The Land of Living Stones

After weeks of Advent gatherings and hymns, carols on my computer and spottings of candy canes, chocolate, and cookies, and a break in there for Eid-il-Adha adventures, Christmas was just around the corner. I had a whirlwind of activities lined up and things were looking good. Bethlehem Bible College invited me to their annual community Christmas dinner at the Bethlehem hotel, where hundreds of people, mostly local Christian families gathered for the event. Several area evangelical churches take part, and highlights included a talk by BBC President Dr. Bishara Awad, music by the BBC choir and by a church worship team, and a couple of sermons by area pastors. I didn’t understand more than a couple words of it all, but one thing that really stuck out for me was the pageant play that they put on with college students that reminded me of the hilarity and meaningfulness of all those years of Christmas pagents back home.

It was a festive occasion at the Bible College but still they eat chicken, rice, hummus and salads with pita–I was disappointed that they don’t seem to have any special meals for the holidays. But over all it was great to see how modern Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating. Then the Saturday before Christmas the Lutheran girls in Bethlehem hosted a Christmas Bonanza Extravaganza–a cookie decorating party and much fun besides. I brought oranges and cloves and we had a good time making a version of pomanders. Then there were dozens of sugar cookies to be iced and sprinkled. Many young people volunteering in the area were in and out. In the evening we set off to find the tree-lighting ceremony in the town of Beit Sahour (Shepherd’s Fields) which is close by. We more or less walked there and back, a bit of a hike. The actual lighting was cool and involved a fireworks display. Many folks were on hand and speeches abounded, though of course, we couldn’t understand them. Then it was back to the house for some tasty dinner food and more hanging out. I took a taxi with others into Jerusalem to stay for the weekend.

Sunday brought church and then some of us went on a walk through west Jerusalem, grabbing bagels and sitting in a park (it’s called Independence park). Strange contrast from most of my days in the West Bank, for sure. I helped a couple folks who were decorating the church (Redeemer) for the Christmas service and we had it put together in no time. So, we took a little nap in the pews, something I don’t do very often. The evening held a final advent gathering at a house of Lutheran World Federation workers who live on the Mount of Olives. They’ve become quite a family lately as I’ve spent much time across the street from them in the house where the MCC workers live. They’ve got Danish heritage so traditional holiday goodies abound there like these cool round pancake balls that are the size of golf balls with jam on top and glueg (spiced, heated red wine with raisins and almonds in it).

Monday I took a bus in and did some volunteering at the BBC, but not too much. They had a lunch party for the students there. I met up with Bassem, the local MCC administrator who gave me some mail I had, including a small package of things from my sister, which comprised my only Christmas present. It was lovely: M&Ms, Craisins, some DVDs and cards. I went to work on it right away eating a lot and watching a movie before heading to bed. My housemate Femke went home and so I had the place to myself. The next morning construction woke me at 8 am and I set to work cleaning and tidying everything. In the evening I decided to head out and stay the night with my friend Marjorie in Bethlehem. Together with Peter, the other MCC SALTer from Jerusalem, the three of us went to a Christmas party sponsored by a group called AIC in Beit Sahour. It was a great night, lasting all the way until 2 am with a dinner and then dance with a DJ playing Arabic and international hits. I have never danced so much–and it was nice to have so many eager partners.

Despite going to bed at 3 am we were up and about around 9 to get ready for our big Christmas eve day in Bethlehem. Marjorie’s place is a quick walk to Manger square where we began to mill around at 11 am. There was a long parade/procession with tons of scout troops (who act as marching bands) filing along the road. They were playing bag pipes! I have never seen so many bag pipes in my life. It felt like the fourth of July honestly. The mood was festive and there were so many cameras and press it was unbelievable. Peter got interviewed by a Japanese morning show (and I did too) and I saw a crew from Bahrain, from Britain, from Canada, etc. We found Fadi there (he’s a Bethlehemite who works with LWF in Jerusalem) and he was our companion for the day. There were the usual street vendors and such but more men selling coffee and boys selling gum around the square. In the afternoon, the same troops marched back into the area by Nativity Church to welcome the Latin Patriarch who was to arrive. I was standing near the procession with Fadi, the taller one, keeping me informed. I could hardly tell with all the monks and officials and police all around. After he walked by, we grabbed falafels for lunch and headed a bit up the road to Lutheran Christmas Church.

This church was hosting all the local Lutheran congregations for Christmas Eve around 5 pm. The service was broadcast live on some television. It was in three languages, Arabic, English, and German, and the sermon was given in English by our own congregation’s pastor, Mark Holman. It was a packed house and we barely made it in before they started sending people to the overflow room. It was a lovely service and a chance to sit down and rest. After that, people gathered in Manger Square and around 7:30 pm we decided to get some taxis for 12 of us to eat dinner together at the Tent Restaurant in Beit Sahour. Little did we know that it would take so much work because Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) was coming in for services at the Church of the Nativity. Eventually we found a taxi and an open road to the restaurant.

