Unprecedented access: this is the roof top of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and we got to go there!

As soon as you pull out a camera anywhere in the world you encounter curious children! These children were on their way to school in Amman, Jordan.

I am back from the West Bank (but not home yet) and my brain is full of so many experiences that it is hard to know where to begin. Tonight, before I go to bed I will offer up some highlights of my trip into Jerusalem.

One night at the Muslim call to prayer (around 5.30pm) I was just entering the Israeli Embassy in Jordan and was faced with a robust Israeli security force that made sure we weren't a security risk!!. It took us nearly 2 hours to get through this Israeli security to get to our breifing with the Israeli Ambassador to Jordan. The night after I was in the Jordan Valley at the same time (5.30pm) drinking tea with a Bedouin women who was gracious enough to entertain us when we were walking by. The call to prayer was ringing out over the Jordan Valley.
Jerusalem chips away at the soul... I had access places that are usually not open to the public. Our guide was able to get access to the roof of the Holy Sepulchre ...can you imagine that? For Christians this is the holiest site and I was on the roof (I got a rock for my collection!!)
I also visited the Western Wall (sacred to Judaism). I went there more than once. The Dome of the Rock (sacred to Muslims) was closed to us...there was some tension so I did not get to see it.
Over arching all this history was the conversation I was engaged in regarding conflict and cooperation in this region. This is not a simple topic as all people here can and do stake claims to the land, but it is a conversation that needs to keep happening for all our sakes.

Today we visited a Jordanian/USA/ Israeli economic zone. This may not seem particularly interesting but it was one of the highlights of this trip so far. I am learning to listening carefully to what is being said and not being said....for now all I shall say on the matter is that Walmart has influence, and therefore the American consumer has also.
When we toured the factories we met contract factory workers from around the world. Canteen menus are offered to meet the dietary needs of 6 different cultures and, in the words of the industrial zone's manager, there are 4 different New Years that are celebrated. I took a photo of a "no spitting" sign...and was pretty relieved to see it as I was just about to spit (joke). Once I figure out how to upload photos I shall show you.
Outside the worker's dormitories were "teabag trees". These are shrubs in which people have hung teabags. I presume this is so that they will dry and can be re-used.

Tomorrow we go over the border into Israel. I will probably not be blogging so here is a list of some (but certainly not all) the places we are visiting.
Wednesday: The Jordan Valley and King Abdullah Canal
Thursday: Sea of Galilee (they sell consecrated water everywhere!), Auja
Friday: Jericho, Jerusalem (where we are staying)
Saturday: Free day in Jerusalem...
Sunday: Bethlehem and Ramallah
Now I am off for another function. Jordanians are some of the most hospitable people I have met and no doubt I will eat too much again.

Today was both exhausting and fascinating. After our breakfast of hummus and a yummy fava bean concoction we set off for a walking tour of Amman. This city is very old...a settlement was here in 8000 BCE. This should be of no suprise if you have heard of the walls of Jericho (which came tumbling down!). Jericho is nearby and we will be visiting it soon.
School was just getting out due to it being exam season and there were lots of little girls walking out of their school to take a break between exams. What is culturally interesting about these girls is that some wear headcoverings and some do not. To a degree this indicates their physical stage of life (pre-pubescent or further along!) but there are so many nuances that it can get quite complicated. Family influence matters but so does personal preference. The bottom line though is that (and I checked this with one of our guides) girls/women do not get judged for wearing the hijab or not...
Later this evening in the restaurant the noisiest group of customers were a table of young girls (some with head coverings, some without) who were smoking water pipes and singing!
So.. not only have I had this little cultural experience, but I have also met a former Jordanian prime minister, chatted with a fellow who just came from Gaza, met many people who are deeply involved in the politics of this region, eaten delicious food and drunk local wine. Life is good.

Just a quick note to say I arrived safely and am off for my first full day of the conference. We are meeting Jordanian ministers to discuss water and peace in the region.
Talking of peace in the region, details for our trip into Israel are fluid at this point due to the current situation. Also, whether I take this computer over the border into Israel is also fluid....look at me, using "fluid"! I have water on the brain.

Paris airport

Even the French are stopping people from smoking in public places. Their solution to this is to place glass boxes in the airport for smokers! I thought the one I saw was a glass elevator but noticed it was full of smoke and full of smokers....I gave it a miss.