Milk Grotto in Bethlehem

Bethlehem University

From an email to my 5-year-old niece.

Hello there Mary.


Right now I am writing you from the Legacy Hotel in Jerusalem. It's seven in the morning here. I should be studying my Arabic homework instead of writing to you, but I was thinking about you and just had to write. I have my one-hour Arabic lesson in 75 minutes.

My plane brought me here 12 days ago and I am homesick even though I am really happy to be learning new things. The thing I like most are all the different kinds of people and languages here. This morning at breakfast on the top floor of the hotel I think I heard two teenagers talking in Japanese. I wish you were here to tell me for sure.

Mary, even though this is a very important place in the world where people are supposed to feel good about life, It's really sad. Yesterday when I was in a city called Ramallah, a little boy (seven or eight) years old and one of his younger friends were trying to sell me little pieces of paper because they were so poor. They were selling the papers (bugging me and my friends) and they were so nice at the same time. When the older boy quit bugging me, I gave him two sheckles (the name of the money here like two dimes.)

He thanked me ten times in two languages, English and Arabic. He would say "Thank koo" and I would say "Ahf-wan" and then he would repeat "Thank koo" many times until I switched from Arabic to say "You're Welcome." And then with a teasing smile on his face he said, "Shouk-ran" (That's Arabic for thank you) and I said "You're welcome" and he wouldn't stop until I switched back to Arabic and said "Afwan." We played this little game for a while and then he started selling to someone else right next to me. Well, the whole reason my friends and I were standing on the street was to taste some fantastic Palestinian ice cream. It was so so good. I had pinneapple. Anyway, while the little boy wasn't looking, I bought him a cup of Rocky-Road ice cream. At first he just wouldn't take it because he didn't want me to think he was selfish. Then I kept trying to give it to him three more times. He finally took the ice cream from my hands and tasted it. While he tasted it, we played the thank you game again. I really like this kid. You would too.

Later, when I was on the other side of the street, we saw each other again. He grinned and said, "Mmmmmmm!" Then he showed me his belly and ran away.

Well, Mary. I had better get ready for Arabic lessons. I hope to see you soon in Indiana.


Uncle Eric

Palestinian Govt Media Ctr

Palestinian Govt Media Ctr

Charmaine Seitz coordinates meetings for Earlham in Palestine

Charmaine Seitz is a journalist who has been arranging the meetings our group is having with Palestinian intellectuals.  Her writing is interesting and informative.  Check it out!
http://www.apricklypear.com/

Religious Expression or Political Statement?

The verdict is still out.  Several experts I've met during the trip have offered their opinions.  Just today, one professor said it reflects a religious conservatism.  Another said it's more political.  She said, "Haven't you seen those girls wearing hijabs (headscarfs) with tight-fitting tops and snug jeans?"  I'm thinking maybe it's both -- a way to increase a sense of presence for the Palestinian cause in the region AND to create contemporary Islamic identity.

Reema Hamami, Women’s Studies Institute, Birzeit University

Reema Hamami, Women’s Studies Institute, Birzeit University
Dr. Hamami analyzed statistics that have made headlines in the last year and uncovered surprising cause and effects regarding women's roles in Palestinian Society, more open than it appears.

After the presentation at the Bir Zeit Women's Studies Institute, we ate in the student center cafeteria.  The food was passable and the atmosphere was electric, the way universities are.  Students seemed more at ease at the University than in other parts of the country.  If I were a student, I wouldn't want to graduate.

Once lunch was over and we walked the campus looking for T-shirts that didn't exist, each of us got to meet with someone who matches some of our interests.  I was teamed up with a fascinating writer who is passionate about her work and her country -- even with a traumatic personal history.  She is driven to make something special out of her experiences and the future.  I get to meet with her again tomorrow.

Second Group Meeting to "Process" What We are Experiences

In the style of what I love about Earlham College, we held a meeting so that as individuals we might share what we are experiencing as individuals -- stuff that we would like the group to call attention to.  At last night's "processing" meeting, a history professor warned us that, although the purpose is to study Palestinians and Islam here, we are mostly seeing the one-sided view of the situation here -- that some of us may be taken in and believe too much of what people are telling us. I interpreted he was saying that we are reacting emotionally to an albeit terrible situation and, if peace is an eventual goal, then we have the see the other side as real people and not the monster machine against Palestinians.  He's right when it comes to the politics, but apartheid is apartheid, ghettos are being engineered, compliance equals silence, the rich against the poor, and some with all the mobility and others with very low mobility, and guns, guns, more guns. I realize that Judaism has a long long tradition of social deprivation, but to me it is a case of a culture of the abused becoming the abuser.

