Somewhere warm for vacation

In August we flew to the Greek Islands of Mykonos and Santorini for a week.  We spent four nights with six friends from Toronto and Ottawa on Mykonos first, where we shared an apartment, worked on our tans, drove ATVs around the Island, and enjoyed the nightlife. 

Then we took a 2 hour ferry over to Santorini and met up with 30 others for the wedding of a friend from Canada/NYC.   

Their ceremony was held at the Captain's House at the northwest side of the Island, overlooking the white-washed cliff houses of Oia. 

On our last day, we took a catamaran cruise to the volcano, sulfer hot springs, and beaches around the Island. 















When we landed in the Tel Aviv airport at 4am, we were greeted by fans of the local soccer team, who were drumming, waving flags and chanting in the arrivals hall so loud that we could hear them throught the walls in the baggage claim area. 

Everyone else went home to northern climates, and we returned to the heat and sun of the middle east.  Strange feeling....


It's the 1960's in Tel Aviv

The tents have not disappeared. They have multiplied. And the movement has too. Last night hundreds of thousands of Israeli's peacefully gathered to speak out for a more balanced dispersal of country resources. It seems Israeli's have caught the Arab spring fever. 

We have been out to see the tents, but have not attended a rally. We have heard from our cousin that the rallys have been inspiring and motivational gatherings. And they have captured the nation's attention.

Much of what the Israeli's are looking for from their government can be broadly translated to the needs of the American people right now. Some of the particular issues are different (the USA would benefit from a national healthcare plan, while Israel could benefit from a reset in housing pricing). But the general concept of a government that serves the people, not just the rich and the corporations, resonates. What would it take to get Americans out in protest like this?

National upheaval: More than 300,000 protestors hit streets - Israel News, Ynetnews

Tent City, Tel Aviv

This month the college students of Tel Aviv decided to stage a sit-in on the ritziest street in the city - Rothchild.  They have taken over the boulevard median (some of the larger streets here have a tree-lined median with walking/biking paths, benches and sometimes small playgrounds.)  They pitched rows of tents, labeled them with symbolic addresses, and claim to be protesting the high rent prices here.  The idea is generating plenty of media and awareness, and even comment from the Knesset about legislation, but only time will tell exactly what might result, if anything.  The students have not made any demands that would lead to their dispersal, but rather seem to be enjoying their summer break via this camp-out.

I made this

A couple days ago I went to my first jewelry making class.  But it's not like the beading we used to do in school.  This is metal work.  I started with a square flat sheet of brass.  Using a tiny saw, fine sandpaper, and a hammer, I turned it into this, in two hours.  In future classes I'll learn to sauder and include stones.  It is better than yoga.  I had no idea what I would make when I went in.  This is just what came out.

Hit and Run

I was heading north to a conference last Tuesday, on a two lane road.  Just after I cleared straight through an intersection, I heard a horn and then "crunch."  I looked in my rear view to see a gold colored Isuzu truck pushing the back left of my little Mojito (Ford Fiesta).  But the guy driving didn't look surprised.  He didn't stop.  He only backed off enough to come up directly behind me, then zip around my right side and cut me off.  By this point, I had slowed below the speed limit to make sure other vehicles passed me and separated me from this maniac.  I was obviously a bit shook up. 

What was with this guy?  I was just heading down the road.  Now, I have learned here that there seem to be unusual expectations about right-of-ways.  For instance, often when there's a two lane road, some jerk will park in one of the lanes for his own convenience, never mind the hundreds of vehicles he's slowed down while they merge to get around him.  When this happens, there is a lot of last minute zipping across lanes, so you really have to pay attention because even if you're in the clear lane, you may have to stop suddenly to avoid someone in the blocked lane who has cut you off. 

But this Isuzu was clearly behind me.  Even if I made a cultural driving mistake, it was quite clear he hit me on purpose, not because I didn't follow some rule of the road.  The only thing I could have done to try to avoid him if I had seen him before he hit me was speed up beyond the speed limit, as there was a car in the lane to my right. 

We were on a road with plenty of traffic and lights, so he only got a few vehicles ahead of me before the next light.  At that point, I wrote down his plate, make and model.  With the local vehicle distributor's help, we reported the guy.  The damage wasn't as bad as it sounded and felt.  But how would I know, I've never been hit before. 

Israel = home of many first experiences.  And plenty of them I could do without.

