Just want to post a little disclaimer about how much I freaking love hostels....
Honestly if we could live the way people do in hostels - so giving and friendly no matter who you are, what you look like, your beliefs, and consistently giving of food and tea and resources and sharing - gah, I am constantly humbled by people. Last night while sitting in the same spot I encountered dozens of people in coversation, was asked if I wanted tea, coffee or wine like ten times, was given chocolate and cookies and advice in return for my own story. And the majority of the hostels I've stayed at have been no different. Amazing.
iight, sooo I am SUPER tired, but the internet just began working full-throttle for the time-being, and I finally have a few hours to spare for once in the past few days, AND the conference begins tomorrow so I am taking advantage of spending some quality time with Y-O-U.
(update for those out of the loop, I am currently in Jerusalem for the second night before heading to a conference tomorrow that focuses on learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on ground, and the prospects of peace regarding such complicated issues. The conference is based out of Bethlehem, but we will be going to and from other cities such as Hebron, back into Jerusalem, refugee camps somewhere (not sure where yet), etc. (if you are just dying to know where I am supposed to be at all times feel free to ask for the itinerary! carry1212@hotmail.com))
After spending 17 hours in transit, I arrived in Jerusalem last night (after a VERY interesting encounter with a Ukrainian gentleman on my first flight – ask me about it later if you want…) and jumped on an opportunity to tour Masada (one of King Herod’s fortresses), the Dead Sea, Jericho, the Mount of Temptation, the Sycamore Tree and… some other stuff, as much as I REALLY want to see more of Jerusalem – I am banking on seeing more of it a bit later in the conference where I perhaps wouldn’t have been able to experience what I did today.
Basically that’s all I’ve done thus far – no intellectual/political stuff… although I will say that because of what I knew going into Israel, and going into Palestine, and speaking to various people that live in the different places – the politics are everywhere.
I’ve only been here 24 hours and already have encountered plenty of individuals visiting on Birth Right, Palestinian locals willing to open up about their lives, and dozens upon dozens of Christian tourists here to see the Holy Land (– poor innocent souls, if only they knew). The reactions from those whom I chose to tell the truth to about why I’m here has varied as well from cold to hot – but one thing is clear, I actually can’t wait to stop being an innocent tourist and start really diving into why I am here.
Here’s for tomorrow,
G’night and sweet dreams!
C
p.s. hummus and falafal are FANfreakingtastic – come dine with me :))
Flight into Kiev, my transfer city
Posters lining the exit from BenGurion Airport into Tel Aviv
View from outside Hostel, in Jerusalem
More of the view
Breakfast - miss it, H & J? (I'd also note that the touch of Canadian in the top left was mine - don't get excited that we've extended Timmie's influence that far ;))
The Dead Sea, viewed from Masada
View from the fortress, you may note the mountains in these pictures - all are from across the Dead Sea and are the shores of Jordan.
Jewish Birth Right trip group
Israeli sign where we were floating in the dead sea...
I had as difficult a time as this guy - the rocks are SO sharp from the salt plastered to the rocks...
...as you can kind of see the blood running down my feet onto my ankles from them!
The wretched but wickedly cool looking rocks.
Moi nursing my bleeding feet in the salt water
<3
One exciting thing I discovered was this man with his shirt up - the phenomena of pot-bellied men rubbing their bellies has made it from China, to Macedonia, and down to the Holy Land - I am at the point of no longer even being shocked when I see one.
At the entrance to Jericho - Palestinian key representing the keys and deeds many still hold to their demolished homes and taken land. The words on this key say "We Will Return"
View from the Mount of Temptation - these guys were picking up garbage on the way out of this ravine - don't know why they were there..
Palestinian tourist artisan - pretty neat, had a sweet convo with him.
Greek Orthodox Monastery built into the caves of the Mount of Temptation.
In Jericho
Palestinian flag.
Ruins with smoke from a few explosions - DON'T WORRY Mom, I really don't think it was dangerous!
Polish friends I met and had a little birthday party with for their Grandma :)
Banana Farm that I wandered off to peek around.
Fabulous Fresh Falafel
Sycamore tree - over 2000 years old... apparently the tree Zacchaeus climbed..
Alrighty sooo....I just spent the last few days sending off a few of my girlies to Bolivia (okay.. and the boys, I won't forget you ;)) where they’ll be messing around for a few weeks (building a laundry room for an orphanage, and getting to know some of the kids there)... and amoungst my ramblings of them being safe and humble and safe and open and SAFE, I was gently and lovingly reminded... "Carolyn, you're going to the freaking Middle East" -
oohh yeah!
SO, now it is JUST beginning to sink in that I have my own upcoming venture to Palestine/Israel (finally! I'm headed to a peace-building conference there, in case you were unawares). It seems as though I haven't had too much time to anticipate the couple of weeks that are now before me - but I'm just gonna jump into it and can't wait to see what happens.
