We had a seminar on Thursday that discussed the democracy-theocracy issue in Israel. When the state of Israel was created, there was no constitution ever written. Today, this issue still stands and it is what creates the tension between secular Jews and religious Jews, "secular" and "religion" being broad terms as well as "Jewish" and "democracy." For this seminar, "democracy" was simply people electing people and "Jewish" referred to demography. "Secular," however, was much more defined by stating that the State of Israel does not subject them to restrictions based on the laws written thousands of years ago. "Religious" was a state in which everyday life is run by the laws and customs that are the basis for Judaism. The problem with no clear definitions of what any of these terms are (ie no constitution) the issues that arise in the political arena are numerous. We heard about the problems with conversion if you are not halachically Jewish and how they can lead into issues later with marriage and possible divorce. We heard about the civil service of the yeshiva boys versus the Army for secular Jews. My personal opinion of this is not a positive one. While I think that the duty of these men and women is a great way to contribute to Israeli society, it is not the same as the Army. At all. Maybe the conflict is relatively peaceful now, but those in the Army are risking their lives to defend their country. They don't have a choice. They have to be there because the Israeli government says so. The Year of Service is nothing compared to that. Working in hospitals or shelters or schools is not the same as being in the Army. On a separate note, the Israeli secular Jews are drafted into the Army, but aren't even considered legally married while, conversely, Israeli religious Jews don't serve in the Army yet are still dictating the laws of the state.
The Charedi Rabbi that spoke with us doesn't see anything wrong with this. He doesn't believe that in 20 years, secular studies will be needed. The students at the yeshiva schools aren't learning math and science. They are unable to succeed in the modern world because they all study Torah and Tanach and know only basic math skills. Some people in the group tried arguing with him that it is possible to be religious while in the modern world and used New York as an example. The Charedi there learn when they are not working. It's a compromise of the modern world. The government should not be subsidizing such activities if the people aren't supporting themselves. It's the welfare of Israel. Later in our small discussion groups, we were told that their society is slowly changing. Five years ago, you wouldn't have seen a cellphone, but now they have kosher phones (no internet, no texting. Just dialing). The material of the clothing has improved slightly and the women, especially the teenage girls, dress nicely.
We were also told that the Orthodox women are more outspoken about their rights. A Reform lady who is a women's rights activist told us stories of how the women are standing up for themselves. They try to pray in their own way. Some of them do not like the fact that they have to look over the separation barrier of the Kotel to see their son read from the Torah. A few of these women have joined her organization called Women of The Wall.
The whole day was thought provoking and as I exited the seminar into the streets of Jerusalem, it was not hard to see the dichotomy of people. How much should the non-religious be willing to give? How willing are the religious willing to let go? The problem with the religion aspect of the conflict is that it makes Israel what it is. What other country shuts down for over 24 hours? What other country can you walk into a restaurant and know you are eating kosher meat (putting aside high kashrut standards)? Where else in the world can you walk clad in black with peyis without a second glance? All these things are what make Israel such a special country, but like everything else, there is a limit to how much is too much. What is fair?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"What is a Jew?"
A Jew in Israel, An Israeli Jew, An American/Australian/Hungarian/Russian Jew. All different things, as I learned on my Shabbat trip to Ein Gedi.
We began with "What is a Jew?" I think that it is important to note that it didn't say "Who is a Jew?" The difference being the identification process. "Who" involves the personal identification whereas "what" involves how others see you. The list included about 35 items ranging from "celebrating the major holidays and feasts" to "practicing Jewish values--'...if I am not for myself who will be for me.'" to "creating my own Jewish identity" Individually, we chose five items that we thought were the most important and then in small groups narrowed them down even more. The one the mostly everyone agreed on was "creating my own Jewish identity" and the most debated one was "being born from a Jewish mother". I agreed with this statement because Judaism is a religion that can be interpreted however you want, but I think that there is a line between tradition and modernity. The laws that have been in placed have kept the Jewish people alive. Sure, you can say "it's only one law", but then why not throw out the other ones that you don't agree with. The hard part about this question was that there was a girl in my group who considers herself Jewish, but was born to a Jewish father and still hasn't halachicaly (based on Jewish Law) been converted, although she is planning to. For her, this is a sensitive subject as she considers herself a (reform) Jew, but more religious Jews do not. She is a Jew in Israel.
Kabblat Shabbat was used as a time to discuss this weekly holiday in Israel. Most of the people in this group were not religious, although there were a few, and it was evenly split between Foreigners and Israelis. All the non-religious people agreed that having no transportation in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is a pain because they can't go anywhere. At the same time though, they find it nice to spend that one day during the week with family. For me, as a Conservative Jew, I like that Israel shuts down on Shabbat. There is no where else in the world where nothing is opened for over 24 hours. I like that on a Wednesday when I go to the shuk, the tenders will wish me Shabbat Shalom. However, as a Conservative Jew, I like to do Shabbat in my own way. If I were to live here, I'd live in Tel Aviv. It's a secular city where there is no transportation and if I really wanted to keep Shabbat, it would be easy, but if I didn't want to then I wouldn't have to.
By dinnertime Friday night, the Israelis and Americans had become good friends despite the fact that we had only met each other a few hours before. This allowed us to speak openly about the issues that would come into play. We talked about the stereotypes of how the other sees us. One girl commented that she resented being viewed as rude because it gave a bad name to the country. However, every other Israeli disagreed commenting that it's not their rudeness that Americans dislike, it's the fact that Israelis are so blunt. We talked about it is like to be Jewish in our home country, which included US, Canada, Russia, Australia, Hungary, and Guatemala. Both the US and Canada have communities that are Jewish and unless you live in small town or a mid-western state, it is unlikely that you will not encounter a Jew. Yes, there are places in the US where you can walk for miles without encountering one, but there are also places where you can barely go one block without encountering another Jew. The girl from Australia and the guy from Hungary both said that there is a very small Jewish community and you could walk for days without seeing another Jew. Most of the Foreigners were able to grasp this concept, but many of the Israelis could not. They walk down the street without thinking twice about their Judaism. In America, I am always aware of being Jewish. There is never a day where I don't mention my Judaism, but here, there is no need to explain anything. Everyone understands. The majority of people here are Jewish.
The Jewish people have a long history. Out task on Saturday morning, was to decide the most important event. We were given a list from Abraham to Moses. From the Second Temple to the Diaspora. From the Holocaust to the State of Israel. I personally chose receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai because without it, Judaism would not be what it is. It is the basis for the religion and relays the rules and regulations as well as stories and morals of behavior. Everyone was all over the place with their choices so there was no majority. The Madrich tried to challenge our decisions to help us think about the Jewish people.
