgZbhQSL0Fu9ShFIwWhQW1QzuiAfyy0k8te8lg2-tWceNg717idQWuNGpqZlqR08JEIghBoaIMvSBOhKJdtKmP_yo0G/s1600-h/happy+child+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIkw6FJt9qBMLXqfRBv8j_JhqDHWOzFmzZ9q11CfkXeoID_AzgTgZbhQSL0Fu9ShFIwWhQW1QzuiAfyy0k8te8lg2-tWceNg717idQWuNGpqZlqR08JEIghBoaIMvSBOhKJdtKmP_yo0G/s400/happy+child+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275915153835421346" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKne0ZmIuRCaPS6qkBjMd07W4e0lKK8Qi8PXUP-AoDvBlaDUX_S1LcAjbUsELAslSeOZmCr0d8gaOy0gW8kw9WdEOlp2fIt4_R8LjljlimNSxoK5TbYJU0J8V9GguLdTHp5IXZW-Qjr9P/s1600-h/happy+boys+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 109px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKne0ZmIuRCaPS6qkBjMd07W4e0lKK8Qi8PXUP-AoDvBlaDUX_S1LcAjbUsELAslSeOZmCr0d8gaOy0gW8kw9WdEOlp2fIt4_R8LjljlimNSxoK5TbYJU0J8V9GguLdTHp5IXZW-Qjr9P/s400/happy+boys+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275914929845501714" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-86813618149656319282008-12-01T00:28:00.000-08:002008-12-01T00:39:32.307-08:00Alistair Visits!<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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”.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNKGNONgiRkmYW4A8EvYNbPtMRbjyjS7XXUgZkjQfOBXgbyJ2-42IPDwajWlVFFgDFtVBDeKGYtSaAedKqq-iLNaMHi-yhFKMb2tW-8Ab6qdBu9qogwSXcKI41mX96a7af9b0klvYMpsB/s1600-h/hashem.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNKGNONgiRkmYW4A8EvYNbPtMRbjyjS7XXUgZkjQfOBXgbyJ2-42IPDwajWlVFFgDFtVBDeKGYtSaAedKqq-iLNaMHi-yhFKMb2tW-8Ab6qdBu9qogwSXcKI41mX96a7af9b0klvYMpsB/s400/hashem.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274735830687797282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkKT4Ger0etom52l1ijJKfGnWhaKHmJiFVn2CwwEuTa3zBwkwdtAvm7nqAl9y8Hy_5LcXRp3cyr2ggTV17uL_rjTEPTEGnnIbaFKRuYvbiFlEmbQqn51EipTrLBjS5XA5XOdm-6nqT2Xf/s1600-h/eliza,+georgia+and+me.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkKT4Ger0etom52l1ijJKfGnWhaKHmJiFVn2CwwEuTa3zBwkwdtAvm7nqAl9y8Hy_5LcXRp3cyr2ggTV17uL_rjTEPTEGnnIbaFKRuYvbiFlEmbQqn51EipTrLBjS5XA5XOdm-6nqT2Xf/s400/eliza,+georgia+and+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274736435982431618" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkKT4Ger0etom52l1ijJKfGnWhaKHmJiFVn2CwwEuTa3zBwkwdtAvm7nqAl9y8Hy_5LcXRp3cyr2ggTV17uL_rjTEPTEGnnIbaFKRuYvbiFlEmbQqn51EipTrLBjS5XA5XOdm-6nqT2Xf/s1600-h/eliza,+georgia+and+me.jpg"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q6IrdrvaFZghY3A1Kq_bKPny5YRNKJmOF-EmIj58kGFgDouS73C58erTlRo5VTb2ISDd_m4PVVNx6PL34eTUU-JzCaT_2KGOaIuHpIYIgh6SdLphAE5UQxAS_3otOHCMZrlxosWyFEGN/s1600-h/al+and+eliza.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q6IrdrvaFZghY3A1Kq_bKPny5YRNKJmOF-EmIj58kGFgDouS73C58erTlRo5VTb2ISDd_m4PVVNx6PL34eTUU-JzCaT_2KGOaIuHpIYIgh6SdLphAE5UQxAS_3otOHCMZrlxosWyFEGN/s400/al+and+eliza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274736331859950162" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-56584467014363134572008-11-30T23:52:00.001-08:002008-12-01T00:12:28.649-08:00Snapshots<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvm7ADjd0esRphvLJm_QhJSeIouTwLE2KNlkq1hu0ocvqM-RJ29mJru2AiAS0LUumsjKs5z-4ZjtBWUNy_kqXuV6aD3p3fBX_OcZYpVnZdx_yyKGarwvwX1SJhyphenhyphenwQ_qNhRAYWBRkIB02Y/s1600-h/yara,+lamees+and+me.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 364px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvm7ADjd0esRphvLJm_QhJSeIouTwLE2KNlkq1hu0ocvqM-RJ29mJru2AiAS0LUumsjKs5z-4ZjtBWUNy_kqXuV6aD3p3fBX_OcZYpVnZdx_yyKGarwvwX1SJhyphenhyphenwQ_qNhRAYWBRkIB02Y/s400/yara,+lamees+and+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274728548060680146" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >These are two of my favorite students. They live in the dorm that I supervise and are absolutely wonderful girls.</span><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DNSuqlU22_0T2oM2k6SwifUWVPqTc3AjvW5iucrhhdvBrLNXM1X_0h39EET85cQ3hWv3TFYeORiYrd2w1PBfR4r1GUtQX3KCdUghPkW2Tht_RfbOBY4laI2d1Sm8toy8lJjlUITx5lH4/s1600-h/holy+land.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 128px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DNSuqlU22_0T2oM2k6SwifUWVPqTc3AjvW5iucrhhdvBrLNXM1X_0h39EET85cQ3hWv3TFYeORiYrd2w1PBfR4r1GUtQX3KCdUghPkW2Tht_RfbOBY4laI2d1Sm8toy8lJjlUITx5lH4/s400/holy+land.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274728447928941058" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJjJYlZU53dMHxys-jNFP8N7tjXk5-eE5uVzApu9NrtLp9NheOsORhW808UvGwYjXHMmWkSYr36UejHrpD5jXuW-jJrF0nNbjiRoHXbRozGcYYXV2FpRaNGpvfGrEiZ8ol0Tb4NFcPEZw/s1600-h/eliza,+nayab+and+me.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJjJYlZU53dMHxys-jNFP8N7tjXk5-eE5uVzApu9NrtLp9NheOsORhW808UvGwYjXHMmWkSYr36UejHrpD5jXuW-jJrF0nNbjiRoHXbRozGcYYXV2FpRaNGpvfGrEiZ8ol0Tb4NFcPEZw/s320/eliza,+nayab+and+me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274728189791707522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After a fruitful shopping excursion to a notorious gift shop, The Holy Land. </span><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-68602566609063416972008-11-18T23:38:00.000-08:002008-11-18T23:56:24.487-08:00India Here We Come!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_vEPeBG6Am1uXKIcAJ7F2fug3jD75YHcoZrVuUD4ws8fWlLIc2MU-Y3cwRg2ydYUYhA_Y6I9Mog-QNQyOFINBfBQVluh6RAlGdiAfXWqeXffpFpyOG-QOzzOLsI9rVVLGh9kfg36wNWQ/s1600-h/georgia+embassy.jpg"></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Georgia and I are in the midst of planning a two week travel extravaganza to India!