Much has passed since our time in Jerusalem. Although Israel and Oman are
definately more similar culturally than the United States and Oman,
differences are still clear. In Israel, although I knew I was in a
different country, I did not feel out of place. In Oman, I, and every
other Westerner, sticks out like a sore thumb. I learned the true meaning
of discomfort a few days ago when we entered a market in a small Omani
village on our way to the desert, dressed in short, T-shirt, sneakers, or
in my case, Mercersburg plaid pants. In a country where men wear white and
women wear black, the pink, white and baby blue patchwork must have been
quite the sight. I could feel head turn towards me, every eye on me, and
never have I wanted more to be invisible (or hide behind a burka). Despite
this, I cannot say that I have found the Omanis to be unfriendly. On the
contrary, I have felt tolerated, if not always welcome, and definately
safe.
After the experience in the market, I was happy to hop back on to our air
conditioned bus and continue our ride to Wahiba Sands. The two days we
spent in the desert were definately a lot of fun. Our bus dropped us off at
a rest stop about away, and we were then driven to the camp in SUVs. We
spent the most of the day generally relaxing until we were brought up to
one of the higher dunes to watch the sunset. When we returned, we sat
around a camp fire singing. Our guide, Ali, shared some traditional
Bedouin songs with us, and we tried to sing along without much success. We
had been warned about how cold nights could get in the desert, but I was
still surprised by the rapid change in temperature. Although the sun is
unforgiving during the day, the evenings are comparatively very cool. The
following morning, we went camel riding; it was fun - actually not much
different from riding a horse. Unfortunately, we had to leave shortly
afterwards. We spent the rest of the evening with our host families in
Muscat.
This morning we visited the Grand Mosque in Muscat, and then we did some
more shopping at the souk. The actual Symposium started this afternoon. So
far so good. I am curious to see how it will all unfold.
Today we had the opportunity to visit the city of Jerusalem. Although we
would have liked to visit Bethlehem, we were not able to, as it lies in
Palestinian territory. Therefore, we went to a a hill overlooking the
town instead to take some pictures. This further emphasized the
significance of borders, whether cultural or official, in the region.
Next, we went to the Israel Museum of Jerusalem, where Mr. James Snyder, a
Mercersburg Alum, gave us a tour. Unfortunately, we were could not see all
of the Museum, because much of it is under construction. Then, we
rushed off to the Western Wall. There, our guide Dovev, brought us through
the Western Wall Tunnel, an underground passage running along the Western
Wall and underneath the Muslim quarter. We were also able to see the
Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, above ground. It was a truly
moving experience seeing the hundreds of people crowding around what is
left of the Temple, offering up their prayers. The sheer variety of
people, from Orthodox Jews with fur hats to tourists with paper yarmulkes,
was amazing. After lunch, we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchure. It
was interesting to see the different styles represented by the different
sects of Christianity that occupy the Church: the Roman Catholics, the
Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Orthodox and the Coptic Christians. We
finished the day shopping in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters.
Unfortunately, I found that by bartering skills left much to be desired...
Summer is proving to be just as hectic as the school year!
This June I was in Washington DC for the National Youth Leadership Conference (NYLC). The program was intense, and I slept even less than I do at school (that's saying something) but I have no regrets. Between visiting historic monuments, hearing from panelists, preparing for Model Congress and meating new people there was never a dull moment. The most interesting panel discussion was between an NRA rep. and a lawyer from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Coming from Philadelphia, I had always thought of guns as something to be avoided at all costs, and I had never considered the NRAs point of view, but the rep. raised some interesting questions about what the Constitution has to say about the issue. The highlight of the trip was seeing Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. Although neither of them was able to spend much time with us due to their busy schedules, Senator Casey spoke to us outside of the Capitol between sessions. I was not able to meat with my Rep. but I was able to speak to some of the staff in his office. I also enjoyed the national aspect of the program. I met students California to Connecticut. I was told I have an accent by someone from Arkansas, and I even learned how to pronounce Missouri correctly.
The day after NYLC ended, I flew off to France for two weeks. First stop, Paris. Second stop, Marseille and Aix - en - Provence. Athough I had never gone to France every year since I was born, I had never been to the South. Both cities were beautiful, but I still prefer the comparitively dreary Alsace - Lorraine and Burgundy. Plus, I don't really care much for the sun, so the Meditterranean is not the place for me. Then came the seven hour train ride up to Metz, a town in the northeastern corner of the country, close to Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium. As usual, it rained the whole time I was there, but I was happy enough to get away from the heat. There, I visited my grandparents and my other relatives. My grandparents live in a small town called Moyeuvre - Grande. Moyeuvre - Grande was once a booming industrial hub, its economy feuled by mining and manufacturing. After the mines and factories shut down in the 80s the town died, and now all that is left to recall its former glory are soot covered houses. Finally, I spent a few more days in Paris before flying home.
Sometime in the middle of the school year, when I was feeling ambitious, I decided to take Geometry lessons during the summer, so I could jump staight from Algebra 1 to Algebra 2. It seemed like a good idea at the time...but I am finding that "Geometry lessons" and "relaxing" are not compatible activities. I tell myself that soon it will all pay off, but I would still rather be, say, at the pool. I guess all planes weren't created equal.
Greetings! My name is Lorraine, and I am a 9th grader (or "Junior" according to Mercersburg lingo) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and I am also a French citizen.
The recent French elections have been keeping me interested. My personal favorite, Phillipe de Villier was eliminated by the preliminary election, but oh well! Now that the race has been narrowed down to socialist Segolene Royal and the more right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy, I am curious to see who will be elected as the next French President.
Last Tuesday, my roomate and I went to see jazz pianist Joe Utterback perform at our Burgin Center for the Arts. He was amazing, and we both enjoyed the performance. My roomate and I have completely different personalities and completely different philosophies, yet somehow, not only have we managed to go through the year without any major conflicts, but we have also become good friends.
That Friday, I got to skip classes to help with a Model UN conference for Middle Schoolers that was organized by 12th grader Chuck Roberts as his Senior Project. Although I am a member of the Model UN club, I had never attended a conference, so that was an interesting experience. After watching thirty some students discuss the prospect of a nuclear war and the steps that should be taken to avoid such a disaster for six hours, I can just imagine how difficult finding to real solutions to real problems could be.
This weekend, I went to a game at Notre Dame Prep with the JV Boys Lacrosse Team as their manager. Traveling to different schools is always fun, and so are the post-game stops to fast-food restaurants. Unfortunately, we lost, but I am hoping that our scores will improve as the season progresses.
All of these extracurriculars, on top of my classes and such, have are making for a busy Spring Term, but I rather be a bit to busy that too bored. Spring Term seems to be hectic for everyone. As a lowerclassmen, trying to peice together a tentative schedule for the next four years that will enable me to recieve all of my graduation credits has been challenging, but luckily there are alot of people around to help.
Well, I better go tend to that growing stack of homework I have been trying so hard to ignore!
A plutard!
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