Prague Report

I took a last minute four day weekend trip to Prague, Czech Republic to visit Dane. She’s a friend from Smith who I dearly love because of her special qualities. From reading her blog, I sensed that she could use a friend from back home to visit her and I’ve always wanted to go to Prague. So it was a win-win situation from my perspective. We had a wonderful weekend together- she got to practice her tour guide skills for her parents who are visiting in two weeks. I give her an A as we rarely got lost.

We saw all the sights as they tended to center around the Charles River. I took lots of beautiful pictures- day and night. I tried all the Czech food- fried cheese, crepes (national dessert dish), goulash, dumplings, sausage, etc, etc. I had forgotten how good bread and meat tasted!

I’m going to stay to the point of the blog- discuss things that are relevant to Israel and Jewish stuff.

Dane and I shared a lot of things in common about living in Prague and Jerusalem. Both cities are in development, which is a fancy word for not having the luxuries that capital countries enjoy. We both must deal with the dramatic change in food quality and quantity. There’s no coffee basically- espresso is around. Drivers in both places are crazy- they drive on sidewalks. At least the Czech drivers stop to let pedestrians walk. I feel that you must be in Jerusalem and Prague to really feel for what I am trying to explain. Other examples are sporadic internet connection and the lack of customer service (Czechs don’t care much whereas the Israelis just seem to enjoy speaking English). Nevertheless, I loved Prague. I gave in to my temptation for a shopping spree at H&M- for once in a long time, the store had things that I actually liked. That’s how much I resent shopping in Israel.

I visited the Jewish Quarter to visit the Jewish Museum. What I came to realize was that the Prague Jewish Museum was broken up into six different synagogues, a ceremonial hall, and a Jewish cemetery. I ended up touring the place backwards as I realized that each synagogue told the story of the Czech Jews in different periods from the days of the Crusaders to modern times. I felt incredibly overwhelmed and exhausted as I read through the material that I didn’t even bother to do anything about the earliest Jewish history in Maisel synagogue. Most of the synagogues are no longer being used for services. The Spanish synagogue impressed me the most with its beautiful, rich colors and ornate interior décor. I loved the Klausen synagogue which held exhibits on Jewish holidays and traditions- I liked the dioramas of a typical Jewish kitchen and a Jewish dining room with explanations of Jewish dietary next to them. The ceremonial hall was very interested- it mainly focused on the Jewish burial rituals. I did not like Pinkas so much because it’s virtually empty but its walls were written with the names of Czech Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The white walls with black and red letterings just made me feel uncomfortable, especially when I climbed up to the women’s gallery where some of the children’s artwork from Terezin was on display. For some reason, this synagogue attracted more tourists than the others.

Outside of it, I went into the Jewish Cemetery. It was very freaky because now this was what I’d call a real graveyard. It looked like bodies were buried on top of one and another and headstones were placed around randomly. It’s not spacious- the headstones could not be more than a foot from each other (think about it, you’d have 3-4 right above your body instead of none). Also, the carvings in them were so worn but I could feel that these belonged to Jews. Somehow, as I thought about to how long the Jews have lived in Prague and around Czech Republic lands, way before I once imagined, I felt sad. This was for real. Eastern European Jews really existed. I was located in right front of evidence that Jews lived here back in the 1800’s, 1700’s, and way back to 1200’s. I tried to imagine what life was like and what the Jewish Quarter must’ve looked like to have this plot of land. It is not to say that I don’t believe that Eastern European Jews existed in my mind only because of the Holocaust and Czar Alexander II’s rule. It is more of seeing for myself that outside of the Holocaust and the Pale Settlement issues, the Eastern European Jews had their own lives. I don’t need that photographer who created “The Vanished World” to tell me that the Polish Jews lived a vibrant life before the Holocaust. I know they existed because of the novels and memoirs that I read for class. But to see that cemetery touched me to my heart that before the tragedies, the Jews had their own lives that they were able to bury their own dead, not someone else to do it for them (by no choice). That the Jews lived long enough to see their own natural death and the whole community to do so, not a just a good portion of it (due to pogroms and such). I did not think that the Jewish cemetery would impress me so just because it’s a graveyard but just seeing the sight of it told me that the Jews truly once lived here for their whole lives.

The day before, I went to Terezin, about 45 minutes away from Prague with Dane’s program. A bunch of us climbed in a large van with a survivor, Dr. Kolmer. I don’t remember much of his life as he didn’t speak as well as he could be for me. He went through a bunch of camps including Terezin and Auschwitz. He gave us the tour of the entire ghetto. Terezin was not just a concentration camp but also a ghetto and a death camp. Terezin used to be a small fortress and the Nazis took over that to create a camp. First, we went in that fortress area to hear of how Dr. Kolmer lived there. He showed us the women’s quarters and the men’s quarters, the showers (real ones), the Nazis’ offices, the barracks, the washroom, and the sick rooms. He also told us of specific moments that he had including where he was beaten. There were also isolated cells- so incredibly claustrophobic! I took very few pictures as possible as to respect the victims (which is why I get so peeved when I see visitors at the USHMM take pictures of the shoes with their camera phones). There was also a graveyard for the last 600 victims who fell very ill after liberation. He showed us where executions took place. I tried to imagine this place being packed with dying, frail workers and the Nazis with their dogs. I tried to smell the filth, the stink, the mud, and any other offensive odors. I tried to taste the sourness of the food and body odor and the bitterness of bloody beatings. I definitely felt very cold and thought, I’m wearing my sweater under this parka, and these people had no clothes that could possible keep them warmer than this parka could. If anything, I know that they would not move as much as to conserve their energy and I could see myself huddling against one of these walls, away from the draft. Also, I listened for any soft murmuring in Eastern European languages, loud barking from the officials and the dogs, and the clattering of the feet moving about. Despite all that, I felt nothing. Dane complained of hunger but thought she was being a paradox because we were in a location were food meant everything in the world to the victims and how could she complain of hunger? Her bread, which she bought for a snack, tasted wonderful to her all of sudden.

