Social Experiment

Walking in Manhattan on the outside of Central Park, my boyfriend and I came up with an idea. Have rich families adopt homeless persons. At first it was a laughable concept, but really thinking about it, it would be a great program, and an interesting experiment. Mental illnesses are rampant in the homeless population. In some circumstances the illness results in homelessness in others, the conditions of homelessness cause a mental illness. While mental health can be treated/stabilized and maintained through medications and therapy, it is difficult to make any progress if someone's life is unstable. Not to mention the vicious cycle of "you can't get a job without an address, and you can't get an address without a job." The "adoption" would provide this stability and additional resources.

Sure, the interactions may be appallingly comical, and if this idea ever came to fruition in our society it would most likely be in the form of a reality T.V. show, but it would be an interesting social experiment. Just a thought...

Babies in the Water

A man is walking alongside a river. He glances down to find babies in the water floating downstream. Instantly he jumps in the river and starts pulling babies out of the water. They continue to come, and he is frantically trying to save them all. A woman sitting nearby starts running upstream. "Where are you going?!" he exclaims "Get in here and help me save these babies!" She responds explaining "I am going upstream to see where these babies are coming from and who keeps on putting them in the water."

Upstream vs. Downstream thinking. We need both to function as a society. Which one are you?

For Dummies...

While sitting in a comfy chair, studying in the bookstore, I glanced up. There was a guy standing awkwardly looking for a place to sit and read. The book he was holding: "Dating For Dummies." Adorable. Now that's the type of guy girls should want to date.

Penn students take to the streets

A video of the excitement around Penn's campus and Philadelphia. Beautiful.

Hope

I remained skeptical as the results were still coming in. Calling a state with only 20% of precincts reporting just made me uncomfortable. A friend and I left our house on the way to a bar to finish watching the incoming results, when apparently the election was called. Obama had exceeded the 270 electoral votes needed. We ran into a large group of Penn students on campus with posters and balloons shouting and screaming, and walking with a seeming mission. Inspired, we ran to catch up and joined this spontaneous parade around West Philadelphia. People came out onto their porches and leaned out their windows in the neighborhood cheering along with us. Such a diverse population with people from so many different cliques came together to celebrate. The parade ended on Locust walk as we gathered into a cluster jumping up and down and cheering. The guy next to me got up on his friends shoulders and announced "McCain just conceded!" The crowd went wild. We dispersed to watch Obama's speech.

I was close to tears. The part about how our "generation plagued with being called apathetic, turned out in huge numbers to make their voices heard" especially made me so proud. After the speech a friend and I lead a group down to City Hall to celebrate. We were not alone. We were met by honking passing cars, cheered with and high-fived random people. A group was gathered outside of City Hall in the streets celebrating.

It was such a great moment in history that I will tell my children about. It was just so beautiful to see so many strangers brought together. I can't remember an election in my time where people were so celebratory about the results. Not to mention an election without controversy and recounts. I know some of you are skeptical, but you have to trust and hope. There is nothing wrong with that. That is what as brought our nation as far as it has come. As my sister in Switzerland said " You know what's great? I am no longer embarrassed to admit that I'm an American." This result resonates with the rest of the world, and for that reason alone, America has such a chance to regain the respect we once had.

Free Falling

Approximately 15,000 feet above the ground I squatted in the open doorway of a tiny plane. I crossed my arms, leaned my head back, and arched my back as instructed by the person strapped on my back. "1,2,3" and we were off. Leaving the plane in style with a back flip!

The whole experience was surreal. The extremity of what I was doing barely registered. Even as my tandem pro handed me the parachute straps, I mechanically did as told to make us spin. A nice smooth landing on our feet completed the smoothness of the entire jump.

Afterwards, my jumping friends and I could not wipe the huge smiles off our faces. It was a once in a lifetime experience...that I would most definitely do again.

What the future holds

Okay, well, the future that I am talking about is next semester. I found out my clinical placement for my senior clinical practicum in New York City: Emergency Department at New York Presbyterian!

Let the fun, stressful, busy, first aid times roll!(Hopefully no patients will die in the waiting room under my watch.)

The Days Go By

The other day in class I peered over to see my friend crossing off days in her planner. A smile crept over my face, finding joy in watching the days disappear. Closer to being done.

Then a thought occurred to me. How sick is that we are wishing our days to fly by, to be done with? What are we closer to being done with? Sure, school. But grass is always greener on the other side. Shouldn't we be enjoying each day to the best of our ability?

Media's Mixed Messages

John Stewart humorously shows how the Media dictates the course of the election.

Megabus

I'm now a big fan of Megabus over the Chinatown buses.

I paid $9.50 for a one-way ticket from NYC to Philly. If you book further in advance, the fares are even cheaper (They claim as low as $1). However, the fares don't ever get up much past $10.
Comparison: Megabus is just as cheap, if not cheaper than Chinatown buses

I picked the Megabus up outside of Penn Station in NYC, and was dropped off at 30th St. Station in Philly. They also had another stop option at 6th and Walnut in Philly.

