This weekend I went on a trip to Arad, a small town in the Negev desert. We went on a hike and then spent shabbas relaxing. I'll write more about it tomorrow, but right now I am exhausted and am going to bed. love

More Tel Aviv

Academic Advising

I'm tried of getting laughed at. Somehow its funny that I like math and social science, that I don't know what I want to do, that I want to take two languages at once (which I can't/don't want to do now because they only offer colloquial arabic, meaning it is only useful in Jerusalem). Every single advising meeting I have ever had has consisted of raised eyebrows and chuckles. In response to my comment that I was thinking about studying Linguistics and later Neuroscience, this guy said, "Well you think outside the box, at least. Maybe the next generation will appreciate you." And then he laughed. They always laugh. Almost every person I have met here has laughed when I said I wasn't Jewish. Am I doing things so wrong that it makes people that uncomfortable? I just don't get it. I want to be an artist and understand what the great novelists were trying to say, and what space is made of and how my brain works and why math works so well. That's what I want to major in. So sue me.

Sorry about the negativity- I'm a little gun shy about advisors.

My schedule is:
1. Peace Building and Conflict Resolution- this class is in high demand so hopefully I can get it- only 25 students out of maybe 1000, not looking good.
2. Psychology and Religion
3. Perspectives on Islam
4. An Internship somewhere in the community- it can be almost anything I think- orientation is Feb 8- Maybe art or activism or something like that
5. Archaeology of Jerusalem- this class is also in high demand- we will see if I get in.
6. Hebrew

This is a lot of if's but that's generally how I work- I will have a more concrete schedule as things continue. Love!

The Roof of our Hostel in Tel Aviv

What a night. Not often do so many incredible things come together at the same time:

1. Lightning bolt murals. 

2. Someone shouting Hebrew.

3. "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun

3. Bomb shelter.

4. Disco ball/black light/light show

5. Stationary bikes. 

6. The female Carrot Top?

That's right. Spinning class. In an old bomb shelter. Painted black with sweet neon green and white lightning bolts and silhouettes of bikers doing wheelies. With a crazy lady who looked like carrot top yelling things in Hebrew (I learned the number "four" I think). And we cooled down to "Take My Breath Away". That all really happened. And the girl in front of me had her seat too low so it looked like she was riding a tricycle, and didn't change her resistance from "no resistance" the entire time, and peddled furiously. Talk about culture shock. It was like being in the seediest club you can imagine, but with exercise bikes.  Man. That just balanced out/maybe overcame the fact that the laundry, internet, shower doesn't work. Life is great.

You don't want that.

Last night I had a dream I was in a beauty pageant with those scary little kids they have on TV who are like 5 and wear a ton of makeup and get their hair all done and stuff. It was a little disorienting (and made me ask some uncomfortable questions about my psyche). Anyway, I mention this because I think this dream was a direct result of my brain trying to process the transition from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

They are relatively close together distance wise, but that's about all. It took us about 10$ to get to the hostel from my dorm room- bus from campus to the central bus station: 6NIS (divide by 4 and thats US dollars), bus from central bus station to Tel Aviv central bus station: 20NIS, bus from Tel Aviv central bus station to the hostel: 6NIS. It was interesting trying to navigate a huge bus station in Hebrew, but it turned out ok, and we only had to go in and out of security twice before we realized where we (me, Jenny and a new friend Ariel) wanted to go. The bus ride was about 45 minutes, and was really nice. They played a radio station- a weird combination of Israeli techno and terrible nineties music from the states- the whole way. The hostel was awesome. You could go up on the roof and they gave us free breakfast and were really nice. We were right in the middle of the main street and a two minute walk from the beach. It was so beautiful. We got settled in and walked down the beach. There was graffiti everywhere and joggers and people were lounging and relaxing. It was so different- I didn't see one M16 the entire time I was there. I physically felt myself relax. I didn't realize how tense I was in Jerusalem until I could smile at people and walk around and not be stared down everywhere I went because of my cloths or clueless expression. It was so nice. We walked to Yaffo which is an old port, I think. It was really pretty and a fun little area. There were lots of fancy restaurants and people going to parities and stuff. It was just so Mediterranean. Anyway, we were wandering around and we accidentally stumbled on this little outdoor cafe in some random back alley and decided to eat there. It was SO good. It was the first time I had eaten out here (besides falafel). The waitress was this oldish lady who looked like she used to be a gypsy and then decided she wanted to be a soccer mom. She took us back to the kitchen to meet her son, the chef, who was going to the US and sat down at our table and explained the menu and hugged me a lot. She was great. When we were ordering, Jenny said what she wanted, and she just flat out said... "You don't want that." So we ordered something else. I guess it had something to do with intestines. We had fresh squeezed lemonade and it was so warm out and there was candles. It was a little surreal. After dinner we walked back to town and wandered around. Everyone in Tel Aviv is beautiful. Super stylish and hip and confident and gorgeous. Its fun just to watch people. Anyway, we walked around a bit and ended up just going back to our hostel and hanging out on the roof. It was such a beautiful night, and you can actually see the stars. 

