Talk about down-sizing! When we moved into our condo, we thought we’d done about all the down-sizing we’d need to for the hopefully considerable future. This, therefore, has been an unexpected and challenging task for the present.
Dale and I share a bedroom with attached bathroom which contains a good-sized stand-up shower. Our bedroom contained two single beds which Ibrahim who is in charge of the Lutheran World Federation Victoria Guest House shoved together and which certainly gives a bit more room. We have a desk with 4 drawers and chair; each bed has 3 drawers; we have an armoire with a section for hanging clothes and one with 4 shelves and 2 drawers. There’s also a vanity with a large mirror, a bedside table with 2 drawers, and 2 additional chairs, one of which is wicker! There’s a bar fridge and a floor fan; we bought ourselves a clothes tree, and a folding clothes dryer. Thankfully there’s enough room above the armoire to store our suitcases. Welcome to “Home, Sweet Home”. Actually we’re quite comfortable. From our front corner room, we have a beautiful view of the guest house gardens plus a lovely view of Jerusalem. Just next door we even have a variety-type store.
The Guest House has laundry facilities, and there’s a common room that combines kitchen and T.V./ sitting area. It also serves as the breakfast room. Every morning, Ibrahim, the concierge, has the breakfast set out by 7:00 a.m. Beverages consist of instant coffee and creamer, tea, and juices. There’s always pita bread (fresh and delicious), jams, butter and honey, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, plain yogurt, cornflakes; variations from day to day include combinations of hummus, feta and/or cream cheese, cold meat (like bologna), hard cooked eggs, tuna, and occasionally a delicious sweet honey cake. There’s always lots if one wants to make up a sandwich to take for lunch or have a light cold supper.
With about 20 rooms available in the Guest House—some single, some double--the common room is usually a busy and interesting place. There are often 4 or 5 people sitting around the table working on their laptops. The kitchen is well stocked with dishes, pots and pans, gas stove, microwave, toaster oven and fridge. Some residents are excellent cooks and wonderful smells frequently greet one on returning home. Once in awhile someone plans a meal for anyone interested to join in and either share the cost of food and drinks, or add a contribution to the meal. A BBQ pit is also available in the garden.
The Victoria Guest House has a definite international flavour with mostly young folks between the ages of early 20’s to mid thirties, with a few of us older folks thrown in. Some of the residents are here anywhere from a few days to 4 years or more. We have folks from various parts of the U.S., Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Poland, New Zealand, and the Palestinian Territories. A number of the folks are here as members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine & Israel www.eappi.org or have connections with Christian Peacemaker Teams www.cpt.org or are members of various United Nations departments such as OCHA www.ochaopt.org or the Relief Agency, and an international lawyer consulting for the UN. Some are working for SABEEL—Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center www.sabeel.org or have connections with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions www.icahd.org ; we have the assistant to Bishop Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land www.elcjhl.org and the list goes on. Some folks are tourists; some are staying here because, although they’re from other parts of the Territories, they can’t get through the checkpoints all the time to be available for work. And that’s only in the first month that we’re here. There are definitely some interesting experiences and discussions that take place around the table. Check out the websites for some interesting information.
Dale and I share a bedroom with attached bathroom which contains a good-sized stand-up shower. Our bedroom contained two single beds which Ibrahim who is in charge of the Lutheran World Federation Victoria Guest House shoved together and which certainly gives a bit more room. We have a desk with 4 drawers and chair; each bed has 3 drawers; we have an armoire with a section for hanging clothes and one with 4 shelves and 2 drawers. There’s also a vanity with a large mirror, a bedside table with 2 drawers, and 2 additional chairs, one of which is wicker! There’s a bar fridge and a floor fan; we bought ourselves a clothes tree, and a folding clothes dryer. Thankfully there’s enough room above the armoire to store our suitcases. Welcome to “Home, Sweet Home”. Actually we’re quite comfortable. From our front corner room, we have a beautiful view of the guest house gardens plus a lovely view of Jerusalem. Just next door we even have a variety-type store.
The Guest House has laundry facilities, and there’s a common room that combines kitchen and T.V./ sitting area. It also serves as the breakfast room. Every morning, Ibrahim, the concierge, has the breakfast set out by 7:00 a.m. Beverages consist of instant coffee and creamer, tea, and juices. There’s always pita bread (fresh and delicious), jams, butter and honey, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, plain yogurt, cornflakes; variations from day to day include combinations of hummus, feta and/or cream cheese, cold meat (like bologna), hard cooked eggs, tuna, and occasionally a delicious sweet honey cake. There’s always lots if one wants to make up a sandwich to take for lunch or have a light cold supper.
With about 20 rooms available in the Guest House—some single, some double--the common room is usually a busy and interesting place. There are often 4 or 5 people sitting around the table working on their laptops. The kitchen is well stocked with dishes, pots and pans, gas stove, microwave, toaster oven and fridge. Some residents are excellent cooks and wonderful smells frequently greet one on returning home. Once in awhile someone plans a meal for anyone interested to join in and either share the cost of food and drinks, or add a contribution to the meal. A BBQ pit is also available in the garden.
The Victoria Guest House has a definite international flavour with mostly young folks between the ages of early 20’s to mid thirties, with a few of us older folks thrown in. Some of the residents are here anywhere from a few days to 4 years or more. We have folks from various parts of the U.S., Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Poland, New Zealand, and the Palestinian Territories. A number of the folks are here as members of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine & Israel www.eappi.org or have connections with Christian Peacemaker Teams www.cpt.org or are members of various United Nations departments such as OCHA www.ochaopt.org or the Relief Agency, and an international lawyer consulting for the UN. Some are working for SABEEL—Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center www.sabeel.org or have connections with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions www.icahd.org ; we have the assistant to Bishop Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land www.elcjhl.org and the list goes on. Some folks are tourists; some are staying here because, although they’re from other parts of the Territories, they can’t get through the checkpoints all the time to be available for work. And that’s only in the first month that we’re here. There are definitely some interesting experiences and discussions that take place around the table. Check out the websites for some interesting information.
1 comment:
Nice quilt! :)
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