Reflections of the Earth

Reflections of the Earth
In a field in the outskirts of Rome

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Couch Surfing Across Jerusalem

This past weekend (6/10/10-6/13/10) I spent my time in Jerusalem visiting friends that I am now saying goodbye to instead of hello. I guess it is coming full circle. My second week in Israel I took a couple of days and went to Jerusalem to see a great friend I hadn't seen since I had been in Israel four years ago in 2006. Now, I went to that same friend, watched the USA vs. England World Cup game and celebrated my last night in Jerusalem with some great pizza. This weekend started before last night, but it was a highlight of my visit and since it was full circle, I felt it needed mentioning right off. It all started by helping two friends (Dana and Lauren) move down to Jerusalem from Haifa. We went out as a group to רחוב בן יהודה (Ben Yahuda Street) and met another friend (Ayal) who studied with us at Haifa University. So the four of us enjoyed some Shwarma and spent the rest of the evening walking around Ben Yehuda. I stayed on the first couch that night at Dana's. The next morning I joined Ayal in going to Hebron with a group called "Breaking the Silence". This group has former soldiers guide tours through Hebron talking about their experiences serving in Hebron. We got to hear a settler's perspective and a Palestinian perspective, all the while being trailed by 4 regular police officers, 4-5 Border Policemen (and their vehicle), and the occasional Nachal soldier at a checkpoint. After meeting with the Palestinian from Hebron, we came out only to be met by two angry settlers who were shouting insults at us and our tour guide ("Michael, how much did the EU pay you to come here?").



The man reminded Ayal of a redneck with a potbelly poking out of his shirt, barefoot, and shabby looking. It was a great experience to say the least. After we left there, Ayal and I went to the Shuk in Jerusalem. Later in the evening we went to an Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem that is unique because it has the mechitza, but both sides are equal and next to each other and women are able to lead prayers and read from the torah. After Shabbat services, Ayal and I went with a woman from the synagogue to her home for Shabbat and had a great time speaking with her daughter, son, and cousin. They are really a great group of people. I ended up walking back to Ayal's place to meet Steve so we could go to Dana's and get his stuff, and then finally back to his place so I could stay on his couch. The next morning consisted of HUC Shabbat Morning services and going with Dana to meet her sister who goes to Clark University with me.  That night I met David and we watched the US vs. England game over pizza and beer (great combination!) and we said our goodbyes at the end of the night and I returned to Dana's couch. Sunday morning, my last day in Jerusalem, I had the great opportunity to meet and have coffee with Josh, my Jewish History teacher from 4 years ago in Israel, and we had a great conversation catching up on 4 years of life, Aliyah, what life in Israel has been like for him, and much much more. This was a great weekend, it is sad that it is my second to last weekend, but I will always look back on this weekend with fondness. I was great to be with everyone and to see those that I have not seen in many years.

The Last Days

With only one week left in Israel I have a pretty long list of things I am going to miss...here are some (They are not in order of importance):

1. Having coffee with Tal and Ronen in the morning
2. Emet (Amir) visiting at night and spending hours talking with us
3. Playing soccer with Chadash (Amir #2) and the other students in the international school
4. Listening to Israel Na'aman's history lessons on tiyuls
5. The Tiyuls
6. The Madrichim
7. Having an awesome apartment (people and my room is the best!)
8. Having a bus system that takes you anywhere and everywhere-->same goes for the train
9. Bargaining 
10. Going to the Second Floor with Shai and Guy

More to be added later...

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Second Magen David Adom Shift

I finally got on to a second shift with Magen David Adom (MDA). Let me tell you, it has been extremely frustrating and at times I have just wanted to throw out the white flag of surrender, but fear not, I have continued to pursue my goal and have succeeded. We had three calls and I ended up working with two other volunteers from Canada and a regular MDA medic. It was a long day filled with some frustration, embarassment, and fun...or at least fun for me...it didn't seem like it for the other two volunteers. A word for the wise, if you decide you want to volunteer with MDA either through a program (I highly suggest this approach) or alone (what I did), keep in mind that while you are on an ambulance in Israel and trained to handle situations like a US first responder, you are not always respected. You will most likely be talked down too, isolated from the rest of the regular crowd,  be yelled at for not understanding, and even while doing a good job feel like you aren't. I know it sounds depressing, but this is the impression I got from the volunteers I saw today, they all seemed pretty happy to be done with the work. After two shifts, I can see why they would be frustrated. Israelis are like cactuses (sabras), they are prickly on the outside, yet soft on the inside...its just getting past the pricklers that can be an issue. I succeeded on my first shift to meet people and get the jist of what I needed to do, but this second shift was not quite what I expected. I know, I know, it sounds like I am always frustrated here, and while that is partially true, it isn't always the case. MDA is a great organization that provides excellent care and I don't blame the medics for not wanting to work with volunteers who, for the most part, are not necessarily interested in EMS, are told not to do anything without express concent from the driver, and decide that learning about symptoms and other "non important things" are just not worth the time. However, for those who take advantage of this fantastic opportunity and utilize the skills learned to their full potential, I guarantee this is an adventure that will change your life. It has already made me excited to return to my home EMS in the Boston area to learn even more about EMS. I know for my brother and best friend, MDA was one of their favorite experiences in Israel and enjoyed it! I now join them in that feeling!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

