letawildchildwanderinthedesert

2007-01-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Farewell Israel...
I have almost completed packing up my life for the 3rd time in the past 8 months and I'll leave for the airport in about an hour and a half, via train, where I will actually have to wait until tomorrow morning for my flight (I'm going to try and get on an earlier one though!).

The next update will be from Paris, France...
Until then!

2007-01-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

Student Strike Tomorrow!
Yipppeeee! So, I have been in Jerusalem the past few days celebrating New Years with friends and just generally enjoying the fact that I finished my papers (but I still have classes and presentations to do over the next 2 days).
I got back a little bit ago to find out that the Student Association is calling a student strike tomorrow across the country. This is due to the fact that the government is moving towards increasing their tuition by 50%. Israeli students pay FAAAAR less than American students for school (it depends, but the students in my grad program classes pay about the equivalent of about $2,500 for the whole degree program). But a 50% hike is huge, and keep in mind that these students have usually just finished serving their country, and most recently fighting in a war. They finally get back to the home front and are told they need to shell out more money for school!

My room mates told me that basically school is cancelled tomorrow, not because of the school closing but because the students (all 17,000) aren't going to class and a significant number will be demonstrating and blocking the entrances to the university or classroom buildings or something like that. I have presentations to do, and its basically my last chance to do them, because I'm leaving next week. I'll just try to go to class and everything, but I don't think I could bring myself to cross any kind of picket line or anything like that. Any advice on this one?
Much more excellent than a snow day, though, eh?

And pictures!
Makeshift Channukiah!

Magen David (jewish star) embroidered on the back pocket of a very expensive pair of jeans. Not quite sure how I feel about that...

Only in Israel...and yes, you can get a milkshake and a hamburger, but its tricky.

Making latkes during Channukah

Cafe type place on campus where I've done a significant amount of studying

Jaffa Gate of the Old City. This is where I usually enter, it leads into the Armenian Quarter, location of much great shopping and the best hoomoos I've had in Israel.

Raise your hands if you think this would fly in the States...it was one of the most hopping bars on New Years.

Damascus Gate (Arab Quarter). Pretty much night and day as far as the difference between the Arab Quarter and the rest of the Old City. The one conversation we had with someone went like this:
Dude with really jelled hair, tight jeans etc.. (stopped us in the dark, crowded shuk-market)-talking to both of us: You are very beautiful. I love you
Me: Okay, bye.
Dude: I will take you to Jordan for free. Do you want to have some coffee? Tea?
Noam: Bye!
Dude (focusing on me): I love you. Want Hashish?
At least he's a man who knows what he wants.

Ari Shapiro came to visit all the way from Chicago. We had New Years together in Jerusalem, where there was no loss of drunken religious people and underage Israelis looking for any excuse to get trashed. Really a great way to ring in the New Year

East Jerusalem! Very Colorful place, see sign to Al Aqsa Mosque

2006-12-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hellllooooooo.
Well, here I am in Be'er Sheva. Its finals time and I have the wonderful burden of cranking out a bunch of papers in the next 3 weeks while preparing to leave the country, cramming in all the visits to places I still haven't been. This semester has gone by so quickly, but I am really excited to return to the states and tackle all the things that lay ahead! Before then I am making a trip to Sinai, and of course, the long awaited for rendezvous in France with my Mom!! Here are some pictures of recent adventures in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva.

Tel Aviv
I really had never spent quality time in Tel Aviv before, so spending a few days exploring the labarynth of coffee shops, Bahaus buildings, trendy stores, some run down neighborhoods and the beautiful beach was a welcome experience. We were fortunate enough to take a FREE walking tour over the history of architecture in Tel Aviv (just so you know, Tel Aviv was only established in 1909).
This first picture is a wonderfully restored early building on Rothschild Street. It is representative of the mishmosh architecture that wealthier Jews preferred; coming from European culture, they attempted to combine different styles which resulted in some kinda funny, and yet endearing structures. This tendency also represents the fact that they were trying to grapple with their own identities, and mixing together a plethora of Jewish European backgrounds and a new encounter with the Middle East. The second is of tree-lined Rothschild Street.

Beautiful Sunset!!

This was "research", I swear...(http://www.jews-onthechocolatetrail.org/)

This street performer outside the main market, he came in regular street clothes and the act of painting himself and getting dressed was part of the show!! I think he made the whole get-up himself, too...

On the beach in Tel Aviv. Very pleasant, the water was still pleasant enough for some people to swim!

Another beautiful sunset...

The view from Jaffo, looking towards Tel Aviv

Trekked up to the memorial to those who captured the Negev on behalf of Israel, it sits on a serene hill on the outskirts of Be'er Sheva. This is a view of the sunset (you can also see the University in the foreground)

Jerusalem Photos!

2006-11-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

Myself and Sarah in Pi'qin an Arab-Druze village in the Galilee

The view down a street in Jerusalem on a Sunday afternoon (near Ben Yehuda Street)
BARAKA! THE club/bar in Be'er Sheva at the weekly party it throws for students. Most Israeli students go home for the weekends, so they party DURING the week. Its very disorienting.
Me and Becca

I think Becky took this one in the Galilee. A bit delirious, I think after staying up the previous night to the wee hours of the morning at Baraka and then setting off for a hike at 7:00 AM that is to be expected.

Expect posts to be this random and infrequent in the future. Until I get my computer fixed.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2006-10-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

Heeelllooo loyal bloggers...

This is just a quick update to let you know that I am alive. A few things will excuse my lack of blogger activity: a non-functioning computer (I can't update pictures/movies/or-from-the-comfort-of-my-own-dormroom) AND the Ben Gurion University semester has finally commenced! This means I finally have classes (remember the majority of mine are through a graduate program here at BGU) and I have 3 new Israeli roomates. The girls are very sweet and fill up the apartment with much needed noise, warmth and fun. Besides being relatively idle the past month or so, the one thing I kept dwelling on was that I still didn't feel like I had a 'home' here, mostly because I didn't share my living space with otherpeople. So that void is now full.

