Don't Go Things Are Heating Up

Things seem to be caving in behind me as I exit the Middle East. Yes, it’s getting hotter out here and not just the weather. I was probably one of the last people to go to Turkey from Israel for a while. This morning saw death in the Mediterranean as Israeli commandos attempted to board the Mavi Marmara, a boat of Gaza/Hammas activists . Today an angry mob in Istanbul smashed windows of the Israeli Embassy in Istanbul as Police tried to keep things under control. Turkeys angry response shows those anti-Israel/(anti Jewish?) feelings were present a week ago while I was there, they were just hidden. Within Israel things are heating up and tensions are rising. Hammas is aggressively mobilizing in Gaza, and near by settlements have heightened fears of attacks. Warnings are being issued and there is an immanent feeling of more conflict to come.

A week ago today I was in Istanbul on a ferry across the Bosphorus River when I heard loud explosions and saw a group of ships with Palestinian flags sail by. These were the ships beginning their voyage to Gaza, the same ones that have been all over the news this morning. The world is criticizing Israel, which was undoubtedly the goal of this voyage. People are dead and that is not OK. However, videos show the Israeli soldiers were violently attacked with metal clubs upon landing, so it would seem the citizens on board might not have been humanitarians as claimed.

I have a feeling I might be leaving before things start really getting worse. Unfortunately, I suppose this is also part of the Israel experience.

Communication

Oakland/Berkeley/Santa Cruz... anyplace or person back home I could see that same day. It really took distance to make me appreciate what a feat technology is. Even on the other side of the globe I was in touch with my life back home, with friends and family, orchestrating work and school things. Home travels with you but its nice to check in with home occasionally while traveling.

Rila Monastery

Felt like a samuri mountain dojo with the addition of a church and the lack of warriors meditating and doing difficult exercises.... 2hrs outside of Sophia

Snowtop mountains in the distance... now back in the dry holy land heat

Sophia, Bulgaria

We had decided the previous night to go to Sophia Bulgaria, so after seeing Topkapi Palace we took the metro to the bus station. After going to a few bus companies we found a $35 round trip ticket, it was a night bus so it saved the cost of the hostel. We had some time until our bus so we went to Ikea, it felt just like the Emeryville store. The bus was a struggle... not just trying to sleep on a bus but the driver took rest stops, lights on and off, and we had to wait outside in the cold for a while at the border.

6:30am get to Sophia. The hostel lady tells us check in isn't until 11am but we could sleep on the couch. Talking to other travelers that night people would say "o yeah you were the guy sleeping on the couch". The hostel was this cool artsy place in a old travelers inn, really nice staff, good common area, clean, they gave us breakfast and at dinner a beer and plate of spaghetti.

Overcast and rain in late May= a change from the middle east climate. Bulgaria was communist until 1989 and the place definitely had the slightly depressed east Euro feel. Outside of the church were street vendors selling old memorabilia with Nazi and Communist insignias, it was like being in a museum but able to touch the exhibit.

Hello Istanbul

1. Geographically, Turkey is the link between Asia and Europe. Its also a Muslim but non Arab country. From the airport the metro was clean and easy to understand. The first interaction with a Turk was sour: the metro police showed us how to buy tickets but then didnt give us all our change, it was only a few dollars but the princible was angering. While this left a bad first impression, everyone else we talked to that night was very nice and gave us directions while we were looking for our hostel. Walking in the sultanamet area at night felt like being in Disney Land after it closed. Very clean, tall towers on a magical oversized domed mosque/church/castle, closed food stands....It took a while but I saw the red Sultan Hostel sign from down the block and was asleep around 2am.
2. The complimentry breakfast was great. Musli, greek yogurt, tomatos cucumbers and tea. Breakfast aside, it would hard to be a vegetarian here. The hostel had a awesome rooftop patio. Enrolled in some classes for next fall. Saw the main atractions the Hag Sophia and Blue Mosque. The Hag Sophia was a church that the muslims conquered, so there would be big Islam symbols hung over the paintings of the apostels on the walls. It was overcast which was a nice change from the dry heat I've been used to. Also not the insane traffic/drivers honking all the time nor the aggressive street merchants. There is a Islam and Oriental flare but it defintelty feels like a European county. A beer by the boshphorus and dinner. I like Turkey.

Mark Yudof

This was actually a few weeks ago. The UCs abroad program to Israel had been closed for the last 10 yrs, since the intifada, because it was seen as to dangerous. Thankfully, the suicide bombings and civilian attacks are no longer common. However, it was the new UC president Mark Yudof who opened the Israel program up, thanks Mark. So he came to Israel (supposedly on a furlough) and took one of his afternoons to visit the UC students. After some arguing with the administration I was allowed to attend the meeting, I'm the only UCSC student in Israel. I told him not to worry that I wasn't a Community Studies major and he would be safe if we took a picture. He asked me what I missed most and I told him Mexican food, he said the Bay Area didn't have any good mexican... I told him he was wrong.

The Great Debate

I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. East vs. West, meditation vs. medicine, Jasmine vs. Earl Grey, Godzilla vs. Santa Claus.... some disagreements are inevitable.

