I have now been to the Holy Land for just over a week. Time has flown by. I feel like I've been here forever, and yet there is so much I haven't experienced. There's so much I need to experience.
When I got my acceptance to the Jerusalem Center, it didn't feel real. Up until the day I left, it didn't feel real. It was when I was in the plane going to Tel Aviv, watching the little electronic map track the flight, that it started to feel real. The excitement I had bubbling inside me on that plane has not stopped since I landed. There are new discoveries around every corner. The people. The sites. The culture.
With just a week of classes under my belt, I've just started to skim the surface of these things. I have an Israeli class and a Palestinian class. I cannot even begin to express the enlightenment I have been faced with. In the US we are often fed a single story. Given one snapshot. It is grossly misleading. Not only have I learned to understand the people better, I have experienced them as well. They have been some of the nicest people I have met. They are genuine.
I have also been given better insight into the Islam and Judaism religions. My love for the people has grown and my appreciation for their faith has increased. I am a Christian, but that doesn't blind me from the truths that these people have. I know my love for this place and its people will only increase with my time here.
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