I jump on a Palestinian bus at 6:50 AM. Although I had grabbed a handful of change before leaving my Tantur room, I am a tad-bit short. The Palestinian bus driver, though, waves me to the back of the bus. Nice guy! At the Damascus Gate bus station, I walk in the direction of St. …
Category: 2017 Sabbatical
42. Tantur Ecumenical Institute and Spirit of Vatican II
I am sitting outside at Tantur Ecumenical Institute. As I look to the southwest, I can see the crane standing over the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Apparently, the crane has been there for months repairing the church’s roof. As I look to the northeast, if I could see past the buildings and the …
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41. Mustafa Nas and Father Anthony
I do not have high hopes for my visit to St. Anthony’s Monastery. I visited Sinai’s St. Catherine’s Monastery several days ago. I was only able to spend fifteen minutes in the actual monastery. I saw a purported cutting from the original “burning bush,” the well where Moses met his future wife Zipporah, and the …
40. People of Egypt
I find that most individuals in Egypt enjoy having their photo taken if I treat them with respect. While some individuals refuse my request, other individuals either explicitly ask me to take their photo or implicitly ask by making the universal language of holding an imaginary camera to their face and pushing the shutter button. …
39. Different Views of Egypt’s Coptic Christians and their Muslim Neighbors
Different people see Coptic Christians and the relation to their Muslim neighbors in different ways. One way to see Coptic Christians and their relations to Egypt's majority Sunni Muslims is as a tourist. As a tourist, my perception is extremely limited since I only visit Cairo’s old Coptic quarter and St. Anthony’s Monastery near the …
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38. Four Egypts
I wish I had the energy to write about the presence of four Egypts: the Pharaonic Egypt, the Greco-Roman Egypt, the Christian Egypt, and the Muslim Egypt. All I can do is submit my photos with a few comments. Pharaonic Egypt is awe-inspiring. In the past, I sometimes dismissed photos of the Giza Pyramids. I …
37. Seeing Egypt through the Eyes of David Roberts
While traveling in Egypt, I see numerous tourist shops selling books of David Roberts' art. The same tourist shops might even sell single inexpensive works or even a collection of his reproductions. I wanted to know more about David Roberts. David Roberts, born of a Scottish shoemaker and his wife in 1796, began dabbling …
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36. Traveling the Nile, the Giver of Life
I’ve traveled on three very large and important rivers. The Irrawaddy in Myanmar, the Ganges in India, and the Nile in Egypt. All three are necessary. All three are busy. All three give life. Traveling the Nile, I find that time blurs. I see the past. I see the Pharaonic period temples on the Nile’s …
34. Final Photos and Comments about People of India
I thoroughly enjoy the people of India. To be more accurate, I enjoy most of the people of India. I've tried to photograph, respectfully, many of the Indians I encounter. It is a challenge to capture in a split-second a photograph which evokes a personality. It is also a challenge to suggest that some individuals' …
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33. Portraying Some Americans’ Attitudes Toward Indians and Some Indians’ Attitudes Toward Americans
Almost every day, an Indian newspaper has articles about events in the United States. During the first several weeks, the newspapers mainly focused upon newly inaugurated President Trump’s attitude toward immigration and student visas. The Hindu in its January 31st edition has this headline “White House plans to tighten the screws on H-1B visa, says …
Journeys: Explorations in Body, Mind, and Spirit 