One of the amazing trips I was able to make as a Sabeel volunteer was a week-end-long visit to the Galilee, in the northern part of the country (taken late May 2011). The drive through the country alone involved some amazing sceneries, arguably some of the most beautiful in the world.

Our main destinations were Al Bassa, Kufr Yassif, I’billin and Ras al Naqoura. In Al Bassa-- a town which was depopulated in 1948-- we visited the ruins of 2 churches, one of which has recently been used as a stable by Israeli settlers. We also saw the ruins of a Christian cemetery. I am always baffled as to how anyone could disrespect the resting place of those who have passed on, regardless of the cemetery or deceased people’s religious affiliation…

I found this deeply disturbing and painful to see, so much so that I couldn’t bear to take many pictures of the area...

In Kufr Yassif, we visited some beautiful campgrounds and climbed atop a huge wooden structure (tree-house like; I don’t know what else to call it) that showed some amazing Mediterranean ocean views. Kufr Yassif is also the town in which we all attended mass on Sunday morning, with about half of the group attending a Melkite/Catholic mass and the rest attending a Greek Orthodox mass.

I’billin was the lovely, very Christian Palestinian town with endless hills and narrow, winding streets through which we had to maneuver a huge bus to reach the ‘dorms’ where we spent Saturday night. I immediately noticed how Christian Palestinian that town was due to the fact that almost every other building had a big cross crowning it. We briefly visited a nearby town called Shefa-Amr, where we got to taste some local, delicious Palestinian ice cream, serving the equivalent of 3 huge scoops for a mere 10 shekels (less than $3!!).

Although we only stayed one night at the ‘dorms,’ I will always remember fondly the time spent there and particularly the man who was ‘overseeing’ us during our stay. He was a very warm person with a great sense of humor, and as he wished us well saying “God bless you,” I couldn’t help but to feel a bit sad to leave.

The last place we saw was Ras al Naqoura, which is right at the border with Lebanon. The sceneries there overlooking the Mediterranean were absolutely stunning, as were the grottos we wandered through. If standing in a certain area, you could actually see the rope-like ‘string’ used to indicate the border between Israel and Lebanon…

Always a bit funny/confusing to see these things; how does one determine a border? And who decides on the specifics? Mmmmm...

On the way home, we stopped in Nazareth to have some delicious knafeh dessert, which I am shocked to say I was unable to finish because it was so sweet and filled me up fast (which is rare for someone who is as sweet-toothed as myself!). ABSOLUTE DELIGHT and a must-try if visiting the country!

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit these places. Besides being visually stunning, I must say there is a different ‘feel’ to the north, and apparently I’ve heard quite a few other people say the same as well… I believe the total drive time from Jerusalem to the north is about 4 hours long, and given that the drive from Jerusalem to Eilat (at the southernmost tip) was also about 4 hours, it seems you may be able drive through the country from north to south in around 8-9 hours? This seems minimal to me, who lives in California and which I believe would require more time than that to drive through…

Sadly, this time around I did not go to Tiberias (where Jesus walked on water), but that location is also in the area (more to the East), making the Galilee an absolute must-see. Until the occasion presents itself again, I’ll contend myself by combining memories from Tiberias in 2009 along with my 2011 Galilee experience, and rejoice at the memories. +

It has been a little over a week since I’ve been back to the Bay Area, and I must say I am still taking some time adjusting to being home again. It has been my experience that upon returning home from being abroad for a while, some transitioning is always necessary. Sometimes it really isn’t until you have come back home that you really get to reflect upon how much being in a certain place has affected you... The 10-hour difference alone is enough to throw you off balance for at least about a week; that was the case for me both going there and coming back. On another note, I have had quite a laugh at the amount of times I’ve been tempted to greet and answer people in Arabic (even though that Arabic is still quite limited; it’s no easy language!) and in some ways, the extreme summer heat we are now having is somewhat making me feel as though I never left the desert at all…

Perhaps in order to readjust being home, we tend to look for similarities in our surroundings that will remind us of our recent experience(s)? How do I answer the question of ‘if I’m glad to be home’? Of course I am glad; there is no place like home… but perhaps after being somewhere for an extended amount of time, that ‘new’ place also becomes our home, albeit in a different way.

Maybe that is the aspect I love the most about traveling: when you come back, you are never really the same exact person you were when you’d left.

Even though I am home now, I still have much to share, and I look forward to doing so promptly! It seems that sometimes when you are caught in the midst of so much activity, it leaves little time for writing about it--perhaps because you are too busy experiencing it. Even if you do have some time, you may not be in the mood at that particular moment to write about it... You can't predict how some things will affect you or your goals, so I suppose when the time is right, that is when you get down to it. +

So here I am, with 2 weeks left on my trip to Jerusalem. I have been busy and many things have happened since the last time I've written, giving me little time to keep up with blog posting...