מצדה וים המלך

On Sunday I along with 6 other friends from the international school left for the Dead Sea (ים המלך) around 2pm and arrived at the  at around 5pm. We immediately got into the worlds saltiest water and began floating around. It was some of the most fun I have had here. We put mud on and continued to float around. A few of us managed to figure out how to "sit" in the water. It was so much fun, especially in the evening when the air and water were much cooler. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on Earth and earlier that day was reaching temperatures close, if not at, 100 degrees fahrenheit. After swimming around for a few hours, we got out, dried off, and headed over to the small rental car for dinner. When I say "small" rental car, I mean it. When this thing pulled up to the bus stop, I was surprised...how would we fit all our stuff in there? Well, needless to say, we did get all our stuff in there, by cramming it all into every space we could find. That meant me and my friend in the back had the lovely adventure of feeling like sardines being squished into the back of the car. My knees were right up against the chair in front of me and my תחת hurt from sitting for so long, but when we finally got to our destination...it was worth it.

Dinner consisted of pita, hummus, tuna, and some veggies (whatever you brought) and many a hungry cat became onlookers to our meal. We gave them the partially empty tuna cans after all refused to eat pita and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy that meal. After we drank some beers we searched for the spot where we would camp out for the night...we found it right on the shores of the Dead Sea on a little rise. It was perfect, you could see stars everywhere, you could see Jordan off in the distance, and have the sulfurish smell and calming sounds of the Dead Sea all around you. We all stayed up a little later watching the stars, discussing where different constellations were in the sky, watching a multitude of shooting stars arch across the sky, and seeing Jupiter perched next to the luminous moon that was sending its reflected rays down onto the Dead Sea where the act was reciprocated and the flowing waves of the sea became illuminated in a ghostly glow.

At 3am we woke up and, after searching for one of our friend's shorts that had been left to dry on a tree and were now gone, began our drive to מצדה for our hike to the top. We arrived at around 4am and began climbing up until one of our group ran back to grab his water bottle and was seen by a previously sleeping security guard who told him no one was allowed up for another 20 minutes and that he must pay the entrance fee of 25 sheckels. He called us to explain this and we hid on the trail behind a mound of dirt waiting until our friend would join us. Once he did find us, it was all up hill from there...literally. We climbed as the sun began to rise over the hills and mountains to the East. The whole hike lasted around 45 minutes and when we reached the top we found ourselves on the very spot where 2,000 years ago the Romans layed siege to one of the last Jewish strongholds after the first revolt. I climbed over the outer wall where there was just enough ground to sit on the very ledge of the mountain and await the sunrise. We all watched with awe as the sun peaked over the horizon and cast its glowing rays across the land before us. Below us, Roman camps sat, abandoned, and lifeless, but one could imagine Roman soldiers just beginning their morning routines in camp, looking above at the towering fortress they were tasked with capturing.

We walked around Masada, taking in all of the sights and sounds and then began our trek back down the Snake Path (the way we came up). It was on the way down that I completed a goal that has been itching at the back of my mind for years...I finally got the opportunity to go into one of the Roman camps. As we passed the still ominous retaining wall set up by the Romans, I found the handle of a shattered pot that was most likely from Roman times as each legion had their own pottery making facility and the X Legion's (the group present at Masada and one of the primary Legions in Israel at the time) pottery factory was in Jerusalem. This means that most likely most, if not all, of the shards we found could be from the Romans. The coolest part about walking through the camp was the feeling of going back in time, like you were completely in touch with the soldiers who once occupied the base. The rocks were still in the outlines the Romans had left them, with different tent or other types of camp locations still outlined as if only yesterday the Romans had set up camp. It was eerie to look up and see the view these soldiers once had of the daunting Masada heights perched directly above them.

All in all, this trip proved to be a fantastic adventure and one that I wont soon forget. It was awesome spending the time with all of these great people (you know who you are) and I hope that in the very near future I will get the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and climb Masada for the sunrise.

