It's been another hectic few days, but loads of fun! Yesterday morning three of us went to wander around the walled old city of Jeruslaem. It was so much fun to wander through the different quarters and just get lost. We started at the Armenian quarter and met lots of lovely people. Then came the Jewish quarter where just before we entered we were in the middle of a valley where the call to prayer from the mosques came from every which way and resounded in the valley where the Mount of Olives is...it was really beautiful to hear. We made our way down to the Western wall where the Jews were praying at the wailing wall. Unfortunately, we could not go to the Dome of the Rock. The rule here (so I'm told, it may be one-sided)...is that only certain Muslims can enter at the mosques on Fridays and Saturdays to pray as the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) are worried they will gather and cause trouble. Generally, men between the ages of like 15 and 65 cannot enter. Like I said, I don't know if this is true, but it's what I am told. Shaheen tried to get in to pray and the IDF drilled her to prove she was Muslim and she had to recite prayers to prove she could enter. So I will hopefully get to see it when I return to Jerusalem to head on to Cairo.
Everything was closed in the Jewish quarter for the holy day of Shabbat. We were looking at our guidebook to find our way over to the Muslim quarter to get some lunch and a "nice" old man stopped to help us find our way. He yelled at us "Why would you want to go THERE?!" (meaning the Muslim quarter) He was very offended and said he wanted to show us something in the Jewish quarter because their history was "more important." He took off with my guide book and I followed to retrieve it. He demanded some money for having had him show us a synagogue which we did not even ask to see! But he did point out the tower that now stands to show where Jesus ascended to Heaven. Also, below this point (which is the Mount of Olives) is the Jewish cemetary. From a distance it just looks like a hillside of rubble...but you look closer and they are endless tombstones.
So we then made our way to the Muslim quarter and had the usual lunch of pita, falafel, hummus, and tea. All of which I am very sick of already! Then we wandered the Via Dolorosa which entails the 9 stations...the journey of Jesus from where he was condemned to be crucified to where he was actually crucified. It marks the important spots where he fell, where Veronica wiped his face, etc. You can see all of this in the movie "The
Passion of the Christ." The entire trip was about 4 hours and we still didn't see everything! There is so much history it is difficult to fit it all in. Also, it's amazing to see the differences of the quarters. The Jewish one is so clean and tidy...while the Muslim is full of music and shouting and stray cats---it's really exciting to navigate the tiny streets. The Bedouin women are everywhere selling their fruits and veggies and people are haggling over everything imaginable. I know I make it sound dirty...but I am trying to convey how lively and fun it is...it's by far my favorite place to go.
We got back to the hostel around 3 and our ride to our camp was there. The three of us girls took a taxi to the Jericho checkpoint. We then had to walk across the checkpoint and be interrogated by the IDF...'why are you here, where are you going, are you Muslim, are you Jewish, etc." But they let us through okay where Hisham met us and we walked to a hospital where his friend the ambulance driver drove us to our flat. It was quite exciting!
There are close to 50 volunteers here! They hail from Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Spain (Barcelona), France, Italy, Japan, USA and I'm sure I'm forgetting some more. Oh, and the Palstinians of course! The weather in Jericho is warm during the day and freezing at night and we have no heat...surprise. But it's okay. We had a nice dinner of.......you guessed it! Then the Palestinians entertained us with singing and dancing. It's so nice to see the comradery of them all. They have such close personal
relationships, not like homophobic American men who for the most part would never link arms and danc and sing together. It was loads of fun.
Today we began our work. From 8-12 my group planted sweet corn in the fields. It was tough work but a lot of fun. We had breakfast out in the fields. We returned to the flat for lunch---a traditional Palestinian meal of chicken, rice, and potatos flavored with lemon and onions. This was also served with yogurt. After, some of us came into the town center to buy some snacks. Oddly enough, Jericho reminds me so much of Honduras! There are crumbling homes and buildings that are now home to much garbage, graffiti, bustling taxis and motorcycles and shop upon shop selling everything under the sun. All of the men are sitting in front of their shops chatting and smoking sheesha. It is just so much fun to wander the town and everyone is so friendly and wants to speak English with you. Life is just so real here, it's comforting sometimes to be away from the glitz and glamor of the city (although I still miss my hot showers I have to admit). It's also quite mountaneous here with us staying in a deep valley. We are only a few miles from the border with Jordan as well.
At 3:30 we all headed up to the Mountain of Temptation. It was here that Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. In that place now lies a Greek monastery...literally built right into the sandy mountain face. It hangs precariously IN the mountain and goes all the way back INTO the moutain side. At the top is a lovely outdoor cafe where you can see all of Jericho. We had coffee and smoked some sheesha. I don't usually smoke...but this is yummy flavored tobacco and when in Rome!! Now, it is 6:45pm here and we will head back to the flat for dinner and then we are watching a film tonight called "Jenin Jenin."
I have no idea what is in store for me tomorrow...but I am sure it will be wonderful! My Arabic is improving greatly and all of the Palestinians have been so welcoming and warm. I will have to admit that many people greet Americans with caution. Usually the first word out of their mouth is "Bush" and I have to explain that not ALL Americans are Bush-lovers and so I am trying to dispel some of the prejudice that exists...but it's not easy. Okay, everyone enjoy your warm showers and beds and think of me :( I hope
to have wonderful pictures and even some short videos to show you when I get
back.
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