Being Present.

I am about 3 weeks from my family. My friends, my violin, long runs, familiar places. Other simple things like driving on the right-hand side of the road, hot showers, green grass, open space, being generally aware of what's going on in a given situation.

However, that also means that in a little over 3 weeks I will be leaving the island. And the sea. Other simple things like the market, the buses, the walking, the humor of always being somewhat confused. I also have to leave my students. Those whom I have come to know through our weekly meetings. That will be hard. I will miss them.

We talked at dinner tonight about the challenge of being excited for what's to come and also living in the here and now. Anticipating arrival in the states and also relishing every last minute we have here. It's a delicate balance, one that is hard to achieve. We've started to notice how many times "I can't wait..." is said. Although that often feels true , we can wait. This is the here and now. I want to make the most of every experience (even if it is another hour long bus ride on Christ the King). I am excited to come home on May 21 and tutor tomorrow. I'm excited to catch up with family and friends as well as wake up to Malta's sunshine. I will strive to be present. We all need a little encouragement every now and then, but we're trying. That's the important part.

I have a lot to be thankful for.
Lots of love, Audrey

5

"He whom we love and lose is no longer where he was before. He is now wherever we are." -John Chrysostom

I can't believe it has been 5 years. Tomorrow marks the anniversary. It seems like just yesterday we were sitting on the deck talking about how beautiful it was out. It was a sunny day. It was a Saturday. I stopped for a visit, went for a run. I remember it being unseasonably warm. I went to Madison the next day for a school retreat, came back Monday night and found out he was not feeling well. The next morning, he passed away. It was sad. Our hearts broke. We stayed close to each other, leaned on each other and soaked up all the love from our family and friends. As hard as it was, we kept going. And you know what? I can still hear his voice just like it was that Saturday. I can still see his face. I can still feel his presence. I can still feel his strength. I know he's still with us. It still hurts, but he lives in our hearts and I am thankful for the memories. There are so many good memories. My heart is with the entire Seitz family these coming days. Each and every one of them. The Birds of Paradise are in bloom in Malta and I bet the sun is shining on Beaufort Lake. :)

Love, Audrey

A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Here's a little local flavor from the island. These are the things we walk by on our way to school. We're beginning to feel a little bittersweet. 26 more days.

Welcome to Sliema---they thank you for driving carefully. I wonder who they're talking to. :)

Typical traffic scene---good luck crossing! We've become quite good at dodging. Occasionally you can find a "Humped zebra crossing" which guarantees you a slight chance that cars will stop before careening into you. :)

On the way to school we also pass our friendly produce man and get snacks for lunch and dinner. I'll definitely miss these places when I get home. I don't think I've eaten anything packaged since I left the states.

Here's another typical scene---notice the traffic jam and the men yelling out in the streets. They're not really mad, people just talk really loud here.

We also pass our church on the way to school. It's a small quaint church with English services. They also have an excellent coffee hour. And, the parishioners are always so welcoming. It makes for a nice Sunday morning.

And, finally after our 4 mile trek we make it to the University of Malta. This is usually when the sun comes out and we sit in class for 6 hours. :)

On the way back we usually make a detour so we can see the sea, it is far too beautiful to pass up. I loved catching this fisherman at work. What daily dedication it must take to keep throwing those nets out.

Here's our last turn, when we turn this corner we know we're home at last (home in Malta at least).

These aren't totally related to our walk to and from school, but they're from Good Friday. You know it's a big deal when Malta brings out the Nuns and the Marching Bands. Those two things combined equal a national holiday. :) I like the clarinetists.

That's all from Malta's version of Lake Wobegon. Hope all is well at home---I'll be joining the states soon. Time sure does go by. As excited as I am to get home, I'll miss these walks.

Love from Malta,
Audrey

Because sometimes you just have to laugh...

Verbatim conversation between Deborah, our program leader and Rose, one of the professors at the University of Malta:

R: "Luckily we've had lots of rain---the tubs on our roofs will be full for the dry season."
D: "Well, at least we don't have to count on them for our drinking water. We can go without showers, but we need water to drink and to cook with."
R: "Didn't you know, the tubs on the roofs are the drinking supply too. The kitchen tap runs directly from the roof. You live on Depiro Street, right? There's no public water system there, the water supply is all from the rain, piped down from the roof."
D: "For the love of God."
This conversation was followed by lots of disgusted looks, all realizing that we've been drinking water that has been sitting in giant tubs on our roof. When we got to Malta they told us it was fine to drink. We knew we were showering and doing laundry with roof rain water, but we thought we were drinking clean city water. See those bug tubs on the top of that picture?? Who knows what else is in there---no wonder we've all been sick. Good to know that we shouldn't drink the water. 3 months later. Good thing we can laugh. :) We really did laugh---now we're going to the grocery store to get bottled water. Lots of bottled water.

Love, Audrey

Hope

Today I went for a run. I ran along the sea, through the city, in sunshine and in rain. It was good thinking time. I thought a lot about the refugees, it's hard to realize we're leaving in a month and there's still so much to do. But, we remember that each hour makes a difference and we keep trying. More students will come next year and continue the sessions. I referred a man to the Jesuit Refugee Service yesterday; there he'll get a lawyer and advice. It may take a while to gain refugee status, but we're all trying. I'm thankful for the JRS and the Red Cross. They provide legal council and advice. They are also there for us, helping us serve the refugees. Often our English lessons turn into assisting with paper work, filing for refugee statuses and practicing for interviews. Even though it takes months, these organizations provide hope. Hope is key.