Next, we went to the Jewish ceremonial hall. Everything was basically written in Hebrew. Visitors walked down this tunnel, which opened up to several rooms filled with several Jewish artifacts and plaques commemorating the dead. I had a feeling that this place mourned over how these victims could not make it to Palestine as they were supposed to. All the Hebrew just seemed to point out that message- no Yiddish or Czech or English.

Then we toured around the Jewish cemetery and the crematorium. The crematorium was not what I had imagined at all. There were only few ovens- how could they burn 3,000 bodies in one day? The graveyard around it mostly held WWI soldiers but eventually, the Jews. Before things came chaotic, the Nazis used to allow the Jews to hold funerals for the dead. Then they moved to mass graves. Eventually, the land became too full with dead people that they had to build the crematorium to burn the rest. Yet, I looked out and around, the land was perfectly flat. No such evidence of mounting heaps of dirt covering the skeletons like the Prague Jewish cemetery. I couldn’t get close to any of the headstones to see for myself.

At one point, we visited a place which had a model of a typical barrack in the ghetto.

Afterwards, we went off to the Ghetto Museum. Finally, I was warm again! First, we saw the propaganda film for the Red Cross from the Nazis of the Terezin ghetto. Their lives seemed so normal but somehow, it felt very panicky. These people were forced to behave the way they did or else. Then we went upstairs to tour around the history of the Holocaust. Most of us skipped through it until the end where the presentation seemed a little more unique with data and maps of different countries and their Jews and the relevance to the Holocaust.

I asked the guide, if he still had the senses that he experienced during his stay in Terezin- the smell, the taste, the noise, and so forth. I don’t think he understood me but he replied that he was able to give tours of Terezin because “compared to Auschwitz, this was easy.”

That was a very, very strong statement to describe Auschwitz. For all we knew, Auschwitz was the worst place to be even though there were other very difficult camps like Mauthausen. But to put it that way, I could not possibly imagine what kind of specific activities went on at Auschwitz that it must earn that awful, awesome reputation that it stood out from Terezin that much. I felt like this was only a baby step before I’d visit Auschwitz eventually in the future. Dane had been to Dachau and she did not experience such strong feelings and reactions to Terezin as she did for Dachau. She was not sure if she had become more mature or she just knew more. I know that her visit to Auschwitz this month will reveal the exact factor.

Unexpectedly, I simply felt no emotion towards Terezin. Could I have been so desensitized to the Holocaust that coming to Terezin was simply a visit to memorialize the victims? Normally, I am very emotional, sensitive person with slightly delayed reaction. I don’t believe that my age is a factor. Maturity? Maybe, sometimes I cry when I read over the translations of the mass murders in Soviet Union or listen to survivors’ testimonies that touch me as a woman. Could words be stronger than action in this case? I don’t know. I am having such a terrible time sympathizing when I am expected to. For me, sometimes the Holocaust seems surreal. Other times I think, whatever happened, it happened. Then that’s not fair to the victims who want to say “never again” and to tell the future generations about their horrible experiences. But that’s what I’m doing already- ensuring that the public gets the right facts and understands that as surreal this event appears to be, it happened. Terezin is an evidence of the Nazi atrocities. Sometimes I wonder, because I have this no-nonsense attitude about the Holocaust, am I the right person to take on a job in the Holocaust field? I always imagined that the person must be sensitive and empathic but I don’t think it’s always the case. The person’s there to give facts, probably preferably without emotion, so that the audience may choose how to react.

Which is why the USHMM doesn’t give guided public tours. Neither does Yad Vashem.

Total Cultural Exchange on a Netanya beach and in a Jerusalem coffee shop

Yesterday, I went to Netanya, about 20 miles north of Tel Aviv. The bus ride took about 90 minutes. I left early but the rush hour in Jerusalem was so awful- we ran into a gigantic gridlock that took forever to get through.

