I suppose every so often it is a good thing to be reminded of a world without wireless internet . . . But after a month of this reminder, it is great to return to the 21st century and have wireless internet in my room! Thus, the reason for over a month since I last posted here! To be honest, you haven't missed much in the life and times of Amanda in Jerusalem. :-) I put in quite a few extra hours of work, and most of my days off were spent relaxing in my room with a book, movie, cross stitch, etc.
In the middle of October, a group from New York came to stay at the Guest House. I was the one "on call" the night they arrived, and room 8 needed some special attention. After attending to its needs, I returned the key to the couple and enjoyed visiting with them for a bit at the dinner table. A couple days later, I came down for breakfast (the first time ever on a day off!!) without any real plans for that Friday. This couple from room 8 invited me to join them on their tour that day. There was room on the bus, so I went to staff devotions, caught a bus to meet the group at Yad Vashem for lunch, and then went with them to Bethlehem. I have been trying to go there since arriving in Israel in January, but it is not a simple thing to do at all. It ended up being the perfect activity that day, and it all started with a need in room 8!
The view that greeted me when I stepped off the bus at the Yad Vashem stop--the space and trees were such a change from the stones and crowds of the Old City.
I have been to Bethlehem before, but this time I took in more of the shops than the surrounding landscape. Here are some of the shops that caught my eye . . .
I don't know if you can read the writing on the glass door, but this is the "Holy Family Hotel."
Look carefully--it's not the Starbucks you all know and love! :-)
And here are a few pictures of a main thoroughfare in Bethlehem. Located in the West Bank, Bethlehem is virtually an Arab city, with a minority of Arab Christians living there. Israeli citizens are not allowed to pass through the checkpoint between the State of Israel and this territory under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Obviously, since I joined a tour group, many of whom were in Israel for the first time, the whole point of the trip to Bethlehem has the Church of the Nativity. This church has the amazing claim of being the oldest church in the Middle East, and one of the oldest, continuously operating churches in the world. One can still see the original entrance, columns, and mosaic floor from Byzantine times (4th century), paintings from Crusader times, and ancient mosaics on the walls as well. The church is built over a cave that has been considered Jesus' birthplace since the 2nd century AD. It is a large compound with many chapels, and the site is administered by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian authorities.
I am so grateful this was not my first visit to the Church of the Nativity. The roof is currently being redone, and the narthex of the church is filled with unattractive scaffolding. Also, there was a huge line of people wishing to go down the stairs and see the traditional site of Jesus' birth. I think we stood in line for an hour, and when we came out of the church later, the line had doubled, maybe even tripled--filling the courtyard!! Forgive the absence of pictures from this church, but the scaffolding really impaired picture taking.
After visiting the church, we walked back to the bus and were taken to an olive wood shop. Seeing as how I live here currently and am not the typical tourist, I was convinced I wouldn't spend any money in the shop. How many of you are laughing after reading that statement?! :-) I did spend some money (a little more than I would have liked), but most of it was on Christmas presents. I know, it seems early, but I would love to send a gift or two home for Christmas from Bethlehem, and I recognized the opportunity! Oh, and I also bought a pair of earrings . . . I had a really neat visit with the store owner who is an Arab Christian. We visited about the decline of tourism (and thus, the tourist industry in Bethlehem), and the hopes of peace for this region.
On the way back to Jerusalem, there was a line of buses waiting to be checked before going through the checkpoint. As we waited our turn, the sun sank in the western sky and gave us a beautiful sunset!
The trip to Bethlehem was my most notable experience of October, but October contained some weather worth noting. We had a week where temperatures were at least in the 90s, and a couple of those days it was over 100!! It certainly does not feel like October/fall when temps are still that warm.
But on October 8th, we got the first little rainstorm of the "wet." (Oops, I think that's an Australian term . . .!) It lasted maybe ten minutes and didn't rain very hard, but it was the first true rainfall we've had since the beginning of May.
It was worth taking a picture of the storm clouds rolling in! (Does that say something about how much I am longing for the rainy season to return?! I miss the sound and smell of rain!)
Since this blog has taken on somewhat of a "sky" theme, let me share a few other pictures of the October skies here in Israel. Enjoy the colors!
The bright sky and clouds above the building I live in here in Jerusalem.
Beautiful clouds in the Jerusalem sky one Sunday afternoon (I took these from the rooftops!)
This is the brilliant blue sky over the Church of the Nativity the day I went to Bethlehem.
And now a few unofficial photos to round out this post . . . .
You may have guessed by the first picture I've gotten another haircut. This happened the end of September and was the result of some sort of miscommunication. The stylist speaks English, I told him I wanted an inch trimmed off, and he verified the amount before proceeding to cut that amount three times!!! It was a little scary at first (I have NEVER had my hair this short in my life!), but it actually behaved quite well. I actually kind of like it, and I guess unexpected risks are not always bad things. :-)
I have gone out some evenings with friends in the past couple weeks, and it's been fun to enjoy each other's company outside of the compound and work.
On this night, we all decided spur of the moment to go out for coffee (No, I've not yet learned to like coffee, though others are working on me. I had a caramel/banana smoothie, thank you very much!)
Jonathan (Israeli) and Sara (American)
Nick is from Nebraska and (unfortunately) a big Cornhuskers fan. But, he still is a great guy, and I guess this picture goes to prove CU and Nebraska fans can get along. :-)
That was a Wednesday night, the next evening found a slightly different group of us out again enjoying each others company. Thursday nights in Jerusalem are like Friday nights in the States.
With Sara (generally from Los Angeles, but her roots are in Guatemala)
Tal (Russian Israeli) and Elsa (Canadian)
Nathan and Joe (both from the UK)
I would like to take this opportunity to post a warning to all my friends and family--please be very careful when working around 3-kilo cans. Not paying attention can have some painful consequences!
(How boring must my October have been if I'm posting pictures of a colored finger!) Thank you all for your patience in between blogs, and always remember to look up--not just at the sky, but above your circumstances, difficulties, and perspectives. There's a bigger plan!
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