In addition, that means that 17,000 people have now flooded the campus. Newsflash: I go to a school with 1,300 students back in Amherst. So this is something I'll have to get used to in the next 2 months. The beginning of the semester is basically a big festival that includes pubs, restaurants, radio stations, stores, and artists having booths set up all day at school, followed by massive parties at clubs at night, political rallies, free gifts and alot more. Its all very exciting and not exactly conducive to academic discipline. But its all in the name of fun, and producing social capital, however I really don't think I could take it for much more than a semester.

What else? I've taken a number of tiyuls that you'll have to wait to hear about in depth at a later date. Stops included of course, Kibbutz Lotan, Jordan, Piqin/Dalyat Al Carmel (Druze villages in the Galilee), Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and in a few weeks, Eilat.

In addition to Eilat, the next month will see my 21st Birthday (the novelty of that is a big deflated since I've been 'of drinking age' for the past 3 months). But atleast I can celebrate the fact that on my journey home (through France!), I can fully patronize the Duty Free.

And with that I leave you for the still 75 degree Be'er Sheva weather.

2006-10-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you I make movies??

Well...I guess you could call it that. Basically my camera has a movie function and I press the button.

go here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/wanderinginthedesert

that should take you there. I only have four short videos up right now, but I have alot more to upload. Enjoy.

2006-10-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Myself and Becky

Exercise?

Tonight I did something wonderful. I exercised. Of course, I've swam laps off and on, hiked, walked varying distances, and done the occasional sun salutation, but I haven't enjoyed exercise here in the Holy Land.

Tonight, Becky and I decided we were going powerwalking. So we walked all around Be'er Sheva (it isn't THAT difficult) and at spontaneous points when there were parks I decided we should drop and do crunches. Or pushups. Or leglifts. Eventually our walking turned into one big Richard Simmons impersonation. There were seasaws, and slides. Dogs barked.

I realized that had I been in the states I would have been self-conscious, not wanting to look wierd or get stares (okay, okay, this isn't completely true about ME). But I felt this really comforting anonymity as Becky and I walked down the main drag in Be'er Sheva swinging our arms and having what looked like epileptic episodes at major intersections. I already don't quite fit into the social norms of this foreign place and there is basically NO chance I would know anyone driving by in a car, or walking on the sidewalk. So I exploited the opportunity to be basically removed from all societial pressures.

Through a whole weekend of being in 'the big city' (Jerusalem) surrounded by people speaking English, and looking American and feeling like I was so much more 'comfortable' there, and being surprised when it took almost a full day for me to see someone that I knew from the U.S After powerwalking for an hour, I realized why I came to Be'er Sheva (ummm...it was easy to forget). For the anonymity, the fact that I never hear English, for the opportunity to be exposed to a foreign societal norms (all chauvinism included, I guess), and yes, the best ice cream in Israel.

2006-09-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

As my parents always say when I'm away (which is most of the time these days), "No news is good news".

So view my lack of blogger activity in that light. The past few weeks have seen the end of Ulpan, lots of traveling, the start of the overseas program's semester and a visible transition into what is considered 'fall' by desert standards (so its only 85 degrees @noon).

For me, the past couple weeks have been a transition period. Most of the students on my program are taking their courses in the Overseas Program here at Ben Gurion. That semester commenced 10 days ago. Most of my classes are through a Graduate program that doesn't begin until October 22. So, supposedly, I have LOTS of time on my hands. I don't know where it has all gone though, because I feel I've been pretty darn busy. I've been spending alot of time doing my weekly torah study and the Fellowship activities.

We've been exploring 'foundational' concepts in Judaism. So we don't pick over the nitty gritty things like " why DO the fish we ate have to have fins and scales" and "why does it say that if a woman is raped in the city and doesn't cry out, she should be stoned". We discuss themes like death, suffering, and individuality through a Jewish lens. This allows us to grasp the connection between spiritual and physical and begin to understand our lives as Jews in...welll...a different way than we have ever understood them before.

In the background we've discussed the month of Elul (which ended just previous to Rosh Hashanah) and its role as a month of reflection, as a necessary predecesor to the period of the High Holidays where we perform tshuvah (returning) to God. It has been particularly moving for me as here I've been adjusting to new surroundings, new people, and changing dynamics in relationships to older surroundings and people. In some sense, one naturally reflects on their motivations, beliefs, and identity in a situation like this. The month of Elul, and the time leading up to this period between Rosh Hashanah and Simchas Torah have heightened the gravity of a social ritual that is usually not as well thought over (whenever we enter a new period in our lives, encounter new people, groups etc..). The potential for change brought on by new environments/people to learn from is a blessing that I've already began to reap the benefits of. It was interesting today that my teacher said that Rosh Hashanah can be thought of, as usual, as the Head (Rosh) of the Year (Shana), but it can also be seen as the Rosh Hashinui (change). The beginning of change.
As we go into Rosh Hashanah it is important to realize that we are not only celebrating with great joy the beginning of a new year by eating lots of food, being in the company of family and friends, but perhaps the best way to celebrate the blessing of a new year to consider what changes we want to make in the coming year in our lives.

Oh and I also highly recommend that you celebrate each and every day as if it was the beginning of a new year.

2006-09-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Dead Sea and Massada!!

This tiyul (trip) started at 3:30 AM last Friday. Thats really early (or really late for some people). The 55 year-old secretary in the Overseas Program Office said we should just go out and party all night, coming back in time to catch the bus.

Well...we didn't. I think we probably had an average of 2 hours of sleep as we departed for Massada, which is about an 1 drive towards Jordan from Beer Sheva.

