Holiday Happenings

            Sorry this one’s late; I completely forgot what day it was. We’re having another holiday – this time it’s Wednesday and Thursday – to celebrate the Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day, respectively. And then of course there’s the weekend.

            I haven’t been doing much so far this weekend; I cleaned house, did most of my homework and finished a short story yesterday, and today I need to write a final project outline and study some German. I’m still finding it hard to focus on work, but things are going fine. It’s kind of scary to consider that there’s only a month until finals, and then the semester will be over; it’s gone by very fast, and I still have a lot I want to get done.

            Language classes are going well. I made an A on my Hebrew midterm. We’re currently in the middle of a discussion on whether Wagner should be performed at official functions in Israel, which provides us with some interesting vocabulary. I think I did alright on my colloquial Arabic class midterm; I knew the answers, but the class is taught in English transliteration, and I’m not sure I got the transliteration right. Finally, my formal Arabic lessons are going wonderfully; I get along great with the teacher, and she says I pick things up very quickly.

            My other two classes form and interesting contrast; Palestinian History and Society is taught, as it should be, by a Palestinian, while my International Law class is taught largely from the Israeli perspective. Neither class is completely biased, but we’re studying the Six Days’ War in both, and it’s interesting to hear them presented; depending on who is doing the talking, either the Israelis or the Egyptians appear to be the sole aggressors. I’m writing a final paper on the subject, but it’s going to require a lot of sorting out.

            Most of the past couple of days, though, has been taken up with my finally watching the Harry Potter movies (I don’t have time to read the books, especially already knowing all the major plot points). I just finished the last one this morning. The nice thing about watching movies on the internet, though, is that you can easily skip past all the teen angst and romance parts and just watch the plot, so it didn’t take me as long as you might think.

            Now, though, I really need to stop watching movies and get down to business. This semester has been amazing; it’s been very stress-free, and I’ve had very little work or responsibility. I’ve learned a lot just by traveling by myself and having to get my own food, do my own cleaning, and etc. However, overall, I’ve had a lot of free time.

            The struggle I’ve been having all semester is what to do with that free time. I have several projects in the works that have been given ample time – mainly German and Just War theorizing – but lately my plans have been getting derailed by my own indolence. I know I need to rest so I don’t burn out, but I actually enjoy being productive more than taking time off, if I’m working on something interesting.

            In any case, it’s been a fairly uneventful week so far. I may go out and do something this weekend, but public transportation has shut down for the holidays, so I’m not going anywhere today. Even the gym and supermarkets are closed. Fortunately for me, I’m perfectly content curled up in my room with an interesting project, and I’ve just found the first Harry Potter novel in German on pdf, so if you’ll excuse me, I have some studying to do.

PS – Here are some photos from my mom's phone of our trip to Nazareth and Tiberius!

Vacation Visit

            I would say it’s been a busy week, but I suppose it really hasn’t. The workload this week was excessive compared to the rest of the semester, but unremarkable compared to Harvard. Still, perception is influential, and I feel like I’ve been rushing around and need to rest.

            I know; I just had a vacation. But vacations, especially during study abroad, are generally opportunities to do all the things you don’t have time to do normally. Most of the week’s excitement (and pictures) came from my parents’ visit. Since we’ve been to Israel before and visited the main sites, it wasn’t a mad rush to do everything, which was nice, but we still did some exploring.

            However, while last week was great, nothing seemed to go as planned. We started off on a trip to Hezekiah’s tunnel, but it was closed, probably due to Passover, so we ended up heading to Caesarea instead. The next day we headed up north to do some hiking, but it was raining, more than it has in months, so we ended up going to Nazareth and Tiberius instead.

            It was quite an adventure trying to navigate Israel, driving pouring rain without knowing exactly where we were going, from time to time passing through third-world traffic in small towns, and spontaneously stopping for tourist attractions that popped up on the GPS. For instance, we had no idea that Maimonides’ tomb was in Tiberius, but we can now say we’ve visited it. That’s how a lot of things operate here – there aren’t any strict schedules or detailed plans; you just kind of run with it.

