Live From the West Bank

The first internet cafe I visit that can actually upload my pictures and I forget the camera cord. But fear not: they will eventually come, even if I have to wait to Dahab, Egypt tomorrow.

Last night was incredible, as Alex, Luke and I visited the home of a Palestinian Christain family for their son's birthday. They offered us so much food it boggled my mind.

After eating meals of bread and jelly for a few days, my shrunken stomach revolted. When he offered me the twentieth plate of food that night, I jokingly asked the father of the family, "What if my stomach explodes?"

He instantly replied in a humorless tone: "It won't," and shoved the food back onto my lap.

Today I'm in Ramallah, a part of the West Bank located a short drive from Jerusalem's Old City (the West Bank itself is only about a ten minute walk away). The people here are outrageously kind to me, which I figure is not despite the fact that I'm American but because of it.

For example, I literally stepped off the bus when two girls in their late teens/early twenties nearly jumped on me to ask me if I wanted to go out for lunch with them (I had earlier asked them such probing questions as 'Does this bus go to Ramallah?'). We had an amazing conversation over a kebab sandwich.

For me, the West Bank is almost surreal: I've read and seen so much about this strip of land in the media that to be here, and to be at the checkpoints, the city, and meet the people in flesh and blood is almost overwhelming. But I have much more to do today, so expect a full blog post on my thoughts when I get back tonight.