Anyway, Netanya felt like a beach town. There’s one main street that runs from the central bus station to the beach- Herzl Street. It meets Kikar Ha’atzma’ut (Independence Square) where there’s a huge water fountain (with no water?) and lots of benches around it. Cafes and restaurants line along the sides with outdoor seating. There’s quite bit of French in here- seemed unusual. I found the tourist office and got a map and a guidebook. As I sat down to figure out what to do, I called the Diamond Factory and the Ranch for a diamond factory tour and a riding time. The Diamond Factory was closed. Then the ranch told me to swing by around 2. I had 2 hours to kill. Then I tried calling the Bee and Honey place- a bee farm. The person wasn’t too helpful and said something about not doing tours for day. Then I decided to try checking out the Iris Garden and the Winter Pond and ducked in a small hotel for some help. He told me to take a shreut for 5 NIS since walking would talk 90 minutes. So, then I walked to look for a shreut. It was a madhouse near the bus station where I was supposed to catch this specific one- buses waiting, honking, blocking my view, cars and shreuts driving through. I got honked at because I blocked a car while looking for my shreut- people seriously drive on the sidewalks! After waiting around for 15ish minutes, I gave up. I needed to eat some lunch before going out to the ranch. So I wandered back to Ha’atzma’ut Square to look for this terrific vegetarian restaurant called Yotvata. I ordered grilled eggplant sandwich and very freshly squeezed apple juice. The portions were very generous but they were delicious!

I had to take a cab to the ranch, not the bus as originally planned since my guidebook said you could do it. The tourist office told me it’d be a 45 minute bus ride. For a beautiful day, I’m better off riding for 5 minutes in a cab. So I got there a little after 2ish. The ranch people told me that I could chill in the lounge behind them and put my stuff in the ranch house. I asked about when to pay, they said never mind now (very Israeli way to put business off). So I chilled around since they wanted to wait to see if other people showed up (pleeeasssseeee, it’s not exactly in the heart of the town nor Israel is in a high season). Mork, who would be my guide, fed the horses first. I just wandered around, observing the horses’ body language and petting them. The horses looked to be in healthy condition and the place was tidy. It was just wild to see horses right by the sea as the ranch sits atop a cliff to the sea! I felt a bit like a barn rat- born again

Finally after what seemed like forever, Mork and I got on our horses. I ripped my favorite pair of Levis mounting my horse (just in the inner thigh area, not the classic butt rip). I figured that it was time for me to admit that these jeans really needed to be thrown away as they’re very worn in with some holes…. You know? Anyway, we set off to ride down to the beach.

It was a great hour. I had just realized that, since I had him all to myself, I could talk and ask questions about his life and Israel. He’s around 24 years old and came from a horse loving family up in the North. He served in the combat in the Army for three years, then studied computers, and then worked for HP before coming to work as a ranch hand. He gave up the luxury job because he missed horses and open space in the country. As I listened to him describe his background and views about his life, I felt more and more connected to where he was coming from. Looking out at the water and the strip of sand ahead of us, I then realized that I really like this scene. It’s not just the beach; it’s just the lack of commotion and people. I would do this kind of life if I can. I like to sit around and to forge friendships rather than making superficial connections just because a city has a big network. I appreciate the beauty of vast land and love running/riding around it. Mother Nature gives me a chance to live as naturally as possible rather than trying to destroy it with cement and steel. She offers natural entertainment like mountains for me to ski and thousands of acres of land for me to ride and long, flat roads for me to run. All I need is a pair of sneakers or skis or a horse with a bridle. I feel so peaceful when I am in this kind of setting- it is one of the major reasons why I love Colgate (despite Dad’s lamentations of how there’s nothing to do in the town when we visited in March 2005). I enjoy living a simple life. I don’t listen to my ipod on the commute. I prefer to walk over to take a bus. I do fine just reading books as I don’t need television. I don’t mind owning one wardrobe (as I do now in Israel) if I don’t need to own more clothes to get dressed up for. Heck, I always look forward to my next kibbutz visit after I leave Linda and Shlomi.

Anyway, going off tangent. Mork and I talked about how his father’s family made aliyah from Belgium (I think) and he met his mother here in Israel (How typical is this romantic story?!?!), compared American and Israeli lives in our young adulthood, and horseback riding in Israel. He said that riding took off in about 2003-4 and is becoming very popular with the kids. He found me so fascinating and said that my life is so interesting when I told him what I like to do for sports (skiing, riding, and running) and about my family’s sport hobbies. Golf, hockey, skiing, and lacrosse are still novelty or unheard of in Israel. We also exchanged some horse knowledge and he learned about my riding history. I told him that there are horses all over the United States. I was really happy to meet a very friendly and eager Israeli in my age since I hadn’t met anyone like him since coming to Israel a month ago. We did some trotting and cantering on the beach but mostly walked on the cliffs since our conversation was going deep.

After riding, I took a cab back in town. Since Netanya is really a beach town and I’d have to take cabs to other places anyway, I went down to the beach to take a walk on Herzl Beach. After walking for some time, I took off my sneakers as the water looked really good and felt warm. If I had known that 70 degree weather and the water’s temperature, I would totally have brought my bathing suit and towel! It’s actually still a little cold for the Israelis but coming from hardy weather like Rochester, this was nothing to sneeze at. I rolled up my jeans and just splashed and walked through the water, letting it and the sand go through my toes. I saw a couple of beach runners going by without running shoes. I would love to try it as it’s supposed to be very good for your feet since the sand gives in to the shape of your feet.

