...Palestine

Yes, I arrived safe and sound. Even the Jerusalem rush hour couldn’t hold me back. I have to say that after the nerves I experienced before coming, it's nice to feel calm and even positive once more.

Some things that have caught my attention already:

The Grass is Always Greener, in winter. All that rain water makes the shoots spring up, and as a result the olive terraces look even more picturesque than in summer.

Inflation. Service (shared taxis) prices have risen. Thankfully, the prices of bread and falafel sandwiches haven’t.

Vote for Me, I’m Dead! Elections are only days away, and all the candidates have their posters and banners adorning anything that stands upright. Somewhat to my amusement, most of the Fatah and Hamas posters show the image of Arafat and Sheikh Yassin respectively! I wonder if voting for a dead person is in fact a rather telling cipher/metaphor for these elections.

The Streets Are Clean, (or cleaner), in case anyone feels the need to take to them in the near future. Cleaner streets could be the result of the municipal elections in the Autumn but I rather think they’re a last gasp bid by the authorities (or the Authority) to sway the minds of the voting public. Even if this election achieves nothing else, it’s good to know something positive was done.

Orange Reflective Jackets, can now be seen in most peoples’ cars. This is a new Israeli law which is designed to protect people when their car breaks down at night. Bless.

Some things change, such as the weather, which can get quite cold at night. It’s ironic that I’ve lived in places where the temperature gets a lot lower, but central heating has prevented me from ever feeling those temperatures. Now however, I am lucky enough to know what 5 degrees centigrade really feels like.

And some things don’t, such as the Internet crashing just as you’ve written a long blog post / email, and power cuts. No electricity, no electric heater, no heat source what so ever. I really do know what 5 degrees feels like.