At least I'm a foreign National

So most people who read this blog got my mass email about what I've been doing in Israel since my last entry, so this is the stuff that didn't go into that email so that my parents wouldn't freak.
So this weekend I was in Jerusalem for Shabbat. It started nice, I met up with Dafna and a student for lunch and then we went walking around and Dafna showed me Jerusalem (not the old City). The plan was to walk to the Old City (about 15-20 minute walk) to the place I was staying, The Sephardi Educational Centre. As we were touring Dafna's flip flop broke. Completely unfixable. So she decided that we would take a cab to the Old City b/c she had already walked a bit barefoot and let me tell you J-Lem is a dirty dirty dirty city. Now the directions I've been given to get to the Centre are "it's by the main parking lot in the Old City, everyone knows where it is, there's only one main parking lot." So we get into the cab and tell him where we need to go. He does not want to go into the Old City b/c it will be really busy at 4PM on the eve of Shabbat- fair enough just as long as he can get us close and someone can direct me there. Now I've been to this centre before. THREE years ago on Birthright so really I know what it looks like but have no idea where it is. Apparently the cab driver has no idea either. So we call Nikki who is there and she gives the directions that it is right next to the Cardo
which is in the Jewish Quarter in the Old City. Dafna does not understand what it is and the cab driver had no idea. We spend about 15 minutes saying the Cardo. Now I don't know where it is, but I've heard of it before. Distant memory so I know it exists. Both Dafna and the cab driver both have no idea what we are talking about. Yelling ensues in Hebrew and we are kicked out of the cab in East Jerusalem. To be honest, it's not so scary, but with tensions in Gaza it is not so wise for three Jews to be lost in East Jerusalem (though might I interject that Dafna was amazing, and we didn't pay the cab driver... other drivers would make us pay). So now we are completely lost no idea where we are going. Dafna calls her brother for directions and he freaks out b/c we are 3 Jews amongst many possibly disgrunteled Arabs. We figure we need to get to the Jaffa Gate and start making out way there.
All of a sudden I sense someone right next to me and Dafna yells "eh lech me po!" (translation get the hell out of here) but really yells and then this guy yells back he thinks it's a bloody joke. If Dafna had not yelled he probably would have ended up kissing my neck or something; not a big deal you might think but the fact is it is harrassment. So being lost, almost being molested and the heat with my heavy back pack did not make me a happy girl.
Fast forward to Sunday, we are heading out of J-Lem in a cab and there is crazy traffic and there is a street closed so our cab driver tells Nikki he knows a short cut. We quickly realize that the short cut is through the Arab Village of Silwan. Once again, no problems now but well tensions plus being Jewish.... with an Arab cab driver- these are situations most people try to avoid. Of course I'm blissfully ignorant of where we are, even though Nikki begins acting strange and I'm wondering why, then I see it. The Hamas flags. Ah. Not friendly territory.
We made it through and the cab driver decides he doesn't want to drive us the whole way. So we walk the 3 blocks to Nikki's place. OY. Once we get out the cab Nikki turns to me and says "I figured Rebecca will be alright, at least she's a foreign national, me I'm screwed." (Nikki holds and Israeli passport and ID card). To which I respond "Well I would have sent a search party."
It has been an interesting time here in J-Lem.
Volunteering has been great. We volunteered for Save a Child's Heart. Most rewarding experience I've had in a long time. We met children from Iraq, Zanzibar and Ethiopia. They were all amazing and so friendly. Good things that SACH does. Great things. Kol Hakavod.