Woohoo!! I finally made it, and let me tell you, so far it seems like the long journey was worth it. People are not kidding when they say South Africa is the most beautiful place on Earth. It is so lush and the air is thick with a sweet smell of vegetation (although this also means it is quite warm and humid...but so far I'm dealing with it). I have been placed in the Denison dorms which are on the "New Campus" which means it is down the road a bit from the old campus and the Scottsville shopping center, but so far I am very happy with it. I have my own room with beautiful flowering plants right outside the window that provide a perfect privacy screen from the walkway outside. In my apartment (or suite, whatever you want to call it) there are six single rooms, a kitchen, living room, and two bathrooms--a very nice set-up. Most people haven't moved in yet because registration doesn't start for a while (orientation doesn't even start until Monday), but luckily there is a girl from Berkeley living next door to me, so right now we are running errands around town.
It took a little while yesterday getting to campus because it turns out the International Student Office wasn't expecting me until today or tomorrow (not sure how they got that idea), but luckily there were two other girls from my program on the same plane, so the professor who's supposed to pick us up was there--just a bit surprised to see me. He first took the other two girls to their dorm because it is in a different location from mine, and we couldn't fit all three of us and our luggage in the little car. So I wound up having to wait at the airport for him to get back. Oh, and by the way, that is the smallest passenger airport I have ever seen and the plane was the smallest I have ever been on. On the same plane there was a girl from Zimbabwe who was also supposed to be picked up from the Int'l Student Office, but there was no one there when we got in so I talked to her while we waited. I had a good conversation with her and she explained that the situation in Zimbabwe is not as bad as the western media makes it sound. She said that perhaps about half of the population is currently suffering, and they are in an economic crisis, but the other half of the population is doing all right (I imagine she is part of the latter half since she has the means to come to university in SA and she speaks that way about the situation). I actually just ran into her on the street, but I feel really bad because she was calling after us and I was told to be aware of people following you so I was ignoring her at first then I finally turned around and recognized her. I hope she doesn't think I'm some paranoid American now...
Anyway, better get going so I can pick up dishes and other essentials. As I wrote before, the common fast food in Israel is falafel. Well, around here it is Indian food!! I already saw a vegetarian fast food place...how awesome is that? Going to go do some more exploring now!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Goodbye Winter, Hello Summer
I am now in the Johannesburg airport waiting for my connecting flight to Pietermaritzburg (PMB) which is in a few hours. My last couple of days in Israel were pretty laid back, mostly spent hanging around the apartment and eating falafel. Saying goodbye to the family was not as hard this time knowing that I will be back in less than five months.
Getting to the airport was a bit of an adventure because the Nesher was running late and drove slower than usual because there was heavy rain and very heavy fog in some parts--little scary. I got to the airport with enough time, but when I went to check my baggage, I found out that El Al Airlines only allows 20kg of checked baggage total for flights not going to North America. So for my 9 hour, $1400 flight to Johannesburg they made me pay an extra $166 for 34 kg (~70 lbs) of luggage. Boy did I get ripped off. To give you an idea, a round trip flight to here from the US should be about $1700. I also now found out that I need to pay extra for the flight to PMB, but that makes sense because it's a small airplane and the flight was only $40. Moral of the story: don't fly El Al if you don't have to.
I am quite anxious to get to my final destination so that I can see where I will be living for the next 4.5 months and get settled in. I will give you an update from there as soon as I can.
Getting to the airport was a bit of an adventure because the Nesher was running late and drove slower than usual because there was heavy rain and very heavy fog in some parts--little scary. I got to the airport with enough time, but when I went to check my baggage, I found out that El Al Airlines only allows 20kg of checked baggage total for flights not going to North America. So for my 9 hour, $1400 flight to Johannesburg they made me pay an extra $166 for 34 kg (~70 lbs) of luggage. Boy did I get ripped off. To give you an idea, a round trip flight to here from the US should be about $1700. I also now found out that I need to pay extra for the flight to PMB, but that makes sense because it's a small airplane and the flight was only $40. Moral of the story: don't fly El Al if you don't have to.
