Anna's Adventure to the Holy Land

Blog Interrupted...

2009-07-11T15:46:00.006+03:00

Right now I am sitting in my old home in Parma, Italy and cannot believe how much time has passed since my last entry. I am going to try my best to summarize the most important happenings of my last 6 months in Israel and bring you up to date on my travels this summer.

Living in Haifa still seems like a dream, and I really have grown a lot since having moved to Israel over a year ago. Presently, I have decided to convert to Judaism (big shocker for my friends and family) but feel that after this year in Israel I want to continue with the traditions I partook in and truly feel a part of the Israeli culture. I also have learned more Hebrew than when I originally came (being none at all) and have gained so many wonderful friends and family who I have truly come to love this past year.

So, when I last left you, my friend Katie had just come to visit me in January for my birthday, the New Year and for her first trip to Israel. Katie is my friend from Best Buddies who is getting married this August and I am so proud and excited to say that I will be in her wedding! After she left, I was so sad because we had such a good time together but was glad to learn that my grandmother had decided to come to Israel to visit me for a weeklong trip with the UJC in Bergen County.

This trip was so special for me because not only was it my grandmother’s first trip to Israel, but our first trip together outside of the US. My grandmother proved to be a wonderful traveler partner and I got to see so many things with her that I would have never had the chance to do otherwise. We also ate lots of good food and were able to meet people from Bergen County that we had never met before.

When my Grandmother first arrived in Tel Aviv I think she was more shocked to see me than she has ever been. She braved the 11 hour flight by herself and is my hero for taking so many chances and being so adventurous still! The day after she arrived we took a tour of Tel Aviv and I got to see Independence Hall, the place where the state of Israel was established by Ben Gurion in 1948. It was really interesting to see the building and to hear on the loudspeaker recorded clips from when Ben Gurion’s famous speech was delivered and the HaTikvah (Jewish National Anthem) was first sung.

Walking around Tel Aviv we got to see the oldest neighborhoods and also explore Jaffa, the mixed area of the city. I have to say that Jaffa is probably my favorite part of Tel Aviv because it a very special and diverse community that hold a lot of unique stores, restaurants, and places to see and walk around. Also, I think it boasts the best view of Tel Aviv and love taking anyone who comes to visit there.
For lunch my grandma and I got to eat at an amazing restaurant called “Dr. Shakshuka”, which is a legendary restaurant in Jaffa. We even got to meet Dr. Shakshuka himself and take a photo with him, which I will post. For all of you who know my grandma, I just want to add that this was the most food I have ever seen my grandmother eat in a one week period, and for a woman who could survive on black coffee, bread, and chocolate, this is saying A LOT!

After Tel Aviv we made our way to a great Kibbutz in the north and then were hosted for a dinner by Bergen County’s sister city Nahariya. The family that my grandmother and I got to stay at was amazing and the family was so wonderful and kind. It was a dinner I will never forget not only because the food was so good, but our host families were so kind and hospitable.

The next day, we visited the spiritual city of Tzfat and which is probably one of my favorite places to go in Israel. Next we visited Akko and had a great dinner in the Knights Hall with dancers and entertainers throughout the evening. It was amazing how much this tour put into a one week period and I have to say my grandmother never got tired even once, even though our schedule had us starting our day at 6AM and going to sleep at around 1AM every night!

Our last evening in Haifa, my friends Ofer and Kerstin met my grandmother in our hotel and we all had a great time talking and visiting together. This was the only free time we had the whole entire trip and it was from 11PM – 1AM at night! The following day my grandmother and I were able to plant a tree in Israel and see the famous city of Tel Hai.

One of my most memorable days of the trip was definitely attending the Batz Mitzvah of a girl Rebecca Joy at the top of Masada with all of her family and grandmother who was also Batz Mitzvah. This celebration was particularly meaningful and special because Rebecca has autism and is unable to speak. She, her brother, her parents, and her grandparents all took this trip together and everyone was touched by their love and unity as a family. We all got to help Rebecca with making the Challah and preparing the services for her Batz Mitzvah. It was so incredible as was the best Batz Mitzvah I have ever attended. While at Masada, my grandmother even ran into her friend from Hackensack, who I have heard so much about but never met. This friend walks with my grandmother and is very active. She also works at the Metropolitan Museum with my grandmother and it was a great surprise to run into her.

