January 6, 2011

Dear Diary,

"I talked to Ruth (vicar's wife) today about visiting India. All this made me think about what I want, and what I want is to travel. I want to be mobile and self sufficient. 


I want to see things that astound me and make me believe in things unseen. 


I want to swim in rivers, climb mountains, pray in temples, chat with strangers, sleep under the stars and witness a thousand sunsets on a foreign beach. 


I want to live simply and make friends all over the world. 

And I REALLY do want to see the whole world. I want to live with freedom. I want to be the kind of person who is fulfilled in what they do. Someone who wears bandanas like a badass and doesn't care what the world thinks. I want to cut my hair short and dye it pink. I want God to speak to me and be able to recognize his voice when he does. I want to LIVE. 

I'm tired of expectations, biological clocks, judgmental people... I'm tired of doubting myself - I love to write, who cares if I suck? I love it.


God, remind me that I CAN be a certain kind of person. Fill me with courage to make it happen, and contentment in the meantime..." 

Ever wonder what I do here?

So I realized recently I've never really given a detailed account of what I do here on a weekly basis. In the beginning I wanted this to be a sort of public diary about the daily things I'm doing. Instead, I've kind of used it as time to reflect on things vaguely and for that I am sorry. If you've been keeping up with me for a while you will know most of this I think, but for now here is a breakdown of what I do:



Monday - Wednesday




Working as a teachers assistant at a Primary School in our neighborhood. The school is 95% Pakistani Muslims, with some students speaking English as a second language.

Mon: Practice for the church choir we joined - I sang with them at the bereaved parents service I blogged a bout a few months ago.

Wed: A personal bible study with my 90 year old neighbor Betty.

Saleeka on our school trip to Whitby

Thursday

Christian
Photo by Marie Unruh

We run a "Kids Club" for local kids - mostly Slovakian kids who spend their time hanging around the streets.

Photo by: Marie Unruh

Spending time with elderly people at Great Horton UMC - playing games and serving tea.

Friday/ Saturday
Our free days to get involved in something that interests us. We've mostly used these days to get to know Bradford, visit with friends and build relationships here. We've also done other kinds of youth events on these days around West Yorkshire.

Sundays
We spend most of our day attending churches, including the 2 we are connected to here (St. Wilfrid's Anglican & Great Horton UMC)


If you asked me what I've enjoyed the most during my time here I don't know if I could pin point one thing; EVERYTHING has been rewarding. I think the greatest challenge, at the same time the greatest reward, has been working with children. I NEVER desired teaching before, but now I can see why there are so many dedicated teachers out there. Kids are amazing! They are always surprising me. Especially the kids at Lidget Green - they are growing up in so much tension. Can you imagine speaking english all day long, and learnng in a setting completely different to your culture and then going home and speaking an entirely different language? It blows me away the reposinbility these kids have to take on. A lot of the children at our school are the only english speakers in their family, so they are constantly having to be a translator for their parents. For me, working with Muslim children has been the greatest insight into Islam. Everyday after school they go to Madrasa (Islamic school) to learn the Qur'an. Then, the next day they come to school and tell me what they've learned. They understand things so simply... It makes me realize how cluttered I've made my life, and my faith. True, not questioing what you're taught is not always a good thing... but there is somthing to say for living from an orientation of faith rather than doubt.

I will miss this routine more than I can convey to you here...

Catching up...

Well heeeelllllooooo!!!

It's been a while since my last post and SO much has happened - I don't even know where to begin?!

Our team retreat to Ireland was fantastic! We started our trip in Belfast, where one of our partners (Tim Foley) took us around town and told us about the "troubles" and the peace work which has been done since the 20s. He even set up an appointment to talk to a current peace worker in the area. We also took the opportunity in Belfast to catch up with an American Mennonite couple living there for two years. The first night we were there they ordered some pizza for us, and for that we're eternally gratefull. I I don't know if I have mentioned this in previous blogs, but food here in Britain isn't the best. ESPESCIALLY the pizza! I don't know what goes wrong in the pizza kitchens of England, but I have not had one good slice of pizza on this island! So thank God Ireland had some kick butt pizza! Actually, for all I know it was mediocre at best... but to us it was like Italy in our mouths.

On the second day that took us on a long walk through the Catholic/Protestant neighborhoods. It was absolutley incredible walking through "martyr" memorials, old IRA check points and past the HUGE peace wall that seperates the different sides of the city seperated by denomination. (We signed it!) We spent 3 days altogether in Belfast before headin south to Dublin! Dublin was busy with people from all over the world walking along the Liffy and partying at Temple Bar. Marie and I were hoping to grab a Guiness while we were there, but we happened to go over Holy Week (week before Easter) so all the bars were closed! Can you believe it? The bars in Dublin closed! 

"Love Will Win" on Belfast peace wall

From Dublin we went on a 3 day trip through Southern Ireland - Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Killarney, Blarney - all the way back to Dublin. From Dublin we took a bus to Ennis, where we stayed in the best Hostel in Ireland! We spent our last night at a pub listening to the most incredible Irish folk band.
From Shannon airport we flew to London! A few of our friend from Bradford met us and we all checked in to the London Mennonite center. I LOVE the mennonite center! Unfortunately they JUST sold it - but it is a massive house in Highgate with a full library, high ceilinged rooms, a full kitchen and a lovely back yard garden.  Mennonite a traveling through Europe stay there, but mostly the house is occupied by full time staff and volunteers. In any event, the place is beautiful and right next to the tube station so the black line took us straight into downtown London. For Marie's birthday on the 27th we did a self guided tour of Banksy work. If you're not familiar with Banksy, he/she is a spray paint artist who tags buildings all over London anonymously. Nobody has any idea who Banksy is, and he/she has been able to put up every peice of work without ANYONE witnessing it. We had a blast!

The next day was one I will NEVER forget - The Royal Wedding. 

It was the most amazing day... It sounds strange, but the crowds weren't overwhelming, everyone was so friendly, and we had a great spot on the Mall. Plus, I got to share it the friends I've made here. I feel so blessed.

Since then I've been back to school. I really missed the kids and it was fun telling them about the wedding and getting to hear about their breaks. I promise to post something about my time with school soon - ESPECIALLY more details about what I do here. I realized I haven't done a very good job of that. Recently a good friend asked me what it is I do here and 9 months in that's not a good thing...

I thought I'd add one more event -
This past week Marie, Louise (Methodist Pastor) and I went to Epworth, the home of John Wesley. It was absolutely incredible. The history was fascinating, and just knowing I was in the birth place of Methodism blew my mind. Our tour guide did a really good job of humanizing the Wesley's. he told us all the dirty little secrets about the family and all of the good they were still able to do. He kept saying how even though some of the parts of the Methodist story weren't the most ideal, if they didn't happen we wouldn't be where we are now. I realized if it wasn't for those quirky unlikely parts I wouldn't be where I am either. If John Wesley had never done his thing I would still be a Catholic, presumably not into spirituality, I wouldn't have heard about the Mennonites and therefore I wouldn't have come on this year. Funny how thing's work out...

The Wesley House

John Wesley's Bed Spread

Market Corner where Wesley gave some open air sermons

Field on a blue sky leaving Epworth