Yea for getting to ride a camel - even if it was a tourist trap on the beach!!
Watch it till the end and see him almost bite me!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Videos
Trying out posting some of the short videos I took on my camera:
Men praying in a mosque
Expatriate protestant church / French service worship
Donkey parking lot at the local village market
Mountain village market
Rug Weavers
Some Pictures
We are in the process of loading our pictures on one website where you can view them all. It isn't complete yet but visit http://northafrica08.smugmug.com.
Here are a few previews:
Courtney, Tracy & Emily drinking freshed squeezed orange juice on the square
Emily, Courtney & Jennifer model local hair wrapping styles
Emily rides a camel on the beach!
The gate into the Medina - blue on one side (the city's color) & green on the other (Islam's color)Monday, April 7, 2008
Thank You
Sorry I didn't diction well with the second sentence of my last post. A little jet lag perhaps...... We also wanted to thank everyone who supported us financially and prayerfully during our trip. God really made an impact in each one of our lives! His heart beats for the unreached, and each of our missions is to go. If you don't reach out to those that need to see His grace, who will?
Finally Home!
We are all finally home! It was a great trip and we can't wait to tell everyone the heart happy and funny stories with you all. Some of the group from last year's trip met us at the airport after getting off the plane - thank you guys! It was comforting to see some familiar faces. BTW.... Mike Penny was there and received a severe lashing for misconstruing the hiking scenario. Ha! Sorry about that Mike :) Laundry is being done and we all have a list of everything that we want to do now that we are back in the States. Please keep checking the blog as we will be posting stories and sharing photos soon!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Out of Breath... whew!
We are on our flight to Atlanta...barely! We had to literally sprint across 3 terminals, re-checkin, and go to security again but we all made it on the flight just as they announced final boarding call.
It has been a really long day of travel after our taxi drivers in North Africa got turned around and we drove down any interstate exit ramp the wrong way and did a U-turn in the middle of the highway! Fun times. Next we went to the wrong terminal there and got on just in time for that flight too. In North Africa you have to go through 3 security areas and everyone single person gets a pat down. Guess we should feel good about that though and not complain. Another cool fact is that we were probably on the safest flight we could be because the prince of our North African country was traveling in first class with all his entourage and bodyguards.
Please continue to read this blog as we will be adding final thoughts, pictures and maybe some video in the coming days as we process all we experienced.
Thanks for your support and comments - they really meant a lot to us.
It has been a really long day of travel after our taxi drivers in North Africa got turned around and we drove down any interstate exit ramp the wrong way and did a U-turn in the middle of the highway! Fun times. Next we went to the wrong terminal there and got on just in time for that flight too. In North Africa you have to go through 3 security areas and everyone single person gets a pat down. Guess we should feel good about that though and not complain. Another cool fact is that we were probably on the safest flight we could be because the prince of our North African country was traveling in first class with all his entourage and bodyguards.
Please continue to read this blog as we will be adding final thoughts, pictures and maybe some video in the coming days as we process all we experienced.
Thanks for your support and comments - they really meant a lot to us.
Flying Home
I'm up early to finish packing. We are meeting at 7am to get in taxis to head back to the airport which is about any hour and a half away. We fly out at 10am and arrive back in New York City 8 hours later. We will have a little layover and should be back in ATL around 7:30. I have mixed feelings about leaving and think it will be interesting to process all we've learned and the vastly differnt cultures back in America but I am ready to get back to all the freedoms and conveniences we take for granted.
Can't wait to see you all and eat some Mexican food/get a pedicure!! :)
Praying we have an uneventful trip home!
Can't wait to see you all and eat some Mexican food/get a pedicure!! :)
Praying we have an uneventful trip home!
Final Day - Girl's Version
We woke up early to meet Anna for a girl's b'fast on the rooftop of a building that overlooks the beach. We had a delicious meal - I had banana and chocolate crepe that was amazing!
Next we went to our 2nd class with Professor Nordine. We learned a lot more about the Muslim religion. Did you know that 80% of Muslims are folk Muslims meaning they are very superstitious and believe a lot of traditions that arent in the Quran. Only 20% are literal/textual Muslims. This group is usually divided between religious scholars and the extremists that are against the west and the ones you see portrayed in the film I told you about earlier.