I am quite anxious to get to my final destination so that I can see where I will be living for the next 4.5 months and get settled in. I will give you an update from there as soon as I can.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Kiddush Craziness and More
This past Shabbos was way more hectic than the one before it. On Thursday night I did some last minute shopping with Aaron at a nearby market. It was crazy busy and cramped as the whole market was pretty much one aisle that wrapped the inside corner of a building. Israelis are well known for being pushy--a fact made clear as one women was trying to push her cart
through me. One other interesting thing about this market is that it had separate checkout lines for men and women. I felt a little uncomfortable standing in line with Aaron in the shorter men's line, so I waited outside while he paid.
As always, Friday was filled with cooking and cleaning. This time we also had to put a mehitza (a barrier--in this case shower curtains--separating the men and women) for the kiddush, and all day long neighbors brought by cookies, cakes, and kugels. In addition, Calanitte's cousin and a friend, who are studying at the yeshiva Aaron first went to, came for Shabbos. Saturday morning was crunch time--setting up the tables, chairs, and food for the kiddush which started at 10:45. The way these things go is people drop by, have some kugel/cake/juice, say mazel tov, and go home for the second meal of Shabbos. In the end, about 10 women, 10 men, and 10 kids dropped by and we had a TON of leftovers. It didn't help that the women who came didn't eat a bite--something we were not expecting. Interestingly enough, Avital and the little girls there seemed to eat more than the men and women combined. After about an hour of open house, we cleared up for the second meal. I was seriously tired from all the preparations, so after lunch I had a nice Shabbos shluf (you're supposed to nap on Shabbos so there's even a special name for it). The ladies (me, Calanitte, Avital, and Calanitte's sister Keren) had the third meal on our own because the guys were at shul. As soon as Shabbos was over the serious clean-up began.
Sunday morning I went with Calanitte into town to run some errands. I finally took care of my business with Bank Leumi. It was nice having Calanitte there because the bankers' English wasn't very good and my Hebrew is even worse. We searched allover for a falafel place with a hecscher (Kosher certification) that she accepts, but didn't find one. I got myself a falafel and Calanitte stopped at Sbarro. When she was paying at Sbarro, they asked if she wanted to contribute a shekel (about $.25) for security. This seemed odd, and is odd even in Israel where security is always heightened and having your bag searched is routine for entering any restaurant or store. Then I remembered that Sbarro had been blown up a few years back and was relocated to this spot a few hundred feet down the street from its previous location. When I got back to Ramot, I had my falafel (in laffa this time rather than pita), and then Aaron and I went back out to the Old City to go to the Kottel (the Western Wall--the holiest site in Judaism). The first bus we took was a Mahedrin bus which caters especially to the Chareidi (ultra-orthodox) community, so men ride in the front and women enter and ride in the back. This was my first experience on one of these buses--on most buses in Israel men and women can sit wherever they want, but usually women sit next to women and vice versa. It just so happened that on this bus there were more men than women, so there were men standing in the front while there were open seats in the women's section.
The second bus took us right to the Kottel. The Kottel was not too crowded which was nice because I could actually pray along the wall (last time I was there was the last night of Channukah and it was packed). After praying, I met back up with Aaron and we walked down the hill to the City of David (Ir David). According to Aaron, this is where the Cohens (priests) lived in the time of the first temple. Now it is right on the edge of a huge Arab neighborhood (probably the West Bank, but I'm not sure). We walked down a bunch of stairs that seemed to be leading to the Arab neighborhood. Aaron explained that there is a very holy mikveh (natural water source used for ritual baths) nearby, but you have to walk through the Arab
neighborhood to get there, and it's a bit sketchy (apparently someone he knows had his tires slashed when he went there). We were just about the only ones there, and I'm not sure if that's because they're still redoing the place or because it's not so safe. Hmmm...
Anyway, we made it back to Ramot without incident. On the way back, I saw a guy on the bus wearing a Berkeley shirt so I asked him if he goes there, but it turned out to be his friend's shirt--oh well, would have been pretty crazy if there was another Berkeley student on the bus to Ramot.
