All You Need Is Love

Hadera, Israel

Last night I celebrated my 4th shabbat in Israel. And this version was exactly my type. No prayers or songs or blessings. No banning technological devices, using pre-torn toiletpaper, or not being ableto flip a light switch. Just the weekly gathering of a large, loving family who enjoy eachother’s company over food and many bottles of wine.

A little while ago, Sarah had gotten in touch with Shikey, her grandfather’s cousin. They met a few days ago, and he made her promise that she would come back for Shabbat, and that she could bring a friend. So, yesterday afternoon, Sarah and I took a bus up the coast to Shikey’s house where we were warmly welcomed by him, his 3 sons, and 6 grandkids. 

The few hours following sundown were filled with lots of food, drink, jokes and laughter. Though they tried their best to speak in English for our benefit, the conversations kept diverting back into Hebrew. But I didn’t mind. Even without understanding the words, it was the atmosphere which made the night so special. It reminded me of the many Sunday night dinners we try to keep up with at home, and I think it is so neat that the way the isralie culture is designed around this weekly gathering.

Unlike last week, where I was surounded with people looking for their spiritual and religious idendity, last night reinforced my belief that, for me,  the idea of god is not important. What is important is positive connections and energy between people. In one word: Love.   

The week between these two very different Shabbat experiences has been much more relaxed than the rest of my time in Israel. It has been nice to slow down a bit, giving ourselves a chance to get to know a few people and places a bit better. On Sunday, Sarah, Matt, and I decided it was time to get out of the freezing rain and hail in Jerusalem, and head for slightly warmer Tel Aviv. Our friend Yuvall offered his friends apartment as a place for us to stay. Niv, Dror, and Daniel ended up being great hosts and friends. All three of them have been traveling, so they were excited pass on the generosity so many people have shown to them. Now their home feels like a home away from home for us in Tel Aviv.

We also took a two day trip up the coast to Heifa check out the famous Bahai gardens, and to Ceasarea, the ancient riuns on the sea. Both beautiful places. We also read in our guide book that the Kibbutz next to ceasarea often hosts travellers. so we called them and they offered us a free place to stay. Since the Kibbutz is literally right on the beach, we really enjoyed sitting by the water, watching the most amazing sunsets over the medeteranian! Ahh, life is hard!    

Tradition

Jerusalem, Israel

This week has been a whirlwind of new and conflicting cultures. For example, moment, we are hiding our Jewish idendity, then 40 miles later we flaunt it. Our quick trip really helped me understand the attitudes behind all the problems in this part of the world. 

As we were leaving Judith’s place, she warned us not to say we were trying to go to Israel, but that we were going to Kutz, the Arab word for jerusulem. We crossed the border back into Israel at King Hussan Bridge into the west bank. We arrived minutes before the border closed and then spent an hour going through all the security steps. We found out that our experience was actually much easier and quicker than most. Once in Israel, we boarded a bus to take us through the west bank into Jerusalem. 

We arrived in the city only a few hours before sundown, and immediately got swept up in the hustle and bussle of the city preparing for the shabbas. On the way to our hostel in the old city, we stopped at the shuk, Jerusalem’s marketplace. We fought our way through the crowds for some yummy food. Everything at the market looks amazing. Piles of dried and fresh fruit, trays of challah straight from the oven and counters covered in delicious rugala and other paistries. We have to push our way through the narrow alleys past other tourists and orthodox Jews in their suits and top hats. There is something so exciting about the energy right before shabbat. Everyone is trying to get home to their families, but they want to get the last minute things for their dinner. On our way to Jerusalem, we met a non-Jew from Canada, who we invited to join our possie. She had no idea about shabbat, so the whole event was a cultural eye opener for her. 

Once we stocked up on dried fruit and rugula, we hurried to get to our hostel before the sun set. Of course a giant storm was also comming in, so we found ourselves wandering the narrow, slippery streets of the old city in the pouring rain, but finally found the hostel 20 minutes before sunset.