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_vEPeBG6Am1uXKIcAJ7F2fug3jD75YHcoZrVuUD4ws8fWlLIc2MU-Y3cwRg2ydYUYhA_Y6I9Mog-QNQyOFINBfBQVluh6RAlGdiAfXWqeXffpFpyOG-QOzzOLsI9rVVLGh9kfg36wNWQ/s1600-h/georgia+embassy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_vEPeBG6Am1uXKIcAJ7F2fug3jD75YHcoZrVuUD4ws8fWlLIc2MU-Y3cwRg2ydYUYhA_Y6I9Mog-QNQyOFINBfBQVluh6RAlGdiAfXWqeXffpFpyOG-QOzzOLsI9rVVLGh9kfg36wNWQ/s320/georgia+embassy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270273899647027810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshks60Kz2NNUJ1uUjbPeF7WHDh6kfYlLZl8vklqr1wt9yCIQfiG4V4oAZLoDNJfZTel3mlBj5pw3YlBlk9zIbt5qns-q2JDKQ3znu8kM1Oyeg1EEUFCGH0DI3PC0WpK0as2HJjr2LxBG-/s1600-h/me+at+embassy.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshks60Kz2NNUJ1uUjbPeF7WHDh6kfYlLZl8vklqr1wt9yCIQfiG4V4oAZLoDNJfZTel3mlBj5pw3YlBlk9zIbt5qns-q2JDKQ3znu8kM1Oyeg1EEUFCGH0DI3PC0WpK0as2HJjr2LxBG-/s320/me+at+embassy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270273904651351874" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We are quite ambitious and hope to visit Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and Pushkar.</span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-67562554510745802462008-11-18T23:20:00.001-08:002008-12-04T05:31:43.666-08:00"Greening Jordan"<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO99_RnDf3miFU7mBE_l0N9vtUW58Ij9R8FJGTqCHnnO6krYdR72H0BlyaQt7wi05RUhi9N5IdHT3mH9UvzbTOPVoXqIhe8tC4Tj_Du6SJcprmn7H-AIvxTcA4z2uguTDn9UUsSVe7C-i/s1600-h/Greening+Jordan+site.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO99_RnDf3miFU7mBE_l0N9vtUW58Ij9R8FJGTqCHnnO6krYdR72H0BlyaQt7wi05RUhi9N5IdHT3mH9UvzbTOPVoXqIhe8tC4Tj_Du6SJcprmn7H-AIvxTcA4z2uguTDn9UUsSVe7C-i/s320/Greening+Jordan+site.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270265469276416914" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme6x8r7SpQyfohKH-VTERAxPvA-FYlhkM4MIEbHgXRdMpWr1s1VU6BtAYh04Lr63fIjpI_1DUgKUgWCKiN1VEgw8KG5OlrQmc6SkNJdA5H5D0hbdsCypcvOjRxgIXcJlP9z6lBpAmYBQV/s1600-h/glass+bottles.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjme6x8r7SpQyfohKH-VTERAxPvA-FYlhkM4MIEbHgXRdMpWr1s1VU6BtAYh04Lr63fIjpI_1DUgKUgWCKiN1VEgw8KG5OlrQmc6SkNJdA5H5D0hbdsCypcvOjRxgIXcJlP9z6lBpAmYBQV/s320/glass+bottles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270266471172859714" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwCeo95FGAIXJ7TJVYpyDQ-DJZAQ2FzKgS1Na-8jnOsGH5w3BbLt3vpMFdJXn_GJDQ3LFbsopfVh7CTr4v-yvy5qumpLkvmtEdEooRIYFCHhdE1J35ISAJHojDgGL73EFUnqvX5Td-gIV/s1600-h/bread+drying.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwCeo95FGAIXJ7TJVYpyDQ-DJZAQ2FzKgS1Na-8jnOsGH5w3BbLt3vpMFdJXn_GJDQ3LFbsopfVh7CTr4v-yvy5qumpLkvmtEdEooRIYFCHhdE1J35ISAJHojDgGL73EFUnqvX5Td-gIV/s320/bread+drying.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270265808332359026" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXvC4hkxQQ-A5C6ma4M8b9qTmsq6hjlR0gIbeThHZVvKkAWmaTcK4QdxsEmM7LZpNWIiv1W8r_xxyNPEB0LvXJrCtJxccu-oJ3osBKIoSC_6XJvdttaE04ovz0PziJhNcQTl4lj-jAMY1/s1600-h/metal.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXvC4hkxQQ-A5C6ma4M8b9qTmsq6hjlR0gIbeThHZVvKkAWmaTcK4QdxsEmM7LZpNWIiv1W8r_xxyNPEB0LvXJrCtJxccu-oJ3osBKIoSC_6XJvdttaE04ovz0PziJhNcQTl4lj-jAMY1/s320/metal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270265469661649010" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /></div></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-57181310720919986752008-11-18T22:24:00.000-08:002008-11-20T03:15:46.104-08:00Artsbridge in Jerusalem<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN4XLrRMiM0qgQGHwjSggyNq1pqETiy2eZ6moPJwTF_mn7fSGYR5wQOw631Ndc2rhYsf7KmWkI0Ltda_LnAYwSYJtdEMw2DMT6Xn1AIENwpWKKpxOpCHIyUmjLzAuROpNpcKdBydlNfsJ/s1600-h/YMCA2+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN4XLrRMiM0qgQGHwjSggyNq1pqETiy2eZ6moPJwTF_mn7fSGYR5wQOw631Ndc2rhYsf7KmWkI0Ltda_LnAYwSYJtdEMw2DMT6Xn1AIENwpWKKpxOpCHIyUmjLzAuROpNpcKdBydlNfsJ/s320/YMCA2+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270257837268446402" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf-g12UfUhCEte6tq7zpgle69l0IaqL5G3tHNG8zwMV4UyKSkvbptEz4BZrMCwHQHZvl8zLlGqgbfToEkQF2R9oPOTFRYarIw5xCWgZwLBDwcuhVjHXGecYM_v5EQWwMTWjV9VUQ_i-Ar/s1600-h/YMCA.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf-g12UfUhCEte6tq7zpgle69l0IaqL5G3tHNG8zwMV4UyKSkvbptEz4BZrMCwHQHZvl8zLlGqgbfToEkQF2R9oPOTFRYarIw5xCWgZwLBDwcuhVjHXGecYM_v5EQWwMTWjV9VUQ_i-Ar/s320/YMCA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270257579367206402" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvWy7q6O6gZ8i-ne34dkK2A2gF6OiPowIC4d5iA0U7PWWBOuKzJEaOfh0ZOB0khfnoo15MO7qBivkbjnIyS4P7KPGVEMyLEskLbC2iCaXwl1CmqEv8bUfOMHDmsQ8MGNcaZjdXcGj33QT/s1600-h/jaffa+gate+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvWy7q6O6gZ8i-ne34dkK2A2gF6OiPowIC4d5iA0U7PWWBOuKzJEaOfh0ZOB0khfnoo15MO7qBivkbjnIyS4P7KPGVEMyLEskLbC2iCaXwl1CmqEv8bUfOMHDmsQ8MGNcaZjdXcGj33QT/s320/jaffa+gate+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270257050058463458" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHMrBiIx1lmXskvznFnmMedP78hDGwQiig93SCjS__G25hmWpqlyywxS6JJKL7yElNez-r9-Vb8RM5d7syZ7-8OgLi6J8gmCHHmIlJWuk6JYQIGBy50Nw1jthbdy0K8wtGeYnKL4xZWDY/s1600-h/church+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHMrBiIx1lmXskvznFnmMedP78hDGwQiig93SCjS__G25hmWpqlyywxS6JJKL7yElNez-r9-Vb8RM5d7syZ7-8OgLi6J8gmCHHmIlJWuk6JYQIGBy50Nw1jthbdy0K8wtGeYnKL4xZWDY/s320/church+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270255416283774802" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEMvHzGimoVUuyAvrmrb5XIAXtGCgRYbWWXuLlHRySnWGPrUg8TYqW-5TUMdOJb7muzmi-nquyS4G-1udARfGdkzxDHfRfW-4yPI7E1mnIKXjLVHa4lkJ9n3Xl2svqtTqx7rHG9BiH1tt/s1600-h/conflict+wall+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEMvHzGimoVUuyAvrmrb5XIAXtGCgRYbWWXuLlHRySnWGPrUg8TYqW-5TUMdOJb7muzmi-nquyS4G-1udARfGdkzxDHfRfW-4yPI7E1mnIKXjLVHa4lkJ9n3Xl2svqtTqx7rHG9BiH1tt/s320/conflict+wall+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270256172339695890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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”. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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!</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ7uImb_Vioso0LExfwGFw0CHk9pRbzn8Ahit28zNY3NyZcrH7Eb8CgI4C3fTrbaKrg_w_nyFPWCbF8Qvn3wbpAZqEhYughGF95KYfcbcdLjTgkZbS-yNtIi2VQNYl3vwPrUak1yKwr_N/s1600-h/Bethlehem+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ7uImb_Vioso0LExfwGFw0CHk9pRbzn8Ahit28zNY3NyZcrH7Eb8CgI4C3fTrbaKrg_w_nyFPWCbF8Qvn3wbpAZqEhYughGF95KYfcbcdLjTgkZbS-yNtIi2VQNYl3vwPrUak1yKwr_N/s320/Bethlehem+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270255413937709474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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!</span><br /></div></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-14923368985414222882008-11-18T22:09:00.000-08:002008-11-18T22:23:36.407-08:00Deer at Dibbin<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsixCKNLx_oHkO6m1QhjTE_OVNwTLZcr2yG_JWl2Q3r2dPKV0ilbTtHr_f6Ads8_ETn6mEaiEwRXpOylv1re11caKddbpSrNYLelc0MI2OFm0ud5lMQ7q53YVbEfrTVDU_63t-sXKdV6tf/s1600-h/deer+eating+small.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsixCKNLx_oHkO6m1QhjTE_OVNwTLZcr2yG_JWl2Q3r2dPKV0ilbTtHr_f6Ads8_ETn6mEaiEwRXpOylv1re11caKddbpSrNYLelc0MI2OFm0ud5lMQ7q53YVbEfrTVDU_63t-sXKdV6tf/s320/deer+eating+small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270249198709710034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaD44Twa4yO9a2_C5jDUkk_Kml6bCkM_gV5j4_bw9P8kHr43gXBBUrdNM3eVSKql3SKMlZeqBa8wnMRZ8UsfPbVTqnUMxdpV3qIG1t7HWjzAqA9PX29ISJDXihmHFsoWaJ6tjZnzwI1jo/s1600-h/dibeen+view+sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaD44Twa4yO9a2_C5jDUkk_Kml6bCkM_gV5j4_bw9P8kHr43gXBBUrdNM3eVSKql3SKMlZeqBa8wnMRZ8UsfPbVTqnUMxdpV3qIG1t7HWjzAqA9PX29ISJDXihmHFsoWaJ6tjZnzwI1jo/s320/dibeen+view+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270248425269520578" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LOFvg6o86EA0VzAUM1c3lcfnZ_7rMqR9rgCd_VsP6Wc6Ya1DB9RRrCXf_7qVaNViQA34ioacP7wDYJdpvA0ZTvVSALIwPfSHKxSlvnuZUl2xHk5gyqRWnkkS-5a73j3hssb3uH752IG8/s1600-h/dibeen+view+2sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LOFvg6o86EA0VzAUM1c3lcfnZ_7rMqR9rgCd_VsP6Wc6Ya1DB9RRrCXf_7qVaNViQA34ioacP7wDYJdpvA0ZTvVSALIwPfSHKxSlvnuZUl2xHk5gyqRWnkkS-5a73j3hssb3uH752IG8/s320/dibeen+view+2sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270247772363797186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyGEqeZcFwMOE6wimu7hFfvX44eWVTc6JkaGYx8SzKdCCfeOkjexvRSFdeC8lbHtFK42an4CluaVz0CqiYO3C1_teXJybGKmBxZAfWmRNOKpH8IAginMgH__tdbQECrpuXut6HRGUYFJa/s1600-h/feeding+deer2sm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyGEqeZcFwMOE6wimu7hFfvX44eWVTc6JkaGYx8SzKdCCfeOkjexvRSFdeC8lbHtFK42an4CluaVz0CqiYO3C1_teXJybGKmBxZAfWmRNOKpH8IAginMgH__tdbQECrpuXut6HRGUYFJa/s320/feeding+deer2sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270248413230976194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsBEWhnDCYQxa1kxoCU2CBAa33z90Tqb_eq0P5WkFQDqOPQUVgJCFWFyVTxbKU5yOSLqSTifoc0KUG8gHvSHSR9RglWxVxvPh8iWrPajIYa_5_VD66VfHIVNrnHSQkijE2YdHJnFiisXT/s1600-h/dibeen+forestsmall.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsBEWhnDCYQxa1kxoCU2CBAa33z90Tqb_eq0P5WkFQDqOPQUVgJCFWFyVTxbKU5yOSLqSTifoc0KUG8gHvSHSR9RglWxVxvPh8iWrPajIYa_5_VD66VfHIVNrnHSQkijE2YdHJnFiisXT/s320/dibeen+forestsmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270247769297235826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rjQMMluxofkyK67UVEwHgDAYw1pm8TwNU6HvFjk_TRFDNjI-PTQYb9ABsUaVwsEpIaCmxuLusG6rVqk7cxJM4V68HPV1gOKBbsCOC0p0SEExyeRYV0j0IHEyTIbkULf2oC0uuo7dEwbh/s1600-h/deer+close-up2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rjQMMluxofkyK67UVEwHgDAYw1pm8TwNU6HvFjk_TRFDNjI-PTQYb9ABsUaVwsEpIaCmxuLusG6rVqk7cxJM4V68HPV1gOKBbsCOC0p0SEExyeRYV0j0IHEyTIbkULf2oC0uuo7dEwbh/s320/deer+close-up2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270247090868292658" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-55204597584239355522008-10-12T11:22:00.000-07:002008-10-12T13:48:25.319-07:00Tel Aviv<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0YownZBBSydPYEAi-F_hy2o5nJnhx6JRcR2u2aN-Vv-hLvTeNeC7fZeSERjt7QZVOOp-2ClpieVBs78JSLPbKHF-y2p9Rj8NyZ9RlNtYQUMWZOfhn5nLVoGLoF99x8KbauSAAh7FXFXV/s1600-h/israel.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0YownZBBSydPYEAi-F_hy2o5nJnhx6JRcR2u2aN-Vv-hLvTeNeC7fZeSERjt7QZVOOp-2ClpieVBs78JSLPbKHF-y2p9Rj8NyZ9RlNtYQUMWZOfhn5nLVoGLoF99x8KbauSAAh7FXFXV/s320/israel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256367752123091826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P-R_oUp7jJ-zpsKJzeWKPpYsfib8oL09wRJ4AwyfwW8k5_vN_FMLGqkUL1vZFRbO_c7A9GRj3mlPRCbn6cr_4X9uaaNbsbZkp0zpxaZX-rN-orQLhr8522uIPhgp02Kic-YaRpRtbSn3/s1600-h/hostel+window.