Now I'm beginning to pack up my stuff and get ready for the next leg of my journey. My flight to Johannesburg leaves tomorrow night, so I will be in South Afrcia by Wednesday morning!
through me. One other interesting thing about this market is that it had separate checkout lines for men and women. I felt a little uncomfortable standing in line with Aaron in the shorter men's line, so I waited outside while he paid.
As always, Friday was filled with cooking and cleaning. This time we also had to put a mehitza (a barrier--in this case shower curtains--separating the men and women) for the kiddush, and all day long neighbors brought by cookies, cakes, and kugels. In addition, Calanitte's cousin and a friend, who are studying at the yeshiva Aaron first went to, came for Shabbos. Saturday morning was crunch time--setting up the tables, chairs, and food for the kiddush which started at 10:45. The way these things go is people drop by, have some kugel/cake/juice, say mazel tov, and go home for the second meal of Shabbos. In the end, about 10 women, 10 men, and 10 kids dropped by and we had a TON of leftovers. It didn't help that the women who came didn't eat a bite--something we were not expecting. Interestingly enough, Avital and the little girls there seemed to eat more than the men and women combined. After about an hour of open house, we cleared up for the second meal. I was seriously tired from all the preparations, so after lunch I had a nice Shabbos shluf (you're supposed to nap on Shabbos so there's even a special name for it). The ladies (me, Calanitte, Avital, and Calanitte's sister Keren) had the third meal on our own because the guys were at shul. As soon as Shabbos was over the serious clean-up began.
Sunday morning I went with Calanitte into town to run some errands. I finally took care of my business with Bank Leumi. It was nice having Calanitte there because the bankers' English wasn't very good and my Hebrew is even worse. We searched allover for a falafel place with a hecscher (Kosher certification) that she accepts, but didn't find one. I got myself a falafel and Calanitte stopped at Sbarro. When she was paying at Sbarro, they asked if she wanted to contribute a shekel (about $.25) for security. This seemed odd, and is odd even in Israel where security is always heightened and having your bag searched is routine for entering any restaurant or store. Then I remembered that Sbarro had been blown up a few years back and was relocated to this spot a few hundred feet down the street from its previous location. When I got back to Ramot, I had my falafel (in laffa this time rather than pita), and then Aaron and I went back out to the Old City to go to the Kottel (the Western Wall--the holiest site in Judaism). The first bus we took was a Mahedrin bus which caters especially to the Chareidi (ultra-orthodox) community, so men ride in the front and women enter and ride in the back. This was my first experience on one of these buses--on most buses in Israel men and women can sit wherever they want, but usually women sit next to women and vice versa. It just so happened that on this bus there were more men than women, so there were men standing in the front while there were open seats in the women's section.
The second bus took us right to the Kottel. The Kottel was not too crowded which was nice because I could actually pray along the wall (last time I was there was the last night of Channukah and it was packed). After praying, I met back up with Aaron and we walked down the hill to the City of David (Ir David). According to Aaron, this is where the Cohens (priests) lived in the time of the first temple. Now it is right on the edge of a huge Arab neighborhood (probably the West Bank, but I'm not sure). We walked down a bunch of stairs that seemed to be leading to the Arab neighborhood. Aaron explained that there is a very holy mikveh (natural water source used for ritual baths) nearby, but you have to walk through the Arab
neighborhood to get there, and it's a bit sketchy (apparently someone he knows had his tires slashed when he went there). We were just about the only ones there, and I'm not sure if that's because they're still redoing the place or because it's not so safe. Hmmm...
Anyway, we made it back to Ramot without incident. On the way back, I saw a guy on the bus wearing a Berkeley shirt so I asked him if he goes there, but it turned out to be his friend's shirt--oh well, would have been pretty crazy if there was another Berkeley student on the bus to Ramot.