We also learned that both Sunni and Shiite Muslims are both waiting for Christ's 2nd coming. They believe that when He returns he will go to a mosque in Damascus and usher in the age of true Islam. Obviously, there is a huge disconnect in knowing the truth about Jesus but also cool to think they are awaiting His return too. It is our prayer that their eyes will be opened for the truth about who He is and why He is returning.
Our professor also told us his story about growing up Muslim and how he became a believer through a friendship with a Syrian Christian man living in North Africa. It was so moving to hear how God was pursuing him and drawing him closer. And of course also troubling to hear about all the struggles he goes through from being a believer in a closed country. Literally any day his wife or kids could turn him in and he would go to prison! Yet he was so joyful, fearless, and inspired by Paul's letters about suffering for your faith. Truly Amazing!
Next we ate lunch with the staff and students one last time before dividing up for some free time. The boys joined some locals on the beach for any intense game of futbol (soccer). The girls walked down to the beach where I got to ride a camel and get my picture with him. I fufilled my goal of sitting on one even if it was a tourist trap on the beach and not hard core through the Sahara! :)
Then the girls went shopping for some last minute souveniers and spices. We also stopped to have tea with a local shop owner named Muhammed.
The group re-convened for dinner at a local restaurant where we all had chicken schwarma. All 11 of us ate for about $4 each. After dinner Kristin and I joined up with thje 2 girl students (Emily and Sara) and their 2 friends (Fatima & Soued) to walk down the "Look at Me Street." This was Hilarious and a great cultural experience. Basically all the young people in the town go to this one street and just stroll. It is great people watching. There were probably 1000 teenages/young adults there but here is the kicker...you just walk and paraade around! You cant talk to anyone for fear that your parents will find out. Both of the girls have secret boyfriends that their family doesn't know about. We got to meet 1 of them but it was literally hi and goodbye. No mingling with the opposite sex. It definitely reminded me on crusing the strip at Panama City Beach or "The T" in Gulf Shores when I was in middle/early high school!
Next we went to our 2nd class with Professor Nordine. We learned a lot more about the Muslim religion. Did you know that 80% of Muslims are folk Muslims meaning they are very superstitious and believe a lot of traditions that arent in the Quran. Only 20% are literal/textual Muslims. This group is usually divided between religious scholars and the extremists that are against the west and the ones you see portrayed in the film I told you about earlier.
We also learned that both Sunni and Shiite Muslims are both waiting for Christ's 2nd coming. They believe that when He returns he will go to a mosque in Damascus and usher in the age of true Islam. Obviously, there is a huge disconnect in knowing the truth about Jesus but also cool to think they are awaiting His return too. It is our prayer that their eyes will be opened for the truth about who He is and why He is returning.
Our professor also told us his story about growing up Muslim and how he became a believer through a friendship with a Syrian Christian man living in North Africa. It was so moving to hear how God was pursuing him and drawing him closer. And of course also troubling to hear about all the struggles he goes through from being a believer in a closed country. Literally any day his wife or kids could turn him in and he would go to prison! Yet he was so joyful, fearless, and inspired by Paul's letters about suffering for your faith. Truly Amazing!
Next we ate lunch with the staff and students one last time before dividing up for some free time. The boys joined some locals on the beach for any intense game of futbol (soccer). The girls walked down to the beach where I got to ride a camel and get my picture with him. I fufilled my goal of sitting on one even if it was a tourist trap on the beach and not hard core through the Sahara! :)
Then the girls went shopping for some last minute souveniers and spices. We also stopped to have tea with a local shop owner named Muhammed.
