Earth's bellybutton

I have tried many times over the last several days to write a blog post, but the result was always the same: I just ended up sitting in front of a blank screen, cursor blinking expectantly. It’s not been intentional, as I really haven’t had time (or the energy) to travel much the last couple weeks, thanks to midterms and other things, and I was afraid of boring you with mundane thoughts on everyday life.  So don’t take it personally, I haven’t forgotten you. Although right now I am in a bit of a lull academically, I know it won’t be long before I am cramming for finals.  (Gee, can’t wait). Though my feet have felt trapped, my brain has been on the run, as usual.  So maybe I have something to write about after all.

I know I have written about some of the adjustments I have had to make living here in Israel, but I’m not sure people really grasp what those changes are.  Here are a few things I have had to deal with, and please forgive me if I repeat myself:  the big one that almost everyone struggles with is Shabbat--during the afternoon on Friday, shops, grocery stores, public transportation--all close up and stop until Saturday evening after sunset (once the first three stars are visible, according to tradition), then things return to normal.  I sometimes still forget to run to the store to grab anything I can't live without for those two days.  Since church is on Saturdays here, I have to walk to get to one, thus I have not yet attended a church.  There is one church I know of that has a Sunday service, but I have a four hour class on Sundays...bleh.  Thankfully I have two bible studies I attend with friends, and that has been great and has somewhat helped fill in the void.  In Jerusalem, Christians make up less than .2% (that's point 2...less than half of one half of a percent) of the population; 2% in the entire state of Israel.  Jews and Muslims obviously make up the bulk. 

Shabbat and minorities aside, there's the constant security checks at school, the bus station, the mall; now going to a place without going through one feels weird.  Military helicopters constantly flying around, sometimes landing across from my room interfering with phone conversations or my playlist on my laptop; fireworks during all hours of the day and night in the West Bank, sometimes in the Old City; watching and feeling sorry for Arabs being profiled by Israeli security guards; sharing elevators with random cats in my building; not eating bacon; not having a microwave or an oven; Muslim prayers broadcasted five times a day; watching lizards sunbathe; finding Arab food establishments so I can have cheese on a burger or meat on a pizza; drinking 3 liters (sometimes more) of water a day and still being borderline dehydrated (it’s been warm here); soldiers walking around everywhere with semi-automatic rifles (AR 15s, I believe); hearing an average of 3-4 different languages spoken a day; having to walk virtually everywhere; trying not to answer in Hebrew while in an English speaking class...to name a few.  I already have a descent tan and it's barely the second week of May...summer has yet to arrive.

Oh, and to explain the title of this post, I revisited the Church of the Holy Sepluchre with my Cultural History of Jerusalem class (I love this class!), and lo and behold, within the church is Earth’s bellybutton—a little round sculpture thing that is considered the very spiritual center of the world (I still consider it to be the Temple Mount, but what do I know?)—technically called “Earth’s navel”; I watched as people not only went up to touch it, but kiss it.  Hmm.  People kiss a lot of things here.  Why is this church considered to be the spiritual center of the world?  Because the Holy Sepluchre is thought to be built upon the area where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected; the only other place thought to be where these events took place is the Garden Tomb.  Below are some pictures I took of the outside and inside of the church; I do plan on going back to get some "real" pictures, so stay tuned:

The structure at the bottom of the picture is where they believe Jesus to have been buried and resurrected

I apologize for the short post, but I will write more soon.  Just wanted everyone to know that although Iran and Syria have made the usual threats, nothing has happened and I am still alive and well.