The main reason I've been busy is that since late last month, I've been volunteering at a Christian Palestinian organization called Sabeel. As per Sabeel website:

Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theology seeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, to promote unity among them toward social action. Sabeel strives to develop a spirituality based on love, justice, peace, nonviolence, liberation and reconciliation for the different national and faith communities. The word "Sabeel" is Arabic for 'the way' and also a 'channel' or 'spring' of life-giving water.

Sabeel also works to promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence and witness of Palestinian Christians as well as their contemporary concerns. It encourages individuals and groups from around the world to work for a just, comprehensive and enduring peace informed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

I have also been able to see other parts of the country, due in part to family outings as well as Sabeel excursions, and I am very thankful for having had these opportunities.

Sabeel also has a young adult conference every year, which lasts 10 days and has both local Palestinian and international participants. It is a great way to learn about Palestinian Christian life here, a unique opportunity to see the country and make lifelong friends as well. Sadly I won't be here for the conference this year, but it gives me the idea of coming back at some point in the future to participate in it. 

As my experience comes to a conclusion, I am starting to make lists of 'last minute things to do,' like buying souvenirs and foods, hanging out as much as you can with people you see everyday, and remembering to go back to some places to take wayyy too many pictures (because of course, everything feels so important when it's last minute, and you never know when you'll get to see these places again... LOL).

Some of the things I look forward to sharing shortly:

* trip to the Galilee

* visiting Lifta

* common trends (fashion)

* lifestyle

Of course there will be others... these are just the ones that pop into my head at the moment.

2 weeks to conclude it all... I look forward to adding a few more memories to that already-long list. +

I returned yesterday to Jerusalem after spending 4 days in Eilat, Israel. Eilat is Israel's southernmost city with gorgeous beaches and triple-digit weather. Basically it seems to be the place where everyone goes to to escape from work and responsibilities for a few days.

After about 4 hours cramped in a car, we arrived in Eilat in the evening and were greeted with pool-friendly weather. Since I went with 3 family members and a friend of the family who go every year, they had already decided to rent an apartment for our stay. This made it more economical when we split the cost by 5 people instead of staying at a hotel. We stayed at the Royal Park apartments, which were nice and had a big swimming pool. The apartment itself had 2 rooms: a living room connected to a kitchen and a bedroom. Two people stayed in the living room and three in the bedroom (each had their own bed). And of course there was a bathroom. The place wasn't big at all (going by "California/US standards") but it definitely fit the bill for the few days we were staying, and also for the fact that we spent most of our time outside the apartment. 

Of course, for additional savings, we came prepared: enough food was brought to last 4 days, as well as cups and plates much like when you go camping. Thankfully, we also found a local place to buy very well-priced foods. It is really ridiculous how high the prices were in Eilat, but also how much they differed depending on location!! (which seems to be the case all over this country...!?). Most of the food we ate that week-end consisted of hummus, 2 different kinds of salads, eggs, sausage, bread and soda for breakfast, and barbecued chicken, kebab meat, onions, hot peppers and again that salty "100% fat" that everyone seems to love, for dinner. Cocktails were consumed all throughout the day as well. Again, eating that way for a few days felt great, but it's definitely not a diet you'd want to keep going much longer than that!!!

Eilat is pretty small, so I'd say the things you can do can be limited and you only need a few days to really see and know what Eilat is about. There is one mall with 3 floors, and right outside there is a boardwalk filled with shops. I'd say the shops are definitely catered to tourists, but you can also find cute beach-friendly clothes at bargain prices. I found a pair of very cute (even if 'exaggerated') harem pants for only 50 shekels (about $13). Bonus that the material is cotton, which is always what I look for when purchasing clothing. If you go to the regular or more high-end shops, the prices are "Eilat prices" AKA, very high. IE: someone bought ONE bar of soap for 6 shekels (about $2) when in Jerusalem I bought 6 soaps for 15 shekels (around $4). 

In the evening, you can enjoy one of the many 'cafes' that line the beach, many with low seats that you can sit/lie down on while you have a drink just literally a few steps away from the water. I had never seen bars/cafes with this kind of outdoor seating and I must say it was so lovely and relaxing!! All throughout the city, music was blasting from one corner to another, well into the night (I could still hear it blasting around 3am when I once fell asleep at the apartment LOL). There is definitely a 'party vibe' to the city and I think most people come to Eilat for that. I heard that there are dance clubs but sadly I did not see or visit any of them. Bars and shops stay open until pretty late so that you can enjoy drinks and being out in the hot weather well into the night.

