Friday, May 21, 2010

Location: Ibillin, Israel (Galilee)

Today was our first full day in Israel (I mean no naps), and it was extremely memorable.  We did a lot today, but most of us feel that the best part was the time we spent with a members of the sophomore class here at the MEEI high school.  We joined their English class, and were quickly amazed at their English-speaking skills.  During the students' mid-morning break, we each had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the students as we walked around the campus, visiting the church, the library, and the multiple courtyards.

After the break we sat down with them in a classroom to watch a few short videos.  One was of the Pope speaking after his visit to Israel last year, and two others were tourist commercials describing the region only through a Christian lens, showing only images of fertile land and beautiful historical sights.  The discussion following the videos was sobering, as we lamented together how the Palestinians' stories are often ignored, that although the videos proclaimed that the state of Israel "makes the world a better place" (and that may be true in some respects) it has also caused too much suffering.  We heard from one student how Israel tried to take his family's land just a month ago; fortunately for him and his family, their land remained in their possession with the help from a lawyer.

Before we departed, e-mail addresses were exchanged, and new Friends were added on Facebook.

We took a much needed break after visiting with the children before heading out to Akka/Akko/Acre where we would see the Mediterranean. Some took naps to refresh themselves, and others volunteered to help with reconstruction of a part of the school we were staying at. After an hour or so, we moved on to continue our journey.

As we got off the bus and told the locals that we were intending on going swimming in the Mediterranean, they quickly rushed us along showing us the way. Some of us were already ready to go with our swimsuits on, others struggled to get their swimsuits on as they were attempting to change in a small closet-like space with a homeless cat gazing on and only a rusting-away door to block the view from about five local men. We were all extremely excited to take our first swim while in Israel, and ended up hanging out in a group several hundred feet in from shore. There was constant laughing as we all dodged the many waves caused by the jetskiis, and the wrestling and playful banter of the guys on the trip. We really enjoyed our time in the sea, and were all sad to continue on our adventure.

Little did we know another exciting experience was about to unfold.  While exploring the old city, three of us encountered a Jewish family who showed us true Middle Eastern hospitality.  They urged us to join their celebration, showering us with sodas, cookies, peanuts and treats.  We had so much in our hands that we were unable to carry them all at once.  More generous were their kind words of friendship and big hugs.  Music started playing and shouts of excitement began as one gentleman encouraged people to dance.  He showed us some of their traditional moves, including dancing while holding a tray of henna or cookies over their heads.  (Needless to say, several cookies fell to the ground while 7 or 8-year-old Marianna was trying to dance.) The family was fully of joy in celebrating the wedding of their family member and hoped that we could feel their joy as well.

Afterward we drove to the other side of Akka/Akko/Acre to wander around the old city and stop for some much needed food. We had dinner on at a wonderful restaurant right on the sea. The food was plentiful and great tasting as we all sat down for several hours. There was great conversation about our trip to MEEI and our adventures in the city. It was a wonderful experience that allowed us to relax a bit after a long day that had greatly impacted us and drove us to further investigate our own perceptions of the situation.