After a short break of lunch, a short walk through Ein Gedi, and a Swim in the Dead Sea, we concluded our dialogue by discussing if the issue at hand was "b'seder" (ok) or "lo b'seder" (not ok). We talked about both American and Israeli issues from American Idol to Bibi and Obama. The last question the Madrich asked was "dating a non-Jew" Most of the Israelis said "lo b'seder" and most of the Foreigners said "b'seder". We then explained to them that when you're in Israel chatting someone up, you don't have to think about if they're Jewish or not because most likely, they are, but in America that is not the case, and it is much harder to find a Jew who you are willing to go out with. One of the religious girls compared it to her finding someone with the same religious standards as her. Not everyone is as religious as she is and there are people who are more religious than her. While it's not quite the same, as it is easier to become more religious than to change religions, I respect her comparison.
But. A Jew is a Jew no matter where you are and a random one will most likely invite you to a Shabbat dinner if you need one.
We began with "What is a Jew?" I think that it is important to note that it didn't say "Who is a Jew?" The difference being the identification process. "Who" involves the personal identification whereas "what" involves how others see you. The list included about 35 items ranging from "celebrating the major holidays and feasts" to "practicing Jewish values--'...if I am not for myself who will be for me.'" to "creating my own Jewish identity" Individually, we chose five items that we thought were the most important and then in small groups narrowed them down even more. The one the mostly everyone agreed on was "creating my own Jewish identity" and the most debated one was "being born from a Jewish mother". I agreed with this statement because Judaism is a religion that can be interpreted however you want, but I think that there is a line between tradition and modernity. The laws that have been in placed have kept the Jewish people alive. Sure, you can say "it's only one law", but then why not throw out the other ones that you don't agree with. The hard part about this question was that there was a girl in my group who considers herself Jewish, but was born to a Jewish father and still hasn't halachicaly (based on Jewish Law) been converted, although she is planning to. For her, this is a sensitive subject as she considers herself a (reform) Jew, but more religious Jews do not. She is a Jew in Israel.
Kabblat Shabbat was used as a time to discuss this weekly holiday in Israel. Most of the people in this group were not religious, although there were a few, and it was evenly split between Foreigners and Israelis. All the non-religious people agreed that having no transportation in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is a pain because they can't go anywhere. At the same time though, they find it nice to spend that one day during the week with family. For me, as a Conservative Jew, I like that Israel shuts down on Shabbat. There is no where else in the world where nothing is opened for over 24 hours. I like that on a Wednesday when I go to the shuk, the tenders will wish me Shabbat Shalom. However, as a Conservative Jew, I like to do Shabbat in my own way. If I were to live here, I'd live in Tel Aviv. It's a secular city where there is no transportation and if I really wanted to keep Shabbat, it would be easy, but if I didn't want to then I wouldn't have to.
By dinnertime Friday night, the Israelis and Americans had become good friends despite the fact that we had only met each other a few hours before. This allowed us to speak openly about the issues that would come into play. We talked about the stereotypes of how the other sees us. One girl commented that she resented being viewed as rude because it gave a bad name to the country. However, every other Israeli disagreed commenting that it's not their rudeness that Americans dislike, it's the fact that Israelis are so blunt. We talked about it is like to be Jewish in our home country, which included US, Canada, Russia, Australia, Hungary, and Guatemala. Both the US and Canada have communities that are Jewish and unless you live in small town or a mid-western state, it is unlikely that you will not encounter a Jew. Yes, there are places in the US where you can walk for miles without encountering one, but there are also places where you can barely go one block without encountering another Jew. The girl from Australia and the guy from Hungary both said that there is a very small Jewish community and you could walk for days without seeing another Jew. Most of the Foreigners were able to grasp this concept, but many of the Israelis could not. They walk down the street without thinking twice about their Judaism. In America, I am always aware of being Jewish. There is never a day where I don't mention my Judaism, but here, there is no need to explain anything. Everyone understands. The majority of people here are Jewish.
The Jewish people have a long history. Out task on Saturday morning, was to decide the most important event. We were given a list from Abraham to Moses. From the Second Temple to the Diaspora. From the Holocaust to the State of Israel. I personally chose receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai because without it, Judaism would not be what it is. It is the basis for the religion and relays the rules and regulations as well as stories and morals of behavior. Everyone was all over the place with their choices so there was no majority. The Madrich tried to challenge our decisions to help us think about the Jewish people.
After a short break of lunch, a short walk through Ein Gedi, and a Swim in the Dead Sea, we concluded our dialogue by discussing if the issue at hand was "b'seder" (ok) or "lo b'seder" (not ok). We talked about both American and Israeli issues from American Idol to Bibi and Obama. The last question the Madrich asked was "dating a non-Jew" Most of the Israelis said "lo b'seder" and most of the Foreigners said "b'seder". We then explained to them that when you're in Israel chatting someone up, you don't have to think about if they're Jewish or not because most likely, they are, but in America that is not the case, and it is much harder to find a Jew who you are willing to go out with. One of the religious girls compared it to her finding someone with the same religious standards as her. Not everyone is as religious as she is and there are people who are more religious than her. While it's not quite the same, as it is easier to become more religious than to change religions, I respect her comparison.
But. A Jew is a Jew no matter where you are and a random one will most likely invite you to a Shabbat dinner if you need one.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
It's the Experience that Counts
I hate the Shuk. I hate the fishy odor that wafts only at the entrances. I hate feeling other people's sweat drip onto me. I hate that I don't know how much anything costs because I can't understand if shesh esrey means sixteen shekels or six shekels and ten agurot (agurot like cents). I hate how I can't buy all my groceries there. I feel uncomfortable and immodest in my blue jeans and sweatshirt.
I love the Shuk. I love the smell of fresh pita that swims through the air. I love the crowded pushy people who don't care that you've been waiting three minutes to pay for your items. I love that everything is so cheap. I love that you can taste the spices and dried fruit and no one will say anything. I love how there is a diamond store amongst the fruit stands. I love the chatter of bargaining and the announcements of how much bananas are.
What I hate about the Shuk is also what I love about it. In order to get to the Shuk, the bus I take passes through one of the really Orthodox neighborhoods, Mea Shearim. Most of the time I don't notice that I'm in jeans and a t-shirt, but when the bus passes through the neighborhood, I suddenly become self aware with not only the way I'm dressed, but how I am dressed. By the time the bus arrives at the Shuk, a sea of black and white have taken over. Except me in my bright pink shirt.
