Tonight at dinner we went around the table expressing our thorns, roses, and buds for the day. The thorn is something that was difficult, the rose a highlight, and the bud something you are looking forward to. Many of us struggled with the heat, exhaustion, and sore feet today, the pace of our last couple days and jet lag catching up to us. Our roses focused on the progress we made getting to know Joudeh and Juji, two of the Palestinian youth. We have been able to get closer to them, and to each other as we become comfortable with our surroundings and ourselves. Tomorrow we are traveling north to Galilee, accompanied by many more youth - the bud for many as we anticipate a day of conversation and faith together.

We celebrated worship this morning at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City, where the service was done in German, English, and Arabic. Even with all of the languages and some translations, it was just over an hour. Harrison gave a great welcome on behalf of our group and the large German group visiting sung a song. We hung around talking to other people who came to worship there, some regulars others travelers such as ourselves.

In the afternoon, we headed out to Yad Vashem, which is the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. As you enter the unique architectural structure, you are brought through the history of the persecution of Jews, focusing on the 20th century. It is an experience that challenges all who visit. For many of us, we could not help but draw parallels to the experience of Palestinians as they were and are forced out of their homes and into refugee camps or walled cities. While I am certainly not saying that the extermination and scale is comparable to the situation in Palestine and Israel, the oppressed have become the oppressors. Nevertheless, the experience as the museum takes you through the history is heart wrenching and sickening at times. I observed a girl probably about my age sobbing as she read about the extermination camps and the horror. Never again is what the Jewish people say, never again will this happen to us or to anyone.

I was moved by the words of the diaries of the young people who lived through the Holocaust, and I wrote down one poem (to be posted at a later date, when I can find the paper I wrote it on).



Katie, my roommate mentioned that on her blog that she talked much about food - a subject that I have absentmindedly left out. But no longer! The food is wonderful - salads of all varieties, falafel, shwarma, pita, hummus, and a classic Palestinian favorite - upside down (pictured). It is a pot of rice cooked with vegetables (for us, carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower) and chicken and served with yogurt.
Breakfast is usually pita and another type of bread, butter, jam, hummus, sesame oil, cucumbers, tomatoes, deli meat, cheese, orange juice and coffee. For lunch we have been picking up falafel or shwarma, though yesterday it was pizza on the Mount of Olives. Our restaurant also makes delicious pizza, which was dinner on our first night here.