Adventures in Bethlahem

Today was my first real (almost entirely) personal day here since I came. After waking up at 6 AM to the sounds of my housemates preparing for a day at the beach that didn't happen, I and a friend decided to go to Bethlahem and do a little touring.

We boarded a service - a large taxi, kind of like a van, which can be found all over the West Bank - and traveled to Bethlahem. It's only around 20 minutes from here, and the cost to travel is around $2 one way.

Bethlahem is probably not what many people in the world imagine it to be. It's a city like many others in the West Bank, and most people who live there are Palestians, most of whom are Muslim. There are two refugee camps, where Palestinians who were driven or fled from their homes during the founding of Israel in 1948 live. It also has a large section of the Apartheid Wall that cuts into the city.

The main draw of the city for tourists is the Church of the Nativity, which was built on the site Jesus's birth. It's an extremely old church, having been built in 333, although it was destroyed in 529 (thanks Wikipedia). When you go in, you can sense how old it is. There are a number of very beautiful pieces of art depicting the baby Jesus and Mary. There were also many tourists - although, not a ton. The tour groups were large, but I think coming on a weekday in the summer made things a little smoother.

After a very long wait in line, I was able to see the Grotto of the Nativity, the location which is claimed to be Jesus's original birthplace. It was beautiful. A simple star surrounded by lamps marks the place, and it was very much worth the wait. I didn't take many courses on Christianity in college, but I find it fascinating to see how people commemorate the sacred. It was very special.

Once we wrapped up things in the church, we went to the Apartheid Wall. On the Palestinian side it is covered in graffiti, some of which is extremely good. I'll let the pictures tell the tale. However, it is pretty ridiculous to think that there is a giant concrete barrier cutting into a major city. In the place of Jesus's birth, those who live there are often unable to cross through this wall simply because they are Palestinian. It's pretty appalling.

After a good day in Bethlahem, we went back to Beit Ommar and I taught my English class. I'm teaching 6-10 people English here. I've never done this before, so I'm kind of winging it, but I think it's going well. The students are mostly college age and very attentive, and have some English capacity already. They want to learn more grammer, which is especially tricky because formal grammer rules were my weak point in school. But I like teaching, and they seem to be getting something out of it, so I guess that's what counts. They've even taught me a few things in Arabic as well!