The next day we got up early and went back to Yaffo where there is a flea market. It was so awesome! The stalls are just packed with anything you can imagine. There one was the was just full of jeans. You couldn't walk into it because there were so many piles of jeans- higher than my head, and just thrown around- pile is too orderly of a word. There were stalls just filled with metal pots/cups/who knows what. Nothing was really on display, you just had to go wading. And the shop keepers were so funny. If you were looking at a scarf they would take it off the wall and put it around your shoulders and tell you how beautiful you were. They are good at what they do. The coolest thing I found was this box of old letters and photographs. It was postcards from people who had been to Israel and were writing home.. years and years ago. They were so so cool. It was amazing reading these peoples letters- talking about the same sort of things I'm talking about, just fifty, sixty years ago. The guy who was selling them was so fun too. He was super super old and kinda reminded me of Mr. Miagi from the Karate Kid? He first asked me if I was Israeli (maybe the best compliment I have ever gotten) and then when I told him I was from the US, he immediately says, "Obama?" And I said, yea yea. And he goes, "But you probably didn't vote for him." And I said of course I did. And then he says, "Well then let me shake your hand." Its so cool to actually be respected for being an American- at least for voting for Obama. After that we went to the market (food) and then stumbled upon this really cool craft fair. It was like a giant street festival with magicians and street performers and painters and all sorts of stuff. It was pretty magical. Everywhere you looked there was something that just blew your mind. One of those instances that make you wish you had unlimited time to explore. So we walked back from there and went out for cheap pizza- they sell it by weight. You tell them how big of a piece you want and then they weigh it and charge you. it was delicious. Tel Aviv is so cool. We came to the consensus that it would be hard to live there though. Too much neon. But it was a nice change of pace. (I did miss Jerusalem by the end of it though- its just a little more mature?). This morning we woke up early and walked down to the beach- it was foggy and really pretty. We watched people surf and kite surf and waded a little. A surfer (maybe model in his spare time?) asked me, in Hebrew, to watch his surfboard for a minute and I managed to say yes (ken) and you're welcome (bavakasha) in Hebrew. I'm really moving up in the world. This afternoon we walked to the Tel Aviv bus station (maybe a mile) because taxies are too expensive and no buses run on shabat. Then we took a shroot (like a minivan/taxi thing) back to Jerusalem. And then I took a four hour nap. It was such an amazing trip. There were so many things that I wish I could describe better or show you or at least take better pictures of- like walking through the crowded market and buying a little pastry for a shekel to munch on while you shop for fresh fruit. This really is an unbelievable country. We met some people who were just talking about how Israelis are so good at everything they do, and it really seems true. They are just a super intense group of people-Like when we were leaving the beach we saw this guy doing the butterfly in the super choppy/freezing ocean.

It's nice to be back home though, I get to sign up for classes tomorrow so hopefully all goes well. Love. 

Now that Hebrew has started, my situation is starting to feel a little less dream-like and a little more real. I have my first quiz tomorrow, which is a little intimidating. It's so exciting to slowly be getting a grasp on what everyone is saying. For example, yesterday on the bus we were (a little) lost and we asked this girl for directions. She didn't really speak English, but she said a bunch of words and then "lo po". From my advanced Hebrew knowledge I happened to know this meant "not here". I was very proud of myself (but still lost).

This bus trip was to see the Israel museum which ended up being closed, so we just walked around. It is amazing how many different neighborhoods there are so close together. One second you are in a third world country and the next you are in some fancy European city. Its so cool. 

