Wednesday in Tekoa

Today I took the day to rest and stayed back at my Mom's place. I couldn't sleep last night yet I am exhausted and jet lagged. The only good thing about not being able to sleep was being able to easily get out of bed at 4am to watch the Lakers beat he Celtics in Game 6!

So my Mom left with her brother to run errands for the day and I walked down to the local market and did a little grocery shopping. I made some iced tea, watched a movie and took a nap. It's 4pm and I'm sitting on the back patio of my Mom's place watching the local residents come and go... biking, walking, driving their small and mostly unused vehicles. I've been trying to get my barrings since I got here. To the south east is an Arab village and I can hear their call to worship 4 times a day. Bethlehem is near here too, just down the road from what I understand. I'm 15 miles from Jordan (not like I'm planning on going there) and just up the hill from Jerusalem.

Yesterday my Mom and I walked all around the Old City, City Center's Midrachov. We walked through the Jaffa Gate to the Kotel and prayed for a minute. There is so much to see. So much to take in. So much to do. It's hard to figure out where to start and what it is that I really want to do. I could try to learn to dive or snorkle in the Red Sea, spend an afternoon at the Mediterranean, walk around Jerusalem or Tel Aviv or any city here really. Today, I decided to sit and listen to the wind blowing through the weeds and dried out grass. A tractor just went by and I must really look like a foreigner since the driver gave me a crazy look for sitting outside with my laptop for no apparent reason.

Tonight we're going to try to see a light show in Jerusalem in the Old City. This weekend we'll go over to Hebrew University to check out the campus, maybe talk to admissions and hopefully spend time in their botanical gardens.

Now, I can hear the Arab call to worship. If it's that loud and that clear way over here, I can't imagine how loud it must be in their village. You must be religious and pray together in their villages... and so starts another call to worship down the road. Wow. I'm not sure how to react hearing their prayer songs. Very sad and omnious sounding.

The settlement I'm staying on is one of the larger ones with a very diverse population. Religious and non religious Jews live together and respect each other. Everyone is friendly and says "Shalom" (Hello/Good bye) or "Boke-air Tov" (Good Morning) as you pass. They are all smiling and chatting and sharing their community with one another. It's nice. The settlement's gym, pool, post office, grocery store, etc are all within walking distance. Everything is close here. People walk everywhere, hitch hike (which I'm not planning on doing), or take a bus. We have a rental car this week which is a true rarity and really a blessing.

I woke up 6 months ago, took the shade from off my eyes and decided to make a change. It's scary. It's hard. I know it'll be worth it in the end. Shalom!

Picture #1: City Center Midrachov
Picture #2: Western Wall - Kotel
Picture #3: The view out the back door in Tekoa