The Easter activities have ended and it was a wonderful time. I attended Palm Sunday in the Orthodox Church to specifically see the unique plm decoartions that were made. Usually children carry them and they contain fresh flowers.Orthodox Easter was celebrated one week after the Catholic Easter (as it is called here)and there were services every evening leading up to Easter. On the Saturday before Easter the Orthodox Patriarch from Jerusalem brought a flame from the Holy Sepulcher Church, the Holiest of Holy churches for Christians in the Middle East. He was accompanied by a parade during which all of Beit Jala came out in their finest clothes. When he reached the church he carried the light through the church several times and people could light their own candles, (which were sometimes decorated with artificial Easter eggs) or small lanterns which they had brought in order to carry the light home and share with neighbours. This is a beautiful tradition and people were quite excited about receiving the light. The Orthodox Church here is not large but elaborately decorated and has the largest congregation of all the churches. Usually there isn't a sermon but a lot of chanting and people come and go as children are allowed to wander around. I was invited to some friends' home on Orthodox Easter Sunday and it was unexpectedly low key. However, after dinner we visited three different families and this was a lot of fun. During the visit you can be served Turkish coffee, or a small glass of pina colada, a chocolate egg or freh fruit. Before you leave you are presented with a colored Easter egg, and all self respecting christian women make "mahmul", a very heavy date filled cookie, decorated in a special way. I don't find them very tasty but had the privelege of being able to help make them one evening. The festivites here in Beit Jala are quite unique and I decided to stay here rather than fight the crowds in Al-Quds, Jerusalem. The day ended as only a day in Palestine can end. As I was walking home in the dark I was stopped at the checkpoint, which is no more that 100 ft. from the school. There had been a shooting in Bethlehem and all car and pedestrain traffic was stopped. So I had to wait in the hope that it would not be hours. Fortunately after a short half an hour, I was let through, but it was a threatening kind of expereince.
Spring is beautiful and I will be going North to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee with my sister tomorrow. She will be with me for 10 days and it will be nice to be able to understand and speak Dutch with her. Not knowing the language can be very isolating and stressful at times. I am now learning the past tense and it has not become any easier. I still prefer doing it this way though, than trying to connect with Americans from this area. I have learned much from my friends and treasure their friendship. Sending you my love, yvonne Salam.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Dear Friends,
My attempt to get a 3 month visa was a success! It was an expensive way, but I got to see Petra in Jordan. I flew to Amman, Jordan where a taxi awaited me and took me to Amman. The next morning I took a 6:30 a.m. bus to Petra, where upon arrival at 10 a.m.,I found my hotel and went into the park. It was warm and required a lot of walking. Petra is a historic site that dates back to the days of the caravans that came through here. The Nabateans settled here 2200 years ago and established a flourishing kingdom and many traces of their culture are still visible. The area is made of colorful sandstone in which they carved intricate decorations.You enter the park and walk some distance until you come into a narrow walk way surrounded by towering cliffs of the most fabulous colors. The road is just wide anough for one car and you can still see traces of the stones the Romans laid. Many of the early inhabitants lived in caves and buried their dead in tombs which were formed in the rocks by erosions over centuries. Up until the 1980's local Bedouin tribes populated the caves and were known for their crafts. The caves now are empty, but many Bedouins still sell their colorful crafts in the park.
I met a delightful poet from New York and we decided to go back to Petra the next morning at 6:30 to avoid the tourists and enjoy the coolness of the early morning. It was a lovely walk and she brought me up to date on what is new in the States. That afternoon I returned by bus to Amman, and caught a morning flight back to Tel Aviv.The immigration officer asked me how long I wanted to say and I immediately replied 3 months, which she gave with the admonition that I would have to leave when this one expired. What a relief!! If ever you go to the Middle East, Petra is well worth your time. I found out that 80% of the Jordanians are refugees from Palestine. When people realized I lived in Beit Jala,Palestine, I was treated with great warmth.
We are now in the midst of the Easter celebrations and because the Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated 1 week after the Catholic one,there is much to see. Last night I went to a special foot washing service during which the right foot of 12 men were washed by the priest. It was most unusual and the mystery of it was accentuated by chanting and a lot of incense. Two hours is a little long when you don't understand what is being said, but you can get caught up in the ritual. And now from this Holy Land I wish all of you a blessed Easter. Have a wonderful time with your families, and keep praying for Peace.
Salaam, yvonne
My attempt to get a 3 month visa was a success! It was an expensive way, but I got to see Petra in Jordan. I flew to Amman, Jordan where a taxi awaited me and took me to Amman. The next morning I took a 6:30 a.m. bus to Petra, where upon arrival at 10 a.m.,I found my hotel and went into the park. It was warm and required a lot of walking. Petra is a historic site that dates back to the days of the caravans that came through here. The Nabateans settled here 2200 years ago and established a flourishing kingdom and many traces of their culture are still visible. The area is made of colorful sandstone in which they carved intricate decorations.You enter the park and walk some distance until you come into a narrow walk way surrounded by towering cliffs of the most fabulous colors. The road is just wide anough for one car and you can still see traces of the stones the Romans laid. Many of the early inhabitants lived in caves and buried their dead in tombs which were formed in the rocks by erosions over centuries. Up until the 1980's local Bedouin tribes populated the caves and were known for their crafts. The caves now are empty, but many Bedouins still sell their colorful crafts in the park.
I met a delightful poet from New York and we decided to go back to Petra the next morning at 6:30 to avoid the tourists and enjoy the coolness of the early morning. It was a lovely walk and she brought me up to date on what is new in the States. That afternoon I returned by bus to Amman, and caught a morning flight back to Tel Aviv.The immigration officer asked me how long I wanted to say and I immediately replied 3 months, which she gave with the admonition that I would have to leave when this one expired. What a relief!! If ever you go to the Middle East, Petra is well worth your time. I found out that 80% of the Jordanians are refugees from Palestine. When people realized I lived in Beit Jala,Palestine, I was treated with great warmth.
We are now in the midst of the Easter celebrations and because the Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated 1 week after the Catholic one,there is much to see. Last night I went to a special foot washing service during which the right foot of 12 men were washed by the priest. It was most unusual and the mystery of it was accentuated by chanting and a lot of incense. Two hours is a little long when you don't understand what is being said, but you can get caught up in the ritual. And now from this Holy Land I wish all of you a blessed Easter. Have a wonderful time with your families, and keep praying for Peace.
Salaam, yvonne