There are a few ways to climb Massada. The "Snake Path" is a pretty grueling trek, with daunting switchbacks that takes about a 40 minutes (this is the one I climbed/ran three years ago). We took the "Roman Ramp", which is a pretty steep, straight shot up the fortress. Once again we found ourselves hiking by the light of a full moon. At the top we shared some Turkish coffee and tea. Soon after, the rest of the group took a tour. Most of my friends had already had the tour and we hung back to watch as the Moon went down and the Sun went up over the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan. (some of these picture look blurry, but I was really just trying to help you see the world through my eyes after only a few hours of sleep, a stomach jolting bus ride, and a sprint to the top of a fortress).

We walked down the Snake Path to our bus and traveled to Ein Boqeq, an area near the Dead Sea full of hiking trails and hotels and other consumer culture for tourists. We took a short hike for the rest of the morning to a spring where we relaxed.

And then we relaxed some more at the Dead Sea. (oh and my camera ran out of batteries, I'll post more when I get pictures from my friends). The Dead Sea sits on the border between Israel and Jordan and you can easily see across to the other side in the day, and even see the lights of settlements on the other side at night. The water is beautiful and clear and extremely painful if you've recently shaven.

For the rest of Shabbat 10 of us spent time at a supposed 'Bedouin Tent' set alittle ways back from the Dead Sea. We played cards, took a couple hikes, tried to assasinate the endless array of flies and ate alot of food prepared by our host, Tzodek. The whole weekend there was a debate over whether Tzodek was actually a Bedouin. Whether he was or not, I never cease to be amazed by the precarious position Bedouins occupy in Israel and Middle Eastern society. A good percentage still shack up outside of towns and tend to livestock, while many others have settled relatively modern towns throughout Israel.
Either way, nomad or modern citizen, since our arrival we have been 'warned' about the Bedouins by our Madrichim, the security here at BGU and some random taxi drivers. And then there is the fact that the 'Bedouin Tent' experience, completely with Camel ride, is often top on many tourist's lists. Whether these experiences actually expose them to Bedouin culture is up for debate, but they are still a commodity in the tourism culture here.

Some students from our group will be volunteering in a Bedouin school nearby and I look forward to discussing with them their impressions of Bedouin civil society.

*******
This morning I went to the doctor (who didn't speak English) because I've had a sore throat and started to feel pretty sick last night. Luckily I've had a cold pretty much since I arrived and I quickly learned how to say, "I have a runny nose, a cold, a temperature, my throat hurts etc...". So we got along just fine. I'll find out in a few days if I have strep or not. Hopefully I'll get over it soon as I have my final Hebrew Exam on Wednesday and then I'm making the trek down to the Arava to visit a friend. Speaking of which:

2006-09-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted pictures in a while...so here's an utterly random assortment!

And...the lovely desert. Taken one month ago today in Sde Boker.

In honor of Noam coming to Israel tomorrow, here's a picture from our last night in Seattle after consuming large amounts of chocolate.

Pride! (its a rainbow flag)

Self explanatory. But I think I'd love my negev more if it had more air conditioning.

SuperWomen!

Ben Yehuda, home of...welll...i guess its just a consumer mecca. But a very festive one. And we had a show, because they needed to block off the street to blow up a bag or something (I put these tid bits in to put you at ease, Mom...really)

view of the Kotel, Dome of the Rock

view of Jerusalem!

Kitten Gymnastics!

2006-09-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Okaaayyyy...

If Israel had only a year to live
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=757241&contrassID=2
by Bradley Burston

2006-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

Traveling During the Holiday

One of the things I've discovered about this whole group thing is that is terribly difficult to try and get 20 people to agree on any one thing. Besides that, we all want to travel outside of and within Israel but I think traveling is something you should do with people you trust and people who share your motivation and purpose for traveling in the first place. For instance, I don't want to go to Greece to lay on a beach. And I don't want to go to London just to bounce from club to club or to Paris to shop for clothes.

That said, thinking about our upcoming Holidays (4 days between Ulpan and the semester and 10 days during Sukkot) has been a good challenge. It has surely made me have to think about why I would want to travel to a given place and what my intentions would be traveling there. Beyond that, I have to find someone who shares said inspirations and of course, who can walk as fast as me.

So a friend and I have maybe concluded that we'd like to give a trip to Berlin and Vienna a try. I think I could find something interesting about any place in Europe, but these two places will give B.S. (yeah those are her initials) and I a chance to explore our common interest in Art (yay Gustav Klimt!) and Jewish History. If I'm seeking to explore Jewish Identity in diasporic settings, I'd like to get a small peek into the history of other Jewish Diaspora communities besides the United States.

IF ANYONE HAS ANY TIPS ABOUT TRAVELING TO THESE PLACES, please contact me if you have my email, if not let it all out in the comment section.

We're on a strict budget and might consider camping etc...Or couch surfing (except a few of my friends had a bad, but funny, experience with that in Montreal).

2006-08-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Regarding...errr...Something. Not Quite Sure What.

(this is probably the closest thing to a ‘diary’ entry that I’ve ever written and is a complete work in progress--so far over the past two weeks). I suppose that it is representative of life that the original purpose and motivation for even starting to write this was completely confused and changed by the time I wrote the last sentence)

So just about the second day I was here in Israel, we were corralled to a ‘talk’ about Tisha B’av with a young Rabbi. The next day I traveled with him to Jerusalem for the afternoon/evening.

He is not apart of ‘Chabad’ however he serves very much the same purpose relative to college students. He is the emissary of the ‘Jewish Student Center’ (not affiliated with Ben Gurion University) whose main job it is to create opportunities for visiting American students to study text, jewish thought, mysticism, and just generally be around other Jews (okay this isn’t quite as relevant here in Israel). He is -to use a popular definition-an Orthodox Jew.

