MESP UPDATE

e t a d p U

Photo credit: Christopher Di Trolio

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 FROM STUDENT TO INSTRUCTOR: A JOURNEY WITH ARABIC

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WHAT WE DID 2 THIS SUMMER

A PHOTOGRA- 3 PHER AND A BLOGGER

CLOSING THOUGHTS...

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MESP

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Dear Alum & Friends of MESP, Very excited to see the new Jerusalem Center in use, with terrific speakers and an active schedule in full swing. With all the talk of chaos in the region, the MESP Fall ‘12 cohort is enjoying and embracing access to all three Abrahamic communities here. As I write, some students are off to a Palestinian wedding in Bethlehem as invited guests, while others are viewing the work of an iconographer as he prepares to unveil a new painting. We will soon be trekking several miles to visit the Wailing Wall at the close of Yom Kippur ceremonies (no vehicles are used on that day). Life is going well for MESPers and we are thrilled to be embarking on a new travel itinerary to Islamic Spain, Morocco and Turkey, later in the semester!

Enjoy the profiles and features in this communication, and remember us, as well as the peoples of the region in prayer, when you get the time. Though into my eleventh year with MESP, I still feel very privileged to experience the people and places we do, and grateful to be part of another MESP generation.

Blessings ,

David P. Holt

The MESP Update is a personal communication from Dr. David Holt to his friends, colleagues, and MESP alumni. It is intended to inform and give insight on what he is doing as director of the Middle East Studies Program and to share profiles and stories on past and current MESP students. Comments or opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of MESP or the CCCU. The MESP Update is published bimonthly, during the regular semester.

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Students’ home-stays with Palestinian families

Group Travel to Islamic Spain, Morocco and Turkey

A NEW MESP CENTER IN JERUSALEM Since Fall 1993, the Middle East Studies Program has operated as a vibrant study abroad experience, under the auspices of the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), in Washington D.C. For 17 of these years MESP was based in Cairo, Egypt, at three different locations (first at American University, later in Zamalek and finally in Agouza). In Spring 2011, the Egyptian revolution forced MESP to leave Cairo. Since then, the program has had a temporary "home" at Tantur, Jerusalem. On September 1st 2012, we dedicated a new MESP Center, made possible through a joint project between MESP and the supportive Staff of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute. Both parties share a Christian vision to engage with the local Muslim, Eastern Christian, and Jewish populations in a meaningful way, and where possible, to act as a bridge between and for them.

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ALUMNI

FROM STUDENT TO INSTRUCTOR:

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A journey with Arabic

Any member of the Spring 2008 MESP student cohort will recall Dustin Wellbaum's diligence with learning Arabic. He was truly committed!

After graduating from Abilene Christian University in May 2008, Dustin returned to Cairo where he found work and continued to engage with the language and culture of the region. In Fall 2010, he began a Masters degree program in Middle East Studies at Lund University, Sweden. "My first year courses were held at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), in Lund, and gave a solid foundation in the formations of theories and philosophies of the Middle East." recalls Dustin. He then began his third semester in Buraimi Oman, interning at a language center that provided courses in Arabic to non-native speakers: "It was here I conducted much of my final thesis research (classroom observations, interviews, and surveys) and received my first experiences teaching the Arabic language in a classroom setting."

Dustin Wellbaum

Fast forward to May 2012. Dustin submitted and defended his thesis on second language classroom dynamics and teaching pedagogy.A few weeks later, he married a lovely Swedish young woman whom he met in Cairo in 2008. But the good news only gets better: "After returning from our honeymoon in Vienna and Budapest, I received a phone call from CMES offering me a position as their Arabic language instructor. I accepted the position and this is where I find myself now.” MESP says: Mabruk Dustin! Well done!

WHAT WE DID THIS SUMMER! This past summer, MESP alums: Amelia Sampat (Southeastern Univ.) Jessy Hampton (Seattle Pacific Univ.) and Jenna Englehart (Houghton College), returned to the Middle East region to study, work and do service. All three, attended MESP as rising juniors in Fall ‘11 and will complete their undergraduate studies at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year. Here are their stories:

Amelia Sampat admits that while she has always been fascinated by the rich culture of the Middle East and has had a passion to work in Amelia enjoys a Falafel the region, undersandwich standing how to channel those passions into a constructive career was a challenge. "Attending MESP in the Fall of 2011 played an important role in shaping my character while giving me ideas how to direct my aspirations into healthy life goals. I began to recognize a deep desire to research reconciliation education between Israeli and Palestinian students."

Consequently, Amelia returned to Jerusalem during her summer break, and did some volunteer work at Tantur in exchange for room and board; a connection that was created through the MESP program. She also began researching for her Undergraduate Honors Thesis, visiting schools in Jerusalem and conducting interviews with teachers, staff, and students about their educational approaches to reconciliation. “Being able to hear the perspectives of educational

Staff, while being influenced by the popular opinion of both Israelis and Palestinians gave me valuable information that would not have been attainable through a stack of lengthy journal articles.” Amelia acknowledges that her semester on MESP and subsequent visit to the region allowed for “experiences in cultural practices, a grasp of colloquial Arabic, candid discussions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with political figures, and a heightened awareness of the social structures impeding the peace process.”

