Coming Home

Coming Home
May 20, 2005

Hi everyone,Just a quick note to let you know I made it back home last night a littlebefore midnight. I flew into Chicago Monday afternoon, where we had apleasantly unintended vacation at the seminary a few days while waitingfor the car to be fixed--it broke down on the freeway when my welcomewagon was trying to pick me up at O'Hare!Spending the days there was really great too--though I didn't get to seeeveryone I was hoping to see! It did get my mind on track for the falland soothe some of the anxieties about fitting in. My Palestinian friendfrom Ramallah, Dina, took me to several international student gatheringsand I made fast friends. I have people to speak Arabic with, and peoplewho understand what's happening in Iraq because the same thing happened intheir own countries, often because of our country's corporate policies.They were from Sudan, Madagascar, Tanzania, Guyana. Wow. I was not aware.I recently wrote a reflection for CPT on how I was largely unaware of theethnic cleansing in Sudan until just this spring, then several chancehappenings have raised it to my consciousness. If I have not yet done so,I will send it on.Life is pretty much still--all--up in the air. Whether I continue to workwith CPT, whether I can afford to go to seminary next year, when I can goback to the middle east. I have so many beautiful things I could do, ifonly plans work out. I just don't know. I think I've done everything Ican to search for the answers, and now it is just wait and see.For now, I am getting settled in for the summer. I am thinking of gettingbig cans of wildflower seeds and doing some 'Guerrilla Gardening.' I amtrying to weigh much-needed downtime with the current national awarenessof the prisoner human rights abuses that has been our work on team allyear. I have been enjoying some fantastic hate mail in the local paperafter an article about my work on team with the detainees. It is good toknow that I am just as 'Anti-American' as Amnesty International, HumanRights Watch, and the International Red Cross. I really look up to thosegroups, so it was rather an honor. I am suprised he did not list Jesus,but that would have been extremely humbling. In the meantime, I wonderwhen sexual assault became a patriotic duty. Oh well, whatever.Anyway, I am still doing alright and it's good to be home. I am hoping toreceive many visitors here this summer while here! Beitna beitcou--ourhome is yours.peace,Le Anne