Hey, everyone. How are we doing this morning/evening? It's 8:33 AM over here and I thought I'd let you all know what I'm up to before heading off to do whatever it is I'm doing today (I don't know what it is yet).
I'm watching BBC World News right now and apparently the governments of Sudan have come up with a peace initiative. Of course, that is still a long way from anything actually happening but it could turn out to be a promising situation. Or it could make things worse. We'll see. I was talking to one of the Sudanese guys last night named Joseph who I've been able to get to know lately. He was telling me about a lot of the politics between North and South Sudan and why they've been fighting and what it means. He showed me the scar on his leg from when he got shot in the same fight in which his father was killed. I guess joining the military is compulsory in Sudan after one completes secondary school which, according to Joseph, could be as early as 13 years old. Amazing. He said IF you survive the three years of military service, THEN you can attend a university. The problem being that that usually entails leaving the country to get any kind of decent higher education. It's why he ended up here in Israel but now he hasn't been able to go to school because he can't afford it. Israel doesn't offer much help to Sudanese refugees and now Israel is even trying to kick the Sudanese out of some places. Tel Aviv, for example.
My grandparents have pointed out to me that I still have yet to really give any details of my trip. I guess I didn't even think to share the what, who, when, where, etc. Oops. The guy pioneering the work here is a man named Eldon. He's originally from Cincinnati but has lived in Israel for nine years, I think. He lives here in Arad with is wife Lidia in a house they just moved to before I arrived. The other volunteer is Kyle and he's from Arizona. He'll be here for a total of nine months and has already been here for almost two. Before he came here, he was attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado. So, Kyle and I live in part of the upstairs of the house and Eldon and Lidia live on the bottom floor. Eldon rents out the rest of the upstairs for church retreats and that kind of stuff but if he gets any more volunteers, he might just use the whole upstairs for volunteer housing. Right now we have two centers - one here in Arad and one in Tel Aviv. I haven't been to Tel Aviv yet but have just been working at the center here. And by "working" I mean I've been hanging out there and getting to know the Sudanese and teaching English.
Arad is pretty small so it doesn't take too long to walk places but I can also take the van because my U.S. driver's license lets me drive here. I think if I end up going to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv much I'll just take the bus because it's WAY cheaper than gas. Plus I wasn't so much a fan of the traffic in Jerusalem. Driving here is completely nuts. There are rules but apparently they are rarely enforced and, therefore, never followed. It kind of adds some adventure to it, though. I'm not complaining.
Okay...that's all I have at this point. I'm too distracted to do this right now. Sorry, buddy. If I missed anything, let me know. But that should kind of give you a better idea of where I am, who I'm with, and what I'm doing. Love ya!
.Timothy
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1 comment:
Good Morning Tim, you are a good grandson, thanks for the information. What you are doing sounds just like the things you like to do here, loving on people. I'm proud of you. The bus sounds like a good idea. Do they drive on the right or left side? Keep the blogs coming they are great and the first thing I check for each morning.
LOVE YOU@
Grandma ps. I signed this because I don't have a clue about the whole identity thing, I'll have to ask your grandpa.
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