It's all in the details

A friend of mine in Colorado, an intrepid traveler himself, wrote to me with a long list of questions so that he could visit the city vicariously through me. The man knows how to get down to the details, so I'm posting my answers here.

1) Is it a desert?
The desert is nearby. But compared to Colorado where it is so dry that my skin cracks and nose bleeds, it doesn't feel like it to me. It is certainly not the complete desert with sand dunes and oases that is the stereotype of the Middle East. I know that those deserts exist, but I have yet to see them. In fact, it feels lush compared to Colorado, with lemon trees and giant aloe plants. The lemon grove above is across the street from me.

2) What parts of the city can't you go to?

There aren't any parts of the city I have to avoid. Jerusalem has an intense security presence, that makes it safe to be a tourist here, but has disastrous consequences for the local population.

3) What are the holy places like?

To be honest, overwhelming. Every inch of the Old City seems to have religious significance. I've spent several days touring Jerusalem and seen maybe two percent of the religious sites. There is a church carved directly out of stone, and a church in the shape of a teardrop in honor of Jesus' tears. There are spectacular mosques, and holy pools. I will need to spend many more days wandering the city before I can properly answer this question.

4) How often do you see big guns?

Every day. It's required for all Israelis, male and female, to enter the military around 18 years old. It's disturbing to me to see eighteen-year-old girls holding guns almost the size of their body. As one former Israeli Defense Force soldier said, "Teenagers should not have that much power."

5) How often do you cross security checkpoints to Palestine and back?

About once or twice a week. It's easy to get into Palestine and harder to get back out. Until recently, internationals had a free pass and didn't get the same harassment that Palestinians get. But this week, we've been noticing that the security guards are making it more difficult for internationals to get through, questioning our visas and sending us back to other checkpoints. It's nothing that would put us in danger, and nothing near the trouble Palestinians have, but it seems the idea is more to make it so inconvenient that we'll stop traveling to Palestine.

6) What can you hear from your apartment?

Late on a Friday night, someone is practicing the flute. I live in a quiet residential neighborhood. I can hear traffic all the time, and calls to prayer over a loudspeaker five times a day. On Fridays, I can hear an entire sermon in Arabic blasted over the loudspeaker. On Mondays, many women clean house and bring their rugs out to beat them on the balcony, which makes a surprisingly loud thwomping sound. Other daily sounds include children playing, cats fighting, and my landlord's dog, Blackie, barking. I can hear American voices when my neighbors who live downstairs come home from work. Occasionally, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I hear a herd of sheep meandering their way down the street.

7) What time is it there?
11 pm, which means although I could write much more, it's time to sleep. Thanks for the questions, and I will try to flesh out my answers over time. Leave more questions in the comments section, and I will try to answer.