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P-R_oUp7jJ-zpsKJzeWKPpYsfib8oL09wRJ4AwyfwW8k5_vN_FMLGqkUL1vZFRbO_c7A9GRj3mlPRCbn6cr_4X9uaaNbsbZkp0zpxaZX-rN-orQLhr8522uIPhgp02Kic-YaRpRtbSn3/s320/hostel+window.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256365093752038946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA-oe-PpinUFO0JpbomPuJvHXeHrYioW4hGzemM7Towau9npqkjDzCgJlAhGScIR57dkUfxvZcjYgpdxc8iFUzIDy3burTdray2HBb2IcjKudLliXUojm-r8kUdHiYtn_XuIGKkHBUud2/s1600-h/back+to+jordan.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA-oe-PpinUFO0JpbomPuJvHXeHrYioW4hGzemM7Towau9npqkjDzCgJlAhGScIR57dkUfxvZcjYgpdxc8iFUzIDy3burTdray2HBb2IcjKudLliXUojm-r8kUdHiYtn_XuIGKkHBUud2/s320/back+to+jordan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256335886879800034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqUyMwbyoY21y0reNR6OJi6jnV91XQZ4_dsTACdr05SoIrqHPtcsc44fuEaUn_SH0YNRskyDaWOOGHsIWyA1NjHxvkUJrwkFK6p_If55Yq7H5RjYqGVhmzN5dkZNN0VfkozIRDYH8TejV/s1600-h/beach.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqUyMwbyoY21y0reNR6OJi6jnV91XQZ4_dsTACdr05SoIrqHPtcsc44fuEaUn_SH0YNRskyDaWOOGHsIWyA1NjHxvkUJrwkFK6p_If55Yq7H5RjYqGVhmzN5dkZNN0VfkozIRDYH8TejV/s320/beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256336012808982690" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt8JXCySn_g_a9NK3-dqQ7_WGXQt-pJBwzEXTahO8ymvP5H1NYwimoZzOF49vU8XJ_hBlgM18jAU5Nn50u8LIbfixkvwf95_RtAlBxIgbP0oSU1IMipTyDehQ-Pc2H_TGp2OKgAkeoCLj/s1600-h/boardwalk.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt8JXCySn_g_a9NK3-dqQ7_WGXQt-pJBwzEXTahO8ymvP5H1NYwimoZzOF49vU8XJ_hBlgM18jAU5Nn50u8LIbfixkvwf95_RtAlBxIgbP0oSU1IMipTyDehQ-Pc2H_TGp2OKgAkeoCLj/s320/boardwalk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256336023973257122" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4InGvsMvAAO1YHKj8x0M8mwA16BDd-7Ln6wpXODQg_vF47Hg7Te0tKZNE222hp1BUN8Wn5D4DJVKzvoR37xR4WjCildfohUGanbKRi13XCQVqEwejbw2JCtukqcT3CXJK3jZ3VKN1Pm8I/s1600-h/me+georgia+greg.jpg"> </a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPXbc8P3Ik27F_J8vcMKL7J0sfoVSfyQcWvG8oSqzrrE_bgCOIToKab_u7PEQ-5Ybk7qqEtGH4AHC8HSdaZaQBvWZ_YuLBd_GWfk0C5rRXxhJK-c_Ufnfxipe5bjGlAdbYa_mdG1n06EP/s1600-h/reema+and+me+on+beach.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPXbc8P3Ik27F_J8vcMKL7J0sfoVSfyQcWvG8oSqzrrE_bgCOIToKab_u7PEQ-5Ybk7qqEtGH4AHC8HSdaZaQBvWZ_YuLBd_GWfk0C5rRXxhJK-c_Ufnfxipe5bjGlAdbYa_mdG1n06EP/s320/reema+and+me+on+beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256364911658522802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXrsWsSRg93g0JQBnDMGrEW4Qe4o-yjHB0cXdkidlq-KkP_xRBxQVxTjD42kGzrYY9bRjYHGDrAvnxddGoVzrh7dXRQs-8UmLJ9pYSRga-43Z8g1djofK2az7p3xaPCp1sUVLICIjxrEL/s1600-h/breakfast+cafe.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXrsWsSRg93g0JQBnDMGrEW4Qe4o-yjHB0cXdkidlq-KkP_xRBxQVxTjD42kGzrYY9bRjYHGDrAvnxddGoVzrh7dXRQs-8UmLJ9pYSRga-43Z8g1djofK2az7p3xaPCp1sUVLICIjxrEL/s320/breakfast+cafe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256338399155774562" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4InGvsMvAAO1YHKj8x0M8mwA16BDd-7Ln6wpXODQg_vF47Hg7Te0tKZNE222hp1BUN8Wn5D4DJVKzvoR37xR4WjCildfohUGanbKRi13XCQVqEwejbw2JCtukqcT3CXJK3jZ3VKN1Pm8I/s1600-h/me+georgia+greg.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4InGvsMvAAO1YHKj8x0M8mwA16BDd-7Ln6wpXODQg_vF47Hg7Te0tKZNE222hp1BUN8Wn5D4DJVKzvoR37xR4WjCildfohUGanbKRi13XCQVqEwejbw2JCtukqcT3CXJK3jZ3VKN1Pm8I/s320/me+georgia+greg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256366723205551986" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">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.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa8seheKoFuiMdy-1ax4c34h06Af9YdmBmTcPfZV0nY3avPZ_u_hv2l6unqGEG8VauBJRjMJOLL9c4U8YB4yNi_8M5520qfAg0s27d0EXiaaIMYAxg46HrdhDez9zdihHQ85Oh7kzIE4L/s1600-h/sunset.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa8seheKoFuiMdy-1ax4c34h06Af9YdmBmTcPfZV0nY3avPZ_u_hv2l6unqGEG8VauBJRjMJOLL9c4U8YB4yNi_8M5520qfAg0s27d0EXiaaIMYAxg46HrdhDez9zdihHQ85Oh7kzIE4L/s320/sunset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256363965717693234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwbLgQnUpiHw1YbxEcFx5hX-7jlgJBFe_bTdQ_J5yQu-O3ah_hjD3DBFCRg62FNFP5lXuqOcLpJ_ec9NW5_8OMoZ3kchRCTX2adWDxno6IpO_5ONyH5O6B5kygstJa4liPmZo7IMQ6gdB/s1600-h/tel+aviv.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwbLgQnUpiHw1YbxEcFx5hX-7jlgJBFe_bTdQ_J5yQu-O3ah_hjD3DBFCRg62FNFP5lXuqOcLpJ_ec9NW5_8OMoZ3kchRCTX2adWDxno6IpO_5ONyH5O6B5kygstJa4liPmZo7IMQ6gdB/s320/tel+aviv.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256363374708564770" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-85141601100752744272008-09-28T02:00:00.000-07:002008-09-28T04:25:41.627-07:00Internship<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After only being here for a little over a month I have already seen and done some amazing things, but I haven’t talked a lot about what I spend most of my days doing and is perhaps the largest component of my gap-year: my internship.<br /><br />Nayab and I are both working for a woman named Tessa, Head of English, Department of Communication, Rhetoric and the Literary Arts. She is a wonderful and inspiring person. Nayab and I have been busy applying Kings Academy to be inducted into the Round Square network of schools. It is an organization dedicated to experiential learning and is described in its literature as </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">“a world-wide association of more than 60 schools on five continents sharing unique and ambitious goals. Students attending Round Square schools make a strong commitment, beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility. This is achieved by participating in community service, work projects, exchange programs and adventuring, which can, and often does, take students half way around the world.”