Jerusalem-May 21

              We have arrived in Jerusalem! The view of the city from our rooftop rooms, the fresh yogurt served at breakfast, the platter of hummus at lunch and dinner, and the armed guards scattered around all confirm our location. We have arrived at the destination that I have most anticipated. It’s funny, while I knew and know that we are going to other destinations, my mind hasn’t thought past our three weeks in Israel, all the other destinations seems to pale in comparison. Why am I so excited about Israel? Very good question. I think it is because I have been exposed (whether through friends at college, friends at home, documentaries or lecturers) to a whole different perspective concerning the vitality, vibrancy, sorrow, and pain that this region of the world contains. But, rather than me telling you about my reflections, let me tell you my story.

            To begin, we arrived here (Jerusalem University College) just about a day ago…two days ago…my internal clock still hasn’t fully adjusted yet, so time is a bit hazy. The plane ride from Chicago included wonderful talks with my seat buddies, Kevin Hu and Meredith Smith, as well as my completing a book and writing a three page reflection paper (Letters from Pergamum, a wonderful read!). Sleep was not an option due to the man in front of me on the plane who decided, twenty minutes into the trip, that he was going to lean his seat back as far as it would go and leave it there…for ten hours (his head basically resting in my lap for the whole flight was far from endearing). We arrived in Rome and boarded another plane for Tel Aviv after going through Roman security, which was pretty much a joke. I accidentally left on a metal necklace, and when I walked through the metal detector (which of course beeped, and beeped loudly) the guard hardly gave me a lazy glance before he waved me on through. Others bottles full of water, I think someone even had keys in their pockets, but no one got stopped. I felt very secure. Then there were the men on the tarmac (baggage handlers? Security? Loiters in uniform?) that looked (and posed) like Armani models: designer sunglasses, meticulously groomed hair (and well constructed facial hair), swanky uniforms, and a certain pretension that marked them as among (or at least they thought they were among) the aesthetically elite. After they stared at us for a bit, probably wondering how we could allow ourselves to look so disheveled (because nothing makes a girl look better than sleep deprivation and twelve hours transit), we were able to board the plane.

            We finally arrived in Tel Aviv and made it through Israeli security with only one bag getting lost (it was recovered a few hours later), and one person getting called in for questioning (his middle name was, I think, Ishmael, which is a traditionally Muslim name. So the guards were questioning what his religious affiliations were), but he was released after being interrogated for an hour or so. Just a product of social stereotyping at its finest.

On the road from Tel Aviv to Israel

            The 40 miles from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was peppered with Israeli flags. In fact Israeli flags were EVERYWHERE!  

Some boys celebrating Jerusalem Day

It seemed as though some rhetorical posturing was taking place with the amount of flags that were always in sight. Also the fact that we happened to arrive on the exact same day as Jerusalem Day, the day in which some Israeli people celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the old city in June of 1967.  As you can imagine, there are mixed feelings concerning this day where some Israelis are celebratory, some are ambivalent, and the Palestinians are less than thrilled.

Zion Gate

            Anyways, we got to JUC in time for dinner and I met some new friends here that have been on campus for a week from Fresno Pacific University. They were kind enough to take me and a few others on a tour of the Old city. It was spectacular! 

An archway in the Old city

People Celebrating 

There were huge celebrations in honor of Jerusalem Day. People were crowding the streets, singing songs, waving flags, and dancing. This was totally my scene, I couldn’t stop smiling, being in the midst of the very heart beat of the city was exhilarating. We got a bit lost and were trying to figure out how to get back to the Joppa gate, when a guy named Isaac, who was walking with his brother and sister-in-law, stopped by us and asked us if we needed help. We said we were going to Joppa, and he said they were too and we should follow him. I started talking with Isaac and asking him about himself. He and his family immigrated from Chicago (I think, his English was wonderful, even using terms such as “flippant”) to Jerusalem and he had just finished his two years of military service. I asked him how he felt about his military service, and overall he viewed it as a good experience. I then asked him about the Israeli Palestinian conflict and what he thought about it. Overall, he said, we all just want to live our lives. If that means we live among one another, I’m happy with that, I just don’t want to kill or get killed. 

People Dancing during the Celebrations

More Celebrations in front of Joppa Gate

 We then parted ways with a happy goodbye and our little group from JUC walked to an outdoor mall where I and two friends took this photo. The girl in the middle, Jackie, is imitating the bug in the photo (in case you were confused by her expression).

Phew, another long post, and I haven’t even gotten to the adventures we had today. I’ll have to do some double duty soon on this stuff to keep you all posted. Have a wonderful day/night in whatever time zone you may be in!