The trip so far has been pretty heavy. There have been days when I was sick and found visiting and interacting with people challenging. There were other days where the weight of the refugees stories rested too heavily on my own shoulders and caused sadness and fatigue. While playing with the refugee children is wonderful, there’s always the looming shadow of their family’s desperate situation and painful past. That’s what made a day of rest even sweeter.
We took a little trip over to the Dead Sea. The salinity in the water is so high that we floated. A lot of people said that we would float on the water like a cork. While I believed them, I didn’t understand what the sensation would really feel like until entering the water. The second my feet left the rocky bottom, I just sort of floated up. When I shoved my feet back at the water, the bottom seemed nowhere to be found. It was just me floating rather aimlessly. Imagine you’re floating on your back and treading water normally, but that’s all your can do. You can’t go under because the salinity holds you up.
Another thing about the Dead Sea, you can barely put your face under because your body is so buoyant. Yet another thing, you don’t want to. The salt will sear your eyes if you so much as splash them. Putting your whole head under would be the equivalent of sticking coals in your eyes. Unlike the coals, there will be no permanent damage, but the pain remains the same.
So what else is there at the dead sea? Mud.
The mud is known for its benefits. The water there is rich with minerals and is good for the skin. So good, that people rub it all over their bodies and faces. I am now one of those lucky people. There are also massive salt deposits along the sides of the sea. This manifests in huge underwater salt shelves, and smaller salt chunks. The whole sea is amazing.
After swimming and eating, I finally got to sit down and get some sun for the first time this year. My legs and arms actually have tan lines this early in the summer which is a miracle in and of itself. Now that we’ve had a day of rest, I think the entire team is ready to finish the week strong and be a blessing to some refugees before heading home.
Traveling With Hannah 