I also sort of feel this way when I walk to work. The Wolfson Towers are well-known building that has no religious affiliation. People from my program have gone there for doctors appointments. But, it's located in an Orthodox community. Most of the teachers are religious, although this has a lot to do with the fact that for many of them, this is their Year of Service, instead of serving in the Army. Still, I'm surrounded by long skirts, long sleeves, and Naot sandals. All the girls where them. There are maybe three teachers who wear jeans. Some of the other volunteers aren't religious either, but when they leave at 12, there's just me.
The other day at school, I arrived an hour before lunch time when the kids were starting Massage Therapy. I was told I wasn't needed and could go take a break. Apparently this woman didn't realize that I had just arrived. I wasn't needed, though, because there were seven instructors (teachers and therapists) and seven kids. And me. I sat down anyway knowing I would have free time in a little bit when the kids took their nap. As I was observing and trying to understand what was happening, one of the little girls reached her hands out to me and started crying. Massage Therapy isn't so hard that I couldn't follow along with everyone else. The teacher (this was a volunteer) could have easily given me the child and she would have been happy the whole time. Instead, she cried and fussed and the teacher asked me (yes, I'm sure she was serious. yes, I'm sure that's what she asked me) "why does she like you?" Excuse me? These kids know me! I've been with them for 25 hours a week for the past month. You're with them for four hours a week once a week. They're not going to remember you as well as me. No offense or anything, but a child of year may find your face familiar, but they may not feel comfortable with you if you don't see them regularly. The other two girls in the class have also taken a liking to me. The one that always cried when I touched her gave me a smile today and played with me. I don't blame her for not liking me at first. I'm a stranger who is picking her up and making her wash her hands. The other girl is completely blind, but I think she knows my voice and my touch. When I pick her up she automatically wraps her arms and legs around me.
After being at work, speaking Hebrew and listening to Hebrew, it's weird to go home and hear English. Both are completely different languages. They have different word flow and letter formation. I'm not talking about the physical letters, but the verbal aspect. Hebrew comes from your throat. To me as a foreigner of the language, it sounds like someone is speaking with their mouth full. English, however, sounds more musical and smoother. When I say English, I mean all versions of English. In Hebrew, the letters are spoken more softly than in English which I think is why when Americans speak Hebrew it's so obvious. The word "Lomed" (to learn), for example, uses the tongue behind the teeth. Your tongue dances on the roof of your mouth. But Americans pronounce each letter with more emphasis. The tongue darts in front of your teeth. It also doesn't help the as soon as I say a word with "rrr" in it, everyone knows I'm a foreigner. In Hebrew, the R sound is said with your throat, but in English, it is made with the shape of your tongue. Both languages, however, are beautiful to listen to.
I love the Shuk. I love the smell of fresh pita that swims through the air. I love the crowded pushy people who don't care that you've been waiting three minutes to pay for your items. I love that everything is so cheap. I love that you can taste the spices and dried fruit and no one will say anything. I love how there is a diamond store amongst the fruit stands. I love the chatter of bargaining and the announcements of how much bananas are.
What I hate about the Shuk is also what I love about it. In order to get to the Shuk, the bus I take passes through one of the really Orthodox neighborhoods, Mea Shearim. Most of the time I don't notice that I'm in jeans and a t-shirt, but when the bus passes through the neighborhood, I suddenly become self aware with not only the way I'm dressed, but how I am dressed. By the time the bus arrives at the Shuk, a sea of black and white have taken over. Except me in my bright pink shirt.
I also sort of feel this way when I walk to work. The Wolfson Towers are well-known building that has no religious affiliation. People from my program have gone there for doctors appointments. But, it's located in an Orthodox community. Most of the teachers are religious, although this has a lot to do with the fact that for many of them, this is their Year of Service, instead of serving in the Army. Still, I'm surrounded by long skirts, long sleeves, and Naot sandals. All the girls where them. There are maybe three teachers who wear jeans. Some of the other volunteers aren't religious either, but when they leave at 12, there's just me.
The other day at school, I arrived an hour before lunch time when the kids were starting Massage Therapy. I was told I wasn't needed and could go take a break. Apparently this woman didn't realize that I had just arrived. I wasn't needed, though, because there were seven instructors (teachers and therapists) and seven kids. And me. I sat down anyway knowing I would have free time in a little bit when the kids took their nap. As I was observing and trying to understand what was happening, one of the little girls reached her hands out to me and started crying. Massage Therapy isn't so hard that I couldn't follow along with everyone else. The teacher (this was a volunteer) could have easily given me the child and she would have been happy the whole time. Instead, she cried and fussed and the teacher asked me (yes, I'm sure she was serious. yes, I'm sure that's what she asked me) "why does she like you?" Excuse me? These kids know me! I've been with them for 25 hours a week for the past month. You're with them for four hours a week once a week. They're not going to remember you as well as me. No offense or anything, but a child of year may find your face familiar, but they may not feel comfortable with you if you don't see them regularly. The other two girls in the class have also taken a liking to me. The one that always cried when I touched her gave me a smile today and played with me. I don't blame her for not liking me at first. I'm a stranger who is picking her up and making her wash her hands. The other girl is completely blind, but I think she knows my voice and my touch. When I pick her up she automatically wraps her arms and legs around me.
After being at work, speaking Hebrew and listening to Hebrew, it's weird to go home and hear English. Both are completely different languages. They have different word flow and letter formation. I'm not talking about the physical letters, but the verbal aspect. Hebrew comes from your throat. To me as a foreigner of the language, it sounds like someone is speaking with their mouth full. English, however, sounds more musical and smoother. When I say English, I mean all versions of English. In Hebrew, the letters are spoken more softly than in English which I think is why when Americans speak Hebrew it's so obvious. The word "Lomed" (to learn), for example, uses the tongue behind the teeth. Your tongue dances on the roof of your mouth. But Americans pronounce each letter with more emphasis. The tongue darts in front of your teeth. It also doesn't help the as soon as I say a word with "rrr" in it, everyone knows I'm a foreigner. In Hebrew, the R sound is said with your throat, but in English, it is made with the shape of your tongue. Both languages, however, are beautiful to listen to.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
No Laughing Matter
Children who have a physical impairment or disability tend to look different. Those without disabilities like to think of ourselves as unbiased. We like to think everyone is the same. It doesn't matter how they look, we'll treat them just the same. This is not the reality, though, and we tend to favor those who are more "attractive" and treat them differently. It doesn't matter whether they are handicapped or not. In the classroom in which I work, there are three "normal" looking children, the other two clearly have eye problems (one boy has one yellow eye and one wandering eye and one of the girls has her eyes are always closed), and the last one is albino and there's a boy with, I think, William's Syndrome.
