Mom's WORLD JOURNAL - Israel We walked from the Jordan border through "no man's land" and crossed into Israel, where we would spend the next two weeks. Crossing the Israel border was a breeze. There is a very large area with barbed wired reminding visitors that there are land mines. Unlike the land mines in Egypt, this area was clearly marked to avoid any undue accidents. We spent the afternoon wasting time in Eliat until we could catch our 2:00 bus for Jerusalem, a 4-hour ride. During the ride, I sat next to a young girl who had just completed her mandatory 2-year service in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). It is mandatory for all Israeli men and women to spend a minimum of 2 years in the IDF when they turn eighteen. There were several soldiers on the bus in their uniforms with their machine guns slung casually across their back. They were on their way home to enjoy the two most important Jewish holidays with their families, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Mark and I had originally decided to visit Israel prior to their holidays since the entire city shuts down for these days, but we met a great couple, Candy and Andy, that we really enjoyed and decided to join them in Luxor first. We arrived in Jerusalem just before dark. I was thrilled just to be in a country where you can drink the water, see a movie and eat a variety of foods…they even have a mall. We have been traveling now for three months. Our clothes are worn and faded from washing them in the sink and hanging them in the sun to dry. Max's shirts have holes in them…I suspect a little curiosity with the little scissors in his new pocketknife but he denies all allegations. Several times I have scrubbed and scrubbed to get the items clean only to toss them in the trash out of disgust. We wear the same clothes every day with only slight variations and Mark is now used to it when I proclaim, "I just want to feel like a girl…get a haircut…but a new outfit…meet friends at Starbucks"! But, we will have none of that. We are on a world trip and NOTHING matters except the experience itself. It actually feels great to have no pressure to look or act in an "expected" or "appropriate" manner…we're just us and it is wonderful! Jerusalem is a beautiful, modern city. We stayed in a great area of town near Zion Square that was packed with energy, outdoor cafes, gift and clothing stores and only minutes from the Old City. We ate a late dinner in a café with about twenty soldiers with machine guns. It's hard to believe that these "kids" can protect the country when their heads turn as each young girl passes. It took me a few days to get used to the soldiers and Max was filled with curiosity. There is an air of "seriousness" in Israel, everyone you meet acutely aware of the issues that surround the country. The kids working the retail stores ready for any conversation about the day's events but unaffected by the trouble in the Old City, "It happens all the time", but life simply goes on. Although Mark was raised Jewish, I felt uneducated about the religion. Being Jewish is a religion and a race, which creates a very strong culture that I had not yet experienced. That combined with the issues the Jewish population has faced and survived and you get a new appreciation for the word tenacity.