Comparison: Megabus is much more convenient location-wise on both ends, and saves bus/trolley fares to and from Chinatown.

Megabuses were painted bold blue with the Megabus logo huge across the sides. There were official signs where Megabuses were allowed to park and load. The drivers were in uniform. The driver made an announcement at the beginning and end of the trip (where the bus was going, how long it would take, thanks for riding Megabus, etc). An employee helped load baggage underneath. We drove straight to Philly without any random stops.

Comparison: Megabus is a lot less sketchy than Chinatown buses

Birthday Bashing

I had a fabulous birthday this week.

I spent the morning by myself, slept well, ate ice cream for breakfast, watched movies, and took a bath instead of a shower. Relaxing and enjoyable.

I met up with my wonderful boyfriend after he got off work, and we went to a Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the wait staff take turns performing songs. It was fun, and this is where I got my birthday candle. Stuck in a plate a whipped cream with an Oreo and Sprinkles, I got to make my birthday wish (which, of course, is a secret)!

After dinner we ventured to a very nice bar on Rivington and Essex Street, with mood-lighting and comfy seating. I ordered some kind of coconut rum-mango concoction. Yummy. First legal drink in the US. Didn't even get carded.

Drinks were followed by the Laugh Lounge Monday madness. It was a small crowd, being a Monday and all. They had a fun variety of stand-up comics. We were laughing hysterically by the end...although that may have something to do with splitting a bottle of Zinfandel wine...

It was a really enjoyable evening of festivities. Good company, good drinks, and good laughs.

HAIR!

Finally got tickets to the free Public Theater performance of Hair in Central Park! Instead of waking up at 6am to wait in the line for free tickets that they give out at 1pm, I joined the "virtual line." After a week of trying, I finally got a pair of tickets!

I admit this Hippie love-rock-musical was way too long, and there wasn't much of a plot-line, but I had a good time. The actors maintained a high level of energy throughout, and the singing was great! Plus the rad costumes really set the scene. To finish it off - the curtain call turned into a giant dance party with the audience!

Let the sunshine in...

Mixing it up

Tired of the same old vegetable stir fry with a meat and either pasta or rice for dinner we decided to experiment a little. An internet recipe idea search and a trip to Fairway Market later, we had a weekend full of delicious, relatively healthy meals.

Friday night: Meatloaf. Used ground turkey with the beef for a lighter dish. Mixed in sauteed onions, green bell pepper, spinach, and carrots to load up on vegetables. A honey-ketchup glaze. So flavorful I didn't even add extra ketchup!

Saturday night: Eggplant Parmesan. My all-time favorite. Dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and then baked instead of fried lightened this dish right up...minus all the Parmesan cheese...yum.
Sunday night: Teriyaki Burgers and Fries. Used the remainder ground turkey/beef mixture to make patties, and rubbed them in teriyaki sauce before cooking. Topped the burgers off with a sauteed mixture of mushrooms, onions, and spinach. A side of potatoes sliced and baked in the oven made for delicious homemade diner fare.

Surprise, Surprise

"Welcome Susan!

Unfortunately, you did not receive tickets for tonight’s performance. Please try again soon. "

Story of my life...

Over-rated?

The great thing about NYC: there is always something to do.

The downside: there are always millions of people who want to do those things.

Culture Shock

They warned us about this. But it is impossible to prepare for. Re-integration into American society after being abroad for 5 months.

The fact that I decided to come to New York City almost as soon as I came back has heightened this feeling. The speed of life is incredible. I sat outside the Chase building downtown watching swarms of people speed walking to and from who knows where, dressed for business. I couldn't help but wonder "what's the point." You all spend ridiculous amounts of hours each week sitting in front of computers, punching numbers, and for what? What are you contributing? Society can still run if everyone takes a break for a day.

I then remember that I used to be much more high-strung and fast-paced. The simplest things, the speed that I eat and walk have slowed down noticeably.

My outlook has changed as well. Chatting about the Olympics, my friend brought up the Spanish team that had taken a photo stretching their eyes to imitate Asians'. Six months ago I would probably have agreed with her that it was very offensive and inappropriate. Now, I find it ridiculous that a silly picture was made into such a big deal, when the intention wasn't to be offensive. Why this change? Perhaps it was because I have witnessed real racism. This photo seems so minuscule in comparison.

I appreciate these changes in myself. I have realized the need to slow down and enjoy life. Which may be one of the reasons I am dreading returning to Penn in a week and a half. I don't want the intense studies and setting to change me back...

You know you are in Oregon when...

The graffiti on the bathroom stall walls say:

1) "Come on everyone, love your bros, give peace a chance."

2) "Live every day as if it were your last. No regrets."

3) "Hugs, not drugs."

Oh Philly

Today I saw:

A free performance of a bizarre interpretive dance company, Human Landscapes, at the Clark Park flea market.

A man riding a horse up the bike path on Spruce Street in front of WaWa.