Fresh Paint

The first weekend of April, Tel Aviv hosted an annual art exhibition that draws professionals from the Guggenheim and other internationally recognized places of fine art.  It's called Fresh Paint.  Dan and I walked around it for about an hour and a half after dinner Thursday night.  Entrance was about $8pp.  It was well worth it.

This photo is from my personal favorite -
EDITH KOLLATH - NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME
Project Initiator and Curator - Keren Bar-Gil


It was a really simple concept.  A chiffon square of white fabric, hung at the four corners by strong on pulleys.  It would lift, then fall, in an infinite number of new forms.  Never the same. 

Next to it was my other favorite, which I can not properly show you here.  It was a shelf of old books on their sides.  But if you paid attention, you'd notice that they were breathing.  Cleverly wired from the inside, the cover and pages would lift slowly, then drop again.  A wisper of a soundtrack made me feel like I was in a Harry Potter movie watching living, breathing books. 

The exhibit also had a wall of postcard surprises, where you had to buy the postcard to find out who the artist was.  It could be a well-known, established artist, or a newcomer.  But you had to commit to what you liked before you could find out.  Quite clever, but the $50/card price was a bit steep, so we didn't get to "discover" anyone. 

We're looking forward to attending next year's exhibit though!

Another unusual day at Ulpan

Last Wednesday, April 6, Ulpan Gordon held a "mini" Passover Seder all morning.  I say mini, not because it was small (see picture at right) because all the classes were there, easily 200+ students and teachers.  It was also not shortened.  It still took at least an hour and a half of songs and readings before we ate.  It was "mini," because it only included the boiled egg, boiled potato, matza cracker and gifilta fish ball. 

I'd like to say it was interesting, but it was hard to follow.  We read the Passover story in class before hand, so I understand the holiday is about the Jew's exodus from Egypt, which included avoiding eight plagues.  I understand that the appetizers each represent something as well, and the readings and songs correspond to these.  But I couldn't really follow it. 

Still, I stuck it out until the end. 

Afterwards, upon leaving class and turning the corner onto Ben Yehuda a block north of Ben Gurion, we were haulted by the police.  They had cleared the intersection to check a suspicious "package" (I never saw it, so I don't know what it was).  The bomb squad hooked up some lines to it, went back about 50 feet, and tugged.  Nothing happened, so I guess they were sufficiently comfortable that it was a false alarm.  They packed up and left, and we were able to go on our way too.  

It reminded me of the NYC campaign in the subways - "If you see something, say something."  Obviously, somebody said something.

The Moth comes to Tel Aviv

When we were living in Michigan, we discovered a great live storytelling program called The Moth, thanks to NPR coverage.   The concept started in NYC, in someone's living room, where a group of people got together, people put names in a hat, and 10 were drawn to get up and tell an original story under 5 minutes.  You can read about the exact structure of the events on their website.  The concept caught on, expanded to public locations, and then to LA, Chicago and Detroit.  We attended the Detroit events several times.  You had to get to the bar, Cliff Bell's in Detroit, at least 2 hours before the storytelling began, if you wanted in the door.  And it was standing room only once you were in.  If you live in any of these cities, I highly recommend going in person.  If you don't, you can hear selected stories on NPR, or, you can do what the following couple did.

A few months back we met an American couple working here in Tel Aviv.  I was put in touch with them by a fellow Wellesley alum.  He works for Better Place, and she just finished her master's degree at Brandeis, where I began mine, so we have a few things in common.  In March they decided to start StorySlamming in Tel Aviv, by hosting the first one here (at least, the first one we know of, and almost certainly the first one in English (although one of the 10 stories did end up in Hebrew). 

They held it at their apartment, starting on the roof and then coming back to their living room when it got too cold.  (Yes, it can get cold here).  The theme was "danger."  There were about 40 of us there.  And Dan put his name in the hat.  Sure enough, he was picked, and I have to say he represented us very well.  I on the other hand, am not much of a live storyteller.  You'll have to settle for mine in print. 

They plan to throw another StorySlam after Passover.  We'll be there!

Kids in costumes - but it's not Halloween

Last week began with anticipation.  At least for the kids who knew Purim was coming.  As I was walking up to Ulpan on Wednesday morning, March 16th, it occured to me that it might just be the day that Ulpan Gordon was planning it's holiday celebration.  Sure enough, the one day of last week that I could actually attend, was the one day we didn't do any real studying.  But it was still interesting, as you can see from the top photo, all the classes were brought together for a kind of talent show and party.