"What color are souls? she said & I said, Color isn't that much of an issue when you're talking souls." -Brian Andreas

There's room for everybody.

Too often the refugees landing in Malta are told "there's no more room." However, even though they're told this, they are locked in detention for at least 7 months. This is done to "teach them a lesson" and punish them. The government also hopes it will scare away potential asylum seekers. The conditions in the detention centres are deteriorating fast over here, Doctors Without Borders has pulled out because of the conditions.

We are completely safe, we are teaching in the Open Centres where there is little risk of violence or illness. However, all of the men we are teaching have spent at least 7 months in these detention centres. That is not ok. They are not criminals. They are just trying to find a place that harbors peace, not war. A place where their kids can play without having to run from gunfire. What is even sadder is that for many, the detention centres are much better than their home countries and most definitely better than being sent back to where they came from. The Maltese government recently sent a group of Eritrean refugees back to their home country and most were killed upon arrival. There is room for everybody in this world. Somehow we have to let that be known.

On a lighter note, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying spring. Hopefully the end of April and beginning of May will be some sunshine to the States. (I hear snow is expected at home again!!)

Love, Audrey

A few more...

Here are a few more pictures from the week. They bring back so many good feelings. I'll hold them close for the next month. :)

Love, Audrey

Grazie

My parents and I parted ways in Rome today, they hopped on a flight to Chicago and I flew back to Malta. It was hard to say good-bye, we had such a great time together. Mom and Dad---All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. It was a good week.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." ~Jane Howard

Grazie! (the one Italian word I know = thank you)

Love, Audrey

Making our way through Italy...

via planes, trains, automobiles and tiramisu. :) We're loving every minute of it.






Love, Audrey

Hello from Florence!

After spending the weekend in Malta, we found our way to Florence, Italy. A flight to Rome, 2 train rides and a walk through the Florence streets brought us to Hotel Davanzati. It's a beautiful hotel in the heart of Florence. We spent our day seeing Michelangelo's David and some beautiful churches; it has been so nice to have time to relax and stroll through the city without a schedule. We've also been enjoying lots of good food---any country that includes both gnocchi and gelato in one meal wins in my book. :) Even better than the good food is the good company. We're having fun just being together. Tomorrow we're headed to Rome where we'll spend the rest of our week. I feel very blessed to have this week. Hope all is well at home, we've appreciated the well wishing e-mails! Talk to everyone soon---take care! We miss you!

Love, Audrey

Reunited!!!

They're here! After a few very long flights my mom and dad arrived to Malta yesterday afternoon. It's so good to see them. We had quite the "airport hug." I'm very blessed they are able to come visit. We'll be in Malta 'til Tuesday and then we're off to Florence and Rome. It's going to be a very, very good week.

Hope all is well at home, take care and enjoy the week!
Love,
Audrey

part of a whole

Here are some more pictures from Egypt. We started out as 11 students who had never met and have evolved into a pretty tight-knit group. Between walking up and down endless stairs in the heat, pretending to be mummies at the Temple of Hatesheput, riding camels and trying to decipher the proper etiquette for taking our shoes off and putting booties on in the mosques, we've had quite the laughs. It's a good thing we can laugh.

Have a great weekend everyone. Team Seitz is on their way to Malta---wish them luck! I can't wait to see them. Love to you all.

Love, Audrey

They really do ride camels---

There we are...all 11 of us made it back safe and sound from our week in Egypt. The first 3 pictures are from Cairo and the West Bank of the Nile. I think pictures from Egypt tell the story better than I can with words. We visited the cities of Cairo, Luxor and Alexandria. They were all so different and all so wonderful. I was amazed at the sights, the sounds, the people, the experience. I learned a lot. It was an awesome adventure. Here's a few of the 200 pictures I took...the Giza Pyramids followed by our visit to a few Mosques in the West Bank.

I can't believe we were able to see the Giza and Step Pyramids along with the Sphinx. It seemed like a history book coming alive. After our visit to the West Bank and Cairo (East Bank) we headed to Luxor, a city in southern Egypt in the midst of the Sahara. It was HOT. Holy cow it was hot. These picture are from the Temple of Hatesheput and the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is where they found King Tut! After learning about hieroglyphics and King Tut since elementary school it was awesome to see it all in person!

After Luxor we headed to Alexandria, we were all so glad to see the sea again. It was a little cooler and the sun was shining. We saw the library (3rd largest in the world), I could definitely study there any day. We also happened to go for a walk right around sunset and watched the sun sink down under the sea. It was beautiful.

I found people watching fascinating, the culture was like nothing I've ever experienced. We visited mosques, churches, pyramids, temples and museums. Sometimes, I think it's from the people that we learn the most. There were times I wondered what I was doing (the cockroaches in my bed, the fish eyeballs staring back at me on my plate, the body guards watching every move, the drivers yelling in Arabic as we tried to cross the road), but it was so, so good. I learned from it all. We have to stretch in order to grow. I loved the week.

Now that I'm back it's time to do laundry, go grocery shopping and clean the flat---my parents are coming in 2 days!! :) I can't wait for their visit, it's been far too long since I saw them last. We'll be in Malta for a few days and then off to Rome and Florence. I feel so blessed to be able to see my family during this adventure. Hope all is well, thanks for all the support and love. It really does mean a lot. Take care, Happy Easter!

LOVE, Audrey