Aside from 'doing the drinking thing,' Eilat also has water activities, amusement parks and aquariums that you can enjoy. When at the beach, we decided one day to pay a fee and do 3 water activities, which included lying down on an inflatable 'bed' which, attached to a boat, basically pulled us through the water and tried to make us fall off. I don't know the name of this activity but it was my favorite, and so much fun!!!! The second activity was similar, except you'd sit on an inflated banana and get dragged through the water. I learned that keeping your balance in the water while sitting is very difficult indeed! LOL Finally, we kayaked for some time as well. We got a good arm work-out, and came out of the water red from the sun and covered in a 'white film,' thanks to the Red Sea's saltiness. On another day, we visited Coral World, which had different exhibits such as sharks, turtles and stingrays, rare fish and red sea reef. It was entertaining, but small in my opinion. We had planned on visiting King City (which was close to where we stayed), but when we got there we were told we only had one hour until they closed, so we skipped it. The sight of that massive orange structure standing in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere was unlike anything I had ever seen. Something about that orange color... or was it the architecture?! Not sure...

One thing I sensed about Eilat is that it seemed to have a bit of a "hippie" vibe. I saw many shops with rasta-like themes, and a few times when we hung out at the beach I heard songs that basically sounded like Jewish/Israeli reggae. I saw tons of people with tattoos-- and of course that's not to say that they were all from Eilat-- but judging from some of the tans, they definitely could have been. Seeing tattoos definitely stood out to me since 1. you rarely see them in Jerusalem and 2. I hear it's looked down upon by religious Jews, and that there is a tradition that says that a tattooed Jewish person can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Maybe tattoos are becoming part of the mainstream in Israel as well? In any case, Eilat's hot weather allows everyone to show off their body art (and hot bodies!!) if they are so inclined. 

Another thing I definitely noticed was the city's prominent Russian Jewish presence. Most places had Hebrew and Russian signs, which testify to that. The apartment we stayed at also had a lot of French Jews. I would say Eilat did not look particularly 'diverse' as most people there were Jewish. Jews from different parts of the world indeed, but mostly Jews nonetheless. Saw maybe 5 Arabs and a few Africans (who themselves also could have been Jewish...). And this detail only underlines part of the political situation in Israel. Seeing so few Arabs only reminded me that many Arabs--with the difficult issue of identity being what it is--are not allowed in Eilat due to its proximity to Egypt and Jordan. For many Arabs, permits are issued for other parts of Israel but Eilat is the one forbidden location. 

What did I enjoy? It was definitely nice to get away from the city (Jerusalem) for a while, and see something new. Of course it was more laid back in Eilat... the things you do are limited and very relaxed! Spending your day mostly drinking and swimming is not going to be a source of frustration, so what is there to complain about? LOL The scenery... definitely gorgeous. Eilat is bordered by Egypt in the south and Jordan to the east. I definitely loved swimming at the Red Sea beach (even if the water was cold and salty!) and contemplating swimming straight across to Aqaba's shore, staring right at me... Yes, I was googley-eyed, remembering that scene from "Lawrence of Arabia" with T.E. Lawrence and his Arab troops capturing that port city... How could I not be?! *sigh* 

Driving back through the scorching desert, my imagination roamed, filled with images of camel-riding people trekking through the never-ending vastness...
And I was reminded that I love me an air-conditioned car indeed!!!!

Eilat: simple, layed back, hot, somewhat cliche in some ways... but definitely to be experienced. 

SPF 45+ sunscreen mandatory. +

Since I came to Jerusalem last month to witness all the Palestinian Christian Easter traditions, I had my share of church/mass experiences. By blood, my family is Russian Orthodox, but being that they live in an Arabic-speaking country, it makes sense that they might like to go to the Arab Orthodox mass, which is in Arabic. Linguistically it makes little difference for me as I speak neither Arabic nor Russian (sadly!). Although they are both Orthodox churches, albeit of different ethnic groups, some aspects stood out to me during these frequent April church visits.

The first thing that comes to mind when I compare both churches is the way people dress when attending mass. Going to Arab Orthodox mass puts little limitation on what you can wear. Of course, you'd figure not to wear things that are too revealing, but in terms of pants or skirts and which colors, pretty much anything goes. Some like to dress up, wear a variety of colors (brights and patterns too) while some are more casual in jeans and flats. 

In Orthodox churches women are supposed to cover their hair slightly, as a sign of modesty, but it was not made a requirement when attending Arab Orthodox mass. I saw some wearing it (usually older women), but I'd say most didn't. 