“Though I’d been interested in the Middle East and North Africa for many years, living in the region while on MESP confirmed that this was exactly the place I was meant to be,” says Jessy Hampton. So this summer, Jessy is ready for a visit to the Haram al Sharif—Dome of the Jessy headed to Tunisia as Rock a participant in AMIDEAST’s Learn and Serve program, studying Tunisian Arabic while working with Tunisian college students on practicing their English. She split her five weeks between Tunis, the capital, and Nabeul, a small coastal town, and left a few days open for some touring in the west and south of Tunisia.

"My interactions with Tunisians revealed that while their Jasmine Revolution remains in the forefront of people’s minds and they are enjoying control over their government, many expressed disappointment with their democratically-elected officials, whom they feel have not made enough changes, nor addressed the hardships faced by the population, especially in places outside main urban centers like Tunis." Speaking to the

dual role that the current government plays, appeasing both the secularists and the ultra conservatives, Jessy acknowledges that while the revolution is an obvious turning point for Tunisia, “it is certainly just the beginning of a long road toward democratic change in the region.“

This past summer, Jenna Englehart spent about seven weeks teaching a summer English program for kids in Oman: "MESP ‘whetted’ my appetite for working in the Middle East; so when God opened the right doors for me, I was ready to take the opportunity and go back."

In order to protect the privacy and security of the Institute where Jenna worked, MESP can only provide readers with limited information, but will say that Jenna was able to build some wonderful relationships with her young Omani students and with the local community where she resided. It was a huge learning experience for her to parse out how diverse the different areas of the Middle East can be, as she compared differences between living in IsraelPalestine and daily life in the Gulf.

Jenna in Petra, Jordan

While Jenna is keeping her options open after graduation, she is considering either pursuing a master's degree in TESOL or going to an Arabic language school.

MESP wishes God’s blessings on these three young women as they wrap up their final year as undergrads and looks forward to following their journeys after graduation!

CURRENT STUDENTS

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...A BLOGGER AND A PHOTOGRAPHER Celeste Harlow comes to MESP as a junior from Bethel University in Minnesota, where she is pursuing degrees in Reconciliation Studies and Journalism: “God has given me a passion for reconciliation and restoration, and this program (MESP) fits my passions and desires nearly perfectly.” While on campus, Celeste hones her writing skills as a staff Celeste Harlow writer for the Bethel Clarion and has founded, manages and edits an online Christian magazine for teens and young adults.

We at MESP have enjoyed reading Celeste’s blog posts, describing her sojourns here in the Middle East, and would like to share with you one recent entry (The Ladder) from her blog site :

Every day, thousands of people flood the narrow streets of the Old City in search of holiness. From all over the world, religious devotion draws tourists to the scenes of divine significance. Churches have replaced mangers and tombs. Where Calvary (allegedly) once stood, for example, now

Like many students who have attended MESP, Christopher Di Trolio is an “MK” who was raised outside the US. He considers Argentina his home.

Chris comes to MESP from Eastern University in Pennsylvania, where he is majoring in Political Science. He has served on the Model United Nations Leadership Board at Eastern and is actively involved on his campus. An avid traveler who has already visited fourteen countries, Chris says he is Christopher Di Trolio “drawn to the Middle East” and admits that he believes his future vocation includes this area of the world.

While at MESP, Chris is continuing his hobby of photography and is relishing in the amazing beauty that the region offers, both natural and architectural. In Chris’ words: “you can’t take a bad picture here!”

We are honored to feature one of Chris’ photographs on the cover of this newsletter.

stands the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. READ MORE

CLOSING THOUGHTS...A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MESP “I am of the view that MESP speakers are among the best educators anywhere: David Holt authors, academic experts, religious leaders (Israeli and Palestinian) are just a few who comprise the MESP speaker roster. Along the journey our students also get to hear regional diplomats, politicians and journalists share personal perspectives on relevant issues of the day. Our speakers often act as a 'living library' for students, giving them direct access to contemporary issues through story telling, argument, or apologetics.

Together with student interaction and cultural activities the overall MESP learning environment is a dynamic one! Allow me to share with you an example of another fine day at MESP!” ————>

Thursday September 13th 2012 7:30–8:15 am: Breakfast Tantur’s breakfasts are terrific!

8:30-9:00 am: Devos Using a reading from the late theologian—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kyla Lindberg from North Park University led students in a conversation on “Who Am I to God.”

9:30-11:00 am: Gershom Gorenberg Great discussion from an author, blogger and journalist who specializes in Middle Eastern politics and the interaction of religion & politics. Topic centered around his latest book: The Unmaking of Israel.

Leave for Tel Aviv 12:30 pm: Picnic lunch Afternoon on the beach

6:00pm: Panel A dynamic panel (Secular Jew-businessman, Israeli-Palestinian Christian-embassy employee and a Traditional Jew-attorney) discussed and answered questions on “The Politics of Identity in Israel.”

David P. Holt (PhD) Mesp.director@gmail.com Director, Middle East Studies Program Council for Christian Colleges & Universities Jerusalem, Israel and Washington, DC 0549051844 (Israel) (00972)549051844 (From the USA)

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