Lets back up a step to my own Jewish affiliation and purpose here in Israel. I grew up a “Reform Jew” in a Jewish home, however my mother grew up Presbyterian. To make a long story short, my strong Jewish identity is a result of the choices made by BOTH of my parents (and their parents) and the sacrifices both of them have made to instill in me a commitment to Jewish values, Jewish learning and Jewish practice.
The circumstances of their marriage, my own religious composition (?) and my mother's father's ideals have made me passionate about Pluralism, and the multiplicity of reality. Not only between different religions but also regarding different denominations within religions. Thats why I’m here in Israel, to study these boundaries in whatever settings I can (I suspect they’ll be mostly non-coursework related).
I’ve been verbally denied my identity as a Jew directly and in various ways, indirectly and my coping mechanism is to study the very construction of religious identity. Somehow approaching the subject academically allows me to desensitize. Or so I tell myself.
That said, my whole life has been spent in fairly progressive religious company and the thought that conversion would be a necessary step for me to cement my Jewish identity or even serve as a fulfilling experience has crossed my mind about 3 times in the past 21 years. In fact, usually I am more adamant about not converting after an incident in which someone says, ‘well you actually aren’t ____” or “well sure you are, but you can’t do this, this and this”. Converting would somehow admit that my Jewish identity has been illegitimate and that people with backgrounds such as mine are somehow second class Jews.

Back to the young Rabbi. On our way to Jerusalem he mentioned off handedly that conversion is a process, of course to formally declare that you are Jewish, but also it is an act acknowledging that your essence, your spirit has always been Jewish. Naturally, of course I recognized that if your spirit/essence has always been Jewish why do you need to prove it to a Bet Din etc...

But this was still news to me. The last time I even thought about the prospect of conversion was during my Jewish Law and Society class when my professor reflected that conversion was a process of complete transformation of the soul. I felt that by that description if I converted it would practically disrespect the gravity of the process, as I would view it as a formality.

(picking this back up a week later...)
Anyhoo, I’m embarking on a Fellowship offered by the ‘Student Center’ with said Rabbi which will include studying 4 hours a week, a few Shabbatot during the semester and a few days in a women’s seminary. This weekend in Jerusalam was the first of our Shabbaton together and I think I have had few experiences that were more interesting in my life. Rarely have I been in the company of people so engaged and thoroughly enthralled by so many little details, with the ability to drink and sing more than I can imagine and then give a d’var Torah.

And during the same 24 hours of Shabbat that they seemed so completely ‘in the moment’ and living so ‘presently’, they discussed the logistics of how the very apartments we were sitting in (in the Old City) would be handed over to the Kohenim in ‘due time’, wondered whether they would get their money back. Of course this was interspersed with how they know ‘the truth’ (truth of course being ‘reality’--yes I asked what ‘truth’ was) of the world and that it is not even related to being Absolutist. Its just the truth.

While this Fellowship and my interests in these topics serve a partially selfish and personal purpose, both anthropologically and personally, I have a hunch that my own belagan (mess) about my religious identification as a result of certain traditions/or-what-have-you really has nothing to do with me.

*Side Note * Recently discovered thing that gets on my nerves: Angrily dismissing those perceived as Orthodox, Chabad, ultra-something. For the very reason that you think they would dismiss of you (whether you tell yourself that or not).

2006-08-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

This article about the Ramat Gan Safari (see previous post) appeared today in Yedioth Ahronot. Here is a link to the English online version.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3293899,00.html

It seems the author had some similar observations to mine. There is a distinction to be made, part of the zoo is a Safari section where you ride in your car and see the lions (during the day), ostriches, gazelles and zebras, hippos, rhinos etc.

The other part is a regular zoo like those we have in the states. Except those animals are in cages just as astonishingly small as the ones mentioned in this article (regarding the lions).

2006-08-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the "Zoo" outside of Tel Aviv, in Ramat Gan. http://www.safari.co.il/eng.htm

You're probably wondering why this so important to devote a post to, especially considering the fact that I haven't written much else yet about my experience here. Well, probably because I have some clear opinions / thoughts about the Zoo and other things of more 'weight' that I'd like to write about life here in Israel are still jumbled up in my head. But I'm working on them...

Anyways, since I wrote about the wonders of the Seattle Zoo, I thought I'd do a little indirect comparison by telling you about this "zoo" experience. Now the reason I've been putting the word zoo in qoutes is because this place was like no other Zoo i've ever been to. This seemed more like a run down animal amusement park, with little regard for the animals themselves. In Seattle I remember getting annoyed at people softly tapping on the glass at the Gorilla exhibit, but here at the Safari, people threw trash and food at the animals, banged on the glass, not to mention the fact that the animals were given extremely inadequate habitats. As a result, many of the animals looked malnourished, were not socializing at all, and even had signs of disease.

The first half of the experience is driving through (in the visitor's own car) a Safari. This included ibex, ostriches, rhinos, other exotic looking birds, zebras etc... Many people came close to hitting the animals and it was a regular occurence to have a Zebra stick his head right into the passenger side window.

So, if you have a chance to go here, I suggest spending an extra day at the beach instead. Or even mini-Israel. Or protest outside the front-gate (give me a call if you go with that option).

2006-08-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sandbox Diplomacy

Have you heard of Scott J. Weiner? (http://scottjweiner.blogspot.com/). Well. Now you have.
Scott is a highly theoretical theorist who doesn't like beer but appreciates a good old fashion dance party.

So, check out his blog and I'll give you a cookie.

In case that isn't incentive enough, I'm mentioned in his most recent update.

2006-08-10T04:18:00.000-07:00

The whole summer I was struggling with the fact that my summer wasn’t necessarily productive in an activist/academic sense. I have friends all over the world who are working for human rights groups, teaching english, lobbying governments, making art, writing for change and even testing chemicals on rats. After a summer with Al, going back and forth between being berated and praised for my soft boiled egg or my ability to cook pasta, I wondered what kind of a difference I had made, if any, this summer.