My grandmother and I spent the last days of her trip together in Jerusalem and had a great time and tour of the area. This truly was a once in a lifetime trip and I am so happy and blessed to have been able to experience it with her!

So in a nut shell, there you have February and now on to March!

January is the Best Time of the Year!

2009-01-30T21:50:00.002+02:00

Hello avid blog readers,

I know I promised more updates, but January has proven to be a busy month and not only have I had some awesome visitors, but I have been able to see the amazing country of Jordan and tour all over Israel. Beginning with the end of my first semester at the University of Haifa, I found myself awoken in the middle of the night by my darling friend Katie who I thought was coming to visit me that night. After a good laugh, my friend Katie helped me prepare for my last final and we went over the logistics of our trip together. Starting the day after New Years we would be renting a car with my two other friends, Kerstin (who I spoke about and who is from Germany) and my guy friend Robin (who is Israeli and living in Haifa). After an amazing night at Club Ultrasound where I celebrated Sylvester (and not what I kept referring to as Lucifer), It was my first time celebrating the new year before the ball dropping in NYC, and I felt so happy to be surrounded by amazing friends.

On January 1st, the four amigos (and my roommate Laura) embarked on a five hour drive through the south of the country and to Eilat. This was also during the time of the war in Gaza which I will comment on later, so at one point of our drive we were literally only 25 km from where the Israeli army was dropping bombs and completing their air raids. It was really surreal to say it lightly and I am still in shock at how numb you become when you live in a country that is always under fear of attack or in conflict. Starting off the New year right, I promptly lost my wallet and camera right before a long trip with no wallet or money in sight. However, Robin, Katie, Laura, and Kerstin were amazing at making me feel better and paying for me the whole entire weekend. I honestly do not know what I would have done if I was with anyone else besides them and I am so thankful for everything that did to make me not feel as crappy as I did.

When we arrived to Eilat it was pretty late in the evening and we were planning on checking into a small hostel I had stayed at my last time in Eilat (in July). However, Laura lived in Eilat for 3 years and was staying with a woman who owned a hotel. She was nice enough to offer us a suite for a great price and we ended up having pretty amazing living accommodations for a fraction of the price. Eilat was amazing but not as warm as in the summer. I wasn’t able to strip down to a bikini but I did put my feet In the water and relax poolside for a little bit. While in Eilat, we were able to check out an amazing aquarium, ride camels, check out the beach, do a little shopping, and hear an amazing live band at one of my favorite bars in Eilat. Riding the camels had to be on the most fun things I have done and I found it fitting that my camel’s named with Oprah, and probably the most load of all the other camels.

After Eilat, we traveled back North through the Negev and stopped in Ramon Crater to see the large canyon that supposedly changed colors throughout the landscape. I am blown away by all of the natural beauty in Israel and the diversity in topography. We also made a quick stop at Ben Gurion’s house and got to see not only his home but his grave. After a long history lesson we headed to the city of Adav near the Dead Sea and planned to sleep at a youth hostel before waking up at 5 in the morning to hike Masada and see the sunrise.

Note to self and other’s planning on hiking Masada DO IT! It is by far one of the most beautiful and amazing things I have seen in Israel. Even for my second time there were things I missed and didn’t get to see at the top of the Palace. Also, I find it amazing how visiting sights with different people change the way you see and interpret that place. It was amazing to spend so much quality time with Katie and I am so excited for her wedding in August. After a long morning of hiking, we made our way to Ein Bokek and relaxed in the dead sea which was not as cold as one would expect in January. There were actually a lot of birthright trips at the time also venturing into the water, so I did not feel like the only way braving the cold to walk on water.

