Sunday, September 28, 2008

Reflections of Being Elsewhere

Today I have had a lot of time to think:

I will have been away from home for 5 months on Wednesday - two more months to go before being home (forced volunteer). I have also figured out that in my current job, I have been away almost as much as I have been home (sigh). My roommate, who moved into the house a year after I purchased it, has lived in the house longer than I have.

I also have to say that this trip has been a lot easier emotionally than previous trips, but I think it goes without saying that many people become sad when they can't spend Christmas with their families - and even more so when they are alone. Well, same goes for many of us who follow the Messianic realm of "religion." As all my close friends begin to prepare for the "high Holy days": namely Rosh Hashanah this week as well as Yom Kippur and Sukkot the rest of the month, I find myself wishing I could be home with them celebrating (especially for Sukkot).

Every year for Sukkot, we pick someone's in the groups' backyard and we all camp out all week - all together in the backyard. We share meals, stories around the campfire, tents, and genuine fellowship while we reflect on the Biblical pilgrimage the Israelites took from Egypt. We get up in the morning and take turns getting ready for work, etc (on days that aren't Sabbaths) - I just go to the gym before work and get ready there.

Anyway, as crazy as it sounds to some - I'm really sad I can't take part in that with my group this year... And I'm really looking forward to having a job where I can take off my religious holidays or at least be home during them. -Because jobs where you have to start over every fiscal year (Oct 1) with no vacation and your religious holidays fall right after that and are not "Federally Observed Religious Holidays" SUCK!

2 comments:

~meredith~ said...

Amber, hey. I went private (because it's the "thang" to do-lol) so I need your email address to invite you to read, if you don't mind. ;)

You can email me at merelynn0305@yahoo.com

:)

Tyly said...

Cool!

I hope you don't associate me with any negative stuff, because I don't know what all was said about me by people that weren't my biggest fans. Miguel (or "Aaron", as he renamed himself) told a lot of vivid stories and turned out to be a very different person that I thought he was. What he did to Kenya is enough to prove that.

Anyway, I know that was way too much of a blast from the past, but I just wanted to make sure you didn't have any bad preconceived notions of me. I'm actually a really cool chick! Lol. :o)