The Tent is popular for locals and tourists for its atmosphere–a covered bedouin style tent with huge tables seating a dozen or more on couches around salads and mixed grill offerings. It is known for its water pipes (nargileh, hubbly bubbly, hookah, sheesha) also. So it was a good choice for our crowd. Still eating traditional foods of the region, I wasn’t feeling particularly close to the holiday. Then–the lights dimmed and clapping commenced. As we looked on bewildered, two Santa Clauses jumped out to some crazy music and started running around throwing things from their sack! We shouted and were able to get some presents from their stash–all cheap Chinese imports which greatly amused us. Toy soldiers, a creepy Barbie doll, tacky santa hats, masks, balloons, we had a blast. It was so funny to see us all get a little giddy over such things.

Around 11 we decided to head back to the Manger Square to see what there was to see. Not much apparently, except some shibab (youth males) and some sad looking children still peddling gum. It seems that the show was over. But still, the midnight mass was impending. We tried to sit down in the Peace Center cafe but they were closing up shop so we attempted to walk to the bar/restaurant next to the Nativity church. This proved to be nearly impossible, as Abu Mazen was again in the vicinity and the roads were heavily guarded by armed forces. Eventually we made it across the street and toasted the new year..er… Christmas…with our friends together. It was good company. At some point I decided to go home to shower and get to bed. I had to wake up early for church in Jerusalem.

6:30 am I was almost up and out by 7:15 to walk to the bus that would get me to Jerusalem. Another guy I know, Ben, who was going to church with me was on the same minibus. It was not quite 9 am when we arrived in time at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. Seminarian Mike Powell gave a nice sermon about incarnation and we all headed to Pastor Mark Holman’s house for Christmas brunch. Egg bakes and Minnesotans were in excess. It was very pleasant. I felt right at home with all the Lutherans Then I went back up to Augusta Victoria Hospital (where I was staying all week in the MCC house) and watched Elf and the Thomas Crown Affair, vegetating with some others who were sleep-deprived. Next, with Ben, I crashed a Christmas dinner being held at the AV guesthouse with lots of wonderful visitors and volunteers from around the world. Mainly European. There was again great glueg and the dessert–flaming plum pudding–was phenomenal. I’ve decided to switch from fruit cake to plum pudding from now on!

It was very generous for them to host this wonderful meal and I was so pleased at how Christmas had turned out. I called home late that evening to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The next day I slept in until noon and continued vegetating until an appointed gathering of friends at the guesthouse at 6 pm. We hung out for a while and went out on the town to a joint called Mike’s Place in west Jerusalem that seems to attract ex-pats. It was fun and crazy and a great way to unwind. The next morning we gathered for banana pancakes a la Mike and a re-run of Elf. It was back to vegetating for the rest of the day, until the events of yesterday unfolded. More in the next entry.

I was so privileged to have such great times with the Lutherans and volunteers in the area. It’s amazing how we can all connect and bond at such a time when we are far from our homes and missing family. It was not how I expected a Christmas in the Holy Land but it was incredible nonetheless.

Pre-Christmas Photos
Christmas Photos
More Christmas Photos

* I have a permit to work in Israel (to stay here) for a year!
        This has been really weighing me down, as I feared facing the difficulties that others have volunteering here, leaving every three months and trying over and over to enter on a tourist visa. I am fortunate to work for a well established organization that has the ability to get work permits. As soon as I thought about coming here to volunteer, I began to worry about this visa issue. Now, I can finally truly rest my head about the problem. It’s quite attached in my passport!

* I am going to Jordan for Eid-il-Adha!
        The major holiday next week for Muslims celebrates the Binding of Ishmael, i.e. when Abraham obeyed God’s command to sacrifice his only son (Islamic tradition says this was Ishmael not Isaac) but in the end, God offers a sheep/goat instead of the son to be sacrificed. Every family will have an animal slaughtered and the meat distributed to the poor for this festival. Then they will party and buy new clothes and the boys will get toy guns. School is closed and I plan to meet up with another SALTer, Justine, who works in northern Jordan, to bum around Amman and Petra. I head out Saturday morning.

*I am not applying to grad school now for next fall.
        After major soul-searching and futile attempts to write a personal statement, I really felt that now is not the time to be worrying about getting in to an MA program. I am still highly interested in studying Peace and Conflict Studies but I am going to give it another year. I waited too long this year and I can’t do it well enough. Also I need more time to learn Arabic and another year of life experience can only help. It is obvious that I would not be able to accomplish the process of application and concentrate on the holidays and things demanding my attention here. And why am I here, if not to be present here? So, if anyone has any ideas for what I could do for the August 08-August 09 time slot, let me know. Making money, studying Arabic, being in a good environment are all possibilities I would approve of, especially in combination.

*Sinter Klaas comes tomorrow to the Netherlands. Put out your shoes!   