Now, I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but I do. All teachers have favorites even if they pretend that they don't. The two that are my favorite (and everyone else's) are the cutest of the bunch. I try my best to play with all the kids equally and think for the most part we all succeed in that, but I think that subconsciously I may treat one kid differently. Maybe I'm not as interactive with one kid. Or maybe my tone of voice is slightly lower. Maybe my body language gives a slightly more negative message. We all do this with people.
Maybe the fact that the other teachers and I are paying slightly more attention to the cuter ones increases their progress. Because their progress increases, they are able to continue a "normal" life. Because they are praised and played with so much, they may be more outgoing. Maybe because we might praise them more, they will have more self confidence. Isn't is sort of eerie how one moment can affect a child's life forever? So maybe the kids with physical impairments wouldn't be as successful anyway. People judge and presume. Their self confidence is not as high, their self esteem is definitely low, and since their "attractiveness" isn't as high as maybe some other kids with similar handicaps, it all adds up to not being as successful. This is a general observation and can be applied to anyone, handicapped or not. Maybe people who are more "attractive" are outgoing because they know they are more likely to get positive feedback (ie a cute kid sitting looking around may get a smile from someone) whereas more withdrawn people are afraid to act out because they will not get the same feedback (A funny looking child who looks around may not get any feedback at all)
I'm used to these kids now. I don't give a second glance to the yellow-eyed boy, but when I first met him my first reaction was "why is there pus in his eye?" This kid isn't the cleanest one either. His hair is always a mess (and hopefully he'll be turning 3 soon so that it will be cut. There's a tradition in the orthodox community not to cut a boy's hair until age 3), there's always snot running down his nose, and there's food on his face. Even if this kid came in with 20/20 vision, I think I would have been a little grossed out. As a parent, you should make sure your kid is clean. I understand that there are bad days, so I'll give you a little leeway, but seriously, wash the kid's face after breakfast.
I think that it would be interesting to look at this in more depth. To study and research the psychological outcomes of attractiveness. I know that there is some research on it. Another research topic that would be really interesting to look at is the psychological state of the residents in Sderot. We went to Sderot on Wednesday, the place where rockets are shot from Gaza. We were told that during rocket fires, you have fifteen seconds to find a shelter. The citizens in the town will find shelter, wait for the boom of the rocket, and continue on as normal. That is not a way to live life. That is not the way for a child to grow up.
Thinking about going to Sderot didn't scare me...until we got there and the Madricha warned us about "Tzeva Adom", the alarm system warning us of rockets. She said that it probably wouldn't happen because "the rockets are now infrequent. Maybe once a week." Um, yea, that's still pretty frequent in my eyes. We wouldn't be outside for that long, but just in case the alarm went off, we were to cram into the nearest bomb shelter or sandwich between the buses. When we were allowed time for lunch, everyone sort of stayed together. Usually we're together, but we'll spread out around a block or two, but here we all squished into one falafel restaurant. You could feel the compromise of our safety.
In Sderot, we heard different organizations talk, from both the right wing and the left wing. One NGO called Other Voices talks to citizens in Gaza frequently, about once a week. (The juxtapositions of frequency was just as ironic when I was there). One lady told her story and I came to realize that whether her not her story is true, it is a metaphor for the behavior of Israelis and Palestinians. Her daughter was best friends with an Arab girl (they were living in Egypt at the time) and the Arab invited everyone to her birthday party, except the daughter. The Arab mother would not allow a Jew into her home. When it came time for the daughter's birthday party, they decided to have it at a venue that was not home and the Arab mother allowed her daughter to go. Everyone is now friends and still speaks to each other. That's the short version.
We then went on a bus tour of the city, stopping first at the police station where the rockets were collected. When I first looked at them, I couldn't help but think "Oh, this happened a long time ago" History stuff. But then the tour guide noted the date written on one of the rockets. September 2010 (i don't remember the exact date). That was just last month. Conflict is still going on. I mean, duh, I knew that, but it's not the same when Sderot is still a foreign place. It was just a place I heard of from the news. A small town on the edge of Gaza. That's exactly what it is, but now that I've been there it's more real. More tangible. I have more connection with it.
We stopped at an outlook and saw Gaza. This is the only place where I took a person picture. One of myself only to prove that I was there. Everywhere else on the trip, I did not think such pictures were appropriate. I think that it would have been ok if those who were in the pictures weren't being so laxed about the situation, but I don't think that it's a laughing matter to have to have so many bomb shelters within a certain amount of feet. It's not funny or a happy situation that there are thousands of rockets laying in the police station. Later when we went to Gush Katif, a settlement in Nitzan also by Gaza, people were taking satirical pictures inside the bomb shelters. I think that you do have to create jokes out of the situation, but for our group, I do not think that was appropriate. We all come from a place where was is distant. We haven't been in Israel long enough to start making jokes. I mean, at any point in the day those bomb shelters could go from beautiful graffitied concrete to saving our lives.
http://picasaweb.google.com/112163354927968040752/Sderot?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7Lv8CYw861vQE#
Now, I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but I do. All teachers have favorites even if they pretend that they don't. The two that are my favorite (and everyone else's) are the cutest of the bunch. I try my best to play with all the kids equally and think for the most part we all succeed in that, but I think that subconsciously I may treat one kid differently. Maybe I'm not as interactive with one kid. Or maybe my tone of voice is slightly lower. Maybe my body language gives a slightly more negative message. We all do this with people.
Maybe the fact that the other teachers and I are paying slightly more attention to the cuter ones increases their progress. Because their progress increases, they are able to continue a "normal" life. Because they are praised and played with so much, they may be more outgoing. Maybe because we might praise them more, they will have more self confidence. Isn't is sort of eerie how one moment can affect a child's life forever? So maybe the kids with physical impairments wouldn't be as successful anyway. People judge and presume. Their self confidence is not as high, their self esteem is definitely low, and since their "attractiveness" isn't as high as maybe some other kids with similar handicaps, it all adds up to not being as successful. This is a general observation and can be applied to anyone, handicapped or not. Maybe people who are more "attractive" are outgoing because they know they are more likely to get positive feedback (ie a cute kid sitting looking around may get a smile from someone) whereas more withdrawn people are afraid to act out because they will not get the same feedback (A funny looking child who looks around may not get any feedback at all)
I'm used to these kids now. I don't give a second glance to the yellow-eyed boy, but when I first met him my first reaction was "why is there pus in his eye?" This kid isn't the cleanest one either. His hair is always a mess (and hopefully he'll be turning 3 soon so that it will be cut. There's a tradition in the orthodox community not to cut a boy's hair until age 3), there's always snot running down his nose, and there's food on his face. Even if this kid came in with 20/20 vision, I think I would have been a little grossed out. As a parent, you should make sure your kid is clean. I understand that there are bad days, so I'll give you a little leeway, but seriously, wash the kid's face after breakfast.
