So, my semester in Jerusalem is going very well so far. Classes are very interesting, the people here are great, and it's awesome just walking around the old and new cities. I've been making friends with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim shopkeepers in the old city who are all very interesting people to talk to. Although everyone lives in the same city, there is palpable tension. Besides the fact that three rather large, monotheistic religions struggle to lay claim to the same city, the biggest conflict is between Palestinians and Israelis. Every Tuesday and Thursday I travel to Bethlehem, just a few miles from Jerusalem for Arabic class. To get into Bethlehem, you have to go through a checkpoint in order to cross the huge wall being put up all along the border between Israel and West Bank. This wall is being put up by Israeli authorities for "security purposes." Basically, though, it traps many innocent Palestinians in West Bank, because they need a good excuse to cross or they are denied access. The first few mornings of Arabic class, across the street we saw UN workers handing out bags of food to Palestinian refugees. It's a crazy thing to experience. Also, the Gaza Strip is walled off and even more like a prison than West Bank. So, anyway, this is what I have been trying to learn about recently, and it is a very disturbing situation.