Posts
Home Again
May 29, 2002
Hi everyone,
I saw so many people over the weekend that I normally write home to that I forgot I should write to tell the rest of you I'm home! I will be in Mason City until Tuesday the 11th of June. Just a short hop home. A little shorter than I expected, because the flight was cancelled, meaning an extra 24 hours in Tel Aviv. There is nothing to do in Tel Aviv besides go to the beach, and hang out in the hostel and watch MTV. [MTV is pretty darn funny if you are no longer accustomed to watching TV after two years.] I did both, and it put me in a good mood for handling airport security. I was calm and chipper, and got the lady who frisks people to crack up so she was having a hard time doing her job.
I think I have been missing several emails people have sent me, at least I gather from the chiding I am getting for having not responded. Also, several friends have said they don’t want to bother me with ‘boring stuff’ from home, because of the life I live in Hebron. I say, feel free to write as much as you like about 'boring stuff,' because 'boring stuff' not involving lethal conflict is usually just what I want to hear about when I'm working over there. :)
I am working on a training curriculum for international volunteers going to help out in Palestine for the next day or so. Then I will be free to visit and talk to people.
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Le Anne
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Aftermath
Aftermath
May 8, 2002
Hi everyone,
Well, it's beginning to feel like going home time for me again. I only have two-odd weeks left until the 22nd, my fly-home date. Unfortunately, I only have two-odd weeks home before I have to be back here. (The 12th) I suppose that's how life is, getting your vacations when you don't need them as much and being scrunched for time when you wish you had a year off to put things in context. It could be worse. Greg is here for five months straight, with maybe a week's visa renewal break in between. Hopefully after this year's staff retreat, there will be a generous break afterwards, where I'll have time to both decompress and do some speaking. This time around will be 99% decompression. At least it's not to the point of de-depression.
It has been a difficult time. My friend Huwaida has been deported for helping smuggle international accompaniment volunteers into the Church of the Nativity; however, her good work has prevented much death and destruction there. She and another friend Adam Shapiro (who you saw on CNN and Good Morning America a few weeks ago, receiving death threats against his family in Brooklyn--causing them to flee--for helping Palestinians get medical aid during the invasions in Ramallah) are getting married and will try to get back in the country again soon. Huwaida went on a hunger strike
when they arrested her demanding no travel restrictions for international humanitarian volunteers. She managed to get some guarantees in writing before they shipped her out. I hope I get to see her again. If not, I'll be shipping her a case of Diet Coke and a box of chocolate to Michigan.
I haven't seen Neta or heard from her since she got out of Arafat's compound. I figure she's resting from the month-long ordeal and/or lying low. Nor have I seen any of my friends outside of Hebron for a very long time. That's one of the difficult things about living in an active war zone. Another friend, Brian, is still in Jenin camp. He doesn't want to leave as long as there's another journalist who will come to get an interview. I don't know whether he is still there because he's exceptionally strong and principled, or because he's totally cracked up. After coming back from Nablus, people told me I was the former, but I sure felt like the latter. So's the rest of the team, each in their own
different ways, but hey, at least we have each other here.
Talk to you soon,
Le Anne
May 8, 2002
Hi everyone,
Well, it's beginning to feel like going home time for me again. I only have two-odd weeks left until the 22nd, my fly-home date. Unfortunately, I only have two-odd weeks home before I have to be back here. (The 12th) I suppose that's how life is, getting your vacations when you don't need them as much and being scrunched for time when you wish you had a year off to put things in context. It could be worse. Greg is here for five months straight, with maybe a week's visa renewal break in between. Hopefully after this year's staff retreat, there will be a generous break afterwards, where I'll have time to both decompress and do some speaking. This time around will be 99% decompression. At least it's not to the point of de-depression.
It has been a difficult time. My friend Huwaida has been deported for helping smuggle international accompaniment volunteers into the Church of the Nativity; however, her good work has prevented much death and destruction there. She and another friend Adam Shapiro (who you saw on CNN and Good Morning America a few weeks ago, receiving death threats against his family in Brooklyn--causing them to flee--for helping Palestinians get medical aid during the invasions in Ramallah) are getting married and will try to get back in the country again soon. Huwaida went on a hunger strike
when they arrested her demanding no travel restrictions for international humanitarian volunteers. She managed to get some guarantees in writing before they shipped her out. I hope I get to see her again. If not, I'll be shipping her a case of Diet Coke and a box of chocolate to Michigan.
I haven't seen Neta or heard from her since she got out of Arafat's compound. I figure she's resting from the month-long ordeal and/or lying low. Nor have I seen any of my friends outside of Hebron for a very long time. That's one of the difficult things about living in an active war zone. Another friend, Brian, is still in Jenin camp. He doesn't want to leave as long as there's another journalist who will come to get an interview. I don't know whether he is still there because he's exceptionally strong and principled, or because he's totally cracked up. After coming back from Nablus, people told me I was the former, but I sure felt like the latter. So's the rest of the team, each in their own
different ways, but hey, at least we have each other here.
Talk to you soon,
Le Anne
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