MDA: First Shift

On Sunday May 30th, I had the awesome experience of having my first shift with Magen David Adom. The shift started at 7am, I got there at 6:30 since buses are scarce going to the German Colony in the morning from the University. The base gradually got busier as more medics, paramedics, and doctors filled the halls of the base. The morning was slow, no calls, nothing much to do other than read (which I did a lot of). Around 9am or so, we got our first call. It was scary because the second partner was called away just prior to our response by the dispatcher who needed help. The chovesh bachir (senior medic) told me to get into the passenger seat and off we went, only to be cancelled enroute. The second call came in 10 or 11am  for an elderly woman having trouble breathing. We ended up not transporting her per her request, but still it was great to get into the action again. During the afternoon things were fairly quiet so I took the opportunity to investigate the back of the ambulance to figure out where everything is kept. Unlike in the US, medics don't administer drugs, so that was one less thing I had to look for as I went through each cabinet meticulously. Then the third call came in. We found the man sitting on the side of the street. The chovesh bachir knew the guy who was a drug addict. The man could barely sit up when we asked him too. In the end we couldn't convince him to come with us to the hospital and we left. In the US this would not fly at all, but it is always so cool to see how a different EMS system works.

After all this, we sat around talking and the day ended quietly...just like a summer day at Armstrong Ambulance Service...or at least most summer days there. All in all, a great experience, though I continue to find the bureaucracy to be very hindering and frustrating making every attempt at getting a shift a painfully slow and inneficient process. You gotta love it!

Flotilla mess

The past two weeks have been plagued with news regarding the flotilla. In Israel last week, things were tense, people were emotional, and our going away party was cancelled due to a violent student protest on campus. Despite all of this, we continue to live our lives, study hard and play hard. The challenge with this specific incident is how Israel and the world reacts and so far both are negative. Israel has released a lot of pictures, stories, and videos, but sometimes it is just not enough.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Night Out on the Town

What is a typical night out on the town like here in the city of Haifa? I am glad you asked. If you assumed that it involvs eating a burger and going to a pub, you have safely assumed the right answer.

Lets start at the beginning...

6pm--Monday and Tuesday this is the time I get out of class, I am usually tired, unmotivated to do any more homework required of me, and generally am uninterested in sitting at my computer in my room.

6:30pm--After giving myself some time to check email, facebook, the news, and any other random thing I am interested in (EMS games or news...I know I know, its lame), I tend to call my friends to find out if there is any interest at all in going to a pub. Often times, from certain friends, I get a "oh, I am not really in the mood to drink tonight, but thank you" or the famous "I have a lot of work to do" excuse. Its ok, I usually have my designated drinker on board anyway, so I can handle the rejection...at this point I call Steve...we decide the time to meet...lets say for the sake of this story its 7:30pm

7:30 pm--I get on the 37 bus to Khorev Center and meet Steve down the road near Denya. At Khorev Center we transfer to the 123 bus to Newe Sha'anan. On the way we decide what pub to go to, again for the sake of the story and to explain a really cool feature in some Israeli pubs, lets go with the Second Floor pub in Newe Sha'anan.

8:15pm--We arrive to the pub and order our first drink. The cool feature in this and some other Israeli pubs is the 1 + 1 Happy Hour. From 6-9 you buy one beer and once you finish it completely you get the same beer in the same size glass for free. Buy one, get one free...love it. We also order the burger which is very good at this place.

8:45--So lets say we are drinking semi-quickly tonight and for the sake of argument we finish in 30 minutes, we then receive our second beer. At around this time or a little sooner, depending on how crowded the place is and how many waitresses are working, we get our burgers.

9:45/10 pm--We have finished our second beer and burgers (usually Steve have finished both in record time and I am usually stuck with a quarter or more of a beer left and chips still on my plate). We pay for the bill and hop on the 123 bus to Khorev, then transfer to the 37. Steve gets off at the top of the hill in Denya and either hitch hikes home or walks. I continue back to the university in a thoroughly happy state, fed and buzzed.

This is a typical weekday night...this is of course excluding soccer nights which will be explained in a future post.

יום הסטודנטים

A few weeks ago was the big celebration of יום הסטודנטים at the Technion University in Haifa. Students from all Haifa Universities and Colleges came to the Technion for two nights of fun, drinking, and concerts. It is supposed to be a celebration of the students of Israel, giving us an opportunity to blow off some steam, have a good time, and make some new friends. I went with my roommate and his friend. We spent the first hour of this adventure sitting outside of the event drinking the famous Israeli alcohol, Arak and after we were thoroughly "happy" we continued into the celebrations. Besides paying 100 shekels to get in, it was a pretty awesome experience. There were hundreds if not thousands of students from all over. There were hundreds of food and beer stands. There were two big stages, one with a DJ and a dance floor and the other with famous Israeli bands playing. While walking around for the first hour was eye opening and interesting (probably mostly due to the Arak still saturating my system) it eventually became kind of boring, especially because my roommate and his friend were not having a great time. This is understandable though when you consider how expensive the food and beer was inside. While my friends got in for free due to their membership with the Haifa University student union, my 100 shekel entrance fee basically burned a hole in my pocket. We ended up getting some Thai food (was really good by the way) and went home. It wasn't a bad night for me, even though it was a boring and frustrated night for my friends, I have now had the opportunity to see what student life is like in Haifa on a whole new level. Back at Clark events are smaller because it is a small school, so having this many people representing the two major schools of Haifa was incredibly awesome and eye opening.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Problems, always problems

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3873560,00.html

Here is a classic situation where you just want to smack some people!

