Monday Monday...

Today was an incredible day. I was gone all week last week because I was sick, so it was fun to be back at school and to see all of the kids and teachers. Things are finally getting to be comfortable, which is so nice. I feel like I belong here and like this place which was originally so foreign to me is now home. While I am still struggling with the language barrier, especially with the kindergartners, I am finding that this barrier is not so much of an issue now. Granted, I still can't really control a classroom of kindergartners, but I am learning to accept that and to not be so hard on myself. I have been forming relationships with the children and the teachers, and those relationships are so valuable. It is amazing how close I feel to the children, even though we barely understand eachother. Today, two little boys came up to me and just grabbed onto me and hugged me and kissed me on my arm. No matter how stressful or overwhelming my day is, things like that make everything so much better.
Marta and I have also been forming relationships with some of the older students in the school, and that has been very rewarding. I have always been a little scared of working with high schoolers, because they are so close to my own age, but these kids have been very receptive towards us and very open to talking with us. This afternoon we met with one of the students to talk about an upcoming project, and pretty soon 2 more students joined in on the conversation. They could have left school and gone home, since they were done with classes, but they chose to stick around and talk with us. It was an interesting conversation, as we were discussing their plans for the future. One of the girls has a father who is half-American and half-Palestinian, so she would have the option to go to the US if she wanted. However, she says she would never want to live in the US, because Palestine is where her home is. She couldn't give up on Palestine and leave her family and friends. It was refreshing to hear that, and I really admire her, because to be honest, life is hard here. I wouldn't judge anyone for wanting to get away from here, and many people we have talked to are looking for ways out...usually they are looking to marry a foreigner, so that conversation gets awkard pretty quickly. But anyways, it was really great to talk to these students. They give us such a different perspective on life. I feel like I am learning so much more from them than they are learning from us...this is very humbling.

Olive harvesting on the Mount of Olives

Last Friday, I was looking for something to do on my day off. I had to go into Jerusalem to send off some things at the post office and I thought as long as I was already in Jerusalem I would go up to the Mount of Olives and participate in the olive harvest at Augusta Victoria. This olive harvest is a 2-month long process, and it is run by the Lutheran World Federation, which we have ties to because of our good friends Tyler and Maren. All of the proceeds from the olive harvest go to the Augusta Victoria Hospital. I think I have mentioned this hospital before, but it is worth mentioning again. It is in the only hospital for Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza that provides a radiation bed for cancer. That is why it is so essential to keep this hospital running.

Having never harvested olives before, I was unsure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that olive harvesting was something I could do, although I definitely was not as quick and efficient as the Palestinians around me. The process for olive harvesting goes like this:

1.) Spread out a tarp around the base of the tree

2.) Use a rake to comb the branches and remove the olives

3.) Sort through the olives and remove the branches and sticks that have fallen

4.) Put olives into a bag!

This sounds fairly easy, but once you have been doing it for a few hours under the sun, it gets exhausting...and dirty! My whole body was covered with a layer of dust. It was worth it though. It was fun to work alongside the Palestinians and laugh and joke with them. I told them I had fun picking olives and they said, "That's because you don't have to do it every day." True. After the harvest, a big meal was provided for all of the volunteers, and it was fun to see everyone unwind and enjoy a meal together after a good day of work. I am so happy I got to help in a very small way. If any of you are interested in purchasing olive oil from this harvest, let me know! The proceeds go towards the hospital...a very good cause :)

A trip to the Doctor

For the past few days, I have not been feeling well, but I have been overwhelmed with the amount of care and worry people have shown for me. One of the teachers from the school gave me the name of a doctor in Beit Sahour, so I decided to go on an adventure to find the doctor. The clinic was fairly easy to find...I just asked for directions at a store and found my way from there. Once I got to the clinic, I was amazed by how easy it was to be seen by a doctor. It's not at all like the US where you have to fill out countless forms and insurance papers. The receptionist simply asked my name and where I was living. Then she asked me to pay the fee for seeing the doctor, which was only 15 sheqel (less than $5). I sat down in the waiting room, thinking that it might be a while since there were many other people waiting to be seen. But they called me up within 5 minutes...I was grateful for this speediness but also felt guilty since there were so many people who had been there before me. Once again my foreignness proved to be an advantage. Within 10 minutes, the doctor diagnosed me with follicular tonsillitis and gave me prescriptions for 3 medicines. Unfortunately, this is contagious, so he told me I cannot go to school for 3 more days until the medicine kicks in. It will be good for my body to rest, but I think I will go a little stir-crazy being by myself all day...luckily our TV has a few good English stations! It is hard to be sick and be so far from home, but being sick also makes you realize how many people care about you.