The sun was going down. I looked both sides of me to see how far I could see the pomegranate. As the waves gentled rolled in to the shore, the peaceful atmosphere gave me a hint of why Allie still misses her Haifa’s beaches. I imagined that she had come down almost everyday after her classes and perhaps did some walking on them with her Israeli boyfriend. As I said, the beach is one of Mother Nature’s gifts. We ruined her by building sidewalks to talk long walks on. I’m making a vow to do more visits to a beach once the weather starts getting nice (after all the family visits).

After browsing a couple of stores on the way back to see if I could find a new pair of jeans, I took the bus back. By the way, Netanya’s shopping is soooooo much better than Jerusalem! Less tacky trendy clothing, more stylish trendy stuff. Also, Mork told me that Netanya is largely a Russian community (which I figured by its name) but many of the immigrants are not Jews, which sort of explained why my map didn’t show many synagogues. I thought about attending Becca’s birthday dinner but I was too tired and wasn’t hungry so I headed straight home. I texted her to tell her that I’d be too late anyway and wished her a happy birthday.

Today, I was supposed to go food shopping with Tobi as I still don’t know my way around a market in terms of packaged stuff. She gave me a call at 7:30ish to see if I realy wanted to do it (I had already woken up, thinking I’d go) and I decided that it’d be better for me to go another time since I was leaving for Prague for the long weekend. So I slept in- very much needed.

After doing my weekly long pool running (I keep it to 90 minutes, equivalent of 10 miles because it does get that boring), I showered and walked up to the campus to meet Professor Bankier for lunch. He showed me what he wanted me to do- proofreading an English translation of a book on Romanian Jewry that Yad Vashem wants to publish and doing some research with oral testimonies relating to various Soviet Union states. They looked interesting and I felt the history buff instead me screaming to take the projects. This is definitely important work that I’d be proud to throw on my resume, especially that the book is almost 400 pages long. I took the job.

Afterwards, I went to downtown. I almost doze off because I missed my stop and had gone all the way to the central bus station. Fortunately, the walk back to where I needed to be was only 10 minutes. I shopped around the shuk to find stuff for Dane in Prague. She told me that there’s no good cheese or spices (no spices!!??!). I thought I’d just buy bottles of spices at Mister Zol’s and buy cheese at the shuk as there’s a guy there who I like. I randomly walked down an aisle and found a stall with large barrels of stuff in bags. I thought they contained tea but they didn’t smell like tea. I asked the seller if those were tea or spices- he said spices. Then I asked with a smile, “Any chili powder?” (#1 item on Dane’s wish list) and he nodded his head. I said I wanted some. After pouring some in a bag, I asked if he had any sage. He had some. Basically, I reeled off every spice on Dane’s list and they had everything that I needed. I was really excited as I wasn’t sure if they’d actually sell chili powder. The spices smelled so good! My mouth watered as I thought about bringing Mom here and she could buy them in large bulk. Mom would be in heaven in this shuk- the very place that she didn’t really want me to go into when she gave me lists of no-no’s in Israel. Seriously, about a 1/2 gallon of spices (filling up a plastic milk jug) only cost me 27 sheklim- $7. A lot cheaper than the bottled ones in the stores. Afterwards, I went over to Marizpan to buy chocolate rugalech for her and her roommates. I admit it. I’ve become a shuk addict. I can see most of my money going to this place.

I met Kobe, a friend of one of my high school classmates (via creepy yet incredible Facebook). He really wanted to meet me and offered to take me out for coffee. We actually had lunch at Café Hillel. We just sat there for almost three hours, just talking away. He loved learning about America and I asked questions about his views of Israel and his Army life (in combat!!!). Basically, it was a cultural exchange. He taught me some slangs and I taught him some. One of them was JAP- Jewish American Prince(ss). I told him to be careful using it in the States as it’s a racial slur for the Japanese. He knew it but didn’t know that I didn’t know that it’s an inside slang in the Jewish world. He’s originally from Moldavia and made aliyah with his family when he was 9. So he spoke fluent Hebrew and Russian and very good English (great American accent). Slowly, I’m learning Hebrew from him that I don’t think about learning for the sake of getting around. When we said good bye, he offered a Shabbat invitation for next Friday. I told him that I’d have to take it as a rain check as I already promised to meet with some of Zev’s friends. Nevertheless, he wanted to visit me more as he’d likely be studying at Hebrew University in the fall and wished to learn his way around Jerusalem. I know that this internet encounter was totally random and risky but I checked with my high school classmate to see if he was good or bad news- she said he was fine. But this is one Israeli who’s dying to learn more about my beloved country (or so will be when Hillary Clinton takes the White House in 2008) and is attracted by personality and Natalie Portman look-alike (I can’t say how many times I’ve met Israelis who say so!), I figured why not. Plus Allie told me to chase down Israeli men anyway.

End of Ulpan!

It's done! I'm done! The last few days went by very fast. The way the teachers prepared for the end... well, it didn't exist. No review except for the last half of class yesterday on verbs. I was surprised that they didn't devote a whole day for review since we learned so much and move so fast. There was basically no pressure to do well. Fortunately, I am taking this only Pass/Fail as I want to enjoy learning Hebrew at start before really cracking down once I start classes. And I am passing just fine. The passing grade is only 49 out of 100. My American and Canadian friends were surprised as I was- we were used to the 65 cut off mark.

