A much-needed nap relieves the tension and loneliness, even for a brief hour or two, for a kibbutz volunteer. Her Christian-Arab hostess demonstrates the true spirit of forgiveness.
I can feel and smell those damp wool blankets. They offer no comfort at all. And the last question about squeezing back into your own culture really hits home to me. After four months living in that milieu, you return home a changed person. Your home culture looks so superficial, and banal, and you are neither here nor there. It takes a while for the anomie to disperse... I know. Beautifully written, Sue.
It was weird returning home. My mother died six months before I went to Israel, and during the time I was gone, my sister and father had practically bonded as husband and wife. At least at the companionship level ... I hope. And I couldn't relate to my friends any more and lost many of them afterward. It was an entire turn-around in life for me. I gained a lot during the following two years working at the University, where I met Hoda Mahmoudi, who introduced me to the Baha'i Faith. It was like I had to run the gauntlet of "weird shit" to prepare me to embrace the Faith and have the courage to formally withdraw from the Mormon Church.
I can feel and smell those damp wool blankets. They offer no comfort at all. And the last question about squeezing back into your own culture really hits home to me. After four months living in that milieu, you return home a changed person. Your home culture looks so superficial, and banal, and you are neither here nor there. It takes a while for the anomie to disperse... I know. Beautifully written, Sue.
It was weird returning home. My mother died six months before I went to Israel, and during the time I was gone, my sister and father had practically bonded as husband and wife. At least at the companionship level ... I hope. And I couldn't relate to my friends any more and lost many of them afterward. It was an entire turn-around in life for me. I gained a lot during the following two years working at the University, where I met Hoda Mahmoudi, who introduced me to the Baha'i Faith. It was like I had to run the gauntlet of "weird shit" to prepare me to embrace the Faith and have the courage to formally withdraw from the Mormon Church.