I think that it would be interesting to look at this in more depth. To study and research the psychological outcomes of attractiveness. I know that there is some research on it. Another research topic that would be really interesting to look at is the psychological state of the residents in Sderot. We went to Sderot on Wednesday, the place where rockets are shot from Gaza. We were told that during rocket fires, you have fifteen seconds to find a shelter. The citizens in the town will find shelter, wait for the boom of the rocket, and continue on as normal. That is not a way to live life. That is not the way for a child to grow up.
Thinking about going to Sderot didn't scare me...until we got there and the Madricha warned us about "Tzeva Adom", the alarm system warning us of rockets. She said that it probably wouldn't happen because "the rockets are now infrequent. Maybe once a week." Um, yea, that's still pretty frequent in my eyes. We wouldn't be outside for that long, but just in case the alarm went off, we were to cram into the nearest bomb shelter or sandwich between the buses. When we were allowed time for lunch, everyone sort of stayed together. Usually we're together, but we'll spread out around a block or two, but here we all squished into one falafel restaurant. You could feel the compromise of our safety.
In Sderot, we heard different organizations talk, from both the right wing and the left wing. One NGO called Other Voices talks to citizens in Gaza frequently, about once a week. (The juxtapositions of frequency was just as ironic when I was there). One lady told her story and I came to realize that whether her not her story is true, it is a metaphor for the behavior of Israelis and Palestinians. Her daughter was best friends with an Arab girl (they were living in Egypt at the time) and the Arab invited everyone to her birthday party, except the daughter. The Arab mother would not allow a Jew into her home. When it came time for the daughter's birthday party, they decided to have it at a venue that was not home and the Arab mother allowed her daughter to go. Everyone is now friends and still speaks to each other. That's the short version.
We then went on a bus tour of the city, stopping first at the police station where the rockets were collected. When I first looked at them, I couldn't help but think "Oh, this happened a long time ago" History stuff. But then the tour guide noted the date written on one of the rockets. September 2010 (i don't remember the exact date). That was just last month. Conflict is still going on. I mean, duh, I knew that, but it's not the same when Sderot is still a foreign place. It was just a place I heard of from the news. A small town on the edge of Gaza. That's exactly what it is, but now that I've been there it's more real. More tangible. I have more connection with it.
We stopped at an outlook and saw Gaza. This is the only place where I took a person picture. One of myself only to prove that I was there. Everywhere else on the trip, I did not think such pictures were appropriate. I think that it would have been ok if those who were in the pictures weren't being so laxed about the situation, but I don't think that it's a laughing matter to have to have so many bomb shelters within a certain amount of feet. It's not funny or a happy situation that there are thousands of rockets laying in the police station. Later when we went to Gush Katif, a settlement in Nitzan also by Gaza, people were taking satirical pictures inside the bomb shelters. I think that you do have to create jokes out of the situation, but for our group, I do not think that was appropriate. We all come from a place where was is distant. We haven't been in Israel long enough to start making jokes. I mean, at any point in the day those bomb shelters could go from beautiful graffitied concrete to saving our lives.
http://picasaweb.google.com/112163354927968040752/Sderot?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7Lv8CYw861vQE#
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
All Work and no Play...Oh Wait
My internship started last week at a preschool called Gan Eliyah. There are four classrooms. One class is babies, though they range from 8 months to 2 years. Those on the older side have more developmental problem than seeing problems while the babies are more developmentally on track except for the processes affected from their eyes. The second classroom is ~2 to 3 years old. In this class, all the kids are basically developmentally normal, but they have seeing problems. They can walk and talk and comprehend which is better when it comes to a relationship with the child. The third classroom is also 1-3 year olds, but the have developmental problems as well as seeing problems. The fourth classroom is a kindergarten, the kids are 4 or 5 and the majority of them are normal. There are 2 kids who are completely blind and 2 or 3 kids who are partially seeing-impaired. These kids, since they're older, can talk and play, etc.
The first day in a new classroom is always hard. You don't know the kids. They don't know you. With babies, it especially hard to form a relationship because they don't talk at all and they mostly sleep the whole day. The older kids are speaking Hebrew and they speak slow enough so I can understand, but not always clear enough. Plus, they are still learning the language themselves and when they mispronounce a word that sounds like a real word, I just stand there thinking "what are you saying???". One of the girls in the Gan said to me "You don't speak well." Well, thanks for boosting my confidence. Also in the Gan are two kids that speak English and I don't think they knew that I also spoke English and when I said something to them they were baffled. Since they are the only two that speak English, they pride themselves on it and don't like that I know what they are saying. The boy, however, gave in when I helped him find his shoe which was in the chest of dress up toys. The girl still has yet to say something nice to me.
My schedule was very erratic last week since my supervisor didn't really know when she needed me, but she made a set schedule for me. I'm working 4 days a week, including Sundays and Fridays. Most Israelis work Sundays, but not Fridays. So, my days off are Wednesday and Thursday, when no one else has a day off and I'm the only one in the Kfar Studentim (where I live). It will give me time to go to the shuk and clean which as of I now, I desperately need to do, there just won't be anyone to go with. I'm going to try to ask for one of the weekend days off instead of one of the weekday ones.
Also, instead of being in all 4 classrooms in the course of a week, I am now with one room, the 1-3 year olds. The kids are so adorable, one of them reminds me of my sister when she had glasses. (Sorry Leah). His parents are American so if I get frustrated with him, I can just speak in English. Although, he has not been a problem at all. He's very sweet. Another girl is just learning to speak and her favorite word is "Todah", but she mostly just says "dah". This got me thinking about the psychological process of learning. "Dah" is the easiest cluster to say, but in America we assume it's "dada" and we praise the child or repeat "Dada, daddy, etc." In Israel "Dah" is short for "Todah", but even if the child say "Dada" it sounds like "Todah" and the child is praised for that word instead. The cutest girl in the class (I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but she's also the baby of the class so there's the justification) has the wide eyes and she is just about to walk. By the end of November, she will definitely be walking and standing on her own. There's one boy who is partially blind and fussy. There's 2 other boys in the class, but I don't know what's wrong with them. Most of the kids in the class have an astigmatism in their eyes and/or have a lazy eye.
My internship is basically the only thing I'm doing because after being out of my apartment for 12 hours, I don't feel like going out or doing anything. I also don't have weekends off (yet) so whenever I'm chilling with friends, I'm usually about to fall asleep. What I'm saying is don't expect any interesting posts or pictures for a few weeks. I think we have a seminar in a few weeks in Sderot and one in Ein Gedi so you can expect pictures then.