The group re-convened for dinner at a local restaurant where we all had chicken schwarma. All 11 of us ate for about $4 each. After dinner Kristin and I joined up with thje 2 girl students (Emily and Sara) and their 2 friends (Fatima & Soued) to walk down the "Look at Me Street." This was Hilarious and a great cultural experience. Basically all the young people in the town go to this one street and just stroll. It is great people watching. There were probably 1000 teenages/young adults there but here is the kicker...you just walk and paraade around! You cant talk to anyone for fear that your parents will find out. Both of the girls have secret boyfriends that their family doesn't know about. We got to meet 1 of them but it was literally hi and goodbye. No mingling with the opposite sex. It definitely reminded me on crusing the strip at Panama City Beach or "The T" in Gulf Shores when I was in middle/early high school!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
One For The Team
Really, don't try to understand the quotes listed below.....
"There's a rake in there!"
"I can't pour this any higher!"
"After scoring a touchdown, please don't leave your cleats on the field."
"Not only did I score a touchdown, I recovered the onside kick."
"Not only did I score a touchdown, I got the 2 point conversion."
Jessi's laugh (those of you that know her will understand this one)
"What does that even mean?!"
"Ahhhem!"
"Where are the horses?"
"There's going to be light hiking in North Africa. You've got nothing to worry about."
"That's so zween!"
"God Bless America!"
"I smell fantastic!"
"Harney!"
"You diction well...."
"Seriously, I'm going to wear these pants at my wedding!"
"Another wise word from the sage."
"We just got served running down the mountain by girls in flip-flops!"
"There's a rake in there!"
"I can't pour this any higher!"
"After scoring a touchdown, please don't leave your cleats on the field."
"Not only did I score a touchdown, I recovered the onside kick."
"Not only did I score a touchdown, I got the 2 point conversion."
Jessi's laugh (those of you that know her will understand this one)
"What does that even mean?!"
"Ahhhem!"
"Where are the horses?"
"There's going to be light hiking in North Africa. You've got nothing to worry about."
"That's so zween!"
"God Bless America!"
"I smell fantastic!"
"Harney!"
"You diction well...."
"Seriously, I'm going to wear these pants at my wedding!"
"Another wise word from the sage."
"We just got served running down the mountain by girls in flip-flops!"
Coming Home!
It's our last night in North Africa and we are all just absolutely tired and really sad about leaving in the morning. The great times we had and all the things we learned will always stay with us. Here are some more pics of the funny and special craziness that is our team. We look forward to coming home, but are sad to leave. See all of you soon!
No, we are not doing what you think we are doing........
Yay! My name is Harney! The little burrito is next to our fearless leader who is watching over the squinty blonde. And in the right corner....... C. Little!
The soon to be famous and worldwide "zween" look - A.K.A. "The Zween"
An actually not funny picture of the group who slept out on the terrace while in the mountains
The cistern in an ancient Portuguese city
No, we are not doing what you think we are doing........
Yay! My name is Harney! The little burrito is next to our fearless leader who is watching over the squinty blonde. And in the right corner....... C. Little!
The soon to be famous and worldwide "zween" look - A.K.A. "The Zween"
An actually not funny picture of the group who slept out on the terrace while in the mountains
The cistern in an ancient Portuguese city
Friday, April 4, 2008
Pics Finally
So..... we were finally getting to look through some pictures of our recent travels and have the opportunity to post a couple. Enjoy!
Good Morning
We are up this morning but unfortunately no hot water in our apt. So we are back to roughing it! Today is our last full here and we've got lots to squeeze in. The girls are going to a nice b'fast together. The boys went yesterday. Then we have our 2nd history class. I'll be sure to follow up with what we discuss about the Fitna film. After that free time to go shopping, go to the beach or go to the public hammum. Im hoping to do all 3!
Recap from last night: we all met at Anna's apt and made our own version of American pizzas using North African ingredients. We loaded them on huge trays and took them to the public bakery where there is a community wood burning brick oven. We waited a few minutes while our pizzas cooked and then took them home on the same trays for a pizza party with 3 of Anna's North African friends. They were Karim (26 year old guy who is one of 11 children), Fatima (25 year old girl getting her MBA) and Soued (26 year old girl also getting her MBA). They were all very sweet and spoke excellent English. John had a good conversation about Christianity and Islam with Karim and everyone else had fun hanging out and laughing.
