Hello again everybody, again sorry for a big gap in posts (my biggest yet this time...). A lot has been going on these last 3 weeks or so so here's an all in one update for you.
2 weekends ago I headed to the Dead-Sea with Osama (our go-to driver). The drive down took us through some pretty barren desert before the Dead Sea came into view. We had an hour and a half to enjoy the scenery, float in the water and get a good covering of the sea's famous mud (legendary for the good it does for your skin). Due to its VERY high salt content its almost impossible to swim and so you just float and enjoy the sun. Its a very weird experience! Getting in and out is a mission though, the mud is a nightmare to walk through and not having flip-flops close to the shore when you get out can lead to burnt feet from the sand (as I discovered!). Defiantly a great place to experience and the views were amazing!
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| View of the Dead Sea, looking towards Jordan |
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| Dead-Sea mud.....don't know it until you try it :) |
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| Just chillin' :) |
Work at Paidia slowed down for the next 2 weeks so they set me up to go and help out at a kindergarten in Bethlehem in the mornings. The day after I started I was joined by another volunteer and house-mate, Tati (from San Francisco). Since then we've been splitting our time between the kindergarten in the morning and Paidia in the afternoon. Julian (our fellow house-mate) goes out and about on his work for the Abraham Path (a project that aims to establish a trekking route across the Middle East!) but he's usually home in the evenings.
Our work at the school sees us helping the kids learn shapes, numbers and colours mainly through colouring exercises. We also read them stories every now and again and playing with Lego is a favourite when work is done. Its great fun helping them learn but they can be a handful at times, especially when Lego starts flying around the room!!
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| Tati helps Jonathan with his colouring work |
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| Me and Charlie mid-colouring exercise |
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| Me reading to the class, Zeid and Alfred (lying across their tables) prefer to take a nap! |
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Our evenings have been filled with movies, AIC lectures twice a week,
games of "Carcassonne" (a classic city building board game) and the occasional night trip to Manger square for a beer and some people watching. I've really got to know the area over the past few weeks and the maze of streets now feel a lot like home. Learning local landmarks such as Manger Square has been a a great help in getting around.
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| Globalisation gone wrong? |
So, what of the rescue mission in the title? Well, last Friday we found an adorable puppy hiding under a car from some stone wielding local kids. We talked the kids away and gave the puppy a temporary home in our courtyard whilst we searched for a more permanent home for her. Luck was on our side as yesterday Tati was able to take her across into Israel and to a shelter outside Jerusalem. The staff there will work to find her a loving new home in Israel. Dogs here aren't given the best chance of life here so it was nice to give just one a chance :).
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| Me and the puppy on the afternoon of her rescue |
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| Final cuddles with Tati the night before Tati took her to the shelter |
Work at Paidia culminated last week with the starting of a thursday
"after-school club". We gave kids a chance to use the climbing wall,
play a bit of football and get messy with paint whilst their parents drank coffee. It was great to muck around with the kids and I swear I'm getting better at football! Hopefully this project will continue after I leave. On the subject of leaving my last day of work here is a week tomorrow! And after that it's only a day and a half until I fly home! Time has gone really fast these past three months and I've had an amazing time. But it 'll be nice to get home and catch up with friends and family :).
That's it for this entry guys, thanks for reading and see you again real soon.
