Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Hopelessness revisited.... If you haven't seen this news yet, a suicide bomber in Gaza killed at least 16 people on a bus today.  I go through cycles on how much attention I pay to the Israel-Palestine situation; very generally speaking, I am pro-Palestinian in the conflict, at least insofar as the only thing I think is black and white is that the Israeli settlements are an atrocity.  Of course, the terrorism is infuriating and Arafat is a thuggish sham.  I have a short attention span as it relates to the whole situation; I perked up last week when news reports started talking about new hope, due to Bush's increased involvement.  But the fact is that there is no hope there.  The radical Jewish settlers will never leave.  The radical Palestinians do not want a peace plan, they want Israel to end, and they will accept nothing less.  Because of the willingness to use violence and oppression to derail the peace processes, there is no hope of  resolution.  There is no hope of peace. So I'll stop paying attention again soon, other than to read the headlines, and shake my head sadly as the body counts continue.  We have friends going to Jerusalem in a few months; I just hope they'll be safe. 9:31:24 PM    Let's hear it. []

Going Home We're now less than 36 hours from leaving Tunisia, almost certainly forever. I can't believe that we arrived here ten months ago. Ten months, of course, isn't an eternity, and we'll be in Dubai for two years. But this is the first time in my life I've been outside of the U.S. for more than five weeks. And in comparison, ten months is an awfully long time. A lot has happened in that time. Reeve's birth is, of course, the biggest thing for me. I also got started with Hyperbole, which has also become a pretty tremendous part of my life. Some of the biggest changes, though, I can't yet grasp entirely. The intangible changes in me as a person are slower to be recognized. Am I more appreciative of the world outside of the U.S.? Or less so? Will I feel like I'm returning home Friday? Will I feel like an outsider looking in? Has a year abroad as a stay-at-home-dad made me see things differently? I don't know the answers. The single biggest reason why I am chomping at the bit to get to the States is that I am anxious to see how my perspective has changed. How will the US seem different? I predict that I will really appreciate the organization of the U.S. as well as the relative cleanliness. I imagine I will also find it to be really fast-paced, and perhaps uptight. I expect to marvel as I remember the easy availability of products and services and now have a comparison point. It will seem big. Sharing this back and forthing between countries with children is an entirely different part of the equation. Reeve is certainly too young to care about the fact that she's never been in the U.S. Mercedes professes to be very excited to go to Washington and then to Kansas, but she doesn't really know what any of that means. But I am anxious to see what they will be like they grow up in this lifestyle. We've talked to some Americans here whose children want little more than to move back to Washington, where the food is better and the TV is infinitely superior. On the other hand, we know other kids who really dislike going back, because the schools are inferior and the kids are snobby. Which will our kids be? In part, it will depend on their ages--thirteen year old girls will complain about everything. It's an exciting event, coming home for the first time after being abroad for this long. I can't wait. I'll have a lot to report, I'm sure. Try to contain your earnest excitement. 8:53:14 PM    Let's hear it. []