Matt's Writing

I end my Middle East trip early. What I have kept from my blog is that I've suffered from severe diarrhea for the last week. I got some type of stomach virus or parasite while traveling, which has prevented me from digesting food or retaining fluid. My very kind host family in Bethlehem, seeing me nearly incoherent and unable to eat, recommended I go to the local clinic. On Christmas Day, I went to the ER in Bethlehem, which is part of the Occupied Territories in the West Bank. The people there were very hospitable. I gave them my American passport, and they charged me only 15 shekels to be seen by a doctor (less than $5!). Unlike your average U.S. ER, there were no lines, and they saw me right away. The place looked like any Western hospital, only a lot poorer. My initial impression, in my semi-coherent state, was that it looked kind of like the thrift store of hospitals, in that they didn't change the paper that was ontop of the hospital beds between patients, and most the c...

The tower of the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Manger Square in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 2008: The Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve was also the most heavily-guarded church in the world: Here are about 50 of the approximately 500 automatic-riffle bearing Palestinian Authority policemen in Bethlehem for Christmas. To enter the church that marks the spot where Jesus was born, you have to duck through a very low doorway, that's about 3 1/2 feet tall: Once you pass through that, you're in a small room with a metal detector that you walk through, and then you pass through this old wooden doorway into the church itself. Inside the church: Constantine's floor: the original floor of the Church of the Nativity built in 333 under the Emperor Constantine I. Here is the entrance to the underground cave which is the traditional place of Jesus' birth. This 14-pointed star marks the spot where many believe Christ was born in the m...

This is the view from outside the city gates of Bethlehem upon arriving on the 124 bus from the 8 kilometer trip from Jerusalem. This is the secured walkway you walk through to go between Israeli and Palestinian territory to enter Bethlehem. After passing through the checkpoint and showing my American passport, I, and other Christian pilgrims, had to pass through this next gate. These are some pictures of the Israeli separation barrier from inside Bethlehem. (Christmas Eve, 2008--Bethlehem) Entering Bethlehem was quite an experience. The walls and security around the city made it look like I was entering the Green Zone in Baghdad. However, now being here, I feel very safe and welcomed by the Greek Orthodox family that I'm staying with for the next couple of days through the Alternative Tourism Group. In my quest to get many perspectives on Israel/Palestine, I will be staying with a Palestinian family for the next couple of days, after which I am planning on traveling for a day or t...