02-09-05

Hey there everybody!

I am back from Bethlehem.

I bet you enjoyed your Darren-free inboxes from the past couple of days! Well, vacation is over and it's back to life....

I start school on Sunday. I am eager and nervous. I really want to learn Hebrew; I really am unsure if I want to understand what people say....ignorance is bliss.

Bethlehem was a really good time. I found it so good to be with Chris and Tim. We shared about our lives and we deepened our relationship. I feel more known and knowing. I also was able to meet with more Palestinian partners of MCC. Enjoyable; informative; inspiring.

Did I mention that i am a volleyball special olympian...you can call me Droonick!

let's talk about "inspiring." I asked Tim today about the per capita of scholars and academics within Palestinian population. I meet these Palestinians and I am constantly blown away at how much more they know than my "educated" Canadian ass. It makes sense since the west always calls them terrorists, that they should learn so much to overcome it. I am humbled and inspired.

And by inspired, I mean overwhelmed, too. I don't have a Master's degree. I haven't read the books that are on their shelves. I don't know "much" in the face of what they know. I don't want you to misunderstand: it's not like they flaunt their knowledge, at all; it's just that I become aware of my own ignorance and I feel embarrassed or ashamed. Maybe it's a good exercise...although there were a few times I craved the safety of my computer terminal and my video editing.

Speaking of video editing, go see http://www.zochrot.org/index.php?id=228 to see my debut. Please understand, I am not bragging by inviting you to see it; i am only fulfilling the only point of putting something on-line (to get people to see it).

Just a note to Art Birch (pops) and Dan Cody - I am constantly having a "failure" notice appear when I try to send my e-mails to you. I can't figure it out from my end, but I get tired of trying and failing a dozen times before it goes through...

Talk to your webmaster and maybe the problem is that you are using a WYSIWYG web program instead of real html coding....I don't know. But if this keeps up, it'll drive me nuts and I surely don't want to go nuts (I have enough problems).

Zochrot has a tour in Akha tommorrow (if you pay attention to my spelling you'll notice I use different spelling for the same places all the time...I am trying to use Arabic spelling but i am dealing with my own ignorance a lot). I am supposed to video tape the tour.

If you are the praying type please pray that I video the right moments (especially of people speaking stuff I don['t understand).

Peace out, Darren