Shalom! (from Israel)
I am writing to you from a coffee shop in Kfar-Saba, Israel. And guess what, they've got wireless internet access! So yeah, its a Tuesday right now, but I feel like I've been here for 3 weeks.
How can I sum up Israel?
It's a crazy country, I mean, really fucking crazy. Right now, I am sleeping on an inflatable air matress Dave bought in his dorm room at the Immigrant Absorption Center in Kfar-Saba. (he works there as a volunteer) Outside his 4th story window, you look out into the outskirts of the city, and then beyond that you see the Minarets of the West Bank (about 10 miles from Dave's room). At night, the Minarets have a green neon light and it's quite a scenic sight to look into the West Bank and see the lights of Arab villages surrounding the colorful glow of the minarets.
At this particular point in time, Israel is a lot safer than it was since the beginning of the second Antifadah in 2000. We ride public transportation (busses and trains) everywhere. Even last year, that would have been considered unsafe. The central bus stations are like airports. As you ride into the terminal, you stop at a security checkpoint where a guard gets on the bus, and quickly checks for suspicious material/packages left on the bus. Once you get off, you must be frisked (and have your bag screened) by an armed guard before going into the actual bus station. There are armed guards everywhere. You can't go into a mall, or popular restaurant/nightclub without going through security. It's like trying to go to the Avenues, but having to wait in a quick line to get clearance. Sometimes its a hassle, but life goes on.
There are soldiers everywhere. It's hard to really describe it accurately, but everyone aged 18-21 goes into the Army. It's like the Israeli version of college (although soldiers go to university after their 3 years in the army.) At my age, most of the soldiers are younger than me. It's never easy to get used to, when you go on a train and the car is filled with soldiers, uniforms and guns and all. They are very friendly, just kids like us, having a good time, trying to get back to their base or home. What does it mean for peace in this region? I have no doubt in my mind that Israelis genuinely want peace, but since it's inception in 1948, they have known nothing but war. I'm not concered about their desire for peace, but more whether or not they actually know what peace means (and what it entails). Fighting 5 major wars in 5 decades, followed by a bitter territorial dispute will do that to a society.
But talking about the conflict is another entry for another time. And the complexities could hardly be solved in a live journal entry. Or can it?? You ever wonder what famous people from the past, if they had live journals, what it would sound like? What would Stalin's sound like?
"Today I got up and it was FREEZING, so i had to get my jacket, but then i realized i left it in the motorcade, LOLz!! Owie, my feet hurt, I think I banged it on something, ooh, I massacred 500,000 people yesterday, i hope they serve carrot cake for desert tonight, thats it for now, TTYL!"
Rather than tell you about ALL my days I've had here so far, I'll talk about one day (sunday) and hope that gives you some idea of the stuff I'm up to.
So we woke up early on sunday and took a train to Haifa, a northern port city. The train was filled with soldiers returning to their respective bases (they are all allowed to go home on the weekend to spend shabbat with their families). We got to Haifa, walked around for a bit, had lunch. And you know what I ordered for lunch? BBQ chicken wings! yeah, i know, im in another country/culture and I order a generic american food, SO SUE ME! We then went to this crazy temple (not synagogue, but temple, not jewish) I forget who made it, but it was pretty awesome. One of the most awesome things I've seen. After that, we took another train to Rosh Hanikra, right on the Lebanese border. Rosh Hanikra is right on hte ocean and has a bunch of salt caves. We got there (late afternoon) and all the cable cars that went down to the caves were closed for the day. So, Dave had us walk down the cliff this back way and we got to see the caves right up next to the ocean. I was impressed that he got us down there, and thought that there was atleast a 12 percent chance of death as we weaved our way down the path to the ocean. But we got there at sunset, and it was pretty beautiful. After exploring, we went back to town and took the two hour train ride back to Tel Aviv. We checked into a Hostel right on the Mediterranean, and then we met up with some of daves friends to watch football at this american bar. and What game did we watch? THE COLTS LOSE TO THE CHARGERS. fucking awesome. By the way, After the Colts dismantled the Jags, I had the prediction that the Colts would go 16-0 but then lose in the playoffs, which is a classic Peyton move. But we'll see, god I hate Peyton. (oh, and on saturday night, we went to another bar in the town next to us and watched the Pats throttle the bucs! seriously, PATS! THEY'RE BACK BABY! God, I love Brady so much. I am 5000 miles away, and all I can think is how good he is. I knew they were just gonna play dormant until december, and then come back in full force)
Anyway, after the colts loss, we went across the street to the ocean to this Nargilah (hookah) lounge. We got to sit at a table literally on the beach (about 50 ft from the ocean) We stayed there into the night, and it was pretty great. Well, thats all for now. Just a taste, I wish everyone a merry xmas! (Xmas is outlawed in Israel) and will see everyone soon.