In Jerusalem Katie and I parted ways with Kerstin and Robin and met up with my friend Mollie, who let us stay with her for a few nights at Hebrew University. I never had seen or been to the University before but it is gorgeous. The new dorms especially are nicer than the ones in the states (and no I did not say than the ones at Scripps but really nice nonetheless). Katie and I also stayed with another one of my friends Brittany for a few nights at her place and were so wonderfully hosted by her and her boyfriend. Brittany is a Rotary Scholar like me, and has found true love in Israel and is now living with her boyfriend. He is one of the nicest guys and they have an amazing apartment together.

In the five days I was in Jerusalem with Katie, I saw and did more than I think I have ever done in the seven months I have been here. We did everything from the Old City to Via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, The Dome of the Rock, Ramparts Walk, The Western Wall, the Western Wall tunnels, and the City of David just to name a few. It was also probably more walking than two marathons and are legs were like rocks by the end of our time in Jerusalem. Katie is one of the easiest going people to be with/travel with and the whole entire trip we laughed and honestly enjoyed every moment together. I even got to meet up with a few friends and we went out one night with Rob Bond, a college friend stationed in Saudi Arabia and my friend Josh, when we attended a lecture on the current situation in Gaza. Jerusalem was by far the academic part of my vacation and I thoroughly enjoyed everything, sans wallet and all!

On Friday we left for Tel Aviv and got to stay with my friend who is also a Rotary Scholar, Allison. She got us a room at Tel Aviv University and Katie I felt as if we were in our own luxury hotel room after couch surfing for the last few days. In Tel Aviv we celebrated my birthday and walked around the city. I had a great time shopping at the art market and on my actual birthday we made a picnic in Hayarkon Park and walked to the Old Port. At night we had a party at Max Brenner’s and I met up with friends who came from Haifa and Tel Aviv to celebrate with me. It was a great night and I really felt so lucky to have so many wonderful people around me.
After Saturday we returned from Tel Aviv and relaxed in Haifa. For Katie’s last full day we went to Nazareth and met up with one of my friends who lives in the area and showed us around. The Church of the Annunciation was amazing and it was my second time walking around the city. After a two week trip I got so used to Katie being here I had to get adjusted to sleeping without her. However, right afterwards I had Thea and Albert’s grandson come and stay with me for two nights, and I was able to show him Haifa and give him a good feel of the city.

In the weeks working up to Ulpan, I relaxed, slept, caught up on some work and prepared a one week trip to Jordan that I took with a friend from college, Lindsay, who was visiting Israel. I had the most amazing week in Jordan and cannot tell enough people how incredible the people were and how safe I felt travelling in the country. While in Jordan I stayed with a friend in Amman for a few days and even got the chance to speak at a Roteract club in Jordan. While on the bus ride to Amman I also got to meet two Peace Core volunteers who actually knew my friend Greg that we were staying with. It was a hilarious strike of fate that made me realize once again how small the world is. After making our way around the North part of the country and seeing Jerash, Amman, the Baptism site of Christ, the Jordan River, the Sand Castles and being taken out by my new and amazing Jordanian friends, Lindsey and I made our way down to Kerak to stay with the Peace Core girls for a night before going to Petra for our last two days.

Petra was an unbelievable experience and I could write a book about all of the people I met and all the things that I did there. However, I think this blog has already become too long and so I will save the juicy details for the next post.
In recent news, my grandmother is coming to visit in a few weeks and I cannot wait to see her. I also started my last Hebrew Ulpan and will be only trying to speak in Hebrew as much as possible!

Everything is great in the Holy Land and I miss you all so much!

Much Love,
Annelise

Santa spotted….in Israel?

2008-12-20T19:09:00.006+02:00

To anyone who has ever wondered where Santa really lives don’t be fooled, the North Pole is just a cover, I mean honestly who really wants to live all year round in sub zero temperatures…

I have documented Santa’s elves, workshop, and other incriminating pieces of evidence containing holiday cheer, ENJOY!

(Santa's Workshop)

(Santa's Band)

(The Man himself!)

(Santa impersonator)

(Christmas Cheer)

(Christmas Elf)

Happy Holidays!

Annelise

PS. To anyone who doesn't know, Channukah starts this Sunday, Ben's Birthday is the 22nd and he is 21, and Christmas is only 5 days away!

