Thursday, October 11, 2007

Fall Break?

The end of the month of Ramadan is swiftly approaching, and there is more celebrating to come. The end of this unique month is known as Eid, and I still don’t know exactly what the holiday marks (besides the obvious, that Ramadan is over) since there is another Eid holiday in December.

Anyway, there is a break from school. There is an entire week off school!

Since I have never been out of the school world (think about it—I have never not been in school either as a student or a teacher lo these years on earth!) I have always enjoyed some kind of Fall Break. In my Public School Life (proudly a product of Cincinnati Public Schools, Grades K-12—I wonder if I would be so proud to say that now if I were a recent graduate, and I wonder if the product, well, I should not disparage that which I do not know first-hand) Fall Break was called Columbus Day.

As I moved to the Private School Life (everything since Grade 12, in terms of my schooling and my teaching) it was generally called “Fall Break.”

I remember vividly the first Fall Break in college—I got to go home and see my family! It had been about six weeks since they dropped me off at Denison, and I loved the long weekend in Cincinnati. I remember vividly the first Fall Break as a teacher, just four years later, at Gaston Day School in Gastonia, North Carolina. My new friend Jim McIntosh invited me for a drive up to the mountains near Asheville, NC for the day off. I remember seeing for the first time an Appalachian autumn—God does good work…

There have been other Fall Breaks to be sure, usually an extended stay in Manhattan, usually crammed with desperately writing college recs (the gift that keeps on giving to steal that famous phrase) and usually grading papers. Once in a while it did involve that quintessential trip for a day/weekend to New England (most notably with the brother-in-law of your dreams Steve and sister Elizabeth to go see Chuck in Vermont). But usually more of the writing/grading scenario.

Last year, in October 2006, I had my splashiest Fall Break. The Enszer family—I think I ordered them from the catalog of “Great Families to Love and Teach”—invited me down to Dallas, Texas to visit them. All three of the children (okay, when the youngest child owns a gorgeous house, has a wife that could organize the State Department, and has a job that requires words I can’t pronounce, it may be time to adjust the wording) had moved to Texas, and long since married. I had had the distinct honor to sing in each of the Texas weddings (and I believe I Texas-Two-Stepped at all the receptions. You know, I am not sure if everyone else was doing the Texas Two-Step, but I was!). They invited me down to celebrate my birthday, show me what temps are like in Texas in October, and spend time honoring my mother’s passing. Spending time with the Enszers (any of them—all of them) is among the greatest gifts on earth. That’s a Fall Break!

Okay, I am doing a different Fall Break this year. But since I don’t want to tarnish the image of Fall Break ’06 I will call this break by its Muslim name: Eid. It begins at sundown tonight. And I have off from teaching until Sunday, October 21 at 7:55 a.m.

And I am going to Africa.

I heard Route 7 going north to Vermont is just too clogged with leaf-peepers.

I did not even know about this break until I arrived here in Jordan. What to do? Do I go home so soon? I went home at this time of year as a freshman in college. Would a group of strangers plan a trip together? Oh, the questions that one can have swirl around and muddle the brain!

The first serious plan was to spend the week with my friend Sharon. Some of you may know Sharon from Denison, or perhaps you have heard my dramatic pronouncement that “Sharon is in my Travel Hall-of-Fame”—she is in that rarified group that makes any trip, any where, exciting, magnificent, memorable. You must get to know her, if you do not. Sharon lives in Budapest, Hungary with her fabulous family, and I visited them in that Magyar Wonderland in the summer of 2006. Sharon thought we would “do” Istanbul this Eid.

Then a group of faculty started talking about going on safari. Is this a word you ever associated with me? Safari? Those safaris take place outdoors, right? Not in an art museum comfortably near a café with elegant meals? With Humidity? And Bugs?

Hey, I moved to the Middle East—why not? It’s just a short flight to Africa from the new digs. I also talked a couple of the younger faculty into going…there are eight of us going.

