homestay realities and time in Jerusalem

A brief blog entry and Happy Easter (Western Easter that is, most of what we've seen today is Orthodox Palm Sunday).

Well, the homestays are straightfoward and yet nothing like the luxury or remarkableness of the many other places we have been. What is apparent is that these are very ordinary people, living in remarkable circumstances. What it is like as a visitor just depends who's home you're in, and whether you 'click' or if it's a bit 'awkward'. So there's been a mixed bag of responses to this bit of the experience.

It certainly felt like a privilege though going up to Jerusalem today for Western Easter when we knew most of the people we were with haven't been allowed to go, or only very occasionally for the last five years or so.

One person from Beit Sahour asked me to light a candle for them at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem, since she would not be allowed get there to do so herself.

Jerusalem was wet, rainy and cold, and yet still a wonderful, beautiful and mysterious city. The checkpoint in and out of Bethlehem is oddly reminiscent of IKEA, now I realize why, its the blue and yellow paint scheme combined with the metal framed structure!