On my last day with Al he received a letter from his previous caregiver, whom he loved. Al dictated to me a response which basically consisted of praising my cooking, the massages I give and naming all the other things he couldn’t wait for me to cook. It occurred to me that Al had no idea I was leaving and that he would probably never see me again. His daughter had a talk with him before I came to put him to bed and when I came back he looked a little choked up and said, ‘We’ll I guess its about time for you to go home and get your beauty sleep.” I told him to have a nice trip (he was leaving for the beach the next day) and he said, “We’ll I hear you’re going to have quite the interesting trip yourself...and he said that if I had his luck everything would be fine and I would arrive home safe and sound in time to see him dancing again (he needs a walker to even walk short distances)”. By this time Al was crying and he pulled me close and gave me a hug.

I walked into the next room after saying goodbye to Al and his daughter, who had been listening to our exchange, was also crying and we embraced before I left.

The whole summer, I felt completely unappreciated as Al complained often and about everything under the sun. I am surprised that I didn’t pick up on his subtle way of showing appreciation and trust: teasing me and telling me his life stories to no end. Especially considering the family of smart asses I come from.
The whole bike ride home I was flooded with thoughts, many of them about my Grandpa.
I guess I did make quite a difference in one person’s life this summer and I think that person made a difference in mine.

2006-08-10T04:09:00.000-07:00

So, by the time I post this to the blog I will have finally connected to the internet in my room. We Macintosh users had to go to great lengths to figure out how to connect to the internet here at BGU. Anyways, here I am in Israel. I’m safe and sound (albeit getting over a bit of a cold-going in and out of 95 degree weather and air conditioning/not sleeping or eating very well will do that to you). I am in a group with about 30 other Americans with varying backgrounds. Some Jewish, some not, some also Israeli citizens and of course the token canadian). We are doing Ulpan with a group of German theology students. As of yet, Ulpan doesn’t seem that different from my previous hebrew classes and I’m wondering how this pedagogy is supposed to be more ‘effective’ than other methods of learning hebrew. The verdict is still out, but part of it might be the fact that we’re IN Israel and draw motivation from having to deal with a language barrier on a daily basis. And here in Beer Sheva the barrier is much bigger than in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, as many of the people here only speak Hebrew (or Swahili, Russian etc...but not necessarily English) or not enough English to actually communicate.

I went to Jerusalem for Tisha B'av with a Rabbi that works for the off campus "Jewish Student Center" (read: Chabad). The city was full of security, Haredi and void of tourists. A friend and I enjoyed walking through areas of the Old City I never knew existed and of course, visiting the Kotel. We spoke to alot of shopkeepers who were eager to talk about the situation going on in the North and were obviously hoping for the return of the tourists. The most interesting was the cab ride to the bus station to get back to Beer Sheva. The cabbie was a Catholic who professed that he loves Jews but thinks that Muslims have 'social problems' (err..his english wasn't that great).

Yesterday was the Israeli version of Valentine's day (Yom Ahavah) and we went on a hike in the middle of the night by the light of the full moon. How romantic. It was beautiful, and there were lots of other Israelis enjoying the moon, and singing songs.

We're off to Tel Aviv for the weekend in search of a place to go dancing.

2006-07-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

A week from today will be my last day in the States for a while and many people have expressed concern and interest in my plans to go to Israel for 6 months. I have to admit that ever since Hezbollah executed an unprovoked attack into Israel, kidnapping soldiers and initiating what has boiled over into a nearly all-out war, I have been checking atleast 5 news sources about 6 times a day (thank goodness for the 'refresh' button!). I'll also admit though, that I usually check that many news sources regularly anyways. But not with the same fervor, and butterflies in my stomach as most recently. Unfortunately, I have been unable to think of this conflict outside of its potential endangering of my program/trip, and have thus been pretty selfish in my perspective so far. But I can't say that is any different from the politically charged players actually involved...

For me, I would say that this conflict has only brought into more drastic light the risks that always will exist when traveling to Israel. I am not made nervous when I check Al-Jazeera, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Yedioth Ahronoth and The New York Times. The only things that have made me nervous are the numerous people that keep inquiring as to whether or not I'm still going to Israel, telling me that they watch CNN (assuming that I of course do not keep myself informed of the news) and therefore know that Israel is basically a ticking time bomb. While I appreciate the concern, please stop watching CNN.

( Read online news sources-the ones previously mentioned are pretty good- but don't take for fact the "news" projected by television conglomerates who make their billion dollars in profit by sensationalizing everything...i find written news sources generally are able to present a more comprehensive picture.)

Lastly, I'm going to be in Beer Sheva, which is in the SOUTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT. This is basically Middle East-Boofoo (not familiar with the term?), and yes I know that 'hezbollah has rockets that can reach their too, Rachel Ann' (to qoute mom), but right now it is no where near the places you are seeing on TV (or hopefully jpost.com).

And, trying to infuse me with fear does not make me feel better, nor does it make me want to cancel my trip. It just puts me in a shitty mental state. A simple 'Don't do anything stupid' (thanks Uncle Ben) will suffice--and I'll be flattered that you trust my judgement as far as what is and is not deemed 'stupid'. Also, please avoid requests to have me write a will or dictate funeral plans. I suppose you could just read this diatribe and say 'i told you so'. And sing Amazing Grace, all the verses.

please.

click on this map of israel to make it bigger...

2006-07-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have gone by extremely quickly (along with this whole abbreviated summer) and I am leaving for Israel in about 10 days. I'll update next regarding everything that has been going on in my head since last Wednesday (okay, not EVERYTHING) and my feelings about this upcoming adventure. Until then, here is a trivial narration of the past 3 weeks' adventures.

Al and I have been getting along spendidly, he says 'because we're both Scorpios'. In response to my 'sweet dreams' remark that I leave him with each evening, he routinely says, 'oh, I'll just dream of you then'. Noam is extremely jealous that old men can be so fresh and get away with it. However, my head has been filled with lots of news and things to be concerned about recently, which has affected my patience with Al and ability to relate to how small his world has become. I've also been filling my time over there by gardening, painting rooms, baking, and finding kittens!!!