<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX9q_o_IR87AEelKkxVCu6xv8umpFbkaEUemzMiqtxMoDl2FggkrpidFL-_rCHUXf1gVlkwEa_jrC3hVPrO5PJslNe9VX5uP2VLfircC4ka_tTzCnMNN2MwAqOM58nhyphenhyphentaJJQFyUYzC2K/s1600-h/me+nayab+tessa.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX9q_o_IR87AEelKkxVCu6xv8umpFbkaEUemzMiqtxMoDl2FggkrpidFL-_rCHUXf1gVlkwEa_jrC3hVPrO5PJslNe9VX5uP2VLfircC4ka_tTzCnMNN2MwAqOM58nhyphenhyphentaJJQFyUYzC2K/s320/me+nayab+tessa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251026555419368434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br />Our office is in the library, where we have been spending our days researching how Kings Academy embodies the Round Square ideals and completing the application. More recently we have been designing a pamphlet which will be used in the upcoming Round Square conference in Canada and in the future as the Kings Academy Round Square information publication. We are also creating a series of posters that will hang throughout campus to inform students about Round Square and all of the schools involved all over the world.<br /><br />to learn more about this organization, visit <a href="http://www.roundsquare.org/">http://www.roundsquare.org/</a><br /><br />I am learning a lot- I love being involved in such an international initiative and being able to see how schools can work together and do service on a larger scale. After the Eid holiday and when the initial steps of Round Square induction are complete, Nayab and I will be more involved with the service programs on campus.<br /><br />A wonderful component of Jordanian culture is the Islamic holiday Ramadan. Ramadan offers an opportunity not only for reflection and introspection, but it also fosters a spirit of good will whereby many community service events are held during this time. Working in community service and outreach has allowed me to more closely understand the process of carrying out campus events. We recently conducted a school wide coin drive for the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. The three grades, freshmen, sophomores and juniors competed to raise the most money in an effort to present it to Princess Dina, an influential and inspiring supporter of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. The freshmen class ended up with the most amount of money collected. Each class lined up their coins on the ground starting from the spiritual center, the three lines reached an impressive length and it was really rewarding to actually see how much money the community raised. Princess Dina came to speak about the foundation and the importance and success of the Jordan-wide and Kings Academy-wide Ramadan coin drive. A representative student from each grade presented Princess Dina with the money and said a couple of words of gratitude.</span> <p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMNjevRxmv-RaAClpsXiuXEQXV5HRouB-1FEuohBv2651ViHsmEW08RrkKBckNg_qXm55HROHRGnDjAfJwq4i-DhNkpgaNJTCoYc8r5iH4fAUSjTbFw1TXZHactzZDbwgMu6bU0LJMXQN/s1600-h/Princess+Dina+with+headmaster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251008675700146514" style="width: 292px; height: 240px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMNjevRxmv-RaAClpsXiuXEQXV5HRouB-1FEuohBv2651ViHsmEW08RrkKBckNg_qXm55HROHRGnDjAfJwq4i-DhNkpgaNJTCoYc8r5iH4fAUSjTbFw1TXZHactzZDbwgMu6bU0LJMXQN/s320/Princess+Dina+with+headmaster.jpg" border="0" height="206" width="244" /></a></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMNjevRxmv-RaAClpsXiuXEQXV5HRouB-1FEuohBv2651ViHsmEW08RrkKBckNg_qXm55HROHRGnDjAfJwq4i-DhNkpgaNJTCoYc8r5iH4fAUSjTbFw1TXZHactzZDbwgMu6bU0LJMXQN/s1600-h/Princess+Dina+with+headmaster.jpg"></a>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-60584878657592102992008-09-28T00:17:00.000-07:002008-09-28T04:23:54.685-07:00Soccer Game<div align="center"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XKvK_wgATwpw450h-dqFN38TQbsIZIpuU1VWnhYn3igsvE8SZaixVf-3k5J4XtBvo00c470Me4-kFRiTRVL7mkQcONgcWsxdv-PHOUN4NmNp80ZdPZ18NMhgZ4Oj9lzCF7rBiJslxN2T/s1600-h/soccer+team.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250984575831379234" style="width: 299px; height: 149px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XKvK_wgATwpw450h-dqFN38TQbsIZIpuU1VWnhYn3igsvE8SZaixVf-3k5J4XtBvo00c470Me4-kFRiTRVL7mkQcONgcWsxdv-PHOUN4NmNp80ZdPZ18NMhgZ4Oj9lzCF7rBiJslxN2T/s320/soccer+team.jpg" border="0" height="174" width="347" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EQAeqfe6P7qpuUPwEg4WrLoDi0D2YIdsbRZ3sqP7_ED6pYXNRsXpwiHZLRW9YnhrI7lOsXFrnYAey8-_L8Mv2kKmgkU3AkqsxrsLVkyK5MWzLBQrtCf8s4hcwxcxKuYyiwBxjPnSAcS3/s1600-h/half+time+pep+talk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250984890063009586" style="width: 216px; height: 169px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EQAeqfe6P7qpuUPwEg4WrLoDi0D2YIdsbRZ3sqP7_ED6pYXNRsXpwiHZLRW9YnhrI7lOsXFrnYAey8-_L8Mv2kKmgkU3AkqsxrsLVkyK5MWzLBQrtCf8s4hcwxcxKuYyiwBxjPnSAcS3/s320/half+time+pep+talk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I am co-coaching the girls JV soccer team for the fall season, and we recently had our