Tonight I heard the stories of seven; all current residents of Syracuse but from many walks of life and stories between here and Cambodia, Macedonia, Mexico, Onondaga Nation, Cuba, and Sudan. The stage was taken not by actors, but by real neighbors in an interview-based stage production, Tales from the Salt City.
It was a narrative of heritage, adjustment, hardship, joy, and humor which brought warmth to the late-October night with their honesty. I too am settling into life in Syracuse, welcomed by the local voices that “carry us around the globe and bring us home with a more complete understanding of how the world out there is the world right here.”
On a personal note, this comic is entirely too true:
It was sent to me this morning from one of my past roommates at 6:47 am. He now beats my morning routine by about 30-min and I’m sure he doesn’t miss my repeated use of the snooze button before step 1.
For those of you looking for cheap international calls to stay in touch with friends around the world, someone told of this one: jajah.com
It uses existing cell and phone lines; calling both phones and then connecting you. It’s a fraction of the cost and sometimes free depending on the paired countries.
Never turn down the opportunity to go to a kite festival. There was one in Lowville this weekend, a perfect destination during my 3-day break from studies.
Some things just make one happy; perhaps it’s simply the bright colors, the sun, the green grass, the autumn leaves and the blue sky. The only downside was that there wasn’t enough wind to fly the larger house-sized kites. However, it didn’t stop kids from making their own wind by sprinting up and down the field.
I stumbled upon some amazing photos tonight! Within 3-months of visiting my friend Josh and the village communities in Dodoma, Tanzania, they’ve already constructed multiple sand dams to provide a more stable water supply for the upcoming year!
The dams are constructed and owned by the nearby villages with the help of MCC. Village water committees take ownership and contribute resources needed for construction. The design of the dams which hold back wet sludgy sand into the dry season originated in Kenya.
Check out more photos of the construction (and Josh’s new puppy).
It was a narrative of heritage, adjustment, hardship, joy, and humor which brought warmth to the late-October night with their honesty. I too am settling into life in Syracuse, welcomed by the local voices that “carry us around the globe and bring us home with a more complete understanding of how the world out there is the world right here.”
