June 2005

Here is a link to the Bethlehem Bloggers. The above picture is from their website, but the “Welcome to the Ghetto” and then the link underneath it is actually written on the “wall” when you first entire Bethlehem from Jerusalem. They write about news from Bethlehem, particularly demonstrations and activism stuff. Also, the Holy Land [...]

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[George Rishmawi, the Mayor of Bethlehem Dr. Victor Batarseh and Sami Awad]
Today the entire group met at the Bethlehem Hotel for our first full day of orientation. We were greeted and welcomed first, by the newly-elected Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh. We learned about the culture, stuff about our host families, some of what [...]

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This is Har Homa, the settlement that is within sight of everywhere in the Bethlehem-area. This settlement is taking away tourism from the Bethlehem-area, as many tourists will actually stay here and just come into Bethlehem for an hour or two, and be guided by Israeli tour-guides, who generally speak about terrorism as they drive [...]

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[Above is the Shepherd’s Field where the angel is reported to have appeared to the shepherds. This is an area of Beit Sahour – and basically the backyard of where I am staying for the summer]
Last night I ended up hanging out with a small group of students from the states, who are on an [...]

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I am writing this post from inside of the ‘apartheid wall’ in Beit Sahour, where I will be staying for the entire summer. We went through the checkpoint and weren’t given any problems by the Israelis, but within a few hundred feet of the checkpoint, I first saw ‘The Wall.’ It is extremely foreboding and [...]

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I’m writing this post from the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Via Dolorosa. Why wouldn’t there be internet on the Via Dolorosa…? I goit up this morning and walked down to the Damascus Gate and entered into the Old City of Jerusalem. I was immediately just overwhelmed by the maze of [...]

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I’m writing this from the YWCA in East Jerusalem. I made it to Israel, and it was definitely a full day.
I left Dahab at 10.30am and met a pastor from Kent (UK) who was going to Israel to study Biblical Hebrew for 6 weeks. We had good conversations and then our bus finally arrived in [...]

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[Sarah, Rob, Becca and Mark - this is the day I met Sarah...after the conference, I kept checking this picture and looking at it and thinking "Damn that girl is so cute!"]
This is a story. A funny story. A story of the day that Sarah and Adam met. I like this story. I like it [...]

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I have nothing to complain about (although, don’t get me started on Skype…). The food has been relatively good to my stomach, I get to lounge around, dunk myself in the water, not shower, smell gross, wear the same clothes - I mean, it’s a beach…and it’s been good overall (and I am now the [...]

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