Recap from last night: we all met at Anna's apt and made our own version of American pizzas using North African ingredients. We loaded them on huge trays and took them to the public bakery where there is a community wood burning brick oven. We waited a few minutes while our pizzas cooked and then took them home on the same trays for a pizza party with 3 of Anna's North African friends. They were Karim (26 year old guy who is one of 11 children), Fatima (25 year old girl getting her MBA) and Soued (26 year old girl also getting her MBA). They were all very sweet and spoke excellent English. John had a good conversation about Christianity and Islam with Karim and everyone else had fun hanging out and laughing.
Friday Summary
This morning we woke up and got real American showers in the student apartments we are staying at in the coastal city. We met the student team of 5 that are over here for 3 months. They are ages 19-24 and have done a similar trip as ours just deeper and spread out. We took a tour of the coastal city with our fabulous host for the week, Anna. She has been essential for the success of our trip. It has gone so smoothly and we would have been lost without her. She knows the country well from living here for 3 years and loves the people. It was fun for her to show us her hometown today. We toured the ancient walled in Portuguese City and any amazing cistern that was a well for the city at one point. Today it has really cool reflectuons from the way light shines inside and we got some great photos. We also learned it was used in the movie Sahara.
We ate lunch at the base hosue with all the staff and students and then we went to our 2 houe history class which you can read about below.
We ate lunch at the base hosue with all the staff and students and then we went to our 2 houe history class which you can read about below.
Arab/Muslim Culture and History Class
Today we had our 1st class with a local university professor on Arab/Muslim culture and history. It was amazing and I learned sooooo much. Between the Sharing The Hope seminar and today I've definitely learned more than Ive ever heard before. For example: Did you know that not all Arabs are Muslims? There were actually 3 Christian tribes in Arabia: The Ghassandids, The Lakhmids and The Banu Judham. Also Muslims believe that Arabic is a sacred language. They believe it is what Adam spoke in the Garden of Eden and what God speaks in Heaven?!
We spent some time processing everything we learned today and are sorting through what our responsibility is now that we have this knowledge and have experienced the culture first hand. What is God calling us to do next?!
Our professor also encouraged us to watch the short film called Fitna. It is 15 mins and can be found easily on the web. It was made by a Dutch film maker about the violence in Islam. If you have the time to watch it we would love to know what you thought. Leave us a comment!
We spent some time processing everything we learned today and are sorting through what our responsibility is now that we have this knowledge and have experienced the culture first hand. What is God calling us to do next?!
Our professor also encouraged us to watch the short film called Fitna. It is 15 mins and can be found easily on the web. It was made by a Dutch film maker about the violence in Islam. If you have the time to watch it we would love to know what you thought. Leave us a comment!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Hammum
Forgot to tell you the best part! Last night we finally got to take a bath after 5 days without one! We were not a pleasant smelling group as Im sure you can imagine. Here in N. Africa they only take baths 1 time a week. They go to a public bath house and scrub down with olive soap and any exfoliating mitt. Out hosts in the mnts. Had a private hammum (bath) for us to use. You sit in a sauna like room that is heated from a fire under the floor. You get buckets of cold and hot water to mix and literally pour buckets on yourself! Really neat experience but definitely no room for modesty here! Its truly interesting how people cover up so much in public but then go bathe together! HaHa! We are going to try a public hammum on Saturday!
Limited Access
So it turns out the only real way we have to access the blog is through my blackberry so we apologize for leaving yall hanging the past few days. I think David's post below sums up alot though!
We just arrived tonight in the beach town where we will spend the rest of our trip before we fly back. We are staying in apts. With the students who are over here for a full semester so its been fun chatting with them and talking about our shared experiences. I looked at their website before coming over so its neat to meet them in person.
We took a 3 hour taxi ride here after we spent the day in the touristy town. We mainly shopped and bought too many things to bring back... Our bags are bursting at the seams and probably over the flight weight limit but there are just so many cool things to buy over here! You could almost furnish a whole house and probably get it cheaper by flying over and shipping things back. Our deal of the day were cool handmade glass lanterns for $4!! We also saw snake charmers, performing monkeys and tutrles that are used in black magic spells. The city is definitely dark spiritually. Another highlight of the day was drinking frsh orange juice in the square! AMAZING!!! Yum yum!