I also watched the inauguration last night- pretty awesome. It was so cool to watch it over here. It really gives you a new perspective on the importance (and insignificance) of America. It must be weird to be living something that is seen as just an agenda item. I can't imagine all this fitting somewhere randomly on Obama's check list... but I guess that's the way world politics work. Anyway- his speech was amazing and I'm so glad I got to see it. It really made me believe we/I could fix a lot of things that have been going wrong. 

I think I  am going to Tel Aviv this weekend- I'm sure that will produce some interesting stories. LOVE!!!

Living the Dream

Today was (finally) a pretty relaxing day. We had Hebrew in the morning and then went to the shook to get some vegetables. Trying to plan and execute meals in a foreign country is not an easy matter- especially when you have to light the stove with a match and were not provided with any dishes... Anyway- at Hebrew today I learned that he means she, me means who, and dog means fish. This is all really true. I mean COME ON! As if it isn't hard enough already. I am practicing a lot though and have made some flash cards. Its fun writing the cursive- kinda like doing art.

The other funny thing that happened today was at the shook. My friend Jenny went into this stand with rice and couscous and lentils and things of that nature. It was hard to tell what everything was, so she just got a little bit of a couple of things to try out. There were two men in the stall: one taking money who spoke English and another man working, who was speaking Hebrew to the first guy. When she went to pay, the Hebrew guy said something and started laughing. She asked the first guy and he said, "He wants to know if you are feeding a Barbie." She said no, she was just sampling stuff. "He says you look like a Barbie." She kinda smiled and then he leaned over (very seriously) and goes, "Don't worry. I don't think you look like a Barbie." We couldn't really decide who was being nice and who was being insulting. But it was pretty funny- it's better when you factor in the accents and the fact that hardly anyone else gave us the time of day.

Oh! I almost forgot- this morning I was woken up by the Muslim call to prayer. It is just this man being broadcast over this HUGE loudspeaker, yelling something in Arabic. It is so so cool. I took a recording of the sound when it happened tonight. I'm trying to put it on the internet, but you might just have to wait until I get home- but it was really really amazing. Made me feel like I was in Aladdin or something. 

Well, tomorrow I have four hours of Hebrew, so I am trying to get some sleep. Hope all is well. 

Aleph

Today was my first day of Hebrew. It was a little overwhelming. In Hebrew everyone writes in script (kinda like cursive) and all books and street signs are in print. The problem with this is that the script and print alphabets look nothing alike. So, not only am I attempting to learn a new language, but in doing so I have to learn two new alphabets. It is also extremely difficult because the letters do not correspond to the letters in the English alphabet and they all make very particular sounds (many of which I have never heard nor made -on purpose- in my entire life). Somehow we are supposed to combine these letters into words and then be able to translate these words into meaning. At some point I suppose, we will learn how these "words" fit into a sentence, but I'm not holding my breath. So far I can say "I Rachel" ( there is no verb of being in Hebrew) and the words: wine, water, mother, sea, and gift. I've tried making sentences, but combining these words either produces something sounding painfully new-agey or awkwardly suggestive (maybe these are the same thing?). 

However, I'm really excited to learn. Today in the grocery store we were trying to buy laundry detergent. Now detergent looks surprisingly like softener (and -eek-bleach). So we decided to ask the man walking down the aisle if he could help us. After ascertaining that he spoke English we asked him which was the detergent. He quickly informed us that, no he could not help us, because (and this is a direct quote), "My wife does that." So we bought something that had colored cloths on the front and are hoping for the best. It is amazing how hard it is to get around not knowing the language, even with English being so popular. 

I have also been having to answer the "Why are you here if you aren't Jewish" question a lot. It's a very logical question, but my reasons are neither well articulated or something that I want to share with strangers (especially very religious ones). Today a kid just wouldn't drop it, and it actually upset me a little. I feel like an outsider at a huge church camp sometimes and its hard to know where and when I am welcome. Being non-religious I have the ability to do a lot more, but at the same time, it is really isolating. People are very dismissive of me and a lot of the time treat me like I am stupid/a novelty. I should have expected it, but there is really no one here that I can have any sort of conversation with about the significance of this place without being talked down to. I wish there was some one who I could bounce all my thoughts off who isn't going to be offended or try and convince me I'm wrong. 

At any rate- It's beautiful here. I'm slowly feeling more and more at home- maybe it's the familiar stress of school starting. Hopefully I will keep having adventures to write about even though I am getting busier and busier. Love!

