Passport dilemmas
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So currently as I am writing I am an illegal immigrant. Not really ish…. I now have a visa extension till May 9th but that means that I can’t go anywhere Palestinian controlled without risking deportation. Fun! So no Ramalah or Bethlehem. Which upsets me even more because I want to go to Nazareth!!! I swear the crap I have gone through here is ridiculous. I have crossed fences and been scared of border patrol I’m connecting with my Mexican roots for realz!!!
Arabiye!
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First language class was today… Yay! I was concerned at first because Hebrew is kind of important to know and everyone speaks it. But I like what I am learning and will be having my first quiz on Wednesday so I am off to studying.
Mini Trip!
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We went on a Mini Trip before class today! We went to both the Dome of the Rock and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. (sp is most def wrong) The Dome of the Rock was beautiful up close and you get such an amazing view of the city. Sadly we could not go in because we were not Muslim but to think of how important that rock was! Some random facts from class about the Dome (See I pay attention) Its the site where Abraham was going to sacrifice Issac. Though there is some debate because some believe that Ishmael was sacrificed there making it historically significant to the Muslims I believe. The rock was also where Mohammed ascended into heaven. The Dome was also part of creation… and some other stuff I can’t remember.
On to Hezekiah Tunnel which is underground and really cool and it was what brought water to the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is a tunnel where you walk through knee deep water in the dark though you can buy flash lights and its even in the bible.
The Bible verses relating to Hezekiah's tunnel are these:
"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20
"And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?" 2 Chronicles 32:2-4
"This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." 2 Chronicles 32:30
(Thank you Wikipedia!)
On to Hezekiah Tunnel which is underground and really cool and it was what brought water to the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is a tunnel where you walk through knee deep water in the dark though you can buy flash lights and its even in the bible.
The Bible verses relating to Hezekiah's tunnel are these:
"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20
"And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?" 2 Chronicles 32:2-4
"This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." 2 Chronicles 32:30
(Thank you Wikipedia!)
A Sad Sunday
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On Sunday Marissa planned a trip to Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust memorial. We got on the 23 bus and took it for a long time until we reached a forest area. The museum itself was informative though incredibly politically charged and above all depressing. There were moments that made me want to cry because of the many personal stories that were playing on the monitors. The creepiest exhibit by far is the hall of fallen children. The room is pitch black lit by only candles representing all the children who died in the holocaust. I had to hold on to Zach to feel where I was going. Once inside the room a voice continuously calls the names and ages of the children. I am told that soon it will be Holocaust Remembrance Day along with Israeli Independence day.
Easter -Stations of the Cross
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So based on today I can say that I do not regret not going to Tel-Aviv. The Stations of the Cross was by far the most interesting experience by far. It was supposed to start early in the morning depending on what church you went with. As soon as we got there though the first thing we see is some guy beating up a woman because she apparently hit him. Needless to say I was finally glad that we for once were surrounded by Israeli military.
But I have digressed…we went along with one procession which seemed like the right thing to do especially since they spoke in English Spanish, Italian, and Arabic so all of these languages were used in explaining the story of the sacrifice of Jesus. Along the way we saw many people with crosses and a bunch of processions. We sadly were parted from that church somehow and couldn’t find them anymore so we ended up following a Christian Arabic Church. We did all the stations and were walking along until the procession was halted abruptly by the police because the church of the Holy Sepulcher was full though we had to figure that out later because no one was telling us anything. All in all a fun time and a great cultural experience.
But I have digressed…we went along with one procession which seemed like the right thing to do especially since they spoke in English Spanish, Italian, and Arabic so all of these languages were used in explaining the story of the sacrifice of Jesus. Along the way we saw many people with crosses and a bunch of processions. We sadly were parted from that church somehow and couldn’t find them anymore so we ended up following a Christian Arabic Church. We did all the stations and were walking along until the procession was halted abruptly by the police because the church of the Holy Sepulcher was full though we had to figure that out later because no one was telling us anything. All in all a fun time and a great cultural experience.
Jewish Holidays A.K.A Diet days.
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Haksameah.) Everybody! Or happy holidays! For the non Hebrew speaking sort. (The word is transliterated so no that’s not how you spell it
I said I would write about Jewish holidays and I will the first being Pessah or Passover. What happens here is that for about a week (maybe two?) all Jewish people go on a no carb diet. That means no bread or grain whatsoever. Did you know that a lot of good food is made of grains??? Pasta, bread and if you are an Ashkanazi (sp) Jew then you have it a bit harder than a Sifardic (sp) Jew who can at least eat beans and rice. Only the Muslim quarter of the city has bread but otherwise I would die.
Another problem… er… I mean… holiday is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath which starts at sun down on Friday everything kinda shuts down and depending on how much of a religious Jew you are then you are not allowed to do any type of work at all. According to a kid in our program there are 32 classes of work that one could possibly do. Work therefore varies from writing something down to using the phone and shutting off the stove. The further implications of that are that the city shuts down, the busses stop running and stores are closed by 3 and don’t reopen until the next day.
On the good side: Passover is done in a week yay bread will abound!!
On the bad side: Shabbat happens every Friday till forever which means alot more scheduling around that time. BOOOO!
I said I would write about Jewish holidays and I will the first being Pessah or Passover. What happens here is that for about a week (maybe two?) all Jewish people go on a no carb diet. That means no bread or grain whatsoever. Did you know that a lot of good food is made of grains??? Pasta, bread and if you are an Ashkanazi (sp) Jew then you have it a bit harder than a Sifardic (sp) Jew who can at least eat beans and rice. Only the Muslim quarter of the city has bread but otherwise I would die.
Another problem… er… I mean… holiday is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath which starts at sun down on Friday everything kinda shuts down and depending on how much of a religious Jew you are then you are not allowed to do any type of work at all. According to a kid in our program there are 32 classes of work that one could possibly do. Work therefore varies from writing something down to using the phone and shutting off the stove. The further implications of that are that the city shuts down, the busses stop running and stores are closed by 3 and don’t reopen until the next day.
On the good side: Passover is done in a week yay bread will abound!!
On the bad side: Shabbat happens every Friday till forever which means alot more scheduling around that time. BOOOO!
Foodie Update 2
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Staying has been a good decision thus far if only for the fact that we went to a great Ethiopian food!! Ethiopian food is amazing! Spicy and best of all MEAT!! One of the other things I miss from back home but sadly this is my own doing since I don’t or can’t (TBE. To be explained later) cook for myself. It was by far not a cheap meal. 80 NIS for me but then again I think it was worth the splurge if only for the fact that they were the only place that was not keeping Kosher for Passover and thus had bread!!! ( I will be posting on what that last statement really means later. )
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