A new friend, a nice invitation, and a marriage proposal

A few weeks ago, when my 2 roommates and I were wandering through the Bethlehem market, we started talking with Youssef, one of the employees of a kitchen utensil store. His family owns the store, and we had a good time talking with him and meeting many of his family members. He is back in Palestine visiting family but told us he would return to Georgia in 2 weeks to continue with his schooling there. He told us to come back to visit and we told him hopefully we would see him before we left. Almost two weeks went by and, although we passed through the market occassionally, we never met our new friend again. This past Friday, Marta and I happened to be walking through the market and ran into Youssef again. We thought he had already gone back to the States but were pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face. He invited us into his store for tea and proceeded to introduce us to even more of the family. Family is extremely important here, so usually whenever we meet someone, the next process is being introduced to all of the family members. He asked us to come back to visit on Monday, so we told him we would, and we kept our promise. On Monday, he invited the 3 of us to his home, because his mother wanted to meet us and cook a meal for us. It was really special to receieve this invitation, especially since it was a "legitimate" invitation. Men have invited us to drink coffee with them at restaurants here, which seems innocent enough, but it is actually considered inappropriate for men and women to go out together if they are not married. But if someone invites you to their home to meet their family, it is culturally appropriate and ok to accept the invitation. So we graciously accepted the invitation. On Tuesday, he and his brothers met us to show us the way to their home, and when we entered their home, we were immediately welcomed by his parents and brothers and sisters. His sisters are both studying English and were excited for the opportunity to use it with us. When they showed us to the kitchen, we saw 3 huge plates, each filled with a chicken and overflowing with a rice and peanut mixture. Marta and Meredith shared one plate, Youssef and his sister shared another, and that left me all alone with a huge plate in front of me. The food was amazing, probably the best that I have had here. We stuffed ourselves until we could eat no more, and headed out to the living room with his family, where his mother proceeded to fill 3 large plates with grapes, apples, oranges, and pears. When we told her we could eat no more, she brought out 3 bowls of pomegranates, one for each of us. She was not going to let us go hungry, that's for sure! Then, after fruit, she prepared coffee for us....then, not even 30 minutes later, she brought in tea and biscuits. I felt like I was going to explode. The whole evening was full of food, laughter, and good company. Youssef's father apparently thought I would make a good wife for Youssef, and kept on hinting that the two of us should get married, despite my attempts to make it clear I already have a boyfriend. However, that was followed by much laughter and good-natured teasing, so I am glad I was able to provide some amusement.
The whole night was a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful to Youssef and his family for their remarkable hospitality. He and his brothers even walked us halfway home, which was so kind and thoughtful of them. They wouldn't have dreamed of letting us walk the first half, which is not well-lit, alone. Youssef is now back in the states, but we still have a connection with his family, and I am hoping to build on those relationships throughout this year.

A different world

Last Friday, on my day off, I decided to take a little break from life in the West Bank and venture into West Jerusalem, which is the modern part of the city. So I walked to the checkpoint, made it through with no problems or questions (as is usually the case for foreigners) and found a coffee shop where I could relax and forget about all the stresses of daily life. I felt guilty for doing this, because I know that Palestinians get no respite from life. They cannot choose to take a day off from life here, and they don't have the luxury of being able to leave the West Bank. At the same time, however, if I keep this mindset, I will never get anywhere, because the simple fact that I am American gives me unfair advantages all the time. I cannot help that I am American and privileged, but at the same time I must constantly be aware of all the advantages my citizenship gives me. Anyways, I was in this coffee shop and an Israeli man started talking to me. I have had very few interactions with Israelis here, aside from the soldiers at the checkpoint, so I did not really know how to respond to his questions. He asked me what I was doing here, and since I am still hesitant to tell Israelis my purpose, I simply told him I was touring. This was a fine answer to him, but when I told him I was staying in Bethlehem in the West Bank, he became very concerned for my safety. "If I went over there, they would kill me. It's very dangerous," he said. He told me I should be in my home by 7 PM because the Palestinians are dangerous. I became defensive at this point, because he was attacking the people I have befriended and worked with, and told him that I have never felt unsafe in Bethlehem (which, for the most part, is true. You always have to be careful, of course, but that is the same for any city). It was so interesting to be in that coffee shop in West Jerusalem and to be so close to Bethlehem geographically but to be in an almost entirely different world. It is so sad to hear the stereotypes that Israelis have of Palestinians and vice versa. But when you are raised to be fearful of "the other," what else can you expect?