Now I'm beginning to pack up my stuff and get ready for the next leg of my journey. My flight to Johannesburg leaves tomorrow night, so I will be in South Afrcia by Wednesday morning!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Preparing for the Kiddush
The last couple days we have mostly been busy preparing for Feyga's kiddush this Shabbos. A kiddush is an event where family and friends come together to honor the birth of a baby girl (the equivalent for boys is a bris or circumcision). Today I baked challahs (braided egg bread for Shabbos) and Calanitte baked the third and final cake to serve at the kiddush. Yesterday we went on a massive shopping spree at the supermarket. I was worried about how we'd get everything in the overflowing shopping cart to a taxi with just three arms (my two and one of Calanitte's since the other was holding the baby), then Calanitte told me that the supermarkets deliver to your door for a flat price no matter how much you buy. Earlier that morning we had taken Feyga to the government-run baby clinic in a neighboring building. The clinic was in what seemed to be a converted apartment, and there Feyga received a shot, and got weighed and measured. Not only was this conveniently located, all of the services are completely free for Israeli citizens.
Aside from preparing for the kiddush, I've taken some small trips around. On Tuesday evening we went to the wedding of the daughter of one of the rabbis from Aaron's old yeshiva. The way that Chassidish weddings go, as do all other Chassidish get-togethers, the men are separated from the women as you walk in the door because men cannot see women dancing, etc. So I was with Calanitte, Avital, and Feyga on the women's side of the wedding hall. There the bride is sitting in a chair, giving blessings to women as they come up to her. The chuppah (wedding canopy) ceremony was supposed to be at 5:30 but it didn't start until 7:45. When it does begin the groom is brought over to the women's side, the fathers (his and the bride's) holding each arm. When he reaches the bride, he places a veil over her head. Then everyone makes their way outside to the chuppah, the bride escorted by the mothers. At this time Calanitte was busy feeding and Avital wanted to stay with her, so I stayed with them. We had a couple courses of the meal, but they were still serving food at 9pm when we decided to leave because Avital had school in the morning and we were getting tired. I couldn't believe the wedding went so late because practically all of the women there (and there was well over 100) had small children and had to leave before the bride even came back from her first meal with her husband. This was the second Chassidish wedding I have been to (the first being Aaron and Calanitte's of course). I later found out that the bride and groom were 18...oy! I knew that they were young because it seemed like the groom still had acne...
Yesterday afternoon, after the major supermarket trip, I went with Aaron up the Kever Shmuel Hanavi (the tomb of Samuel). It's a pretty short taxi ride away, but you have to pass a checkpoint to get there. It is the located on the highest spot in Jerusalem and you can even climb up on the roof, so the view was amazing. After praying there, we bummed a ride back down the hill to Ramot--a very Israeli thing to do.
Between baking and cleaning today, I went downstairs to play on the mini merry-go-round after much pleading for Avital to join me. After getting some weird looks from little kids, I decided to go back up. Now, Calanitte's parents justed stopped by to drop off her younger sister Keren who will be here for Shabbos.
By the way, I'm planning on posting pictures just before I leave on Tuesday.
Aside from preparing for the kiddush, I've taken some small trips around. On Tuesday evening we went to the wedding of the daughter of one of the rabbis from Aaron's old yeshiva. The way that Chassidish weddings go, as do all other Chassidish get-togethers, the men are separated from the women as you walk in the door because men cannot see women dancing, etc. So I was with Calanitte, Avital, and Feyga on the women's side of the wedding hall. There the bride is sitting in a chair, giving blessings to women as they come up to her. The chuppah (wedding canopy) ceremony was supposed to be at 5:30 but it didn't start until 7:45. When it does begin the groom is brought over to the women's side, the fathers (his and the bride's) holding each arm. When he reaches the bride, he places a veil over her head. Then everyone makes their way outside to the chuppah, the bride escorted by the mothers. At this time Calanitte was busy feeding and Avital wanted to stay with her, so I stayed with them. We had a couple courses of the meal, but they were still serving food at 9pm when we decided to leave because Avital had school in the morning and we were getting tired. I couldn't believe the wedding went so late because practically all of the women there (and there was well over 100) had small children and had to leave before the bride even came back from her first meal with her husband. This was the second Chassidish wedding I have been to (the first being Aaron and Calanitte's of course). I later found out that the bride and groom were 18...oy! I knew that they were young because it seemed like the groom still had acne...
