Snow Days in East Jerusalem.

I have many fond memories of snow days as a kid: waiting in anticipation for the snowflakes to start falling, celebrating when school gets cancelled, soaking in every bit of snowball-throwing and snowman-making potential, then retreating inside for warmth--cold and wet, but happy as can be. The past few days I got to experience that snow day magic with a Palestinian family, and it was wonderful.

I ended up getting "stuck" at a friend's house in East Jerusalem after missing the chance to catch the bus home before the roads closed (although I think this may have been an intentional move by my friend's three younger sisters who didn't want me to leave, haha). I can't even tell you how much fun all of us had together during what turned into a three-day visit. I think I may have been formally adopted into their family by the end of it :)

Seriously though, I don't think I have ever experienced such incredible hospitality. I probably gained three pounds considering all of the delicious home-cooked traditional meals and sweets I was graciously (and endlessly) served. I am pretty sure they asked me at least 40 times if I had everything I needed--including warm pajamas, extra blankets, and even boiled water to take a hot shower (a luxury in my experience here). Of course, they provided all of these things regardless of my continual insistence that I was fine and already so grateful for all they had given me! Such sweet, sweet people.

One thing I have learned about Palestinian families is that they are almost always together, often with a steady stream of visits from neighbors and extended family who live nearby. This sense of community is a beautiful thing (and something I feel many Americans could learn from). I loved experiencing this firsthand, with the added enhancement of having no internet available. We spent the entire time really together--playing outside in the snow, watching movies, telling funny stories in a mix of English and Arabic, cooking and eating, and laughing a lot. I taught all the kids how to play the card game "spoons" (completely in Arabic, I might add) and it was a huge hit. Then we all spent the night together in the room that they share, slumber-party style :)

As for the playing in the snow part, we quickly got wrapped up into a neighborhood-wide snowball fight, in which I seemed to be one of the most popular targets. "Hey Cait! Hey Cait!" ...pounded with snow balls from all directions... My favorite was when this one kid came running towards me saying "Ahlan wa Sahlan!" ["welcome!" in Arabic], with a snow ball in each hand. Thankfully, their attention eventually shifted to hitting passing cars, which was hilarious to watch. At one point, I started filming (and got asked if I was going to send the videos to Obama). Please enjoy:

My last day there, the girls really wanted to take me to see the al-Aqsa mosque, which is about a 20 minute walk from their home. They were so excited to share this with me and I was beyond grateful for the opportunity to be guided to such an amazing place. They helped me to put on a hijab and gave me a history lesson and explanation of recent political events along the way. What a special experience--to be able to stand in that place, and to feel like a part of this family who welcomed me into something so precious to them.

Dome of the Rock, with some remnants of snow