The Quarters

Today was my first official shabat in Israel. Technically it started yesterday at sundown and ended today once you could see three stars in the sky (Apparently on cloudy days the way you tell is by holding two pieces of string, one black and one white, next to each other. Once you can no longer tell the difference between them, shabat is over). Last night they had a big shabat dinner at a fancy hotel within walking distance of our campus. It was fun to see everyone dressed up. I thought it was necessary to wear a skirt, but it seemed like as long as you looked nice, it was ok. Maybe it is different at someone's home. We (and by that I mean everyone else who actually knew them) said all the prayers and we all drank out of a wine glass and ate some hallah (which I discovered today is particularly delicious with Nutella). They also tried to lead songs but people were less enthusiastic about that part. After that, I just went to bed. They only turn the hot water on at certain times, so you have to be very strategic about your showers here. 

This morning I woke up and tried to practice some Hebrew. I want to have my alphabet down for the first day (tomorrow). After that we decided to walk down to the Old City- you can't take a bus because everything is shut down today. Most people won't use electricity, spend money or do any sort of work. It is actually incredibly refreshing. It was explained to me as a day to appreciate your connection with God and the world he created. It's so amazing to be in a place where everyone is so committed to the same idea. There were a lot of walkers and no stores or restaurants were open. Even the internet I have been stealing from my neighbors was turned off this morning. Apparently you aren't even supposed to check your email or anything like that. 

On the walk, I was initially wearing jeans but at the last minute changed into a long black dress and cardigan which was a VERY good choice. Not only did it make everyone around me more comfortable, it also made me feel more comfortable. My hair calls enough attention to me as it is. English is useful because so many people understand it, but at the same time it automatically labels you as an American. Although wearing modest clothing doesn't disguise my nationality, it makes people much more respectful. I'm not sure if this is true, but it felt like people were much less likely to try and scam you if you at least try to fit in. There were a lot of obvious tourists who had a much harder time getting directions and  seemed much more awkward. 

The walk was really really interesting. We are actually very close to the Old City but you can't go directly there, as you have to walk through a very poor Arab neighborhood. You also can't walk into just any gate because the Old City is divided up into quarters. There is the Christian, Armenian, Muslim, and Jewish Quarters. You are not supposed to go through the Armenian or Muslim Quarters. In a lot of places it is ok, because it is a market with lots of people but it is very easy to get into neighborhoods where people are not happy to see tourists... especially light skinned ones. The city is so windey that it is hard to keep your directions straight and there are no clear dividing lines to it is very easy to end up somewhere you shouldn't be. You just always have to be aware of what is going on around you.. what people are wearing, their countenance, what the shops are selling, etc. Because it was shabat, the Jewish Quarter was very quiet and you could not take pictures (this is considered doing work) so we mostly stuck to the Christian Quarter.

The Christian Quarter was incredible. It was much more ornate and well kept than the other quarters. There were a lot of churches. We finally found the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is where Jesus' tomb is and where he was crucified. It was unbelievably ornate. I went into the tomb which was a very small room with a stone that people kept kissing and a picture of Jesus. The two people I was with (Jewish) did NOT want to go in. The thing about the old city that is so amazing is how many things are packed into such a tight space. There is incredible juxtaposition everywhere you look- between religions, between eras, between people. It is just unbelievable. It seems like you can just walk around a corner and find anything. It's like there are all these little treasures hidden all over- there are no signs so it is almost impossible to get to anything directly. You are always wandering and running into these back alleys and all sorts of people who refuse to interact with each other but live feet away. Unbelievable.  

Today we also stopped by the Wall again. This time we actually went down and I got to touch it. I was so glad to be wearing a long black dress. I blended in and felt ok, going all the way up to the wall next to where people were praying. There is a huge stand full of prayer books which people take and read (or recite from memory) as they lean against the wall. There are two separate sides for men and women and the women's side is about a quarter of that of the mens. There are tons of little pieces of paper with prayers, thoughts, etc. on them stuffed into the wall. It makes it seem like the wall is overflowing/growing when you first look at it. You have to walk away from the wall backwards, you can't just turn and walk away. It is so incredible to touch something so old. Just to think about all the people who have stood in that exact spot is amazing. I can't imagine what it would be like to come there everyday and base your entire life around this place and it's history. It is pretty incredible. It makes me understand why people are so unwilling to budge in this conflict. It really isn't about the people alive today- it is about the generations and generations. It would be so hard to surrender something that so many people had died to protect. It's not really their choice. Who are they to assume the responsibility of surrendering this place that has been fought over throughout the generations? And I'm sure I am only seeing the very tip of the iceberg.

