IsthisRAEL?

A month and a half ago I kissed my life in Ghana goodbye and boarded a plane to Israel. Although it was hard to part from all of the new international and Ghanaian friends I had made, I was definitely ready for a break from the heat, humidity, and constant attention directed towards an American female in Ghana.

            Culture Shock. It is one of the topics that have been discussed throughout my program and we have held countless workshops on how to not only adjust to our new West African environment but also how we will cope when we get back to the States. Before leaving for Israel my expectations were that culture shock would not be so obvious. I discovered that the phenomena was actually quite blatant and slapped me right across the face- my shock at finding toilet paper and paper towels in the Heathrow airport, the “delicious” microwave meals provided to me on the airplane, the racial diversity in Heathrow and Tel Aviv, and of course, the hot showers in Katie’s apartment. What I discovered fast was that my heart ached for Ghana. I missed it every minute I was in Israel. It was fun at first to talk about the hectic world that I had departed. Then frustration set in. I found myself talking nonstop about things that nobody could understand unless they had experienced it. It is just a tough reality I am going to have to confront once again when I get back to good ole California.

            ISthisRAEL? During my time in Israel, I lived with my best friend from college, Katie, in her student dorms in French Hill, Jerusalem. Katie is studying Political Science in a year-long program at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University. My location served as a perfect home base for traveling to the treasures of Israel- only a five minute train ride from the Old City or fifteen minute bus ride to the West Bank. During my first weeks in Israel, Katie had finals so I had no problem crashing on the couch, eating any chocolate I could get my hands on and watching Friday Night Lights- a TV show that Katie got me hooked on. After her finals, we made a bucket list and set out to see all of the typical tourist hotspots. Within Jerusalem we visited the kotel or Western Wall, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Mount of Olives, multiple shouks (outdoor markets), Dome of the Rock, and of course the Israeli nightlife. Jerusalem had a distinct feel from all of the other places I visited in Israel. Not only was it physically colder than any other city I visited, but I felt an emotional charge- a sort of heaviness every time I reentered the city. My favorite part of living in Israel for a month and a half was experiencing the daily life: people watching, eating shawarma, and attempting to speak Hebrew and Arabic phrases.  

            While most of the Israeli population celebrated Hanukkah, Katie and I were lucky enough to have three of our friends from UCSB join us to be a part of the minority celebrating Christmas. Cat and Sydney, who had just finished studying for a semester in Italy, and Maddy, who was almost finished with her semester abroad in Turkey, met us in Tel Aviv to begin the festivities. We spent a couple of days in Tel Aviv, fine dining, wandering the beaches, and celebrating Sydney’s 21^st birthday. On Christmas Eve, the five of us wandered through the old city before eating an enormous meal at an Arab restaurant that was decorated with Christmas lights and even had a lighted tree. We attended midnight mass at a church just outside the Old City Walls which was extremely different from any service I have ever attended- but the hot chocolate and cookies served at the end sparked some familiarity to the holidays at home. The next day, Christmas, we embarked on our mission to enter the West Bank in order to view the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Despite the pouring rain, we boarded a bus near the Old City which took us to the border where we walked through the huge, imposing metal wall that divides the West Bank from the rest of Israel. As we were bombarded by taxi drivers we chose the alternative route of walking along the wall, viewing all of the graffiti and artwork calling for peace and the destruction of the division. We admitted defeat once all of our feet were drenched and took a taxi to the Church of Nativity. Surprisingly, there were not many people around. I was intrigued by the service occurring within the church because the worshippers were African and dressed in the exact same cloth as Ghanaians. When I asked one of the men where they were from I was informed that they had traveled from the Ivory Coast to view such a holy site. We waited in a short line before entering the cavern which marks the birthplace of Jesus- it felt so surreal and I could not help but think how many people would kill to be in my position. After eating one of the most scrumptious falafel lunches ever, we met a nice old man from Bethlehem who took us to his shop and made us tea. He gave each of us a free Christmas gift and pointed us in the direction of the correct bus to cross back into Israel. At the border, armed soldiers loaded the bus, checked all of our passports and sent us back into Israel after a forty minute wait. That night, we bought all of the materials to make French toast and pancakes and we binged until we reached a food coma and went to bed. All in all, it was a truly unique and memorable Christmas.   