The week prior, we prepared for Purim by reading the story of the Scroll of Ester in Hebrew.  The Jewish kids had a leg up on me, as they knew the story and could thereby deduce the meaning of many of the new words in it (not to mention they new the names of all the characters).  Thanks to a friendly Canadian friend in class (aren't all Canadian's friendly?)  I got the English translation, which, afterwards, made re-reading the Hebrew version much easier. 

It goes like this - there was a King, and there were the Jews.  The King got rid of his first wife.  He threw a party to find a second wife.  Mordachi, uncle to Ester, told her to go and woo the King, but don't tell him she's a Jew.  She did.  They married.  Then one day Mordechi didn't show the King's advisor, Haman, appropriate respect.  Haman told the King to kill the Jews, starting with Mordechi as the example.  Ester heard and told the King he'd have to kill her too because she was Jewish.  He didn't like the idea.  So he killed Haman instead. 

So to celebrate, every year on Purim, kids dress up in costume, and they eat triangle-shaped cookies by a name that translates into Haman's Ears.  This goes on for nearly a week.  Kids have been out in costume since last Wednesday.  They had Sunday and Monday off school this week as well.  The bottom photo is a class group I saw yesterday morning.  The middle photo is from a street party over the weekend.  It's a big deal here.  Probably the most boisterous holiday I've seen here yet. 

I've asked what the connection is between the costume parties and the Scroll of Ester.  No one seems to know, although someone told me it might be that the King's wife-recruitment party may have been a costume ball.  Or it may represent the mascarade/deception required by Ester, which saved the Jews.  Every Jewish story I have heard so far follows a theme of saving the Jews.  I don't know much about religion, honestly, so I can't say whether other religions are focused on this theme of "saving our people."  I don't recall Native American stories including much of this.  But maybe I only got the elementary school version.  What does the inclusion/omission of this topic in folklore say about cultures? 

Fits and Starts

It's called Holmes Place.  It's a bit too mainstream for my tastes, but it is conveniently located 2 blocks from home.  I had tried to find something like my Jazzercise studio in Royal Oak, MI here, but they don't have fitness center's dedicated to aerobic dance.  They have dance studios (I found one that had a lot of class options, but it's a 40 minute walk from home, most of the classes were after 8pm, and they wanted about $15 per 1 hour class, which at 3x/week gets expensive).  The alternative I found in Tel Aviv is aerobic dance classes offered at some of the gyms, like Holmes Place.  So zumba and energy dance at the gym it is for me.  Since I have the membership now, I'm planning to try out other classes too, just for balance and curiosity, like yoga, pilates, and maybe belly dancing.  When in the middle east, right? 

Getting my membership began with the usual thinly veiled hard sell from a gym rep.  They called relentlessly to follow up.  And I hmm'd and haa'd over it until I got them to eliminate the registration fee (about $100), lower the early cancellation fee (from $100 to about $50), and take my payments in two installments (whereby I gave them a temporary limited credit card # on the first payment, so I'm really not locked into the one year contract if I don't want to be).  Now they call me regularly but don't leave messages.  And they text me in Hebrew (which I can read about 1/10th of - I thought that was pretty impressive).  However, I discovered the hard way, when I showed up for my "free" nutritionist appointment earlier this week (that unbenounced to me, was cancelled), that the rep who sold me the membership forgot to write "English" on my file, which explains some of the miscommunication. 

As with everything around here, I don't fit the mold, so anything new comes in fits and starts. 

All cities should have this

Bicycle sharing.  It's like ZipCar for bicycles (with a much lower cost of entry).  Except that you don't have to return your bike to the same location.  You can pick up and drop off at any of the stations around town.  So no more worries about your bike being stolen. 

We fell in love with the system in Paris (I took the top picture here of Dan and my mom, Charolette, last September).  Dan has used bike-sharing in Montreal.  And now it is coming to Tel Aviv!  According to the bike-sharing blog, Vancouver, Canada and Seattle, WA are studying the possibility of adding a system.  Portland, OR is implementing a plan.  And Denver, CO already has it.  Washington, D.C. does as well, and Boston, MA was supposed to get it last year (not sure if it is operational).

