Everett exchange student is a long way from her Bethlehem home

Christmas in Dalia Shomaly’s hometown is unlike anywhere else.

“Tourists are always there, but this is the most amazing week of the year,” the 16-year-old said. “People come from all over the world.”

Dalia’s home is in Bethlehem, where the Gospel of Luke tells us the Christ child was born. Today, the city of Bethlehem — six miles south of Jerusalem — is part of the Palestinian-governed West Bank.

The teen is attending Everett’s Cascade High School her junior year as an exchange student with the Youth Exchange and Study program. The U.S. State Department’s YES program offers scholarships for exchanges between students in largely Muslim places and the United States.

Dalia’s family is part of Bethlehem’s Christian minority. She is Roman Catholic and has Orthodox Christian relatives. At home, she attends Latin Patriarchate School, a Catholic school in Bethlehem with about 300 students.

She is staying with the family of Jim Romack, lead pastor of New Life Church in Everett. “We talk almost every day about life in Bethlehem,” said Romack, whose 17-year-old daughter, Emmy, attends Cascade.

Romack has twice visited Bethlehem, and understands the security concerns in his guest’s homeland.

Earlier this year, the Palestinian territory of Gaza was bombed and invaded by Israeli forces, countering rocket fire from Gaza. Dalia said the West Bank has also become dangerous in places.

For the people of Palestine, barred from Israel’s airports, travel is hard. Her journey here began with a bus trip to Jordan, slowed by hours at checkpoints. She flew to Germany, then spent three days in Washington, D.C., before coming to Seattle.

Her Christmas memories of Bethlehem are happy ones.

Outside the Church of the Nativity, a huge tree is lit the week before Christmas. Crowds in Manger Square celebrate and hear music. “All the people from Palestine come. There are Christmas songs, candy and balloons. Santa Claus is everywhere,” Dalia said.

Inside the Church of the Nativity, downstairs from the altar, is the Grotto of the Nativity, a cavern revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, Dalia attends another church near her grandparents’ home. Along with her parents, she has two brothers, ages 14 and 10. After church, they bake Christmas cookies with her grandparents. “They next day we go to my grandparents again, and have a big lunch,” she said. “We always dress up. The tradition is to go to all the houses we know, just to say Merry Christmas.”

Gifts are also exchanged. A red purse from her mother was a treasured gift one year.

Here, she sees different traditions. Romack said they visited Santa Claus at the Lake Forest Park Town Center so Dalia could share the picture with her parents. Tonight, she’ll join in candle-lighting for Christmas Eve services at New Life Church.

On June 17, it’s back to Bethlehem for her senior year. “I like to learn languages,” said Dalia, who is fluent in English, French and Arabic. She is taking Spanish and teaching herself Turkish. She wants to attend college in Jordan, and to become a translator or doctor.

“My parents want me to stay in Palestine, but I want to go out and explore more of the world,” she said. Last spring, she went to Paris.

In Everett, she has indulged in foods not available in Bethlehem. Her favorite? A Taco Bell burrito.

Romack has four daughters. Two are home from college this Christmas. Adding Dalia to the household has been a joy. “Her parents and all of Bethlehem should be very, very proud,” the pastor said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.