The first day in a new classroom is always hard. You don't know the kids. They don't know you. With babies, it especially hard to form a relationship because they don't talk at all and they mostly sleep the whole day. The older kids are speaking Hebrew and they speak slow enough so I can understand, but not always clear enough. Plus, they are still learning the language themselves and when they mispronounce a word that sounds like a real word, I just stand there thinking "what are you saying???". One of the girls in the Gan said to me "You don't speak well." Well, thanks for boosting my confidence. Also in the Gan are two kids that speak English and I don't think they knew that I also spoke English and when I said something to them they were baffled. Since they are the only two that speak English, they pride themselves on it and don't like that I know what they are saying. The boy, however, gave in when I helped him find his shoe which was in the chest of dress up toys. The girl still has yet to say something nice to me.
My schedule was very erratic last week since my supervisor didn't really know when she needed me, but she made a set schedule for me. I'm working 4 days a week, including Sundays and Fridays. Most Israelis work Sundays, but not Fridays. So, my days off are Wednesday and Thursday, when no one else has a day off and I'm the only one in the Kfar Studentim (where I live). It will give me time to go to the shuk and clean which as of I now, I desperately need to do, there just won't be anyone to go with. I'm going to try to ask for one of the weekend days off instead of one of the weekday ones.
Also, instead of being in all 4 classrooms in the course of a week, I am now with one room, the 1-3 year olds. The kids are so adorable, one of them reminds me of my sister when she had glasses. (Sorry Leah). His parents are American so if I get frustrated with him, I can just speak in English. Although, he has not been a problem at all. He's very sweet. Another girl is just learning to speak and her favorite word is "Todah", but she mostly just says "dah". This got me thinking about the psychological process of learning. "Dah" is the easiest cluster to say, but in America we assume it's "dada" and we praise the child or repeat "Dada, daddy, etc." In Israel "Dah" is short for "Todah", but even if the child say "Dada" it sounds like "Todah" and the child is praised for that word instead. The cutest girl in the class (I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but she's also the baby of the class so there's the justification) has the wide eyes and she is just about to walk. By the end of November, she will definitely be walking and standing on her own. There's one boy who is partially blind and fussy. There's 2 other boys in the class, but I don't know what's wrong with them. Most of the kids in the class have an astigmatism in their eyes and/or have a lazy eye.
My internship is basically the only thing I'm doing because after being out of my apartment for 12 hours, I don't feel like going out or doing anything. I also don't have weekends off (yet) so whenever I'm chilling with friends, I'm usually about to fall asleep. What I'm saying is don't expect any interesting posts or pictures for a few weeks. I think we have a seminar in a few weeks in Sderot and one in Ein Gedi so you can expect pictures then.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Reality Check
When you go to a country, you see the glorified sites. You may see people and their culture, but you don't actually know how their daily lives are affected by the politics, ecomony, religion, and geography. You can know the history and the people inside out, but until you hear the personal account in the place they actually were, you really don't know what life is like.
This week, Career-Israel took us to the Golan Heights. I have been here before. Twice. I know that it was during the Six Day War and Yom Kippur War in the 1960s and 1970s that Israel captured and then defended this territory. I know that this was the 3rd territory that She was fighting in the 60s. I know that Hezbollah is across the border in Lebanon. I know that war was fought. I know that people died. None of this felt as real as it did this week.
On Wednesday, we drove up to Misgav Am, a kibbutz on the ceasefire line between Israel and Lebanon. The guide there gave a brief history of the Six Day War as well as a personal history so that when we asked him questions, we would know where he was coming from. He is a 70 year old man originally from Ohio. He made Aliyah 50 years ago and served in the army as a paratrooper during the multiple wars that Israel was involved in. He is currently a farmer on a Kibbutz enjoying his warrior life. He talked about how in 2006 he was in the Kibbutz, trying to stay alive. How the missiles just missed the Kibbutz because Lebanon didn't know the exact location of the kibbutz and didn't want to undershoot for fear of hitting their own land. When we were finally allowed to ask questions, he prefaced that he has strong opinions and that if we wanted to argue that was for the bus, not for here. I actually agreed with most of what he had to say, unlike a lot of the program which goes to show how Right the people on the program are. In addition to Misgav Am, we went to a cemetery where the highest and best soldiers are buried. Right outside the cemetery walls, were 3 memorials for 3 fallen soldiers who had been in the North in 2006. These people became real to me not only after seeing their pictures, but also when the tour guide mentioned that she is best friend's with the cousin of the soldier that died.
On Thursday we went hiking through some old Syrian bunkers. The Israeli knew which bunkers were Syrian because there was a spy. Eli Cohen was born in Syria, but lived most of his childhood in Egypt hence able to pull off being Arab when necessary, as it was in his Israeli-CIA job. The Syrians, at this point, still had control of Golan and it was a hot, humid, and sticky place to set up base camps. Being the "generous" man that he is, Eli Cohen gave the Syrian army Eucalyptus trees so that they would be more comfortable. Now, Israel was able to tell where the Syrians were located so when it came to the Six Day War, Israel knew exactly where to bomb. The Golan heights was won is is as we know it today, Mines and all. During the Six Day War, Syria could see Israel coming so they threw mines everywhere hoping that if Israel captured the land, they at least wouldn't be able to use it. However, they never marked where they are and every so often, there will be a cow in the field that will suddenly blow up. It was obvious as hiked, why Golan was and is such optimal territory. After the hike, we drove to a look out of the Syrian-Israeli border where our tour guide gave us a short history of the Yom Kippur war. He told us about the "surprise" attack Syria planned and Israel had no way of contacting the reserves because there was no radio or tv waves on this day. At the site, there was a group of Israeli soldiers who were being lectured about the samething, but by someone who was actually there. We listened for a few moments, but because he was speaking Hebrew, it was difficult to understand him. After hearing the full story of the Yom Kippur War and then the tour guide pointing out that, there, a few feet in front of us was someone who fought through the whole experience into perspective.
Now that I've been here a month, I've had a chance to re-immerse myself into Israeli culture. I've spoken with Israelis about real issues. What you don't realize is that war is not in the forefront of the Israeli mind, but it's not in the back either. This trip showed the reality of what Israel is. I love that Tel Aviv is the most secular city in Israel and the Jerusalem is the most religious, but Golan is the reality of what Israel is. In America, war is so distant. Physically, it is across an ocean. Emotionally, not many of us know someone who is currently in the army. On average, I doubt that many Americans encounter soldiers. To us, war is something of the past, of my grandparents' generation. The fact that war is such a prominent subject in Israel doesn't deter me from Israel. In fact, it just makes my connection even stronger. Look at what this tiny country can do. Look at how small the army is, at the patriotism. Forgetting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, everyone here feels such pride and passion for their nationality and heritage.
