JERUSALEM-It is a cold, windy and rainy day in Jerusalem-typical winter weather for most parts of Israel. Situated upon hills, Jerusalem is especially frigid, with temperatures reminiscent of early New England winter. It is this cold day that I have designated to meet with my friends who are spending the year before college in Israel. It also happens to be the first time that I would struggle to navigate around the Old City of Jerusalem alone. I know that this adventure will turn out to be quite interesting.At about 2:30 in the afternoon, I was supposed to meet my friend at some shut-down store where he and his band are practicing. The very description of this location, the roundabout directions on how to get there, my not having any money (I got a bit carried away with the beggars in the Old City), and lack of a pelephone (cell phone) all contributed to the tense and mysterious nature of the trip.

I had to get to this particular store by way of the Arab shuk (market) and, ignorant of any alternatives, I had no choice. When I asked for instructions from an Israeli soldier, I was directed up a set of stairs, with the suggestion that I remove my kippah. Whether it was because of this request, or merely because of the location that I was to pass through in light of the current situation in the Middle East, I felt my heart drop and a great fear overwhelm me.

Removing my kippah, I also felt it necessary to affect a British accent (to avoid giving the impression that I was one of the pre-college teens from America spending a year in Israel), I asked around the market for directions. A very cordial merchant led me through a hoard of stores and suspicious-looking faces. Another trademark of this long alley was the strong stench of urine that kept me company.

The man also took this opportunity to try to sell his goods to me while offering me a cup of coffee (as is the Arab custom when welcoming visitors). Well, needless to say, I managed to lose my way even more. It was at this point that I decided it wise to assume the identity of a Russian tourist, following a group nearby. Not realizing where exactly it was going, I noticed the scenery did not change much from when I was with my own merchant-guide. I was walking deeper into the marketplace.

To make a long story short, in the end I did meet with my friend (only half an hour after the time that we had set). While a seemingly banal tourist story, this adventure taught me a very important lesson. Besides being more respectful of my parents and raising the caliber of my English accent a few levels above that of Stewie from Family Guy, I also grasped the Middle East conflict on a much more personal and palpable level.

I have very close family living in Israel. There is no doubt that with every step forward in the Middle East peace process, as well as every bombing that is, unfortunately, such a part of it, I feel it very deeply. However, at this particular moment, I somehow saw myself as standing in the middle. On the one hand, we are all supposed to be respectful of one another and be tolerant (as my Arab guide showed me) but on the other, there is a certain safety precaution that must be taken to avoid potential danger (as the Israeli soldier indicated). The strange thing is that both are right depending on their contexts. Had I worn my kippah then, I really don't know what I could have expected from this amicable Arab.

Well, I honestly can't answer that I know how to analyze this from the Arab perspective, but I know that there definitely is a cause for these problems, as well as possible solutions. The reason for the problems is actually a very simple one-there is an overall miscommunication and misunderstanding between Arabs and Israelis that stems from their polar backgrounds, politics, social traditions and overall mentalities.

But how to solve such a problem? This happens to be much more intricate and was the final paper topic for my Ending Deadly Conflict class last semester with Ambassador Dennis Ross (POL). Honestly, I feel that more discussions about the topic should precede any talks of solving it.

While clubs on campus have raised this issue numerous times and in various settings, I'm still not convinced of how seriously it is approached. It should be obvious to the average Joe that the very fact that Israel continues to exist while harboring these two extremely different peoples who manage to live almost neck and shoulder from one another is a miracle!

While the situation today is the worst it has ever been (and hopefully will ever be), Israeli society continues to flourish and remains ranked one of the most advanced countries in the world. The Israeli Air Force has been the physical savior of the country in every war and has significantly impacted international military tactics. However, this is only one realm of Israel's power and progress. Some of the finest doctors, lawyers and bankers live there (many of whom weren't even born in Israel) who, despite their country's situation, continue going about their daily lives.

I could never see myself continuing the day after a terrorist attack. On 9/11, America went into a coma from which it only recovered several months later. I do not mean to belittle what happened in America, as I experienced my share of 9/11 on a very personal level. However, I still cannot grasp the endurance and willpower of the Israelis.

The Sunday after my experience in the Arab marketplace, there was a terrorist attack only ten minutes from where I stayed in Jerusalem. Coincidentally, this also occurred in the neighborhood where I met my friends the night before. While I was completely shocked to be woken up to news of this attack so close to where it happened, everyone else around me acted in a seemingly normal way. Everyone went to work and everyone went to school.

Spending time in Jerusalem really awakened me to the reality that Israelis must face. Unfortunately, not everyone sees this reality. It is because of this that we should engage the campus in more forums, in-class discussions, and even informal conversations about this topic.

Like every other student, I am certainly still learning and trying to understand more about the world around me. There are issues, specifically about the Middle East, which I may yet be too immature or ignorant to understand. But discussing the Israeli-Arab conflict in its entirety-from histories to mentalities-must be a prerequisite to acquire knowledge not only about the Middle East conflict. It may even be a means to cope with our own personal problems.