            I also got to use my Hebrew and Arabic skills quite a bit this past week. I’ve noticed before that Jerusalem can be a hard place to learn Hebrew, because if it’s clear you’re not fluent, people will immediately start to speak to you in English. However, apparently this rule does not apply when your parents are visiting; all of a sudden, all sorts of things needed to be translated. It was satisfying to be able to use my language skills.  

            I also enjoyed giving my parents a tour (a very quick, rainy tour) of campus, showing them where my classes are, and welcoming them into my dorm.  I wasn’t in my dorm room very much this past week, though. For most of my parents’ visit we stayed with a couple of friends – along with their three-year-old and 8-month-old, who added a whole new level of chaos to life, but were adorable.

            It was a good break, if a rather turbulent one, and I’m very thankful for the time I’ve had with my parents – I usually don’t see them at all during the semester – but now it’s time to return to work. For reasons unknown, Hebrew University holds their midterms week directly after Passover Break, which means that since I’ve returned to school I’ve had two midterms and a presentation to deal with.

            As far as I know, I did fine, and it wasn’t overly stressful, but this week has been one major thing after another, and I’m very much looking forward to sitting down this weekend and giving my mind a chance to process everything: events and discussion from my parents’ visit, random other topics that I’m pondering, what I’m learning in classes, and the slightly frightening fact that in two months I’ll be halfway through my college career.

            At the moment, I’m being productive, but I’m doing them largely without analysis; I’m just doing what needs to be done. Before I can jumpstart my brain again and get it working on interesting problems, I have to let it catch up to what I’ve already done; until then my more abstract cognition is kind of at a standstill. The good news, though, is that the weekend starts tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully I’ll have the time to stop and think. Maybe I can find some philosophical musings to add into next week’s post.

Pics: Thank you to both of my parents for taking quite a few of these photos.

This is a roman Aqueduct at Caesarea. My dad and I clambered onto it in the rain; my mom stayed in the car.

 These are more ruins at Caesarea. It was pretty chilly.

Caesarea turned out to be gorgeous in the rain. I never knew orange and blue could look so breathtaking together.

 This is the amazing sky that accompanied the erratic weather (first it was sleeting, then sunny, then raining, then hailing, then sunny, then sleeting... all in one day.)

This is the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth; they have paintings of Mary donated from countries around the world.

This is the restaurant the night before they left - we were surprised this selfie turned out successful, but we wanted a picture of the three of us.

Easter in Jerusalem

                Wow! So much has happened I almost forgot I needed to write my blog! I hope everyone had a blessed Holy Week and Easter and Passover.

                My parents have arrived, and we are currently enjoying the accommodations at a guest house in Jerusalem after spending the day walking the streets of the Old City. I didn’t realize how well I knew my way around until today, but I was happy to find that I knew where things were and could (for the most part) get us where we needed to be. All the Christian sites were packed out, but we had an enjoyable time, although it’s as hot as it’s been in a while and we were very tired and thirsty by the end of everything.

                The guest house here is much more comfortable than my dorm – I’m going to need to bring my clothes here to wash them. It’s been a while since I’ve lived in a house, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Everything is quiet and spacious and clean, and we have a stove and a microwave and all sorts of appliances I’m no longer used to having at my disposal. And of course, it’s nice to have my parents around; they’ve been here less than twenty-four hours, and already we’ve had a lot of good conversation.

                Working backwards in time, though, I should tell you about my Passover experience. My first contact with Passover was the realization that none of the grocery stores near me were carrying bread and that everything had risen in price. Sometimes I forget just how religious a city Jerusalem is. In Texas, people go to church on Sunday, but afterwards people watch TV, restaurants are open, and life continues as usual. Here, everything stops for the holidays. Luckily, of course, there are three different religions, and you can usually find one of them conducting business as usual.

                This past weekend, I had the opportunity to join a host family in their Friday Passover supper. Between delayed busses, a dead phone, and only vague directions, it was an adventure reaching my hosts’ house, but the dinner was wonderful. They were great about welcoming myself and the other students, and they explained each part of the Seder dinner as we partook of it – the bitter herbs, the unleavened bread (basically large crackers), the telling of the Exodus story, and etc.