A Visit to the Prime Minister’s office, Hadera, and everything in between

2008-12-18T14:56:00.002+02:00

Okay, before you get too excited, no, I did not meet Ehud Olmert, but I did get to see his office and even attend a meeting in the press/conference room of the Knesset! Monday the 15th was an amazing day that started at 5:00 AM when I woke up before the sun was even up and got myself to the train station to meet Rita, one of the women I work with at Isha L’Isha at 6:30 AM. Rita is head of the anti-trafficking project at Isha L’Isha and coordinates lobbying meetings in the Knesset as well as; advices other organizations on anti-trafficking policies, works with the local authorities, and coordinates a transition shelter for women who have been raped and abused. She is so amazing to work with and invited me to come with her, and see the work she gets to do on a day to day basis. This was extra special though because she was speaking in front of parliament members and important people in the community regarding the issue of trafficking in Israel. I got to meet one of the women that has served as Secretary for the last 12 Prime Minister’s of Israel and meet the women who is in charge of social services in Israel. All of the people who attended the meeting were so impressed with Rita’s presentation and all of the work Isha L’Isha is doing to stop trafficking in women.

Rita also showed a movie Lilja 4-ever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilya_4-ever) that I really recommend seeing for anyone that is interested in knowing about the reality of trafficking globally. It was an extremely moving and hard movie to watch because of, not only its subject, but the utter despair and distress women go through that are tricked into prostitution. I had really never studies the occurrences of sex trafficking globally, and have found it to be an increasingly interesting subject to learn about and try to combat. After the meeting at the Knesset, Rita took me to actually see a rehabilitation center in Tel Aviv, which is funded by the Israeli government, to help women who were former prostitutes. The center works as a half way home and transitional housing for around 11-15 women, who suffer from an array of addictions, emotional, and physical problems. I was able to meet with some former prostitutes, and after hearing about their situations and the position for women immigrants coming to Israel in search of a better life, I understand why it is so easy for women and children to fall prey to many traps.

These women were no different than you or I, and really were choosing to do
something positive with their life by agreeing to live at the shelter. There about five social workers oversee an array of activities, counseling sessions, and tend to the needs of all of the women in the center. They are allowed access to phones and outside contact, although they have to abide by a code of conduct that is fair and for the safety all of members of the house.

After doing some research I found that according to the United States State Department data, an "estimated 600,000 to 820,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 70 percent are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors. The data also illustrates that the majority of transnational victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. The alarming enslavement of people for purposes of labor exploitation, often in their own countries, is a form of human trafficking that can be hard to track from afar." This figure is likely to be greatly underestimated. I also found that research conducted by University of California at Berkeley on behalf of the anti-trafficking organization ‘Free The Slaves’ found that less than half of people in slavery in the United States, about 46%, are forced into prostitution. Domestic servitude claims 27%, agriculture 10%, and other occupations 17%. I was appalled to see these numbers and feel while I am here in Israel; I want to continue to learn more about trafficking in women and work to end it.

After seeing Rita on Monday, I ended up going to a Birthday party that night for my friend Ofer. It was a surprise party with a few of his friends from the University and it was great to be invited to celebrate his birthday with him and surprise him! Then on Tuesday, I had another birthday party for a friend in Haifa, and had a really busy day cooking curry tofu and rice for the party. (Yes that’s right family and friends, brace yourself, I am cooking in Israel, so be prepared and watch it, I am learning how to make a mean carrot soufflé and plan on stuffing you all full next time I see you!)

On Wednesday, after classes I ended up going to Hadera to meet with Rotary members and prepare to address their rotary club at night. I had to take a train in Binyamina and then transfer to another train for Hadera. I ended up arriving at around 4:30 and met Mr. Katz of the Hadera Rotary Club who proved to be my tour guide extraordinaire and I am so in debt to the hospitality he and his wife showed me. He prepared a full itinerary for me, and first took me to a community center called Beit Eliezer. Hadera is a very interested community because of its diverse population. It is the fourth largest city in the country in terms of land jurisdiction. It also has one of the largest Russian and Ethiopian populations in Israel, and I was able to even go to an Ethiopian Children’s After School Program. I was amazed by the beauty and richness of culture in Hadera and all of the wonderful projects the city is doing. At Beit Eliezer community center, they not only have classes for the young and old in array of activities, but they also work with children with emotional and behavioral problems. Volunteers from all over come to be a part of Beit Eliezer, and I was fortunate enough to get a tour from the Director himself.