Sorry for the lack of pictures - cant do that from my blackberry! When we get back you will see plenty Im sure! I think David has taken almost 1000 already!!
We just arrived tonight in the beach town where we will spend the rest of our trip before we fly back. We are staying in apts. With the students who are over here for a full semester so its been fun chatting with them and talking about our shared experiences. I looked at their website before coming over so its neat to meet them in person.
We took a 3 hour taxi ride here after we spent the day in the touristy town. We mainly shopped and bought too many things to bring back... Our bags are bursting at the seams and probably over the flight weight limit but there are just so many cool things to buy over here! You could almost furnish a whole house and probably get it cheaper by flying over and shipping things back. Our deal of the day were cool handmade glass lanterns for $4!! We also saw snake charmers, performing monkeys and tutrles that are used in black magic spells. The city is definitely dark spiritually. Another highlight of the day was drinking frsh orange juice in the square! AMAZING!!! Yum yum!
Sorry for the lack of pictures - cant do that from my blackberry! When we get back you will see plenty Im sure! I think David has taken almost 1000 already!!
Sorry We've Been Gone So Long
Wow... So much has happened over the past few days--- so I am going to try and send a few emails while we are traveling today... I have three days to write about so here goes...
Monday afternoon--
Our train finally arrived in to our destination at around 5pm. The city is a big tourist destination in the country, and it lies basically in a desert area. At the train station we met one of the family members from the mountian village that would host us for the next few nights. All the guys were pretty excited about going into a secluded area with no running water and roughing it a little bit... the girls were a lot more hesitant. After about an hour and a half taxi ride... We arrived at the first mouintain village. The native people in this village have been here for over five centuries! The sun set when we arrived, so we couldn't see as much... But the landscape is absolutely breathtaking! The home sits on the side of a mountain covered in beautiful flowers and fig trees... As well as cacti. The cacti have these beautiful flowers on them that are beginning to bloom. Below the home in the valley there is a beautiful river that winds around the mountains in the distance.. After a long day of traveling, we had tea and coffee with the family and then had a fabulous dinner in their house. They treated us like they had known us for years. Everything is about family here. Even eating is about family... a certain level of trust is gained when you break bread together here. You share food out of a large community dish in the center of the table. It was getting late, so we shared our favorite moments of the day with each other night, then we went to bed. We were very excited about getting up on Tuesday, because we got to hike deep into the mountains to another secluded village.
Tuesday morning and afternoon---
Happy Birthday Garin! We were all really excited to wake up to the beautiful mountain views this morning. When we got in last night, the sun was going down and we couldn't see as much. We explored around the area for a while before breakfast... I got some georgeous landscape shots with Dad's camera. After having breakfast outside overlooking the river, we packed for our hike to the secluded village high in the mountains. On the way, we went to a nearby town to go to the market... this day was the one day of the month where all of the local villages come to buy foods, spices, livestock, clothes... etc. Goatheads were all over the place. You also would get your haircut this day, so there were a bunch of tents with just barbers. I got some great shots of a donkey parking lot where everyone parked while shopping. After the market, we left to go straight to the second mountain village. We were all laughing on this awesome hike because Mike Penny told us we would do some "light hiking"... Yeah right Penny. The first day hike took five hours and we were at a pretty high altitude!!! One of the girls wasn't feeling well and got to ride on the donkey that was hauling all our stuff. Pretty cool!!!! This trip was such an awesome time for me because it truly required a significant fitness level! We went through many villages along the way crossing rivers and going over other mountain peaks. When we finally made it to the village, it was absolutely beautiful! They have terraced gardens all up the side of the mountain with carrots, figs, oranges, lemons, potatoes, prunes, peas, and my personal favorite... Fava beans. The family took us through the gardens all the way down to the river. We also got water from the community well and carried it back to the house. A couple of our team members helped bake bread and prepare vegetables for the evening's tagine. Of course we don't eat until 9, so our leader took Garin out to do some "chores" while the rest of the team set up a suprise Bday party - with cake! Needless to say he was very suprised when he walked back into the room. Its never wrong to eat dessert first! After indulging in cake, dinner was brought out and again everyone ate together. One notable event was the guys' first experience scoring a touchdown in a squattie. For those of you that know what we mean know how awesome it is.... For those of you who don't, we will explain when we get home. The highlight of the day (although hard to pick just one) had to be sleeping out on the veranda looking up at a perfectly clear African sky. There were millions of stars and quite a few recognizeable constellations - we even saw a couple shooting stars!
