The Last Week in Palestine

July 17th, 2008 Palestine Monitor Office, Ramallah, the West Bank
Adam came back to office while Sean and I were working. I did little that day, updating the website with a few stories. Adam and I went to the flat to gather a few things and then made our way to Jerusalem, walking the thirty-minute hike to the Egged Bus Terminal. We were on our way to the Sea of Galilee to visit the Harding group.

Our university has an excellent study abroad program, which was part of the reason why I chose to go there. As of now, Harding University takes students to seven different locations in the world: Australia, Greece, Italy, France/Switzerland, Chile, England, and Zambia. I went to Australia in the fall of 2006, Sean went to HUG (Harding University in Greece) in the summer of 2005, and Adam was on the first group to Zambia this past fall. Almost every year, the Greece group journeys to Egypt and to Israel, spending approximately a week in each place. The opportunity arose to meet with the group while they came to visit, so Adam and I decided to take advantage of it.

Three hours after boarding the bus, we arrived in Tiberias. We were ripped off by a taxi (everything is so expensive in Israel!) and were dropped off at the Hotel Nof Ginosar. Dr. Richardson and his wife met us there, and it was great to see familiar faces. My first Bible and Religion class at Harding was with Dr. Richardson, and I had been impressed with his humility and open-mindedness. This previous semester, he invited me to speak to his World Christian class about my plans for the summer and has asked me to come and speak to some of his classes this coming fall. We walked down along Lake Kinneret, catching up on their time in Greece before meeting the students for dinner. One of my close friends from freshman year was there; I love seeing people from across the world in a completely new place. I met Mrs. Myhan, who is the facilitator of the Greece program with her husband. She very graciously paid for our meal. The mother of one of my good friends came along with the group for their time in Israel and it was wonderful to catch up with her too.
“I’ve been reading so much about what is happening here,” she said in her fast-gear voice. “You can sign me up.”

A fairly large number of the students joined us on a grassy lawn. Adam and I were very excited about that: we have greatly missed grass. I think one of the first things I will do when I get home is sit on the grass beneath a tree. Adam and I then explained a little bit of the history of the situation here and the reasons why we came here for the summer. We then shared some of our stories, and they were shocked by some of the things we said. We told them they wouldn’t hear most of this stuff on any of the media networks, and we were right. A few people got up and left, but most listened very attentively, including the professors. People’s perspectives were broadened and minds were opened. At the very least, new questions were raised. We sat around for a long time afterward, telling more stories and answering questions.

(written July 18th, 2008 The Flat, Ramallah, the West Bank)
Mrs. Myhan’s husband was unable to come because one of the students was seriously ill in a hospital in Athens. Mrs. Garner moved in with Mrs. Myhan and Adam and I were given a free hotel room for the night. Our plan had been to camp out somewhere, so we were pretty grateful for the gift.

The room turned out to be quite handy because Adam spent most of the night spewing out of both ends. I met with the group for breakfast and said goodbye to them as they left for a day of touring. We remained at the hotel for a few more hours while Adam slept and regained a little bit of strength. The two of us walked out to the main road and stood next to a bus stop, attempting to hitchhike into Tiberias. Hitchhikers are very common in Israel, but we had a horrible time. Maybe we looked too imposing, because no one stopped to pick us up. Just as we were about to go back to the hotel and call for a taxi, a bus came along and took us to the central bus station. After a short wait, we were on our way to Jerusalem.

The ride back was much shorter and was made even shorter by sleeping most of the way. Adam and I split up at the Damascus Gate; he went to Ramallah and I went to Bethlehem. I met Anna in front of the Church of the Nativity and we walked through the market as she looked for a gift for another friend who was leaving. A lot of people I have met are leaving in the next few days. We passed a wall covered with photos of Mohanned, so I was forced to stand next to it and get a picture. Rachel met us at their flat and we sat on their roof for awhile before heading down to Beit Sahour to meet some of their friends, a few of which were leaving soon. One of the Palestine Summer Experience guys, an eighteen-year old from Vermont, was a pretty funny, albeit strange, guy. Thin and hawk-like, he was recently kicked out of the program for smoking hash. All the drugs in Quebec are funneled through his town into the States.
“We always have a white Christmas,” he said.