Tales of going home with an Israeli

I have now gone home with my roommate twice and both times have been awesome. Yes, usually it ends up that we watch Prison Break for most of the day and generally don't wake up until past noon (after a previous night of drinking the extra sleep is welcome), but the experience is welcome and nothing beats meeting new friends and family. The day tends to go something like this:

1) Wake up past noon (generally) and immediately put on Prison Break to catch up from where we left off the night before

2) After watching a few episodes of Prison Break, my roommate has almost always already called a friend up who meets us at the house and from there we go to another friends house. Then we sit for a few hours talking and drinking coffee.

3) We return to the house for a few hours and a few more episodes of Prison Break, then head out for a night of drinking either at a pub or at someones house.

4) We stumble back into his house around 4 or 5 in the morning. My roommate whips up a batch of his famous pasta and sauce which we then proceed to devour

5) We get into bed and watch more Prison Break until we fall asleep only to repeat the cycle the next morning which usually involves rewatching an episode that one of us fell asleep during. 

Thursday, May 6, 2010

MASA conference and Hadag Nachash

Last night I went along with several others from the international school to see a Hadag Nachash concert (Hadag Nachash is a very popular Israeli band). After getting through the layers of security, we finally found our seats, expecting some speakers and a kick ass concert. Suddenly, in walks B.B. Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. I had heard something about him being there, but it didn't sink in until I heard the words, "Please rise for the Prime Minister Netanyahu". Netanyahu is a very good speaker, very good! He went to Harvard University in Boston which explains it all. His speech was inspiring and powerful, however, the message I feel was simple and something I have heard many times before: "Israel is Your home". I guess it depends who you are talking to...but my opinion aside, a good speech with a lot of passion. If I were an idealistic high school student, I would make Aliyah in 2 minutes, alas, I am 21 with a passion for Hiking, playing the drums, and Emergency Medicine...while I plan on making Aliyah next year, it is because I do really enjoy living in this country, Zionism aside.

After the speech, Hadag Nachash played an awesome show. It has been about three years since I saw them in concert last at Brandeis University. It was an awesome night and Hadag Nachash has and continues to be a big favorite of mine as far as Israeli bands go.

The past few months...a reflection

As I sit in my room now, with only weeks separating me from my return to the US, I can't help but reflect on the good times and the bad times that I have had in Israel. It's been 4 months since I said a tearful, but excited good bye to my family at Logan Airport as I departed on my journey from Boston, to Madrid, to Tel Aviv. I reread the not my mom slipped into my backpack just as I was leaving, which she always does, with the words written on the envelop "open on the plane". I most often times forget and read these letters weeks, sometimes months after I have already departed the plan, but this time was different. On my way to Madrid, I turned off my Ipod, placed my book into the seat pocket in front of me, and placed the sudoku back into my bag. I read the note slowly, carefully, savoring each word and its meaning. I have read this letter 3 times since I have been here, once when I came, once when I was in the middle of my stay, and now towards the end of my stay and I am sure I will read it one more time before I land in Boston.


Looking at the letter now, I find the words are the same, but the meaning is different. When I left for Israel I was unhappy about where I was in life. Nothing seemed to fit, nothing seemed to make me happy anymore. These words were meant as encouragement and they still are, but now, as I read, its all different: "By the time you read this card you will be up in the air, well on your way to another wonderful adventure...I know you will gain so much from this experience. Remember life is not smooth. It is the roller coaster effect that makes life challenging, keeps us on our toes, and keeps life interesting--a life-long learning process. Remember this when challenges arise in Israel--and they will--but you love this place and want to be there".



There have been tons of challenges here. Re-familiarizing myself with the culture in Israel, making friends, trying endlessly to work for MDA (still in the works), figuring out how to use the buses and which stations to go to, all of these things and more have been challenges. I remember the first two weeks here when I stayed with my friend Shai, I was too scared to use the buses because I didn't know which bus went where or what station was what. Jerusalem was even scarier when I went to meet with the MDA people, I ended up getting lost and arrived a few hours late for my interview. I couldn't speak a lot of Hebrew, let alone understand it, and I was frustrated. The first few weeks...no, I would go as far as the first month...in Israel were angering, frustrating, depressing, and I wanted nothing more than to return home. However, just like what my mom wrote to me in this letter (which I re-read around this time), she repeated to me in Jerusalem during my family's visit, "once you accept Israel as just another country in the world, a place like any other, if you still love it after that, then you know you can live here". That is more or less what she told me that day and it has stuck with me ever since.

