Our Place

Yes, everything they said on the website is true: my host family is wonderful, my volunteer work is interesting and meaningful, and a rigorous schedule of lectures, classes, and trips has ensured that I have more than enough information to mull over.

However, it took two weeks to solve a growing problem. It began as a slight glitch in my wellbeing and grew to an aching chasm of discontent. I didn’t know what to name as its cause (ennui? home-sickness?) until I discovered the cure.

I just needed a comfortable place to sit down and have a beer and chill out for an hour or so in the heat of the day.

It is a café (there is no sign; my wife and I dubbed it “Our Place”) that is 108 stair steps (Bethlehem is made of hills) and half a block from our host family’s house. Judging by its location (across the street one will find Immanuel Christian Bookstore and Souvenir Shop) and other telltale signs (charmingly awkward handwritten signs offering items like “Special Dint with Cheese Sandwish”) I am guessing that this café is supposed to be a tourist trap. Contrary to that assumption, they have the cheapest beer in town and we are the only ones ever there. They score major points for being one of the only establishments in town with a shady and breezy outdoor patio and offering (admittedly, not the best*) food, hookah, and Wi-Fi. They even have a non-alcoholic beer (which brings my pregnant wife much delight).

Really though, part of the charm comes from the guys who run the place. There always seems to be at least three (Owner? Sons?) hanging around. They are super friendly, helpful, and hospitable. When my wife’s Orange Fanta can attracted some bees (which made her a little edgy) they were tripping all over each other swatting and shooing the bees with long feather dusters. The next time we came in we all had a laugh when they immediately and strategically set up a halved orange to lure the bees away from our table. They always give us free peanuts and today they hooked us up with a bowl melon slices. Yesterday, when my wife ducked in to grab a quick Dint Sandwish, they thrust her into a chair and would not be satisfied until she shared the large dinner they were enjoying.

There is peace in the Middle East at Our Place.

*For a rundown on some of the better falafel joints, see my wife’s article, "Falafel Summer Encounter."

Submitted by: JA