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The Olive Trees | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/the-olive-trees
March 1, 2016. March 2, 2016. How can something that has been so constant be destroyed without a second thought? Peace be with you. The Privilege of Travel. Mosque Reflections →. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Enter your comment here. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Address never made public). You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out. You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out. You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out.
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From a Muslim | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/from-a-muslim
May 13, 2016. When I was in first grade, someone told me that the moon was made out of cheese. Of course they forgot to mention that they were joking and this led to 4 years of constant anxiety. What if someone ate the moon? Why hasn’t it been eaten already? I kept worrying about it until I decided to borrow a book from my school library and read about the moon. Never did I take research for granted after that! Some might argue and say that they have read and know that it’s a violent religion and b...
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June | 2016 | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/06
A Tale of Teaching Refugees in Jordan. June 19, 2016. While teaching refugees in Jordan, I am privy to some of the most painful stories I have ever heard in my life. Here is a link to a blog I recently wrote for the travel writing magazine, Pink Pangea. Source: A Tale of Teaching Refugees in Jordan. June 19, 2016. Familiarity exists within this small studio. Familiar feeling, sight, and emotion from a once real situation swell in me. What am I doing here? Israel escalates forced transfer of Palestinians.
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As-Salaam-Alaikum | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/as-salaam-alaikum/comment-page-1
January 8, 2016. January 8, 2016. I’m going to the Middle East to study abroad this coming Spring Semester. I am trusting that it is! I will be staying in Jordan and do not foresee any issues. Students have been going through this program for years. Peace be with you. Joy, Sorrow, Patience, and 2015. Marhabaan (مرحبا) →. 4 thoughts on “ As-Salaam-Alaikum. January 8, 2016 at 6:08 pm. Have a great experience. I don’t know if you’ve met Nadine, my son Colby’s wife. She is from Amma...I’m the editor of...
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The Privilege of Travel | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/the-privilege-of-travel/comment-page-1
The Privilege of Travel. February 17, 2016. February 17, 2016. My English language students have a wonderful gift of introducing me to underlying injustices that exist. Most of the time I am unaware of these pains and struggles that refugees feel. As one of my students and I work to communicate through google translate, I am saddened as this conversation unfolds. This woman’s husband and kids were granted visas and were allowed to settle in the US. But her? All praise and glory be to you,. View merissalo...
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A Story to Acknowledge | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/a-story-to-acknowledge
A Story to Acknowledge. March 16, 2016. The classroom is lightly packed on this last day of English class for the year. My students are slightly interested in our lesson about different writing styles, but I sense that there is something else snagging their attention. There always is something. As I stand at the front of the classroom expecting some sort of response to my question about narratives, a brave student responds. Did anyone do the homework? Did anyone encounter any narratives this week? But in...
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March | 2016 | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/03
What you haven’t Heard about Jesus’ Baptism. March 19, 2016. Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,’ he said, ‘so why are you coming to me? But Jesus said, ‘It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.’ So John agreed to baptize him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’ Mathew 3:13-17. I thought I could forget. The class...
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Battling Numbness | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/06/19/battling-numbness
June 19, 2016. Familiarity exists within this small studio. Familiar feeling, sight, and emotion from a once real situation swell in me. What am I doing here? Minnesota faintly reminds me of a place I once knew, but my lens is influenced by a strange pull towards the Middle East. How am I allowing myself to live each day and not think about refugees, terror, and the situations that are so heart wrenching around the world? As my news feed declares a hurt world, how can I even begin to respond? Enter your ...
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April | 2016 | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/04
The Kids of the Wall. April 29, 2016. Keeping a Promise: Post-Election. A Tale of Teaching Refugees in Jordan. On The Privilege of Travel. On Overcoming the Deceit. Keeping a Promise: Post-Election. A Tale of Teaching Refugees in Jordan. On The Privilege of Travel. On Overcoming the Deceit. Join 517 other followers. View Merissa Louks’s profile on Facebook. View merissalouks’s profile on Pinterest. Blog at WordPress.com.
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November | 2016 | The Simplest Smile
https://thesimplestsmile.wordpress.com/2016/11
Keeping a Promise: Post-Election. November 9, 2016. November 9, 2016. It is here. Post-Election. Although many are saying the worst is over, I acknowledge that millions of people (me included) feel that darker days are ahead. I also acknowledge that millions of people are rejoicing today with hope that America will be made greater (whatever that means…). To last Spring as I am living, breathing, and experiencing in the Middle East. Don’t forget about us. I stutter out a questionable what? View merissalou...