So first of all, I wanted to acknowledge that there was a terrorist attack in the West Bank this evening in which four Jewish Israelis were killed, among them a pregnant woman. The attack took place in Kiryat Arba, which is a suburb of Hebron, one of the largest cities in the West Bank. The IDF and Israeli Police are, of course, doing everything they can to find and capture these terrorists. This is truly a tragedy, especially given the relative peace that the West Bank has recently seen, and it is important that we stand by Israel during this time, as plans for peace talks are in the air in Washington. However, my other reason for writing about this is that I know that some of you (Mom, Dad, Hannah) will be alarmed to hear about a terrorist attack while I'm in Israel, and I want to explain to you that I am, in fact, very safe. Kiryat Arba is a community which has been known for years for its militant Jewish inhabitants. It has not historically been a peaceful area, and it is completely surrounded by Palestinian territory. If you look at a map of Israel it may seem like Kiryat Arba is pretty close to where I am right now, in Jerusalem, but please recognize that there is a security fence and the IDF separating where I am from where the attack took place this evening. There may be a need to worry about the state of Israel, but there is no reason to worry about me.
If you want more information on this attack, here's the link to the Jerusalem Post article: http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=186614
Anyway, on a happier note, I had another wonderful day in the holy city! I've made a new friend; his name is Adam and he's from Manchester, England. He'll be in Tel Aviv with me this semester, but he'll be studying to become a fashion designer while I hang out with plants. :) He's really great, and today we spent the entire day exploring the city. We started at the Jerusalem Mall, which, as much as I detest malls, is truly an essential Israeli experience. For lack of a better word, it's.... insane. After a lovely cup of ice-café (the Israeli version of iced coffee... but really more like a Frappucino), we ventured out of the mall and set out on a mission to figure out the bus system!
Pause here. Once again, I know that some of you (Mom) will hear that I am taking public transportation in Jerusalem and immediately think back to 2001 during the Second Intifada when these buses were blowing up on a regular basis. This is not the case now. There has not a bus bombing in Jerusalem since 2004. The bus system here is safe, cheap, and (unlike most other things in this country) reliable. There is absolutely no reason to be concerned about the safety of Jerusalem buses.
Anyway, Adam and I hopped on an 18 bus and took it all the way down to Ben Yehuda, where we wandered and shopped and ate lunch at an awesome little falafel stand. This was my first falafel since arriving in Israel, and it did not disappoint. Food in general here just tastes so much better. It was wonderful.
After lunch we began to meander in and out of cobblestone alleyways around the area, looking in shop windows and jumping out of the way of running Chasidim (why are they always in such a hurry?), until eventually we realized that we were completely lost. So naturally, we kept walking. About five minutes later, we arrived at the entrance to Machane Yehuda, which, in my opinion, is the best market in the entire world. Getting lost in Jerusalem and ending up at Machane Yehuda? Best thing ever. We explored the market, took pictures, and talked to people for about an hour, and then jumped back on our favorite bus back to our building.
One more thing before I collapse in my bed: My Hebrew is steadily improving. I carried on actually conversations today, and managed to get us through the entire day without asking for English. I'm proud. :)
Okay, I'm exhausted. It's my bed time.
Orientation starts tomorrow!
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