Yesterday afternoon, after the major supermarket trip, I went with Aaron up the Kever Shmuel Hanavi (the tomb of Samuel). It's a pretty short taxi ride away, but you have to pass a checkpoint to get there. It is the located on the highest spot in Jerusalem and you can even climb up on the roof, so the view was amazing. After praying there, we bummed a ride back down the hill to Ramot--a very Israeli thing to do.
Between baking and cleaning today, I went downstairs to play on the mini merry-go-round after much pleading for Avital to join me. After getting some weird looks from little kids, I decided to go back up. Now, Calanitte's parents justed stopped by to drop off her younger sister Keren who will be here for Shabbos.
By the way, I'm planning on posting pictures just before I leave on Tuesday.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Shabbos in Jerusalem
Since I last wrote, I have spent most of my time around the apartment. Later on Thursday when Avital got home from gan, she really wanted to play with me which was wonderful but I was dead tired. Jetlag hit me really hard this time and by late afternoon I could hardly keep my eyes open. Even with Avital jumping all over me, my body wanted nothing more than a nap. When I told her this, her response was, [cue the puppy eyes] "But Mommy told me that when I got home from gan that Jenn would play with me..." so I persevered until later that evening. Then by about 3am I was wide awake and stayed that way for a few hours. This continued for the next couple days.
Friday was spent preparing for Shabbos. Aaron and Calanitte prepared the vegetable soup, turkey stew (I left that for them), potato kugel, and apple-strawberry pie that we were to have for dinner that night. I relieved Aaron of some of his regular duties by doing the dishes, vacuuming and mopping the floor (Israelis have their own way of doing everything so I had to learn), and helping with grocery shopping. Shabbos was quite relaxed as it is supposed to be, and Avital was with her father, so it was also pretty quiet. Since I hadn't really ventured beyond a few hundred feet of the apartment by this time I was still unsure exactly where we are. Early Saturday morning this thought was brought mind as I heard what sounded like recorded chanting and music. Being that it was Shabbos, there was no way that this sound was coming from within the Jewish neighborhood--it had to be from a nearby Muslim neighborhood. In the Jewish neighborhood the only regular loudspeaker alert is the Shabbos siren which is sounded just before sundown when it is time to light candles on Friday evening (it is an actual siren so if you don't know what it is it could be quite disconcerting). For 2nd meal (lunch on Saturday), we went to the home of a family in a neighboring building. From my count, they had seven children ranging in age from six to twenty. Both of the parents were born in the US, so everyone in the family spoke English as well as Hebrew which was nice since most of the families around here speak only Hebrew (for example, a few minutes ago a girl came to the door asking something that I didn't understand and Calanitte is busy feeding so I had to ask her to come back later--after Calanitte told me what to say). The family that hosted us loves babies so much that they were practically ripping Feyga out of Calanitte's arms, but luckily Feyga didn't make a fuss while we were there.
By Saturday night the weather became very windy and rainy. The pouring rain and howling winds lasted through to Sunday morning, so I postponed my plans to go into the main part of Jerusalem. (FYI: Sunday is a regular work/school day in Israel.) Aaron came home from work early so that we could have lunch together. Every time I visit Israel I make a point to have falafel, so we got some from the place down the street (ironically, I eat more falafel than my brother who lives here). Falafel is a fluffy pita (not like most of the stuff of the same name in the US) stuffed with falafel balls (a ground garbanzo bean mixture that is fried), salat (cucumber and tomato), hummus (pronounced choomoos), tehinah (seasoned sesame seed paste), spicy sauce, eggplant, pickles, and topped with french fries. One of those costs a little over $2.