                After the main ceremonial part, though, came the food – so much good food! The table was loaded with four different kinds of meat, as well as various salads, sauces, and sides. I was nervous coming in about the traditional four glasses of wine during the ceremony, but as it turns out, my host family is very partial to grape juice – they had three different kinds – and it didn’t come close to being a problem. With the food came conversation – with four students and the family, we had Israelis, Americans, American immigrants to Israel, a German, Mennonites, former Catholics, a Lutheran, myself, and of course the Jews. The discussion was interesting and good-spirited.

                Of course, the four-year-old and seven-year-old at the table certainly livened things up. The four-year-old tried to sing the traditional questions, but couldn’t remember all the words, and became very upset when her father tried to help her out by singing them himself. She and her brother managed the traditional theft of the Afikomen*, but after her brother started napping, she offered to tell us where it was.

                Because the kids needed to go to bed, we ended up skipping a lot of the second half of the ceremony, which was fine by me, since it was already 11:15 at night. Seders have been known to last far longer, but perhaps not so much with four-year-olds in the house. The kids also livened up our lunch the following day with a long joke-telling spree.

                Although transportation on Friday ended up working out, and the taxi driver who took me home was very nice, I decided it would be easier to walk (with a fully-charged phone) to my host family’s house across Jerusalem on Saturday. It gave me a much better idea of where I was in relation to other parts of Jerusalem, and it was interesting to pass through the Arab section of town, through the Jewish section of town, into the touristy part of town and the German Colony.

                Of course, there’s a main part of town I haven’t talked about yet – the Christian side of things. This weekend was also full of Easter Celebration. On Friday a few friends and I joined one of the processions heading down the Via Dolorosa. It was great to be a part of it – several groups of monks or priests carried crosses through the street, and the procession walked through the city singing, stopping at each station to read the corresponding scripture, say the Lord’s prayer and the Hail Mary.

                I should mention that all of this was done in Arabic, which meant that while I knew what was going on, it was more language practice than anything. Thankfully, I already knew the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic; I never learned the Hail Mary in English, so that didn’t make me much difference. We followed the procession into the Holy Sepulchre, then lost them, only to find them again quite by accident walking down the street.

                Of course, even the best of processions involve a lot of congestion. This one made its way down narrow, winding streets, and the way was full of alleged Christian brothers and sisters elbowing each other aside in an attempt to get closer to the cross. I feel like there should be a metaphor in there somewhere. At one point I engaged in a bit of an argument with several Arab boys who had linked arms across the passageway and weren’t letting anyone through, but I and the just-as-frustrated lady behind me managed to sneak by before things heated up too much.

                Easter Services also involved a great deal of crowding and confusion. It took us a while to figure out when they took place, since so many denominations are having services. However, we ended up in the Holy Sepulchre** in time for Easter Morning service – or mass, I should say, since the service in question was Catholic.

                We arrived early, and I had time to sit and pray before the service started; it was a wonderful opportunity, and one I’d been waiting for all semester. Despite the confusion of the service itself, and a quite overpowering quantity of incense, I’ve very glad I could attend. It was amazing to be in the Holy Sepulchre singing songs of worship on Easter morning, even if they were in Latin. However, between all the people going to and fro and never quite knowing what was going on, there wasn’t much time to concentrate on worship.

                After the service, we came back to the dorms and prepared a fantastic Easter Dinner, with a main course of lamb and no fewer than three types of desserts. The friend hosting us has a magnificent view of the Old City from her dorm, and we sat and ate and talked about everything under the sun while looking out over the city.

                For all the excitement of the day, though, I still didn’t really feel like I’d had time to stop and savor the moment, to really “have Easter.” It wasn’t until that night, as I sat finishing the book of Luke, that it really hit me again just how unworthy I was, just how great a gift was given, and just how remarkable a privilege it is that we should be children of God. It was at that moment that the Easter story once again came home to me.