Israel is not a place where grand miracles happen or where the Messiah comes flying down to your rescue, it is not a place where everything is perfect (far from it), nor is it a place where everything is bad, it is not a place where all people are treated equally, nor is it a place where people are repressed. Israel is Israel. I love this country for the simple fact that every morning when I wake up and look out my window, I see a world of possibilities, a place that needs help, that needs molding. I look out at night from this same window and see the mist coming off the water and settling over the dark city, with the lights reflecting off of these clouds displaying an almost heavenly world. I love Israel for the simple fact that I feel connected here, with the people and the nature. I love Israel for its nature, its beauty, its unique contrast between desert and forest. I love Israel for all of the people I have met and become friends with, this most importantly. If it were not for the people that I have met these past four months, I don't think I would have wanted to come back, they are the primary reason now, that I wish to return next year. Ideology is only a small piece of the bigger picture for me. Most of my ideological thinking has vanished with my current stay here. I wish to come back and live in Israel because of my friends...my new family.

Coming back from Italy at the beginning of April, I walked from the terminal to the passport control booth. As soon as I reach the ramp just before the booths a sensation filled within me...I am home. It must have repeated in my head many more times as I waited in line to have my passport checked, thinking next year I won't be in the line with foreign passport holders, next year I will be in the line for Israeli passports. As I arrived in the Sherut into Haifa, I said aloud to myself for the first time..."I am home". This sensation will stay with me for as long as I live, through the roller coaster that is life. My mom was right, this roller coaster keeps us on our toes and keeps life interesting, without it, I would not be returning to Israel. אני אוהב את ישראל מכל הלב! ברוכים הבאים לחיים!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Bureaucracy...its a bitch

Israel...as wonderful as a country it may be has a major major problem. No, I am not talking about the Israeli-Arab conflict, frequent wars, poverty, sex trafficking, thick hotheadedness, bad leadership, and drugs...no, these are just a few other major problems in the country. The big problem, in my opinion, BUREAUCRACY!!!! I have been consistently learning this fact the hard way over the course of my stay here. This point was, and is continuing to be, further reiterated through my dealings with Magen David Adom (Israel's National Ambulance Service). Thankfully I was able to take the test without much trouble, but I still had to take the Hebrew portion...easy right? A simple phone call is all that is needed to complete that section and I am golden! NOT! I call the head honcho at least 6 times towards the end of the week after my test, no answer. I call him on Friday, not there, Call him on Sunday, not available, I call him on Monday, he is busy and can't talk. I call him again in between classes, finally reaching him, and he says call at 8pm...no problem, that just requires me to pick up the phone at 8pm and call, no big deal. WRONG! 8pm roles around, I call his phone, by the way there is no ringing, and hear this: "Circum Shalom, the person you are trying to reach right now is currently unavailable..." I wait for the answering machine...there is none. I call again, and it goes straight into this obnoxious woman telling me the obvious, that clearly my friend at MDA has either disconnected his phone or he has turned it off (considering the number worked earlier, I assume he turned it off). So I go searching for another number he might have called me from, I find it and call. Sure enough, he is finally answering (9pm by the way, an hour after I started this calling adventure). He gives me the test which lasts literally 5 minutes...5 MINUTES!!!! (He couldn't have just given this test to me earlier?) I pass the test no problem with only a few minor mistakes mainly due to the static that just so happens to increase when he speaks (go figure). Then he deals me the deathblow...he couldn't get in touch with the base in Haifa, but they are supposed to call him back tomorrow and then he will call me with their number and I can start signing up for shifts. As excited as I was that I passed and that I could finally start shifts, I also realized that what he just said meant that the base was not going to get back to him, and even if they did, he probably wouldn't call me for a few weeks with the information, and lets not even get started with the possibility of me having to try and get in touch with the base.

When all is said and done, its what being in Israel is all about, if you can't handle it, go home, if you can, its worth every minute of BS that you go through and waste trying to do even the most simple things such as scheduling a shift. In any case, I am going to call on Sunday and sort the whole thing out, but this is a case in point in how annoying, frustrating, angering, and rewarding Israeli society can be.