Wednesday after the lecture at Misgav Am, half the group went to an Arab high school to speak with the students there. 100 Jews. 100 Arabs. We were given questions to ask each other so that we could keep the conversation going. Everyone had a different experience. The girls I talked to kept their answers relatively light, but when asked the question "do you believe in G-d?" one of the Jews said "maybe yes, maybe no. I don't know." They were in disbelief. They couldn't grasp the concept that G-d does not have an affect on every little thing we do. One of the 16 year olds said that G-d is everywhere and everything to her. After about 20 minutes, we were asked to switch groups. The exact wording was "...non-Israelis will move to the opposite side of the room." As the facilitator continued with directions, everyone began to pick up their belongings. By everyone, I mean both Jews and the Arabs. This was then clarified by saying "our visitors". That whole moment, though, was very interesting, especially since the next question was "do you know all the words to Hatikva?" These 11th and 12th graders were interesting to talk with. We didn't have to talk about the questions we were given so we talked about music, the village we were in, what they were doing after high school, etc.
The week in Golan was fun, but intense not only because of the whole subject of war, but also because it was time to say goodbye to my friends in Tel Aviv. Now that I'm in Jerusalem, I will not be able to see my closest friends from the program as often as I did. There's only 30 of us in Jerusalem and while I'm sure we'll all become good friends, we have all made our core group of friends who all happen to live in Tel Aviv.
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/112163354927968040752/GolanHeights?authkey=Gv1sRgCLXMhK3poZj_nAE#
This week, Career-Israel took us to the Golan Heights. I have been here before. Twice. I know that it was during the Six Day War and Yom Kippur War in the 1960s and 1970s that Israel captured and then defended this territory. I know that this was the 3rd territory that She was fighting in the 60s. I know that Hezbollah is across the border in Lebanon. I know that war was fought. I know that people died. None of this felt as real as it did this week.
On Wednesday, we drove up to Misgav Am, a kibbutz on the ceasefire line between Israel and Lebanon. The guide there gave a brief history of the Six Day War as well as a personal history so that when we asked him questions, we would know where he was coming from. He is a 70 year old man originally from Ohio. He made Aliyah 50 years ago and served in the army as a paratrooper during the multiple wars that Israel was involved in. He is currently a farmer on a Kibbutz enjoying his warrior life. He talked about how in 2006 he was in the Kibbutz, trying to stay alive. How the missiles just missed the Kibbutz because Lebanon didn't know the exact location of the kibbutz and didn't want to undershoot for fear of hitting their own land. When we were finally allowed to ask questions, he prefaced that he has strong opinions and that if we wanted to argue that was for the bus, not for here. I actually agreed with most of what he had to say, unlike a lot of the program which goes to show how Right the people on the program are. In addition to Misgav Am, we went to a cemetery where the highest and best soldiers are buried. Right outside the cemetery walls, were 3 memorials for 3 fallen soldiers who had been in the North in 2006. These people became real to me not only after seeing their pictures, but also when the tour guide mentioned that she is best friend's with the cousin of the soldier that died.
On Thursday we went hiking through some old Syrian bunkers. The Israeli knew which bunkers were Syrian because there was a spy. Eli Cohen was born in Syria, but lived most of his childhood in Egypt hence able to pull off being Arab when necessary, as it was in his Israeli-CIA job. The Syrians, at this point, still had control of Golan and it was a hot, humid, and sticky place to set up base camps. Being the "generous" man that he is, Eli Cohen gave the Syrian army Eucalyptus trees so that they would be more comfortable. Now, Israel was able to tell where the Syrians were located so when it came to the Six Day War, Israel knew exactly where to bomb. The Golan heights was won is is as we know it today, Mines and all. During the Six Day War, Syria could see Israel coming so they threw mines everywhere hoping that if Israel captured the land, they at least wouldn't be able to use it. However, they never marked where they are and every so often, there will be a cow in the field that will suddenly blow up. It was obvious as hiked, why Golan was and is such optimal territory. After the hike, we drove to a look out of the Syrian-Israeli border where our tour guide gave us a short history of the Yom Kippur war. He told us about the "surprise" attack Syria planned and Israel had no way of contacting the reserves because there was no radio or tv waves on this day. At the site, there was a group of Israeli soldiers who were being lectured about the samething, but by someone who was actually there. We listened for a few moments, but because he was speaking Hebrew, it was difficult to understand him. After hearing the full story of the Yom Kippur War and then the tour guide pointing out that, there, a few feet in front of us was someone who fought through the whole experience into perspective.
Now that I've been here a month, I've had a chance to re-immerse myself into Israeli culture. I've spoken with Israelis about real issues. What you don't realize is that war is not in the forefront of the Israeli mind, but it's not in the back either. This trip showed the reality of what Israel is. I love that Tel Aviv is the most secular city in Israel and the Jerusalem is the most religious, but Golan is the reality of what Israel is. In America, war is so distant. Physically, it is across an ocean. Emotionally, not many of us know someone who is currently in the army. On average, I doubt that many Americans encounter soldiers. To us, war is something of the past, of my grandparents' generation. The fact that war is such a prominent subject in Israel doesn't deter me from Israel. In fact, it just makes my connection even stronger. Look at what this tiny country can do. Look at how small the army is, at the patriotism. Forgetting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, everyone here feels such pride and passion for their nationality and heritage.
Wednesday after the lecture at Misgav Am, half the group went to an Arab high school to speak with the students there. 100 Jews. 100 Arabs. We were given questions to ask each other so that we could keep the conversation going. Everyone had a different experience. The girls I talked to kept their answers relatively light, but when asked the question "do you believe in G-d?" one of the Jews said "maybe yes, maybe no. I don't know." They were in disbelief. They couldn't grasp the concept that G-d does not have an affect on every little thing we do. One of the 16 year olds said that G-d is everywhere and everything to her. After about 20 minutes, we were asked to switch groups. The exact wording was "...non-Israelis will move to the opposite side of the room." As the facilitator continued with directions, everyone began to pick up their belongings. By everyone, I mean both Jews and the Arabs. This was then clarified by saying "our visitors". That whole moment, though, was very interesting, especially since the next question was "do you know all the words to Hatikva?" These 11th and 12th graders were interesting to talk with. We didn't have to talk about the questions we were given so we talked about music, the village we were in, what they were doing after high school, etc.