first game! The girls played against the Amman Baccalaureate School and tied 1-1. It is definitely an exciting start to the season, for the girls did not win a single game last year. They hustled, played their hearts out and were victorious in spirit- a recipe for confidence and team pride. We also had a lot of fans!! it was so wonderful to see faculty and students cheering the team on, especially because we heard that nobody attended the girls JV games last year. I hope that the positivity and sportsmanship in this game is a preview for what is to come throughout the season. On the first practice, most of the girls were reluctant to run and could not complete a single pushup- we have been working hard and bonding as a team and the morale is up! We are now running laps at the beginning of practices and ending our sessions with 10 pushups, and have even decided on team captains. I love the team and am looking forward to a fun and successful season.</span>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-87708675101129045002008-09-28T00:16:00.000-07:002008-09-28T07:54:15.670-07:00An Engagement Party!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dqd9thUSSXLO3qtEH2dKlhW6d1eLwxRmIaxkuEXF4vHcQ0yKzx99NFWpXht2KJU6YhG44skF1Y5X61403wNkeDHSTU6_V-FWyxyOR4VFLqcvcWzYWp8cWq5sLcY9p3Pe8QlgmntjIEhC/s1600-h/me+and+georgia+engagement+party.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dqd9thUSSXLO3qtEH2dKlhW6d1eLwxRmIaxkuEXF4vHcQ0yKzx99NFWpXht2KJU6YhG44skF1Y5X61403wNkeDHSTU6_V-FWyxyOR4VFLqcvcWzYWp8cWq5sLcY9p3Pe8QlgmntjIEhC/s320/me+and+georgia+engagement+party.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251085600541324450" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After a lovely dinner with the King, Nayab, Georgia and I headed to Amman for Reema’s cousin’s engagement party! It was wonderful to see the members of Reema’s family again who we had dinner with a couple of weeks ago, and to meet more from the other side of her family at the party. When we arrived, we were escorted into a house full of women, while the men socialized elsewhere. The house was buzzing with celebratory females- often the older women would sporadically make this very high-pitched, shrill noise with their tongues- something I would like to learn how to do! While we all talked and ate, the bride-to-be was being made-up. She wore a long, mermaid-like, hot-pink gown with a long, flowing hair-do and a dramatic application of make-up- she looked like a princess, and was truly the center of attention. When she was all ready, we headed to a tent where we all sat in chairs lined up against the wall. The couple walked down the aisle to the end where the groom-to-be presented his fiancé with the traditional array of jewelry. We watched as he gave her a necklace, pair of earrings, bracelet and ring. They then fed each other cake and had their first dance. As the music became increasingly more upbeat, men trickled into the tent and everyone joined the couple on the dance floor. The whole night was amazing- I am so grateful to have been invited to such an important family event and to have taken part in the festivities.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY1uY0LpiLjLqB_Ny_nqGRQ0FNLHc-7orwCnMfxM4GSsZKbMYRjPHdlCR3m4xO7vHUUneKslfuVogMpDsk8QgOoBw4j5as3ZNqam77jfrIQM9N-XOSV5rNy1ZuvUuSQtgxVSPt98CaCIg/s1600-h/engagement+party2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY1uY0LpiLjLqB_Ny_nqGRQ0FNLHc-7orwCnMfxM4GSsZKbMYRjPHdlCR3m4xO7vHUUneKslfuVogMpDsk8QgOoBw4j5as3ZNqam77jfrIQM9N-XOSV5rNy1ZuvUuSQtgxVSPt98CaCIg/s320/engagement+party2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251030261865112690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2QGOyQpDppAwUCkzlcdP3ERqbCKwHz_X0Ate9iro29-aZWxsUWL4WnVursZ4oqr6M-T8dA3joTKiCVP6CxBEEvfmFVqNzqPar_dkWMKdWHHwvhtApEUmWSt74tdpMckcSoEOZXLDqpe0/s1600-h/engagement+party3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2QGOyQpDppAwUCkzlcdP3ERqbCKwHz_X0Ate9iro29-aZWxsUWL4WnVursZ4oqr6M-T8dA3joTKiCVP6CxBEEvfmFVqNzqPar_dkWMKdWHHwvhtApEUmWSt74tdpMckcSoEOZXLDqpe0/s320/engagement+party3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251030162192082530" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-74003938909119923022008-09-27T23:25:00.000-07:002008-09-27T23:30:31.439-07:00Dinner with the King<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zwxMPHvyRfiVLdOKfXcIgwHQEW8blYXblWDYp5dWYFGV2aDcLPjPP9h2s8_PHFhTSHuFpmIu7TY6f4d5LNl3v9Fjbqc-Gl0r9YjqUAHZAH7B9nlubyFD5IZEqGs5dYrxCGJ47gOREYBZ/s1600-h/king+at+kings+academy+2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250955442291499986" style="CURSOR: hand" height="172" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zwxMPHvyRfiVLdOKfXcIgwHQEW8blYXblWDYp5dWYFGV2aDcLPjPP9h2s8_PHFhTSHuFpmIu7TY6f4d5LNl3v9Fjbqc-Gl0r9YjqUAHZAH7B9nlubyFD5IZEqGs5dYrxCGJ47gOREYBZ/s320/king+at+kings+academy+2007.jpg" width="251" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span></p><p align="left"><span style="color:#990000;">Last week His Majesty King Abdullah visited the school for the iftar meal. It is so exciting to be a part of a community that is so highly regarded by and special to the king. With a huge amount of preparation the casual, family-style dining hall took on an air of elegance and after a day of anticipation the students and faculty were dressed in their best and standing behind their chairs awaiting the arrival of His Majesty. The King arrived and was welcomed by two students chanting a beautiful prayer, also signaling the break of the day’s Ramadan fast for iftar. After a delicious, traditional meal, the king gave a brief speech about his Kings Academy pride. Before he left, His Majesty took a few group pictures- which I tried to be a part of- let’s hope I come across one soon! The king was extremely personable and kind-hearted- I was so happy to see the man with the Kings Academy vision, and he who has done so much for Jordan and dedicated his life to affecting positive change in the Middle East.