Israel Day One

I was given an amazing opportunity to travel to the Holy Land back in February. What began as a passing statement between Spencer and myself became reality and we were lucky enough to bless the life of a Romanian that, probably, would never be able to take this trip on his own. Danny Luca is a Romanian gentleman that has had a huge impact on Spencer's life in Romania and has had an indirect impact on my life. During the planning of the trip Spencer felt called to ask a Romanian to join us and Danny came to mind immediately. It truly was providence that Danny was on Spencer's mind, because Danny had been feeling a push to travel to the Holy Land on his own. Things worked out and I can safely say we each came back touched by the things we saw and feel differently after walking in the steps of Christ.

I have no idea if I will be able to go through every single day and recount what happened, but our (Spencer, Danny and myself) first day was exceptionally memorable for me. We covered so much ground it's difficult to believe how much we were able to see.  We started out with a breakfast of coffee and omelets provided by our hotel (Jerusalem Panorama) and we disembarked. Our hotel was situated just northwest of the outer wall of the old city. We started out with no idea where we were going, we just started walking. Less than half a mile from where we started we were pointed to the Garden of Gethsemane by a couple cab drivers. This is also the area where Mary is believed (instead of typing "is believed" over and over again, let's just assume that whenever I say that it "is" where something happened) to have been buried.

We came up from the Garden of Gethsemane to find the same cabbies there offering tours of the Mount of Olives. We went into a lovely area where there was a church and a grove of olive trees. We then went to a Russian Orthodox cathedral on the hill named in honor of Mary Magdalene (the gold dome of the cathedral is situated directly opposite of the Golden Gates, which have been sealed, but Christ will walk through once he returns). Our tour guide then told us of several opportunities we should take advantage of, the first being a trip to Bethlehem.

He called a taxi friend of his that picked us up. On the way we stopped at the area where Jesus ascended. To keep different Christian groups from fighting over the place, the keys are controlled by a group of Muslims. Inside the gate a concrete structure was erected to protect the spot from the elements. It is an unremarkable building for what took place there. We departed and took our short ride to Bethlehem. The trip to Bethlehem actually takes you into Palestine (where Bethlehem is located). Along the way our cabbie was telling us about the history of the wall separating Palestine from Israel.

Upon arriving, we were shown the entrance of the church that was constructed around where Jesus was born. The front opening is small, this has two purposes. First, is that it detracted people from bring animals into what is considered a holy place. It would be absolutely impossible for a horse to squeeze through the door, which is what they were afraid of. Secondly, there is no conceivable way to enter standing upright. The door forces people to show reverence for the place by bowing as you enter. Inside, behind the alter, is the area marking where Jesus was born and the manger in which he was placed. It is very ornately done, but dark and somewhat difficult to see.

After leaving the church we were taken to a shop that specializes in olive wood carving. There are some absolutely beautiful pieces in the shop. The nice lady that ran the store offered us tea and treated us to lunch of falafel and humus. We purchased some souvenirs and left to rejoin our original tour guide back in the old part of Jerusalem.

We walked the Via Della Rosa from where Jesus was imprisoned, through the stations of the cross (including the areas he fell under the weight of the cross) all the way to the Holy Sepulchre (The Holy Sepulchre is an enormous building built on top of Golgotha). Outside the Holy Sepulchre is the place where Jesus was disrobed and flogged before being crucified. The crusaders built it and it has been built on since that point. We had the timing exactly right, because we entered when there was hardly anyone there. The three of us were able to touch the top of the rock (very moving experience to think that I was able to touch an area where Jesus bled and died, words cannot possibly do the experience justice) and then made our way to the place where Christ was entombed. The part of the trip was probably the most somber, not much was said.

We exited the Holy Sepulchre and parted ways with our tour guide. On that first day we were able to see the place where Jesus was born, where he was before being arrested, where he died and was buried and where he ascended from this realm. All in all, a pretty good day.

My time in the Sicilian mob

I am almost one week removed from my time in Sicily and I have made some conclusions.

1. A week of cultural experiences outweighs a week of seeing the sights. On my last trip to Italy, I was very much left to my own devices. While I had someone to show me around Rome at night, most of the day I was left wandering the city by myself. I saw so many things, I don't remember them all. The draw back has been, I didn't really get to experience Rome through an Italian's eyes. More likely I saw Rome through an American's eyes visiting Italy. This is fine, but Sicily was very different. I was able to stay with a true Sicilian family in Vittoria, travel to homes of others and see more of what the average person would likely miss. I was filled with food, learned how to play with Sicilian playing cards and learned some Sicilian words. To say that I had a good time would be putting it lightly.

2. I need to stop underestimating Italian weather. Two trips to Italy, two cold experiences. Neither one would I consider bad, I just arrived and found myself ill prepared. Both times I left Romania under the impression that I would be going someplace significantly warmer, only to be slightly right. The weather in Sicily was not below freezing, but with the overcast days and it barely reaching 40 degrees, it made it colder than expected.

3. Killing with kindness. I have never eaten so much food over such a short span of time. When Eliseo told Spencer and I that Sicily was about family and food, it sounded like a great idea. Let's get the family together, have dinner and fellowship afterwards. And it is, but I walked away from most experiences feeling like my insides were about to burst. Eliseo's dad is an incredibly nice man with a very short attention span. On more than one occasion we just finished eating and he said, "So, what do you guys want for (the next meal)". I am halfway certain that Eliseo's dad believes me to be anorexic. It was every hour he would ask me if I was hungry. Everyone went out of their way to make sure I was eating as much as possible.

4. Sicily in my mind's eye. Vittoria is an actual city, but we did have the opportunity to have a meal in exactly what I envisioned Sicily to be. We were all invited to Uncle Luigi's (how great it that name) for lunch. We left the city for a small country house, surrounded by fields on both sides and greenhouses across the street. Greeted by two lovely Sicilians that were short and adorable. We had pasta for the first course and a quiche for the second. Following lunch we had the obligatory coffee and played cards for close to three hours. I can't imagine ever having the opportunity to do something like this again.

This may go down as the best trip I took while in Europe.

I've been waiting a LONG time for this one

For the first summer since graduating from Greenville College in 2004 I don't have to worry about my employment heading into the next school year. The relief that accompanies the joy that I have is a difficult thing to explain. The closest feeling accomplishment I have ever had was when the Ohio State University was able to win the National Championship in 2001. Overwhelming peace accompanying a feeling of excitement.

After bouncing around over recent years (South Korea, Dominican Republic, Romania), I am going back to the place that feels as much like home, away from home. Santiago Christian School, here I come. My departure from the school took me on an unexpected journey, but my heart has never really left the people and students from that school. 

I had initially left to ensure that I would be able to return and teach in Ohio after my travels came to an end. While I was unable to secure my licensor for the future, I was hit with the realization that I don't necessarily want to teach in Ohio. While I love the people back home, my horizons have been broadened to the point where it is difficult to enjoy the slow paced Ohio lifestyle. It's a wonderful place to be filled and refreshed on short visits, but is difficult in large doses.

I return to SCS in a slightly different capacity than last time, taking over the computer science position. A position that has laid unoccupied since my friend Ben left to become the P.E./Athletic Director. I am so excited to be heading back to a place that I feel completely comfortable working in, with the kids, teachers and administration. While I don't know the capacity with which I will be completely used, I am pleased as punch.

As more information becomes available, I will let everyone know. So, two months from now I need to be considering changing the name of this blog from "Drew in Romania" to "Drew in the Dominican Republic".