I'm glad that I have this chance to study a new language in a new country like this. Now I know that I don't want learn a new language in its mother country- there are so many distractions!!! There's the cultural shock aspect that needed to be settled too. Now I am over it and I actually really studied this weekend for the final. I would not definitely want to learn German in Germany since there's probably still a lot of English. French in Paris... I don't know. But I know that if I study Spanish in a Spanish speaking country, I'd be fine as I know enough Spanish to get around instead of worrying what I am going to say next.

Today, we had a end-of-ulpan party for my classs (all Aleph classes except for those trying to pass out did it). On Sunday, we did our food shopping at Mister Zol's (our French Hill supermarket that's 2/3 smaller than Pittsford Wegmans). I was paired up with Elliot and we had to buy some stuff for the party and to fill out the worksheet that included finding the cheapest item in the store (cucumbers and oranges) and the most expensive produce (artichokes and strawberries for 11 sheklim). The party was fun. We played musical gift where the "it" had to unwrap one layer of the gift and read the post-it in Hebrew and then pass it on. We had good food. Good times.

Then the test came- it was so much easier than last Thursday's which felt like a final exam.

So what have I been doing outside of class? Sunday and Monday, I stayed on the hill. On Sunday, I was invited over to Michell's for dinner to talk about the trip to Petra. Moti invited me to join him, Mitchell, Nora, and Laura for the drive to Petra this week (before I'd go to Prague). We didn't actually talk about it right away as we had Sam and a couple of other people over. He and Sam made chicken schintzel, curry rice, stir-fry veggies, and artichokes. Nora brought over a delicious strawberry pecan salad. It was a great meal- I told Mitchell and Nora that I owed them a Shabbat dinner. Then Monday, I wasn't feeling well with a bit of a sore throat so I slept in the afternoon.

Today, after the test, Melissa suggested that we go to Mea Shearim. We donned in our long skirts. We walked along a street that we thought was Mea Shearim but when I doubled checked the map, I realized that we just happened to be in an orthodox neighborhood, not Mea Shearm. So we walked to that proper street.

It's basically a narrow street, almost a feel of being in an alley. It supposedly reminds people of a Polish ghetto. I don't know as I've never been to an Eastern European Jewish area. It was actually sort of quiet compared to Jaffa Street. When I go to Prague, I'll have a better idea. There were a lot of cheap applicance stores and Judiaca shops. Towards the end before we turned around, a shop sold olive tree wood goods. They were beautifully crafted! I took several pictures without letting other people notice. You're not really supposed to use your camera- if must, do it discreetly. There was only one restaurant- I had hoped that perhaps they'd keep their Eastern European roots by having such a restaurant. Alas, it's not the right place.

Then Melissa and I shopped along Jaffa a bit before eating an early dinner (I didn't have anything since the party and she was hungry). We ended up eating at El Gauncho's,, a South American restaurant off Hillel, behind Ben Yehuda. It was delicious and a refreshing break from all the vegges, cheese, pita, hummus, etc. I think America is the only country where the waiter puts the check on the table without asking if you want to pay yet. And where water and bread are free.

Tomorrow, I may be off to Netanya for a day trip. I'm excited especially that there's horseback riding on the BEACH. And the weather's going to be sunny and in the 70's!

Finally, I spent all day today exploring Jerusalem. I mean, really exploring the city. I have heard from friends who went abroad that they spent so much time traveling outside of their host cities that they never really get a chance to get to know their area. I don’t want to go home and say, “Oh… um, I didn’t really get around much… I don’t really know how far away Ben Yehuda is from the Jaffa Gate, one of the gates to the Old City.” Or “Oh yeah, that’s definitely the Arts and Crafts Lane” and then have my visitors go there on their own and then find out that it’s not really where it is on their maps. (The answers to both: 1) It’s about 5-7 minutes walk from Ben Yehuda/Jaffa St intersection all the way south to the Jaffa Gate, which takes you in the Armenian Quarter, and 2) It’s not an actual street, you have to go across the park to the other street and walk north). I used my map very well in this area that it’s literally falling apart now! I need to get one of those waterproof ones that Mom and I had for Madrid.

I started off by riding the bus with Nora and her roommate, Laura. They invited me to come over for Shabbat since I said that I didn’t really have anywhere to go (Zev’s friends all had good excuses for not being able to meet up). I offered to bring some chocolate covered strawberries for dessert (Dinner would be meat). I nervously followed them to the shuk because it’s Friday and Shira told me that it’s a madhouse. Well, Agrippas was definitely crazy but inside the shuk wasn’t as packed as I fear. Israelis still pushed their way through. We bought lots of vegetables for the stir-fry and vegetable soup. Challaot were abound and people just take them off the bakery carts and put them in bags. After seeing such amazing quality of the produce on a Friday, I decided that once I get back and start classes, I will shop through this madness for great food instead of early in the week.