As some of you may recall, I was registered for a similar conference last summer with Julia and Hannah (the other two thirds of the BWC team). As disappointed (but sure) as I was at the time to make the call to come home after being in Asia and Greece/Macedonia, looking back I am so glad that this is the route that was laid out for me (as much as I’ll miss J & H :))...
I've spent the last seven months reading journals, articles, books, and stories, and watched documentaries, interviews, and lectures from such a beautiful and shaken area of the world… and so now I am going with a deeper intellectual understanding and emotional foundation from the information that I’ve tried to digest over the past term. Now it’s time to go and shake all that up as I encounter the real deal with my own eyes, and with my own experiences brought to the table.
Gah! Okay, getting a little more excited..
I'm curious to see how I'll react – how different or the same I will feel standing in front of the Wall and being able to touch it myself, or after hearing so many stories finally meeting refugees and soldiers face to face. There’s not too much to write here because I have NO freaking clue what to expect, or what might be done in me as I grapple with how wonderful and how awful we humans are while trekking a bit of the Holy Land (there aren't many places that I have wanted to experience since I was supersuper young, but I remember as a small kid seeing the maps and pictures of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Galilee, Jericho, etc... and then hearing my Grandma's stories (from not so long ago ;)) and imagining - longing to go there and one day see the very real streets and landscape myself).
What I didn't anticipate when I was young of course was the most unfortunate modern day reality - the innocence from a lack of knowledge (which I would like to blame on my age at the time, but unfortunately I don't think age is what keeps people out of the know regarding this massive and dire situation).
I’ll be flying out Sunday at 6pm (!) and then I'll kick around Jerusalem for a couple of days, just soaking it all in and prepping myself for the conference which starts midweek next week! ...eek! K, It's slowly starting to settle in..
The conference link is attached below in case you are curious.
Also, I am attaching a new doc for ya’ll to check out!! (Well, after watching Occupation 101 if you haven’t seen that yet):
Check out The Iron Wall... it's quite informative and interesting (and anytime Jeff Halper pops up to explain things, he's the man we (BWC) have been in contact with regarding our ride for ICAHD this summer - check it out!). Gives good perspective on the conflict a little more in depth than 101 - a great perspective to think about.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to blog or not while I’m there… but hopefully I’ll be able to pop something up mid week in the least!
I don't really know what's ahead (I mean besides the detailed schedule that I've got planned out for me ;))... but that's okay. I know that I'll be taken care of and that sweet things in are in store... I know it, I trust it, I'm goin' with it. Who knows what all this is going to teach me in the grand scheme of my life, but I know that I've got a lot to learn about other people, and this is one step I am so incredibly GRATEFUL to be able to take...
Thanks to all who have been able to help me out (including WLU <3) and to those who have met me for coffee or called me to smile and nod as I ramble - or who have supported in words and prayers... don't stop :). We're all in this together and I love you guys!
Whatever you're up to over the next little while, I hope all is well,
Weeell, we are back! I’ve been a little M.I.A. from the blog for a while, but am waking up early from wintery hibernation and am now counting down the days…
In exactly one month from today I will be heading to Bethlehem for a peace-building conference. We will be diving into learning about Palestinian Liberation Theology as we dig deeper into the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and our role in its possible resolution. (…getting excited! :D)
This trip (which is being funded for me by WLU <3) is an essential step for me in preparation for this coming summer as a part of our Because We Can project. We are now diving full force into the planning process of our upcoming bike tour across Canada to raise awareness about our role as Canadians in such a prevalent issue as this. My personal experience with this conflict over the last seven months has involved a wave of emotions - from intellectual frustration through trying to understand, absorb, and pass along the vast amount of information, to learning how to emotionally deal with the stories, interviews, images, and realities of those directly involved, etc.. But it has been incredible, and I know will continue to be as I move forward.
This is where I want to encourage you to learn a little (lot ;)). If you don’t know much about the conflict (something we as Canadians ARE financially and politically supporting directly, in case you were unaware), then don’t be daunted by not knowing where to begin.
I would encourage and ask you to check out “Occupation 101”, a documentary that sums up the conflict and will really help you grasp the basic truths and foundation for Palestinian-Israeli realities. Not only do I encourage you, but also ask that you watch it – especially those of you who are supporting our project, because we need the backing and understanding with that support of those who are sending us off.