After seeing Hadera and being amazed by the city, I attended their Rotary meeting and gave a presentation about myself and what I was doing in Israel. I could actually talk about some of the things I have started and plan on accomplishing. I cannot believe I am approaching the 6 month mark on January 3rd!
This weekend I am going to be in Jerusalem seeing a famous Israeli writer, Etgar Keret, who writes short stories and in Haifa. I am also preparing for my friend Katie to come on December 30th, as well as Chanukah and Christmas! Here in Haifa, they have a Holiday of Holidays party every Saturday in Wadi Nis Nas, the Christian and Muslim Quarter that celebrates all of the world holidays. Haifa is a truly amazing city that hosts people from every race, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic background. As classes are winding down, I am looking forward to traveling with Katie, Kerstin, and my friend Lindsay in January! Don't forget if you want to come visit let me know! My friend Anjali just bought her ticket to come in April and I am trying to convince my dad to come sometimes around Passover.

I hope you all know that I have a little menorah and Christmas tree in my room that makes me feel home away from home. This year will be the first year I have not gone home for Thanksgiving or Christmas I think ever, and I don’t know what I am going to do without my wonderful Eggnog and family of course. I am trying to find a low-fat recipe to make to drown my sorrows!

Lots of love, warmth, holiday wishes, and I miss you all so much!

Annelise

Thanksgiving Edition

2008-12-02T18:31:00.003+02:00

I have to say that this year, I really feel extremely thankful for so many wonderful things, people, and new experiences in my life. Being away from your family and friends, on such an important holiday, is hard enough, but knowing that I have so many wonderful people here in Israel that take care and look after me, makes being away a little bit easier. My thanksgiving this year was a bit nontraditional, as it lacked DC Comics, the Levitz Family, Jasmine Lin, random diner adventures around NY/NJ with my friends, and over course Thanksgiving dinner with my family and my grandmother’s amazing cooking! I think I was in denial for most of the week, and probably won’t recognize the fact that Thanksgiving really happened until Christmas.

Luckily, a group of about 18 of us from the International School, plus my Israeli friend Gal, and new found friend Belkis (thanks to Precious) all packed into one apartment with enough food to keep us alive and fat for three months. My friend Jodie hosted the meal and spent two days baking Challah, cooking, and preparing a Turkey that was almost bigger than her oven. On the menu was of course Turkey, stuffing, carrot souffle (compliments of Kerstin), corn bread, sweet yams with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, green beans, salad, Korean pancakes, apple crisp, apple pie, chocolate ice cream, and even marble cake (Just to make you all a little jealous). Our meal was by far the best Thanksgiving meal in Haifa (I don’t care what anyone else says) and also included dancing, singing, and drinking copious amounts of wine. Afterwards, a few friends and I worked off our meal by dancing the night away and trying to pretend as if we had transported back home and were not so far away from everything familiar.

I have to say for all of the stress usually associated with not necessarily knowing what to do and where to go on thanksgiving when you are in a foreign place, this year I got really lucky and spent it with amazing friends and great food.

Being in Israel for over 5 months now, I realize how much has changed in my life, and how many new experiences I have had. I remember first arriving in July and thinking I am never going to be able to understand Hebrew or what the hell is written on any of these signs. I also remember my first time eating Falafel, and realizing how the food capital of the world might not be in Parma, but instead in Haifa. I remember spending Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Succot with my friend Yamit’s family, and even attending a Druze wedding with my friend Maaly. A lot has happened since July, and none of it would have been possible without the kindness that strangers, who are now family, have shown me. This thanksgiving I truly feel blessed!

I am going to post some photos so please enjoy!

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and I love and miss you!