We ran into a girl who is Laura’s best friend. She’s one of those stories that my parents fear- studied abroad for a year, met an Israeli boy, graduated college, married him, and then make aliyah last July. She isn’t going to serve in the army because she aged out and her marriage status also affected her eligibility. She was really nice and so we talked a lot while Laura and Nora shopped for some household goods. We discussed how common English is in Jerusalem versus Tel Aviv. I guess I didn’t do a good job of researching cities with various levels of spoken English- she said that Jerusalem has the most English speaking people than any other cities. I thought Tel Aviv would win because of one of my professor’s comments that Tel Aviv is much more like New York City- fast and never stops. Oh well, I’m still glad that I didn’t go to Tel Aviv because I didn’t like it as much and there’s quite a bit to do in Jerusalem anyway. Also, despite having lots of English here, Jerusalem is much more real and cultural.

After we finished food shopping, I ditched the group since they wanted to go back and I didn’t. I wanted to have a sabbiyah, a fluffy pita sandwich filled with eggplant, hard boiled eggs, some humus, mint, little bit of onions, some Israeli salad, and yogurt. It’s all cheap for only 15 shekels ($3.75). So in an Israeli fashion, I eat my sandwich on the street as I walked towards the Great Synagogue on King George V. Israelis simply eat their sandwiches in a paper bag and stand there- there’s basically no sitting down service like McDonalds. It’s bit of an art to be able to eat these big stuffed pitas without spilling anything all over myself. The sabbiyah is really good- I think I might actually prefer it over a schwarma.

The Great Synagogue was amazing. For some reason, I felt like I could be really proud of this place. It is huge and beautiful with a dome on the top. As I finished my sabbiyah, I read the inscriptions on the building. Certain portions of the synagogue had donations in memorial of some of the Holocaust victims. In large, the synagogue was a memorial to the Holocaust victims as the large inscription read: “This house of prayer for the Jews of the World is dedicated by Sir Isaac and Lady Wolfson to the memory of all those who died so that we, the Jewish people may live. To the six million Jewish victims of the European Holocaust and all those Jewish men and women who sacrificed their lives and in defence of the State of Israel.” There are a lot of memorials in Israel for the Holocaust and State of Israel’s War of Independence- Jews don’t forget their tragedies. Six million. Six million. I feel that Israel likes to make the world feel guilty that if they had stopped Hitler from taking over Europe and killing all the Jews, those six million could have made it to Israel. Anyway, I went inside to see what it was like. Since it wasn’t really open for anything, it was mostly dark. I couldn’t find any signs that would lead to the shul but I did some wandering around to see if I could find that big room. No such luck- only found a small one and a Torah reading room. I found a sign about services at the synagogue and I hope that I will get a chance to join in sometimes during the semester as I’d like to experience “religion” in there. They have a talk by a former US Ambassador to Israel for tomorrow night. The topic was nothing new- Israel in Conflict. I’ve already heard this kind of talk several times when I was interning in DC.

Then I made my way down King George to Kikar Plumer (a square). I walked past Dan Panorama, where my parents will be staying for Passover. It’ll be quite a walk to Kiyrat Wolfson for them but not so bad for to downtown Jerusalem though it’ll be uphill. Then I made a turn up to King David St where the famed YMCA and King David Hotel were. I almost did not realize that beautiful complex on my left was the YMCA. It was nothing like I saw in the U.S. where they tend to house in old 1970’s architecture buildings. Here, the YMCA’s architecture was beautifully blended with Islamic, Byzantine, and Art Deco styles. The Empire State Building’s architecture firm actually designed this to reflect the cooperation of different communities under one roof. Straight in front of me was the tower which I tried to get climb up but the reception desk said that minimum of two people was necessary for the tour. Ugh, oh well, I can always come back. I saw the repilica of the London Room from when the YMCA was founded in 1844 in the lobby. Remembering my experiences in Spain about the importance of looking up to the ceilings, so I did. The ceilings immediately reminded me of the cathedral in Cordoba- different styles and beautiful colors of fresco.

Then I went across the street to King David Hotel (bottom picture). Shira told me that it has one of the grandest lobbies that she had ever seen. Personally, I thought it was quite grand only for Israel, not for the U.S. It was kind of dark- no beautiful chandeliers to light up the area. It did have a luxurious library style sitting area in the back of the lobby with leather chairs and dark wood furniture. The hotel had two wings so I walked up and down. Mostly they contained jewelry displays from various jewelers around Jerusalem A business, H. Stern, housed in one of the wings. I followed down to check out the lower level services including the beauty parlor and fitness center (pretty well air conditioned!!). Before exiting the hotel, I saw a poster listing some of the world’s top hotels. For Israel, the most prestigious ones were King David and Tel Aviv Dan. I searched Washington DC and NYC- Waldorf Astoria didn’t make it! I tried to find out who make up the list- no such name.

Once outside, since the weather was still undecided between cloudy, light shower, and sun, I kept going. I followed one of the streets down to find the Hutzot Hayotzer Arts and Crafts Lane. It took me down to Yemin Moshe, one of Jerusalem’s little enclaves. It looked like I would need time to fully explore it and it was a little after 2 PM. Public buses stop running about 2 hours before Shabbat starts so for today, they should stop running by 3 and I was nowhere near my bus stops. Time to start looking for them.