We wandered up to the Tent Restaurant and visited for awhile. I had a good time, but I continue to realize that I am much more drawn to smaller gatherings and quieter settings. I enjoy meeting people and hanging out, but I begin to feel a little crowded. Every now and then, I wish that this wasn’t the case, because I do love spending time with people. But, I enjoy the beauty of Silence. I grabbed my things at the girls’ flat and said goodbye to Rachel. I stayed the night once again in Jonathan’s room at Bethlehem Bible College.

I returned to Anna’s flat in the morning and had breakfast and coffee with her. We walked up to the beginning of the Old City next to Manger Square and I said goodbye to Anna, turning down through the market to catch Bus 21 out of Bethlehem.

I didn’t get to Ramallah until almost 11 because of the traffic in Jerusalem. Thursday was our last day in the office and we had little to do. Later in the evening, the three of us and Berenice met Kirsty at Pronto’s for drinks. Kirsty and José were leaving the next day for holiday in Scotland. She reiterated her praise of our work and we thanked her for the opportunity. Kirsty told me that Bahia, one of the bosses, was very impressed with my work, so I should keep in touch about returning post-graduation in January. We all hugged and went our separate ways.

On our way back to the flat, the three of us stopped by Anne Roberts’ home and sat with her on the veranda for a long time. Her house provides a beautiful view of Ramallah, and on clear days she said you can see the sun set over the Mediterranean.

(written at Citadel Youth Hostel Jerusalem, Isarel)
Anne has had an amazing life. She grew up picking peaches in West Tennessee, and worked with the Peace Corps in its early days, back when working with the Peace Corps was actually an adventure. She traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, studying in Beirut and working in Palestine, Egypt, Iran, and was in the Wadi Rum following the path of T.E. Lawrence when Lawrence of Arabia was actually being filmed. She also spent three years working in Indonesia. She is returning to the States for a month and will then hopefully come back. We all left wanting to have her life.

We did absolutely nothing on Friday, our last full day in Ramallah. We had planned on going to the protest in Ni’lin one more time, but our laziness overcame us and we hung around the flat the entire day, snacking, drinking our final bottles of the delicious Marawi fruit juice, and watching borrowed DVDs. We began cleaning and packing later in the afternoon, doing a little laundry. As we sat on the couches and watched the hilarious movie The Three Musketeers, I began to have very mixed feelings about the prospect of leaving. For a variety of reasons, I was ready to leave for awhile. But a huge part of me wanted very much to stay. Mahmoud told me today that it is because I am now a Palestinian. I am drawn to this place.

We finished packing and cleaning the next morning. Sean left before Adam and me. Once our laundry was mostly dry, we threw our stuff together and walked out of our flat and down the road to Al Manara. We boarded Bus 18 to Jerusalem.

The two of us stopped at Mahmoud’s shop and visited with him for awhile. He smiled as we told him about our love for the people here and our desire to return.
“It is in your heart now,” he said. “This is good, this is very good.”

He took us around the corner to a restaurant in a tiny crack and bought us Palestinian maklube, which is an incredible dish consisting of rice and chicken. We sat in front of his shop for awhile longer before making our way to the Citadel Youth Hostel, booking the roof for the night. Adam and I wandered up to the Tourist Information Office next to Jaffa Gate. However, the office was closed because of Shabbat, so we tried calling in order to reserve a sherute to the airport early in the morning. No one answered, so we walked back to the Citadel. Sean came in after calling me with Mahmoud’s phone. His bus to the airport leaves at 9 tonight. He bought a ticket for Greece a month ago; Adam and I are going to Istanbul. For some reason, Sean didn’t talk with us about splitting off before he decided to do so, which was a little frustrating. He met someone in Ni’lin who worked for an old lady picking olives on the island of Evia, and he will be spending a week there. Adam and I ended up becoming a little jealous.

We spent awhile hanging out at the hostel before meeting Mahmoud at Jaffa Gate. We joined a walkthrough of the Old City viewing contemporary artwork displaying a variety of aspects of life in the city. Sean soon left for Tel Aviv and we wandered through narrow streets and down into an ancient Turkish bath before ending on the rooftop of a beautiful old home near the Damascus Gate. We hugged Mahmoud, Svetlana, and their daughter Maria goodbye and grabbed our last shawarma.

I felt at home as we walked through the Old City back to the Citadel. I will miss the stones of Jerusalem, and the people of Palestine. I know that I will be back. At least, I hope so: we have to go through Israeli security at the airport tomorrow morning. We may get through with no problems, or we could be banned from entering the country again. I know some people to whom this has happened. I want to return.