Letter from Palestine, 26. Good news.
28th February 2005
Dear friends!
It is a late letter this time, after a busy weekend and no Internet. But waiting for something good, you will get it at last. I hope you think it is right about this letter. At least I think I have good news.
I have got a new tourist visa for three months! Now I can relax. My mother, Trond and I went to Jordan on Friday after having been to Nazareth on Thursday, and then we went back to Israel on Saturday. It was probably smart to travel as a family on holiday. We were of course asked some questions before we came to the real passport control and the visa issue. Trond was asked what we did, and when he could answer that it was a week of holiday in Israel with a short visit to the holy places in Jordan, nobody thought about asking if this was also the case for me or if I accidentally was there a bit more than a week. The next woman, giving me the visa, didn’t even ask “What are you doing in Israel?”, as all of them do all the time. She didn’t comment all the Israeli stamps in my passport and she didn’t hesitate a moment to give me the visa. It was a surprise how easy it was.
I have found out that those who are not quite familiar with the situation here easily can misunderstand about the visa. For some it is a matter of course, but I feel it is needed to emphasise a bit. Though I am in East Jerusalem and on the West Bank, it is not Palestine giving me visa. They are not against my stay here, as far as I know, and would probably give me visa for how long time I wished to stay, if they could… It is the occupying power Israel issuing visa both if I plan to be in Israel or Palestine, and I should of course not mention that I have the intention of the latter.
Another confusion I have discovered is the understanding about who people are or what they are called. It can be showed by how a friend from the Galilee presents himself: “I am Christian, Palestinian, Arab and Israeli.” It is a lot of identities. I can also be confused. Should I talk about Jews or Israelis, Arabs or Palestinians? Who do I include and who do I exclude when I choose a word? Which image do people have when they hear a term, and who am I actually speaking about when I say for example “Israelis”? How do I show that there are 16 million Christian Arabs when the world thinks that all Arabs are Muslims? How do I tell that Palestinians are a peaceful people when some destroy with terror attacks and the media describe them all as terrorists?
My mother and Trond are on their way back to Norway now. After having them as visitors I think I have managed to explain something about who lives here and what happens and I have let them see it with their own eyes. More than my words have done, the experiences of standing besides an eight metres high wall and the passing of checkpoints have done. Meetings with friendly and caring people have also made an impression. “There are so many people knowing you and they seem to be so friendly.” It is true, they are friendly.
I haven’t thought about that I know so many, but I start to get some friends, and there are many I say hallo to. In Jerusalem we have met people both at the YWCA and in the street in addition to the church. In Jalazone I have the nice children and the employees at the YWCA. In Bethlehem both the tourist police and the shopkeepers are happy to see me again. They remember my name, and I think that shows that they don’t see me only as a regular tourist, but as somebody they want to see again.
In addition to these meetings with people we have seen a lot this last week of visit. I have also seen a few new places. We have been to Masada, one of the fortresses of Herod, and other places by the Dead Sea. We have visited Arafat’s grave in Ramallah. We have been around in Jerusalem, and I think I have been to some streets in the Old City where I have not been before. We have been to the Sea of Galilee and in Nazareth and stayed at a convent guest house where they have excavations from the time of Jesus in the “basement”. We have been to Jordan, to the baptismal site by the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, where Moses could see the land of promise before he died, and in Jerash, a magnificent ruin town north of Amman.
Those who think I am too organized can also be calmed down when I tell about my lack of planning before the trip to Jordan. I had not checked about the guest house in Amman. We had to wait for one and a half hours because the guest house I had found had no other guests and the manager was then outside. I had not planned the transportation back to Jerusalem from the border either, so it was as long time of waiting there before we got a taxi. Other transportation and sightseeing were also taken when we were there. I think I have learnt from the Arabs…
When having had visitors and they leave, it is not easy to know how the next days will be. So much has happened, then I am suddenly alone. This evening I have found out that I am not alone though. When I came to the Arabic class, I got the message that our teacher was sick and that there was no class today. On my way back I met Paul, “my priest” in St. George’s, who also goes to the class. When I told him that there was no class, he suggested that we could ask Nael (Christian, Palestinian, Arab and Israeli), who is doing his training in the church, if he wanted to practice some Arabic with us. He was very willing, and we had a good lesson, where it was even easier than in class to ask about sounds, expressions and grammar which I had not quite understood before.
The Arabic was followed by Evensong, and when a group of pilgrims had come to a course at the college at St. George’s, we were invited for dinner as well. It became a really nice evening, with language, prayer and a meal. The feared loneliness did not come, but was replaced by good fellowship.
My mood is good. I can look back on good experiences the last days, and I look forward to what the next days will bring.
Happy greetings from Hanne.
