On Blogging

Dear all,

I apologize for my scant updating of late. There are reasons for this, and all of them I deem to be good reasons.

• The Holy Land of Israel is keeping me busy. I'm learning new things, having fun with new people, etc. This is, of course, good.
• I have become accustomed to living here, to an extent. When I started this blog, I intended, in part, to create a space where I could make my observations on a foreign land. Despite the language barriers (which are still quite serious), Israel doesn't seem all that foreign to me, anymore. As I begin to understand Israeli life even more-so through my own eyes, it becomes harder to communicate those feelings here, despite how relatively easy blogging can come to me.
• Finally, I miss home. If anyone has watched my blogging at The Burnt Orange Report, they might observe that I've posted there more than I have posted here. That is, in part, because studying abroad has made me realize how much I belong in America, especially Texas. The Burnt Orange Report is often my main portal back to the homeland.

Now, I am working on a post on Switzerland (yes, I know, I have procrastinated way too much with those Europe posts!). I do have some other post ideas brewing in my head, too. But as many people who have blogged before know, good ideas don't always transfer into something real on the Internet. But we'll see. Let's keep our fingers crossed?

I took a midterm in my class, "Peace and Conflict Honors Seminar: The Dynamics of Conflict." It was quick; I was the first to finish. Hopefully, I did well. I also have a Hebrew midterm on Thursday -- yes, I know; a test on Thanksgiving. I'm just as aghast as you. But it could be worse, I guess.

Leia Mais…

So Much Progress, Yet So Far to Go

I now fully understand advisers' recommendations that when studying a foreign language abroad, one should plan their trip after two years of study at home. I studied two semesters of Hebrew at the University of Texas last year, and I have made a lot of progress since arriving in Haifa. Yet, I find myself frustrated, anyways.

I have been in classes that have stretched my abilities as far as my efforts will allow. My confidence and ability at speaking the Hebrew language, therefore, far surpass my skills with any other foreign language. Although I studied Spanish for five years from middle school to high school, I still think my Hebrew might now be better than ever was my Spanish. I find myself confident to speak in Hebrew with Israeli strangers, and I can probably get where I want any day without using a word of English (if I truly tried, that is.)

But that doesn't come near fluency. When I hear my Israeli roommates speaking to each other, I feel lost. I still don't understand everything even when I do execute a full conversation in this alien language. Towards fluency? I'm not even close.

In retrospect, this should not surprise me...

But most of my friends here will return home to America ready to continue Hebrew full speed ahead; I will not. They have motivations I don't have. Some are International Relations students interested in the Middle East. Some want to "make Aliyah" - they hope to emigrate to Israel. Others still are just that passionate about their Judaism. I am none of these: I am a Government student interested in everything while concentrating more on the United States, I wish to live in Texas for most of my life, and I am a moderately religious Jew at best.

I am jealous of their motivation and their work ethic, and I am jealous of some people's natural ability to learn languages. I just care about so many other things. Life will go on, as normal, without the Hebrew language, and I would miss a life without politics infinitely more than a life without Hebrew.

So, I'm at an annoying place in my educational development with regards to Hebrew. I would love to keep up my Hebrew and perhaps even become fluent once I return to the United States, but is it worth it? I want to do so much more with my life, too.

Leia Mais…

Classes!

Finally: well into the semester! Although yall recently celebrated the Purim-like holiday of Halloween, I only just finished my third week of classes. Yes, I know; that's weird to think about! (For those who do not know: Purim is a Jewish holiday in the Spring when people traditionally dress up.)

I figure, then, that now's a pretty good time to describe my classes. I actually only finalized my registration for these classes this past week, so I will have relatively little to say, and you should hear more later.

My schedule is as followed:
Monday
Hebrew: 10 AM - 12 PM
Economics of the Middle East: 12 PM - 3 PM
The Dynamics of Conflict: 3 PM - 6 PM

Tuesday
Hebrew: 8 AM - 10 AM

Wednesday
Hebrew: 10 AM - 12 PM
Terrorism and Response: 3 PM - 6 PM

Thursday
Hebrew: 8 AM - 10 AM

As you can tell, Hebrew requires some early mornings that clearly aren't too enjoyable at the start. As I am not yet in the work force; I would rather wait a year or two before waking up at 7 AM on any regular basis. Alas, I've had to settle with twice a week. One of those earliest mornings falls on Thursday, unfortunately, and a lot of people have been inclined to go out and have a good time Wednesday nights. I haven't followed yet, but I guarantee I will be tempted. That will make that Thursday even more unendurable! Also, Hebrew classes take up 8 hours in the week, which is more than I have had before in a regular semester setting. I think I'm beginning to see at least a few dividends...

