Here!

Hannah and I are here. owejfksdjfadlskjfakswyayayyyyy!! So excited! I'm writing now from our bedroom, in a house on Shepherd's Field Street in Beit Sahour, a town practically connected to Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestine. Our host "parents" are Hanna and Nadjoor, a sweet retired couple that have 6 adult children. Two of their sons live here with us, Diddy (27) and Majd (22). Majd is taking finals at a local college and will graduate in June with an English major and a Business minor. Their four older siblings are each married and live close by. There are also at least 6 aunts and uncles, each have children who have children...big family so lots of people in and out all the time. Last night a bunch were over, it will be impossible to remember all the names! A few speak pretty good English, others none. Hanna speaks basic English, but Nadjoor very little. Everyone is so warm and welcoming, telling us how much we will enjoy our stay. The family is also diverse including a Chilean and a Spaniard. 

Nadjoor feeds us regularly, yummy homemade meals. So far we can't figure out when the family actually eats, we've been alone at the table every time. We wish we could communicate more with her so it's not like she's just waiting on us all the time, but we can't and she seems to be glad to do it anyways. I'm sure we'll soon get into a routine when we start work next week. 

The house is a nice size, including a front yard, back patio, rooftop, lime trees and a workshop out back where Hanna and one of his sons (who lives next door) make olive wood carvings to sell to souvenir shops. Our room is pretty spacious, two twin beds, two bedside tables, a vanity and a wardrobe (all empty), a coat rack, a fan and our own bathroom attached!

Close by is Shepherd's Field, as in the field where the angels appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Christ. There are actually two Shepherd's Fields, as both the Orthodox Christians and the Catholics each think they have the real one. We found out it's not enough to say Christian around here, as their is a bit of tension between Protestants and Catholics. The area of Beit Sahour is primarily Greek Orthodox. One of the son-in-laws told us that Beit Sahour is the best of the area (over Bethlehem and Beit Jala) and that God sent the angels here because the people are such gossips He knew the word about Jesus' birth would spread quickly!


-Mak