Hello everyone,
I really hope you had a lovely Christmas and a good start to the new year. For us here in Salt, the Advent and Christmas period was very exciting and different from what we’re used to. You can find out all about what went on during our Advent season in this blog.
Christmas preparations got underway here at the institute as early as mid-November. Quite unexpectedly, the deaf-blind department started making Christmas decorations with our help. And there were loads of them – and, for my taste, rather kitschy things too. It was great fun, especially as most of the decorations were made of glitter. Just in time for the first Sunday of Advent, the school, the dining hall and the boarding house were festively decorated, creating a real winter wonderland. It was always a bit of a shock coming back to the institute from the barely decorated town, where everything was decked out in lots of glitter and lights. Despite all the decorations, I found it hard to get into the Christmas spirit, which was largely down to the still quite high temperatures.
Otherwise, Advent went much the same as the previous few months. At the start, the children were still in exam time, which is why their main activity after school was studying. Once exam time was over in mid-December, things became really relaxed and cosy, and in the evenings we often watched Christmas films late into the night. We also sometimes did crafts together in the evenings or painted with watercolours, which I particularly enjoyed. Generally speaking, I have to say that the last month and a half have been really lovely. It’s getting easier and easier to chat with the children and staff, and although there are always surprises and challenges in everyday life, I notice that I’m finding it easier and easier to deal with them.
The Advent services in the small Anglican congregation we belong to were also really lovely, because we actually sang some German Christmas carols – albeit in Arabic. Fortunately, my violin arrived from Germany at the start of December, so Margarete and I were able to accompany the Christmas carols in two-part harmony, which was very Christmassy indeed. Picking up the violin, however, was less pleasant, as we had to make a special trip to a post office in Amman to finally collect it after a great deal of back and forth. I am truly very grateful that two members of staff from the HLID came along to sort everything out, as I would have been completely helpless there on my own…
Another lovely event during Advent was a joint trip with Father Jamil to Jofeh, a branch of the Holy Land Institute. Jofeh is a school for children with intellectual disabilities and deaf children. After we arrived, the head of the school showed us the classrooms and the workshops, where some children learn sewing, embroidery and intricate woodwork. The products they create are beautiful, and I was particularly impressed by the woodwork.
Then, on 18 December, came the highlight of the Advent season: the HLID’s Christmas party. In the afternoon, all the children and staff gathered in the dining hall. At first, we had sat in the back row with the other staff members, but then the headteacher asked us to move to the front row and sit in armchairs next to the heads of the various departments, which I found rather uncomfortable. Once everyone had found a seat, we waited with Santa hats on our heads and full of anticipation for Father Christmas. When he didn’t arrive, the children began calling out for him, and finally, to loud applause, he entered the dining room, very well dressed up (we still don’t know to this day who it was). Once everyone had calmed down again, the festive programme began. Some of the children had rehearsed performances in which they signed to songs whilst wearing festive costumes. It was incredibly beautiful and very moving, as many of the songs were about the birth of Jesus and the peace that comes with him, which has a special significance in this region. There was also a dance performance with the deafblind children, in which a deaf child took a deafblind child by the hand and they signed together, which was very impressive. After the performances, each child came onto the stage individually and received a present from Father Jamil and Father Christmas. Once everyone had a present, the Christmas party was over and some of the children were already being picked up.
On Thursday morning, after the last children had been picked up, the staff Christmas party took place. Right at the start of the party, everyone had to draw a number, as numbers were drawn and gifts handed out repeatedly throughout the morning. Then we played bingo, even with a proper bingo drum! It was a very lovely get-together, which concluded with a shared meal of maglube (a rice dish with chicken, potatoes, aubergines and cauliflower). Afterwards, the staff also went home for the Christmas holidays and only Margarete and I remained on the premises.
You can find out how we got on during this time and how we celebrated Christmas in Margarete’s blog.
This text was automatically translated using an AI-powered translation system.
