Taking a vacation isn't really fun if you don't have the money for it. Nor is it fun if you are forced to take it without a regard for your personal desire. It is especially not fun if you don't know whether you will be able to return from it, back to the life you know and love. This was the situation for me as I headed to Dahab, Egypt for a few days.
Dahab is a famed alternative resort destination. I found it to be an odd juxtaposition of local Bedouin culture (vestiges of the former fishing village) and the consumerist tourism culture of any resort town anywhere. Dahab was one of the few places I could stretch my savings far enough for me to do the necessary visa run. The necessity of this visa run was created by the complicated dynamic. Although I teach in the West Bank, in an area underneath Palestinian Authority control, my visa and ability to leave and enter the area is controlled by Israel. This makes it extraordinary difficult to get a visa that would allow me to continue to teach my students for the full semester, much less the whole school year.
As I sat on the picturesque Red Sea, trying to enjoy the sun and warm wind, my thoughts always turned to the possibility I would be saying goodbye to Nablus and Deir al Hatab in just a few days. Often volunteers reentering the country are given shorter visas than normal, making it impossible to continue teaching. This sad possibility overshadowed the sunniness of Dahab. I couldn't imagine telling my 50 plus students in the village that I had to leave them. They are no longer just my students. They are my children in a way, my family away from home. I am very invested in each and every beautiful little future.
Today I received the best news possible. I am approved to stay in Nablus for another three months. This news made my travels to Dahab completely worth it. It was worth draining my limited resources. It was worth sleeping in a dilapidated hotel room where the slats were more than present through the thin mattress (the only accommodations a volunteer teacher can realistically afford). It was worth being stranded in a small desert town hundreds of kilometers from my destination due to a 10-day bus strike. It was worth being a single traveler alone in a resort town geared for groups of tourists. Despite the hours of teaching preparation I have to squeeze into one day (tomorrow), I can't wait to see my students and tell them that they get to continue to learn English and that I don't have to leave them yet.
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| Dahab, Egypt |
Dahab is a famed alternative resort destination. I found it to be an odd juxtaposition of local Bedouin culture (vestiges of the former fishing village) and the consumerist tourism culture of any resort town anywhere. Dahab was one of the few places I could stretch my savings far enough for me to do the necessary visa run. The necessity of this visa run was created by the complicated dynamic. Although I teach in the West Bank, in an area underneath Palestinian Authority control, my visa and ability to leave and enter the area is controlled by Israel. This makes it extraordinary difficult to get a visa that would allow me to continue to teach my students for the full semester, much less the whole school year.
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| The moonrise over Saudi Arabia as seen from Dahab. |
As I sat on the picturesque Red Sea, trying to enjoy the sun and warm wind, my thoughts always turned to the possibility I would be saying goodbye to Nablus and Deir al Hatab in just a few days. Often volunteers reentering the country are given shorter visas than normal, making it impossible to continue teaching. This sad possibility overshadowed the sunniness of Dahab. I couldn't imagine telling my 50 plus students in the village that I had to leave them. They are no longer just my students. They are my children in a way, my family away from home. I am very invested in each and every beautiful little future.
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| Driving through the Sinai, enjoying the austere beauty. |
Today I received the best news possible. I am approved to stay in Nablus for another three months. This news made my travels to Dahab completely worth it. It was worth draining my limited resources. It was worth sleeping in a dilapidated hotel room where the slats were more than present through the thin mattress (the only accommodations a volunteer teacher can realistically afford). It was worth being stranded in a small desert town hundreds of kilometers from my destination due to a 10-day bus strike. It was worth being a single traveler alone in a resort town geared for groups of tourists. Despite the hours of teaching preparation I have to squeeze into one day (tomorrow), I can't wait to see my students and tell them that they get to continue to learn English and that I don't have to leave them yet.
So proud of you Vi!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! So exciting, violet! Congratulations, and enjoy your time teaching in Palestine. Those kids are so lucky to have you (and you, them, from what it seems!). :) miss you!
ReplyDeleteAmazing story. You are inspiring!
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