O Little Town of Bethlehem!

Turns out... the little town of Bethlehem isn't so little. It's quite large. And even though its just a stone's throw from Jerusalem it took a long time to get there because we had to go through the West Bank border. We got to spend the morning at Bethlehem University which I loved! We got to interact with the students a lot and that was really interesting. Bethlehem University is a Catholic University but 70% of the students are Muslims. And of course, since it is in the West Bank there are absolutely no Israeli's (Jews). When I'm talking to people my age it's really easy to forget how different your lives and culture really are. I proved this to myself when I asked a girl how she met her husband. I should of known that most of the Muslims have arranged marriages! So she looked at me kind of funny and said she met him 6 months ago when her family brought him to their house and they got married 2 months later. And she said something that reminded me of a scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She said; "At first I liked him. But now, I love him." And she is also pregnant! They certainly didn't waste any time..

After we had lunch at a place called the "Tent Restaurant". It was really good but the food was a depressing attempt at hamburgers and french fries (with no ketchup). I'll definitely be ready for In and Out when I get home. After lunch we went to the Church of the Nativity which is the supposed place where Jesus was born. Unfortunately we were in Bethlehem on the very busiest day because someone important was in town and all kinds of tourists were there. So we waited way longer than we anticipated. 3 hours long! And the Church is ran by the Greek Orthodox and they are intense. You're not allowed to laugh inside. Needless to say... we got yelled at. And I'm still trying to decide if the wait was worth what we saw... I wouldn't have felt like my visit to Bethlehem was complete without seeing where Jesus was born so of course it was worth it but it was just a cramped room of tourists with a golden star inside a grotto marking the place.

Walking through Bethlehem was really special. It has a very unique feel. The building are pretty, the roads are very authentic and you just feel like your walking through history.

Sunday was one of my besties birthday. So we celebrated by neglecting all responsibility and spending the entire day in the city. We ate, shopped, ate, walked, ate, relaxed at a park, ate. One of my favorite places in the city is the Shuk! Which is just a big food market! This time I got candied nuts. Delicious. And we all split some famous gelato and I couldn't leave without getting some gummies too. Also, In Israel dessert waffles are really famous. So we went to this little waffle shop called Babbette's and shared waffles. A cute mom and her son also ate with us. They were delicious! So delicious that after the mom and her son were done they left like 3/4 of a waffle and as the girl went to throw it away we freaked out and we finished their waffle too. We weren't embarrassed but looking back I think we should of been... The cutest girl worked there and her name is the first name I like enough to name one of my kids after... Adi.

The rest of the week has been really stressful as we've been getting ready for finals and finishing papers. But it's over now! I just finished my Old Testament final (cross you fingers!) and turned in my 12 page paper on Tuesday! A few weeks ago I saw a flier for a Susan G.Kommen Breast Cancer Run and Me and a couple girls and one of my professors' wife ran in it! I'm so glad we got to go! It didn't look like it was going to work out because we have to go everywhere in groups of 3 and Jenna and I couldn't find anyone else because everyone is so studious and wanted to stay and study. We reviewed in the car and when we had a question our professor's wife called her husband to set us straight. I wish professors were always that reachable! Anyways- the run was huge! Pink balloons, banners and flags lining the streets, roads closed the whole shebang! And the best part of it.. I have a Jerusalem, Race For the Cure shirt written in Hebrew! All for 30 shekels.