He just wants to listen to Madonna and Michael Jackson

I've touched down safely, and due to some lost baggage I've spent a couple days in Jerusalem (I don't think they would have delivered the bag to Nablus). The trip got off to an exiting start. I was booked to travel from Baltimore to N.Y.C on Delta (I fly stand-by at a good rate thanks to my mom's employee benefits). My bag was checked through to Tel Aviv from Baltimore. Unfortunately, after I checked-in it became apparent I might not get on the flight, so my father, brother and I hopped in the car and zoomed over to a highway rest stop in Baltimore in search of a local stop for Chinatown buses to NYC. The scene was, at times, hair-raising as shady peddlers selectively sold "bus tickets" from unmarked black bags, for buses that would arrive "who knows when", and throngs of hopeful travelers rushed at oncoming buses in the hopes that seats would be available and that in fact, perhaps that golden ticket they just bought for $20 was legitimate. I managed to throw a nasty spin move on this old Italian lady and landed myself an aisle seat on the second bus to pull into the "station"... maybe there wasn't an old Italian lady, but there definitely was a spin move used at some point.

I arrived at JFK around 11p and went toward the El Al check-in counter. I should point out that I can't be completely forthright with the Israeli authorities about the purpose of my trip, given that from their point of view my work would be seen as aiding the enemy (that being, in this case, all Palestinians) , and because it looks quite bad for them if innocent internationals are hurt in their country or the territory they occupy. I'm sure they would also argue that they might refuse me entry for my own safety (interestingly enough I discovered today that there are actually tours from Jerusalem that take internationals through Nablus... depending on whether the checkpoint is open or closed that day). I thought that I would have a 10 hour plane ride to get my "tourist story" straight. Unexpectedly, El Al had employees, who were also Israeli government employees working at JFK doing pre-check-in security screening. Needless-to-say I drew a bit more attention than other passengers and I was selected for further screening. The questioning was relatively light compared to the 20 minute interrogation I faced when leaving Israel four years ago. They asked to hold onto my carry-on bag for two hours. Eventually I was cleared to get on the flight and I sat next to a kosher butcher, named Kerri. He and I talked quite a bit and even ventured into the dangerous waters of religion and politics (he actually brought it up). He was moderate in his views and the discussion was enlightening for both of us.

My stay in Jerusalem has provided me a good chance to rest and has been entertaining, not the least due to this kid in his early twenties from Jerusalem who is staying in my dorm room (there are six of us). His mother, who has kicked him out of the house, is demanding he become a Hasidic Jew, while all he wants to do is "listen to Madonna and Michael Jackson, and watch TV." This apparently includes porn; as he explained his plight he showed me his recently purchased portable dvd player, along with some choice titles not to be found at your local public library. The poor guy is all over the place emotionally, but appears quite harmless. In the last two days he has asked me for money for food (I lent him 10 shekels ($3USD) which he promptly paid back today after a trip to the bank), for food directly, and even to wear my pants this morning, so that he could go out and buy pants (he had been wearing sweat pants which he was hesitant to go out in in public)... unfortunately for him I'm not that generous. Last night he finished taking a shower around 2am when I his voice come from the bathroom, in a really meek broken English "excuse me... excuse me," I couldn't take it anymore and I just laid there thinking maybe he forgot a towel... Sure enough, next time I go in the bathroom there is wet toilet paper all over the place. I just shook my head and muttered, "poor guy."

I left the hostile this morning (wearing my own pants) to do some touristy things, so that I could post some pictures for folks to see. At left is the Dome of the Rock (golden dome) sacred to both Jews and Mulims (from this rock Abraham was to sacrifice his son, and Muhammed flew up to god). To the right of the dome is the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall (I believe)), and is a sacred prayer ground for Jews. Muslims have more or less exclusive use of the area above the Western wall, which includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, which can hold up to 5000 people at a time. Below are two more photos of the Dome and the Wall. For those of you interested in seeing more photos from today's walk around Jerusalem you can seen them at my Picasso account by going to http://picasaweb.google.com/ryanjmccann/JerusalemFirstFewDays (you may have to join Picasso.. don't know, but give it a try). My bag arrived today, so I'm off to Nablus tomorrow morning, I'll be sure to check-in in a couple of days, once I'm settled!


peace,

The What, Where, Why & How of my Journey to the Holy Land

As I sit at my father’s in Annapolis, I figured it’s an apt moment to put down some pre-departure words on where I’m going, what I’ll be doing, and for whom I’ll be working in Palestine.

