You're going where?!

Generally, when I tell someone that I'm going to Palestine, the conversation goes as follows:

Them: "You're going where?! Is it safe?"

Me: "Yes, very safe."

Them: "Do you have to cover your head?"
NB: This question varies. Do you have to wear a veil/cover your face/cover your head/wear a burka?

Me: "No. I 'm Catholic. I always wear regular clothes."

For proof, here is a photo of me at the Sea of Galillee in the summer of 2005 - no veil, just regular clothes (Gap, I believe):

(It was windy.)

I never cease to be amazed at how little we, as Americans, know about other countries. (Admittedly, I'm equally at fault when it comes to other countries that I haven't actually traveled to.) Some of this lack of knowledge is due to a lack of interest and effort. And some of it, honestly, is also due to the media, which sensationalizes everything, only reports bad news, and of course spins it to reflect the ideals (and desires) of their home country. This media mentality is not unique to the United States. It is, to some degree, found everywhere.

Take, for example, my first visit to Palestine October/November 2004. News of Arafat's illness and imminent death made the news world-wide. I sat at home (in Ramallah) with my Auntie and Amo (uncle) watching CNN, BBC, and Al-Jazeera satellite news all reporting live from Ramallah. All three stations showed similarly chaotic scenes of distraught mobs of people crying and clamoring outside Arafat's compound. It looked like the entire city of Ramallah was dangerously near to erupting in riots, and the voice-overs from the different news stations, though each spinning different angles, led their viewers to believe that riots were imminent as well.

Friends State-side had been watching CNN and of course, immediately emailed me with great concern. All the while, Auntie, Amo and I were at home, only a few kilometers away in complete calm. Later that evening, I went out with my friends. It was Ramadan and despite me being Catholic, I went out for f'toor, the nightly breaking of the day-long fast. The only thing amiss was the lack of live music (which had been canceled out of respect for Arafat's illness). Some riots, eh? Yes, there were some people who had gathered at the compound, but that was confined to a small area. The rest of the city was experiencing life-as-usual, but I suppose that doesn't make a good news story.

So, yes, Palestine is safe.

Please don't worry and please don't believe everything you see on the news. (It's usually not nearly as bad as they'd have you believe.) This will be my fourth trip in as many years and I feel so comfortable there. Honestly, I often feel safer walking about over there than I do here in Seattle. This is due in great part to 1) the preponderance of crazies in Seattle, and 2) my Auntie and Amo who tend to me in Palestine and have always treated me as one of their own.

Auntie and Amo in their garden in Ramallah (2004)
I love them.