Just one more reason you should come visit us here (besides the fact that I planted my tomato seeds outside this afternoon, in shorts and a tank top.)

Last sunset

Last sunset in Tel Aviv until I return in February. 

I'm off to meet my nephew, Ernest, in Seattle!

Sylvester

No, I don't mean Stallone, or a cat.  Sylvester refers to New Year's Eve, named for the Catholic Saint that corresponds to December 31st. 
To celebrate, we walked from our apartment down to a neighborhood street party in the Neve Tsedik / Florentine neighborhoods.  The city of Tel Aviv-Yafo had officially declared a "no open alcohol / street parties" policy this year (past years have been well organized, we were told, with on-street DJs, bars, etc) but the city decided there were too many days that this was taking place (Independence Day, White Night, etc).  The neighborhood fought back by holding it anyway. 

So the city sent down their security forces to "keep the peace."  As you may be able to see from the middle picture here, these guys aren't like your friendly neighborhood police (although they seemed friendly enough).  They are border patrol types, or so I was told.   The lower picture is one of those hi-tech mobile command centers that was parked at one end of the street. 

There were a dozen or so blocks with wall to wall teenagers hanging out.  It appeared that everyone over 18 had gone into the bars.  We met our friends Tali and Yair and went up to their apartment for a more subdued drink and chat.  Then we walked home around 3am.  By the time we reached home my dogs were barking - we had walked a 5K to bring in the New Year! 

Why bicycles don't belong on the sidewalk

On my way to Ulpan this morning, I looked away for a second, and when I looked forward again, I saw two people in a half roll with a bicycle about to land on the sidewalk about 50 feet in front of me.  The biker had come up behind the pedestrian woman and must have misjudged his clearance sending her in a spin to the ground.  There's nothing she could have done to avoid it.

Two people, who were already beyond the accident when it occurred, heard the crash and turned around to come back to help.  The biker had one of those, "I'm a real dunce" smiles on his face as he tried to check on her, and pick his bike up.  As I passed (I didn't stop because there were already 3 people trying to help them at this point), she was holding her leg and arm.  It didn't look like she was going to be walking away from that one. 

Israel certainly doesn't have a monopoly on poor city planning, but it was still sad to see.

Out with a bang

Well, I finally awoke to some patches of blue sky today.  The rain has been off and on, but the wind is calming down.

Everyone kept telling me this is what Israeli winters are like.  Just like they told me about the dry spells during Israeli summers.  Except this summer broke records, and now this winter is as well.  Finally a news article to corroborate my story - this weather is NOT normal.  There were 100 km/hr winds, and 10 meter waves.

What is that white stuff on the corner of my patio?  It's SNOW!  Yes, it snowed in Tel Aviv last night, and I have proof.  It also rained in my apartment.  That is to say, the roof by our kitchen sprung a leak and dripped down the wall, across the light switches and power outlet, culminating in a puddle last night.  I piled old rags around the wall to contain the drip, and luckily it subsided as the rain did this morning. 

Here's a YouTube Video (taken by someone else) from the southern end of Tel Aviv looking north along the coast....

Will it ever end?

Well, I had to go out in it today. 

This morning was my first day back at Ulpan.  It was my first day wearing closed toed shoes to Ulpan.  And my first day taking a jacket.  I chose my light blue Helly Hansen windbreaker, as I had stepped out to secure patio furniture again and despite the wind, it was still fairly warm.
I took a detour by the beach to see the waves up close, but didn't go as close as I thought I might.  The wind was blowing so hard I had to brace myself against the rail to get a photo without blurring.

As I headed north I saw debris in all the nooks and crannies of buildings, sidewalks, and alleys.  I watched a large recycling bin blow off the sidewalk and into the road.  And the sidewalk around this building (pictured right) was cordoned off.  See all that stuff on the sidewalk?  Those are shards of wall tile that had blown right off the building!

Have to say, I'm glad I made soup yesterday.  The temperature has been dropping throughout today.  It's now 10 C /50 F.  And yes, I have finally turned the heat on.   

And I thought yeterday was intense

I woke to grey skies today, and a howling wind outside. 

Then the storm showed up.  It has been blowing so hard that I can hear the patio furniture sliding around the deck above me from our office on the 5th floor.  When I went up to inspect, the sliding glass doors were flexing in the wind, some patio chairs had been flipped right over, and others were across the deck piled on top of each other.  The grill cover had blown clear off, and the plastic lid on the top of our recycle bin cracked clear away.  I went out and tucked a few things away between gusts, wondering if I might blow off the balcony in the process. 