As a quick note, for those of you new to blogs, as you can see a blog is a kind of online journal where you can post text, photos, videos, etc. And, where people who read your blog can (in many cases) leave comments. Blogs also offer additional functionality such as the archives of previous posts (see left sidebar), as well as a host of other personal touches an author can add. I’ve added a section which displays the latest news stories (also in the left sidebar) about Nablus (the city I’ll be living in).

The City of Nablus is located approximately 35 miles north of Jerusalem, in the West Bank. The city is spread along the floor and hillsides of the valley between Mounts Jarzim and Ebal , and is home to An-Najah National University, where I’ll be working. In particular, I’ll be volunteering in the Public Relations department of the university (this is the group that organizes the cultural exchange in which I participated in August of 2004) (http://youth.zajel.org/). My work will include a variety of activities including: editing the English language version of the department’s website, coaching this year’s student ambassadors in English, and preparing them culturally to receive their international guests. In addition, and most important to me, I’ll be working on starting an initiative within the Public Relations Department to look at non-violent responses to the conflict within the Palestinian Community. Aside from my work with the University my primary objectives are to learn Arabic and work on gathering material for doing some writing on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I’ll be living in University Housing (not sure what this means yet, pictures to follow). I met a lot of genuine and kind people during my previous visit, and I’m looking forward to reuniting with them. The city is generally considered to be fairly conservative and is a focal point of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. I should note at this time that much of the recent news coming from this part of the world has focused on Gaza, where Hamas militants have been bombing Israeli towns near the northern Gaza border. These attacks have been met with Israeli strikes on Gaza. The game of circular accusations over who is responsible for the continued violence is never ending. The situation in the West Bank is quite different, and if it hasn't changed much since I was last here, the Israeli occupation of the city takes the form of road blocks at each of the city’s entrances (where many young Nablusi men are denied exit), and nightly incursion by Israeli military looking to extricate specific persons who are wanted by the state of Israel. I am assuming at this point that more detailed accounts of these types of occurrences will be available in later posts.

I want to make it clear to anyone who may have concerns about my safety that I am not walking into this city blindly. I won't argue that I'll be as safe as I might be in Boston, but the risks are calculated. During my previous visit I became confident that my hosts are quite capable of ensuring that I am relatively safe. The organization I am working for hosts 10's of internationals each year. They are well connected to the community, and while they are not direct associates of some of the cities more unsavory characters, they are aware, in general, of their attitudes and normal movements, and there appears to be a tacit agreement between militants in the area and my hosts, that it is in everyones' best interest that international volunteers be welcomed to Nablus. As a volunteer at the university, members of the community will recognize me a such, and as long as I don't go out of my way to offend anyone, I expect to encounter, if not profound hospitality, at the very worst a benign acknowledgment of my presence there. If you take the time to read some of the news stories at the left of this page, please keep in mind that I am in a different situation from many of the foreigners in Nablus, and that I will be carefully following the lead of my hosts with regard to my movements and my actions. In addition, while part of me admires the courage of some to actively protest the Israeli occupation of Palestine, I will NOT be standing in front of any bulldozers, or linking arms in front of Israeli military. That is not why I have come here.

I leave from JFK at 2:20am Monday, and should arrive 7:45pm (Mon) local time (time difference is 7 hours). If all goes well getting through passport control in Tel Aviv, I will be spending my first night in Jerusalem and then travel to Nablus by taxi the following day.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you the events of my time in Nablus, and the thoughts and images to come. I hope you will enjoy this adventure with me. Please keep in touch, and feel free to make comments which everyone can read (see the comment link below each post). I’ll be in touch soon.

peace,
ryan