September 11, 2007

Brother Ludlow
Tuni Rose
Journal Article from 9/11

Today was our first class period of Palestinian Civilization with Dr. Adnan Musallam. He taught us a few words and phrases in Arabic, reviewed the general history of Arabia (the difference between Arab East and Arab West), and began to describe the importance of adapting/creating our own individual geography. He said that geography is inhibited by our cultural knowledge, meaning it creates false expectations and preconceived notions that unconsciously govern our lives. After this lecture we also had a better understanding of Jerusalem’s current demographics (approximately 7 million Israelis, 4 million Palestinians, and 180,000 Christians).
Our classes occupied the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. Because we had limited free time some people went out to visit the Old City while others played in the gym, studied or slept. Lots of us are still recovering from JETLAG!!! We also had our first linen exchange and were reminded about the cleaning check tomorrow. After dinner we participated in our first forum given by Michael Ross, Regional Security Officer at the U.S. Consulate.
Officer Ross’s comments focused on three current issues among Israeli and Palestinian groups. He explained the complications of his job due to the history and motivation of the conflict saying that ‘everyone has their own version of truth. One man could be viewed as a terrorist or a freedom fighter. People here are looking for stability, safety and security no different than you or I’. The Middle East has become a high profile region in recent months due to visits from various governmental officials. Peace talks are scheduled in Washington next month to help resolve existing problems.