I made a shortcut through a small park to get on Hativat Yerushalayim, a road that would eventually turn into Jaffa. I walked next to the walls of the Old City. I felt really spiritual when I saw the old walls looming over me. As I walked up, the signs for the Arts and Crafts Lane appeared. I took a peek into the lane and realized that it wasn’t really a street but just a market area for shops. Obviously they were closed for Shabbat. I made a note in my guidebook about its location. As I continued, I noticed a little domed tower and wondered if that was either the Christian Quarter or the Muslim Quarter but figured it was Christian since there were a lot of signs relating to Christianity. I entered, what I didn’t realize then, through the Jaffa Gate by following the signs for the Tower of David. Immediately, I could tell just by looking at numerous CHANGE shops and signs for tourist information that this was not exactly a good place to be in terms of my wallet’s safety. I hugged my purse closely as I walked along the cobblestone streets to the Tower of David (figuring why not get a quick look). It was closed so I turned around and tried a street, thinking it would take me out towards Jaffa. Then I noticed signs for Armenian goods and taverns. Holy cow, I had walked into the Old City’s Armenian Quarter by accident and this would most definitely not take me where I needed to go. I really wished that I had more time to see more of the Armenian Quarter but I turned around quickly and walked towards where I had entered. Noticing a lot of men and not so many women, I sensed that I needed to get out of their way and I shouldn’t be on these streets at this time when Shabbat was coming to close and all the women were at home preparing for Shabbat, including me.

Back on Hativat Yerushalayim, I consulted my map to make sure I was heading in the right direction. I wasn’t so sure because I had that parts of Jerusalem wasn’t exactly pedestrian friendly and I had no idea of this busy road (sort of like an expressway going under a tunnel towards Mount Scopus). Actually, it is but there’s a road that breaks off that follows along with the Old City’s walls which is Jaffa. There weren’t signs indicating the change in the name or even for the Jaffa Gate itself. I was surprised. Anyway, I quickly found out pleasantly that the Old City is not seriously far away from the busy area of Jaffa St that most people congregate- only about 5 minutes walk! Basically, where I usually get off the 4 bus, it is only 5-10 minutes walk to the Old City. Things are not truly that far from each other in Jerusalem as the map likes to believe its users. Cool. I can visit the Old City a lot easily then.

I caught the bus just fine and made it home without it dumping me in middle of some random street in Jerusalem where I’d have to figure out my way home.

I really am learning a lot about how Jerusalem works in terms of finding places. If you can’t find it on your first try, it will just come to you naturally- whether it is only a few minutes or days later. A lot of times these places are tucked away from public view. The signs aren’t clear or obvious. For example, the other day, I was looking for this bakery called Samboosak which sold stuffed breads. Well, it was further up Jaffa from where I was looking for it, not as close to the intersection as my guide said. Since I was walking from the opposite direction, I saw it. The place looked fabulous and I made a note of its location in my book. Patience is the key here. I hope to find many of the places before I leave Jerusalem in June, especially before my family comes next month so we can go straight to it instead of wandering around looking for them.

Tonight, I went over to Nora and Laura’s place for Shabbat. Moti was there and so was their roommate, Michelle. It was a very nice evening especially after Moti blew out the electricity and we used candles. We tried to fix the fuse box to reset the electricity but it didn’t work so we ended up lighting a bunch of candles to light up the table. It has been so long since I’ve eaten by candlelight like this and it was a nice change from the harsh normal fluorescent lights. Nora served vegetable soup with homemade matzoh balls, baked chicken, stir fry vegetables, beets, and pasta (I skipped that so I could eat more challah!). Moti did all the prayers, being the guy, and he did them really nicely. After dinner, we tried the fuse box again and called up the maintenance (24/7 on call) to come and to help us. While we waited, we chilled out on the couches and talked for a while. After the guy came to fix the electricity, Nora served dessert with my chocolate covered strawberries (everyone was very pleasantly surprised- it’s still a novelty!), chocolate croissants, and some kind of strudel. We talked for quite a while and then the neighbor, Ryan, came over to hang out.

I still can’t get over how much I love Shabbat in Israel. I love how people just share a good meal and quality conversations that last for several hours. No more being alone on Friday nights because people want to party and to drink instead. Shabbat is meant to bring people together to celebrate just for the sake of being together. I really can’t wait for Grandma and Zev to come so I can invite my friends over for Shabbat so they can meet them even if it’s really probably just one time.

On Sunday, the class is taking a field trip to Mister Zol's, our local supermarket, to do some food shopping for our little party! It won't be fun and games as the instructors are going to give us a worksheet to do-a scavenger hunt.

Spending Valentine's Day in Unromantic Israel

Israel is not a romantic country. So Valentine’s Day went by- didn’t even really notice though it was on my mind when I walked in my class just because I was thinking how I’d wear something pink or red (but I didn’t because I was wearing my last shirt- today’s laundry day). Melissa did invite me to her apartment for a stir-fry dinner (hey, I may not like Chinese food but at least it’s homemade dinner!) in honor of Valentine’s Day. Just a little celebration. I knew everyone in the party- those I wasn’t friends with, I met them earlier in the ulpan at one point or another. I really liked this group- down to earth, a little academic, and good flow of conversation topics. I thanked Melissa for the dinner.