The hostel is a bit different than your typical hostel. It is run by an orthodox family for secular Jews. We decided to go mainly because it is free, but also because it is said to be a real ‘jewish experience’. There are two hostels a block away from eachother, one for men and one for women (yes, even in back in the western world we still have to be segregated…) Because of the holiday, we were also sent out to various familys in the area fo shabbat dinner. Sarah, Felizia, and I ended up with an orthodox couple who made Allaayha 30 years ago from Switzerland. The dinner was a unique experience, and definitely one to remember. Our hosts were the most stereotypical Jewish couple you could imagine, complete with the conservative outfits and manerisms. The wife was very sweet. She brought us all dry pairs of socks when we arrived and showed off pictures of her family and of the sukkah they had lived in the previous fall. The husband, however, liked to talk. And he had several moologues prepared to champion the Jewish faith, meanwhile arguing against evolution, modern technology and contemporary culture. But half the time I didn’t even know what he was talking about, because his argument went so far out on so many tangents. Inbetween these monologues, and our meal courses, we said all the proper prayers, blessings, and songs for a sabbath meal. The whole evening lasted almost 4 hours! 

The closing meal For shabbat was a bit more enjoyable. We were invited to the boys hostel for challah and a small service. A few people chose some of their favourite songs to sing, one of which I loved the translation to, and have had it randomly pop into my head since: 

“the world is a very narrow bridge, but the main thing is to have no fear at all.”

Later that night, while reflecting on the weekend, I surprised myself by having enjoyed the experience. Had it been any other religion, I would have rather paid for a place to stay then to have people try to push their beliefs towards me. But for some reason, because it was Judaism, I was not at all bothered. I still have absolutely no interest in becoming more active in the religion part of judaism and don’t really understand all the people I met, especially women, who were raised secular and have converted to the rigid rules of orthodoxy. But it is fun to have a slight insite into what that world would be like.                 

Time To Pretend

Jarash, Jordan

I may have spoke too soon when I wrote in my last post that I like Jordan. Not that I don’t like the country, but now I realize I had not yet experienced it outside of it’s biggest tourist town. 

I dont think it takes much revelation to say that Arabic culture is different. It is fun to experience, but it is not a lifestyle I would be able to stand for a long period of time. I admire people like Judith, an American we stayed with the last few nights, for taking it on as a lifestyle. Already I missed the western ways of life that are such a huge part of me. 

On Wednesday Lauren decided to go back to Israel, and the remaining five of us agreed to go back to Petra for the day, then take the 3:30 bus north. Unfortunately, as we were getting ready to go, we found out the bus we wanted was no longer running. So Ryan and I ran down the street to the bus station to figure out what our options were. We ended up haggling with a cab driver, who agreed to pick us up that afternoon and drive us 3.5 hours north for a decent price. We warned him that we were 5 people and five backpacks, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said no worries. All I could do was trust that he knew what he was doing. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring Petra. I was really blown away at the amazing memory of the Bedouins who worked there. Everyone remembered us from the day before, and remembered exactly who we were with. They also have an amazing sense of humor and love to make joke after joke. On the first day, Ryan had lost his ticket, so the authoritys had to drive him out of the park to get a new one. A few of the Bedouin guys started joking that they were taking him to jail. When they saw us the next day everyone asked how jail was.

At 4 o’clock, our taxi showed up, and somehow we managed to just barely squeeze everyone and everything in. Sarah and Matt sharing the front seat, and myself squished between Mike and Ryan in the back. Off to Jaresh we go!

After driving around in circles in Jaresh, we finally found Judiths’ place. She is from New York originally, but volunteered for the Peace Corps and was placed in Jordan a little over a year ago. Since Being in Jordan, she has become very in tune with Arab mannerisms as a way to show respect and have a positive reputation in the community, and as her visitors, she expected the same from us. The first rule: Sarah and I were welcome to stay at the apartment, but not the guys; as a single woman, Judith would risk being called a whore. Sarah and I, sad to seperate from Matt, Mike, and Ryan, gave them all big hugs in the street and before they went off to their hotel and us upstairs. Judith wasted no time before warning us that our behavior was unappropriate and that men and woman should never even make eye contact, let alone  touch or hug, in public. We also learned that we needed to keep our ankles and wrists covered at all times, and not leave our hair loose. No drinking water from our camelbaks or straws, eating bananas, or putting anything else in our mouth that has even the slightest phallic representation. Finally, we couldn’t walk with the guys, only a few paces ahead or behind. Also, as a woman, I must say that I have never had a boyfriend, sip of alcohol, travelled alone… But mostly, I am definitely not Jewish. All of these things are lies peace Corps volunteers must keep up all the time. As a practicing Jew with a very Jewish name, Judith must use a different last name and keep her faith a secret. Even the Jordanian woman she has grown close to at work will be unsympathetic if they found out her true faith. Imagine not being able to be yourself for two years!

