Mexico: beginnings
11 May Our first weekend we聽 were introduced to Mennonite Central Committee and Casa de los Amigos, the hostel/guest house where we stayed. Erica opened our discussion with a version of the Lord’s Prayer from a migrant perspective. Reflecting on that version was a good moment of assessing personal thoughts and a practice of empathy.....
South Africa: Soweto
Bumping along in our small, faulty-but-still-chugging bus driven by Baba, with mini Table Mountains lining the landscape of our three-day trip from Joburg to Capetown, we compile this blog, attempting to blend together these many thoughts from the past week. We鈥檝e decided as a group to release this first week of learning over the course....
Asturias, Spain & the Camino de Santiago
23 April 2019 It’s a place that reminds me of home, but feels utterly alien. We are constantly surrounded by green mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, with only a strip of land in between. Yet it is not my way,聽my camino,聽that draws my eyes as it may have in the....
Spain: Cad铆z
From markets filled with fish, fruits, and fresh breads To watching the sunset each night on the beach surrounded by friends Host families, street music, living with a partner, and plenty of new food When in Spain there鈥檚 no reason to worry, never a day seemed blue Doing good takes not much, if the heart....
Blessed are the butterflies who rise above human borders
14 April 2019 Fresh off our settlement experience, we spent last week in Haifa, a port city on the slopes between Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean. Our days, organized by Oranim College, were filled with lectures, documentaries, and museum visits. That included聽a聽preview of this past Tuesday’s election, in which Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party....
Middle East: West Jerusalem, Efrat, observing Shabbat
2 April 2019 I quickly grew fond of the Abraham Hostel after arriving on Sunday afternoon. This place has created a memorable atmosphere for itself. In most of the rooms, each wall is a strikingly different color than those adjacent, and everywhere you look there are fat, slightly cryptic stenciled messages like ABRAHAM – THE....
Guatemala: A day in my life
Reflections on a day in my life in Guatemala Every morning I feel a small tug from sleep by my sister at 4 am. Phone flashlight, towels thrown, and makeup to be applied in the light of the hall. When she shuts the door to leave for her long commute, I am left to sleep....
Middle East: Old City of Jerusalem
24 March 2019 Back in Jerusalem again! After a week of relaxing free travel we returned to what has become a pretty familiar city. We spent our week staying at the Ecce Homo convent in the Old City. The convent itself commemorates and stands at the location where Pontius Pilate scourged Jesus and declared 鈥淓cce....
Middle East: Independent Travels
Independent Travel Last week was one we鈥檝e all been looking forward to for a long time: free travel! After our final exam at JUC, we split up and began a week of exploring on our own. Anisa, Carly, Emily, Erin, Rachael and I went to Turkey. We flew into Istanbul and spent a night there.....
Middle East: Field Studies with JUC
15 March, 2019 This past week was our second and final week at Jerusalem University College. After taking our first test聽Saturday morning聽and a free afternoon, we started off strong with field studies again聽Sunday morning. This past week was quite a bit different from our first week at Jerusalem University College as we spent much of....