Reflections of the Earth

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

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)