Living the Questions

I can't believe we've been here almost two weeks already....time sure does move quickly. Sorry I've been behind in updating y'all. Since Bethlehem, we've done so much that I can hardly remember it all. Mostly, though, our time has been spent with people from the hostel....loving them and getting to know them. Shavout was this past week, so most everything was closed. Lindsey and I decided, kind of on a whim in the market, that we would cook dinner for our friends in the hostel. It was a great time to hang out with them. Surprisingly, we've met a few people from Atlanta. Yesterday, someone from UGA actually checked into the hostel. It was cool to be able to talk to someone from home who knows the same people and places that I do. The people here, both the people who live here and those we've met in the hostel, are different in a way than the people back home. It's hard to explain, but it is definitely a wonderful thing :) Yesterday we went to St. Anne...

Yesterday, we were able to spend the day in Bethlehem with our friends and their family. Issa and Nada are wonderful people! They have a precious little boy named Ferrod and a little girl named Malek. We went shopping with Nada where we could. Seeing the difference in the people in Bethlehem, which is more of an Arab city (I think), from the people in Jerusalem was interesting. They were welcoming and sweet and willing to share their lives with us. We met a lady from the states who is here for a few days volunteering with a peace organization and we were able to meet Issa and Nada's extended family! They are all so friendly :) Nada's mom invited us to dinner with her and the rest of the family. She was cooking a traditional meal for 3 girls who are studying abroad from California and wanted us to join them. She actually let us help her cook -- and I love to cook, so that was great fun to cook with their family. They made these beef pasta/ dumpling things which they cooked in a ...

Welcome :) I wanted a way to let everyone know what was going on in Israel and this seemed like the easiest way to do it! But....I may keep it up after the trip is over! So, first of all let me say that I am enjoying my time here.....but I have only had 2 days here! We have done so much already, and my mind is reeling with trying to remember everything we've done. Luckily I think I'll have some time tomorrow to write everything down -- and get some pictures up somewhere :) We're staying in the Jerusalem Hostel, which is right in the middle of the city. The building is across from Zion square, and we're literally within walking distance of everything. Having never stayed in a hostel before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It is more fun than staying in a hotel ever could have been! The mix of people here is wonderful -- people of all ages and from so many different places. The first night here, we were sitting in the lobby and we met several people, whom we now c...