For Russian Orthodox church, ladies have to wear a long skirt and cover their hair. There is no exception to this rule. I had gone to Russian Orthodox mass at the Mount of Olives on the Eve of Easter, so I chose to wear black. However, I saw most women wearing pretty much neutral colors, and a lot of flower-patterned scarves on their head. I had visited the church before Easter, and I was surprised to find that at the entrance of the church was a wooden 'box' that had tons of apron-like long skirts ready for you to wear in case you didn't come wearing one. As I wasn't wearing a skirt on that day, to enter the church I wore one of these briefly while inside, and I wore my sweater's hood too (since I didn't have a scarf then).

Another detail that stands out is the way the mass is carried out. In Arab Orthodox church, depending on the day, the masses are usually rather brief (1.5 to 2 hours). There is seating throughout the church and most people sit until a particular passage referring to God or Jesus comes, at which point people will stand for the passage. On the other hand, Russian Orthodox masses seem to be longer (the one I attended was 4 hours! But it was Easter Eve at the Russian Orthodox Convent of the Ascension after all...), and sitting is usually a privilege left for older people. Basically, you stand for the duration of the mass. The seating I saw on Easter Eve was very limited, and the concept was the same in that when certain passages come, people stand. 

A third detail I noticed involves socializing/behavioral aspects. I got the impression that going to church for Arabs is a very social event, with people greeting each other, kids everywhere (loud and quiet ones), and sometimes even some minor chatting on the sides. When mass was over, people would linger around and say hello to one another. Basically, it was rarely 'silent as the grave' when attending a mass.

I definitely noticed a difference when I entered the Russian Orthodox church. As I entered and heard a priest singing in a low and consistent voice, I immediately remembered how beautiful that traditional singing can be in those churches. It was for the most part very quiet, dark (the only lighting was from candles) and whispering seemed to be at a minimum. Aside from nuns in black attire moving about at times, and of course people blessing themselves, there was limited movement. I remember one brief moment, when the choir of nuns were singing. It sounded so angelic and I felt so still that for a few seconds, as I closed my eyes and said a prayer, I actually felt like I was the only person there... Then someone passed by me and I was back in 'the real world.' (*Sigh* It's fine... that moment was enough to have made this long night worth it.)

Of course I could be wrong, but I didn't sense that there was as much interaction between people here as in the Arab Orthodox church. There could be different reasons for that. Could be some people were Russian tourists visiting for Easter, maybe some are more reserved or simply don't know anyone else who is attending. At Arab Orthodox church it seemed everyone knew each other, which would obviously explain increased interaction. 

Basically, in terms of 'rules,' I'd have to say that the Russian Orthodox church is stricter than the Arab Orthodox church. It's not a question of right or wrong; they're just different. The point is not to portray one as 'better' than the other; I was just reflecting on how they may or may not be alike. I'm glad to have experienced each so that I increase my knowledge and experience of each side and in some ways, of the cultures as well.

+

A week ago, on Thursday April 21st, my cousin and I ventured to Ramallah... on our own. The experience was a mix of exploring, shopping, cousin seeing her old friend, but eventually, frustration.

As expected, getting there was no problem. We found parking and then started on our walk to check out the shop-filled streets. I bought a dress at a Mango store within 5 minutes of being there... What can I say? I know what I like and I'm a quick shopper LOL =) It wasn't noon yet and the streets were filled with shoppers. It seems people in this country are early-risers, but I've also noticed that when it comes to some foods, some prefer to buy what they need on the day it will be cooked rather than to stock up ahead of time. Guaranteed freshness, right? While I might be used to "getting moving" later on in the day, here the hustle and bustle of life starts quite early.

As we ventured on, all we saw were shops, shops and more shops, many of which have what I consider to be funny English names. It was also interesting to be roaming the rugged, narrow streets only to hear a radio blasting Rihanna and other typical American songs... right. My wandering eyes eventually caught a big green and white label, and I soon realized I was greeted with Ramallah's very own version of Starbucks, renamed... "Stars and Bucks." Yes I did have to laugh at that one, and just had to snap a picture. As anywhere else, you see some dressed in more religious attire and others mixing it up to make it fashionable, with matching colors/purses/shoes, etc. Speaking of shoes. I think out of all the stores we saw, we mostly saw shoe stores... my goodness. No shortage of that here, and of color variety either!!