I am so appreciative that I have six months to explore this place. I can't imagine "doing" Jerusalem in one day, or even a week. There is something amazing about living here and being able to go to these sacred places again and again, until you really get a feel for them- not just to see them. I feel so lucky and wish I was a better photographer. Hopefully my next post will be in Hebrew. Sorry this was so long. Everything is too incredible to leave something out. Love!

 sideways view of  the old city hallway
the wall
the wall the dome and the paratroopers
joel and jenny
view from the campus

In the Beginning...

So I finally have a moment to sit down and catch my breath. Everything has been so hectic the past few days that I have hardly had a moment to think- let alone realize where I am and comprehend that enough to write coherently about it.  I got here on the 14th (a day ahead of the US). The plane ride was ok. Only ten hours. I was sitting in a middle seat with the very talkative "super jew" (as he called himself) next to me. At one point I dozed off and woke up to see him very near my face, trying to bite my pillow? Needless to say, I didn't sleep too much.  When we got here, there where a bunch of people waiting to meet us and we got through security easily (much more quickly than leaving the US where all the non-jewish kids had to get extra questioned and their bags searched in an weird little back room) and onto the huge charter buses that were waiting for us. We drove from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and straight to the campus (on top of a huge hill in the center of the city). The drive was pretty amazing. There were tons of olive groves and old old houses and armed guards everywhere. It is just so different that what I am used to. Everything here is so geared towards survival and so much more aggressive. Even the landscape seems confrontational. I suppose that doesn't make a huge amount of sense, but that's just how it struck me. Once we got to campus we got settled in and got our roommates. Everyone seems very nice, but there are a lot of people who came on the trip together. I was thinking how cool it would have been, but at the same time it is great to be forced to meet all new people and just totally go it on your own. So after this we went to registration and on a shopping trip to get things that we needed for our rooms, and then everyone pretty much passed out. Yesterday, we did orientation and found out about the Ulpan. I'm in level aleph (the first level), but there are a lot of other people in aleph too, so I don't feel so out of place. I do feel a little out of place because there are only like five other not jewish kids in the program and certainly no other non-religious kids. It's awkward when everyone is always assuming you are something you aren't, but I don't want to just walk around all the time saying- hi my name is Rachel. I'm not jewish. Tonight is the first shabat dinner, so that will be interesting. 

Yesterday we went and figured out how to take a bus downtown and found the market- a little hard not knowing Hebrew, but most people speak English even if they aren't too stoked about having to do it to American teenagers here on "holiday". But the market was amazing. It was just like all the pictures you have ever seen with tons of fresh food everywhere. There were so many colors and smells and tastes... it is impossible to write about. It was in this little ally that we stumbled upon, so at first we were out on a very quite street, then we turned the corner and it was this mad-house. No lines, no please or thankyou or excuse me. Just go for it and try and get something relatively close to what you wanted. We bought a bunch of dried fruit and hallah and pita and a scarf and vegetables and hummus. And it was all so cheap (and we were probably getting ripped off). Then we went and got falafel, which is delicious. After that part of our group decided to go back to campus and three of us decided to walk around a little. The first thing we did was go to the Wall, which was amazing. It was sorta the same thing as the market where we were walking through really quiet streets and then all of a sudden we found the wall and there were a TON of people there. It turns out, they were having a confirmation for the paratroopers so it was like an army assembled by the wall. I have never seen so many guns in one place before (more than one). Anyway, it was amazing. And during all this there were still people praying at the wall. you could also see the dome right there. It is amazing to see this place that so many people care so much about. After that we went out a little. I guess pretty much every night this one street turns into a giant block party, so we walked around there a little and made some friends. 

Finally we got home in a taxi- 40 shekels for 5 of us... a pretty good deal. So now I am sitting in my room, trying to figure out what to wear for shabat dinner and how to act and feeling a little overwhelmed but still pretty excited. I'm finding the key to not being homesick is just staying busy, which doesn't take much effort here, except on shabat when everything shuts down. Hebrew starts on Sunday and I'm so excited to learn. I can't wait to be able to talk to people here. It feels like I have already been here for months and months, so hopefully the months and months I have left don't feel like years and years. I miss you all so much and look forward to emails and letters and anything else.

Shalom!