Sketching at Demascus Gate leads to trip to Bethlehem

This morning I was sitting on the steps outside Demascus Gate attempting to sketch.  I had been apprehensive up to this morning about the idea of sketching because the activity reduces the atmosphere and color of the place to black and white scratches on paper, an injustice to the scene.  While sitting there, I became involved in a conversation with a couple of Palestinians; one 28-year-old waiting for her mother for the day's shopping who was very interested in the drawing because she, too, enjoyed sketching.  After exchanging the necessary information about each other, I asked her what I should tell my students about Palestinians.  She said that they need to know what's going on underneath the surface, how difficult it is to live here.

Just after the conversation with the young woman, I met Yusef (Joseph), a physical therapist responsible for an extended family of his parents, wife, and three children, ages eight, five, and one.  Because of the way the native-born citizens of Bethlehem are being choked by the separation wall and Jewish settlements on all sides, tourism and industry (such as stone cutting for countertops and such) has been cut off from the world.  Yusef explained how tour buses were coming to town and only staying for about 40 minutes.  The buses come. They unload a block away from the Church of the Nativity, they reload, and leave.

I went to Bethlehem participating in Yusef's scam, which I recognized from the get-go.  For money, Yusef hustles to personally take individuals to a particular gift shop (where I bought a beautiful camel) in Bethlehem.  He hopes for a little money from me for the tour and a cut of anything I buy from the gift shop.

First we boarded the Palestinian bus to Bethlehem for six sheqels ($1) and rode through several local stops for about 40 minutes and disembarked on the West end of town.  Then, Yusef and I walked. He showed me where the israelis are currently constructing the wall.  There were Israeli military with machine guns guarding the operation.  We started to walk down to Yusef's friend's house for a closer look.  We made an about-face when Yusef saw razor wire stretched across the road about 30 meters in front of us.  Out of sight of the razor wire and it's guard, Yusef's friend stopped and talked to us from his car.  He had been driving around with groceries looking for the opportunity to get back with his family on the other side of the razor wire.  Had been waiting for four hours. 

Then Yusef took me to the front of half built Palestinian home which was supposed to overlook some ancient olive groves. Yusef left me standing in the street and returned a minute later with permission from the squatters who were living on the second floor, a cement three-story skeletal structure with concrete floors above and below.  There were just two walls in the shade of the second floor.  We passed one matress and a pile of belongings and reached the balcony. The entire extended family (minus) crowded together, all watching the construction and a large congregation of Israeli soldiers just across the ravine.  In the middle of the soldiers, I saw the sun flash off of a piece of equipment.  There were two men with a camera in the middle of the soldiers who were pressing them back to their vehicle.  I couldn't believe my eyes: in the foreground a guard and razor wire, then poor homes and the smoke of dump trucks and machinery, then the rebar for a section of wall parallel Highway 60, the a dry grass hill on the opposite hill with a street buildings, the camera men, and all those soldiers.

I've got much more to write, but I'm out of time.

Waiting over an hour at security checkpoint

On our way back from Ramallah to Jerusalem, we were boarded by two Israelis with machine guns to check our passports.  after just passing the graffiti on the apartheid wall in the pic, it took nearly an hour to move less than 50 yards.  Vehicles we completely searched.

Taxi Driver in Ramallah, "Welcome America!"

Met with six high school seniors at the Quaker high school in Ramallah -- outstanding seniors! They told of their educational experience in comparison to public school in Ramallah.  A lunch of great food with interesting people (Suleiman and Wa'da') as the Earlham faculty met with Earlham Alumni.  After lunch, a talk with a popular Palestinian writer who is associated with the University of Iowa.  Then to the Arafat Memorial to pay our respects.

Massada Morning

Sea Dea

The Israelis are pumping water out of the dead sea to process chemicals.  The water level is getting lower by about a meter a year.  This is causing great sinkholes and impacts how people on the west bank live.

Jericho -- late afternoon

In Jericho, the famous sycamore tree ... and a wee little man was he ... roadside camel and the jericho market.  The main streets of Jericho were newly paid.  Our Palestinian guide thank us for the recent U.S. aid to palestine.  In my opintion, money very well spent.

Qumrann - early afternoon

This is the cave that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a shepherd looking for a lamb and sold them to a dealer in Jerusalem, who sold them again in New York for big bucks.

masada in the morning part 2

Masada in the morning

I did laundry last night...

The clothes didn't look near as dirty before I washed them, but one pair of pants and a white shirt turned the water tan.