Greek Escape

I left technology (besides a camera) behind for a month and set out for a vacation, a reunion after 4 months apart. A real vacation. Too often we get caught up in doing and seeing as many things as possible in the time allotted. But honestly, how many tourists actually care about the history behind a building, or remember it the next week? The draw of Greece is not its history, it is its scenery. And so we took it all in.

CAUTION: I would never recommend anyone to go to the Greek Islands - at least Crete and Santorini - if you are not traveling as a couple. There are so many young couples everywhere. I couldn't help but think how depressed I would be if I were not in a pair myself.

Here is a "brief" outline of my romantic, picturesque escape:

--Successfully met in Athens airport after my flight was delayed 4 hours and there was no way of getting that message across.
--Acropolis, walked up random hill with great view and listened to a band rehearse for a show that night at the hill-top amphitheater

--Went to Pireaus port in hopes of catching a ferry to Santorini - there were none that day, so we caught an overnight to Crete (Kreta) instead, because, well...why not?
--Arrived at Chania port at 5:30am. Sat along the Venetian harbor drinking wine/Fanta combo and eating crackers for breakfast, watching the sunrise.
--Camped at Chania Campground for a few days, explored the coastline, lay on the beach
--Hiked Samaria Gorge - beautiful. About a 5 hour hike. Gorge goes as narrow as 3 meters at one point, with a crystal clear stream running down alongside the trail. Although it is full of tourists, and they relocated a settlement in the gorge when Greece made it a national park - not okay in my eyes -still worth a visit.
--Unimpressed by Rethmyno - its Venetian Harbor is not as beautiful as Chania's, however students get into the fortress for free.
--Got bedbugs in Iraklio hostel. Miserable for the next couple of days from all the itching.
--Took a ferry to Thira, Santorini with GA Ferries - cheaper rates.
--Set up camp at campground 200m outside of the main town of Thira.
--Spent the next week bumming around Santorini...a volcano that erupted and collapsed creating a lake in the middle that merges with the Mediterranean Sea. Villas and towns are built on the top of the cliffs that drop off into the lake. Breathtaking.
--Went to a black sand beach, a red beach, and a rock beach. Not the most comfortable beaches for relaxing.
--Walked to Oia for the sunset over the Sea. Drank wine sitting on a rock while watching the sun descend. (Fyi- Oia is not really a safe walk, or in walking distance at all from Thira).
--Saw a local "walk" his dog by driving his car holding the leash with the dog running beside him outside.
--Don't waste your money getting dinner at one of the restaurants on the cliff with an amazing view - just order coffee and an appetizer and slowly enjoy the view...they don't kick you out.

--Set out on our journey to Venice Italy. Took ferry back to Pireaus, train to Patras, got molested at a park in Patras by a group of about 5 year old boys...embarked on ferry to Venice, set up our tent on the deck for the 2-night 36hr journey.
--Highly recommend this. The ferry was like a cruiseship, so even though we got the cheap deck tickets we could use all its facilities, showers, restaurant, bar, casino, discotech, pools...impressive for a ferry boat.
--Arrived in Venice. Spent next 2 days wandering around and getting lost in the neighborhoods. Neat place. We forgoed the 100 Euro gondola ride for a 13Euro ride on the bus boat. Crowded, but a nice view at night.

--Took train to Lugano, Switzerland where we were met by my sister - we were based here for the last week of our trip.
--Went to Lucerne for a yodeling festival. Not what you would expect. They were more yodeling choirs.
--Paddle boated on Lake Lugano and ate lots of gelato, and chocolate.
--Hiked up tall hill - Monte San Salvatore - basically 2 hours of stairs for a Panoramic view
--Trip to Bellinzona to see castles. Went on a Sunday, the town was pretty much deserted, so we relaxed on top of the castle playing cards.
--Eurocup final - go Spain!

--Back to Philadelphia. First time in the States in 5 months.


Interesting tidbits:
-Greeks don't seem to be the most attractive people we've ever encountered, nor the skinniest.
-Outside of the tourist areas Greece is a dump. Trash and graffiti absolutely everywhere.
-Everyone apparently speaks English. Extremely helpful, somewhat sad.
-Italians are always late.

I think I've caught the travel bug.

Home

As I was sitting at a table on Locust Walk eating my dinner from Beijing a flash of light caught my eye. A lightening bug was on the tree next to me. I glanced up and off in the distance were several more lightening bugs flying about. When I was little these were what I looked forward to in summer visits to Pennsylvania. A smile came to my face. I am home.

That's all folks

My semester in Israel has come to an end. It is a bitter sweet ending. I will miss my roommate terribly, and the freedom that goes with studying abroad. It will be culture shock in the Fall at Penn when I can't negotiate class and test times, and when suggesting a weekend hike or beach trip would be a joke.

Of course there are positive and negatives to every experience. But I want to remember the happy stuff when I look back on this. It is hard to remember what I found different about Israel at the beginning, because I am so used to it now. But I will try to end this segment of life with little tidbits about Israel.