Dear friends!
It is a late letter this time, after a busy weekend and no Internet. But waiting for something good, you will get it at last. I hope you think it is right about this letter. At least I think I have good news.
I have got a new tourist visa for three months! Now I can relax. My mother, Trond and I went to Jordan on Friday after having been to Nazareth on Thursday, and then we went back to Israel on Saturday. It was probably smart to travel as a family on holiday. We were of course asked some questions before we came to the real passport control and the visa issue. Trond was asked what we did, and when he could answer that it was a week of holiday in Israel with a short visit to the holy places in Jordan, nobody thought about asking if this was also the case for me or if I accidentally was there a bit more than a week. The next woman, giving me the visa, didn’t even ask “What are you doing in Israel?”, as all of them do all the time. She didn’t comment all the Israeli stamps in my passport and she didn’t hesitate a moment to give me the visa. It was a surprise how easy it was.
I have found out that those who are not quite familiar with the situation here easily can misunderstand about the visa. For some it is a matter of course, but I feel it is needed to emphasise a bit. Though I am in East Jerusalem and on the West Bank, it is not Palestine giving me visa. They are not against my stay here, as far as I know, and would probably give me visa for how long time I wished to stay, if they could… It is the occupying power Israel issuing visa both if I plan to be in Israel or Palestine, and I should of course not mention that I have the intention of the latter.
Another confusion I have discovered is the understanding about who people are or what they are called. It can be showed by how a friend from the Galilee presents himself: “I am Christian, Palestinian, Arab and Israeli.” It is a lot of identities. I can also be confused. Should I talk about Jews or Israelis, Arabs or Palestinians? Who do I include and who do I exclude when I choose a word? Which image do people have when they hear a term, and who am I actually speaking about when I say for example “Israelis”? How do I show that there are 16 million Christian Arabs when the world thinks that all Arabs are Muslims? How do I tell that Palestinians are a peaceful people when some destroy with terror attacks and the media describe them all as terrorists?
My mother and Trond are on their way back to Norway now. After having them as visitors I think I have managed to explain something about who lives here and what happens and I have let them see it with their own eyes. More than my words have done, the experiences of standing besides an eight metres high wall and the passing of checkpoints have done. Meetings with friendly and caring people have also made an impression. “There are so many people knowing you and they seem to be so friendly.” It is true, they are friendly.
I haven’t thought about that I know so many, but I start to get some friends, and there are many I say hallo to. In Jerusalem we have met people both at the YWCA and in the street in addition to the church. In Jalazone I have the nice children and the employees at the YWCA. In Bethlehem both the tourist police and the shopkeepers are happy to see me again. They remember my name, and I think that shows that they don’t see me only as a regular tourist, but as somebody they want to see again.
In addition to these meetings with people we have seen a lot this last week of visit. I have also seen a few new places. We have been to Masada, one of the fortresses of Herod, and other places by the Dead Sea. We have visited Arafat’s grave in Ramallah. We have been around in Jerusalem, and I think I have been to some streets in the Old City where I have not been before. We have been to the Sea of Galilee and in Nazareth and stayed at a convent guest house where they have excavations from the time of Jesus in the “basement”. We have been to Jordan, to the baptismal site by the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, where Moses could see the land of promise before he died, and in Jerash, a magnificent ruin town north of Amman.
Those who think I am too organized can also be calmed down when I tell about my lack of planning before the trip to Jordan. I had not checked about the guest house in Amman. We had to wait for one and a half hours because the guest house I had found had no other guests and the manager was then outside. I had not planned the transportation back to Jerusalem from the border either, so it was as long time of waiting there before we got a taxi. Other transportation and sightseeing were also taken when we were there. I think I have learnt from the Arabs…
When having had visitors and they leave, it is not easy to know how the next days will be. So much has happened, then I am suddenly alone. This evening I have found out that I am not alone though. When I came to the Arabic class, I got the message that our teacher was sick and that there was no class today. On my way back I met Paul, “my priest” in St. George’s, who also goes to the class. When I told him that there was no class, he suggested that we could ask Nael (Christian, Palestinian, Arab and Israeli), who is doing his training in the church, if he wanted to practice some Arabic with us. He was very willing, and we had a good lesson, where it was even easier than in class to ask about sounds, expressions and grammar which I had not quite understood before.
The Arabic was followed by Evensong, and when a group of pilgrims had come to a course at the college at St. George’s, we were invited for dinner as well. It became a really nice evening, with language, prayer and a meal. The feared loneliness did not come, but was replaced by good fellowship.
My mood is good. I can look back on good experiences the last days, and I look forward to what the next days will bring.
Happy greetings from Hanne.
posted by Hanne at 2:47 PM
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