</span></p>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-67956462934987588052008-09-21T12:20:00.000-07:002008-09-21T12:39:52.687-07:00Mansaf Under the Stars<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">This weekend Nayab, Georgia and I had the incredible opportunity to join our friend Reema’s family for dinner at their home in Amman. The setting was absolutely astounding- their home sits in a hillside right below the infamous Citadel ruins. Their roof is literally the lookout point from the ruins to the breathtaking view of Amman’s downtown cityscape and roman amphitheater. After meeting cousins, aunts, uncles and Reema’s lovely grandmother, we enjoyed mansaf for dinner, Jordan’s national dish. Eating mansaf is an experience in itself- it is a mixture of rice, lamb, almonds, pine nuts and yogurt sauce and is served on a large communal platter. No utensils are necessary as you simply scoop the food up in your hands and mold it into a ball to eat.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibszkr-kNuqpHz-SP1feTAECjP9n8ImA-LyEOaSjLXkkfVGPGBSYr-VGAj-iDPwUKizpygMB9tey3ACk7JdY47Jn-6OAsClfL0oZZWJP5q8CkW9tN_chA2LgzldKThwsofSjmelH740uTL/s1600-h/mansaf.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibszkr-kNuqpHz-SP1feTAECjP9n8ImA-LyEOaSjLXkkfVGPGBSYr-VGAj-iDPwUKizpygMB9tey3ACk7JdY47Jn-6OAsClfL0oZZWJP5q8CkW9tN_chA2LgzldKThwsofSjmelH740uTL/s320/mansaf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248557641705389314" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">After dinner we sat outside sipping sweet mint tea and watching fireworks from a wedding in the distance. While not everyone spoke English we were still able to communicate well and enjoy each other’s company immensely. Perhaps the most surreal part of the evening was conversing about the upcoming US presidential elections. It’s amazing to me that we were able to share our sentiments about the candidates so easily and that we were doing so in such an unusual and unique setting. One of Reema’s cousins demonstrated the custom of drinking Turkish coffee- the person serving the coffee pours a sip’s worth into a very small cup and waits as the other person drinks it, if they cradle the cup in their hands it signals that they would like a second serving, and if they shake the cup from side to side it signals that they are finished, and the server moves onto the next person.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeE30K5KOpFI2qGz0OwDiHCot6ZT9ettbA-p5spaf-8UestU-vDE1BTfv98VtFLmTAHNSaJNGuVhtrZiYq0uYwv9O9Me_hDM51scI-S5aW85zF9gZmVLduEOAwYhGBasxUHKnB0yFHvpq/s1600-h/with+the+birthday+girl.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeE30K5KOpFI2qGz0OwDiHCot6ZT9ettbA-p5spaf-8UestU-vDE1BTfv98VtFLmTAHNSaJNGuVhtrZiYq0uYwv9O9Me_hDM51scI-S5aW85zF9gZmVLduEOAwYhGBasxUHKnB0yFHvpq/s320/with+the+birthday+girl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248558195260689602" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcikYCIowV2ULZfJDXQKyZgdCQkITPU8SaIR4J9IYn9kHlvRs76emO6EEVrOOIlZANEFxMZzJ5L2rOfGrGs3Zg2xb378rkrnn73AUjdeYzWHPRaqCveaTG3vUs_xEhWw53OcVsCgEB2eV/s1600-h/enjoying+the+company.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcikYCIowV2ULZfJDXQKyZgdCQkITPU8SaIR4J9IYn9kHlvRs76emO6EEVrOOIlZANEFxMZzJ5L2rOfGrGs3Zg2xb378rkrnn73AUjdeYzWHPRaqCveaTG3vUs_xEhWw53OcVsCgEB2eV/s320/enjoying+the+company.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248557630205113570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gG2uW-lNoyqIBCfquNV26CdWkb-ABsyfXr0aH69dGNx3ayTPc39vj-YzktwGqZPMlKkhV-3kiJFklWFtN1JrIFsdxm1pDMdi1qfYbLKQSGv2gYK2-fwKga_ORAjyoTnR2Kh5hgCpynQj/s1600-h/the+view.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gG2uW-lNoyqIBCfquNV26CdWkb-ABsyfXr0aH69dGNx3ayTPc39vj-YzktwGqZPMlKkhV-3kiJFklWFtN1JrIFsdxm1pDMdi1qfYbLKQSGv2gYK2-fwKga_ORAjyoTnR2Kh5hgCpynQj/s320/the+view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248558191370463362" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Reema’s uncle then drove us around downtown Amman, where we picked up an enormous pan of kanafeh, a traditional Arab dessert. Kanafeh is a pastry heated with butter (similar to fried-dough) and then spread with a soft cheese and layered with more shredded pastry. It is topped off with crushed pistachios and sugary syrup. We brought the dessert back to the house where we ate it in celebration of Reema’s cousin’s seventh birthday. </span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br /><br />We were then lucky enough to be taken on a midnight tour of the citadel by Reema’s uncle- how splendid it must be to have a site of ancient ruins as your backyard! We descended into a pitch-black abyss that was once used as a well, walked through the lit-up chambers of the ruins and sat upon a stonewall looking out onto the stunning view of the city and royal palace.