Annelise

And I’m back...

2008-11-25T00:16:00.010+02:00

Just when you thought the blog was dead, secretly it has been in hiding, and I promise it will never go away again! So it’s been a month since I have actually had the time to sit down and write, which is horrible to say, but at least it has been because I am doing some pretty amazing things! I promise this blog will be less writing and more pictures, so feast your eyes and prepare yourself!

For starters after my mom left, I was invited by the Tel Aviv Rotary to go to this amazing party where I got to meet the German Ambassador and the Taiwanese ambassadors. Most of the Embassies are located in Tel Aviv, for political and other reasons so a lot of the members of the Rotary Clubs in Tel Aviv happen to be some pretty important people. One of the girls who also is a fellow Ambassador in Tel Aviv let me stay over with her one night in Tel Aviv, after the event, so I got to see more of one of the most loved cities in all of Israel. I also was able to meet some really nice Rotarians who even invited me out to lunch the next time I am in town.

Now that school is in full swing I am still taking Hebrew everyday and learning more and more le-ad le-ad (little by little). I am also doing an internship at Isha L’Isha, which is one of the largest and oldest Feminist Centers in all of Israel. I absolutely love it and find the women and the work they do to be completely fascinating! I have already been able to help out so much and feel a part of, for the first time, feminism and the feminist movement. I am also taking a class called the Social History or Israel, Arab-Israeli Relations, and auditing Contemporary Israeli Society. All the classes are interesting and although I would rather be outside than in class for 3 hours, the professors make it really interesting.

So, some firsts that I have experienced: Halloween in Israel….So, the Israeli’s almost got it right, they understood the basic concept of Halloween because it’s very much like their holiday Purim, where everyone gets dressed, but they decided to put their own twist on it. For Halloween I went to two parties; One at the dorms that was hilarious and the traditional American Halloween, with naughty nurses and some pretty amazing make-shift costumes. Then, I went to my friends house who was having a big party in honor of Halloween. However, they told everyone what to wear as a costume, and all the guys were supposed to dress up as “Gentlemen” and all the girls were supposed to dress up as “Ladies”. Needless to say it was hilarious and after wards we went to a club and danced the whole night. This was probably non-traditional Halloween’s I have had and I enjoyed every moment of it. Next year, wherever I am I am having an Israeli Halloween, where I make everyone wear the same costume (I’m sure my friends will love that). Although I have to say my friend Judith again had the best costume and not only that, had two different costumes that were so original and creative (like her) so big love to my Juditta, you need to start making Halloween costumes for the Israeli’s!

Then, we have the most amazing night in 8 years party, aka November 5th in Israel or November 4th in the USA. I stayed up all night watching the elections with about 100 other students at Haifa University. The school organized an election party for the international school and gave us food, coffee, and a professor from the Political Science Department to talk about the election and the difference between the American election and the Israeli one. It was amazing and everyone was celebrating at 7:30 in the morning when Obama gave his victory speech. For the first time in 8 years I felt really proud to be an American and so excited for the future of my country. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED FOR CHANGE YOUR MESSAGE WAS HEARD!

Then, I had the Rotary District Conferences where I got to meet all of the other scholars who are studying in Israel. I had already met the majority of them, but it was really cool to all be together and all the Rotarians stood up and applauded us for being the first scholars to study in Israel in 5 years! It was a great weekend and I ended up staying in Tel Aviv after to have lunch with my friend Allison and a Rotary member. During our meal my LA Celebrity senses went off and I thought I saw someone vaguely familiar walk by our table and sit directly behind us. Of course it was MONTEL WILLIAMS and Allison and I were hilarious cracking-up about the fact we not only were in the same restaurant as Montel Williams in Tel Aviv, but that nobody recognized him except for us, We got our picture taken but it really doesn’t do justice to his amazing bedazzled shirt!

Since my mom left, I have also been able to go on some pretty amazing field trips to the Galilee, Golan, and areas surrounding Haifa. I got to go to the factory where they make Bamba, a famous Israeli treat, and even got free samples! Note to self: Go to the Bamba factory before I leave for all the free samples I can get my hands on!

