I’ve spent some time in Jerusalem lately and I have to say that I love that city. The Old City is so intriguing and magical with its small streets and shops. There is so much flavour to that city. And it’s really fascinating to think about all the people who may have walked the very paths I myself wander upon. Then there is West Jerusalem which has an amazing market called Machane Yehuda and sells pretty much everything and anything you could want. I’m definitely going to hit it up next week and get some delicious breads and halwa!
When I was in Jerusalem last week I encountered some interesting people. I walked halfway across the city to get to an Indian restaurant where I had a pretty good buffet lunch (nothing even close to the deliciousness of Spices of Punjab - to everyone who knows my love for that place!) and paid through the nose for it. Oh well – a month without curry is way too long! I was practically the only patron in the restaurant which meant the waiter stood next to my table and made conversation throughout my meal. I didn’t mind except that it was a little awkward when the conversation died and he just stood there watching me eat. When he found out I was living in Ramallah he gave me the name and phone number of his friend who I should “definitely call because they’ll help [me] out a lot.”
Having random people give me their phone number "just in case" happens quite regularly here. Even my bank teller, Mohammed, gave me his number - fortunately he was a good-looking guy and not an old married man. So as a matter of fact we went out for a beer!
But back to Jerusalem...Prior to heading over to West Jerusalem (the Jewish area), I bought an Arabic language book in East Jerusalem. Upon entering one shop in Machane Yehuda, the shopkeeper could hardly take her eyes off the glaring script that read “Lets Speak Arabic!” I think she was a little put off that I was wandering around the "Jewish area" of the city boasting a bright purple book that promoted learning Arabic. (The book I bought is really wonderful - I'm learning Arabic, slowly but surely!)
On my way back to the Old City, I stopped to looking at an interesting mural and was approached by a young man asking if I understood what I was looking at. I summarized the little plaque next to the mural. He asked how I knew all that and I told him that I was really just reading the description. He then launched into a convoluted explanation of some additional meanings of the mural. I tried to make a polite exit at one point but he said “Wait I’m just getting started! What’s your name – tell me about yourself!” So I stayed a little bit longer and found out that this guy was John from Denmark and he had been in Israel for about four years. Finally I was able to make my leave after John gave me his email address to stay in touch. Do I have any intention of emailing John? Not really…Sorry, buddy. “A” for effort, though!
As I was walking towards Jaffa gate a man stopped me and asked me if I spoke English. When I replied that I did, he told me that he would be available to give me a tour to Hebron or Bethlehem or a few other neighbouring cities. I told him I would be working for the rest of the week. He asked where I worked, and when I told him it was in Ramallah, he simply said “Have a nice time” and walked away. It definitely made me laugh. Further on the same path I was pleasantly surprised when a young Hasidic Jew smiled at me – most of the young Jewish men I walk past in Jerusalem give me a rather spiteful look, and I make sure that I’m pretty covered up in Jerusalem since I’m more likely to be frequenting religious sites.
(On a side point - since I was admonished more than once in the replies to my last email to watch what I wear (including from my older brother saying he didn't really feel like flying across the world to avenge my honour), I have started wearing pants longer than my knees and shirts that cover my shoulders. Fortunately the weather has cooled off slightly, but to get to work from my *new* apartment I have to walk up a 70 degree-incline hill and then two gigantic sets of stairs which means I'm pretty hot and sweaty when I get to work, especially in jeans and a T-shirt...And interestingly enough it really doesn't matter what I'm wearing - people stare anyway. I could be wearing the least-flattering outfit and look like a disaster and I will still turn heads...welcome to being a foreigner in the middle-east apparently...)
Anyway, back in the Old City of Jerusalem, as I was walking around I encountered several large church groups including one that was carrying a giant wooden cross! It was pretty intense to witness such a display of…of I don’t even know what to call it, to be honest. A few minutes later I came across the filming of a movie. I have to say the acting looked pretty bad. I wanted to stay a bit longer and watch what was going on but the film crew was sort of pushing people out of the way.
When I found a public washroom I walked into the female section and saw a man in there. I backed out and checked the sign again. He called to me and said he knew it was a female washroom. So he left and when I came out of the stall I saw he was cleaning. I must have looked a little tired because as I was washing my hands he asked me if I was alright. Then he asked me if I was Arabic. I told him my mother was part-Lebanese. He said he could tell from my face that I was an Arab. Then he said I was “very nice”. I have had quite a few people tell me that I have an "Arabic face" - I guess I am back in my homeland haha.
I’ve been trying to do some more reading up on the situation here so that I don’t sound like a complete dunce when the conversation turns towards that subject, which it inevitably does. In my humble opinion, the way Israel was created was...well, to be blunt it's a little ridiculous. But due to my Jewish studies, I have to admit that I can still understand why it was created. Although in a way it's pointless to discuss the circumstances of Israel's creation because it was created and it exists today - that is a fact. What is most pressing is how to deal with the situation!
As I was reminded, there are always two sides to every story and so for the past few weeks I tried to see the situation from both perspectives: Israeli and Palestinian. But to be quite frank, the conflict here is entirely reminiscent of an apartheid. The fact that the majority of Palestinians are not allowed to go to Jerusalem merely because they are Palestinian is truly racist and discriminatory. I sincerely do not know another way to describe it. The worst part is that the Palestinians are essentially at the mercy of the Israelis in so many ways.
As an example: One of my best friends here received permission to go to Jerusalem for a few days and he is completely thrilled about it. He has not set foot in Jerusalem for 5 years. I have to say that I was almost as happy about it as him – just to witness his joy at being able to travel 27 km is a pretty inspiring thing! So we did a gig together on Sunday night, the first day he was allowed back. He was visibly nervous about going through Qalandia checkpoint since a bad day for an Israeli guard means any Palestinian can be denied entry. Fortunately my friend made it through and when I congratulated him on it he said "Congratulations - bullshit. This is my home." It honestly made me want to cry because it's true - you don't congratulate someone for returning to the city they used to live in.
When you go to Jerusalem by bus you aren't given a very good chance to check out the wall that encircles the city. You can see some of the (amazing) graffiti painted on the Ramallah side, but not the full effect. When my colleagues and I returned from Jerusalem after our gig, we were taken by one of the drivers of the Conservatory. In a car you are really given the full effect of the prison-like setting that the wall creates, especially at night. There are watchtowers set up with guns in small windows - fully adorned with the Israeli flag, I might add. The wall - a good 20 ft. high - is topped with another metre of barbed wire. There are soldiers and military units parked all over the place. Honestly it's a little...unsettling.
Anyway - those are some of the thoughts that have been going through my head as of late.
November 11th is the anniversary of Yassar Arafat's and as such there was a huge parade and some demonstrations that happened in Ramallah. The city was PACKED with people from all over the country. As interesting as it would have been to stay and experience the fervour, I had to teach in Nablus so I missed out on all the action. Included in the attached pictures is one from the parade. The others are the Dome of the Rock, Abu Qash (I think), me with an olive tree, and the last one is the city of Nablus.
Inshallah everyone is doing well! I miss you all and urge you to reply - even if you think I might not want to hear from you, think again!! I want to know about all the little things going on back home. As normal as it feels to be living here and working as a teacher, I like to be reminded of all the interesting things from Canada.
I still miss Canadian beer (someone have a Keith's Red in my honour, please), pizza, Indian food, CFL/NFL (big congrats to the Roughriders for snagging the top spot in the West!), traffic laws, Cold FX, and the crisp air of Canadian fall.
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