My first sand storm

Today there was a sand storm here. We had to shut all the windows and turn on the AC (score!!). It was EXTREMELY windy, and I got to practice shouting "Shu ah howa?!?!" (what is this wind!!?).

After the beach on Sunday, Jiries and I went to another Greek Orthodox baptism. The godmother, who is one of the most important people in the ceremony, was half an hour late. The mother of the baby was screaming and crying and when the godmother finally showed up the mother refused to let her in the church. During church services and other ceremonies such as the baptism, it is totally okay for people to talk as loud as they want, and even interrupt the priest. Children run around without supervision and its totally cool because everyone there is one big family and they all take care of each other's kids. I have a newfound appreciation for huge families... it is the greatest joy in life for the people here. Tata Huda sees 3 out of 4 of her daughters and 2 out of 3 of her sons pretty much every single day and she loves it. Someone is always pregnant, a baby is baptized every week, and there are family get-togethers to celebrate another baby's first teeth.


Tata Hudaaaa!

After the baptism Jiries and I headed over to Nermeen's for her 18th birthday party. Her dad is still in the US because he has work, and it is customary for a woman to stay with her husband's family when she visits so they are all staying with her father's parents across town.

I need to wrap this up soon because it is way past my bedtime... yesterday was my first day of work at Tata Huda's senior citizens' home. The all-women staff definitely think I am a fool. They shout "Allison, yalla yalla!!!" (come on, lets go) and then glance up and down and me and declare, "Halas (finished). Enough. Go," and shoo me away. Other than that I just pass out tea at tea time and food at lunchtime. I went again today, it was more exciting because we played Arabic Bingo. Tata Huda and I hop on the bus at 8 am and Jiries picks us up around 12:30. It costs 2 sheikels each to take the bus- sheikels (maybe it is spelled sheckles) are the [Israeli] currency they use here. The coins have menorahs on them and the bills have pictures of famous Israelis. One US dollar is the equivalent of about 3.75 sheikels.

Yesterday after Tata Huda's "university," Jiries and I swung by the University of Bethlehem to pay tuition for one of the girls in the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme's Bridges of Hope Program. Her family is very poor, but thanks to the FCCOL she has been able to attend the university for the last few years and she has received honors every semester. The Bridges of Hope Program has allowed for at least 10 Palestinian kids to go to the University of Bethlehem who otherwise would have not been able to afford it, 4 of which have graduated and the rest are there now. On the way home Jiries took me through the Old City of Bethlehem, and we stopped at a store where I picked up some Arabic workbooks so I can learn how to write. The store was situated in an old stone manger.... hmmm.




Uploading pictures is frustratingly slow, so now that I have some free time I will put up ones that I didn't get around to before.


This is the separation barrier between the West Bank and the Israeli bypass road. Israelis have access to freshly paved roads that run parallel to dirt roads on the Palestinian side. SInce Jiries has a US passport we are able to drive on both.


Women use to work all day grinding wheat in this.


This is a typical house, usually many branches/generations from one family all live in the same building, and each immediate family has its own floor. This isn't always the case though, and sometimes more than one of 2 families (with at least 5 kids) are smushed together on the same floor. The situation is much worse in East Jerusalem, where many Arabs live. Since Israel has control over Jerusalem, it almost always denies the Palestinians the building permits that they apply for so they can construct another house for their family. So instead, they add another floor onto their house, building up instead of out and reminaing tightly crowded.


Palestinian checkpoint- as far as I know this really doesn't serve a purpose besides to project the idea that the Palestinian Authority has some some degree of control over its territory. We stopped to chat with one of the guards and he told me no pictures...whoops


This sign a giant obstacle for those Israelis who are seeking a peaceful resolution.