We will be updating you soon about the progress we have made thus far, and about our more concrete upcoming plans and ways in which you can be involved, so stay posted for that! The pot is brewing much…
Other than waiting on more exciting BWC news, please keep this journey I am personally going to be making in mind… I always appreciate everyone’s support in what I am doing and learning – but I am not just doing it for my own understanding, but yours as well! So for the sake of being a member of this global community – which you are whether you like it or not :)… I press again to learn, and a great starting place is through a film such as the one I am passing along (though there are MANY other great resources, just ask if you are interested :) or check out our website (link at the top left hand corner under the blog’s title)).
Crazy year ahead, hope you all see your/our significance in the little things while aiming for big change. I can’t believe I am going to quote High School Musical, but… “We’re all in this together” (I think I’ll look up some more quotes just so I don’t have to quote Disney ever again on my blog! ;))
Weeell, we are back! I’ve been a little M.I.A. from the blog for a while, but am waking up early from wintery hibernation and am now counting down the days…
In exactly one month from today I will be heading to Bethlehem for a peace-building conference. We will be diving into learning about Palestinian Liberation Theology as we dig deeper into the complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and our role in its possible resolution. (…getting excited! :D)
This trip (which is being funded for me by WLU <3) is an essential step for me in preparation for this coming summer as a part of our Because We Can project. We are now diving full force into the planning process of our upcoming bike tour across Canada to raise awareness about our role as Canadians in such a prevalent issue as this. My personal experience with this conflict over the last seven months has involved a wave of emotions - from intellectual frustration through trying to understand, absorb, and pass along the vast amount of information, to learning how to emotionally deal with the stories, interviews, images, and realities of those directly involved, etc.. But it has been incredible, and I know will continue to be as I move forward.
This is where I want to encourage you to learn a little (lot ;)). If you don’t know much about the conflict (something we as Canadians ARE financially and politically supporting directly, in case you were unaware), then don’t be daunted by not knowing where to begin.
I would encourage and ask you to check out “Occupation 101”, a documentary that sums up the conflict and will really help you grasp the basic truths and foundation for Palestinian-Israeli realities. Not only do I encourage you, but also ask that you watch it – especially those of you who are supporting our project, because we need the backing and understanding with that support of those who are sending us off.
We will be updating you soon about the progress we have made thus far, and about our more concrete upcoming plans and ways in which you can be involved, so stay posted for that! The pot is brewing much…
Other than waiting on more exciting BWC news, please keep this journey I am personally going to be making in mind… I always appreciate everyone’s support in what I am doing and learning – but I am not just doing it for my own understanding, but yours as well! So for the sake of being a member of this global community – which you are whether you like it or not :)… I press again to learn, and a great starting place is through a film such as the one I am passing along (though there are MANY other great resources, just ask if you are interested :) or check out our website (link at the top left hand corner under the blog’s title)).
Crazy year ahead, hope you all see your/our significance in the little things while aiming for big change. I can’t believe I am going to quote High School Musical, but… “We’re all in this together” (I think I’ll look up some more quotes just so I don’t have to quote Disney ever again on my blog! ;))
Bethlehem is a walled city (more info as to what this means here: http://www.btselem.org/English/Separation_Barrier/). Depicted here is a nativity scene that raises questions about what this time of year truly means to us.
We find ourselves wrapped up in the rhetoric of "peace" around Christmas time, but are we truly grasping the meaning of the word? Peace - a fluffy, warm, fuzzy word? A Utopian ideal? For the future? Unattainable? If we search and find peace around our Christmas trees as we gather with family, friends, and food... do we stop looking there?
I encourage you this Christmas to question "peace" ..what does it truly mean? If this blog is meant to be my personal experience with learning about a very relevant and horrific reality in our world, I will be honest - I struggle hearing wishes and blessings of Peace in a world so broken, from mouths who claim to be the hands and feet of the one who came to bring peace - but seem to shy away from hard questions and hard truths.
Are we missing the point?
The very city that Christ was born into is broken. And yet many of us sit by. Whether it's the brokenness in your own home, city, country or further then that, peace is not yet attained - and what are we each doing to fight for the reign of justice - the hard, difficult work that is required to attain our "fluffy" dreams of "peace" - ?
This word causes me frustration. It makes me angry, it makes me cry, it makes me smile when I see the possibilities in my community as to what a world could look like if it were as beautiful as some of the active relationships I see here in Waterloo.
But peace will not reign until we - out of desire or responsibility - fight for it.
Peace will require a struggle; a hard, beautiful struggle - but it is not for others to fight - it is for you - for us to fight. If we've got it why should we keep it to ourselves? If we don't have it, why not press for it on a whole and help each other out?
We are the answers to prayers for peace.
This holiday season - no matter what your beliefs - I hope that you experience peace in your own sphere, but also simultaneously desire that for others, understanding that the love that was brought to the world so many years ago is meant to be lived through us - it is our responsibility and deep pleasure as humans one to another.
Let peace not be distant but something we do not give up actively hoping and fighting for this year.
