Identifying your Identity: From Syria to Jordan

            I will be dedicating this post to my dearest friends Meg, Lauren and Aubrey who patiently waited through my research for this. And for those of you who enjoy in depth reading, I have taken all statistical numbers from the “CARE Jordan: Rapid Participatory Community Assessment” written by Kate Washington and Jared Rowell in April of this year, along with a regional analysis done in Syria during the month of May. This is information attained through research and information made available to me through my internship.

            Furthermore, for those of you who are not aware, there is currently a war in Syria: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/world/meast/syria-more-dangerous. Please take a moment to look up its geographical location if you are not already familiar with it. Spoiler Alert: Syria borders the Mediterranean Sea and shares a border with Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel. I also encourage you to look into the war and be aware of what is going on since this is real, current and has affected far too many people.

            When I first heard the number of refugees leaving Syria I was in complete and utter shock. “How could a few protests have escalated to this?” I asked as I sat there speechless. Well, not only did the protests escalate, they came down with such force that approximately 2,417 out of the 5,598 schools have been destroyed or are being occupied for shelter; leaving over 50% of school-age children without an education. Not only that, but 60% of public hospitals have been damaged countrywide in Syria with over 30% of other building either damages or destroyed. This has left around 10.3 million people living in districts with insufficient health services. So forget bandages for cuts, this number accounts for over 2 million people who are dying as a cause of the health situation. As to the children and the elderly, since the beginning of the war over 10,000 children have been killed; and even though an estimated 6% of the Syrian population accounts for those over 60 years of age, only 2.8% of them have been able to escape the situation in Syria. With little to no choice, many have had to make the tough decision of leaving all of their belongings in order to seek refuge in Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.

            Jordan has received approximately 500,000 Syrians seeking refuge in the cities of Irbid, Mufraq, Madaba, Zarqa and Amman. Though their escape sounds like a solution, the suffering does not end there for new problems arise. For example, in Mufraq, a guilty father stated, “My sons are 13 and 15 and I feel so guilty that I am stealing their future—but we have to have money for rent and food!” Due to the increasing amount of refugees arriving in the country, jobs are becoming harder and harder to come by. Syrians are required to pay 275 Jordanian Dinar ($387.72) for a work permit and campaigns by local labor inspectors are being held against Syrians working without a permit. As a result, many household males have become worried about the security of their families due to a lack of income. The cost of living for these families is becoming unsustainable in Jordan and there is limited to no water and heating available to them. Minors are being exposed to exploitation working 12-16 hours for 2 JDs; there is insufficient assistance from NGOs and the irregular food assistance from CBOs is causing a problem for infants in need of milk.

            As an easy way “out” daughters are being given up for marriage to men for very low dowries. Sometimes families are bailed out of camps and promised help after the marriage, never to receive any support from their new son-in-law. Syrians see this new trend as offensive and inappropriate, but in their desperate need actions are made.

            There are other issues that could keep me typing page upon page. Many financial needs need to be met and many hearts healed. But unfortunately, as much provision as they may receive, the memory of the violence in Syria cannot be erased from a child’s mind. And fear of discrimination stands by a refugee’s side every time they step out of their shelters. As a woman in Zarqa describes: “I don’t like to mingle with other people and have them look at me differently when they know I am alone with my children—so staying away from people is better for me.” This was a women left alone to support her children after losing her husband in the war.

            Imagine yourself as a father or mother of five children ranging from 7 to 17 years of age. Both you and your spouse have full time jobs and often complain about a lack of time. Suddenly, you stand in a foreign country with little to no possessions and absolutely nothing to do. Except for the daily 30-45 minute walk to receive your family’s meal portions provided by a local NGO. I don’t know about you, but the lack of activity and constant reminder of desolation would be enough to drive me crazy. Most of the assistance given to the refugees is financial but assistance also goes towards psychosocial activities and positive coping mechanisms to help this issue. Food and shelter is not the only concern for these refugees. Along with their valuables, many have lost their identity and they find themselves in despair with little to no hope. Let me point out that this last sentence was not what I observed, but rather what I heard.  

            Hold on… yup, not a typo. I just said they feel they have lost their IDENTITY. If you have no personal documents, passport, job status or social status then I suppose that makes sense.  Except no, no it doesn’t. What’s ironic is that I have spent the last six months doing a study on the book of Ephesians, which states otherwise; and there I was, standing within thousands of people unfamiliar with the liberating truth revealed in Christ. So picture yourself once again as that mother or father living as a refugee and ask yourself, would you still have your identity in a world where all possessions and status’s are lost? God might not always give us the answers to our questions, the solutions to our problems or the materialistic things we wish for but he always gives us his presence. Accordingly, our identity is to be received by God, not achieved by us because we are not to work FOR our identity, we are to work FROM our identity. We should not allow our failures to drive us to despair because neither our failures nor achievements define who we truly are. Translation: do not let your failures lie to you and diminish your worth.