Today I finally ventured beyond the apartment into the city. Aaron had to go into the office of his work which is located across town. I went along with him because we needed to pick up a baby swing from a store across the street from his work. After we bought the swing and he went to work, I realized there really wasn't much to see over there (as Aaron had been telling me) because it is mostly an industrial/commercial area, and it was getting to be quite stressful crossing the street (or walking around for that matter) because there were cars all over the place. So I made my way back to the shouk which is the big outdoor produce market. I am semi-familiar with this area of Jerusalem because I have been around there a lot on previous visits, so I got off the very crowded city bus a few blocks before the shouk. I spent the next couple hours literally walking in circles so that I would not get myself lost. One of my goals today was to get some old bonds cashed at Bank Leumi. Seeing as this is one of the biggest banks in Israel I thought this would be no problem...think again. I must have passed five other banks before seeing a single one. Finally, I found what I thought was a Bank Leumi (the sign said Bnei Leumi in Hebrew so I assumed it was the same thing) so I waited awhile to talk to the right person who then told me that I need to go to the main branch, but by this time it was 12:20 and in Israel banks close at 12:30. Having failed that mission I started walking around the shouk aimlessly. I got a big cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice as I was quite thirsty from the hurrying around. The shouk was not all that exciting since I didn't need to buy any produce and I had been there a few times before. Having been to this area on all prior trips here, nothing seemed all that new or exciting, but it was still interesting experiencing it on my own for the first time. My proudest moment of the day was when I realized that I gave correct directions to an American couple that had approached me earlier asking how to get to a restaurant I happened to have gone to once a few years ago. I also found a nice cheap sling purse at a shop off Ben Yehuda street where they were selling almost nothing but these purses--this was a nice reward after spending hours looking for one in LA with no success. Just before meeting Aaron back by the shouk, I gave in to getting another falafel after passing dozens of shops and being tempted by the yummy smells.
Aaron and I made our way back to Ramot by late afternoon. (Another proud moment: I told someone the correct time when they asked in Hebrew!) The bus rides around town gave me a better idea of where we are in relation to the rest of Jerusalem. Ramot really is on the outskirts, with Arab villages just beyond to the northwest.
As I realized today, this particular trip is really about family because I've seen the touristy sites and they're not so exciting the fourth time around (especially by myself). So I'm going to continue enjoying the priceless moments with Aaron and his wonderful family.
Friday was spent preparing for Shabbos. Aaron and Calanitte prepared the vegetable soup, turkey stew (I left that for them), potato kugel, and apple-strawberry pie that we were to have for dinner that night. I relieved Aaron of some of his regular duties by doing the dishes, vacuuming and mopping the floor (Israelis have their own way of doing everything so I had to learn), and helping with grocery shopping. Shabbos was quite relaxed as it is supposed to be, and Avital was with her father, so it was also pretty quiet. Since I hadn't really ventured beyond a few hundred feet of the apartment by this time I was still unsure exactly where we are. Early Saturday morning this thought was brought mind as I heard what sounded like recorded chanting and music. Being that it was Shabbos, there was no way that this sound was coming from within the Jewish neighborhood--it had to be from a nearby Muslim neighborhood. In the Jewish neighborhood the only regular loudspeaker alert is the Shabbos siren which is sounded just before sundown when it is time to light candles on Friday evening (it is an actual siren so if you don't know what it is it could be quite disconcerting). For 2nd meal (lunch on Saturday), we went to the home of a family in a neighboring building. From my count, they had seven children ranging in age from six to twenty. Both of the parents were born in the US, so everyone in the family spoke English as well as Hebrew which was nice since most of the families around here speak only Hebrew (for example, a few minutes ago a girl came to the door asking something that I didn't understand and Calanitte is busy feeding so I had to ask her to come back later--after Calanitte told me what to say). The family that hosted us loves babies so much that they were practically ripping Feyga out of Calanitte's arms, but luckily Feyga didn't make a fuss while we were there.
By Saturday night the weather became very windy and rainy. The pouring rain and howling winds lasted through to Sunday morning, so I postponed my plans to go into the main part of Jerusalem. (FYI: Sunday is a regular work/school day in Israel.) Aaron came home from work early so that we could have lunch together. Every time I visit Israel I make a point to have falafel, so we got some from the place down the street (ironically, I eat more falafel than my brother who lives here). Falafel is a fluffy pita (not like most of the stuff of the same name in the US) stuffed with falafel balls (a ground garbanzo bean mixture that is fried), salat (cucumber and tomato), hummus (pronounced choomoos), tehinah (seasoned sesame seed paste), spicy sauce, eggplant, pickles, and topped with french fries. One of those costs a little over $2.
