Day 1- Monday

We spend the night travlling with little sleep. As well as being delayed as we leave Zurich the queues at the passport control of Israel are choc a bloc. We inch forward through the crowds and I keep thinking to myself how I already miss the British ability to queue.

We are questioned twice as we enter, once, cursory, at the passport control desk, and a second time, more personally as we walk toward the baggage reclaim. For reasons unknown we are pulled to one side and quizzed as to where we are going, wo we are staying with, how we know each other.

In the end we are two hours late arriving at the Hospital where we will be staying on the Mount of Olives. Oh yes, and it's very very hot- already- and it's 5 in the morning!

We are greeted by various sleepy people and luckily work out which room is our. The room is big, and the bed good. We have an en suite bathroom and are sharing with a Canadian family.

We pass out.

We wake up at 1pm for a quick induction, including security training and issuing of mobile phones etc. and a chance to meet and greet the people of the office, we also go through the project we will be covering in more detail.

We go for coffe and a sandwich at Aroma in Hebrew University. The University admits both Arab adn Israeli students, although there are a lot more Israelis than Arabs. The coffee and sandwich are delcious! (I have portobello mushroom).

Back at the flat we quickly find oursleves caught up in a Basket ball game in which Camilla and a 6ft 6 Candian guy beat three of us in three consequtive games (the shame). Camilla used to play for a team, and I get the feeling basketball will form a large part of any evening sports, although personally my ears prick up when I hear that one of the people has built a frisbee golf course (much more my style). it's very windy.

After a good game and a nice sit down and chat enjoying the spectacular views of this amazing landscape we feel thoroughly at home and ready for a bed/a drink as no one takes us up on the drink we turn in and are in bed by eight thirty for 13 hours sleep.

We are taken to a local palestinian supermarket to buy groceries and other such stuff for the time we are here. I'm confused by the choice, or lack of, but in the end settle for some basics including rice and pasta, some luxuries including Pringles and Pistachios, and some neccessities like toilet roll and water.