A Few Thoughts on Dysentery

A Few Thoughts on Dysentery
July 25, 2002

Hi everyone,

I just realized I will be home again in just over a month, (September 11, to be exact) and need to get my speaking calendar figured out. I plan to return here around the weekend of October 12th. I'll try to start clustering talks in nearby towns together, if those of you wanting me to come could please let me know soon. I know already I'll probably want to head down towards Wartburg after October 1st. I'll send out a preliminary schedule as soon as I can!

Well, it has been a busy week or so. I always forget when I've written last. I will start writing now and stop when the mosquitos methodically gnaw my toes off, as they usually do this time of night. It doesn't matter that I've applied a cocktail of three different repellents; these guys are mutants. I read in the paper yesterday that Beer Sheva is getting cases of mosquito-transmitted West Nile Virus. Ha, ha, that's really not so far from here. So we've been watching each other for signs of delirium. How does one tell around here, I say.

I say all this because the past three days I've suffered from a nasty stomach bug. As soon as I caught it, I thought about the friend I met earlier on the street in Jerusalem, who shook my hand and then later said, "You know, after being in Gaza I've been nasty sick. The doctor diagnosed me with dysentery." As I lay in agony, I thought, "Gee, thanks for shaking my hand." Probably by the time he'd mentioned it I'd already rubbed my eye or something. Fortunately, after some panicked phone calls (hey, just what is dysentery anyway?) someone on our team was able to tell me that in Arabic, dysentery is used to describe all manner of nasty stomach bugs. So anyway. Whatever it is, it is gripping all of Palestine, local and foreigner alike, and has for some months now. Bleh. The upside to being ill is that it got me off my ankle which I did something dumb to and wasn't slowing down to give it a rest. I'm back on patrol today, though.

Previous to the sick days, I spent a couple days walking out to the Baqaa Valley near a settlement where a number of families have been suffering from a settler militia which refers to itself as "Settler Security." I find that about as apt a description of what they do as "Israeli Defense Forces" around here. The families call it a 'gang,' which I don't find too far off the mark myself. They run around in jeans, flak jackets and sport Uzis. You call them what you like. Anyway. They've been suffering from these guys for the past year, more so in the past couple weeks, as has just about every Palestinian landowner located near a settlement. The militia all over the Hebron district (county) as well as the settlements in the city have been trying to expand their territory rapidly. This area I went to is one we don't usually cover, but I imagine we'll be spending lots of time out there pretty soon. I'm now working on a special report to release later this week and the team is trying to figure out what else we can do to stop the expansions. Stay tuned...

Team life has been gritty lately. I mean that in the most literal way. The team decided while I was in Jerusalem that we needed to save water during this shortage season by cleaning less. A thick layer of scum has now descended upon most surfaces. Slimy dishes are taking over our counter space faster than the settler activity I just mentioned. Let's not even discuss the squat toilet. Overall I am not amused. My teammie Greg was grouchy all day yesterday too, and when I finally made him tell me what it was, he said "team's too big and everything's filthy." Team size has been a bit frustrating too. I like a team that's large enough nobody gets overburdened, but small enough so everyone still knows what's going on and everybody knows who left their dishes in the sink and sneaked away.

I've been reading The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris and have found the comparison between monastic community life and CPT community life ironic and amusing. Mainly because she paints such a realistic view of monastic community. It has really helped me feel out, now that I'm finding myself a 'senior' member of the team, how to keep community glued together. Basically: worship together, constantly forgive, stay flexible, and communicate. I'll probably pontificate on that further in future emails. For now, I'll go catch up on those dishes.

In Peace,

Le Anne