Home

Last night, over makloubeh (a traditional Palestinian dish of rice, veggies, and either chicken or meat--an important distinction here--all mixed together in amazing goodness and topped with yogurt) and toscana pizza (topped with cinnamon, potatoes and carrots...mmmm), I was asked if I feel at home here.

Yes.

I have long realized that my concept of home cannot afford to be limited to one place or region. I have many, many homes-some of them near, some far, some logical, some yet a dream. So what makes home for me?

People are home to me. People to love me, hold me, laugh with me, share their stories and their lives with me. This is so abundant here: in my host family, in the YAGM community, in my co-workers.

Routine is a part of what makes a place home....I have to land long enough to have a rhythm to the place before I consider it home. Here's a glimpse of a day in my life--at least my Monday-Thursday life!

6:00-Wake up! Coffee, get ready for the day, pack snacks for work, along with a sweater (my office is COLD)

6:55-Mad scramble to find keys, get coffee into travel mug, scamper out the door, lock door, navigate down the series of slippery stone stairs, out another door and find myself in the most unique school bus EVER. Exchange morning pleasantries with grandma (Sahbah Ilher! Sahbah Nuur!) as I dash out the door. Samur, the son of my grandparents, is our driver and he, Rand, Rosana, Kamel (my three oldest host siblings) and I set off for Talitha Kumi, picking up more kids along the way. I have to say this: Initially, this trek to school was terrifying to me. The traffic here is nuts, no seat belts, LOTS of kids scampering about while the vehicle is in motion....but as I've gotten used to the hairpin turns and the incessent honking that fills the early morning air, I have come to LOVE this part of my day. No words, just purely wonderful strangeness.

7:15ish-arrive at Talitha Kumi campus, where the Environmental Education Center is housed. My work day doesn't really start until 8:30 or 9, so I typically will sit in the botanical garden and read, journal or just look over the city of Beit Jala and marvel at the fact that I LIVE HERE! Chat in Arabic (sort of) with Ahmed, the gardener/man-of-all-trades at the EEC....we mostly talk about tea and coffee, how each other is doing, and the weather. It's a lovely exchange and Ahmed is always telling me that "Laura, you speak Arabic good!" So affirming!

8:30/9:00-Work work work. My work is different everyday...some days there's a lot of reading or research, sometimes I work on grant applications or write e-mails for Simon. Some of my favorite days are the ones that are spent with Michael, the lead ornithologist at the EEC, who lets me tag along when he checks on the nets and collects data on our feathered visitors. He keeps promising that soon, my name will be in the book as the researcher who will have banded the bird--Inshall'ah (God willing!). Work is lovely-I work with wonderful people and am coming to feel as though I am a part of the EEC family!

4:30-Home again to my lovely rooftop flat. Typically I will sit and drink tea with grandma and grandpa, play with little Rena, and chat with the other kids before I ever actually make it up to my house. Some days I venture to Jumbo or FuFu, two grocery stores, before stopping by the fruit stand on my way up the hill, eager to try a new recipe (admittedly, some of these cooking adventures have been more successful than others!).

Evenings are usually spent cooking, practicing guitar, catching up on Arabic homework, reading, Skype dates, and enjoying having time to just be. Tuesdays I go to my Arabic lesson with Jen, Wednesdays I am hanging out with little ones at Shadia's library in Beit Sahour, so these "free evenings" are actually quite seldom.

It's such a good life. I am feeling as though I know people and people are coming to realize that I've been around for much longer than a tourist would, so I'm starting to not be such an anomally...I'll always stand out and will probably take a long time to master the language, but I'm comfortable and happy here. I cherish the beauty I see as I walk down my street. I love being able to smile and greet the women I meet along the way. I am enjoying the opportunity to cook for myself and get creative with my makeshift kitchen (mini-fridge, microwave, gas stove, toaster, tea kettle, coffee pot). I value a good night's sleep. I love my host family and I just continue to fall in love with this place and these people.

Am I home here? Yes, yes yes.
Do I miss Concordia, Esko, the Great Northwoods of Minnesota? You betcha. But the thing is, if I was any of those places, I would be missing this place, because now I know this place. I am loved here, a part of this place. I can't un-belong here. So, in the midst of being away from home, I'm creating a new home and loving every minute of this beautiful adventure.