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.

the key to a social life in...anywhere but America

I bought a soccer ball at the market about a week ago to give us something to do in the ample free time that we had, and in no time we were being stopped by Ghanaians and international students alike, who invited us to kick around or join their games. The best part of this, though, was that Kristen and I were stopped by this guy named Immanuel, who invited us to join the girls' team for Legon Hall ("the premiere hall"--sounds like we chose the right one!). So today I had my first soccer match since senior year of high school (unless you count intramurals, I guess). It was great, though people seemed to be surprised that I've played soccer before, I think because I'm white, American, and a girl. haha. But I've made a lot of friends with the girls on the team, which is nice. My roommate Claudia says I need to make friends with more Ghanaians and not just these crazy Calvin kids.

Ghana pictures!

My friend Kristen posted some pictures from our trip on her Facebook page. I forgot my camera cord at home, so this is the best I can do for pictures. But at least you can get a sense of what it's like here....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037731&l=ccddc&id=15301980

T.I.A.*

Well, We've been in Ghana for a week now, and I'm starting to get settled into my life here in Africa...starting to find my way around campus, making new friends, and learning the cultural quirks, though I continue to feel incompetent and embarrassed in any new situation.

I wanted to share just a couple of the new adventures I've had in my first week:

Laundry--Today I did laundry for the first time since being here. All laundry is handwashed and air-dried. Most international students pay a washer woman to do their laundry, but where's the fun in that!! I don't think I did a great job at it, but the water was dirty when I was done so that's a good sign that I was at least mildly affective. Embarrassing pictures of uscrouched in the shower stall with buckets of soapy water, wringing out piles of wet clothes, are soon to come.

COLD SHOWERS--Because we're in the rainy season, it's pretty cool here. I'm really glad I brought my jacket, but the temperature makes the fact that our only bathing option is an icy cold shower mildly depressing. We've adopted the military-style shower...Rinse, turn the faucet off, soap up, faucet on, quick rinse off.

Church--Last Sunday I went to my first Ghanaian church service. It was AWESOME! The walls of the sanctuary were open to the outside, and it was kind of cool because it was raining out. But through the open walls, we could hear hymn singing coming from neighboring churches on all sides. It made me feel like I could go anywhere in the country and still be surrounded by the voices of believers in song. It was my favorite moment of the trip so far.

That's all I have for now. Classes start tomorrow! I will try to post pictures soon, because Jon is starting to show me up in that department.

**T.I.A.--"This is Africa." Referenced in the movie Blood Diamond, this common phrase refers to the unpredictable, unconventional, and--at times, for foreigners--potentially confusing or frustrating nature of this wonderful continent.

Jewish Appreciation

So, classes started on Monday. They should be pretty exciting. I'm in Physical Settings of the Bible, Arabic (taught by a Palestinian ), Introduction to the Modern Middle East (taught by a jaded Israeli), From the Jewish Jesus to Christianity (taught by a Jewish professor), and Rabbinical Thought and Literature (taught by a Rabbi). It's going to be great getting to know more about the Jewish roots of Christianity. I met a Jewish shopkeeper who feels called to build bridges between Jews and Christians (and Muslims as well). I've been back to his shop once to ask him questions about his beliefs and will probably make that a habit, which will be amazing. I will leave you with some Jewish insight...

Rabbi Moeshe to our Christian class:

"As a Jew I would like to thank you Christians for the idea of dividing the Bible into numbered chapters and verses. Christians came up with the idea in the Middle Ages. So...I can thank you for verse numbers, and you can thank us for the Old Testament."

So Far From Urkel

Yesterday I ate a ham sandwich and watched Family Matters. Today I ate hummus and watched thousands of religious Jews pray at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount to begin the rituals of Shabbat (Sabbath) with the Dome of the Rock looming overhead and the Muslim call to prayer sounding in the distance. So I made it to Jerusalem all safe and sound...hopefully my baggage will soon too. I met seven other students from the school on my flight, so that made it a little less stressful making my way from Tel Aviv, where I flew in, to Jerusalem. Campus is beautiful, it looks very middle eastern with a garden growing pomegranates, olives, and grapes (which I am allowed to steal). Jerusalem still feels larger than life...the fact that I'm actually here after so much anticipation might take a while to sink in. Tomorrow is orientation and registration, then classes start on Monday (which is apparently NOT Labor Day here).

Ghana address

For anyone who might want to know:

Erica Boonstra
Calvin College, c/o Dr. Randall Jelks
University of Ghana
PO Box 73
Legon, Ghana, West Africa