First Impressions...

First impressions? I LOVE Bethlehem! I can't even explain it. I love this quaint little town and the beautiful overviews of the surrounding villages. I love the dingy alleys leading to my host family's house, located in a refugee camp called Al-Azzeh. I'm legit living in a refugee camp. Awesome. But don't start thinking about tents and bucket showers yet. Because the Palestinians have been refugees for so long, they've built houses where there used to be tents. I'm living in a three-story apartment with a husband, wife, and 2 month old daughter. I originally thought it was going to be a quiet homestay. RIGHT. I forgot I was among ARABS. The apartment complex in which we live is compromised of this one family, so first floor is the eldest brother, middle floor are the parents, third floor is us, and fourth floor is being completed for the third son. Since there is no more room to build houses here, they just keep going up. And with the way they move between floors, you'd think it was one house.

I really like my entire host family. They're very nice and speak very little English, which will definitely help my Arabic although it's a little hard to communicate at times. Apart from those living in this apartment building, I've met cousins, aunts, grandmas, and the entire family of my host "sister." (I can't really call her my host mother since she's 20 like me!) Since I'm in Bethlehem four days before my program actually starts, I've just been awkwardly hanging around a lot, which means I go from place to place sitting in living rooms, being constantly fed, meeting people, and listening in silence. Two things are for certain: 1. I will DEFINITELY be gaining weight from all the sweets (ugh) and tea (very sugary mint tea... yum!) they constantly feed me. 2. I will be permanently damaging my lungs from all the hookah and second hand cigarette smoke I consume.

I have a very lovely little room with two bright windows that I adore. I've discovered, however, that since the apartments are small no one really has their own room. Instead, people have beds where they sleep and every room is fair game for hanging out. I was confused at first as to why people kept coming into my room and sitting on the plastic chairs to talk to me, which included many moments of silence. Thankfully, my particular apartment is much more westernized than the one below me, so it's kinda my own room. I don't mind, really, but do like my own time in the morning and evening to read and reflect, which is hard to come by. It seems they never want to leave me alone, but often being together involves me just sitting in silence, which is sometimes frustrating. Quiet time alone is a rare treat for now.

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." I repeated that to myself like a mantra this morning as I walked to the Holy Land Trust office. The 15 min walk is great but I still had multiple knots in my stomach as I left my house since it was the first time I took the walk.

I really can't tell you how excited I am to be here. I might just come back a little hippie peace activist after all :) I can't wait to learn more about the non-violence movement here and the oppressive situation. Or simply experience more of Palestinian culture.

Submitted by: EKJ