1) Cats are Israel's equivalent to squirrels in the US
2) Your bag will be checked whenever you enter a building
3) Soldiers with guns are everywhere
4) All toilets have a half flush and a full flush - way to conserve water!
5) Sheruts - shared taxis
6) Should negotiate a price before you get in a cab
7) Speaking Hebrew at the shuk will get you lower prices
8) Marzipan rugula is the best ooey gooey pastry ever
9) Jerusalem lives to pray
10) Tel Aviv lives to play
11) You can easily barter down to 1/2 and less of the asking price at the Arab shuk
12) Lines don't exist
13) Pushing is perfectly acceptable
14) The dollar declining in value makes Israel pretty expensive

and finally:

15) Toilet paper comes in bulk - and is used for everything


Next stop for me: a month in Greece! I leave tomorrow!

Cable Car?

We don't need no stinking Cable Car. Actually, we really didn't want to pay for one. You are allowed to hike up Masada before 10am, however the first bus did not get us there until 10:30. People were still on their way up the path when we bypassed the ticket booth and went to the trail head. Nope, there was a guard. They would not let us hike up the desert mountain because it was "too hot." Well...through a little complaining and stating that we don't have money for the cable car, the manager quickly decided to give us free passes for the cable car. Score. We would have still rather hiked it, but if we can't, we'll take it.

We spent a good 2.5 hours on top of Masada, walking to the different breathtaking view points, the echo point where we sang "I like fishes cause they are so delicious," and meandered through the fortress.We hiked down the path to the bottom where a plethora of snack/drink stands awaited our business. We passed by the 20 shekel drinks to a booth with a bored teenage boy, who decided that he would give us free iced coffees. Fabulous.

Caught a bus to the Ein Gedi Spa at the Dead Sea near by. This was going to be our reward for a semester of hard work. The staff must have thought we were a part of one of the many tour groups, because they let us walk right through without paying. Perfect. I mean really, all we did was use their spot on the beach. Salty float, natural mud, and sulfur pool plunge later, and we were on our way back to Jerusalem.
While we were waiting for the bus, a sherut (a 15 seat shared taxi) pulled up and we were able to barter with the driver down to 25 shekels each - cheaper than the bus! What an amazing, lucky, day. All we had to pay for was transportation.

The Zoo

I forgot to mention my trip to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo a couple of weeks ago. It is by far the best zoo I have ever been to. The scenery was gorgeous, the animals happy, active, playful, and came right up to us.My favorite part was the big open safari area where the giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and rhinoceroses roamed together next to a lake overlooking the mountains in the distance. As my friend remarked "If the big giraffes can live with the little zebras happily, why can't we all live in harmony?

Frolicking in Gardens...or not

Last week in Israel, I needed to see everything I hadn't yet. This being impossible, we chose to go to Haifa, Israel one of the days, to visit the Baha'i Gardens. This is a very interesting religion, who claim to believe in all religions. Which in reality means they believe in all of the different prophets of the religions. The have a shrine/temple in Haifa with gardens that encompass an entire hillside, with over 200 gardeners to keep it beautiful.

We got off the bus at the bottom of the hill:We were only able to climb to the first gate before we had to come back down. All after my friend had to layer on her sweats, because her tank top and shorts were to scandalous for a holy place. We were hoping to be able to climb the steps all the way up, but instead we had to take a bus to the top to another viewpoint.
This was torturous. We could look down at the gardens, but were not allowed to go in them. The guards smiled at us as they unlocked the gate for select other people. Denied. All I wanted to do was to skip around and frolic in the gardens.

We walked down the hill (along a side road) to the middle, shrine level, and came across a sculpture garden. We actually were able to play around and pose with the sculptures here.
The Gardens were built like the Champs de Elysses in Paris, so when you looked down, the main street leads to the Mediterranean Sea. We could easily walk there! So we did - but not so easily. The street lead to the Port. It was another hour or more walk to the beach. We finally got to a somewhat secluded beach and we passed out on the sand. Best nap ever - minus a little sunburn.

Baby Therapy

Today I held a baby and attempted to feed him with a bottle. He was not a good feeder, and ended up just falling asleep in my arms. It was probably the highlight of my past week. It's been rough lately. Babies are amazing.

Red Sand

Jordan. Red desert. Bedouins. Camels. Petra.
Such a wide away of amazing experiences.

Friday (May 2nd) morning we made the trek to Eilat to the border crossing, and into Jordan. We had a general plan of what we wanted to do, with advice from friends who had already ventured that way.

Our taxi driver was very friendly, but sketchily so. When we told him our plans he took that to mean that he would organize our trip for us. This created a lot of confusion, frustration, and distrust as he arranged for rides we didn't ask for, but had to pay for, etc.Anyhow, we asked to be taken to an authentic Bedouin Camp in the Wadi Rum Desert to spend the night. What we were told would be 5 Jordanian Dinar for the night, dinner, and breakfast, turned into 25 Dinar as we were taken to a tourist "Bedouin camp." While not exactly what we expected as our Bedouin experience, we made the most of it and had a great time. We sat and relaxed while drinking tea for the afternoon. I got to ride a camel - much like riding a horse. My camel was a rare white, wise, and gentle camel...while the others were feisty, and even kicked the boy leading us in the leg. While the boy recovered, we saw the sunset over the desert mountains.

