Getting back into the groove

After almost a month of irregular school, Christmas break, and helping out with the Bishop's Academy (which I will write about later), I am back in the groove of school. It reminded me of Christmas breaks in the past...never long enough, and hard to get back into a routine. However, now that I have returned to my school, it is nice to have some semblance of order in my life. These past weeks have been challenging because of the events in Gaza. While I am physically distant enough from Gaza, I find that it is impossible to distance myself mentally and emotionally. This is not necessarily a bad thing...I think that if I were able to do that, I wouldn't be fully present here in Palestine. Throughout the past few weeks, conversations have inevitably turned to Gaza. "So, what do you think about Gaza?" has become a given in most interactions. While I don't think that people are necessarily testing me, I do think that people are very curious to hear what Americans have to say about the issue. I have struggled to find the right words to say. I never know what to say except the obvious...the situation is awful, and it is a tragedy that so many lives have been destroyed. What else can you say? I am frustrated that this tragedy continues and that people are still being killed.
Despite Gaza, life for me is going well here. I have noticed that many of my recent blogs have been about the situation here and not necessarily about other experiences I am having. While it is important to discuss the situation, I think it is equally important to talk about day-to-day experiences and to show that life goes on. I don't what the picture that I am portraying to be one of merely sadness and despair. I want to convey to you all what a complex and fascinating place this is to be. I want to tell the stories of the people I meet, of the laughter and hospitality that I encounter on a daily basis. So, I guess in summary, if the picture I have portrayed through my blogs is a dismal one, it is my fault for not giving equal emphasis to the horrible and wonderful things about life here. I will work on that.