2. Which means that I've adjusted to somethings, at least. For example, I rarely look for a trash can in which to throw my toilet paper any more.
3. I found a resturant in town that serves falafel, which I find quite impresive, considering the size and location of my town. It's pretty tasty too. I might just have to visit it more often...
4. I'm working on integrating some things from Israel into life here. For example, tonight for dinner I made "mujadarah"- a middle eastern dish including rice and lentils and fried onions. Here is an example recipe, though it's not the exact one I used. In honor of Shabbat I also made challah bread, which turned out quite well. The recipe I used is the first one on this page.
5. The other day I bought mint and sage so I could make Bedouin tea. The mint reminds me of Jordan and the sage reminds me of Dahab...and both make me want to go back...
6. I head up to camp tomorrow...or I guess it's today now... so that I'll be able to settle in a little bit before I have to feed everyone (perhaps single-handedly) on Sunday.
7. I'm kind of sad to be leaving town again, just as I've started to re-connect with some old friends...but on the other hand, I'm rather looking forward to having a demanding schedule again. I'm hoping that new friends and lots of work will help take my mind of missing Israel and friends from there.
8. I've started reading Jerusalem Post headlines online. I find that when people find out I've been to Israel, the first thing they ask about is the current political situation. If they were to ask about the political situation during the time of Solomon, I might be able to help them, but they never seem to be interested in that. The joys of being an ancient history major. :) So I've decided that over the summer I need to educate myself more on the modern state of Israel and current events there.
9. Lately, removal of outpostAmerican pressure to stop settlement growth have been the subject of debate in the headlines. It's interesting to see different perspectives batted around. Settlers are among the most extreme people in Israel, unwilling to give up even an inch of the land they believe they are Biblically entitled to. I'll quote from this article:
"Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's," the US president said at Cairo University. "It is time for these settlements to stop."
Such statements are rejected out of hand by residents here, who view the increase in American pressure as misguided and ill-informed.
"I think it's symptomatic of Western thought," Gal said. "They read so deeply into a situation that in reality, is quite simple. We're the Jewish people and this is our home, and the Arabs are not going to stop attacking us if we leave Givat Asaf. If Israel pulls back from the settlements, Ben-Gurion Airport will become the next target. You have to ask yourself, what could we possibly gain from another disengagement?"
I have to say that this settler's arogance really struck me. "We're the Jewish people." As if that is the answer to all questions. To them it is. If we push theology aside for a moment, historical rights are hard to determine. Jews base their claim to the land on their historic presence there as documented by the Bible. However, the Canaanites had possession long before the Hebrews came, and Arabs and Turks ruled long after the Jewish people were scattered abroad. As far as total time in the land is concerned, Jews really have a debatable claim. Of course, everything is far more complicated...which is one reason I wish both Jews and Arabs would be less black and white in their perspectives.
10. And on the other side there is this article:
Soldiers arrested the assailant, who had entered the checkpoint through the "humanitarian lane," which is meant to be used by Palestinians in need of immediate medical attention and therefore bypasses the inspection in the regular lane.
Such actions seem to lend credence to the settlers' claims. There is always food for thought in the events in modern Israel...usually depressing thoughts. It's a mess.
11. I talked to my brother and sister-in-law tonight, which was good. We talked about my perspective on my church since coming back and sort of brainstormed ideas on how to make all my new-found knowledge useful to the Body. This question is sort of a corollary to one of the most commonly asked questions I get: "What are you going to do with this degree?" I tell people, "I will be a better informed Christian." If nothing else, I want to be able to use what I've learned to encourage people in their faith...but I want to do that without being a critical know-it-all. That balance could be difficult to find. Something to work on this summer.
12. And with that, it's high time that I head to bed. My next post will probably be about some camp adventures. :)
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