Sophia and I have had such a wonderful time here in Israel! It has been slightly different than expected and at other times exactly as expected. Everyone here has been so kind to us and we have felt very safe and secure here. We entered Israel through what I am told is one of the more controversial borders in the world, King Hussein Bridge over the Jordan river from Jordan into Israel. When we were getting our tickets for the bus from the border to Jerusalem Sophia and I started joking with the man behind the counter. In an unexpected move he told me he would give me all the money I ever wanted and handed me a HUGE wade of Israeli cash. I have never had that happen before, no one has ever handed me a huge wade of cash like that. After a bit more teasing back and forth I gave the cash back and was sad not to keep all of the money. :)
We spent most of our time in Jerusalem in the Old City, but also ventured up to the Sea of Galilee. The new city, or the main part of Jerusalem reminded me more of a European city than of a Middle Eastern city. It has been a bit of a nice reprieve after traveling for so long in third world countries.
It has been interesting to walk and see the places that I have studied and have researched for most of my life. As most of you know I am religious and follow the bible, so for me it brought a large portion of history and what I believe to life. It made history and the future all a bit more real. I feel like I have learned alot and am so privileged to be able to come visit this place that has been the focal point of conflict for centuries. I feel like this is a rare point in time when this has been possible.
Israel and especially Jerusalem is an interesting place. A place of opposites all co-existing in a delicate balance. I found it surprising that in Jerusalem I felt the safest and most secure I had in the last couple months. Yet at the same time everywhere you go there are many young men and women, around 19-20 year olds, dressed in uniform holding large rifles armed and ready to go. Along with this my knowledge of history tells me this is one of the most volatile places on earth. Additionally it has an odd blend of cultures. It is common on the streets to see a orthodox Jew wa;long down the street with the tassels and curled hair and right behind him see a woman wearing a short summer dress with spaghetti straps. Next you will see a devout Muslim walking down the street. So many things seemed to conflict with one other but all seem to coexist in harmony at the same time, at least at the moment.
The military here is interesting as well. All males are required to serve in the military for 3 years after high school and women are required to serve for 2 years. Apparently 1 in 4 Israelis get out of their service for one reason or another. The men and women in the armed forces carry guns all the time. They always have it with them. When riding the bus from place to place there would be military men on the bus, each one riding it just like us, but would be carrying their gun with them. It was interesting when we would talk to the military men and women. We talked to a sniper that works on the Lebanese side of the Sea of Galilee. He was on vacation in Tiberius while we were there. It is a crazy land where everyone seems to know that at any moment war could break out, but they are all enjoying the peace of the moment.
In the morning Sophia and I say farewell as I head back to Africa for a short period of time.
~Laugh & Love Life~