Night gave way a huge party of dancing around the bonfire with Jordanian students. It should be noted that only the boys (and the 4 of us Americans) were dancing, putting on quite the show for the women. And man, they could shimmy 100 times better than I ever could. Dinner was taken out of the ground - chicken that had been cooking under the sand for 2 days. Who needs a grill when you are in the desert? de.li.cious. I then slept out under the stars after being maliciously attacked by bugs in the tent.
We headed to Petra bright and early the next morning. Honestly, it was everything I expected it to be. I heard stories, and saw pictures of little people in front of huge structures (note me sitting in the Monastery in the above picture). Nevertheless, it was beautiful. The red rocks that the buildings were carved into gave it a little extra something. The walkway was lined with souvenir stands - a little annoying if you ask me. Two of the group stopped to have tea with a couple of Bedouins, while the other two of us continued the long climb up to the Monastery. There was the option of taking a "taxi" (a mule) up, but we decided to use our feet. The view once we got there was amazing, and the shop at the cliff viewpoint was playing Bob Marley - which was amazing and obviously called for a dance session.

We hurried down the mountain, taking the obligatory silly photos, in order to catch a cab to cross the border before it closed. I never thought I would be so happy to be crossing back into Israel. It was a mix of amazing sites, and being taken advantage of as a tourist. But we enjoyed it, and made it back in time to see the sunset over the Red Sea in Eilat.

Yom HaShoah

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. I read an article about righteous gentiles to share with my class. It reminded me of a poem that hung on my Dad's office wall for as long as I can remember. I would sit there reading it over and over while I waited for computer pages to load. I find it extremely powerful, and it has influenced my beliefs today.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemoller

Free Food!

Carob that I picked up from the sidewalk. Delicious and sweet once rinsed off. Just watch out of the seeds!

Chicken Bone?

Tonight ends the week-long observance of Pesach (Passover). It started with the Seder. My roommate who is also studying abroad did not have a Seder to attend (read as - she did not want to go to her extended family's Seder), so we decided that we would have our own Seder. She told us the 5 things we needed for the Seder plate: Boiled egg, Maror, Parsley, Apples and Walnuts, and a Chicken bone. Each item is symbolic.

So two of us ventured to the shuk that morning to gather our supplies for dinner and the plate. Although this is a little embarrassing to admit, we didn't know exactly which herb was parsley, so we asked the man at the stand. Since we were there we asked him what Maror was, and he pointed to something that looked like the heart of a cabbage - so we got it. Neither of us wanted to carry around a chicken bone for the day, so we decided we would figure that out later. Oh, and we were told to get wine, since during the ceremony each person is supposed to drink 4 glasses of wine. So we got sweet white wine - the only kind either of us actually likes - and only one bottle, because we didn't want to pay for two.

When we brought back our supplies we got an hysterical laugh from my roommate. Apparently by Maror she meant horseradish sauce. How were we supposed to know? And the wine is supposed to be red, because it symbolizes blood. We decided that the wine could symbolize the platelets part of blood instead. While preparing the plate I realized that we never did figure out that chicken bone thing. So I grabbed a carrot, broke it in half, and decided that kind of resembled a chicken bone. We cooked the dinner and were ready to go.

We did the whole ceremony, except drinking 4 gulps of wine instead of the 4 glasses as to not run out. There was a moment during the reading of the Haggadah when everyone is supposed to look at the chicken bone - so we looked at the carrot.

After the proceedings there were songs that were put to popular tunes with lyrics specific to Passover. They were hilarious and we sang them loud and boisterously with our oh-so-beautiful voices. It was a great time, albeit it makeshift.


It should be noted that while writing this blog post I decided to look up Maror. Turns out we were right!

Sea to Sea: Survivor Style

This past weekend started our two week vacation for Passover. We took advantage of the free hiking trip offered by Rothberg Office of Student Activities hiking club. Four days hiking from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee and camping out under the stars. It was as amazing as it sounds.
The experience was incredible. I had a fantastic time, despite some trying moments along the way:

The first day we came across an aquifer . Feeling adventurous a group of us decided to climb through the narrow opening into the mountain, wading through water with flashlights to see the source. Being afraid of water/drowning, this was not the best decision on my part. We got to a section where the ceiling of the cave was so low we had to crawl on our hands and knees with only our heads above water and inches between our heads and the cavernous roof. I had a little freak out and did not want to pass through this section - even though the ceiling got higher right after it. I wanted to head back...but they wouldn't let me. They wouldn't give me a flashlight. So there I was, having to decide between facing my fear or being left in a water-filled cave in the dark - alone. I don't know whether to call them encouraging, or just plain mean, but I got through and we eventually came to the source. Quiet, we could hear the water flow. As one of the Israelis exclaimed "that's the noise it makes right before it collapses." Thanks...a lot.
The third day, as my roommate calls it, was rock tobogganing. We were hiking cliffs, with a drop off on our right side, and a wall on our left, with about a 2 feet path in between. This "path" was composed of mostly boulders to climb/lunge up and down. Every once in a while we'd see a trail marker on some crazy high tower of boulders and just think "seriously?". One wrong step or slip could result in falling over a cliff. I found myself sliding down rocks on my butt to better navigate when foot holds were not evident. While I admit, I was scared at times - looking back on it now it was a lot of fun, like a puzzle.

