Leaving London already?

"It was so rainy!" says Cassidy about our day out in east London.  Aside from her comment on typical London weather (and nearly taking out a few people with her umbrella), the general consensus of our day spent in east London was of an amazement over the assortment of people found here.  We met with Ben, who has been working with Pakistani immigrants for years.  We spent the morning in the flat that his organization owns (to house visitors and longer-term workers), drinking tea and learning about Ben's background with Pakistan, some notes on Islam, and a brief history of east London.  A few hundred years ago, Protestants from France flocked to this area of London and called it home.  Once they prospered and moved out, Jews from other parts of Europe settled on this section of the Thames.  After they moved on, Muslims and Hindus from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other areas of Asia moved in - to the point that there's currently a neighborhood here called "Bangla-town." 

After a spicy lunch of chicken curry, our group split into 3 teams and walked through east London, soaking up more than mizzle (British for mist/drizzle).  The teams experienced an open air market featuring anything from produce to head-wraps, walked past the oldest mosque in England, smelled some interesting smells, and saw the site where the Salvation Army was formed.

Tomorrow we leave for a much warmer climate - somewhere in the vicinity of the Dead Sea.  I, for one, am looking forward to being able to walk outside without 4 layers on to ward against the chill!  We hope for an uneventful transition from England to Israel.  I'm not sure what we'll have for Internet access once there; I'll give updates as often as possible.