We spent our time in Jaresh checking out the amazing Roman ruins in the middle of the city, and wandering around trying fun new jordnian/ middle eastern foods. I have also come to love  love love Turkish coffee. But wandering around i still feel uncomfortable. I dont like the segragation of my friends, and having people shout at you or cars slow down as they pass you gets a bit annoying after a while. And once the sun goes down, there is little to do, specially for a mixed sex group of single young adults. In the end, we decided that Jordan wasn’t for us, and with the Shabbas approaching, the border would be closed until Sunday. So we made a quick decision and decided we would head back to Israel just in time for the Shabbat.

Across The Line

Petra, Jordan

Though it was sad to say goodbye to my birthright group at the airport Saturday night, I was more than ready to start part two of my middle east travels. From the airport, a small group of us staying decided to head back to Tel Aviv, where Chelsea, one of our guides, had a couch for us to crash on. So, 6 of us (Sarah, Mike, Ryan, Matt, and Lauren) spent the day exploring the city, doing some much needed laundry, and scheming about our next adventure. Finally, we decided to catch the midnight bus to Eilat.

Never have I had such a hard time sleeping on a bus. The ride was bumpy, and full of rough turns and quick stops. When we arrived in Eilat at 4:30 in the morning, none of us had slept as much as we would have liked. So the six of us claimed a small area of the bus station, and passes out on the floor for a few hours.

Once the sun came up, the six of is slowly begain rising from our comas on the floor. I slept hard, because that hour and a half sleep was amazing, and charged me for the rest of the day. Still not sure of what we wanted to do, we wandered through town with our bags on our back, until we stumbled upon a beautiful beach on the Red Sea. 

We lucked out with the most amazingly beautiful warm day for relaxing on the beach, swimming in the sea, and wandering around town. At one point, while we were sitting there with little care in the world, I looked around and it dawned on me where I was sitting. From my beach towel, I could see 3 other countries, which happen to all have notorious reputations. To my left was Jordan, to the south was Saudia Arabia, and Egypt on my right. Wow.

By mid afternoon, we all agreed that we should keep going to Jordan. So we all piled in a taxi with our backpacks and told him to take us to the border. As we drove away from Eilat, ‘The Final Countdown’ came over the stereo. Somehow it felt oddly fitting. After paying our exit fee, the six of us stepped through the gate into no man’s land, until we finally reached Jordan 500 meaters later. We ended up spending about a half an hour or so going through immigration in Jordan, but fortunately had no problems. I was the first to approach the counter, and the guy behind the window was so chatty! While going through my passport, he decided to give me some Arabic lessons as well. I learned ‘welcome’ ‘how are you’ ‘i’m fine’ and ‘i love you’ haha . However, Like in Israel, the soilders wandering around with giant guns was quite intimidating. But we made it across the border, into my 32nd country. 

We wanted to get to Petra that night, and read that the best way was via taxi. We had heard that the drivers are notorious for overcharging westerners, so we tried haggling with them as much as we could. We found out later that we still over paid, but got the price down a little bit. The six of us split into two cabs, and from the second the car sped off, I knew I was in a different place. We sped off up the highway, which led us through a beautiful, sparse mountainous desert, which grew more and more unique as the sun set. The two cab drivers were having fun racing eachother up the highway as well. My driver would pull up next to the second cab, and then he would speed off. Finally, after almost two hours of the craziest taxi ride I had been on, we arrived in Petra. 

The cab drivers dropped us off at the Valentines Hostel (coincidential name, since the next day was valentines day). While we grabbed our bags and paid the driver, Sarah went inside to see if there was space for the six of us. By the time the rest of us got inside a few minutes later, they had ‘welcome tea’ waiting for us, and showed us to our room. We quickly changed and ate, then headed down the hill to Petra, for the special Petra by night event. 

I am so glad this was the first way I saw this Ancient wonder. To get into Petra, you must walk through a narrow gorge for two kilometers. The whole way was lined with candles, and enhanced by a starry sky above. Finally, after walking for 20 minutes, the walls suddenly open up, and you find yourself staring at the treasury – a giant, beautiful building carved out of the side of the rock. Beneath the treasury, the ground was littered with hundreds more candles, and some man in the middle of it all playing his flute. As I sat there, absorbing everything around me, a man walks up with a tray full of tea cups and offers one for me. Magic. I left Petra that night so excited to come back during the day.