            As you read this, think about what defines you. Is it your name, school, relationship status, talents, hometown, bank account, friends, hobbies, grades, achievements,  job, etc... Allow your identity to be unshakeable in Christ despite life’s circumstances and let any other attribute EXPLAIN you, not DEFINE you. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so hat no one many boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:8-10.

Still in Amman

            Some of you might be wandering what I’m still doing in Jordan. Well, to answer your question… This summer I have decided to stay in Amman for an Internship with Action Aid’s Global Platform; a Human Rights NGO.  What Action Aid does is target the poor and young to empower them as activists to stand up for their Human Rights. It provides people with the training they need to voice their needs and believes youth should have the power to mobilize social movements. In doing this, the purpose is to empower the people in holding the government accountable as duty-bearers.

            A couple of areas at Action Aid include the Emergency Response Team and the Global Platform. The Emergency Response team is working with refugees in Jordan, specifically Zaatri camp and Zarqa camp near Amman. They are working on a few projects to help tensions between local Jordanians and Syrian refugees along with other projects pertaining to education for the children in the camps. Action Aid’s Global Platform works as the training hub for empowerment in Action Aid. Jordan’s Global Platform trains those working in other areas of Action Aid as well as youth across the Middle East and North Africa for Human Rights activism.

            I have been hired on as a Communication Assistant and am working on documenting their 4-week “Campaign for Change” training among writing weekly personal stories, a monthly communiqué and articles pertaining to the organization. Since joining, I have been assigned quite an amount of work but I am very excited for this experience. In a couple of weeks I have already learned so much about the situation in Syria and other Middle Eastern social movements.

            To learn more about ActionAid and what they do, visit www.globalplatforms.org. You can also find us on facebook by searching “Global Platform Jordan”.

            

Turkey Round Two

After ten days in Germany I traveled back to Turkey not only to pick up my phone but to stay for another week because I was meeting up with my friends Katie Culhane and DJ Cunningham; some friends from my study abroad program in Amman. The first couple of days they went out and visited all the touristy places I had already previously seen. When their museum days were over, my birthday arrived and we celebrated by going to the Istanbul Aquarium. We then ended the day by meeting up with some locals along the Bosphorus for a picnic. The view was great as was the weather and we hung out there until dark. The next few days we took a trip to Prince’s Island for my round two of Island biking and re-visited the wonderful spice bazaar. 

            Week two in Istanbul turned out to be more relaxing than week one so I was able to get a better glimpse of the culture. For starters, getting around without knowing Turkish was a bit tricky because most Turkish people do not speak English or Arabic. We also discovered that they are passionate about soccer as are most Europeans. I experienced two big soccer games in Istanbul and all I have to say is that you are better off indoors on game days. On these days the streets become so flooded with fans to the point that it is impossible for cars to drive down the streets, with out being forced out of their cars to sing the national song.  We also discovered they appreciate trees. As it turns out, big riots broke out in Taksim Square (the area we were staying in) with thousands of people gathering to protest the cutting down of trees in a park near by. The riots got so intense that policemen fired tear gas into crowds of demonstrators. How we managed to live through this without knowing about it until we were back in Amman is beyond me.

            Turkey was an interesting place to visit with its unique European yet conservative feel. Something you won’t find in the Middle East or anywhere else in Europe. Even though the majority of the population is Muslim you will not find a single quiet night down in Taksim, the hub for dancing and celebrating. So if you plan on visiting Istanbul, pack some energy, conservative clothes, and an umbrella for rainy days. Lastly, don’t forget to visit the aquarium. 

Germany

So as some of you know, I studied abroad in Quedlinburg, Germany two years ago and spent a total of 6 months in a small town called Quedlinburg. Quedlinburg is about two hours South-West of Berlin and holds a population of around 20,000 people.  I loved my time in Germany and since leaving, I had a desire and return and visit the people with whom I had built relationships. When I left I was not sure of when I would have the opportunity to return so Skype and letters would have to suffice. So when I found some extremely cheap  tickets from Turkey to Germany and my dad offered to pay for my flight as a birthday gift, I jumped on the opportunity.

            I arrived in Berlin and made my way to Antonia’s place for the night before heading to Quedlinburg; Antonia was my host sister when I lived in Quedlinburg. And before I continue, I have to say that I was beyond joyful when I found out that my friend Josefine who studied at Tech last year would be arriving in Berlin, her hometown, the same day as me. So I would get to see her before continuing on to my final destination.

