[2008] Figs

[2008] Figs

[2008] Map of the West Bank

[2008] Map of the West Bank

6/28/2007

Beit Sahour--First Days

June 21, 2007

Not sure how to express that I am in Palestine (Falasteen) and that it really feels like a home. Maybe not my home, but a welcoming home. Some thoughts, not necessarily in order:
The cab driver from Jerusalem tells stories of the "religious peoples" (Jewish, orthodox I assume, maybe Hassidic) who he drives to Tel Aviv and Talpiot to go to visit prostitutes. They ask first if he is Arab or Jewish and finding he's Arab they get in. That's how he already knows where they want to go. They dont want someone to drive them who might tell their family and ruin their reputation. He says "they are coming fast fast... ha ha ha..." and tells me how they consummate their marriage through a hole in a sheet. All an odd and somewhat uncomfortable conversation to have with my cab driver. Talked about the Gay Pride parade set for 5pm tonight. He says 2 years ago the "religious peoples" stabbed someone and now they're trying to protest the parade again. So many cops out. No soldiers at the checkpoint. Mohammed (my cab driver) is happy.

I arrive at Bethlehem University and then take another cab to the Siraj Center where I meet Wilandra, Kit, David and Rodrigo (others in the program) and George and Micheal directing the program. Micheal takes us on a tour of Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity, great falafel at a place right on the square. There are muslims and christians and tourists all milling about. He shows us the bus station and how to get to Bethlehem University. At the University we're given orientation and a brief overview of the problems the university has experiences with the intifada and the closure of schools for three years by the israeli government in the early 80's. We meet our professor and agree to start the course on Monday after the other two students arrive.
Micheal takes me to his brother's home where I will live. Joseph is 31, his wife, Jumana is 28, John is 5 and Jessie is 3 month old. All very friendly and hospitable. My room is on the third floor with a balcony. Amazing. I nap and then Micheal takes me to get a cell phone and shows me how to walk to where Kit et all are staying. He drives me by the settlement "Har something". It looks like a huge imposing subdivision. And it's so close. The settlement and it's surrounding fence has confiscated a lot of what was Beit Sahour land. People dont have access to their fields anymore. Some people still build on what they believe is their land but because Israel now considers it theirs these houses can be destroyed at any time.
The watch American Idol and Charmed here.
Dinner is tasty... maashi ("stuffed") this time squash, liver, chicken wings, pita bread and salad. John is super cute and talks nonstop. I say he's my "ustath arabi" and he says "nooooo!" but i think he feels important.

Joseph confirms there really are hyenas here. [AWESOME!!] Says they're native. But he says he's only seen one in his life.

Joseph's opinion of Palestinian political situation: there's no chance for a Palestinian state. everyone knows this but the politicians dont want to say it. Gaza they call "Hamastan" and the West Bank is "Fatahland". The West Bank will come eventually under Jordanian control, with Palestinians still having their own president, etc. Gaza under Egypt. He complains of the kids who are poor and easily bribed at the checkpoints to bring across bombs city to city through the checkpoints. The Israelis know this happens so now they target all children for more intensive searches. Joseph is really really mad at Hamas and extremists in general.
Jumana's brother and mother came by after dinner. Very sweet. We eat "fowkoos" which is like a slightly-furry cucumber and it's much better than cucumber. Beit Sahour is known for them.

Joseph used to guide tourists to Herodian (Herod's tomb I think?) and the Sea of Galilee (once again I might have this wrong, maybe it's the Dead Sea?) as it's a 5-6 hour hike, but now he can't take them there anymore because there are soldiers and it's not permitted. He's lost a lot of work. He works in a tourist agency. Joseph and Jumana have lived in Germany and he mostly guides German tourists as he speaks German fluently. His father was one of many sons in a poor family and a german Father came and basically adopted him. The German man was an important person of opposition to Hitler and also is supposedly famous for some book he wrote about communicating with spirits... his name is Joseph [cant remember last name right now!] and Joseph is named after him.