A run in the park

Running in Carmel Park late in the evening is an experience that is paralleled by no other. As I run, I have the sunset of the Mediterranean at my back, the clouds glowing orange, then purple, blue, and red. As my feet hit the pavement, the sound becomes part of the never ending chorus of the park. Deep down in the ravine below me, I can hear the bullfrogs singing their nightly song, the wolves howling chimes in with the rush of the breeze swaying the grass around me. The fresh smell of night descends upon me as my legs carry me as if on a cloud. Around and round I go, through the mountains of the Carmel.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Sirens and memorials

Today is Israel's Memorial Day (יום הזיכרון) for the 22,684 Jews who have died in the founding and defense of the State of Israel. Its a somber day filled with high emotion. Some families have lost more than one son or daughter over the years of violence that has afflicted this country. While this day is a day of remembering, it is also one of honoring those who came from far away to serve a small country that is not much larger than New Jersey and perished, often alone without family. The sirens started last night at 8pm and this morning they sounded again at 11am. The piercing sound of the sirens hits your heart and you feel, for a brief moment, like the whole world has stopped. Cars on the roads below stopped and the occupants stood next to their cars at עמוד אדום or attention. זכור את אלה שנפלו בהגנה על מדינת ישראל.

To all the soldiers who died founding and defending the State of Israel, we salute you.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Italy...continued...

Italy was an awesome adventure. I have always wanted to get there, but have never had the chance. We ended up going to Florence, Venice, overnight train to Naples, and finished up in Rome. We saw The David (a very big statue in real life). I found it particularly funny that the Italians have a great sense of humor when it comes to David's genitalia. We also went to the science museum in Florence where we saw some very cool inventions by DaVinci...and DaVinci's middle finger in a jar...yes a jar.


Some cool things happen when you travel. For example, my friend Yonatan was supposed to be in Italy at the same time as me, but we had no way to get in touch about where we were in Italy, so I thought there is no chance I will meet up with him...WRONG! Right in the middle of the train station in Florence is Yonatan walking around with scone in hand.

Continuing on then...we left Florence for Venice where we went to the old government building which is part art museum, part historical museum about the political and judicial life of Venice. We went on the second day to the glass factory on the Island of Glass where the girls continued on to the glass museum and us guys drifted around on the water bus. Here, another incredibly funny event happened. As Steve and I are getting gelato on the main island, we see a Native American troupe playing music in the middle of the square...weird...very out of place, but interesting none-the-less. The second day in Venice also signaled the end of פסח which meant the two people on our trip keeping kosher for Pesach could finally eat bread and drink beer/wine. We caught the overnight train to Naples and so began the second half of the trip.

We arrived in Naples and had a taxi driver with his first day on the job and had no idea where he was going, but eventually we got a train out to Pompeii which was an incredible sight. It is hard to describe in words, but to walk down the streets where so much history happened and so well preserved! There are actually bodies still there, forever frozen in time...absolutely incredible and a must see on any trip to Italy. You need a full day at Pompeii to understand the scale of the disaster there and also to just get through the area (it is massive). The second day we visited Herculaneum where the explosion of Vesuvious also caused extensive damage and burial of nearly the entire city. Again, this is another must see sight in Naples, though it wont take you the whole day, you will need several hours at the very least to enjoy it.

Finally, we ended our trip in Rome. The first day was a tour of the Colosseum and ancient Forum of Rome. The Colosseum is an incredible sight to see, though without a tour there isn't much to derive from it other than just another pile of rocks in a formation. The tour was fantastic with great stories and history. The tour of the Colosseum was immediately followed up by a tour of the Forum and Emperor's palace which is very well preserved, thanks to the Vatican covering it in dirt to literally blot out paganism. The Vatican also "recycled" stones from the Colosseum, the forum, and other ancient Roman buildings in order to build St. Peter's Basilica. The next day was the Vatican tour. The Vatican, with all the money it has, does not have very good metal detectors so we ended up being stuck in line for an hour and a half or so because one of their metal detectors broke down. The Vatican was mainly a massive art museum, but it was beautiful with tapestries, very detailed and accurate map paintings, and ceilings so well painted it actually looked like parts of the ceiling was protruding when it was simply painted flat. All in the perspective!

Each room got more and more detailed and fantastic until finally we ended at the Sistine Chapel. Some great stories about the paintings, but I will fill in those stories another time.

All in all a great trip! Italy is a great place with lots to see!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

יום השואה

"The Butterfly"

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing

against a white stone. . . .

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly 'way up high.
It went away I'm sure because it wished to

kiss the world good-bye.

For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don't live in here,

in the ghetto.

- by Pavel Friedman

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Italy

A quick shout out from Italy. Currently in Venice. We just got here after two days of touring Florence. We saw the David and several museums in the city. More detail to follow. As for today, we visited the main palace of Venice and an art museum. Again, more to come!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bonfire

Tonight we had a bonfire in the woods next to the University, in Carmel Park to be exact. We sang songs and enjoyed each others company, rejoicing in almost being free for Passover. We made smores, but the marshmallows taste bad here. The sky was very clear as well with the moon projecting a glow across the sky that just makes you feel so lost in its beauty. The stars were also a welcome sight amid the dim glow of the bonfire as it slowly receded into smoldering remnants. The bonfire's flames illuminated a small circle of people, singing, laughing, talking, and dreaming. When the flames disappeared the people were still there, still illuminated by the now distant light, and even in this darkness we sat and continued with our evening.

