Dipping our toes in Bethlehem

Everyone was rejoicing as we all got to sleep in today. Breakfast was at 8:30 instead of our normal 6:30 this morning. We had our first breakfast in the Alexandria Hotel. Our table was filled with eggs, pita, jam, veggies, and of course some wonderful juice. After breakfast, we had a short meeting stating we were free until 12:30. My roommate and I went up to our room to get settled in. We also did some laundry, which was well needed. Then many of us went to a burger joint across the street at 12. Since there was so many of us, the food took awhile to make. I didn't get my food until 12:30. I had to shove down my food as fast as I could, because I was already late. We didn't leave the hotel until 12:45, since many of were late. Then we rushed to our first college class here in Bethlehem. Palestinian Political Parties at Bethlehem Bible College was our first class. It was a great introduction class to what we were going to be learning the rest of the week. After class we headed to the Church of the Nativity. There was construction going on while we were there, but it was a beautiful Church regardless. Next was dinner at 6:30. We had some more yummy food made by the hotel chef. Even though the food was great, many of us went and got ice cream. I got 2 scoops (chocolate and cappuccino) for 4 shekels! It was great! When we got back, many of us were in the lobby. It was then that we found out about the tragic discovery of the 3 teenage boys. Many of us were shaken by this news. We have been studying the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for awhile now, but we now were seeing first hand the effects all of this has on the people living here. Today was filled with relaxation, resting, and dipping out toes into the culture here in Bethlehem. We will go to bed with prayers in our hearts for the family and friends of the 3 boys. We will also be praying for a peaceful resolution to the conflict at hand.

By: Vanessa Cooper