June 22, 2007

Breakfast is bread, cheese, meat, jam, coffee or tea. Kit and I shared a taxi (5 NIS-New Israeli Shekels each) to the checkpoint. There we get out and enter through a turnstyle into a steep pathway up to the checkpoint. This is next to the gigantic separation wall. I'm a terrible estimate of distance but it's at least 5-8 times my height. at least. lots of pictures of the grafitti on the wall. "Israeli Apartheid, American Dollars" and such. At the top of the cement walk (enclosed by fence) you reach the first side of the checkpoint and a soldier with an M-16 checks my passport. After this, we enter walk about 50 feet and enter another building with a metal detector and our bags are checked. Then we stand in line and watch as some women in hijab are taken to a private room for searching. We then go through another turnstyle and have our passports checked again and David is sent back because he forgot his passport and is trying to get in with only a Colorado driver's license. We then are finally allowed to exit and I survey the barbed wire fortress I've been allowed to leave. Only a small number of Palestinians have permission to go into Israel. The family I live with only gets to go on Christmas and Easter to Jerusalem.

From there we take Bus 124 (3.5 NIS) to Damascus Gate and Kit and I walk to Jaffe Gate, while Wilandra takes a taxi. The day is spent wandering around the old city... the Jewish Quarter, the Arab Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter. Kit and I pay 16 NIS each to enter the Ramparts Walk which circles the Old City from above. We see Al-Aqsa and many churches... Finally we find ourselves at the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) and put our long sleeve shirts back on so we can enter. I show Kit how to get to Zion Square where we explore Ben Gurion street (my second time) and buy cheap earrings. I'm starting to get used to the civilian-looking people carrying M-16's (Paige had told me they might be guiding groups). Kit's still getting used to this. We try to take a photo in McDonalds of the salads they offer--truly fresh, made in front of you (not that we ate there) but photos are apparently forbidden in McDs, which is funny because three soldiers had posed with us earlier. Unfotunately for McD's I'd already snapped a shot... As we walk back, it's amazing to be talking shop with a bgirl, we're discussing freezes and the scene, when all around us is the "Holy City" and we keep having to remind ourselves it's real. Arriving back at Jaffe Gate, we find Wilandra still wait for her new cell phone from a "friend" who may not be as friendly as she'd hoped, so we decide to head back to Bethlehem. People are very helpful in helping us find the bus back and my little arabic seems to come in handy. On the way, we're stopped by an Israeli police officer who checks that everyone on the bus has the ID pass... entering is pretty much the same as leaving. Maybe a little quicker. A lot of walking and a lot of obedience to the young female IDF officer working there. She does not smile.

I meet the family Kit and Wilandra live with. The daughter works at the ice cream shop across the street, Flavors and Wasim, the cousin works at a toy store a few doors down. Wasim likes rap and is actually a fan of KRS-1, Q-tip... and Atmosphere! His brother is a DJ and DJs parties and weddings. He studies in 6 of October, Egypt. When asked about the siege of the church of the nativity in 2002 (?) he says it was "cool" and laugh shyly. "It was exciting at least--it's usually so boring here". There were tank rolling through the small town's streets (18,000 people live in Beit Sahour), curfews and his house was searched many times. He once had to make a run for it to make it home.

Dinner at Joseph & Michael's parents house: 8 priests from Germany, Chile, Argentina and Switzerland are being entertained. Jiryis arrived to surprise them. He's the younger brother of Joseph & Michael who has been working as an engineer outside of Abu Dhabi.
Ice cream that night on the rooftop with John yelling over to the neighbors and Joseph trying with very little success to quiet him. It's strange being in someone else's home because I never know when I'm being perceived as standoffish and when as a nuissance. They are so hospitable and I dont want to take advantage!! They are so welcoming, I can imagine wanting to spend a lot longer than the one month here.

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