Wow.

Driving through the countryside from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was incredible. The closer we got to Jerusalem the more it looked like the pictures that I had seen in children's books. There are grassy rolling hillsides with rocks sticking out everywhere. A couple of times I thought the driver was not going the right way and got a little nervous. We followed the signs to Jerusalem the whole time but when we got closer, we took an exit that said something different. But I returned the favor. When we neared the checkpoint I went to my pockets to dig out my passport. I think it really startled him because he jumped and then eyed me intently while I fumbled. He was just as nervous of me as I was of him. At the end of the trip, when I took care of the fare I treated him well and he smiled very big. We had made friends at last.
I met up with one of the staff in Jerusalem. First off, he took me to the place where we will be doing our study. It looks like something out of a movie. Very cool. Then we took a whirlwind tour of the city. He took me into Bethlehem which is in the Palestinian side. We visited the church of the Nativity. This is a church built on the place where Jesus was supposedly born born. It is one building with three faiths. Then we went for some shwarma (?) for lunch. It which was excellent. Then went by Rachel's tomb and around the old city wall. Then he took me to the high point above Jerusalem. I looked out over the city as the Muslims were being called to prayer. The sounds from over a loudspeakers came out over the city like the music in Blackhawk Down. It is hard to explain the feeling that I got while I was there. You can see the whole city. I am still having trouble realizing where I am.