When the six of us returned the following morning, we all went a bit picture happy all the way through the city and up the 800 ancient steps to the monistary. Petra is such a unique and beautiful place, between the ancient buildings carved into the rocks, and the beautiful desert mountains of every color – red, pink, tan, black, purple… 

While I wad on top, I began wandering around taking pictures, when I realized I had lost my friends. Oops. I looked around for a bit, then heard Mike’s laugh from the top of one of the rocks. I walked over there to find him and Ryan sitting around a big pot of food with about for or five Bedouin guys. They waved for me to come over, and join in on their delicious feast. We chatted with them and they told us about their life living in caves in the mountains. When we were getting ready to leave, Haros offered me a ride on his Donkey down the mountain, so I jumped on. So much fun but so scary going down those steep steps! 

I found the three others at the bottom riding their own donkeys, but somehow managed to lose Mike and Ryan along the way. Haros then told us we should go to the top of another peak, and Lauren and I agreed. So the two of us, with our donkeys and Bedouin guides, assended the peak. Of course, the view was amazing, but I was kicking myself because I had given Mike my camera earlier when I was having trouble holding it and riding the donkey at the same time. Finally after being on the Donkey for a good three hours, lauren and I returned to the hostel. I guess we were gone for a while, because Sarah, Matt, Mike and Ryan were sooo glad to see us when we finally arrived back at the hostel. The six of us hung out in the hostel for the night smoking hooka and listening to a bunch of locals play music.

So far, I like Jordan.            

Shalom/ Saalam

Tel Aviv, Israel

Never have I been surounded by so many Jews. It feels a bit strange after living my whole life as a minority, and then suddenly, in this land, it is the thing that ties us all together. I guess that is what makes Israel so special, but it took actually being here to really grasp the true meaning of that.

The birthright trip ended yesterday. What a whirlwind ten days! Wine Tasting in the Golan Heights, camping in the desert, climbing to the top of Mt. Masada, floating in the dead sea, tearing up at the Holocaust Museum, reflecting at the wailing wall… And the list goes on and on. 

But somehow, birthright became much more than checking a bunch of things off a list. I think all of us, especially myself, were caught by surprise by how much it affected us. Just before leaving for the airport, each of us shared what we enjoyed about the trip and what being Jewish ment to us. I think there was almost unanimous agreement that our ethnicity was something we were proud and honored to be a part of. 

Also, the friendships that were built were amazing. Not only did our whole group become close, but when we added five isralies half way through the trip, they fit right in. All of them were so excited to meet us, and to show us around their country. Four of them are still in the army, so it was very interesting to get their perspective of Israel. They even invited us to stay with them now that the trip is over. I can’t wait to take them up on their offer!

There are still a few things in Israel that is going to take some adjustments. My Hebrew definitely needs a lot of work. It is bizarre not being able to read anything. And seeing soilders walking around everywhere with giant guns slung over their shoulder is something I don’t think I can get used to. 

Having hummus at every meal, on the other hand, will never get old.

      

Big Jet Plane

Kinnert, Israel

24 hours of flying and sitting in airports is never fun, but doing it with a group of 40 other people you have to spend the next ten days with certainly makes it interesting! Specially when everyone is sleep deprived. But it gave us something to do I guess, and after what felt like the longest day ever, we finally landed in Israel!

I lucked out with what appears to be an awesome group. So far we have had a lot of fun together. Since many of us are used to being the “token Jew” amongst our friends, we joke that we forgot how awesome jews really are. Though there is a lot of Californians, we are really all spread out all over the country. Maine, Chicago, Flordia, Colorado… And many are about my level of Jewishness as well too, meaning they maybe celebrate Hanukkah once a year.

It is a bit strange though traveling on a large tour after being used to being by myself. Everything takes longer: getting on the bus, bathroom stops, eating… And also having rules. I think staying with the group will be the hardest for me to get used to, since I am notorious for aimless wandering around foreign cities. But hey, it’s a free trip so I will put up with whatever I have to.

