Saturday, April 26, 2008

Free Food!

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

Friday, April 25, 2008

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!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

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.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

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.

Monday, April 7, 2008

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.