I will write about Wednesday and today(Thursday) in a little bit. Thanks for following along!
David and the team
Monday afternoon--
Our train finally arrived in to our destination at around 5pm. The city is a big tourist destination in the country, and it lies basically in a desert area. At the train station we met one of the family members from the mountian village that would host us for the next few nights. All the guys were pretty excited about going into a secluded area with no running water and roughing it a little bit... the girls were a lot more hesitant. After about an hour and a half taxi ride... We arrived at the first mouintain village. The native people in this village have been here for over five centuries! The sun set when we arrived, so we couldn't see as much... But the landscape is absolutely breathtaking! The home sits on the side of a mountain covered in beautiful flowers and fig trees... As well as cacti. The cacti have these beautiful flowers on them that are beginning to bloom. Below the home in the valley there is a beautiful river that winds around the mountains in the distance.. After a long day of traveling, we had tea and coffee with the family and then had a fabulous dinner in their house. They treated us like they had known us for years. Everything is about family here. Even eating is about family... a certain level of trust is gained when you break bread together here. You share food out of a large community dish in the center of the table. It was getting late, so we shared our favorite moments of the day with each other night, then we went to bed. We were very excited about getting up on Tuesday, because we got to hike deep into the mountains to another secluded village.
Tuesday morning and afternoon---
Happy Birthday Garin! We were all really excited to wake up to the beautiful mountain views this morning. When we got in last night, the sun was going down and we couldn't see as much. We explored around the area for a while before breakfast... I got some georgeous landscape shots with Dad's camera. After having breakfast outside overlooking the river, we packed for our hike to the secluded village high in the mountains. On the way, we went to a nearby town to go to the market... this day was the one day of the month where all of the local villages come to buy foods, spices, livestock, clothes... etc. Goatheads were all over the place. You also would get your haircut this day, so there were a bunch of tents with just barbers. I got some great shots of a donkey parking lot where everyone parked while shopping. After the market, we left to go straight to the second mountain village. We were all laughing on this awesome hike because Mike Penny told us we would do some "light hiking"... Yeah right Penny. The first day hike took five hours and we were at a pretty high altitude!!! One of the girls wasn't feeling well and got to ride on the donkey that was hauling all our stuff. Pretty cool!!!! This trip was such an awesome time for me because it truly required a significant fitness level! We went through many villages along the way crossing rivers and going over other mountain peaks. When we finally made it to the village, it was absolutely beautiful! They have terraced gardens all up the side of the mountain with carrots, figs, oranges, lemons, potatoes, prunes, peas, and my personal favorite... Fava beans. The family took us through the gardens all the way down to the river. We also got water from the community well and carried it back to the house. A couple of our team members helped bake bread and prepare vegetables for the evening's tagine. Of course we don't eat until 9, so our leader took Garin out to do some "chores" while the rest of the team set up a suprise Bday party - with cake! Needless to say he was very suprised when he walked back into the room. Its never wrong to eat dessert first! After indulging in cake, dinner was brought out and again everyone ate together. One notable event was the guys' first experience scoring a touchdown in a squattie. For those of you that know what we mean know how awesome it is.... For those of you who don't, we will explain when we get home. The highlight of the day (although hard to pick just one) had to be sleeping out on the veranda looking up at a perfectly clear African sky. There were millions of stars and quite a few recognizeable constellations - we even saw a couple shooting stars!
I will write about Wednesday and today(Thursday) in a little bit. Thanks for following along!
David and the team
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