Midway through my time in Israel, Katie and I decided to travel to Haifa where we stayed in a hostel close to the beach. We met fascinating people in the hostel including a Ukrainian and Italian who accompanied us on our trip to the Baha’i gardens, as well the owner of a steakhouse in Santa Barbara who has traveled to all 7 continents- including chilling with the penguins in Antarctica! Haifa reminds me of San Francisco, built on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean. We used Haifa as our base for traveling to the ancient cities of Akko, Nazareth, and Caesarea. In Haifa, the highlight was definitely the Baha’i Gardens which were garden terraces that surround the shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel. Our guided tour was fascinating and Katie and I came out with a new appreciation for the Baha’i faith, a monotheistic religion that emphasizes the unity of all humans. We also discovered a non-kosher burger joint, due to the recommendation of a Texas cowboy, that blew my socks off. Although it was pouring rain for most of our days, we explored the ruins of Akko and Caesarea. Both of these cities were built along the Mediterranean and were at one time bustling port cities. In Akko my favorite part was the underground Crusader tunnels which reached from the interior of the Old City out to the coastal walls. In Caesarea, an enormous theatre was constructed that stands in full force today. One of the shocking discoveries Katie and I made throughout our travels in Israel was that we had almost all of these beautiful ruins and churches all to ourselves. In Nazareth, we were completely alone inside the Basilica of the Annunciation as well as the Church of St. Joseph. I feel like in the United States you would have had to pay some entry fee and wait in a line, but I was able to wander through the sites at my will and experience them in peace.

             

So now I just want to reflect on some of the things that shocked me quite a bit about Israel. First of all, every restaurant, mall, bus station, etc. is setup with security- meaning you must go through metal detectors and often put your bags through a scanner. I was also surprised by the presence of Israeli soldiers everywhere I turned. The weirdest part was that all of these soldiers were merely kids- dressed in the common green uniform with their long guns slung over their shoulders. What I learned during my time in Israel is that these soldiers are just normal kids that are required to serve their country. I met several Americans who are now serving in the Israeli Army and I spent New Year’s with a group of combat soldiers. The sad aspect of this perpetual state of insecurity is the ethnic hatred that I witnessed. It was not unusual to see an altercation or hear words of hatred spoken between Arab and Jewish people. What did I love about Israel? I LOVED Shabbat dinners. During my stay in Israel, I was adopted into a Jewish family from England. Katie and I were invited to a Shabbat dinner by a friend named Nadavya. I did not realize that it was going to be hosted by her actual family. My first Shabbat dinner was spent eating course after course of delicious food and chatting with her mom and dad. They had a golden retriever named Bella that I took on a walk with her eight year old and twelve year old brothers. I returned for a second dinner two weeks later and felt that I had become a part of the family. I loved the positive energy and chaos as eighteen people squashed around a table. The dad sang the prayers in Hebrew, broke the bread and passed it around the table. We ate, sang, and laughed all night long. At 2AM we decided it was time for us to make an exit. I hugged the parents and the mom told us that we were always welcome in their home. She also made a profound statement about how it is hard to live in Israel because people from all over are always coming and then leaving…a statement that I feel is strongly true for Israel.  

Although my stay in Israel was short, I feel that I stayed long enough to see all of the important sights and also gain insight into the culture. I loved every moment that I got to attempt to speak Hebrew and eat falafel but when my time was up I was ready to head back to the heat. It is hard to believe that I am already back in Ghana, but my experiences in Israel gave me a new perspective on my life here and I can say with full confidence that I am thrilled to be back for four more months. 

....stay tuned for my experiences in Petra, Jordan