Michelle Bowman, ARC/GNY Assistant Director of Training and Logistics, writes about her historic trip to Israel to work as an MDA Ambulance Responder.

Culture shock is an expected element of any extended international trip. I have traveled extensively, but I had never been to the Middle East before this trip to Israel. After thorough preparatory research, including discussions with people who had visited Israel before and extensive reading, I felt that I had a fairly good idea of what to expect. I was wrong.

Based on my first few days in the country, I have found Israel to be a modern, developed, and fascinating nation. Forget any stereotypes of deserts and camels—on Sunday morning at 5:30 am I arrived in a beautifully developed airport that clearly outshined both Heathrow and J.F.K. I navigated customs and immigration with ease and quickly found myself on a sherut—a shared minivans that takes passengers from Ben Gurion airport (near Tel Aviv) to Jerusalem. The pre-dawn journey was calm and uneventful—even the crazy driving that I had been warned about seemed much less shocking than a taxi ride through New York.

The ascent into Jerusalem is incomparable. Beautiful white houses line the side of the road, creating a somewhat mystical feeling that quickly reminds the visitor that this city may be the most important single location for the pious around the world. Downtown Jerusalem is beautiful, but modern and cosmopolitan. Two blocks away from our hotel is Ben-Yehuda, Jersualem's main pedestrian walkway, which is filled with chic cafes and crowds tourists and Israelis surfing the Internet on Jerusalem"s city-wide Internet connection. Within five blocks of Zion Square (the primary square in Jerusalem) you can find McDonald"s, Burger King, and Tower Records, yet the spread of globalization has not hit Jerusalem nearly as hard as it has impacted most other foreign cities. Jerusalem retains an aura that is throughout modern (but simultaneously ancient), completely engaging, and distinctly Israeli.

The heart of Jerusalem is undoubtedly the Old City, one square kilometer of walled city that has been developing over the last two millennia. The Old City is divided into four sections—Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian—that seem to prove the possibility of peaceful coexistence. After I woke up on Sunday, struggling to deal with the jet lag of losing seven hours, I joined Katherine, Paul, and Francis for a walk through the Old City.

The Old City was amazing. Tiny, stone-covered pedestrian streets are lined with rows of stores, homes, restaurants, and shops. Despite the fact that the Old City is a major tourist attraction, it is also a living community, and people from all backgrounds and religions inhabit the small homes along the street. The most remarkable moment of our walk was passing from the Jewish quarter into the Muslim quarter. Suddenly Hebrew was replaced by Arabic, small groups of men smoked hookahs, and huge Stars of David were replaced by huge Yassar Arafat posters.

We had lunch in a small Arabic restaurant, just steps from the heavily guarded entrance to the Jewish section, that was built into the side of the stone wall. The staff was extremely friendly, like nearly everyone we have met in Israel, and the food (traditional shwarama and falafel) was excellent. The funniest moment of lunch came when one member of our party left the restaurant to smoke a cigarette, politely adhering to the "No Smoking” posters on the walls. The waiter noticed that someone had left, and ran outside to tell him to please make himself comfortable smoke inside. We were certainly a long way from the smokeless culture of New York City.

So far my culture shock has been relatively limited. Israel is beautiful and amazing, but comfortable and easy to travel. Nearly everyone speaks English, so my lack of Hebrew knowledge has not been a limiting factor. I have found a favorite café and I enjoy sitting with a cup of tea and checking my email. In some ways, I feel like I’m not that far from New York at all.

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