July 31, 2008:
"Chris Awwad and I sat down outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Just one month ago I sat in this very place. This very bench. Then I was travel-worn and nervous. I looked like an Israeli youth and I couldn't understand a single Arabic word. Everything felt chaotic and intimidating. The people threatening. My body tired and my heart afraid. It's incredible the difference once month can make.
"Now, as we relax in the shade, I am not rested after our several hour bus ride into Israel but, Praise God, I have sufficient energy. I'm wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a Kofiyya tied around my waist (the black and white checkered scarf associated with Palestine). The Palestinians around me talk excitedly together or sit pensively. One man rests his head on another's lap, chatting away. A child spins in a wheel-y chair. A few people eat falaafel sandwiches. The small breeze keeps us cool.
"I hear a boy shout: '5 shekels! 5 shekels!!' Another man greets his friend, 'Hello! How are you?' I can understand."
I often reflect on this experience. What a dramatic shift. During the month I spent in the West Bank I made friends. Palestinian friends... and that changed everything.
