Winter Session Happenings

I really shouldn't be writing this because I should be studying for winter semester finals instead. But what the hell? Procrastination is a good friend for people in college and beyond. I still have a take home final to write, an exam to study for, and two projects to finish.

In the evening on February 9th, I mentioned that I was going to a party at Lima Lima to celebrate Oranim 75 arriving in Israel. Right before the party, my program had an enrichment on the Arab-Israeli Conflict. We watched a video about an orthodox guy and an Arab guy who have day jobs in Jerusalem, but at any moment's notice, they could get a call to go help someone in need -- they are both volunteer EMTs. One of them could have any kind of call and may be going into a section of Jerusalem in which they may not be welcomed, based on their background. The orthodox guy once had to go into Silwan, a predominantly Palestinian village located in East Jerusalem that has no street signs or house numbers. However, often in Silwan, it doesn't matter who is tending to whom in times of emergency, as long as everyone is safe. Jews and Palestinians don't necessarily treat each other like brothers, but they recognize that fighting each other over identity and culture at that present moment is not the most important thing because someone's in danger. The second video introduced a Palestinian family that has lived in Silwan for 2-3 generations and refused to be removed from their property. They argued how the Israeli government is evil, how the City of David used to be a Palestinian village until the government kicked them out, and so on. It's unfortunate that the video only provided one view. It would have helped if they showed an Israeli family in a similar situation in the West Bank or Gaza. The party was very fun, I got to dance a little and hang with my friends.

Tuesday February 14th was Valentine's Day. Yes, I had a valentine but only one. She's not currently in Israel but she's coming back shortly. During the past couple days, I had seen a bunch of stands selling Valentine's Day-related products, so the holiday is big here but not as big as in the U.S. Everything now is so commercialized in the U.S.; corporations look to squeeze as much money as possible out of consumers. Sometimes, I wonder if the commercialization has almost ruined the holidays because people feel like they're obligated to celebrate it. It's different in Israel which is nice. Regardless, it was a great day. Class just took up the day and I relaxed when I got home.

 Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin

Since then, I have volunteered more helping to tutor children in English, worked more on Zao projects, and I  worked hard on the Conflict Management project which was due on Tuesday. Adam and I were a duo, and knowing him as one of my best friends here, he and I get into quite a few conflicts, granted they're small and sometimes stupid (but fun). We disagreed over what company to do the project; he wanted to do Quiksilver, the boarding apparel company and I wanted to do the Red Sox. I thought the Red Sox would be a good company to do because the sports world is a turbulent environment filled with unpredictability. They have a new GM, new manager, and about a quarter of the new roster is new (while Tim Wakefield and possibly Jason Varitek have retired). We compromised on doing the New York Knicks. The 2011-2012 NBA season is currently going on, and the Knicks are in such a chaotic area, it's not even funny. The third-string point guard Jeremy Lin has become a dynamic force after injuries sidelined Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis. He is the new most popular player in the game, even with race issues with ESPN and new signings coming into play. Adam and I worked on the whole project together, so it was literally a 50/50 job. We got into many of our own conflicts writing the paper and making the PowerPoint, but we make a great team.

A painting representing
Cain and Abel

This past Wednesday, Adam, Alex, and I went out to celebrate Alex's birthday. With the plans of going to a club, it went in a completely different direction. We went to this nice outdoor restaurant on the beach to smoke some hookah and enjoy hanging out, then went to Allenby St. to walk around and grab a bite. It was an early night but fun. Last night, the majority of my program went to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. If you know me, I'm not one much for art except for maybe the really historical and classical pieces. I would love to go to the Louvre one day. I wasn't too impressed with many of the pieces but they were cool. It was a nice way to get out of the house from studying for a couple hours. On the way back, my friend Samantha told me to try some awesome pizza at Dizengoff Square; I'm going to have to go there again.

So until next time, I have exams to study for and projects to do. After Tuesday, I have ten days off to relax and chill, maybe take a trip or two around Israel. No Eurotrip this time. L'hitraot!

This represents what happened in
the Holocaust