Yes, thats right, last night I was going to water the tomatoes and I heard the sounds of kittens. I meandered my way through the plentiful bushes beside Al's house, trying to be cautious in case Mama kitty decided to launch a protective attack, and lo and behold 5 meowing kittens. They tried to be threatening by hissing and lifting their tiny paws, but it really only made them cuter.

Eventually, the mom cat came back and was not very happy we'd found her little treasures. We have no idea who she belongs to, either. I've basically told my boss she can't call animal control (cause we all know what would happen to the kittens), so my next few days will probably be spent trying to convince the mom that we're on her side, feeding the kittens, and trying to find them homes or a no-kill shelter. And quite frankly, there isn't anythinge else I'd be happier doing!!

Oh, and I found this sign on a telephone pole about a block from my house:

Thats as good a transition as any, I guess. Last weekend part of the Shtetl came to visit. What is the Shtetl, you wonder? Well, back at the homestead in suburban Ohio there are about 5 Jewish families living within 600 steps (yeah we counted one summer) of each other, and happily in each other's company they just grow crazier everyday. Meals are often taken together, children and animals shuffle back and forth and copious jokes are made at one another's expense. Its kinda like an informal commune.

Anyways, Barbara and Emilv came out to visit people in Olympia and made a two day pit stop in Seattle to visit some other friends, including ME!
I showed off our apartment (eh, it doesn't take long) and we just walked around talked. We also went over to Mercer Island to visit some old members of our Havurah, and old friends of my parents. We ended up spending the night and having a feast the next morning. I didn't take many pictures of Mercer Island (oops, hopefully we'll go back), but I took pictures of the more important things, like the dogs. I want to have a few dogs atleast this size.

2006-07-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in the Hood (and Avigail, the sequel)

When we returned from Portland, we found Seattle much hotter than when we left. So we went to the beach. There was a nice duck there. I also took many pictures of the sunset from our window, baked a peach tart for Noam, and then Avigail visited again. Okay, Okay, she didn't just come to see us. She came with her friend Cimmaron, who needed to play frisbee all day in a suburb of Seattle. Fortunately, Avigail does not enjoy watching frisbee all day and spent plenty of time with us.

A delicious peach tart:

Lake Washington (a lengthy walk or a short bus ride from our house) at Madison Park...

Sunset (thank goodness my digital camera has a setting for this type of photo) featuring the space needle and the olympic mountains (oh, and the Puget Sound)

Flowers at Volunteer Park (near our apartment)...The conservatory was having an orchid extravaganza!!! And so you poor people get to see more pictures of flowers....

Aughh!! PEOPLE! and a concrete Camel.

goofing off...

2006-07-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Portland!! (2 weeks ago)

Okay, so not much of this will actually be about the city of Portland. The bulk of our weekend with Noam's sister, Avigail, was spent trying to keep cool in the 90+ degree heat. This was accomplished by sleeping, eating excellent food, talking about dogs/names for dogs, the virtues of clogs, reading, and playing cards.

BUT FIRST we went on the train. This was great fun. The last train I was on (NYC subways do not count as trains) was in Poland three 1/2 years ago. The highlight was when people tried to jump off the train without paying...as the train was moving I think. We watched them run into the beautiful Polish countryside.

Noam and I did not recreate this spectacle, only because we were so tired as we had to be at the station at about 6:30AM. We had not seen that hour in a long time (the last time I saw it was because I was up UNTIL 6:30, i think). So we paid our fare like everyone else and shuffled on to the train for the 3 hour trip.

Anyways, we went on the Cascades AMTRAK train that offered fantastic views of Mt. Rainier and more rural areas of Washington. The train followed the water most of the time and I must tell you it is very difficult to take pictures from a moving train. But I tried. Really hard. I highly recommend traveling by rail. I don't think that flying offers the same feeling of actually TRAVELING some where (despite being exhausting and time consuming). And it is actually cheaper than driving, I think.

We met Av at Reed College (she works there) and then departed to her lovely home, which is actually in the back yard of someone else's lovely home. Its actually a perfect situation, she has a basically new, fully furnished, studio with kitchen and gets to live in a pretty quiet residential neighborhood. And the best part is that she has great outdoor space. In the evening there was a dinner party with some of Avigail's friends.

For the rest of the weekend we slept, played lots of cards and ate ice cream and gelato. It was probably the most relaxing weekend I've spent here in the Northwest. Portland is certainly no Seattle, but I would really like to explore Oregon more, especially the coast.

Pictures...of the train stations in Portland and Seattle, playing cards in the colorful gelato shoppe (i imagine thats how they might want it spelled), and other things.

2006-07-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

Random Pictures

Here are some pictures that I am finally having time to add...

Some are urban forest photos, some are from the zoo (of the orangutan that fell in love with me...i know this because he followed me from viewing area to viewing area and made eyes at me and also put his hands up to the glass mirroring mine--plus I've learned orangutangs aren't very good at hiding their feelings, and they certainly don't play hard to get).

2006-06-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Locks of Love Round II

Last time I did this, there was alot of fanfare including our temple educator in a poodle skirt, the administrator dressed as Elvis and a Kamrass dressed as the Fonzie from Happy Days taking over as my 'hair-dresser' (this wasn't the first Kamrass to cut my hair-Jenna used to cut it camp when we were bored). I cried.

Anyways, this time I couldn't wait to get it cut as it had been getting in food (that I didn't even cook, and Noam accidentally stepped/sat on it regularly. Thank goodness they have an Aveda Institute here in Seattle and they could see me right away.

So, I did the deed, here are some before and after photos:

(CAVEAT: THE BEFORE PICTURE'S STYLE WAS COMPLETELY NOAM'S IDEA)

The second one is with Marley, the girl that cut my hair. I have to admit that when she first introduced herself to me I got really nervous because she had a, well, avant garde hairstyle. Overall, she did alright and cut off 12 inches of my hair (they had to do it in four separate pony tails because there was so much). It isn't her fault that I just hate having really short hair and generally feel as though I don't look quite like myself.