Leaving the site I couldn't help but think how much fun it would be to do this all the time. My advice people...live life to its fullest, enjoy the people you are with (or if you don't, ignore them while having fun), try your best at everything, and finally if you think you aren't good at something...90% of the time, you are wrong. Oh and don't take life too seriously its too short to fret about every little detail, chances are if you think you are having fun, you are. :-)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Aliyah

I have recently been pondering the question, "what makes Israel different from all of the other places I could have studied in this semester?" Like any other country it has its faults, bureaucracy, anger, frustration, and pain. Actually living in Israel is far different than just going on a prescribed program, it allows you to see Israel for what it is, to break through the veil of perfection that all to often makes Israel into a supernatural place. Since I have come here, I have been frustrated, angry, and disillusioned. It is always hard for me to grasp that things are changing, the way I view the world, my family, my place in the world, and where I am going to be once college ends. Israel has always been a place that I could rely on to help me get through even my toughest times in life. I could always go to Israel in my mind and heart and find happiness in the depths of despair and sadness. It was as if there was a tether between me and the land, always keeping me afloat. That tether was cut upon coming here now. I am older, I can see through the veil of perfection, I can see Israel for what it truly is, a place, just like any other. But that is exactly why I love Israel. It is a place just like any other, but with a spirit, a spirit that you rarely, if ever, find. It is a belief that we can make the world a better place. To love Israel is to love the ideal that Israel stands for. I have realized that while I can see through the BS spoon fed to Jewish youth about the perfect Israeli state, I also realize that what we have been grown up with is a dream that is worth achieving in Israel. Israel will never be perfect, that is too much to ask, but to believe in the country, to believe in the ideal of what it could be, that is much more important in my opinion. Just like the lonely, destitute masses of the first Aliyot who came to Israel with nothing, who perished trying to make their dream of a Jewish state into a reality, I too wish to join the ranks of those who believe in what Israel is and can be.

Suddenly, the answer to my question, "what makes Israel different from all of the other places?" What makes Israel different from all other places is its foundation in hope...hope is the most powerful link to a land that a people can have, the belief and hope in Israel is the foundation on which this nation stands and what makes it unique. Like the pioneers before me, I too have made that decision to make the giant leap into the unknown, the terrifying, to make a dream of many years come true and to contribute to the building of the foundation of belief and hope in a nation that desperately needs just that. אני אוהב את ישראל

Monday, March 22, 2010

Field trip to Lower Galilee, Mount Arbel and the Kinneret area



Today my Contemporary Israel class went to the lower Galilee, Mount Arbel, and the Kinneret. This is a fascinating place full of history, especially from the Tanakh. We followed in the footsteps of Jewish history from King Saul's defeat in the Jezre'el Valley all the way through the early pioneers of the Aliyot. We visited near the site of the first Kibbutz, Degania and visited one of the first Moshavot. We also visited the agricultural school where Rachel Bluewstein and other men and women of the Aliyot learned agriculture. Rachel's poetry is some of the most beautiful writing because of her passion for the Kinneret and its beauty, unlike Mark Twain who basically said that the area of the Kinneret was the worst piece of land in the world, the ugliest, most disgusting place. I saw a picture of the Kinneret around 1913 and there was only one tree in the whole area, but even then this place must have been beautiful because, even though suffering from Tuberculosis and banished from the kibbutz, Rachel dreamt of being back in the Kinneret until she finally passed away in the 1930s.



Mount Arbel was also an incredible place. On one side was the sight of a massive battle between the Crusaders and the Muslim army under Saladdin where the Crusaders were brutally defeated. The story goes that it was close to or possibly was 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the Crusaders in their heavy armor were facing off against the Muslim warriors in their lighter cloth uniforms and fast horses. The Crusaders were trying to reach the only water source close by (just beyond the hill). They were cut off and the Muslim army burned the recently harvested field killing the majority of the Crusaders.

The valley below also was the site of the battle between Herod and the Galileans, also an extremely bloody battle. The Galileans utilized the caves on the steep sides of the mountain of Arbel. The Galileans consistently beat back Herod's army until he came up with the idea of lowering soldiers down from the top of Mount Arbel into the caves in baskets where the soldiers would throw in fire to draw out the Galileans who would then be swiftly killed...a genius plan, but the Galileans consistent prove even into modern times that they are extremely tough warriors.

All in all, this was an awesome trip with great views and fascinating history.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St. Paddy's Day

I never celebrated St. Paddy's Day until I came to Israel...just throwing that out there...a Jewish State, and I come from a city where the Irish are pretty dominant (Boston)...does that make any sense? Not in my mind. Anyway, went to the Second Floor pub. A great place if you want a good atmosphere, nice waiters/waitresses, and good music. Tonight, the whole place was decked out with Guinness balloons and Irish flags and of course Irish music (Flogging Molly's "Drunken Lullabies" was played about 2-3 times). The Israelis seem to love celebrating this holiday, any excuse to drink I guess. Maybe it is because Boston and Haifa are sister cities and they are just similar that way...have the Irish spirit of St. Paddy's Day.

