Free Palestine

For my second half of the trip, I stayed in Palestine in a city called Taibe next to the West Bank. I stayed with my friend from the university, Amal. She is so super smart and educated and kind and a good Muslima. Masha Allah, May Allah grant her the success. I stayed with her and her family in their home there. It was amazing. I loved being with her lovely family and with her cute little cousins. I enjoyed the children the most out of everything in my trip. I wish I could have taken more photos. When I arrived, I had chocolate milk and homemade sweet bread. Then I met all of her family. Then we had a traditional Arabic dinner. It was sooo yummy. Amal's mom made for me Kufta and something very similar to Mansaf. I was in heaven. That evening the family took me to the mosque to pray. It was my first time to pray in a mosque in the middle east.

Then we went outside and looked for some stores that sell hijab. Then we went to buy Kanafa, my favorite dessert, but the pastry shop was out. Then when we were there, we chose a platter of baklawa and the pastry shop owner gave it all to us for free after he heard from Amal that I was Muslim. It was soooo kind of Him. Wao. Masha Allah. Then we went back home and sat around the table with the family on the patio and enjoyed the baklawa and talked religion. It was nice. The next day we woke up for fajr, it was the first time I ever prayed fajr with someone. Amal lead the salat. It was so cool. Then we had some toast with zatar and tea and headed for Al Quds.

On the way there, I saw the Apartheid Wall. It was very emotional to see that and how they have planted trees to make it seem like it's not there. But it is still unmistakable. That is just so against human rights. I noticed that in the country it is not like Palestine is in one part and Israel in another. The people are much more integrated than that. You only reall see the segregation within the specific towns. But among the gas stations and businesses and out on the streets its all interwoven, Arabic with Hebrew, Jew with Muslim. The tension between the people is not thick but definitely there. You can feel it when a Palestinian walks into a gas station and the worker inside gives him his change and says thank you. You can feel it everywhere. It's constantly on the tip of everyone's tongues too. You can't escape being impacted by what is going on there. It is a fascinating place, and at the same time, not just a place, it is a feeling, more than a feeling, an electricity, that forever stays with u once it has entered in you. You feel it from the moment you get off the plane. It is beautiful and at the same time shameful. Uplifting and at the same time depressing. It is the only place in the world like that. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there. I went with Amal to the Muslim quarter of the old city in Jerusalem and we had a nice breakfast of hummos and fuul.

When we arrived at the door to the plaza of the Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, the Israeli Soldiers stopped us and asked if we were Muslim. They didn't believe me and asked to see my passport. I showed it to them and they said my name was Christian. I told them Christians can also become Muslim. Anyone can be a Muslim. Then he said sorry you can't come in very firmly. But then when I stood my ground he asked me if I could read anything from the Qur'an. I then recited Surat Fatiha to them. Their mouths dropped open as well as my friend's as she had never heard me before. Right away they let me in. I said thank you and good bye to them in Hebrew and we entered the plaza.

It was unbelievable to see the Dome of the Rock mosque in person. I could not believe I was standing there. It was so unreal. The most spiritual point of my life was this trip. It changed me forever. I prayed in both mosques. I also prayed under the rock. Then We left for the airport. When I arrived at the airport, I missed my flight and so I had to wait 9 hours for the next one. When I checked in with the airline, I got interrogated again by security and passed without a problem. I then passed my bags through the xray. I was just checking in with the counter when security came up to me and said I had skipped one of the security steps. I then went back and stood in line for another security checkpoint. I ended up being there for 3 hours. They were nice but they searched everything. They made me leave all my stuff there and took me to a room to search me. Then I went back and they had to make me rush to pack everything because they made me late for my flight. They had to escort me to my flight just so I wouldn't miss it. It felt so good to be on the plane to Jordan finally but I would not change my experience here for anything. AlhamdulEllah.