My roommates Shohei from Japan and Hillel from France present:

Chopsticks vs. The Fork, Knife, Spoon Combo

All bases were covered and I'm not sure their was a winner. Chop sticks use one hand, knifes can cut, spoons needed for soup, but soup can be slurped.... the list goes on. The conversations between/with these two have been a source of entertainment.

Kool And The Gang

I like sleeping and this all night concert for Israel Student Day at first did not sound appealing. But after dinner me and a friend decided to go by and see how it looked. Luck was on our side and we were able to slip in. We got there at midnight right in time for Kool and the Gangs set. Listening to "Get Down On it" and "Celebration" I thought wow who knew I would be seeing one of the U.S.'s famous R&B disco funk groups in Israel. Kool and the Gang would have been worth the ticket but since I didn't buy one I didn't feel at all bad about leaving after their set at 2am. I guess originally not wanting to go enabled me to get in free.

"I'm gonna take you back to the 1970's, wait you guys were just getting started then"

Ramparts Walk

My roommate invited me to go to his art show. He was going on a chartered bus there and later to the old city. For a dollar a got on the chartered bus to the art show, sometimes these last minute things work out well. Aside from one of my roommates pieces the art was not that impressive. But the buffet was great, sandwiches, apples, melon, tea, and more. I went along with the tour to the old city. It was along the top of the outside walls. The tour was in hebrew but the view wasn't.

A Weekend

I took a bus to the central bus station and from their another bus to the Aluf Sade junction where I was met by some distant family friends I'd never met. It was hot but a wore jeans and brought a dress shirt in the off chance they were religious and observed Shabot. Luckily this was not the case and I changed into shorts. It was a very nice new home where English, Hebrew and Swedish were spoken. The sons were my age and one of them showed me life as a Israeli. The real difference is they smoke lots of cigarettes, play backgammon (which they call sheshbesh=hebrew for 5 6) also they're finishing up army or social service while Americans are finishing up college, its not uncommon for girls to be tank commanders. The young really love Israel, resent the religious, and enjoy life by the Mediterranean.

Went to a B-day pool party and it turned out the parents I'd met at a Independence Day BBQ two weeks earlier---small world. The language difference added some social unease but overall a fun day. Some offroading through a field. Bus never came that night so I stayed an extra night. On the way back we went through the west bank to save time. Went on a tour of Hasharon Prison, one tour was enough.

Addition to the Menu

Toasted with humus, onion, tomato, a little parsley, garlic powder and pizza seasoning. I made the first one three days ago and have been making one a day since then. Thank you Toaster Oven.

4 Months in Review

Carmen Sandiego once tried to steal the eiffel tower and the grand canyon in the same night. While its rare that "lightening strikes twice" these last few months have had there share of big events: consider the following...

The 2010 Chilean earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile on February 27, 2010, with a magnitude of 8.8 and lasting 90 seconds. Est. 15-30 billion in damage

March 21--- Obama’s Health Care Plan approved -----While it was watered down something is better than nothing. The health care bill would require most Americans to have health insurance, add 16 million people to Medicaid and subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people, at a cost to the government of $938 billion over 10 years.

Greece debt crisis, April 27^th following a bailout request Greece bond rating decreased to junk status. In Greek fashion the people took their anger to the streets in the true Euro post-futbol riot anger. Unlike the U.S. complex bundled security mortgage market crash, the cause of the Greek crisis is simple -Overspending on the 2004 Athens Olympics.

April 15^th Erruption of Iceland's glacier-covered Eyjafjallajokull volcano puts huge ash cloud over Europe stopping air traffic and causing the cancellation of thousands of flights.

Also "As Biden Visits, Israel Unveils Plan for New Settlements" Poor oversight on Netanyahu's part? "Day of Rage" response by Palestinians.

How to Keep your Hat Dry

This is a picture I've been wanting to take for a while. On one of my first days in Jerusalem it rained and all the Hasidics and Orthodox had plastic bags over there hats, an interesting but practical custom. I didn't have my camera that day but chance would have it that a few days ago I was on a bus through a religious neighborhood and a light rain began.

Day 101

Time moves forward, the future becomes the present. One Hundred and One days. Each day is like a brick and now I have this little tower from which I can better look at things. Being anywhere for 101 days would yield experiences and while I wish I was learning Spanish, coming to Israel was really the right choice for me in the grander scheme of things.

Feldman's Israel Branch

The other night I visited my grandfathers first cousins. I don't know the title of my relation to them, (3rd cousins twice removed?) However, its only the name of the relation that is confusing, in reality its simple---My grandpa had cousins, they're family. From them I learned some family history. Family history is one of the few things in the world that we cant find online, so I'm happy I had the chance to discover a little more of my own.

These cousins were born in the States but moved to Israel in 1969, Israel was only 13 yrs old. Hence, they were in Israel for most of its suspenseful history.

They showed me a wooden spice box that my dad had made in his wood working days. It was amazing to see one of my dads pieces so far away from home and to think that he made it when he was not to much older than I am now.