As most of my Californian friends know, I have a "thing" for Jerusalem. It is pretty much one of my favorite places on earth. Nothing can make me feel the way I do when I am there, but I don't like to get stuck there. Thursday night, that is exactly what happened. After the production of "The Covenant," I went out with some friends and missed the last bus. I tried to take a taxi-bus (called a Sherut), but for some reason my ATM wasn't working, and I couldn't make it back to Tel Aviv. SO... I resorted to finding a hostel... I walked all over the center of the city and was unsuccessful in finding a hostel... I finally gave up and went to a hotel and asked them... "Yesh Lecha Meyonot (Do you have dormitories)?" The man said yes, and I was able to negotiate a private room for half price... 100 shekels (about $26)... The only stipulation is that I had to leave by 8 in the morning... It wasn't a very nice hotel. Infact, I didn't want to trust the sheets, so I covered the pillow with my towel and I slept in my clothes.
The morning came quickly, and I decided to walk to the Old City. I went into the Arab quarter for the whole morning. The Arab quarter is more like the Arab half. It takes up the largest section of the old city. It wasn't frightening. The residents were speaking in Arabic, and for a moment in time, I felt as if I had slipped into Saudi Arabia or Iraq and left Israel. The truth is, however, that there are many cities in Israel where Arabic is the primary language.
I stopped for breakfast at a place called Abu Shukri... I order Shakshuka (a delicious spicy tomato stew with a fried egg in it - usually served with pitas), and I was served something that resembled Humus, except it tasted like mushed-up egg yolk with Tahini... What I couldn't understand is that dozens of Israeli Arabs lined up with their own dishes at the Abu Shukri counter to bring some of the mystery egg Humus home for lunch. I SIMPLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT IT!
Afterward, I befriended a couple of the local children. There was a girl begging at one of the city gates (pictured below), and I showed her that I was learning to write Arabic. She then showed me that she could write the letter 'S'. I then taught her how to write most of the other letters in English. She was very happy, but what she really wanted was some food, so I arranged that too.
After my time in the Old City, I went to ben Yehuda Street (one of the main Jewish shopping streets in Israel). The contrast between the Jewish shopping area and the Muslim shopping area was vast! When I entered the Shuk (the vegetable market), I saw a crowd following a man. I decided to go and meet him and ask questions later, so I did. The man ended up being Eli Yishai, the head of the Shas political/religious party in Israel.
Afterward, I met up with my friend Kathryn and we got Afuk (Cappucino) and Shoko (Hot Chocolate) and had a nice talk. Then, I went home...
Overall, apart from the food I ate in Jerusalem, I had an amazing time!