The week in Golan was fun, but intense not only because of the whole subject of war, but also because it was time to say goodbye to my friends in Tel Aviv. Now that I'm in Jerusalem, I will not be able to see my closest friends from the program as often as I did. There's only 30 of us in Jerusalem and while I'm sure we'll all become good friends, we have all made our core group of friends who all happen to live in Tel Aviv.
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/112163354927968040752/GolanHeights?authkey=Gv1sRgCLXMhK3poZj_nAE#
Friday, October 1, 2010
Only In Israel
Only in Israel do they have signs at the beach that say "No Swimming" and people swim anyway.
Only in Israel do the lifeguards announce their departure from the beach, saying that it is dangerous to swim at night without a life guard
Only in Israel do they end such an announcement with "Chag Sukkot Sameach, Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova Oomitooka, Gmar Chatima Tova."
Because the holiday of Sukkot began last Wednesday night, we had no Ulpan until Sunday. Almost everything is shut down for the weekend, so what do we do? We somehow manage to spend 4 hours on the beach a day. I have no idea how the time goes by so quickly. Seriously, I'm pretty sure, the world goes faster or something. The past few days, I have been there for the sunset and it is absolutely gorgeous. The colors and opaqueness are different everyday, as is the sunset itself. In the US, the whole sky changes colors, but here, only where the is does the sky change. If I look up, the sky is blue, but if I look straight ahead, pinks and purples fill the sky. This week, we also have from Wednesday to Saturday off because of Simchat Torah. My roommate and I went to Ki Kar Rabin (Rabin Square). There was a concert and people dancing obviously having a lot of fun, but we only stayed for a little while because the musicians kept blowing a fuse.
On Sunday, the madrichim took us to Yafo again. Apparently there was a miscommunication between the Hebrew teachers and the madrichim so I went on the same exact tour as I did the week before. There were two benefits though. One was that we went a little before sunset and seeing Yafo at night is so pretty. The other benefit was that they fed us. For free. We went to "Doctor Shakshuka" for dinner where we were surrounded by bread, tahini and other dipping sauces, couscous with soupy stew, and of course shakshuka. Shakshuka is an Israeli dish with tomatoes as the main ingredient. Every version differs depending on how you like it, but no matter what, there are eggs on top of the tomato sauce. I actually made some last week and it came out delicious! Being overstuffed and with the bus not leaving for another hour, a bunch of us decided to walk back to our apartment complex. It was a nice night out and a quick walk back. For part of the way, we strolled along the beach and the other part we walked through the empty shuk. It was a little sketchy, but also kind of cool. When you go to the shuk it's a bustle of people haggling pushing each other out of the way. The smell of salmon and pomegranates fill the air. With the empty shuk, the smell of fish wafted through the air, but it was dead silent and filled with stray cats instead of religious older ladies.
My ulpan class is not just my program, but also a fine arts program called Betzalel. One of the people in my class was performing at a coffee shop on Tuesday and it also happened to be his birthday. He plays piano so he played a few songs in Hebrew and a few in French (he's from Paris) and then a bunch in English. Nothing brings people together like belting out the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
Recently in the afternoons, a group of us have been playing soccer in the park behind our apartment complex. There is been one Israeli boy who has been hanging around as we play so we invited him in. Yesterday, he was on my team and as we sat out (there were 3 teams) I had a real conversation in Hebrew. Woohoo. Never mind that it wasn't that long, but my Hebrew skills are definitely improving.
Also, and hopefully this works, here are pictures. I know there are some people you know, but I didn't know how to delete them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112163354927968040752&target=ALBUM&id=5522652659463816321&locked=true&authkey=Gv1sRgCKDp8YGUje6nnAE&feat=email
Only in Israel do the lifeguards announce their departure from the beach, saying that it is dangerous to swim at night without a life guard
Only in Israel do they end such an announcement with "Chag Sukkot Sameach, Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova Oomitooka, Gmar Chatima Tova."
Because the holiday of Sukkot began last Wednesday night, we had no Ulpan until Sunday. Almost everything is shut down for the weekend, so what do we do? We somehow manage to spend 4 hours on the beach a day. I have no idea how the time goes by so quickly. Seriously, I'm pretty sure, the world goes faster or something. The past few days, I have been there for the sunset and it is absolutely gorgeous. The colors and opaqueness are different everyday, as is the sunset itself. In the US, the whole sky changes colors, but here, only where the is does the sky change. If I look up, the sky is blue, but if I look straight ahead, pinks and purples fill the sky. This week, we also have from Wednesday to Saturday off because of Simchat Torah. My roommate and I went to Ki Kar Rabin (Rabin Square). There was a concert and people dancing obviously having a lot of fun, but we only stayed for a little while because the musicians kept blowing a fuse.
On Sunday, the madrichim took us to Yafo again. Apparently there was a miscommunication between the Hebrew teachers and the madrichim so I went on the same exact tour as I did the week before. There were two benefits though. One was that we went a little before sunset and seeing Yafo at night is so pretty. The other benefit was that they fed us. For free. We went to "Doctor Shakshuka" for dinner where we were surrounded by bread, tahini and other dipping sauces, couscous with soupy stew, and of course shakshuka. Shakshuka is an Israeli dish with tomatoes as the main ingredient. Every version differs depending on how you like it, but no matter what, there are eggs on top of the tomato sauce. I actually made some last week and it came out delicious! Being overstuffed and with the bus not leaving for another hour, a bunch of us decided to walk back to our apartment complex. It was a nice night out and a quick walk back. For part of the way, we strolled along the beach and the other part we walked through the empty shuk. It was a little sketchy, but also kind of cool. When you go to the shuk it's a bustle of people haggling pushing each other out of the way. The smell of salmon and pomegranates fill the air. With the empty shuk, the smell of fish wafted through the air, but it was dead silent and filled with stray cats instead of religious older ladies.
My ulpan class is not just my program, but also a fine arts program called Betzalel. One of the people in my class was performing at a coffee shop on Tuesday and it also happened to be his birthday. He plays piano so he played a few songs in Hebrew and a few in French (he's from Paris) and then a bunch in English. Nothing brings people together like belting out the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
Recently in the afternoons, a group of us have been playing soccer in the park behind our apartment complex. There is been one Israeli boy who has been hanging around as we play so we invited him in. Yesterday, he was on my team and as we sat out (there were 3 teams) I had a real conversation in Hebrew. Woohoo. Never mind that it wasn't that long, but my Hebrew skills are definitely improving.
Also, and hopefully this works, here are pictures. I know there are some people you know, but I didn't know how to delete them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112163354927968040752&target=ALBUM&id=5522652659463816321&locked=true&authkey=Gv1sRgCKDp8YGUje6nnAE&feat=email
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