Bible Study reflections

Yesterday, my roommates and I hosted a young adults Bible Study in our home. This is a bi-monthly Bible study that meets once a month in Bethlehem and once a month in Jerusalem. It is quite a hassle to make it across the wall from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and vice versa, so we wanted to make it fair for all our participants and split up our time in each place. Anyways, we started out by reading Isaiah 58:5-11, which was actually the verse read in church yesterday. It was the Palestinian Thanksgiving yesterday, so this verse emphasizes what it means to be a servant, not on just one special day, but every day of our lives. I think that, in the US, Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for what we have but also to remember those that don't have enough. But this verse calls us to be consistent in our servitude and to serve and help every person we meet. This is a daunting task but also a worthwhile endeavor.
After we talked a little about service, we talked about faith and also defeat. It is impossible, in my opinion, to live here and not to struggle with faith. Every day I am working and serving alongside people whose lives are made so difficult by the Occupation. It is impossible to meet a Palestinian who has not had to deal with the death of a member of their family due to the Occupation. How do we see God in everything when we are surrounded by such pain and suffering? A few people commented on the fact that this pain stirs us to action...I agree with this, but I also couldn't tell this reasoning to a Palestinian. I don't think it would be a sufficient explanation. I don't have all the answers, but it is good for me to struggle with this. And, while I can't see God in everything that is here, I also can't help but see God in all the wonderful people I have met here and the incredible experiences I have had. When I look into the beautiful, smiling faces of the kindergartners I work with every day, I see God. When I talk to Majdi, the energetic and unconditionally compassionate store owner down the street from us, I see God. I see God in so many ways, shapes, and forms here. That is what keeps me going...it is difficult to be here and to see suffering, but I know God is here.

The Dead Sea and the Good Samaritan

So I don't really like to post about touristy things, because touring is not really a component of my year, but I am going to write about this "touristy" experience because it has some really neat components. Last Friday 4 of us volunteers embarked on an adventure to the Dead Sea. We left from the Beit Sahour bus station at 7:00 AM and arrived in Jericho at 8:30. The bus ride was amazing...we drove on a windy road through mountains and mounds of dirt. We were in the desert, so the scenery around us was entirely brown and sand-washed, but it was gorgeous (everything except for the Wall, that is). After bartering with the cab drivers who wanted to charge us ridiculous amounts of money, we found ourselves at the Dead Sea, located at the lowest elevation in the world. We did all of the typcial things you do at the Dead Sea, including floating and covering ourselves in the Dead Sea mud, which is supposed to be very good for your skin. In fact, the water is so full of minterals that it is 26% solid. Floating in the Dead Sea was such a surreal experience. It was so weird to be so bouyant that it was actually difficult to stand vertically in the water. It was also very relaxing to just lay there and leave behind all the stresses of living here. (The only stressful part of the experience was worrying about the possiblity of the extremely salty water coming into contact with my eyes. It happened to one of the other girls....very painful).
Being at the Dead Sea was also interesting in the sense that there was such a diversity of people there. We ended up getting in free on accident because there was a large tour of Italians coming through, but in addition to the Europeans in their bikinis, there were Indian women swimming in their saris and Muslim women in their full burkas who came down to collect the Dead Sea mud.
By around 12, we were ready to go back into Jericho. The heat there was almost unbearable, and we were told later that this was actually a "cold" day according to Jericho standards. When we asked the woman at the admissions counter how we could get a taxi, she told us to just go to the main road and grab one from there. Well, this was not very helpful, considering it was a long walk to the "main road" which was actually quite deserted. So we started walking in the heat and were discouraged to find that there was literally nothing in sight in either direction. No buildings, no gas stations, no shade. Finally, after about 20 minutes of walking, a taxi pulled up out of nowehere and offered us a reasonly priced ride to the checkpoint. He was an Israeli taxi and therefore couldn't go into Jericho, which is off-limits to Israelis. So we gratefully accepted the ride and were dropped off at what appeared to be a bus station. Relieved, we sat in the shade, optimistic that we would easily find a ride into Jericho. We waited and waved down every taxi we could see. Unfortuntely, most were full to capacity already, and those that weren't completely full would slow down just enough to stare at us (4 American girls), laugh or make comments at us, and keep on driving. So we were pretty hopeless and frustrated (not to mention thirsty, hot, and hungry) by this point and wondered if we would even make it back in time to catch the only bus back home to Bethlehem. It was at this point that a guardian angel named Firas stopped to help us. He was driving with his 4-year-old son and pulled over to offer us a ride. We all crowded into his car and found out that he lives in Ramallah but was visiting family in Jericho that day. When he found out we were Americans, he warmly welcomed us to Palestine and said he had spent some time in the US. He also said that it had been about 10 years since he had picked up tourists or stopped to help foreigners but that there was something about us that made him stop. I guess we looked pretty helpless and in need of a good samaritan. I can't help but think of the song we always sang in Vacation Bible School called "The Good Samaritan". It starts out...."on the way to Jericho" and goes on to talk about the man in the Bible who was robbed and left for dead on the road to Jericho. Many people passed him by but one person, a Samaritan, stopped to help him. Now, we were obviously not in the same situation as this man, and Firas is not a Samaritan in the religious sense, but he is definitely a good samaritan in all other senses. He even went out of his way to take us on a mini-tour of Jericho, including Zacchias's tree, dropped us off at a restuarant and made a point to find the manager to tell him to take good care of us. It's these kind of people in the world that allow me to continue to have hope in the goodness of human nature.