Red nose (sunburn)

Excursion to Tel Aviv - Jaffa

At first, the landscape in Jaffe (old Arab City before Tel Aviv)smacks of Southern California, especially San Diego and San Ysidro. The separation wall flanking the highway from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was surprisingly unnerving because it was so "designed" that it was antiseptic. Defensive concrete towers were built at critical locations. At some parts, the wall became a fence of triple height/double width razor wire and very military. We also passed the huge complex where Israel kept political prisoners. Scary. No highway signs provided Arabic language.




What a contrast to the day at the beach that followed!

Sabreen.org

Sabreen Group – the Palestinian Music Group was formed in 1980 with a vision focused on the development of the Palestinian modern song, reflecting the humanitarian and cultural reality in general, and the suffering endured from the political situation in particular. Thus, their recordings remain imbued with a sense of hope, yet reflect the frustrations and longing associated with Palestine. Its music is constantly taking new directions and forms and as such, embodies the spirit of creativity and innovation. Sabreen music is a language and a world of its own and is derived from local sources (folklore, traditional music) as well as international sources (jazz, rock, etc.). This unique blend of music and cultures continue to distinguish Sabreen's music thus presenting it as a recognized Palestinian and International voice.

Lecture by Yitzhak Reiter on Muslims in Israel

Reiter profile

Crafts from Women of the West Bank

Pain pain pain

Everything I see and experience here becomes of symbol of pain.  I've never experienced such scary hopefulness and desperate piety as I witness here.  This is dire -- a polarization of cultural imprints which is hard to take.

Bookshop owned by Greg Mahler's friend

http://www.facebook.com/Educational.Bookshop

Just had dinner and a movie at the Educational Book Shop.  A massive pile of rice with sweet-spiced cauliflower and chicken, smaller plate of Hummous, Baba Ganoosh, cucumber salad and cups of yogurt.  The Movie was called "Occupation 101."  This movie uses tons of emotional appeals and bias, but not that far from reality.

Haram al Sharif and Al Aqsa Mosques

Push Project

Visiting Yad V'shem

Early arrival will be visiting Palestinian Academy Society for the Study of International Affairs

http://www.passia.org/

Eric Made it to the Legacy Hotel in Jerusalem

I  made business class for the flight.  It was easier.

Off to the Airport --

I AM excited to go!  I feel like I am missing out, especially since most of the others are already there. 

I weighed and reweighed my luggage.  I had to remove two books and a pair of jeans in order to avoid $150 in additional fees from when I checked my luggage back on Tuesday.

Early arrvivals get Old Jerusalem Tours (East and West)

Nihad Dukhan -- contemporary Arabic calligrapher

Great T-shirt from a wonderful museum

"Pen"

Fellow delayed traveler, Bill Culverhouse, names trip theme song:

My new ticket says "Interrupted Travel for"

Unfortunately, our group cannot depart together.  We've been split into three groups to arrive on three different days.  My group of four (Andrew, Julia, Vince, and I) won't get to leave until Friday, June 8th.  We fly from Dayton to Detroit to New York to arrive in Tel Aviv on Saturday, June 19th at 1:15 in the afternoon.  Darn!   But that's what happens, somtimes.

Weather in Atlanta

Flight DL4964 from Dayton to Atlanta was canceled due to wind and hail in Atlanta.  Andrew2 was especially disappointed that we might miss a lecture.

Across the isle from our group, two young women, approximately 7 and 10, talked about the canceled flight as if they where 75 years old.  They were dramatic about being disgusted about changing their plans.

The Earlham group talks about lost luggage.

Inflight Movie Offerings on the way to Ben Gurion

Delta Entertainment for the month of June

Jerusalem Accomodations

Legacy Hotel Jerusalem

East Jerusalem

http://www.alhoashgallery.org/index.php

Palestinian artist Tayseer Barakat

Article from Electric Intifada

Mohammed al Hawajiri

Palestinian artist Mohammed al Hawajiri

Shareef Sarhan, Palestinian artist

"I am working under the voices of fire, Israeli warplanes ... I still breathe, take some pictures everyday"- Shareef Sarhan, Palestinian artist, 12 January 2009

Palestinian Association For Contemporary Art

PACA web slide show

The International Academy of Art - Palestine

Artist Dima Hourani

The International Academy of Art - Palestine

Try the Latin Pizza!

The Middle East group met for dinner at Galo's restaurant this evening to discuss last minute questions about the trip.  I am excited that I will be able to wear a have when we are going to be out in the sun for a long time.  It was fun getting to know one another a little better.  The bus is leaving Earlham at 2:30 in the afternoon, heading for Dayton Airport and beyond.