                Over lunch with my host family, we’d discussed the merits of historical claims when visiting holy sites. One person said the historicity didn’t matter, but I don’t think that’s quite true. If I wanted to visit a church unconnected with history, I could have stayed in Texas. It’s amazing to be able to walk where Jesus walked. But in the end, it’s important to remember that wherever, whenever, and whoever we are, we can meet with God. That, after all, is the story of Easter.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afikoman

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre

PS - It seems like I should have more pictures from the last few days, but a few things held me back. All my Passover meals took place on the Sabbath, so there were no electronics and thus no pictures. And the Christian events were very crowded, which means most of my pictures are just more people. And finally, of course, when you're in a church service or a procession, you don't want to spend the whole time clicking pictures.

Good Friday procession:

 Entering the church:

 Easter Sunday morning:

 The altar in front of the Holy Sepulchre:

 The priests coming out for the service:

 The procession around the Sepulchre:

 My parents arrived! More pics of this later.

Yam Le Yam

            Well, I’ve completed a hiking trip, and I have the scrapes, scratches, soreness, stiffness, sunburn, and slight sprain to prove it. It’s my left ankle this time; the good news is that my right ankle seems to be completely healed and trustworthy after last summer. This sprain isn’t nearly as bad; it hardly counts as a sprain. I hiked on it for two days without significant discomfort or discoloration, so that’s always a good sign, although I’ll have to cut down on my running for a few days.

            Anyway, enough about injuries. Last week I finished my last few classes before break. Everyone was pretty restless, as usually happens before break, and the affect was compounded by the fact that the regular university and the grad schools had last week off, so about a third of the students were gone from some of my classes.

            Early Sunday morning we headed up to the Galilee for some hiking. The Middle East, while it’s very arid, is not all desert; we spent our time hiking through verdant landscapes and wading through streams. We started hiking at the Mediterranean and then made our way over to the Sea of Galilee. The hike is called Yam Le Yam (Sea to Sea).

            We cheated, though; we spent our two nights in the north in the nicest hostels anyone had ever seen – we were convinced that they mistakenly inserted the ‘s’ and they were actually hotels. Not having gotten much sleep for a couple of days before, I slept very well, and the food was also great. However, it was still quite tiring to hike for several hours a day.

            There were about thirty students, along with our certified hiking guides, our student guides from the university, and our medics/security people. We hiked mostly as a large group. Sometimes the trail was quiet, and sometimes it was full of people. Everyone is off school, so there were lots of children’s groups running around. We also passed plenty of families and groups of soldiers.

            It takes a while to get used to people walking around with assault rifles, but on the other hand, it makes one feel more secure, and it’s good to know that all the Israeli leaders in your group are army veterans and know how to deal with situations that come up. Fortunately, nothing did come up except for quite a few sprained ankles, and we had a very enjoyable trip.

            The second night of the trip, we built a bonfire, sang, and introduced the concept of s’mores to most of the non-Americans. I don’t understand how America has exported so many other cultural concepts and not the infinitely more useful idea of s’mores, but we’re doing our best. And yesterday morning I woke up early and watched the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee.

             Most of my roommates are gone for the break – it’s a great chance to travel if you’re not too religious – so the apartment is fairly quiet. I spent most of today catching up on sleep and resting in general, writing some philosophy I thought of while wandering through the mountains.

            Well, I’ve been on a trip, but it wasn’t a particularly exciting trip; it was mainly a wander through the mountains. I philosophized some; discussed the meaning of life, and various other topics, with friends; and regained some energy and perspective now that I’m about halfway through my stay. There’s not much more to write, but I do have plenty of pictures, and I’m sure I’ll have more news after Easter and Passover. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Pictures: This is a picture of the sunrise; there are more later.

These are from our first day of hiking.

 This was the culmination of our first day of hiking:

 and our hostel for the night:

 Second day (this used to be a wine press)

 This is said to be Elijah's chair; as the guide said, "we're not discussing if that's true; that's not the point."

 I was very excited about taking pictures of the sunrise, as you can see (this is less than half of them.)

 Third day of hiking (I was about picture-d out)

By the way, I keep forgetting to mention - credit for all pictures of me for this semester go to my lovely friends. Thank you to all of you (and to everyone who read this far down!)