</span> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The whole night was spectacular. After living on the campus for so long and dining out at restaurants, it was so comforting to be a part of a family gathering and truly experience life in Jordan.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7pAf2uBj35zp07BfXU6SrS0eFrRlteZbJFVLwL4QToxgyph2GrSb3gYPBUW2Y0TbkBdLJ7sGUDVSk8sKoQQSjccaVpgPbXufSOchOZW9bpKqrs7QXd7jPev4OlSBRVt0SVxu5PyVPca-/s1600-h/citadel+at+night.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 376px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7pAf2uBj35zp07BfXU6SrS0eFrRlteZbJFVLwL4QToxgyph2GrSb3gYPBUW2Y0TbkBdLJ7sGUDVSk8sKoQQSjccaVpgPbXufSOchOZW9bpKqrs7QXd7jPev4OlSBRVt0SVxu5PyVPca-/s320/citadel+at+night.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248557617538595074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwl5hUNxcJ4rOcGd1dH7kj1rio9bj3153Io_NuVj3PHf1DRgxgyGtRcA40Tow5Z5N5fa4LPSWaDH9YP7Ipj5q6a3e8r3R0dAZdjPnxJk9KKyXj27RxP5uEXLw2EbMy4O3am5UvMPctyRHK/s1600-h/decending+into+the+well.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwl5hUNxcJ4rOcGd1dH7kj1rio9bj3153Io_NuVj3PHf1DRgxgyGtRcA40Tow5Z5N5fa4LPSWaDH9YP7Ipj5q6a3e8r3R0dAZdjPnxJk9KKyXj27RxP5uEXLw2EbMy4O3am5UvMPctyRHK/s320/decending+into+the+well.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248557624637366450" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGvFGIgj2IQjs5ayjdDFsghH2jdX-yiE5SpFk7x3DkEMSZipv3EXCMs2pnl4PnBBr81HEDFzuWpyucRJPSvkEE_t6oKbLyfwrgBBtHTstyEYoOSIPNI4_nlLFvs1V6xVqd3iGqMoeCYZD/s1600-h/in+the+well.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGvFGIgj2IQjs5ayjdDFsghH2jdX-yiE5SpFk7x3DkEMSZipv3EXCMs2pnl4PnBBr81HEDFzuWpyucRJPSvkEE_t6oKbLyfwrgBBtHTstyEYoOSIPNI4_nlLFvs1V6xVqd3iGqMoeCYZD/s320/in+the+well.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248557635576174210" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4797360425028679115.post-30081608202393096292008-09-06T12:56:00.000-07:002008-09-06T13:04:00.588-07:00Wadi Rum<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6hbsVFJuPPvk4JwNVF55GIZoQYqnP8rTj3xzIKrNbYovc1TaZAOwJmYmXa-4QW3BPKHEfH0hKS_oxTtctx6VtPSDLA5VwR0eA7ryEMFQXIH3nsdiL1yzqDXkcTk1c8D6S4IComK_S3pv/s1600-h/me+%26+nayab+wadi+rum.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6hbsVFJuPPvk4JwNVF55GIZoQYqnP8rTj3xzIKrNbYovc1TaZAOwJmYmXa-4QW3BPKHEfH0hKS_oxTtctx6VtPSDLA5VwR0eA7ryEMFQXIH3nsdiL1yzqDXkcTk1c8D6S4IComK_S3pv/s320/me+%26+nayab+wadi+rum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243000238263223266" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">This weekend 10 of us headed south to the Wadi Rum desert. After quite the drive, we arrived at a Bedouin campsite in complete darkness. We were warmly welcomed with a traditional meal of pita, chicken, rice and veggies and sweet mint tea. After the long, relaxing dinner we meandered up hill with bags and blankets in hand. We slept in the soft desert sand, shrouded by the most amazing display of stars. Arriving in total darkness made the morning view that much more dramatic. What had been various shades of black the night before were deep oranges, and the large masses only barely visible against the night sky were enormous and textured rock jebels. As the last of our party slowly awoke, we silently drank in the beauty of Wadi Rum. Next to such magnificent rock formations and the endless stretches of sand, I felt so small and overwhelmed by the landscape’s majesty. After an early breakfast we took a wonderful jeep tour. High spirited and with the wind in my hair I would not have wanted to be in any other place; for a girl who grew up on the ocean, I never thought I would treasure another element of the planet quite as much. Even being in such a peaceful and remote location, time eventually caught up to us and we drove back to campus. I am looking forward to spending many more weekends among the Bedouin, sand and stars.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UaWIaEQl8GTpdGP0AAh5QEeom7bxykT09XwwT63eahheLvZYhue9Y0J8hJVQ38iS2j5yKIzK8nLiilPJVxqOKvtygAZP_BloEnDiAiqG8zPyDQEIjGjpvi-11u3ErcbX168qzT4yoH41/s1600-h/wadi+rum+rocks.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UaWIaEQl8GTpdGP0AAh5QEeom7bxykT09XwwT63eahheLvZYhue9Y0J8hJVQ38iS2j5yKIzK8nLiilPJVxqOKvtygAZP_BloEnDiAiqG8zPyDQEIjGjpvi-11u3ErcbX168qzT4yoH41/s320/wadi+rum+rocks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243000242919926674" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbQR3bw9qTMlMTdMsWfRtHo5Dt9D1E3_Sk_5J6OhsaCrgh0seD_q-W7QLsyk_AdPMYsQhcSzvVvUhZQwC8r9Adr_9MfurGw2lvJl_CKxy_CUERZnuH19BmfTxCu7DfIA71Xksot5dotuL/s1600-h/wadi+rum+rocks2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbQR3bw9qTMlMTdMsWfRtHo5Dt9D1E3_Sk_5J6OhsaCrgh0seD_q-W7QLsyk_AdPMYsQhcSzvVvUhZQwC8r9Adr_9MfurGw2lvJl_CKxy_CUERZnuH19BmfTxCu7DfIA71Xksot5dotuL/s320/wadi+rum+rocks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243000245104605554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOAJx93vbsMpreYWr2L7ejmVxWePJoT2DazXlP1x0uX3VllMkbu4-zgKUNUNMGFmvILmy744Ih4Dp__DuJbasscnCZEBOFGPyPXhMF7yB8QSPzyGdByayQ8jUDJlxVDV3xoNvTj0sCV04/s1600-h/wadi+rum+sunrise.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOAJx93vbsMpreYWr2L7ejmVxWePJoT2DazXlP1x0uX3VllMkbu4-zgKUNUNMGFmvILmy744Ih4Dp__DuJbasscnCZEBOFGPyPXhMF7yB8QSPzyGdByayQ8jUDJlxVDV3xoNvTj0sCV04/s320/wadi+rum+sunrise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243000249079972226" border="0" /></a></div>Simone Salvohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07556855947970297095noreply@blogger.com1