My last personal trial was on the fourth and final day. They had a surprise in store for us: repelling! I was really excited, thought it would be so much fun. They had us stand on the edge of a cliff, lean back and back, and then start walking down the side of the cliff. I hated the whole way down. Maybe it was the lack of practice or direction. They had us jump right in. Of course I'm glad I did it, otherwise I would just wonder. I would even consider trying it again. But it was probably one of the scariest extended moments of my life - and I don't really even know why. These experiences are not what I am referring to when I say "survivor style." We were split up into 4 tribes. There was a challenge for all teams once a day, and then any team could challenge another team during the hike. Challenges included building the tallest structure using natural materials, who could pee the longest, trivia, crossing the "river", arm wrestling, wearing team hats and creating a team song. Some teams were competitive, some non-spirited, but it was a great idea, and I had a lot of fun with it. Go team Golani with red striped hats!

We came across a couple interesting groups of people. One was the Druze. A religious group in Northern Israel. Not much is known about their religion, as they will not talk about it with others. A big secret. They were barbecuing skews of meat and they gave us one to share as we passed by. All I can say was that it was the best thing I have ever eaten. The other, we refer to as the tree people. However, they refer to themselves as "The Greater Spirit." We found them literally hugging and singing to trees. The worship trees and found this area to be particularly spiritual. We heard their singing into the night as we woke for our fire-watching shifts. Interesting.I make the hike sound like this intense experience, but most of it was just hiking. Yes, up and down mountains and sometimes for 10 hours a day, but it was hiking. Outside, in nature, without technology, green, trees, natural springs, passing out on uncomfortable rocks during lunch breaks. A great way to relax and get to know new people and the country and culture of Israel. There was an amazing sense of accomplishment and pride as we made it to the top of the road for our first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee. The most amazing thing: I wasn't sore at all.

My Answer

For about two months I have been caught off guard by the almost daily question "What are you? What do you believe?" I feel flustered that I have to define myself solely on the basis of religion. I have to define myself by something I am not, something that gives no insight into who I am. Therefore I have not expressed myself well in my reply.
I think I finally have come up with a good response:

I am human. I believe in today. I believe in this life, that we should embrace what we have and make the most of it. I believe in people. I believe in freedom. I believe in love.

Mud Rejuvenation

About two or so weeks ago we had a day off of school. Needing a little pick-me-up, two of us decided to make a day trip to the Dead Sea.

Not exactly sure how to get there or where along the Dead Sea we were going, we hopped on a bus going in that general direction. After several conversations with the bus driver we departed at the free beach. Sunscreen in hand we ventured off into the intense "insta-tan" sun.

Having been there before my friend remembered Sulfur Pools being on the beach to use. We looked for them and eventually ended up at the tourist information center. Here we were told that the Sulfur Pools are only at the Ein Gedi Spa. Well, so much for that. We followed the exit sign of the little complex to find ourselves in the "Solarium," an enclosed area on the beach with naked purple leather people. Oops.

Back out on the real beach we waded into the water. The oily salty water insisted on lifting us up. Floating was effortless. We just lay there relaxing, naturally exfoliating our skin. Until...dun dun dun. My friend got water in her eye!!!! And by water I mean salt. To the rescue, I lead her blinded self up to safety and poured fresh water in her eyes.

With regained eyesight it was time to find some Dead Sea Mud to continue our natural skin treatment (and get the full Dead Sea experience). It was a little suspicious that no one else on the beach was covered in mud, but we were determined that there had to be some. All we saw was mounds and mounds of huge salt crystals. We finally resorted to asking the lifeguards where the mud was. "People like you came 20 years ago and took it all!" Um...right. So turns out the Ein Gedi Spa is the only place that it is naturally in the water. I see a pattern here. "But you can buy it at the market." Yes. We bought packaged Dead Sea mud at the Dead Sea. In our defense it was only 7.5 shekels each.

Lathered up in mud we were like aliens on the beach. People stared at us, 13-year-old boys wanted to take their pictures with us, but it was fun...and crusty. After washing the mud off it was time to hop on the bus back. This time with glowing skin and smiles.

Waiting On The World To Change

Currently listening to this song and reflecting on life while writing a paper for my "Jewish Settlements in Israel pre-1948" class.

Going Gray

Today as a friend was giving me a neck massage since I had a headache (yes, I know, I have amazing caring friends), she found something that did not belong. A gray hair, well, silver actually. Don't worry, it is no longer attached to my head. I still try to insist that it is because I am turning blond from the intense Middle-Eastern sun.

But, honestly, I am not that surprised. This place, coupled with nursing, has been the most emotionally stressful experience I have ever had. I don't even know how to adequately explain it, examples will have to suffice.

