Jellyfish and Egypt

As much as it may look like one, that's not a plastic bag. It's a jellyfish!

A group of us went to Tel Aviv a couple days ago and had a great time enjoying the slightly warmer temperatures than Jerusalem has to offer right now. As a California girl, I'm just simply happier with the sun in my eyes and sand between my toes.


















I'm off to EGYPT tomorrow for a week and can't believe I'm actually going. As I spoke with my Grandpa Orin today, who spent a lot of time in Egypt working for AMIDEAST, I told him,

"I know it's gonna be amazing but I really have no idea what to expect."

He warned me that he had diarrhea a lot while he was there. Woo hoo! I'm pretty sure he thinks it's a cool country too.

Best Moment of the Day

Please enjoy this picture as much as I do.

The other day I had just exited the Temple Mount and was walking with a couple other friends through a less crowded street in the Muslim quarter. I noticed we were walking past a couple schools when I heard some high pitched, innocent laughing and yelling.

"Hello!" I then heard directed toward my group of friends and I. "Hello! Hello!" These kids just kept repeating the same word, "Hello!" over and over in THE cutest voices.

I replied back "Hello! How are you?"

To which they replied with huge smiles, even more inviting laughter, and a couple more "Hello!"s just for good measure. They then allowed me to take their picture which completely made my day.

Funny how children can be the ones to make you feel the most welcome and appreciated sometimes.

Freedom on a Greyhound Bus

"I prayed almost everyday that Heavenly Father would end my life. For those who don't know, it's hard to live here (in Israel). It's hard to be a Palestinian. And it's gotten worse...this is my home city but I don't feel like it is because I can't even leave it. My city is surrounded by a wall and I can't leave."

-Sahar, Palestinian resident of Bethlehem (a city in the West Bank)

Sahar is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ here. Church meetings are held at the Jerusalem Center in Israel, only about 20 minutes from Bethlehem, but Sahar cannot attend. Save for four weeks during the holidays when she is given a temporary permit, she cannot attend because of a recently constructed wall separating Israel from the West Bank.

In June 2002, because of an idea proposed by Ariel Sharon, a "separation wall" began construction that separates the West Bank (technically a landlocked territory not officially recognized as part of any country but still 'occupied' by Israel) from the rest of Israel. The wall has been compared by some as a 'second Berlin Wall.'

According to the Israeli authorities the fence/wall is "a defensive measure, designed to block the passage of terrorists, weapons and explosives into the State of Israel...." But to the huge majority of Palestinians who (obviously as Americans finally learned) are not terrorists, the wall is nothing but an infringement on basic rights.

One of my Palestinian professors, also from Bethlehem, recently recalled a time when he was in the United States and rode the Greyhound bus all the way from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, CA. Quite a distance, right?

"To you," he said, "this is like 'Oh my gosh. That is so far!' But to me...this was freedom."

(In this picture, you can see the wall pretty clearly. This view from atop a tower on the Mt. of Olives shows Jordan as the far horizon, with the West Bank behind the wall and Israel in the foreground.)

Here is a good source for more info on the wall. And if you're really interested Here is a link to a 9-page report put out by the Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the wall.

I am here.

So I figured I should post a picture that proves I'm actually here to go along with all the thought-provoking "how-do-we-save-the-world" mumbo jumbo I've been trying to pretend I know how to write. So there you go. Standing in front of the latest structure to occupy the Temple Mount, the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock.

Uniting Arab & Jewish Youth - through MUSIC

I am not sure what Jerusalem was like 10 years ago, but today there is definitely a hostile feeling that separates the Jews and the Arabs. As I continue to learn more about the national conflict, I see more and more selfish views from each opposing side, making me wonder how it can ever be solved. A major theme felt by Palestinians and discussed in many Palestinian discourses is the overriding feeling of "victimization."

Monday night, I witnessed firsthand what may be one of the best steps forward in the peace process for Israel. I listened to a concert given by the Arab-Jewish Youth Orchestra. This ensemble of 21 youth was started by two highly regarded and very multicultural musicians, one Arab and one Jew. Each piece the orchestra performs is an original arrangement (most by renowned conductor Wisam Gibran) with the specific goal of combining Arab and Jewish styles of music.

