[shazeep]

well, i thought it was heaven; but i had money, and I'm guileless enough--believe it or not--that i easily make friends, etc. So i guess it depends upon who you ask. They all eat real food, there are virtually no sick or fat people, and tv only at night i guess, that no one watches (that i know), so even an illiterate Egyptian (that speaks prolly 5 languages) is just a more engaging person. No ones fridge is stuffed full of food, that i saw; i mean, everything is fresh, even the tea. But this might also be a function of less money. I never saw anything in anyone's freezer, not even ice! No one uses ice; i had to walk 3/4 of a mile to get a bag of ice, in downtown Jerusalem, from the center.

the only time i saw police was in Jerusalem, and even then they were different; that is a study in contrasts, too. As a rule things are more chaotic in the city, but also more respectful of others. Jerusalem is a bubble anyway, kind of like Disneyland or something. The country (desert) is quite a bit slower, and cheaper.

No one proselytizes there--or at least it's kept very undercover--yet i had some of the best conversations about God. The churches i visited were discreet, yet very active within their own community. Pretty much everyone i know there--outside of sojourners--has at least two jobs. Large community of expats. All the news is local news, nothing about the West Bank or Gaza--which after all would be similar to news about...Watts, or Harlem, perhaps, here; and i just got weird looks when i brought that up. I just put it down to people living much more in the now, in the present day there, with more burdens, and less interest in what they can't control or affect.

Prolly my biggest problem is that i am still somewhat codependent, and no one there is, so this got me into some awkward situations.