Back to the Books

This week has started out just like the last few weeks...a lot of reading. The amount of reading here is no where close to the amount I have at home, but, having not been in any real class situation for about a month and a half, I am getting pretty lazy with the work.

What I am not getting lazy with is reading about the new EMS developments from home. Whether it be NinthBrain or EMS 2.0 its all looking like a whole new beginning for EMS quality improvement (QI) and quality assurance (QA). People in general tend to view EMS as a necessary component to any society...and why not? We have flashing lights and sirens and we show up at your house in your time of greatest vulnerability, but what people tend not to think is "how well educated are these guys? What tools do they have at their disposal to make them the best?" People see a uniform and, for most people that is, believe that the person in that uniform is a professional who does this job for a living...right? Well, EMS is still not a profession folks and it will probably take some time for that to happen; however, in the meantime we here in EMS squads around the US need to think about how we can best control our QI and QA. We need to ask ourselves "how do we make a good EMT/Paramedic?" I don't have nearly the amount of experience as say Medic999 or The Happy Medic, but I have some small ideas on how we can improve the overall system. The main idea is that instead of thinking so big so quickly about getting recognition from the government, why not start small and build our way up? Yes, the process takes longer (it will take just as long getting across any Congressman's desk), but its a great place to start. We need to show how EMS affects not only the government, but the individuals we are speaking to in government...How are we an asset to national security? How do we fit in to the national security response system? How, on an individual level, do we fit as an addition to public safety? These are all questions that need to be seriously thought about before bringing our ideas to any government member's table and I am sure most if not all have already been answered by the veterans of EMS. Starting on a small, state government level, allows us to gain credibility within our own states and gives a starting point at which point we can then approach the big wigs of American politics. I will ask one question though, to what point are we trying to nationalize EMS? Every system has their own standards, protocols, etc. so would it not be a smart idea to initially approach state government with each state EMS lobbying for their own individual needs? I have read about this dilemma of EMS 2.0 in a few other blogs and it seems that state government is the best approach until someone with great wisdom is able to develop a nationalized system under which EMS can function.

Anyway, that was a long rant. As for Israel, the weather remains nice and warm with a continuing, though lessening, veil of haze that continues to sweep through Haifa daily. At night it usually clearer. Hopefully, by the end of this week I will have confirmation for myself as to whether or not I am going to go to Petra or the Sinai. Both are enticing, however, at the moment I am leaning towards Petra so I can go to the Sinai and really spend time around the Giza pyramids and such.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Returning from the desert

I spent this past weekend hiking in the Negev desert in Israel and in Eilat. I believe a quote by an unknown author best explains my feeling on this recent adventure:

“I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”
-- Unknown

We started early in the morning the first day and hiked until the early evening at which point we made dinner under the shadow of a mountain. A blanket of stars filled the sky and filled our hearts with satisfaction, we had just completed our first adventure of the weekend. We had made it to base camp and now nature was covering us with her curtain of night. That night we played our instruments and listened to the crackle of the fire, the distant noises of the desert creating harmony in a barren land where life is found in the smallest and most insignificant places. The beauty of the desert is its ability to take a person and break him/her down and then build him/her up. You spend hours hiking along flat ground with no shade, only a few sparse trees, then suddenly there is a rise and you are at the top of a mountain, the conqueror of human endurance. The second day of the hike went just like that. We hiked for many kilometers, the sun beating down on us like an oven. The intensity of the heat never abated, sweat streamed down our faces and backs. Our backpacks were swollen with food, tools, and water. We would stop for seven sips of water under a tiny tree, offering only the slightest amount of shade. As a group we developed different bonds, meeting some people for the very first time and learning more about others we thought we knew. The third day of hiking was optional with only a small group taking on the challenge of another day under the desert sun. We hiked, and hiked, and hiked and reached the summit of a small mountain and looked out. Below us, Eilat, to our front Aqaba, Jordan, behind us the Sinai of Egypt, and in the distance to our right, the very northern tip of Saudi Arabia. The blue of the Red Sea was the most vibrant blue I have ever seen in water and the lighter blue areas revealed the hidden reefs that are common in the Red Sea.

To fully appreciate life and better understand your own abilities, a walk in the desert can be a revealing and powerful process. Our minds wander, our legs ache from the tenuous movement up and down hills and mountains, on rocks and sand, we discover ourselves and our ability to conquer even the highest mountains.

"Climb High, Climb Far, Your Aim the Sky, Your Goal the Star" (Louise Lieberman)