BUT, I'm lucky in that my hair will grow back. Really quickly. I was also grateful as we found ourselves in 100 degree heat the following weekend when we visited Avigail in Portland. Noam reminded me that I would appreciate it for quite a few months to come--in four weeks I'll find myself in the heat of the Negev Desert.

2006-06-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Solstice!

Noam and I celebrated the official first day of summer by going down to the Fremont Solstice Festival. Its a typical Seattle festival including many children, dogs, and enough beer gardens to quench the thirst of the population of Rhode Island.
There were some pretty good musicians and then there were some pretty bad ones (songs about how "everything is about the microcosm/we're all just atoms/you can't transcend the microcosm/we're all just floating atoms", accompanied by a eukalalee (yeah thats how we spell it here in Rachel-land).

We tasted curry-flavored dark chocolate and other free/scrumptious things. AND we saw the Art-Car competitors. These people go all out! Here are a few examples:

Then we had nummy Pakastani food. Yummy=Nummy and you should also know that I just almost spelled "food" this way: fuude. Souper.

Get over that last one, I did that on purpose. I'm not dumm. But I might be bored...

2006-06-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

MY SISTER...in all her hairy glory!

Hello all, this is a bragging post. Last summer my sister was in San Francisco studying at the Art Institute there and she spent a considerable amount of time with one of my parent's old friends who owns this Down manufacturing company (downetc.com).

Anyways, they are now using a photo of her on their website. Her hair continues to be the bane of my existance. Especially in light of the fact that I just cut off all my own hair (update on that later). Oh well.

Until I get the picture loaded, you can view her at http://downetc.com/WWW/coll-pillowmetria.htm

Yep. Thats her.

2006-06-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

The continuation you've all been waiting for...
After an evening of Mexican food and services, we embarked the next day on what would become a day-long walk around the city. The point was to reach Seward Park in order to buy a cheap bicycle helmet and get a free fitting.

But, we got lost. And stumbled upon an urban forest!

Then we finally found Lake Washington Boulevard, which runs along Lake Washington.

The BLVD was closed off to automobile traffic for the day and there were lots of people taking advantage of the beautiful day and safe bike passage. INCLUDING NAKED ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS chanting "More ASS, less GAS". I made the requisite remark to Noam that, in fact, my ass is integral to the production of gas. He pretended not to be amused. But he was.
Anyways, here are the naked people

We followed them to our final destination, Seward Park. They were out of bike helmets, but the naked people and a well stocked ice cream truck made it all worth our while.

* * *
THE ZOO!!
My elementary school used to go to the zoo on the last day of school each year. Every single time I would wake up in the morning and decide that 'this was the best day of my life' because I was going to the zoo. The rest of the year I was content contemplating the budget necessary for my family to acquire a tiger, chimpanzee or wallabee.

Then I turned into a rather militant animal rights advocate and decided that zoos were evil institutions (I still sort of feel this way about CERTAIN zoos). But the Seattle zoo has a good rep and I was admittedly thoroughly excited last Sunday as we prepared to meet our friend Monika (from Hampshire and a former resident of Yellow Springs) at the Zoo.

First we went to the Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden. Here in the Northwest, Rose breeding is like a regional past-time and this garden was an exhibition of breeding for disease resistance, color, smell, form and many other things I'm sure. I have never seen roses of these colors and smells before. I took pictures, of course. For the smell you'll just have to use your imagination but think of everything from classic rose to chocolate to lysol to vanilla extract.

I think that one probably smelled like chocolate cake or something...

Now the reason I still have faith in Zoos is because of the initiative shown to relate the purpose of the Zoo directly to conservation (and not just animal conservancy, but the Seattle Zoo also had an interactive exhibit on resource conservation). The Seattle Zoo related every single animal to social and ecological sustainability. Contributing to this holistic approach is the fact that the zoo is not arranged by type of animal but by geographic context. So you learn about the animals and their relationship to the societal conditions of that region of the world. For instance, in Africa we learned about Zebras and Giraffes, but also about the set-up of a Kenyan village, including food resources and how the village relates to the wild. This was all explained to us by a Kenyan man who comes to the Seattle Zoo a few months each year as a fellow, and in return the Seattle Zoo built a school for his village in Kenya.

So, here are some pictures of our day

2006-06-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Shabbat, Orangutans and Naked cyclists, what more could you ask for?

Shabbat has really gone from being a point of stress (Jewish Student Union at Hampshire), to a much looked forward to refuge here in Seattle. Two weeks ago I spent the early part of my Friday evening sitting in Volunteer Park reading the Torah portion and reflecting on my week at work, then Noam and I met up and enjoyed dinner and dessert. I've really begun to use this time, not just to relax, but also to catch up on digesting everything that is going on at work, home and elsewhere.

So, this week I looked forward to going to Temple Sinai DeHirsch. DeHirsch has two facilities, one a 10 minute walk from our apartment and another atleast an hour bus ride away. They alternate services between the two facilities, and this week we had the opportunity to join their community for Shabbat services and both a PRE-neg and an Oneg in honor of their departing rabbi. We talked with a few people before services and I connected with someone who went to Indiana U, was on EIE in 1999 and knows most of the people I went to GUCI with. He informed us that the 200 person turn-out was pretty out of character and surely representative of the great fondness the congregation had for Rabbi Philip Rice (he's moving on to Tennessee).

The service was a genuine tribute and very festive in that way, but I felt it kind of lost its way as a SHABBAT service. While it wasn't quite the reflecting pool of Shabbat worship that I am used to, it was just as meaningful and heartwarming to witness a congregation so close to and in love with their rabbi. ALSO, I actually found myself enjoying the "Rock Shabbat" theme-complete with bongos- much more than I have anywhere else...

Most of the time, I am most captivated by the aesthetics of these sacred places. Whether absolutely hideous or just completely drab, I am always wondering (and Noam/my mother only add fuel to my fire) why on earth the architect/interior designer was motivated to do certain things in a SACRED space.

