Long overdue...

I finally have time to sit down and update my blog. Though it has been a while since I’ve updated, life here, for the most part, is becoming routine, something I'm enjoying. I finally found a café that has high speed internet connection so I can watch missed episodes of The Office. There are things I miss about home, The Office being one of them, but I’m learning to manage without or find new solutions. I’m getting more acquainted with the city and meeting new people on a regular basis. Last night, Bethany and I went to a party hosted by a group of American contractors for US AID; learning about their work was fascinating as they are working to improve health infrastructure in Palestine.

I celebrated my birthday this past Sunday with a wonderful gift: a visit from my cousin Kaylyn who is studying in London this semester. Her flight to the Holy Land was not without drama however. Since she was traveling alone and did not speak Hebrew, she was pulled into a back room where every inch of her luggage was searched, all electronics taken apart, followed by more intensive searching and questions. Then she was sent through airport security only to be taken to another back room and strip searched down to her underwear. Luckily she was 4 hours early for her flight, otherwise she would have missed it. She was the last passenger to board.

Our weekend picked up from there. We had a night out on the town in Tel-Aviv on Thursday and hoped to spend Friday at the beach but, due to gloomy weather, we went back to Ramallah early; taking it easy for the rest of the night. Saturday we went to Martin and Suzanne's house for lunch. I am always so appreciative of their hospitality. We had lentil soup, rice, dessert and great conversation. Martin and Suzanne are my ELCA coordinators. After that we shared a taxi to Bethlehem and visited the Nativity Church. My birthday was on Sunday. We celebrated at the Dead Sea Spa enjoying the beach, mud, and hot stone massages. It was nice to relax and get away from the rain of Jerusalem/Ramallah. Monday we visited Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem) and then the Old City to see the Holy Seplechure. I dropped Kaylyn off at the airport in Tel-Aviv Tuesday afternoon. I was able to be there during her questioning and thankfully it wasn’t anything too invasive.

This birthday was quite a bit different than most. As always, I am overwhelmed by the number of people who wished me well. Thank you! Being away from home made 23 feel a lot older than it probably is. I realize that I have and will continue to undergo a great deal of change which makes it seem like I’ve aged a few years, as opposed to just one. My twenty third year will undoubtedly have its share of ups and downs, but I’m looking forward to all that is to come.

My roommate Beth was very sick last week battling a fever and cold. After three days of fever and feeling sick, we made a journey to the public “mustashfa” (hospital) to be tested for swine flu. (Even when I told Palestinians that I had visited this hospital, they gave me a concerned look.) We went to the emergency room as we didn’t know where else to go. After Bethany listed her symptoms the doctor ordered a test for H1N1 for her and me, because I live with her. After both registering with the hospital we waited to be tested. Because the hospital was out of test tubes, we waited about 3 hours for tubes to be delivered and our test administered. While the healthcare professionals were very nice and spoke English well it still led me to question the quality of healthcare Palestinians receive. Because this hospital is funded solely by the Ministry of Health, through the Palestinian Authority, its ability to stock necessary medical supplies is difficult. We learned later that we could have gone to the private hospital across the street for immediate care. It is expensive (though our health insurance through the ELCA does cover it) and most times that cost is too high for Palestinians to pay.

As I mentioned earlier, my life is becoming more routine. Typically, I get to the school I volunteer at, around 8:40 am. I help Tagreed, the secretary, make copies, file, stamp, and with anything else that needs to be done. Then we work with the younger grades, either 1^st or kindergarden. Currently, they are learning to write “capital A and small a”. Their enthusiasm to use what few words they do know is encouraging. We’ve also been teaching parts of the face; eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The biggest challenge for them is distinguishing between eyes and ears. After a few hours with the younger grades, we then assist grades 8, 9 or 10 with conversation and reading.

I enjoy this part of our day. I like visiting with the students and hearing their outlook on Palestine and America. They ask us tough questions: “What don’t you like about Islam?”, “Why do American movies always depict Muslims as terrorists?”, “Why does America send foreign aid to Israel, a developed country?”, “Why don’t Americans know about our situation?”, “Do Americans hate Muslims?”, “Did you vote for Bush in 2004?”; the list goes on. While I am aware that America makes mistakes and I am willing to admit that to the students, it’s difficult for the students to understand that America's priorities, for the most part, lie mostly in domestic and individual affairs. These students are used to seeing American products, such as US AID sponsoring their school, music videos from MTV, so they have a different understanding of how America should reach out. I think the students are dissatisfied with my answers so I have to choose my words very carefully. Usually I take the more diplomatic route, rather than say bluntly, “Americans don’t care about this situation as much as you'd like because they would rather focus on domestic, individual, or other international concerns first.” It’s harsh, but I believe, to a certain extent, it’s true of both American and Palestinian cultures. Any help with this situation would be greatly appreciated!

I usually get back from school around 1pm or 2pm. Beth and I have become involved in the Youth Group at church which meets Tuesday nights. Thankfully, we have translators that help us understand the lessons. Wednesday nights we rehearse with the Zaridash choir, an international choir in Ramallah. We’re practicing for performances in January. It’s nice to work with such dedicated musicians. Afternoons are spent shopping at the vegetable market. Vendor, Eyad, gives us good prices and we're getting to know the employees at two other grocery stores. I try to squeeze in a workout every day with four Palestinian friends who joined the gym I attend; doubles as workout and social time. Nights are spent on the internet visiting with my family and coordinating upcoming visits from friends and family.

Overall, this experience is more enriching every day. I hope to post pictures of Kaylyn and my adventures soon. I love the comments!