Hello everyone,
The past few days have been chaotic and exciting, a pair of emotions that I did not think would mash up well (but surprisingly have).
I arrived in Tel Aviv on the 31st of August, and found some people from my program, Jill and Alex, at the airport. Together we took a sheirut, or shared taxi for those of you unfamiliar with Israeli society, to Jerusalem. We then spent the day prepping to meet the rest of the program, as well as exploring the Israeli capitol. This included dinner and drinks on Ben Yehuda Street, a well-known area for tourists and those looking for bars. It’s a crowded place, with small back streets filled with hype men for the bars trying to convince you to drink at their establishment, more often than not with free drinks or hookah. Suffice to say it is not necessarily my favorite place, however it was definitely fun.
The following day we joined the rest of program for check in, followed by the usual getting to know you icebreakers, of which I will spare you the details suffice to say that the majority of the people on the program are funny and kind, the types I look forward to getting to know over the next 5 months. We come from all over the world, including the States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Germany, France, and several other South American countries.
The following day was a long one which started with a rules and regulations session followed by a tasting tour of the Shuk, or open air market. The Shuk is an environment that is intrinsically Israeli. It is loud and crowded, and no one would think twice about stepping over you, or even on you, if you are in their way. Yet it is also a place where people help each other out, whether that be through the objects they sell in their shops (like the woman who sold traditional remedies in the forms of lotions and drinks) or in the deal they are willing to work out for you (this also has to do with getting a sale, but I’ll be an optimist and believe it also has to do with helping their fellow man). After the Shuk we traveled to a local archaeological site, where we assisted in searching for artifacts in sifted debris from when the Jordanian government performed illegal renovations on the temple mount. Those of you who know me can safely assume that I was in my element, for once letting my education take control.
After the dig we traveled to the old city, where we went to the Western Wall, the holiest site in all of Judaism. There we took a guided tour of the excavations of the tunnels bellow it, learning more about the history of the site and how it came to be (both the dig and the tour were like drugs to me, except instead of being bad for me, they just give me juicy, juicy knowledge).
The following day I joined a group which spoke to two organizations, New Spirits and Kids for Peace. New Spirits is a group which is working to fix the decline in secular youth in Jerusalem, as they leave at rates as high as 10% each year. They do this by working with municipal governments and artists to improve the availability of activities, jobs, and the appearance of the local neighborhoods. The ultimate goal is not just to stop the loss of that one particular subset of population, but also to prevent the takeover of the city by the ultra-orthodox who have dominated the political and cultural landscape for the last decade or so. Kids for Peace on the other hand is youth program which brings together Israeli and Palestinian youths to create connections before prejudice can be instilled. They do this by through after school programs and bringing the kids to camp in the states, all while slowly working them towards discussing the actual problem. The goal is not to end the occupation or bring peace through government actions, but by shaping the leaders of tomorrow to do it themselves. It was a fascinating conversation, up until an Ethiopian man began screaming ethnic slurs at one of the presenters, who happened to be a Palestinian. It was shocking moment, and one that solidified the duality that is Jerusalem. On the one hand the city is the center of all three major monotheistic religions (it was described by a Harvard professor to us as Monotheistic Disney land). On the other it is divided between Jews and Palestinians, with neither side coming out well. This separation is solidified by the appearance of East and West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem, where the Palestinians mostly congregate, and where they want their future capital to be, is made of one or two story buildings, looking more like a large middle eastern village than a major capitol. The West side is a combination of ancient buildings (some hundreds of years old) and gigantic high rises. The West is akin to Paris or London, a western city with western views, and the East is middle eastern, both in architecture and in views. They coexist, living together in all ways, from shopping to eating, and yet they are divided by hatred and anger.
After the discussions we traveled to Tel Aviv, where we checked into the apartments we will be living in for the next 5 months. The place where I am living is on the corner of Allenby and Rothschild. It is a recently renovated apartment building, with all the amenities that one would expect to find. The biggest difference is the size. Our kitchen is nothing more than a hallway, and the room I share with Alex is little more than 9 feet across. This is not uncommon, as the city is fighting for space, and unlike in America it is perfectly acceptable to live in a smaller domicile. It is going to take a little getting used to, however I suppose I am lucky, as I saw the apartments that the other half of the group is living in, and they make Allenby look like a five star hotel.
The next few weeks will be dominated by Ulpan (Hebrew language classes), and the high holidays, so there may not be many updates (although I will shoot for at least once a week, if not more). The excitement is incredible, and this is only the beginning.
Alex
p.s. I will be uploading most photos here, instead of on Facebook, as I prefer to keep the rights to my images. There will still be some posted there, just not many. keep a look out for the photo page.
5 comments for “The first three days”