Also of note, all the other classes have three hour blocks only once a week. Due to my choice of classes, then, when I have a case of the Mondays, it's not just because Monday's the day of the week. Meanwhile, Tuesdays and Thursdays often feature a nice nap after my really early class, followed by some laziness and perhaps a bit of study.

Additionally, the "Dynamics of Conflict" class is a 4 credit class, even though it meets only for 3 hours. The Hebrew class gives 6 credits, although it meets for 8 hours. Total, I will receive 16 credits for a semester where I attend class for 19 hours per week.

I'll end with a brief overview of the classes.

• At times, I still chore through my Hebrew classes. I have improved tremendously since I arrived in early August, but I am still far from fluent. So far, we have focused most of our time reading stories, an "easy" newspaper, and holding conversation, but next week we will start on some grammar. My teacher, Mina, seems really good, and our textbook utilizes more interesting stories than my summer Ulpan book.
• "Economics of the Middle East" is one of those economics class that requires only minimal math and economics knowledge. The information keeps my attention, but the teacher unfortunately does little more than make her power point presentations. Her lectures are little more than regurgitation what she put on the slides. Alas, I want an economics minor, so I will stick with this course despite any bursts of boredom.
  
• "The Dynamics of Conflict," my Peace and Conflict Honors class, started with basic overview of International Relations theory. That's nice, since I have never taken a formal class in the subject. The professor seems very knowledgeable. This class, probably more than any other class I will take as an undergrad, should give me a good overview of thought through the lens of International Relations as a discipline.
• Lastly, "Terrorism and Response" stands as my most intriguing course this semester. The professor has studied terrorism since the 1970s, and he still works as a Reserve Officer in the Israeli Defense Forces, at times helping them somehow regarding terrorist activity. He has taught while in uniform, and he says he is not supposed to, but he "has rank." He is my only professor without a PhD, but apparently he has an awesome reason for his lack. His original dissertation, he tells us, was taken up by the Israeli army as confidential information. Last class was actually canceled, because he was called to reserve duty that week. The educated guess is that he was helping the IDF in the aftermath of a rocket hitting some random Israeli land from Lebanon.
  

Leia Mais…

Eurotrip: The Beer and the Beauty of Prague

I will only give a few brief historical points, afraid to smudge the truth too much...

The Czechs were largely ignored by much of the world, but somewhere along the way Prague gained some interest. Prague was a city that had been placed in the middle of some beautiful countryside, and it produced nothing of note besides good beer and some rowdy Protestants that really annoyed the Catholic Church well before Martin Luther and the English Reformation. Two Holy Roman Emperors (a Charles and some other guy) happened to place their center of government in Prague. As you can tell, Charles is the more remembered of the two - landmarks were given his name, including the Charles Bridge and the Charles University. The city is smack dab in a beautiful countryside, which may have been part of the emperors' decisions -- we had some great views on the train ride from Berlin.

We got arrived in the evening, so we did not have time for any touring the first night. So, we would party. As we walked towards a noted club, one of the center squares of town was scattered with workers from strip clubs and prostitution joints trying to take advantage of the tourists. We continued walking, though, and we saw the first glimpse of the city's beauty when we hit the river. Seeing a lit up Prague Castle on a clear night is a wonderful thing, and something our cameras were unfortunately unable to truly capture. Finally, we got to the club, which was a bit too ridiculous for us (~5 floors with different themes, but not worth the cover charge or the line), but we found out that once again, like Berlin, beer was available cheap.

The next day featured one of those great New Europe tours, where we had a good and brief Prague overview while also meeting a few other backpackers. From that tour, we went to see Pargue Castle. The castle itself was barely impressive when standing at it, but the church within was absolutely amazing. The church had enormously elaborate stained glass windows and some pretty cool statutes, too. (Prague happened to have a lot of statues, this place being just one example.) Perhaps the most interesting feature was that, since the church took about 1000 years to reach completion, some of the outside facade actually features people wearing suits - not something one would expect of a "Medieval" church.

With them were some fellow travelers we befriended at the earlier tour, and one of them in turn actually befriended the tour guide. That night, the tour guide and some of his friends showed us a cool bar, a beer garden, and a cool club which we would later return to. We had a wide variety of cheap beers that evening. I have had one of those beers in America, Pilsner Urquell: the Pilsner was invented by the Czechs, so this one was particularly well known. Another was Budweiser Budvar, a beer that is apparently in an ongoing lawsuit with the American Budweiser about some sort of marketing conflict. Well, the Budweiser there sold me in favor of the Czech version -- it was as smooth and cheap as Keystone Light and about ten times better tasting than the American Budweiser. Can't we have that in America, please?