Example 1 - this place. This past Sunday the Penn nurses were on an Arab bus on our way to Old City to experience a Purim celebration with our professor. We were pulled over by a group of Israel Police Officers. Everyone had to produce a passport or ID (which by the way, you don't need to ride a bus). He took one man off of the bus. We waited while 3 officers searched, interrogated, and just took their precious time with this man. Eventually the man came back to the bus to get his little son. The police interrogated and stood around some more. Eventually the man told the bus driver to leave, and him and his son piled into the Police Car. Such disturbing pointless intimidation tactics. Such racism. Such hate. And all we could do was watch.

Example 2 - nursing. I saw my first death. It affected me so much more than I thought it would. Especially considering that she was not even my patient. I knew nothing about this little 4 year old girl other than her medical condition, which I will not share. I watched almost an entire resuscitation attempt. It was fine as long as we were discussing technical skills applied and the physiology of the girl's condition. Somehow 45 minutes into watching the trauma put on this tiny body it hit me, and I had to leave. 15 minutes later they called it. I get shivers just writing about it. I cried. I keep thinking about it. I know it is better, that she was in no state to live, but I was there while she died. And all I could do was watch.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Clowns. Some fear them, some love them, but few think to go to school to become one. Not to mention to become a specialized clown. But in countries outside of the United States, apparently that idea is not so far fetched. Medical clowns are a staple in the Pediatric Hospital of Hadassah (and I've been told most other countries). They go through a Medical Clown College of some sort to become certified, legit Medical Clowns. The work they do is truly amazing. A child's laughter is the most beautiful thing, and I've never seen a clown fail.

The Work had to begin eventually

We have now completed 2 weeks of nursing classes. And I still have no idea what is going on. Our schedule is different day by day, week by week. Often I look at the schedule the night before so I know when and where I need to be the next day. It is too varied to keep track of, and too overwhelming to really look at. Taking Pediatrics and Obstetric courses simultaneously is enough to make anyone crazy, squeezing them into 2.5 months is something else. Not to mention an additional night class at Rothberg International School. One thing that seems to be consistent is a 6am wake up time. Our nursing classes and clinicals are an hour bus commute away from our dorms. I’m not quite sure who engineered that one.

My clinical this past week was at Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital . This is truly an amazing facility. Each child has such individualized care. They design each kid a specific chair to mold to their body and provide the support they need, as well as corsets, braces, casts, and anything else. There is multidisciplinary care including occupational therapy, school, hydrotherapy, nutrition, and of course nursing care. Even the kids that have no hope in regaining function, they make sure to exercise the abilities they do have as not to lose them. Every faculty member knew every child. It truly appeared to be a cross-cultural family operation. Political and cultural views were put aside to work together for these children.

Next week my clinical will be at the PICU at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem. We split into groups of 1 or 2 and do two days at each location. This has its benefits: we have very personalized attention and are able to gather a taste of different floors and facilities. However, the negative seems to outweigh the positive for this setup. We are not allowed to do anything. We are not with a specific clinical instructor, and therefore can't work under someone else's license. It is frustrating. We were thrown into our Medical-Surgical and Geriatric rotations last semester and gained so many skills, but are not able to practice or improve them.

The lectures on the other hand, are much better than at Penn. With a class of 5 students it is much more relaxed, personalized, and gives leeway for more interesting stories and information applicable to Israel. You also get to know your professors very well. Oh, and best of all, class pauses when you need a bathroom break.

The Best Laid Plans...

February 21-23
…are no plans at all. We decided to make the most of our last free weekend before intense nursing classes began. What better way than to go to a warm sunny beach on the Red Sea. We found a hotel for cheap in Eilat the night before, made our reservations, got on the bus after our Hebrew Finals and were on our way. Five hours later, at 11pm we arrived at our hotel, only to find that we “misunderstood” the price, and in fact they were going to charge us double the amount they quoted to us on the phone. Through a little struggle and a phone call to the manager they finally agreed to cancel the reservation without charging the credit card the full amount.

So, here we were, 8 girls, 1 boy, wandering Eilat at 11pm without a place to sleep. Pretty comical really, but it gets better. We decided to go back to the bus station, because we saw a couple hostels around. While walking through the station we ran into a group of boys from Spain who also needed a place to stay. The group of us was wandering up toward the hostels when we were approached by a woman saying “place to stay, very cheap.” We bargained with her for a little bit just for fun, but after she became pushy we realized it was just a bit too sketchy. The Spanish boys went with another man in a Jeep. We continued on our way...

While we split up to inquire about different hostels about open beds and pricing, the woman drove by and honked, then she stopped up by the other group and started bargaining again. She was going to give us 10 shekels less per person for two nights. We had to convince our friend that $2.50 was not worth risking our lives.

We ended up finding a beautiful hostel. The man who owned it has traveled all over the world, is an architect/designer, and designed his hostel. He even has the “nicest house in Israel” to rent out, and he was not exaggerating. Nestled into our room we had an intense 2 hour conversation (that prompted my previous post) and called it a night.

