Red Rose of Palestine

As you all know, we went to Ramallah yesterday. Mohanad helped us to hail a 'service' taxi (which is bigger than a regular taxi...think small bus). We rode high into the mountains between Bethlehem and Ramallah...From what I could read on the signs, we rode through Darsala, Abu Dis (sp?), and maybe Bethany?..The driver was very kind, sometimes stopping so that we could take pictures of the Wadi Nar (valley). I'm not sure how far we were actually seeing in the horizon, but it was a verrry long way. The mountain roads are extremely 'bendy' in places...hairpin turns all over the place, and usually a very thin two-way width. We saw sheep and goatherders with their flocks, and we took pictures and video (Mark really did some great video, and though he says it needs editing, it's really cool.) As we neared Ramallah, the fact that it is an extremely large city and very spread over the hills/mountains became apparent. There were police all over the place, and it seemed that the best thing to do was assume that they were all there for our protection; Once you adjusted the way you perceived them, you could ignore them. Bless him, there was one poor policeman who was trying to direct traffic in the congestion, and there were people all over the place; It seemed a futile effort. We walked and walked and walked, stopping in to all of the little shops and such, finding a mixture of the stuff you don't want with a few things that looked like a great representation of the area. The prices are higher in Ramallah, and there isn't as much room for haggling as there is in Bethlehem (I learned that the hard way.) We stopped into a little cafe and had some lamb schwarma and soda, cooled off, and then we continued on. We poked around, shopping and soaking in the atmosphere until around 5:00, and then we took a taxi to the Best Eastern Hotel to meet Ginny. When she arrived, Mark hugged her tightly (and I got it on film) and we all had a great orange slushy in the courtyard together. She took us to the office where she is putting together a grant proposal with a group here called Relief International/Schools Online, and we met those with whom she is working. She suggested we go to a restaurant named "Ziriya" and off we went. As we headed to the restaurant, I looked at the houses in Ramallah and there is definitely a difference in the economics of the area. While they still have the same political and economic problems as the rest of the country, they have more money in Ramallah as well. We also drove past the place where Yasser Arafat was imprisoned for three years. After arriving at the restaurant (which you would never think was what it was...stairs leading up from the busy street...and then you are in a lovely place with quiet and lovely Middle Eastern decor.), we ate some of the most wonderful food and talked for two hours or so. It was so touching to watch Mark and Ginny talk after so long, and it was as if no time had passed...at least that was my impression. She is a very sweet, very funny lady, and you could tell that she absolutely adores Mark. She told stories of Helen and Jere (yes : ) that were sweet and funny and talked with Mark about his life and the kids. It filled my heart to see them together. Soon we had to run, and we went to the street level again to catch a service taxi. We took a few more pictures (near the 'Stars and Bucks'...too funny), and they held each other and cried a little...heck, I cried just watching them together. We left for the bus station to catch the taxi...While we waited for the service to fill enough for the guy to actually drive us somewhere, we talked about the day and looked at the photos/video. The ride home was lovely when you could look at all the stars and the twinkling lights of the different villages. The hairpins were a little concerning, but the driver was very competent. No worries. The checkpoints were fine, although a little intimidating. Once we were back in Beit Sahour, we were well relieved. Did I mention that it took two different service taxis and a nice man to get us back to Beit Sahour? It's amazing how some people can argue over a sheckel or two (not us...someone else), and now we have a joke:

How long is a sheckel?


About 20 kilometers...


That's how long they argued over a sheckel!


The title of this post refers to a picture of red roses I took while in Ramallah, so I will post that when we have a chance to do so later today. We will also post pictures of Mark and Ginny.


Mark went to see another school...It's a school run by Friars here, and we may help them in some way while we're here. I'll know more when he returns. Things are good, and we are fine. We miss home.

Love to all,

V