As I take my first listen of the season to the Christmas tunes on my computer, I am quite pleased to chill out and reflect on my Thanksgiving in Jerusalem, or as they would say in Arabic “Eid il Shukr” The Feast of Thanks. It’s a remarkably American holiday, Thanksgiving, which makes it easy to explain to people. See, we pray and then gorge ourselves sick eating tons of food and then we watch (American) football and fall asleep on the couch and wake up the next day to shop ourselves silly. Not to be too sardonic, really I’ve appreciated the cultural aspect of this more than ever, knowing for certain that at least Thanksgiving is truly an American activity that I can feel some special connection too. And it relates well to the feasts here in the Muslim world that involve huge extended family gatherings.

Anyway, Thursday was of course a regular workday though I was distracted by the thought of the feast that evening on the Mount of Olives. I finished school and prepared my things for staying the night with the MCC family in Jlem (because buses don’t run that late.) I had mashed sweet potatoes the night before and packed the ingredients for my journey by bus from Bethlehem. Unfortunately for me, the Italian President was visiting and Mahmoud Abbas stayed at the Intercontinental which is the best hotel in the area–next door to the Bible College and near the buses. Soooo…Wednesday and Thursday the main road through town, the Jerusalem-Hebron Rd (which due to the wall no longer runs straight between the two) which is also my main walking route, was lined with soldiers. Palestinian men with large guns at the ready every five feet on both sides plus secondary roadblocks, police/military vehicles, special dogs, sharpshooters on roofs. Rather intimidating, though thankfully I heard what it was about beforehand so I didn’t panic.

Walking to the bus takes about 20 minutes on my short legs and I passed soldier after soldier feeling a mite conspicuous as no cars or passersby were in sight. Eventually my confusion was solved as one of these sentinels stuck out his hand to indicate that I had to stop. Okay, thanks for finally telling me. Not long after, I saw the official entourage drive by at great speed and a few minutes later I was permitted to walk on. At the bus lot I noticed a ton of people were waiting, apparently stranded a while by the lack of traffic movement–eventually the bus came and I was on my way to the feast! At the checkpoint I was saddened to see that about 6 people on the bus were forbidden to continue with us into Jerusalem, some who were students who probably make that trip every day for years.

So, I whipped up some sweet potato casserole with pecans sent from home and joined the throngs at the Jerusalem MCC representatives’ house at Augusta Victoria. There were about thirty of us and the food was just amazing. I ate so much I was still ill when I woke up this morning. Quality. We had among us several non-Americans and it was fun to share the traditions with them/try to explain what various things were. And one guest brought a hammered dulcimer which reminded me of ethnomusicology class and was very beautiful sounding. We stayed up very late talking and hanging out and I was able to have a long discussion with my family via Skype as they ate their own Thanksgiving meal at home.

Early this morning I caught a bus back to Bethlehem to go to the Bible College for work. Some long-term volunteers were leaving and that felt sad. Everything is very transitional around here. But then I was able to hang out with some Brits (Scots/English), some who volunteer, some visiting and we had a nice evening eating shwarma and kanafeh. Tomorrow will bring more Thanksgiving festivities at the College. Yum.

As always, I am extremely grateful for all the people who have bestowed their love, friendship, and resources on me through the years, and I hope that the blessings are reciprocal. I am also amazed at the good fortune that I have had over the last year. This is the first holiday season that I can remember without the weight of studies over my head and I can recall all too well the stress that nearly killed me when I was finishing my BA last December. I appreciate especially the folks around here who have been willing to invest in me during this time even though I’m just temporary help. I hope that everyone had a very pleasant Thanksgiving who was celebrating. Advent is here!

Eid-il-Fitr has arrived! After only 29 days of Ramadan, the cresent moon was sighted last evening, an event which apparently brings an end to this month of fasting, a day earlier than expected. I don’t have any Muslim friends with whom I expect to celebrate, but I have plenty of reasons to rejoice that all of us can eat during the day again! Restaurants will be open and tea and coffee will be endlessly poured once again! Three cheers for that!

In honor of this holiday I have the rest of the week off from the office and from school. Unfortunately, it coincides with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year which occurs today. This means that the Israelis have closed off the West Bank, allowing no Palestinians out, ostensibly because they could potentially harm Israelis and hamper the festivities. No buses will be running until it is reopened. There are several more Jewish holidays in the near future, and I expect that they will have the same effect. No going out! This seriously hampers plans for a few days. The SALTer in Jordan, Justine, was supposed to come visit, but she had to cancel after realizing she couldn’t get from there to here today or tomorrow. We were going to see some touristy things and travel the country a bit, but that isn’t happening anymore. Hopefully other opportunities will arise!

In the meantime, I am dying for someone to bring my computer over the sea, so if anyone is coming this way, or knows anyone else from the East Coast that could be given my laptop for transport, PLEASE let me know! I would be eternally grateful! For serious! Hope all is well whereever you may be!