Prepare yourselves... this is long winded

Where do I begin with describing the last couple of weeks here in Nazareth?  All together it has been a wonderful whirlwind of more fun and adventure than I can even begin to express. I am absolutely loving my work placement at The Nazareth Village. Every Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday I make the five minute walk out of the hospital’s compound and down the hill to the village. My days so far have mainly been filled with getting to know the various staff at the organization and helping wherever I can (I am quite fond of the “person oriented” aspect of Arab culture). Training is going well and I should start leading tours early next week!

I should probably go into greater explanation of what exactly the “village” is… The Nazareth Village was created out of a vision to “turn dead stones into living stones” in the Holy Land. As thousands of pilgrims pass through Israel each year, they are often touring significant sites that date back to the first century and beyond and seeing one archaeological find after another.  The founders of the village wanted to create a place where visitors could see the ruins of the first century “come to life.” During its creation, scholars and experts from all over the world came to excavate and participate in the re-creation of this entirely authentic first century village. At the village, an original wine press, watchtower, and terraces were found along with countless artifacts that pinpoint their origin to the time of Jesus. Today, the village boasts a full functioning farm with several houses, a watchtower, synagogue, burial tomb, olive press, and a wine press. As tour groups are led through the village they learn about life in the first century during the time of Jesus and get better acquainted with the background of many of his parables. I almost forgot to mention… the village is also filled with people in authentic first century dress going about typical first century daily routines and tasks (farming, cooking, weaving, etc.). That being said, as I train to be a tour guide I am learning more about the Middle East in the first century than I ever thought possible. The most entertaining part of working at the village is definitely the hilariousness of the village people. The first Arabic word I learned while volunteering here was “mejaneen” used when calling someone “crazy” or “insane.” I was briefly caught in the middle of a first century sling shot fight just last week. To answer many of your questions: I do not have to dress up as a guide but did dress up once to help cook an authentic first century meal. It was quite comical (my cooking that is).

When I’m not at the village I am making new friends at the hospital or relaxing while planning out my next excursion. On Thursday evenings I have also started to help teach English to hospital and nursing staff. I am technically the teaching assistant to a lovely couple from the U.K. who are here in Nazareth on behalf of the Anglican Church. We spend a good majority of the class laughing as we try and teach conversational English to very enthusiastic pupils. Last week had to compromise between whether or not to teach that glasses are in fact “glasses” or as they preferred, “spectacles.”

Now, to write briefly about the crazy adventures of the weekend… there is SO much to write and the majority of my stories I will have to save for when I get home, but for now I’ll do my best to do a quick breakdown.

Friday – an early morning departure via bus from Nazareth to Jerusalem went off more or less without a hitch. We discovered early on in our trip that we were likely going to be a group that was always running just a little bit late. Lucky for us, the bus happened to be delayed as well and we barely made it on. Once in Jerusalem we spent the afternoon exploring the Jewish and Christian Quarters of the Old City. As Friday afternoon/evening marks the beginning of the Sabbath, we tried to get in as much as possible before things started to close down in the Jewish areas. The Western Wall was a great site to see and Friday evening is basically a huge celebration as Jewish pilgrims sing and dance their way into the Sabbath. As the sun set we sought out a cab ride to make it to Bethlehem where we were staying the night with friends. It was quite an adventure as we bartered our price into the West Bank. Little did I know before coming to Israel that almost EVERYTHING here can be bargained over. Our cab ride in itself was an adventure as our driver made sure to stop at his parents’ souvenir shop in the city and then try and swindle us into paying an extra 20 shekels. His argument at the end of the ride was a comical site as he fought in broken English and would stop periodically to pause, point at us girls, and say loudly, “THIS IS BEAUTIFUL” and then go back to trying to get his extra shekels. We made it out without having to pay.  We spent the night with friends from Paidia, an international development organization, and had the treat of eating hamburgers for dinner.

Saturday – We spent the morning exploring the Church of Nativity and the Shepherd’s Field Church and then headed back to Jerusalem for the rest of the day. One of the most significant aspects of the weekend was experiencing what it’s like to cross from one side of “the wall” to the other. In just two weeks since being here in Israel, my knowledge and understanding of the current conflict here in this part of the world has changed dramatically. Most influential has been simply asking questions and learning more about individuals’ personal opinions and experiences. I look forward to sharing more of these stories when I get back home. Our Saturday afternoon was spent exploring the Mount of Olives and more of the Old City in Jerusalem. We spent the night at a hostel and departed early the next morning for the Dead Sea. 

Sunday – Once again we bartered our way back to Bethlehem and then hired a cab driver to take us to the Dead Sea and back. The sea was gorgeous and definitely a once in a lifetime experience to float in the salty water and try out of the famed “magical mud.” By the end of the day we were exhausted and although we missed our bus back to Nazareth, we found another to a nearby town and ended the trip with (big surprise), another bartered taxi ride back to the hospital.

All in all, the weekend was full of new memories and more laughing than I thought humanly possible. We ate tons of delicious food and I even had my own efforts at bargaining in the crowded Jerusalem markets. Pretty much EVERYONE we meet is extremely friendly and representative of the amazing hospitality of this area. My Arabic continues to improve and I’m trying to learn more new phrases every week.  Miss you all! 

yummm

yum times two

touring the Old City

Jaffa Gate

We found a way onto the rooftops!

Western Wall

a glimpse of the markets 

In Bethlehem (famous Banksy Art)

stopped by military on the way to the Dead Sea

If you live in Bethlehem, you can't get on the other side of this wall unless you have permission. 

Damascus Gate

Who knew you could dip pita bread into so much!