Some history...

I realize that I have not included any background information or history of the Israeli/Palestinian situation in this blog. Although I am not much of a history person, I will try to provide a brief summary of the conflict. Before coming here, I admit that I was completely ignorant of the situation here. Now I know a bit more, but am certainly far from knowing it all (I don't think it is even possible to know it all...the situation is so complex). So anyways, here is my attempt at a brief history lesson.
In 1917, through the Balfour Declaration, Britian committed itself to working toward the creation of a Jewish homeland in Mandate Palestine. In 1947, the Partition Plan was passed by the UN, dividing Mandate Palestine into two sections: the Jewish state(56% of Mandate Palestine) and the Palestinian state (44%). Obviously, the Palestinians were not pleased with this Plan and did not accept it, as it called for the loss of over half of their land. In 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the creation of the State of Israel, thereby sparking the War of 1948. The Israelis call this war the "War of Independence," while Palestinians call it the "Nakba" (the catastrophe). The Israeli army was better prepared for the war, and consequently, more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced off their land and became homeless refugees. During the course of the war, 413 Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed. As a result of the war, Israel came to contol 78% of Mandate Palestine (much more than they were allotted in the original Partiition Plan of 1947).
In 1949, the UN passed the General Assembly Resolution, calling for the return of the Palestinian refugees from the 1948 War. In order to join the UN, Israel was supposed to comply with this mandate, but has not made any effort to compensate the refugees or return them to their homes. It is interesting, because the Israeli government has passed the Law of Return, which guarantees Israeli citizenship to any Jew around the world, while Palestinian refugees who were born in Israel can no longer enter Israel. There seems to be no end to the injustice.
In 1967, the next major event occurred, which was the "6 Day War." At this time, Israeli military forces drove Jordanians out of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and began to occupy the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel has been militarily occuping these areas ever since. They have not actually annexed these areas, as that would mean they would have to extend citizenship to Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza. The fact that these people do not have citizenship makes them unable to travel freely within their own country, and it also means they do not have the same protection and rights that Israeli citizens have. As an occupying force, Israel is supposed to protect the civilians of the Occupied Territory and avoid moving its own citizens in the Occupied territories, neither of which it has actually adhered to.
This was a very basic outline of Israel/Palestine's history and I have not even gone over the history prior to the 20th century. I got my information from a book called What is Palestine/Israel? by Sonia K. Weaver. It is easy to read and provides an understandable account of the history of the Israeil/Palestinian conflict. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about this. I am also reading The Lemon Tree right now, which is an account of two families, one Israeli, one Palestinian, each one trying to understand the other's point of view. It contains a great background of hisory and is a touching story.