Today I finally ventured beyond the apartment into the city. Aaron had to go into the office of his work which is located across town. I went along with him because we needed to pick up a baby swing from a store across the street from his work. After we bought the swing and he went to work, I realized there really wasn't much to see over there (as Aaron had been telling me) because it is mostly an industrial/commercial area, and it was getting to be quite stressful crossing the street (or walking around for that matter) because there were cars all over the place. So I made my way back to the shouk which is the big outdoor produce market. I am semi-familiar with this area of Jerusalem because I have been around there a lot on previous visits, so I got off the very crowded city bus a few blocks before the shouk. I spent the next couple hours literally walking in circles so that I would not get myself lost. One of my goals today was to get some old bonds cashed at Bank Leumi. Seeing as this is one of the biggest banks in Israel I thought this would be no problem...think again. I must have passed five other banks before seeing a single one. Finally, I found what I thought was a Bank Leumi (the sign said Bnei Leumi in Hebrew so I assumed it was the same thing) so I waited awhile to talk to the right person who then told me that I need to go to the main branch, but by this time it was 12:20 and in Israel banks close at 12:30. Having failed that mission I started walking around the shouk aimlessly. I got a big cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice as I was quite thirsty from the hurrying around. The shouk was not all that exciting since I didn't need to buy any produce and I had been there a few times before. Having been to this area on all prior trips here, nothing seemed all that new or exciting, but it was still interesting experiencing it on my own for the first time. My proudest moment of the day was when I realized that I gave correct directions to an American couple that had approached me earlier asking how to get to a restaurant I happened to have gone to once a few years ago. I also found a nice cheap sling purse at a shop off Ben Yehuda street where they were selling almost nothing but these purses--this was a nice reward after spending hours looking for one in LA with no success. Just before meeting Aaron back by the shouk, I gave in to getting another falafel after passing dozens of shops and being tempted by the yummy smells.
Aaron and I made our way back to Ramot by late afternoon. (Another proud moment: I told someone the correct time when they asked in Hebrew!) The bus rides around town gave me a better idea of where we are in relation to the rest of Jerusalem. Ramot really is on the outskirts, with Arab villages just beyond to the northwest.
As I realized today, this particular trip is really about family because I've seen the touristy sites and they're not so exciting the fourth time around (especially by myself). So I'm going to continue enjoying the priceless moments with Aaron and his wonderful family.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Arrival in Israel
I have completed the first leg of my long journey and now get to spend two weeks with my brother and his family in Jerusalem, Israel. Getting here involved a 14-hour nonstop flight from LAX and catching a ride on the "Nesher Sheirut" or shuttle service for Jerusalem. That in itself was a bit of an ordeal since the driver kept saying we were ready to go, and would then walk off for 20 minutes trying to fill up the shuttle with more people. At one point, me and some other women unloaded all of our stuff and were going to split a taxi, but then the driver came back and said we were ready to go (NOT!). The scenery on the drive over was just as I have become accustomed to. There's the rocky rolling hillsides covered in scrub brush and the pine tree that has been planted all over the country. The shuttle came the "back" route to Jerusalem, which to my surprise seemed to run in between Palestinian areas (note to self: look up route 443 on a map). Once you know what to look for, it's very easy to tell the difference between Israeli and Palestinian housing. Palestinian housing is usually cinder block construction with no windows (so it seems from a few hundred feet away), and ALWAYS has a satellite dish on the roof, which I find very fascinating. Another strong clue is the sight of minnerets used for the Muslim call to prayer. On the other hand, Israeli housing usually has a facade of Jerusalem stone and bars on the windows, and no satellite dishes (this is especially true in religious communities--they all look the same). And if you haven't picked up on those differences, there's always the infamous wall along certain parts of the road and checkpoints. Highlight of the ride was definitely when we turned a corner and there was a herd of sheep in the highway! Thus far I survived the standard crazy Israeli driving that includes speeding and driving over the lines rather than between them, and luckily mine was the first stop and I had no trouble finding my brother's place.