The next day, we spent some time in the Jewish Quarter. A large number of Jews once lived in Prague, but they were greatly segregated. Even as their population boomed, they were not allowed to move away from their corner of town. But synagogues were erected, a cemetery was squeezed into what would become a beautiful site, and the Jews successfully lived there until one smart governor decided that the area was too crowded. Eventually, many of the buildings were demolished, but we still saw many synagogues and that one cemetery. Some of the synagogues had a quiet elegance of their own that was clearly different than the allure of old churches. One synagogue had transformed into a Holocaust memorial, where the names of every murdered Czech Jew was put on the walls, giving us one of the only clues that these people ever existed, and the walls were plastered with names, too. I had to step back and then remember that this endless list of names was only a fraction of those who actually perished. Then, we attended Friday night services at the oldest active synagogue in Europe, built in the 13th century, but by then I had begun to sniffle here and there, and the acoustics of the place were absolutely horrid.

As I became infected with a cold, I wearily enjoyed some more food and beer with our remaining time in Prague. We went out again that night, and the next day we simply walked around the city. Prague is a wonderfully beautiful place, but you can see the sites relatively quickly. We went to the top of a tower for a fabulous view, and we saw more great buildings. But our time was nearing an end. We were about to leave the cheap beer and extravagant architecture for something entirely different: the Alps of Switzerland!

Leia Mais…

Bureaucracy Exists Everywhere

Author's Note: I have realized that writing about Europe without my notes is no easy task.  Writing about anything in the past is much harder than writing in the moment.  So, the project of telling about my adventures in Europe may take a while.  I would like to also proceed with posts about my in the moment here in Israel.  So, until I finish the task, you will see a mix of posts about stuff in September with missives regarding the relative present.

A story first and then a complaint.

We had been told we would probably stay in our same room for the entire semester.  Told that we would not have to move between the Intensive Hebrew Ulpan and everything else.  The attempts were to keep us where we were, but there were no guarantees.

On October 1, I received an email informing me that I had to move.  So the Dormitory Staff had decreed, and so the International School was informing me.  I wished to know why.  My roommate, Evan, particularly wanted to fight it., too  For a while, though, all we accomplished was delaying the process until the Dormitory Staff became available.  We couldn't fight with the middle man, especially when the middle man could not tell us why we were moving.

This morning Evan finally spoke with the Dormitory Staff.  There were some Israelis who had lived in the 411 flat last year, they wanted to follow suit this year, and they held priority.  Therefore, the move was on.  We were off to another place at the bottom of the dormitories, which was nice, because it was close.  But then another problem arose.  

I saw sheets on the bed.  A suitcase rested on the ground.  A passport sat on the desk.  Someone was clearly living in my new room.  So, as Evan begins moving his stuff over, the staff works to figure things out.  They want to keep us together, so apparently this is a problem again.  After Evan brings over about half his belongings, I receive a phone call informing that we will move to an entirely different flat.  Again; the third in a day.

I'm still at the bottom, but it surely was a hassle to stay down here.  And tomorrow, we have to deal with moving the Internet to our new place.  That will contain loads of fun, I'm sure.

Not to mention another item on tomorrow's agenda, too: here is the complaint.  Every international student taking Hebrew courses this semester must take the placement exam.  That includes those of us who took a course in the Ulpan.  I made an A- in the Bet-2 level (or B2), so I should just move up to Gimmel-1 (C1).  I went to Europe, so I have not improved enough to possibly skip Gimmel-1.  And I will refuse to no end to retake Bet-2 if I happen to bomb the test.  I see no other course for me except Gimmel-1, so please remind me why I will sit for hours during a meaningless exam?

Bureaucracy, oh bureaucracy!  You are everywhere.  And you are just as annoying here, too.

Leia Mais…

Eurotrip: A City of History, Berlin

We arrived on a cold Sunday morning. Definitely much colder than expected.  During the first moments of my three weeks on a different continent, I worried I had not brought warm clothes to last. After my friends and I managed to find the hostel, though, we ate some breakfast and the climate became just slightly warmer.  And so, we were off.

