Articles - Miscellaneous

A visit to Holy Land Institute for the Deaf - leading up to Easter 2004

18th March 2004. Here I am in Jordan; it seemed so long & anxious preparing to come over and yet now, these days have been packed so full, and it seems far more than 48hrs since I landed at Amman airport and was met by Matthew from Holy Land Institute for the Deaf. We were just in time for supper then over to the 'English Hospital' where I met Andreas, who is my working boss and was introduced to the Swiss volunteers who have built a beautiful wooden staircase to go with the bridge which links the levels.

The 'hospital', until recently derelict, is a set of buildings on what seems like a 1 in 1 slope; we have quarters in an upper part and it seemed like 199 steps when I ventured out after tea to the old market - and there's more slope, both down and up. Yesterday I was painting the balcony rails, and dropped my paintbrush; it landed 2 floors down!

I woke in the small hours bone-chilled; I noticed the lights of the town opposite twinkling, and they cast a wonderful pattern through the arched windows & door. The whole room is vaulted and is in the architecture of Holy Sepulchre Church. The Bible did not prepare me for the coldness - 5 layers needed! But when the sun comes out, I quickly have to strip down to the layer necessary - no bare skin allowed! - and put on my sun hat.

To explain, Salt is an old town which has the national importance of York, the geography of Hebden Bridge (possibly more so!) and the current importance of Wakefield. A 4-mile drive up the hill takes you to the tomb of Joshua, which is on the escarpment overlooking the Jordan valley and Palestine. The Institute is a school for 130 deaf children, and 4 deaf-blind, beautifully modern with friendly children who chatter with each other in Arabic sign-language, and with me if they can.

The Old Hospital is going to become a regional centre for training teachers for the deaf coming from Yemen, Iraq and the rest of the Arab world; the site has Andreas, our charge-hand, previously a plumber, doing an alternative to German National service and three permanent workers, Joginder, and Egyptians, Mohammed & Ramadan, (who was going to teach me Arabic, but I was a hopeless student!) There are some beautiful modern rooms in the ancient context, and some dereliction still to be made good; it will become a really beautiful place.

Tomorrow, Arabic church am, deaf church evening - I don't know which will be easier! So this evening I shall be trying to find my way back to digs, a mile away and not so straightforward as I thought before coming here. Loads more to say but that's all for now; I'm grateful to all who've said a prayer.

Geoffrey (k/a Jaffa in Arabic!)

(written on my third day at Holy land Institute for the Deaf, As-Salt, Jordan;)

30 May, 2004