a Tale of Two Cities

So far I have been living and working in East Jerusalem, which is the Palestinian side of Jerusalem. It feels like a typical Arabic city, very similar in fact at least physically/visually to Amman. On Sunday we went for a spot of shopping in West Jerusalem, which was my first time on ‘the other side’. In fact the other side was just a short walk from our house across a main road, but it was like arriving in another country. The difference between the East and the West was really just completely extraordinary. Suddenly I felt like I was in Europe in a developed and sophisticated city with little streets and allies full of funky shops and cafes, though of course there are armed guards outside to search your bag for bombs before you go in, young off duty soldiers wander round with their weapons in their shopping baskets, and the ultra orthodox Jews among the shoppers make you feel like you are in a different time altogether. Every weekend another little layer of this totally fascinating place is revealed… I think I finally might be understanding how so many of my friends are obsessed with it.