We started our trip off with a little bit of Judaism. We sought out the "New Synagogue," which was an ironic name for a synagogue that was actually kinda old. When people named synagogues back then, they must not have thought with the hindsight that it might still exist today. It was mostly a museum now, though, and I learned a lot about the Berlin Jewish community before World War II.  That community might have actually been one of the most liberal of its time, trying to mingle into society before anti-Semitism became a major threat to their very existence.  There was an organ in the synagogue, and I even read about a female rabbi (although she was not allowed to give sermons).  

Afterwards, still tired from a bad red-eye flight (they served breakfast at the start of the overnight trip and the seats did not recline!), we opted for an early lunch. Then we heard about a company that would improve our entire time away from the U.S. and Israel.  Sandeman's New Europe is a European tour group that offers free tours in many European cities. These tours are tip-based, and they allowed us to watch our budget while setting an entire tone for a few of our city visits!

During the tour, the idea settled in that Berlin is a city that had taken part in some of the greatest history of the world. As the capitol of Germany during both World Wars, and as the center of the Cold War, one can argue that Berlin was the most important city in the 20th century. Twenty years ago, the Cold War ended, but instead of running away from some sad history, the city seems to have embraced it.

Berlin realizes the evil of its country's ways during World War II, and therefore the city remains real cautious towards the Jewish community. In front of the synagogue we earlier went to, there was a guard stationed 24-7. And the same was true for every Jewish establishment in the city. The city also hosts the largest Jewish museum in Europe, detailing much of our people's plight in the continent and explaining Jewish life to all visitors. Meanwhile, there is a relatively new Holocaust Memorial that stands prominently on a big square of ground. Berlin's Holocaust Memorial is a bunch of large, black blocks of different sizes in the sloping square. As I walked through the memorial, I was prompted to think of how the Nazis refused to differentiate between the Jews they killed. Victims came from all sorts of life, from different levels of wealth and different levels of talent.

The Nazis' evils started within, though, and not  with Jews, when arson probably destroyed the parliament building. The Reichstag was rebuilt with a new crystal dome so viewers can look down and watch politicians debate from above, symbolizing the ideals of democracy that first materialized for Germans in the failed Weimer Republic earlier in the century. Because of the country's even greater evils, Berlin got bombarded during World War II, which set the city up to stand center-stage during the Cold War. They thrive on this history. There is a church that has its pulpit lower than the normal ground - they kept the hole there that a bomb created. The three places where the Berlin Wall still stands remain, and a couple turned into spots for artists of different sorts to show their talents. Some of this became such a trend that graffiti is a normal and an even beautiful art-form to view in the city.

But Berlin's love for history did not start in the 20th Century. The two most recognizable landmarks of the city are covered with historical significance. The Victory Column was built to commemorate victory in the Danish-Prussian war. The Brandenburg Gate is a great structure that has stood for centuries, and Napolean stole a statue from it before it  served as a Nazi symbol, and before multiple United States presidents spoke in front of it discussing the Cold War.  

Our tour guide also told us that Berlin has more museums than Paris, London, or Manhattan.  (This might be a product, in part, of Germans being prominent in archeology once upon a time.)  We also had a day trip to the nearby Potsdam, where a good handful of German kings and emperors had lived.  

Berlin was a  city with history at its core, but twenty years ago the city was released from the harsh grasp of history.  The city loves its history, though, so it continues to cling to it.  This clinging is not like a person who cannot move forward in life because they are too attached to their old life, however, because the city also grows.  The clenching to history, therefore, reminds me more of a person that realizes their past makes them who they are.  Through their growth, Berliners have managed to still produce good architecture, good beer, and a liberal sense of history, just as they often had.  And yet they grow so much - Berlin might look very different the next time I go there.  But no matter how different the look may be, I feel certain that stories of the past will still sit everywhere still.  What a wonderful time it was, and what a wonderful time it will be next time.

Leia Mais…

Eurotrip: Pictures!

I apologize for not yet posting much about Europe. I promise I will arrive at that task relatively soon. Until then, I hope you will enjoy some pictures from the trip.

My camera died in the first days in Europe, while we were still in Berlin. So, a vast majority of the pictures were taken by Evan, who probably owns a better camera than I do, anyways. These links, consequently, are all to pictures he has taken.

• Berlin Proper - my favorite city of the trip
• Potsdam, outside of Berlin
• Prague; There used to be so many Jews here that there was actually a Jewish Quarter.
• Switzerland - BEAUTIFUL, and my favorite day was here.
• Paris
• Munich, which was mainly Oktoberfest but included a trip to Dachau

Leia Mais…