The first day was very relaxed. We wondered around the beach shopping at different stands. It was gorgeous. A sea with the bluest water I have ever seen, surrounded by looming mountains. We meandered up the jetty to see if there were any boat rides on the Red Sea that seemed appealing. We were invited onto a man’s boat to explore. To our surprise to was a beautiful pirate ship (okay, some might call it a sailing ship)! The cruise left the next morning, so we signed right up! For 125 Shekels (about $35) we got a 4 hour cruise to the border of Israel/Egypt and Jordan/Sinai, delicious Israeli BBQ lunch, time to jump off the ship into the Sea with a rope swing, and relax or dance while music played. It was truly a vacation and an adventure. And of course it turned out so much better than if it was planned.

Words

I now give you a break from our regularly scheduled broadcasting to bring you some thoughts on religion and politics. Studying abroad is not all fun and games (although a lot of it is). A lot of it is about meeting new people, and examining your own thoughts and beliefs. I have been challenged on all accounts here. Not only am I in the minority, as I have mentioned before, because I am not Jewish. I am in the minority, because I am not Christian, or religious at all for that matter. In fact, here, I am almost alone.

My Christian friends here consider themselves socially liberal. However, they exclude in this issues that they consider religious issues. These religious issues (gay marriage and abortion, for example) are very much ones that I would include as social issues. As it turns out a lot of these differences in opinions are simply a matter of twisting words. I consider it a vote "for the women's right to choose" whereas others consider it a vote "for abortion, for murder." I think of marriage as "legal rights granted to two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together" while others see it as "a union between a man and a women under God." It is all nit-picky definitions. I am not going to go extensively into my views and reasons now as it is emotionally wearing for me. Who can look at my two friends who are completely in love, and tell them they should not/cannot be together? or that it is a sin to love someone?

As far as foreign policies go, I have always been on the fence. Obviously genocides and oppression are never okay. But on less severe issues, I feel like a government is often reflective of a culture. Can we ever really tell a people to change a culture we do not understand?

Words are so important to any politician. They can make or break a campaign. The words "Yes We Can" have made all the difference for Borack Obama. And I'm not going to lie, they are extremely inspirational. Although he was not my first choice, nor my second for the democratic nomination, his speaking skills are phenomenal. This (apart from his politics) is one of the reasons I detest President George W. Bush. I believe a president should be a great speaker (even if it is just presenting speeches written for them). I personally want a President who can express himself eloquently, and much better than I can.
Despite the ambiguity of words, and being challenged on the beliefs I currently stand alone in, I have learned how passionately I feel about issues and people. To the point of tears. It is not easy to be alone. But if we don't have strength, what do we have?

Under the Desert Sun

February 15-16, 2008
Large group trips really aren’t my thing, especially when the crowd resembles that of freshmen during New Student Orientation (NSO). That said, I can’t complain too much for another free trip, this time for a whole weekend to Mitzpe Ramon.

The original itinerary of a 4 hour hike was adjusted due to risk of floods in the desert. I for one was extremely disappointed, but I can’t say the same for most of the girls on the trip. Instead we rode the buses from site to site, got out, wandered around, listened to the tour guide say a few words, and got back into the bus. Enjoyable enough, just not what I had anticipated.

We checked into our hostel (which by the way I was very impressed with for a hostel - Each bunk room had its own bathroom and shower). While most people went to Shabbat services a small group of us decided to explore. The town of Mitzpe Ramon is located right on the edge of the cliff of the crater. It is absolutely breathtaking. We climbed up a hill with a camel shaped viewing area on top and watched the sunset over the desert.

Saturday was much more enjoyable. We woke up bright and early to head off into the desert for archery. Not the typical archery, but a sport closely resembling Frisbee golf. It is actually quite ingenious. As the owner told us, he wanted to replace golf with this form of archery. It takes the same skill, concentration, and focus, but you can play on the natural terrain. Golf wastes so many resources solely trying to maintain the grass. Good luck actually making that happen. It was a great experience and we all had a blast briefly learning technique and then just trying over and over with different distanced targets hiking across the desert.

A bathroom break led us to discover that this archery place was a hidden gem. Inside the fence was an open air shelter with a kitchen, and an abundance of mattresses and blankets. Inside were students just sitting, smoking hookah, drinking tea, and playing the guitar. It costs 80 shekels to spend a night on the floor, which is a little expensive seeing how the hostel was 90, but the atmosphere was amazing. We sat and chatted for awhile before returning to our group to carve sandstone.

After lunch 2 of us decided to diverge from the group “hike” and go for a real hike of our own. The view from the top of the crater was amazing, but we wanted to find a way to get down into it. After a little exploration we found a trail leading down the cliff. Hands down this was the highlight of my weekend. Nothing compares to the desert. It is the most relaxing, serene experience. It was the sound of utter silence. A picture looks as if you cut out our heads and pasted it on a background. You feel insignificant as the cliff walls surround you and you are in the middle of a vast open crater. The joy and awe I felt at that moment is inexplicable.