At DeHirsch, fortunately, the main point of distraction was not visible while actually seated for services.

I wonder if this was a matter of convenience and they just put a disco ball up on the weekends so that the space can be used as a dance club for fundraising purposes. Beats me. The gold plating all over the 30 ft tall 10 commandment tablets, on the bimah and around the poorly executed stained glass was just awe inspiring. Doesn't get much more divine than gold plated EVERYTHING, does it? (INTERACTIVE FEATURE: insert bad joke about worshipping a golden calf here).

Anyways, everything was very nice and I am eager to go back this week. They are honoring more people (Board of Trustees). We've noticed this usually makes for a killer Oneg.

* * *
Some pictures in one of our neighborhood parks prior to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in honor of my Dad's Birthday (Happy Birthday Papa)!

Dad...that last one is for you.

To be continued...

2006-06-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

More of life in Seattle...

Its been awhile since a last updated and I've kept busy with work during the week and tromping around Seattle on the weekends.

Most of our weekdays before I go to work are spent like this...

Goofing off around the neighborhood, playing cards, cooking elaborate lunches and just generally chilling out sure does make the time fly by!

My boss at work was nice enough to find a free bike for me to use while I'm in town. I gave it a test drive and immediately a pedal and all the chains came off. After some improvisational bike mechanics, it was still far from new but gets me from place to place in relative safety.

As most of you know, I am working as a caregiver for an octagenerian. It has been extremely challenging and I've left work in tears a few times. BUT, it is also more rewarding than any job I've had (okay okay, getting paid to dress up in a cow costume is a pretty close second...). As much as I have to share about the daily complexities of this position, I think you know I can't publish this information on the internet and still respect the privacy of the person I am caring for. I encourage you to ask me about my job and I can certainly divulge the dynamics of the situation and how I feel it has changed my patience, sensitivity, and general regard for human beings and daily social interaction.

Last weekend Noam and I went to the Pike's Place Market Festival. The motto of this event was "Meet the Producer" of your crafts, chocolates, produce, bread, flowers and fish. However, actual producers were few and far between, especially in the market in which it is most ecologically, economically, and socially advantageous to 'know' your producer: FOOD! Sure the actual potter was selling her own goods at a small table, and someone who tie-dyes for a living could help you pick out the perfect baby gift for the expecting 20-something hippie. All of which make for a great story, but overall the Pike's Place Market Festival seemed just another celebration of consumption--no different from Pike's Place every other day of the year. Still expensive, still touristy, and still not getting to the root of the issue: We don't know the producer of our food and whats worse is that we don't really care.

So, we spent most of time observing family dynamics in the children's play area which boasted a Zuchini 500 racetrack (I wonder what percentage of the homeless people in Seattle they could have fed with all the zuchinis that small children spent the day making into race cars). BUT, the winner was the booth where kids had the opportunity to paint a dead fish and then slap it onto a piece of plain white paper to create a work of art. Wow.

Then we made a stop at REI for Noam to try out some overpriced sleeping bags...

2006-05-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

We spent our first Saturday in Seattle going back down to Pike's Place in order for Noam to turn in (and get more) job applications.

THEN, we went to NorthWest Folklife, a 4 day celebration of 'folk' everything. Beeswax candles, fiddling, contradance, polka, ethnic food, crafts, and for us, lots of cute kids and dogs. We met our friend Monika from Hampshire and enjoyed the afternoon-early evening with thousands of others. The weather was typical Seattle--always on the edge of something, from storm to sunshine, you never know what is coming next. Folklife was held at Seattle Center, home to the Space needle. Its a cross between huge public park (with a pretty great fountain) and festival/fair grounds. There are a bunch of performance halls, ambitheaters and a few museum type spaces.

2006-05-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday we spent the day downtown around Pike's Place Market. The place is filled with hundreds of local (and not-so-local) merchants. Farmers, florists, cheesemakers, jewelers, donut makers, "painters" and more. We were at a viewing area and ran into a man who has lived on Seattle for a while and seems to sit at this point everyday for lunch. The market was packed with touristy looking types and he explained that Friday through Sunday is when all the cruise ships are coming in and out and thousands of tourists rush the market (its on the waterfront public landing).
The only part of the market completely deserted was a well-done exhibit on the history of the market. A multi-media experience, the exhibit really outlined how the market has been a point of 'counter culture' (their words) and resistance since its opening in the early 1900's. Many of the merchants are families who have been coming to the market with their goods for generations. It was too bad this presentation was in such a poor location (behind the entire market near the merchant loading docks).

It was a goldmine for people watching and free samples of everything from jalapeno-strawberry jam to herbed gouda and peanut butter fudge. Noam was also on the hunt for a job...

I was really impressed with the flower merchants, all in all, there was probably about a 1/4 mile of flower merchants with fresh, cheap, fragrant and beautiful flowers. I wanted some, but Noam reminded me that we don't have a vase. So, I took pictures instead.

So goes another day of walking...and walking...and walking all around Seattle.

2006-05-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Noam and I are sitting in one of our MANY neighborhood coffee shops and enjoying the wireless access. It would be hard for me to pay $2 for a cup of coffee if it weren't also covering my internet use. It is good coffee though...

Anyways, we're acclimating and having all sorts of discussions about what we need for our kitchen, what kind of food we want (local/organic) to buy etc...

The following are pictures from my visit with Grandma and her wonderful sheltie pup, Ace. There are pictures of Grandma's garden, and the house. I've also included some pictures of our apartment, one of the main streets in our neighborhood and our 'view'. When the sky is clear we can see the water, the space needle and mountains (with snow on top!).

2006-05-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

2006-05-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I'm getting ready to pack up the last pieces of my room here at Hampshire for my adventure in the Northwest and then the Middle East.

Thats all for now, but check up on this site for more updates!

rachel ann