Once here, I was rewarded by getting to hold my baby niece Feyga. She is smaller than I imagined by this age, so I can't imagine how tiny she must have been two months ago when she was born. She is a very cute, animated little baby. Three times I waved at her and she waved right back!! Now, it's possible that she just moves her arm around periodically, but it was amazingly well-timed, so I interpreted the gestures as waves. My sister-in-law, Calanitte, is busy most of the day feeding her, but in between feedings I get glimpses of baby cuteness. Shortly after I got here, my other niece Avital (although not related by blood, just as loveable) who is five came home from school. I have been talking with her online regularly for the last year, helping to build a relationship which is good because she was a lot less shy when I got here this time. She even wanted me to sleep in the pull-out bed next to her's in her room, which I did although she fell asleep in another room. Apparently lice is really common amongst school-aged children here, so lice checks and shampooing are a way of life--I'm really hoping I don't get any! This morning Avital helped me pick out my clothes and advised me on which whould be better to wear for Shabbos since you're supposed to dress nicer for Shabbos, and apparently one of my sweaters has some "not so Shabbos-y buttons" whatever that means. I then got to walk her to gan (preschool).
Interesting note: This neighborhood has a bunch of specialized markets rather than one big supermarket. So there is the shop where they just sell produce, and one where they just sell fish, etc... I'm already enjoying the ridiculously cheap and delicious produce. For instance, the avocados are gorgeous and about $1 per kilo.
I can also tell that this is a very close-knit community. Susanne and Doug mentioned when they got back from their visit here last month that they felt like the little kids were staring at them when they first came. I definitely know what they mean now. I assume it's a combination of them not knowing us and us dressing differently. Whatever the reason, it's a little weird. But I figure I better get used to it because the fact is that I am going to stand out for the next six months. And so my adventures begin. Pictures to come soon!
Once here, I was rewarded by getting to hold my baby niece Feyga. She is smaller than I imagined by this age, so I can't imagine how tiny she must have been two months ago when she was born. She is a very cute, animated little baby. Three times I waved at her and she waved right back!! Now, it's possible that she just moves her arm around periodically, but it was amazingly well-timed, so I interpreted the gestures as waves. My sister-in-law, Calanitte, is busy most of the day feeding her, but in between feedings I get glimpses of baby cuteness. Shortly after I got here, my other niece Avital (although not related by blood, just as loveable) who is five came home from school. I have been talking with her online regularly for the last year, helping to build a relationship which is good because she was a lot less shy when I got here this time. She even wanted me to sleep in the pull-out bed next to her's in her room, which I did although she fell asleep in another room. Apparently lice is really common amongst school-aged children here, so lice checks and shampooing are a way of life--I'm really hoping I don't get any! This morning Avital helped me pick out my clothes and advised me on which whould be better to wear for Shabbos since you're supposed to dress nicer for Shabbos, and apparently one of my sweaters has some "not so Shabbos-y buttons" whatever that means. I then got to walk her to gan (preschool).
Interesting note: This neighborhood has a bunch of specialized markets rather than one big supermarket. So there is the shop where they just sell produce, and one where they just sell fish, etc... I'm already enjoying the ridiculously cheap and delicious produce. For instance, the avocados are gorgeous and about $1 per kilo.
I can also tell that this is a very close-knit community. Susanne and Doug mentioned when they got back from their visit here last month that they felt like the little kids were staring at them when they first came. I definitely know what they mean now. I assume it's a combination of them not knowing us and us dressing differently. Whatever the reason, it's a little weird. But I figure I better get used to it because the fact is that I am going to stand out for the next six months. And so my adventures begin. Pictures to come soon!
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Greetings
I am new to the world of blogging, but I hope this will serve as a way for me to keep you updated on my upcoming world travels. I will be in Israel from Jan 17-Jan 30, and in South Africa from Jan 31 through the middle of June. I plan to use this site to share my experiences as well as photos of my adventures. Remember to update me over the coming months on what is happening in your life too!
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