Last weekend King's hosted a Model United Nations conference at the Dead Sea. On Wednesday a very special guest attended sit-down lunch - His Majesty King Abdullah II! Some of the students, mainly the MUN officers, even had the honor of sitting at His Majesty's table along with Dr. Eric. On the following Sunday, the conference concluded with several speeches given by the students who had spear-headed the weekend's activities as well as another visit from His Majesty! King Abdullah commended the MUNers on their incredible efforts and emphasized the importance of our generation's willingness to step up as leaders even at this stage in our lives. His Majesty's eloquence was impeccable and his message was inspiring. It is not everyday that one sees a king in person so you can imagine there was a lot of excitement on the part of the Junior Fellows!
-Kat
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Cement + Love = A Home
Marianna, Sophie, and I recently went on a Habitat for Humanity build in Ghor Al Safi in southern Jordan. Our team was made up of two teachers, another Junior Fellow Sam Verde and eight students. The build fell on a weekend with bad weather causing all of the previously signed up students to back out so on the morning we were supposed to leave eight new students were recruited in their place.
When we arrived in Ghor Al Safi two coordinators, George and Ramel, gave us a quick orientation with information about Habitat in Jordan and the family we were going to be helping and safety guidelines. George explained that the organization loans the local community leaders money to then loan to families. This is sustainable because the money is always paid back.
We started work at the site that afternoon. Our project was to build an addition onto their house so that they would have enough room for the children to sleep. At the site we were joined by two men both named Ibrahim who have construction experience. First we mixed cement that we would later use to build three new walls onto the house. Next came the "brick dancing line" which involved moving cement blocks. I think my arms got stronger from the all the heavy lifting! The family generously brought us tea ("shay" in Arabic) and Arabic coffee while we worked and helped us with the construction. When we began building the walls we were instructed where to scoop cement using our trowels and how to place the blocks. After working for a couple hours we returned to the guest house where we were staying and ate dinner. The family who ran the guest house cooked a delicious meal for us. The rest of the evening we hung out as a group.
The following morning we returned to the site and continued building. After our portion of the project was finished the leader of the local community organization came for the dedication of the house. He said a few words and the family thanked us and we presented a framed photo to the family and told them what a pleasure it was to work with them. Then we gathered as a group to take a photo of all of us in front of the house. At the end the family gave Marianna, Sophie, and I--the only females--presents! We couldn't help but beam at this was an extraordinary gesture of kindness.
I think that everyone came away from these two days amazed at how much impact a seemingly small amount of work can make.
When we arrived in Ghor Al Safi two coordinators, George and Ramel, gave us a quick orientation with information about Habitat in Jordan and the family we were going to be helping and safety guidelines. George explained that the organization loans the local community leaders money to then loan to families. This is sustainable because the money is always paid back.
We started work at the site that afternoon. Our project was to build an addition onto their house so that they would have enough room for the children to sleep. At the site we were joined by two men both named Ibrahim who have construction experience. First we mixed cement that we would later use to build three new walls onto the house. Next came the "brick dancing line" which involved moving cement blocks. I think my arms got stronger from the all the heavy lifting! The family generously brought us tea ("shay" in Arabic) and Arabic coffee while we worked and helped us with the construction. When we began building the walls we were instructed where to scoop cement using our trowels and how to place the blocks. After working for a couple hours we returned to the guest house where we were staying and ate dinner. The family who ran the guest house cooked a delicious meal for us. The rest of the evening we hung out as a group.
The following morning we returned to the site and continued building. After our portion of the project was finished the leader of the local community organization came for the dedication of the house. He said a few words and the family thanked us and we presented a framed photo to the family and told them what a pleasure it was to work with them. Then we gathered as a group to take a photo of all of us in front of the house. At the end the family gave Marianna, Sophie, and I--the only females--presents! We couldn't help but beam at this was an extraordinary gesture of kindness.
I think that everyone came away from these two days amazed at how much impact a seemingly small amount of work can make.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Today the New York Times news alert reads: "Errant U.S. Rocket Strike Kills Civilians in Afghanistan." A recent response to the Peace Day entry from my Aunt Marie has made me consider the surfacing of many issues that did not previously hold any personal connection. One of the students, an incredibly sweet girl named Zarifa, traveled all the way from Afghanistan in pursuit of the best education she could find. Afghanistan's conflicts hold even more weight when you know someone who has come so far-away from their family and friends-to afford opportunities that were voided by these problems. Furthermore, I am reminded of the power of individuals and how critical our attention is to the scale by which we represent each others' actions, because if we don't we are likely to be mislead. On a national scale, today's news tells us that the U.S. harmed Afghanistan but on a personal level, Zarifa and I are very close - we live in the same dorm and I consider her a younger sister. So why do emotion, decency, and humanity often become obsolete in transition from one-on-one to nation versus nation?
-Kat
-Kat
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Mt. Nebo
About twenty-five minutes away from King's lies Mount Nebo, where Moses looked over the Promised Land. We recently went there to see the Holy Land and the beautiful valley created by Jordan's dramatic mountains.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Peace Day 2010!
In honor of His Majesty King Abdullah II's birthday, we helped organize King's Academy's second annual "Peace Day" last Saturday, January 30. This was a particularly special event because we invited students English and Arabic-speaking students from all over Jordan. The day started with two keynote speakers: Captain Dhia Al Azawi and Abdel Rahman Sultan, both from Friends of the Earth Middle East, an organization that brings Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians together to work towards solving common water and environmental problems in the region. Captain Al Azawi spoke in Arabic followed by an English translation by a King's Academy student and Mr. Sultan spoke in English followed by an Arabic translation. It was impressive to see some of the students that we work with step into the role of translator between the two languages (our Arabic is still improving but it's a slow process). Captain Dhia's speech touched on the American occupation in Iraq. Before coming to the Middle East, we had never directly heard from an Iraqi of the antagonism toward the American military. During the speech one of the faculty members from the Salt school interrupted the Captain to tell him to speak in English so that the Americans could hear this message. We were slightly taken aback but it made us think about how we are perceived in the world. After the speeches we split up into discussion groups to discuss the various reactions to the speakers. During the afternoon faculty led workshops on different peace movements and conflict resolution from the South African apartheid to the apology to aboriginals in Australia. Our headmaster, Dr. Eric, planted the first olive trees (the symbol for peace) in our new "Peace Garden." We were blown away by the enthusiasm and maturity of the King's Academy students surrounding these often complicated issues.
-Kat and Marianna
-Kat and Marianna
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