What have I done since Sunday? I went to the shuk to do my grocery shopping for the week- all produce and some cheese. I probably spent $20 or so. The cheese guy was really patient and friendly when I ordered cheese from him. When I showed him that I didn’t have 6 ½ shekls, only 6.3 left and after a little pouting, he took the coins off my hand. He also gave me a sample of smoked cheese which I bought home- sooo good with eggs and mushrooms. Some merchants will leave mushrooms and strawberries loose and will either scoop them or you scoop them into the container instead of packaging. I just realized that there is no spinach or dark, dark green or yellow zucchinis. Baby carrots don’t exist in Israel- so much for finding something to snack on.

On Monday, I took the number 28 bus that was supposed to take me near the Knesset and Kiryat Wolfson. I ended up riding it all the way out to Gi’vat Ram, the other Hebrew University campus (mostly science and agricultural). The area is so gorgeous- it’s in the valley and is surrounded by lots of trees. It’s much closer to the nature than Mount Scopus. Anyway, I almost got kicked off at Gi’vat Ram because the driver said it was the end of the line. I told him that I paid to ride the bus to get to near Kiryat Wolfson. Then he drove me to this other bus stop (in the meantime, I though I had succeeded in this argument) and told me to get off. He was so rude about it- he’d shove me if he could. I tried to ask for a transfer ticket if he was going to push me off the bus but he just insisted that I get off and get on number 9. I got off rather bit annoyed. I caught the 9 and rode it up to Kiryat Wolfson and passed the Israel Museum and White Rose Garden Park on the way. I realized that the park was where my birthright group had our last group discussion about being in Israel and how or if the trip made us feel more Jewish or not. Cool to know the number of the place at least. I asked a woman next to me to tell me when to get off when we reached Kiryat Wolfson- we conversed a bit in English. Then I noticed a couple of tall white buildings over looking the valley towards the Knesset and then I realized that those were what Professor Bankier had described to me when I mentioned where Grandma and Zev would be staying. I pointed to the buildings and asked the woman about it and she said that’s where I should get off the bus. Finally.

Kiryat Wolfson is a very pretty residential neighborhood. It reminded me so much of being in Florida with lots and lots of palm trees, greens, small houses hidden behind white stone fences, and the general atmosphere. All I could keep thinking aside from “being in Florida” was where’s the nearest supermarket? There’s nothing- only a mini mart here or there but really no restaurants or small shops. I finally got to the street where the high rise apartments were and to my dismay, there were five of them and I had no idea which one it was. I thought, whatever, at least I know where they’re going to be. Then I decided to be smart and to find the nearest bus stop for my bus to Mount Scopus. I saw number 19 go by and followed the bus to the stop. It was only about a 5 minutes walk. After circling the spot on my map, I followed Ussishkin to Bezadel which intersects with Ben Yehuda and King George streets (only about 15 minute walk). I could basically take either 4 or 19 from my apartment to downtown and Kiryat Wolfson.

Let me tell you another exciting thing- when I was wandering around Ben Yehuda, I found a bookshop and decided to go in and see how much English language books were. As I browsed through the store, I found a couple of English language magazines including Glamour, Cosmo, TIME, and Newsweek! I was so excited!!! By the way, the prices are just a bit higher.

Yesterday, I didn’t do much as it was raining out. The biggest accomplishment was getting connected to the Internet. This is really the Israeli way- they just keep putting off and tell you “tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.” I finally put my foot down and told the office that I had been waiting for three weeks for Internet connection. They immediately call the guy who was supposed to take care of it. Basically, it took 2 ½ hours from the phone call to the guy leaving my room with my Internet hooked. Normally, I don’t care much for getting things done on time but when it comes to my basic necessities, I want it right then. Now I’m set.

Sort of. I just turned on my laptop today and it tells me that I have invalid username and password. Great.

I am starting to find out the reality of ulpan. Most of my friends are frustrated with their classes. They want to pass or do well if their GPA would transfer over but they’re not doing so hot. Also, some of them are looking to take their level tests so they can move on to the next level. As for me, I’m not the first to admit that I’m not doing as well. Part of it is that I really want to enjoy my time here in Jerusalem before real classes start. Another part is that the tests are deceptively hard. The last part is that my credits are not going to transfer anyway. I know that I have learned a lot more Hebrew than I could ever thought in only 3 weeks. There is just so much vocabulary- I have been making little flashcards and try to use them when I ride the buses (even if it makes me look a little suspicious when I pronounce words under my breath). Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to study my GRE words here when I have to work on my Hebrew. But I’ll see how the pace goes once we start the semester when the classes are not as intense. Ah, so much, so much, so much. I really am trying to focus on the grammar aspect since that’s all I really need to know in order to pass my graduate school language exams.

Oh, I just booked my flight to visit Prague for next weekend to see Dane! I am totally bouncing around! Thank you, Mom and Dad for your blessing!