Blogs from Middle East - page 878

Wherever you go through Maloula you could hear a fable that tells a parable allegory composed by the creative imagination of the man. It was conveyed to us by generations, till it reached us in this splendour shape, and the remaining ruins are good proof of this area-mans will, and his ability to defy the time. The best example for this is the spoken language among the people of Maloula. You will be amazed for these utterances, and the language that is still used in common without any knowledge of rules of writing, or its alphabet. Its is amazing when you discover that: this language or as it is called (the language of Maloula) as one of the most ancient languages of history, was spread before the Islamic Conquest that helped the Arabic language to be ... read more

Today I went to rehab center #1, and spoke with Stella about how a particular child was doing after I introduced a technique called "brushing" to him and his mother last week. Stella said the mother had reported yesterday that the child did not like the brushing (although the child did appear to like it when he was in control of the brush doing it on himself) last week during his therapy session. The 6 (I think) year old child recieves therapy for mild mental retardation, hyperactivity, and behavioral difficulties. When I walked in the room last week the mother was in tears, and Stella was talking with her. It was the first time I had seen a parent cry since I have been here. I wished so badly that I could talk to her directlly ... read more

Some of you may be wondering about my safety over here in Turkey, due to the recent shootings in Istanbul at the US consulate, and the kidnappings of Germans in the far eastern Turkey. I'm sure it's made the US papers. This update is to assure you that we are taking extra safety precautions here in Antalya, (such as not hanging out at American type places like Starbucks for long periods of time, avoiding large tourist crowds, etc). Verna is not too concerned. 3 years ago when there were bombings in Antalya that injured some people, we were made to stay home for several days. If the concern is great for us being here as Americans, I can assure you she will take the appropriate precautions! On another note, things are going well. Except for I ... read more

It’s 7:15a now and I just got back from breakfast. As I approached my room I noticed that the carpet in front of my door was darker in that circular pattern that can only mean one thing - flooding. But wait - I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with my arrival in Jordan 36 hours ago where I watched the carousel go ‘round and ‘round until it stopped without producing my cherished luggage. I filled out my “lost luggage” form like a good boy (along with 20 other people) and was assured that my bag would be on the next flight which occurs in **24 hours**. I had to work yesterday, and did so wearing what I flew in, REI hiking shorts and a silk button-down short-sleeved shirt. Could have been worse. My bags were ... read more

Shalom, y'all!! Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. There was actually a July 4th celebration of sorts in Tel Aviv. I guess I'm not surprised since there are many expats and tourists from the States here. Anyway, closing in on the end of another week... my is the time flying! Have a great rest of the week... Monday, July 07, 2008 I imagine these writings will become fewer as my days become more routine. At least, they’ll be routine until this session ends and the next one begins. Most of the people I have met during this session are going home but more will take their place for the second session. Arlette is here for another week and then flies to the States to take care of business there before returning in late August. So, ... read more