I feel helpless watching my poor fruit trees struggle to keep their leaves.  I'm sure glad I have them all tied to the rail!

Usually our view of the Mediteranean Sea is calm and blue.  There are breakers that make the beaches calm, shallow, and crystal clear.  I'm not venturing to the beach until this storm dies down, but I can see from here how wild it is.  White caps are everywhere, and they are crashing way over the top of the breakers. 

Oh, and remember all that construction going on around us with the large swing-arm cranes?  Well, the one three blocks up the street from us is spinning in the wind like a flimsy weathervane!

Batten down the hatches guys!  It's a doozy.  Glad I have a bunker to retreat to.  ;)

A fleeting storm

They said it was coming, but I wasn't convinced.  A few minutes ago, it showed though!  Weather seems to come in extremes here, no matter what weather it is.  I heard the rain, saw the lightening, and then came thunder that put New England storms to shame!  As the chest-shaking rattle died down, the cries of the young children in nearby apartments picked up volume.  (We have a daycare nearby, as identified by the daily squeals of playtime, although I haven't actually seen it).  After four crashing rounds, and about 10 minutes of good rain, it's over.  Skies are clearing, and we may have sunshine again like we did earlier this morning.  It's a week late (could have used rain in the Carmel Forest last Friday), but I'll take it! 
Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain! (since snow is out of the question).

Coming "home" - take 2

This is the second time I've come "home" to Tel Aviv.  This time, it felt like I really was returning home.  I was looking forward to it.  It felt familiar.  I think a big part of that has to do with having our own space in a functional state now.  It's amazing how comforting it is knowing you're going home to your own bed, and having access to a few basic familiar things.

The grocery store, while still a challenge to find first-time purchase items like ricotta and lasagne noodles (yes, I made lasagne), is getting a little easier each time.   At the bulk counter, when my Hebrew was too limited to help me explain that I was looking for salted pumpkin seeds, they sent over a nice older gentleman who it turns out lived in Boston for a while, helping his brother run Rami's in Coolidge Corner and Framingham. 

I also stopped by the little shop where my sewing machine was getting fixed.  The repairman spoke English with me, and was quick and efficient.  When I left, a friendly Israeli stopped me to tell me that the plastic strip under the front of my car was dragging on the ground (thanks to the high curbs in the grocery store lot) and he even got on the ground to try to fix it for me.  It was a nice reminder of the potential value that this type of culture can provide.  The best way to describe the culture here may be through the words of an Ulpan colleague from Chicago.  He said that one of the reasons he loves coming to Israel is the connection and sense of community he gets from the people around him here.  I think this can still sometimes be found in small towns in the U.S., especially where there is relative stability and/or longevity in the population.  But it comes from a traditional European sense of family.  It seems that a communal sense of living has held on more strongly with the immigration to Israel, likely due to the recency of the process, as compared to the cultural changes that have occurred in the U.S. over the last 12+ generations of immigration there.  As someone from one of the most individualistic areas of the U.S. with family immigration having occurred between 3-12 generations ago, I still find aspects of this communal cultural behavior uncomfortable, such as the lack of appreciation for personal space.  But this time, I was pleasantly surprised by experiencing the positives, without the discomfort of the corresponding negatives. 

Bicycling in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv has many narrow streets that are difficult to navigate, regardless of whether you're in a car, on foot, or cycling.  But there are also beautiful tree-lined boulevards, and they have taken advantage of the middle strips for walking and biking paths, as you can see here.  I took this standing in the walking path, and you can see by the paint where the bicycles belong. 

Of course, many of these paths do not connect well.

And there are many sidewalks that don't have room for cyclists. But the crazy drivers endanger the cyclists on the streets, so the cyclists ride on sidewalks where they endanger the pedestrians.  And the pedestrians endanger the cats, and the cats endanger the rats, and so it goes. 

Dan has hooked up with a bike club here (thanks to a http://www.meetup.com/ group that I found online) that goes on night rides between 9pm-midnight, when the streets quiet down a little.  Living in a city requires a bit of creativity and persistence with shared resources.  Well, living anywhere does, if you take a systems thinking point of view.