The music played at the concert was different than any I have heard. It was also more beautiful than most music I have heard probably more for what it represents than the notes that were actually played. An "Arab-Israeli" style arrangement of Chopin's famous Piano Prelude (the song played by Allie in the infamous 'almost' scene of "The Notebook") definitely made its way into my top ten list of best live music heard. This article gives a great report of how the organization got started and the goals it hopes to achieve.

I have heard of a couple other organizations that work toward this same goal. One through the venue of basketball and one through surfing. I am sure there are others, or at least there should be. This quote from an anonymous reader of the Surfing for Peace blog sums it up pretty well:

"This surfing for peace is a great idea and worth looking into all around the world. Not only surfing, but other sports as well golf and bowling even anything to keep people from killing eachother."

Check out this youtube video for more clips of kids surfing in Tel Aviv.

The Western Wall & Garden Tomb (in less than 24 hours)

Friday night, I saw a huge wall that has been standing there for almost 3,000 years. 3,000.

Saturday afternoon I saw a tomb that has been there for at least 2,000 years.

The Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) is the one remaining wall of Solomon's temple which was built in 966 BC. Today, many Jews make a pilgrimage to offer prayers at the wall, or as I saw on Friday night (with a LOT more people than are shown in the above picture), celebrate the coming of the Sabbath with passionate and robust singing and dancing.

To see something this ancient and influential can be quite a unique experience for most Americans whose everyday exposure to ancient architecture only extends to the 1700s if they're lucky.

Less than 24 hours after my visit to the Western Wall, I visited the Garden tomb, a site that is believed by many Christians to be the place where Jesus rose after his death. Many testimonies of Christ are founded and solidified at this location to Christians from all over the world.

Everyday I am stunned and humbled by the closeness in proximity to so many ancient sites here, all of which (and these two especially) have had an incredible influence on the course of history and the way people think.

What started as an interest in the modern day Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led me to much more ancient beginnings. To solve a problem, one needs to get to the root of it. The "Middle East Problem" is like a tree with many branches and I'm beginning to realize that its roots extend very, very deep.





(Interesting Fact: These pictures were not taken from my own camera. Upon entering the grounds of the Western Wall from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, tourists are reminded not to use their cameras. Jews revere the Sabbath day so holy that to even cause a piece of electronic equipment to function is considered work. Because of the holiness of the second site, visitors are asked to not take pictures, though many still do.)

Here's one for you, Trump.

Large mansion atop Mt. Scopus, overlooks the Old City of Jerusalem with an unobstructed view of the Dome of the Rock, the Mt. of Olives and several other disputed and beloved religious sites.

This is the sunset I will be looking at every night for the next 3 and a half months when I stand on my balcony.

It's a bit ridiculous how nice my housing is here. In a city where real estate is probably more passionately contested and disputed than anywhere in the world, I am living in a 125,000 square-foot, 8-story building with arguably the best view of both the old and new Jerusalem. Do I feel lucky to be here? Yes. Do I feel like I'm cheating when it comes to having a pure cultural experience? Yes. Am I complaining? No.

Being constantly reminded of security issues helps me stay grateful for a safe haven to return to each day. In this picture, if you look very closely to the left of the sun, you can see a small blimp flying above the King David Hotel. This is the hotel chosen to house President Bush during his stay in Israel and the blimp is flown during times of political unrest. It has been has been up since we got here, which incidentally was the same day as George W.'s arrival.

Before I left, my dad replied to a concern of my mom's like this "Well I hope she experiences a dangerous situation." Don't worry, I haven't felt threatened here. Yet.

"Listen to their hearts."

I'm sitting in the Vienna airport right now, anxious to get to Tel Aviv. Just before I left the states, my grandmother (Rita - I have a feeling I might be referring to her a lot) gave me some very poignant advice. After emanating her express excitement for my arrival in Jerusalem (and giving me a handful of names of old friends she would love for me to contact), she rolled of several bits of information and advice. One stuck with me and is something especially important in travel to the Middle East, a place strung with contradicting stories and opinions. I hope to live by this my whole life, but especially while studying in the Holy Land.

"Listen to the people, Catherine. Listen to their hearts."