Sunrise

I didnt sleep much last night, which afforded me some more writing time, and this experience at sunrise:

Right now the dogs are barking and howling. It almost sounds like wailing, the dogs making an emotional appeal. One's yipping sounds almost post-injury. Birds started chirping when daylight approached, maybe half an hour ago. It reminded me of thr saying "the early bird gets the worm," except they all seemed to show up at the same time...so who got the worm? Before all this, the roosters crowed to welcome the day (at 5am). The morning started, for me at least, with the call to prayer...which I think came at 4:00 or so. It was echoed by multiple mosques, and followed twenty minutes later with more chanting from the same mosques.

When I heard the azan, I first thought how lovely! My mind wandered to what it might be like to live piously, devoutly. While laying lazily under the covers, I imagined myself getting up and spending time on my knees, giving thanks and recognizing the holy.

The settlement beside beit sahour is very visible from this porch (and pictures below in the distance). In fact, the sun shone firstin the settlement this morning. That's because the settlement is located highest on the hill, and to the west of me, helping the sun's rays reach it earliest. It is also denser than most places around it... with its multi story buildings, and layers of construction up the hill. Some of the buildings are even high rises, maybe twelve stories tall.

The morning light started very pink and orange against the buildings' soft off white color. This pre dawn light is so peaceful. Because its indirect, it has no direct shadows. It casts a simple, universal light. Once the sun is up, it chooses favorites, putting some land in the heat and others in the cold. The pre dawn light, and the color of buildings, is the same on both sides of the separation road between Beit Sahour and the settlement (Homat Shem'el, I think)... Interestingly enough, the settlement is on the Palestinian side of the wall. This I guess is what makes it a settlement and not just a village. What is confusing are the fortified roads between arab towns and israeli settlements within the West Bank. This has the effect of "the wall" bring in motor places because of their limits on travel and such.

Okay, that was the start of today. Talk later.