The Move to Bethlehem: Part 1

I have been considering moving to Bethlehem for several weeks now, for several reasons. First of all, I wanted to be forced to speak Arabic every day...even when I was tired and didn't want to wander the streets of East Jerusalem to find someone to talk to. Secondly, the rent (and cost of living) is MUCH cheaper in Bethlehem, in part because it is behind the separation wall and the economic situation is not the best. And thirdly, I came here to experience life on both sides, and what better way to see what life is like in the West Bank than to live there?

With these considerations (and after a lot of prayer), I decided to move to Bethlehem. Sahar, a Palestinian member of the church who also lives in Bethlehem (and has been a great help and friend to me), had given me several options of people she knew who were renting out apartments, and I finally decided to go with one right next to the checkpoint. The house was surrounded on three sides by the separation wall (pictures to come) and seriously looked like a prison, but I decided I wanted to get the whole experience and so grabbed my stuff and move in.

The "apartment" was actually a guest house, with 5 or 6 rooms with private bathrooms. The kitchen and living room were shared, but other than that each room was private (although some rooms had 4 beds in them!). However, no one had been staying there for months, and the landlord said that no one was going to be there until Christmas (and then just for 2 nights), so I thought of it as moving into my own apartment and not a guesthouse.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to my new apartment with all of my luggage and saw a man sitting inside! "Oh, hi," he said. "Are you moving in too?"

Too? Too? No. No, I'm not moving in too. I'm moving in! This is my apartment! At least, that is what I thought it would be. I was so startled that I didn't say anything except a feeble "Hi, nice to meet you" and started taking my stuff back to my room. I was so shocked and overwhelmed that I didn't notice that there was a step down between the kitchen and my bedroom. I was carrying a large box filled with pots and other kitchen supplies, and as I stepped into my bedroom I missed the step and fell flat on my face, dropping the box and spilling the contents everywhere.

Unfortunately, the box also had a large bottle of canola oil in it, and when the box dropped the canola oil broke open and started spilling everywhere.

This was the last straw for me, and I did what any reasonable person would do: I started crying. And then walked out of the house to make some phone calls to see if I could get myself moved out of this awkward situation.

However, NO ONE was answering their phone. I walked back to the church in Bethlehem (my apt was 3 blocks away) to see if the people I was trying to get in contact with were there having a meeting, but the church was locked up and everyone was gone. And after about 14 phone calls with no luck, I finally called Arlissa, another member of my branch, and started crying. This was not what I was hoping for when I decided to move to Bethlehem!

Luckily for me, Sahar didn't stay in her meeting for too much longer and called me back as soon as she got done. "Is there some sort of emergency?" she wanted to know. "Because you called me like 9 times!"

Well, yes, there is an emergency. "There's a man living in my apartment!" I told her. She was just as shocked as me (thanks, Sahar, for validating my reaction!) and immediately asked if I wanted to go check out another apartment farther in the city. I went and spoke with the landlady and told her I felt awkward about the situation, and she totally understood and didn't even ask me to pay any rent (for the 1.5 hours I lived there...). And Sahar took me to another apartment, rented out by her niece, and not too far from where she herself lives.

Let me tell you, friends, that as soon as I saw the empty apartment (2 bedroom/1bath/kitchen/living room) and verified that no one else would be living there with me, I moved in that very night. It was actually more like 15 min. And let me tell you all, it has been amazing to have my own apartment! Of course, I don't have any mid-40s nice British men for roommates, but that is one thing I can do without!