Oct. 2-3, 2001-Children Here are Surrounded with Love and Acceptance-and the Monkeys Were at it Again
Well, it is actually October 3rd but I am writing up a letter about yesterday...first I thought I wouldn't doit since I have no desire to do anything right now...just heard the news about Aley Sinai (the settlement one of my daughters lives in). The place was attacked by terrorists last evening (my mother already wrote to let me know they are OK) and many people were injured and 2 people killed. My daughter's best friend and neighbor and her husband were injured and are in hospital. I am really feeling depressed that I am so far away at this time but will call them soon... wish I could talk to them...this is hard.
But since the letter is already written and I have just have to copy it...have decided to stay up to dat ewith my letter writing so here it is...
October 2nd
How I wish this was just the beginning of my stay here! Been meeting lots of local foreigners who live here and it is really a nice community. Today I have to put together a package to send off. Decided not to buy any crystals here. Will do it at home or next time I come or maybe just get some colored ones regardless of type and see...need to learn more first about them.
Next met this Dutch lady (who lives all the way up in the mountain - I will be going up on Sunday to visit her with Kelly...he says it is an easy 1 hour walk!)and met her together with Kelly for lunch and he arranged a surprise for her. A girl who left here pregnant 2 "seasons" ago came back today with her 1 year old 1/2 Tibetan daughter (she's Swiss) and they came in and surprised her in the restaurent. You should have seen the tears. These people have all been here for around 10 years. They finally convinced me to hike up to visit her so on Sunday Kelly will take me
I will not go up the mountain again today as it is overcast and looks like it may rain. Tomorrow I MUST do it (I DID it and will write later about the hike!) This girl with the baby says in Switzerland no problem to give the baby hep. A and B and thypoid shots at one year old and baby looks fine to me.
Today I really saw the community way babies are loved here. In the restaurant everyone there watched and played with this little girl-already walking-and since she is used to this she was happy with all the attention...and men, young and old were just as involved, if not more so, than other women. it is absolutely a beautiful way for a child to grow up so surrounded with acceptance and love. It reminded me of Shaked (my granddaughter) running around in a restaurant we all came to following my son's Shai's"tekes" (swearing in ceremony for the Army) but there she was sort of "in the way" and not really accepted and if she had done the same thing here in THIS restaurant-everyone would have considered her the highlight of their day and smiled and laughed and picked her up and played with her... What a difference in approach..no wonder all these people are so calm and relaxed despite their difficult lives and the children always smiling. Come to think of it, I've neverheard a child cry or whine or a parent shout or scold here.
4 PM..The funniest thing just happen.. Was sitting out on the terrace as I do most afternoons just reading and eating fruit and almonds and pistachios when a monkey came right up to me and like some of the beggars in the street stuck his hand out as if demanding he be given something. I shooed him away when all of asudden I realized that they were all around, up on top of the roof etc, So I got up to take the stuff inside and they kept watching as if waiting for something to drop and slowly closing in on me. I was really scared...but I'm in the room now and all is well!.. Now one just tried getting into my barred window!! what chutzpah!!
Well, that's the letter for today...I wanted to write about my hike...that was my intention in coming down to the e-mail...but need to absorb the news about Aley Sinai right now...
Hopefully will write tomorrow about this most exhilierating feeling of having dispelled a long held myth I believed about myself.
But since the letter is already written and I have just have to copy it...have decided to stay up to dat ewith my letter writing so here it is...
October 2nd
How I wish this was just the beginning of my stay here! Been meeting lots of local foreigners who live here and it is really a nice community. Today I have to put together a package to send off. Decided not to buy any crystals here. Will do it at home or next time I come or maybe just get some colored ones regardless of type and see...need to learn more first about them.
Next met this Dutch lady (who lives all the way up in the mountain - I will be going up on Sunday to visit her with Kelly...he says it is an easy 1 hour walk!)and met her together with Kelly for lunch and he arranged a surprise for her. A girl who left here pregnant 2 "seasons" ago came back today with her 1 year old 1/2 Tibetan daughter (she's Swiss) and they came in and surprised her in the restaurent. You should have seen the tears. These people have all been here for around 10 years. They finally convinced me to hike up to visit her so on Sunday Kelly will take me
I will not go up the mountain again today as it is overcast and looks like it may rain. Tomorrow I MUST do it (I DID it and will write later about the hike!) This girl with the baby says in Switzerland no problem to give the baby hep. A and B and thypoid shots at one year old and baby looks fine to me.
Today I really saw the community way babies are loved here. In the restaurant everyone there watched and played with this little girl-already walking-and since she is used to this she was happy with all the attention...and men, young and old were just as involved, if not more so, than other women. it is absolutely a beautiful way for a child to grow up so surrounded with acceptance and love. It reminded me of Shaked (my granddaughter) running around in a restaurant we all came to following my son's Shai's"tekes" (swearing in ceremony for the Army) but there she was sort of "in the way" and not really accepted and if she had done the same thing here in THIS restaurant-everyone would have considered her the highlight of their day and smiled and laughed and picked her up and played with her... What a difference in approach..no wonder all these people are so calm and relaxed despite their difficult lives and the children always smiling. Come to think of it, I've neverheard a child cry or whine or a parent shout or scold here.
4 PM..The funniest thing just happen.. Was sitting out on the terrace as I do most afternoons just reading and eating fruit and almonds and pistachios when a monkey came right up to me and like some of the beggars in the street stuck his hand out as if demanding he be given something. I shooed him away when all of asudden I realized that they were all around, up on top of the roof etc, So I got up to take the stuff inside and they kept watching as if waiting for something to drop and slowly closing in on me. I was really scared...but I'm in the room now and all is well!.. Now one just tried getting into my barred window!! what chutzpah!!
Well, that's the letter for today...I wanted to write about my hike...that was my intention in coming down to the e-mail...but need to absorb the news about Aley Sinai right now...
Hopefully will write tomorrow about this most exhilierating feeling of having dispelled a long held myth I believed about myself.
posted by Jane @ 11:23 PM
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