Sharon was gracious as I begged out of our Turkish plans—“We’ll have lots of chances to roam around in Istanbul!” and I agreed, and plunked down the Jordanian dough for the safari. (Actually, it is just in the last two days that a better understanding of the Humidity and Bugs came to me from a new friend from Africa! That is why I capitalized Humidity and Bugs.). Why not! My family jokes that my mother would famously announce, “I’ll go” to an offer to go a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e!

I was not in charge of the planning, so I have only the vaguest idea what I am doing in a few hours! I know that when I go to bed tonight, I will be in Dubai, a place I have never been (in the United Arab Emirates) leaving tomorrow for Nairobi, Kenya, a place I have never been, embarking on an adventure that I hope I am game for (get it? game? As in Big Game? I slay myself!)

I had to get some shots. I had had a bunch of shots in June to come here but why not endure a couple more shots. In order to enter Kenya, you have to have a certificate in hand that proves you have had a Yellow Fever shot. Since it is Ramadan, the office for the shot in the Ministry of Health is open about 90 seconds a day—I jest—it is open for 90 minutes a day. We all trooped into Amman for the shots (oh, they don’t like to use alcohol here for antiseptic before the shot? Oh, well, it certainly surprised you when the shot is over a little faster!!) and trooped back.

Yesterday I had to make a special trip into Amman with Sam for the anti-malaria pills (see yesterday’s blog for a little more on that). This is like a scene out of a Dickens novel. It is the Malaria Annex of the Ministry of Health (seriously) and it is basically non-descript, and the best I can say is, dingy (or dubious). Even Sam, with whom I have shared many other trips, said, ”Mr. John, this place is miserable.” You make the rounds, get the stamps, get the looks, and finally you buy the six malaria pills.

Dawn is breaking over the campus right now. The safari will be like the trip-on-the-donkey at Petra I imagine—just for six days. But I gotta try it. We start the safari on Saturday, going to Masai Mara—“one of the world's finest wilderness areas - home of the `big five' - elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard and, in particular, the black mane lion - and an extension of the Serengeti plains famous for the spectacle of the annual migration of thousands of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti,” to quote from the website.

The other day I could tell my father wondered if I was going to ask him to come over and help me put up the tent in Kenya. He would probably bring along the duct tape and a couple hangers in case there were any problems.

I called my friend Anne last night to tell her some details about the trip (she immediately went on-line to tell me things I would see, the colors, the tribes, the animals—Anne would love this trip) and as the call came to a close she said, “Be safe. It’s a jungle out there!” Who could resist that line!!

We leave today to spend the night in Dubai, flying from there to Nairobi tomorrow, and then return on Saturday morning, October 20.

I don’t think Kenya is wired for internet access, so this will be the last blog entry until I return from the safari, inshallah.

Many thanks.

2 comments:

Mary said...

Johnny,
I am soooo excited about your safari adventure!!! I haven't had a chance to tell you about mine, I guess. When I was in Zimbabwe on my mission trip, we spent the last two days on safari in Botswana at Chobe National Park. It was sooo amazing!! We saw many hippos, giraffes, water buffalo, a spotted leopard(very rare sighting!), monkeys, crocodiles, kudu, impalas, and on and on. I have some amazing pictures with my new digital camera. It was the dry season and their winter when I was there so no problems with bugs, thank goodness. We need to talk when you return. Call me. I love your mother's philosophy--it is mine as well. My bags are always packed. I have always wanted to visit Kenya so I can't wait to hear all about it. I know you won't read this until you return, but know that I am thinking about you the whole time you are there....and hoping it is glorious. Take advantage of every opportunity to see things while you are there in Jordan--as I know you will!!!
Love you much,
Mary

NancyT said...

John,
I just found your blog today, after seeing an article about Kings Academy that was published in Time.com. I love reading your posts -- I can almost hear you saying them! I can't wait to hear about your experiences far from Tarrytown!
Nancy T