First Impressions!

      We landed about 10:30am Jerusalem time in Tel Aviv.  No sleep, reading, movies behind a seat rest and lots of shifting in my seat is the long and short of the story.  The flight was a surreal 11 hour endeavor that surrounded me with the culture of the Middle East, Orthodox Jews and Arabs.  The woman next to me prayed rocking, with her talmud to her face several times throughout the flight taking a kosher meal at both dinner and breakfast.  My world changed as soon as the we entered the gate for the flight, which had yet another security checkpoint due to the geographic hotspot.  Upon landing, I had a strange unexplainable pain in my tailbone which due to my neurotic nature, I convinced myself was a boil.  So now I'd be a pilgrim in the Holy Land with a boil.  A game changer. But fear not, no boil exists.  Just neurosis.  I bobble about with a seemingly confident air.  No one suspects.   But really, no boil, I promise.
     Upon boarding the deadly bus known as a sherut, it was clear that all drivers take passengers' lives into their own hands.  If I didn't have IBS when we got into that van, I did when we arrived in Jerusalem.  In Israel, it's common to merge ONTO another vehicle apparently.  Upon ascending the hill Amber showed me a psalm used for a Jerusalem pilgrimage from her bible that we both incanted silently to ourselves.
     After a well deserved nap and shower, we trekked out into the old city.  I love walking with this woman.  She can handle a lot of miles.  I expected a heat like an oven but really, it's quiet mild to me.  No humidity and a lovely breeze.  There are palm and olive trees, rosemary and rocks everywhere.  There's also litter.  Its a dirty city.  I expected that in an ancient place with so many people moving about I think.  We found ourselves walking through the Damascus gate finally, one of seven that allow travel in and out of the old city which is separated into four quarters, the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian.  There are checkpoints everywhere.  As we walked on cobbled stones worn smooth over the centuries from foot traffic, we are greeted by vendors.  There are so many vendors.  Juice, incense, turkish style coffee, scarves and Adidas.  Adidas, everywhere, and Hugo Boss.  We enjoyed a meal of chicken kebab, hummus and various salads in a narrow street as we watched teenage boys make crude jokes about the old men sitting down the way.  We compared notes on what we observed.
     I realized immediately on the bus while driving into Jerusalem, that neither Amber nor I fit in, at all, what so ever.  I've walked around this ancient city today with worry.  I wear a very large tattoo on my forearm.  I brandish this in a place where people don't get tattoos, for cultural and spiritual reasons.  I hear you can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery with a tattoo.  I have short hair and wear a tee shirt and you guessed it, Adidas.  Really other than my gender, I channel the style of a cosmopolitan Arab teen boy.  Funny enough, you could say I fit right in, buy I feel apologetic about my presentation strangely.  I get lots of looks, but no rude exchanges or comments at all.  I am clearly American, amongst other things.  The surprise for me on this first day is how vital and important it is to the inhabitants of this region to wear the uniform.  Wether it be a Jew or a Muslim, that projection marks one's faith clearly.  The values are seen and understood.  I wonder what I may project?
      So we close the day with beer overlooking the ancient city of Jerusalem while listening to the call to prayer atop the many minarets.  I can't think of anything more haunting, ancient and beautiful.  Tomorrow waits!!!