All went fine, until we decided to head home. The main checkpoint in Ramallah is the Qalandiya checkpoint which is the one that gets the worse traffic and is notorious for ridiculously long waits. It happens to be located off the main street, which we figured wouldn't be so hard to find. Big mistake. We soon realized how much Ramallah is lacking in adequate, if any, road signs, so that we drove around for at least a good 30 minutes, looking for signs leading back to Jerusalem, before realizing that we were heading towards other unknown towns. We asked for directions at least 4-5 different times from people, police and Palestinian soldiers until we finally found the road to Qalandiya. But that in itself was only part of the solution, as there was terrible traffic ahead of us. We knew another, easier checkpoint to go through to get home besides Qalandiya, but required a longer drive, so we realized we'd be sitting in that traffic for some time. The worst part? We needed a bathroom. Sure it sounds silly in retrospect, but things like this just serves to remind you that 1. always look for/use a bathroom when you can because you never know when you'd be able to find one next and 2. in some parts of the world, you can't just 'park your car on the side' and go look for accomodations, etc. The traffic is such that your car is just stuck there and there is absolutely nowhere to go but straight ahead, period. 

So, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, cringing all the while... We took the longer route and it seemed like we'd finally be reaching home in a few short minutes until the car died... just steps away from the other checkpoint we'd driven all this way to reach. My goodness. It was like the ride home was destined to last forever... We tried to re-start the car several times, without luck. My cousin's husband quickly came to the scene to try to figure out the situation. He stayed on with the car while we drove home fast because yes, we still needed that bathroom and had been waiting an hour by now to use it (really not good for the bladder, in case that's a surprise to anyone). I will say I have never before felt such relief to reach home...

In terms of the car, it seemed it had over-heated and it went unnoticed, so that by the time we had reached the checkpoint, it had reached its limit...?? I'm not sure and this still puzzles me, when we are told this never happened to the car before. Go figure. A nice thing amidst the craziness: while we waited for my cousin's husband to arrive, a car pulled up and a Jewish man came over to try to help us out with the car situation. I already would have been surprised for that gesture back in CA, but here in Israel/Occupied Territories where tensions abound, this stood out even more in a lovely way.

Lessons of the day? Even for my cousin who has lived here her whole life, it may be wise to consider how 'adventurous' one is willing to be. Honestly, I wasn't really frustrated by the whole thing as much because I saw it as part of the experience... Part of me had indeed thought, "hey we might get lost, but we'll just figure our way out..." which we eventually did do. But the bathroom and car dying thing? Would have never seen that one coming in a million years. Next time we go it will surely be with people who know the area... and with our own cars (we had taken someone else's car). The bathroom thing has also been rather painfully noted. Perhaps these issues wouldn't have been a big deal in the States, but here? Where many streets lack names, probably don't appear on a map, with construction being done all over the place, and one hill looking exactly like the next?

Hey, you live and you learn. =)

On Monday, April 25th 2011, a group of 12 of us went to Yafo to watch a rather brief Arab Christian celebration. It was basically all the Christians from the area gathering to go to church, and then watch their scouts parading the streets. It's an occasion for people to dress up and socialize but since my cousins don't know anyone in Yafo, we just watched and didn't stick around. 

After, we headed to one of the many parks of the area to barbecue, and man was the park packed!!!!! As always it was a mix of people, but I suppose the people there were mostly Jews celebrating Passover and Christians celebrating Easter. The weather was really nice and 3 of the guys barbecued some amazing food: chicken, kebabs, onions, tomatoes, hot peppers (which burnt my tongue with how spicy they were!!!) and also this food that looked a lot like pieces of chicken but were actually pieces of 100% fat. When cooked it was very tasty and salty but again, you'd have to remember you are eating pure fat LOL

The park was huge, and there were some attractions for kids, such as a little 'zoo' with deers and peacocks, and playgrounds. There were also some big 'lakes' so you could water-ski and do a few other water-related activities. It was interesting to see this huge park that had what I consider to be better-than-average entertainment. We'd be eating our barbecue and then see someone randomly passing by on their water-ski, flying through the air if they happened to be doing some tricks. Some were dressed in casual clothes, others in religious clothing. Regardless all seemed to be there to enjoy a day off in the sun. We stayed there quite a while, eating and relaxing at the park. In the evening we headed to a place on the other side of Yafo called "Victory" for ice cream and waffles... Good grief, their portions were huge and tasted delicious!! I hadn't had sweets and chocolates in well over 40 days, so this was another welcomed post-Easter treat. 

This marked the end of the Easter week-end and back to work the next day for most people. Little road trips are always enjoyable and have a way of making you feel alive. Maybe some moments feel extra special because you know you only have that one day, one hour, or whatever specific time limit. Easter may be over, but we'll just have to see which other trips we'll make during my stay. +