As I have been walking around the city of Jerusalem over the past few weeks I cannot help but realize how small this country really is. If I leave my apartment with one of my roommates and go almost anywhere in the city, we are guaranteed to bump into someone they know. Its really unbelievable. I lived in Washington DC for 5 years and I have never seen anything like this.
I was at a bar the other week talking with a friend of a friend. We were discussing that he lived up North and the conversation led us to ask how his family was effected in the 2006 Lebanon War. Incidentally his house was actually hit by the rockets. When people tell you everyone knows someone effected by everything that happens here they are not kidding. Israel REALLY is a small country.
A new perspective. Being involved in an International School where the classes are taught in English leads many of our readings to be from American Literature and Research. I have studied abroad before but it is quite interesting sitting through these research examples and readings from the US. Two of the boys in our class are from South America and I cannot help but wonder what they think of it, they have a much different perspective. Sometimes the examples and cultural difference in the readings must have a very different meaning to non-Americans. Its amazing how much influence the US and the English language have.
I have always found public spaces interesting since my freshmen year University Writing class, Public Spaces. I know I have already mentioned the park that I run in but it continues to amaze me. In the past few weeks I have witnessed several birthday parties, with balloon set ups and all, countless sports practices, religious girls rollerskating and even a minyan. Yes, at first I was really confused what a bunch of men were doing silently facing one direction but I was quickly able to count 10 of them before I passed them and immediately realized what was going on. My only issue with the public spaces in Jerusalem, moreover the country as a whole, is the lack of garbage clean up. It is a particularly big issue in Jerusalem. Its dirty.
Last night I went to a protest with my roommate, Ina, and two of her friends. The government is planning to start to give money to the religious students in Yeshivas for living expenses while there is no intention of helping out the students studying in the secular universities. The rally met at the top of Aza Street by my house and went down King George ending at Kikar Zion at the end of Ben Yehudah. It was interesting to see the signs people had made, to listen to the cheers people were chanting and simply to see who showed up in support of the cause. Some people carried stretchers symbolizing their time, among many other things, given to their country through their years of service, very powerful images. Obviously they are deserving of government financial support as well. It is a touchy subject, like MANY others, in this country. I clearly understand the view point of the students and it surely is interesting how they go about expressing themselves. Only in Jerusalem, Israel would a rally of this nature exist.
Parties like you've never seen. Last week I went with my roommate, Ina, to a party sponsored by her school. She happens to be studying medical research along side the med students at the Medical School of Hebrew U. So this party was a crowd unlike any I have ever seen. It was a hopping bar\club (especially for Jerusalem standards) filled with future doctors. I think it was the largest amount of Jewish doctors in the smallest space that I will ever witness. To top it off, it was a great night.
This last weekend I went to a birthday party in Tel Aviv, this was like no birthday party I have ever been to. It was located in one of the 2 well known Yoo Buildings in Tel Aviv. They are circular sky scrappers and this particular apartment had a view of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea from the 27th floor. There was Halloween decorations, open bar, delicious appetizers, a dj and an amazing balcony. In Hebrew, זה מדהים, it was amazing.
Roommates and me.
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