But somehow, I have already managed to break one of the rules a few times. Of corse it is the ‘no alcohol during the day one’ haha. But come on, we are all adults far over the age of 21. A few if us decided we couldn’t not tske advantage of the free drinks on the international flight. Later, while wandering the old mystical hilltop city of Tzfat looking for some lunch, two other guys and I wander into this authentic cafe that our guide reccomended. Unfortunately, because it was Friday afternoon, they had closed early for shabbat. After all, most of the city is highly orthodox. The owner tells us they have no food, but we are welcome to hang out as long as they are there. And then he remembers  he has wine, which he tells us is better than food anyway, so we should sit and have some wine. Meanwhile, about 15 others have followed us into the shop and we were all taking over all the couches and chairs in the middle eastern style resturant. Then, after this chatty Hasidic Jew pours us some wine, he gives us a monologue about the problem with western civilization an materialism. Just as his speach was reaching it’s climax, our guide Irad walks in and sees all of us sitting there with a glass of wine in our hands. Oops. But no one was kicked off the trip as was previously threatened… We just laughed about our awesome new isralie friend after we finished our wine and kept looking for real food down the narrow white stone alleyway. 

Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel, all 40 of us got dressed up to celebrate Shabat. We lit candles and sang a few songs before dinner, then afterwards piled into a room to exchange our ‘secret shabbat’ gifts.i Bought my person some really pretty Hanukkah candles from a candle factory in town, and was given a bag of isralie chips and a keychain. I will find out next week at shabbat who it is…  

Later, everyone crashed my roommates and my room, since it was the largest, for our own shabbat party. First night in the middle east and I am still the party organizer… How does this keep happening??  But I also was the only one with a speaker, extra cups, and a corkscrew in my bag, so I guess it was expected. After two years of traveling I really have the essentials down I guess, haha.

Since it is still Shabbat today, we are all enjoying a relaxed day walking around the lake (the same one Jesus walled on) and playing a big game of capture the flag. Between all the traveling, getting to know eachother , and the sabath, we havent done too much, but tomorrow the itenary should start to get more intense.      
     

Sweet Somewhere Bound

Atascadero, California, USA

Hello, My name is Mikenna and I am a Travel Addict.

Last weekend, while I was working at the tasting room, a group of people came in to taste some wine. They had all met traveling, and were telling Jan, who was pouring for them, about all the places they had been. She points over to me and says ‘Mikenna wants to travel the world too’. They look at me with excitement and say ‘you just need to do it! Go now, while you are young!’ ‘well, I am on a plane to Israel on Wednesday,’ I tell them, ‘is that soon enough?’

The look on their face was priceless, and probably the same look I would have given if I was in there shoes. Of course their jaw dropped even more when I told them I have actually been on the move for almost two years. So often people talk about all the things they want to do. But to find people that actually follow through with their wants is so rare. So it certainly was a surprise to them that the girl stocking wine behind the counter was living the life they preached. Or at least trying to.

I am sure anyone who has met me is well aware of my addiction to travel. I just can’t help it! I love the excitement of the unfamiliar. Of throwing myself into a completely new place, a place where I can’t predict what is around the next corner. Everywhere is filled with new faces and things for me to meet and discover. Also, I crave the fresh start that I get every time I go to a new place. Every day, I can be whoever I want to. There are no expectations, other than my own of course (which I probably set higher than anyone else could). However, the most seducing part of the traveling world, for me, is the rhythm. Things happen. Quickly. Adventures, friendships, decisions… Dull moments are rare because there is only so much time before we must all go back to ‘real life’. It becomes about Making Every Day Count. I guess traveling is like life on crack. I did just admit I am a travel addict after all…

So, like any addiction, stoping for a length of time is not easy. I missed the excitement, the people, the lifestyle. I found myself constantly browsing plane tickets, and I was *this* close to jumping on a plane back to Australia. But one day, a few weeks after I got home, a guy I met in Malaysia started chatting with me on Facebook. He told me that he had seen the picture of my Welcome Home Party at the airport, and how lucky I was to have so many people who cared about me. He, a person still living the life I missed, was envious. So, I took a step back, looked around, and realized that I do have it pretty good!

These past two and a half months has given me a chance to reevaluate myself, and my priorities. Also, it has allowed me to focus on all the relationships I have here, and strengthen the ones that I really value. I really can’t say enough how lucky I am to have so many amazing people to come home to.

While I still have a lot more of the world to see before I can get the bug out of my system, I am glad for these past few months to reconnect with everyone I care about, and to remind myself about the meaning of ‘home’.

My Family

But I’m not ready to grow up yet! There is still too much of the world to see and things to do before I put down my bags for good. I can hardly wait to get on that plane to Israel and start exploring again! Adventure stories to follow soon!