Oh, and I got a B in Managerial Accounting.
How can I sum up Israel?
It's a crazy country, I mean, really fucking crazy. Right now, I am sleeping on an inflatable air matress Dave bought in his dorm room at the Immigrant Absorption Center in Kfar-Saba. (he works there as a volunteer) Outside his 4th story window, you look out into the outskirts of the city, and then beyond that you see the Minarets of the West Bank (about 10 miles from Dave's room). At night, the Minarets have a green neon light and it's quite a scenic sight to look into the West Bank and see the lights of Arab villages surrounding the colorful glow of the minarets.
At this particular point in time, Israel is a lot safer than it was since the beginning of the second Antifadah in 2000. We ride public transportation (busses and trains) everywhere. Even last year, that would have been considered unsafe. The central bus stations are like airports. As you ride into the terminal, you stop at a security checkpoint where a guard gets on the bus, and quickly checks for suspicious material/packages left on the bus. Once you get off, you must be frisked (and have your bag screened) by an armed guard before going into the actual bus station. There are armed guards everywhere. You can't go into a mall, or popular restaurant/nightclub without going through security. It's like trying to go to the Avenues, but having to wait in a quick line to get clearance. Sometimes its a hassle, but life goes on.
There are soldiers everywhere. It's hard to really describe it accurately, but everyone aged 18-21 goes into the Army. It's like the Israeli version of college (although soldiers go to university after their 3 years in the army.) At my age, most of the soldiers are younger than me. It's never easy to get used to, when you go on a train and the car is filled with soldiers, uniforms and guns and all. They are very friendly, just kids like us, having a good time, trying to get back to their base or home. What does it mean for peace in this region? I have no doubt in my mind that Israelis genuinely want peace, but since it's inception in 1948, they have known nothing but war. I'm not concered about their desire for peace, but more whether or not they actually know what peace means (and what it entails). Fighting 5 major wars in 5 decades, followed by a bitter territorial dispute will do that to a society.
But talking about the conflict is another entry for another time. And the complexities could hardly be solved in a live journal entry. Or can it?? You ever wonder what famous people from the past, if they had live journals, what it would sound like? What would Stalin's sound like?
"Today I got up and it was FREEZING, so i had to get my jacket, but then i realized i left it in the motorcade, LOLz!! Owie, my feet hurt, I think I banged it on something, ooh, I massacred 500,000 people yesterday, i hope they serve carrot cake for desert tonight, thats it for now, TTYL!"
Rather than tell you about ALL my days I've had here so far, I'll talk about one day (sunday) and hope that gives you some idea of the stuff I'm up to.
So we woke up early on sunday and took a train to Haifa, a northern port city. The train was filled with soldiers returning to their respective bases (they are all allowed to go home on the weekend to spend shabbat with their families). We got to Haifa, walked around for a bit, had lunch. And you know what I ordered for lunch? BBQ chicken wings! yeah, i know, im in another country/culture and I order a generic american food, SO SUE ME! We then went to this crazy temple (not synagogue, but temple, not jewish) I forget who made it, but it was pretty awesome. One of the most awesome things I've seen. After that, we took another train to Rosh Hanikra, right on the Lebanese border. Rosh Hanikra is right on hte ocean and has a bunch of salt caves. We got there (late afternoon) and all the cable cars that went down to the caves were closed for the day. So, Dave had us walk down the cliff this back way and we got to see the caves right up next to the ocean. I was impressed that he got us down there, and thought that there was atleast a 12 percent chance of death as we weaved our way down the path to the ocean. But we got there at sunset, and it was pretty beautiful. After exploring, we went back to town and took the two hour train ride back to Tel Aviv. We checked into a Hostel right on the Mediterranean, and then we met up with some of daves friends to watch football at this american bar. and What game did we watch? THE COLTS LOSE TO THE CHARGERS. fucking awesome. By the way, After the Colts dismantled the Jags, I had the prediction that the Colts would go 16-0 but then lose in the playoffs, which is a classic Peyton move. But we'll see, god I hate Peyton. (oh, and on saturday night, we went to another bar in the town next to us and watched the Pats throttle the bucs! seriously, PATS! THEY'RE BACK BABY! God, I love Brady so much. I am 5000 miles away, and all I can think is how good he is. I knew they were just gonna play dormant until december, and then come back in full force)
Anyway, after the colts loss, we went across the street to the ocean to this Nargilah (hookah) lounge. We got to sit at a table literally on the beach (about 50 ft from the ocean) We stayed there into the night, and it was pretty great. Well, thats all for now. Just a taste, I wish everyone a merry xmas! (Xmas is outlawed in Israel) and will see everyone soon.
Oh, and I got a B in Managerial Accounting.