Shabbat (from June 9th)

Shabbat Shalom!! Today is the Sabbath for the Jewish community (which you can imagine is large here). Everything on the west side of the city, where we live, is closed. Another American couple that works at the consulate invited us over to their house for a barbecue, and the wife was taking me grocery shopping. This was my first experience out doors, so I was pretty excited. Plus, my husband kept the kids, so that’s always reason for excitement! Since everything in our area was closed, we had to go to the east side into the Palestinian part of town. On our drive there we passed by the Old City and I longed to just stop there for several hours and explore – but we were on a mission for today. I knew that the grocery stores would not be the same as within the States, or even like Okinawa, but I was not ready for this! This store is supposedly one of the largest and most well-stocked “super”markets in the city. I’m trying to think of something to compare it to, but I’m lost. It was maybe the size of an American convenient store, or a Shoppette on base. The aisles were tight and the shelves were crammed full, all the way to the ceiling. This particular store carried a lot of American brands, so it was a nice stepping stone of shopping for me, but it was SO expensive! I picked out a few items from this store and came away with 2 small bags and 50 less dollars in my pocket. I have to say though that the Palestinian people who owned the store were very friendly and helpful. Almost everyone in this city speaks English as a second language, so that helps out a lot. My next challenge now is going to be figuring out shekels and agorots (the local currency). But, I will have to figure this out sooner or later, so I might as well jump in with both feet. We had a good time at our new friend’s house and they seem like they want to help us with our transition here as well. The wife and I are going to another store on Monday, this one closer to my house. This whole experience is a little intimidating, but I am still so excited to be here. I’m anxiously waiting for the day that my husband has a day off and we can start exploring this city. OH, I just remembered. We were told that a local priest, who likes to be around the Americans, gives us personal tours of the Old City. Get this --- this man actually has the keys to the gate at the Garden of Gethsemane. Most tour groups have to walk around this garden and only look in. We will get to go inside!! Plus, we’ve been told that he will pluck a branch for us from an olive tree in the garden. That’s the kind of souvenir I will cherish.