            Waiting for me at the bus station near Quedlinburg were my friend Anne-Marie Rzymek and her family waiting to pick me up. I would be staying with them during my stay in Quedlinburg and I am forever grateful for their wonderful hospitality. I experienced a family barbeque with them, they fed me lots of ice cream and they took me to see some old windmills in a town near by. When I was not out on excursions with the Rzymek family I took advantage of the time to visit other friends. These included Anne a friend who I used to take walks with on Sundays and has since married and now has a beautiful little girl named Amelie. An Oma Elfi who basically became my adoptive grandma. She had taught me to cook German recipes and invited me over for a great lunch during my return. Memo, a great friend from Mexico who has been living in Quedlinburg since before I studied abroad there. And I cannot forget to mention my visit to Michaela who was my host mom when I lived there. Going back to the place I called home for six months was a bit strange. The first thing I noticed upon entering was the smell of the house. Had I walked in with eyes closed, I would have thought time had gone back two years. After two years the wooden smell of the house remained the same and that fact alone made me feel like I was coming home from class . Everything else around the house was pretty much as when I left with the exception of a moved piano, a new painting on the wall and a completed chimney. Among my many visiting experiences, I had the opportunity to visit an elementary school two days in a row to give a presentation on America during their English hour, and to teach a dance class during their gym class. This came about through Anne-Marie's father who is a teacher at this school. 

            At the end of my stay in Quedlinburg my friend Katharina came from Erlangen to see me for a couple of days. I was beyond grateful that she was willing to make the journey to Quedlinburg and made sure to show her the best spots in town. It was a great last minute decision on her part. Thanks Katharina!

            My short week in Germany was bitter sweet. I had not realized how much I had missed the little things about Quedlinburg until I returned. Walking on the narrow cobblestone streets, hanging out at the park when the weather was nice, meeting at the much frequented cafes with friends and taking a walk up to the castle for a view of the entire town.  All these were once part of my life and now there I was not as a regular, but as a visitor. The hard thing about traveling for extended periods of time is that too many place begin to feel like home and you’re torn between not being able to be at all of them at once. Nonetheless, it’s a great experience to know I can travel so far from home to home. 

Turkey Round One

After a rough week of finals my roommate Ashley and I boarded the plane for Istanbul, Turkey.  The flight was short and the most exciting part was that Melanie (my roommate from the States) would be meeting us at the airport. We arrived at the airport a couple of hours before Melanie and when she finally arrived, I was ecstatic. I have really missed home a lot this semester and seeing her was like having a little bit of home to hold me over to the end of my stay abroad. Our next step was to get to the Simurgh Hostel in Taksim where we would be staying. We arrived pretty late on the night of May 15^th so we settled in, ate dinner and sat down to plan our itinerary for the week before heading to bed.

            Our stay there was spent doing and seeing all the touristy things around Istanbul. We purchased a three-day pass to all the museums, which included the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Chora Monastery and the archeological museum. The pass was a great deal and saves you a lot of money if you want to see all the museums. After three days spent from museum to museum, we took a day trip to the Prince’s Island; a two-hour ferry ride away. Upon boarding the ferry we made a friend by the name of Baderiya. She lives in Miami and was vacationing in Istanbul by herself so we welcomed her to join our trio. After arriving at the Island we had lunch and headed to rent some bikes. The rest of the day was spent riding bikes around the Island, taking pictures and enjoying the nice ocean view with an ice cream cone in hand. It was a very relaxing day and a great break from the busy city of Istanbul. Our last full day in Turkey was spent exploring the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. Both were overwhelming but it was fun to go through the Spice Bazaar with all its different colors and smells. I would personally recommend the Spice Bazaar over the Grand Bazaar for that experience.  

            The last night before departure, Melanie and I decided to pull an all-nighter because we had to leave for the airport at 2:00 a.m. in order to fly out at 5:00 a.m. Unfortunately, my time waiting for my flight was spent calling the Hostel and trying to get a hold of the taxi that took us to the airport because I had forgotten my phone in the Taxi. The good news was that I was headed to Germany for 10 days and would be back in Istanbul for another week after that, before returning to Jordan. Going 10 days without my phone would be dreadful because that meant NO MUSIC! But at least all hope was not lost for the recovery of my phone. Aaaannnd that experience concluded the first week of my stay in Turkey. My first impression of Istanbul was one of awe. I had always wanted to visit Turkey and the food, view or the people did not disappoint me. It is a beautiful place to visit and even though most natives do not speak English, they are very helpful and friendly.

TIPS: Don’t forget your phone in a Taxi. There is not always a recovery guarantee.