Then, I am excited to say I launched for the first time this month, the first Best Buddies Haifa College Chapter. We volunteer every Wednesdays at a community Center, Nitsan, for people with Disabilities. It feels so good to be doing something with Best Buddies again, and I love and miss my Buddies so much! I got to talk to one of my friends Brian on the phone, after I called my friend Katie to congratulate her on her engagement! Katie is coming to visit me from December 30th to January 12th! I am so excited to show her around and cannot wait for her to get here!

Some other amazing people who are coming to visit: my cousin Georgia (love birthright), my friends Lindsey, Rachel , Matt, and most importantly my GRANDMA! That’s right my 85 year old amazingly fabulous grandma is doing a Jersey to Jerusalem trip and we are going to have an amazing week together! So, if you consider yourself my friend and don’t see yourself on this list please consult my vacation schedule and book your trip now!!

Then I went to Jerusalem with my friend Kerstin for the weekend to visit her host mom who is a Rabbi in Pittsburgh (HI DENNIS!!! We missed you, and thanks for the soy vey) and was in Israel for a Rabbi’s for Human Rights Tour. She was so amazing and interesting to be around. Kerstin and I got to spend a lot of time with her and our friend Reena in Jerusalem, exploring the Old City, walking around Ben Yehuda, and got to go to services Friday and Saturday with all the rabbi’s who came on the trip. It was amazing, and my first religious weekend since I have been in Israel. I also got to stay with my friend Brittney at Hebrew University and fell in love with the campus. I am definitely going back to visit as soon as I can.

Lastly, this past weekend, I attended a Feminist Conference in Nazareth and had such a blast. It was amazing to hear so many amazing women together and I got to even attend a protest in Nazareth for women against violence. I will include some great pictures from the weekend that I hope you enjoy!

Anyway don’t stop reading, I promise to write more soon!

Much Love,

Annelise

Mom, Welcome to Israel!

2008-10-22T23:15:00.002+02:00

I still am in shock of how fast these past 12 days went with my mom and how much fun we had together. Being my mom’s first trip outside of the United States in 37 years I felt a pressure to perform, and show her not only a great time, but the Israel I know and love. She left the planning in my hands, which in retrospect was great, and allowed me full control to lead her in the right direction. If you had asked any of my friends whether or not this would be ideal, they would have said with my sense of direction we were either going to end up in Lebanon or Syria. However, I made our first stop Jerusalem for four days at a great little hotel on Agrippas Street, in the heart of Downtown Jerusalem right off of Kind George and near Ben Yehuda. Our room was wonderful and it had a large balcony that looked out onto the busy street and allowed in all the smells of fresh produce and perfume that got carried away with the wind. Our first adventure had to be getting all of our luggage from the airport and into our hotel. Being a Cohon, a woman, and now an Israeli, I do not pack light, never have and never will. My mother of course taught me almost everything I know about not packing light, and I still remember our trips to the municipal pool during the summer months, where before we would leave the house we had to have windbreakers, raincoats, ponchos, umbrellas, sweaters, and of course the always important and necessary two large coolers filled with more ice packs than actual food or beverages. I remember my mother, brother, and I struggling to carry all of our precious goods into the pool complex and then struggling to find a big enough space on the grass to put it all. I hope my mom and brother are both laughing when they read this because it’s a memory I had forgotten until I had to carry 3 suitcases, 2 backpacks, and 1 carry-on up two flights of stairs. My mom and I were in Jerusalem from Wednesday, when she arrived, until Sunday afternoon.

After unpacking some of our things and exploring our hotel we decided to take a walk around our neighborhood and get accustomed with the area. Being my third or fourth time in Jerusalem, I felt more comfortable with the lay of the land, but had to compete with my innate horrible sense of direction the majority of our trip. We ended up making our way to the Old City and getting lost in the cradle of civilization. We explored Rampart’s walk, a walk along the walled periphery of the Old City and then found ourselves in the Muslim Quarter near the Damascus Gate. My mom was blown away by the hustle and bustle of the Old City and was slowly starting to be introduced to the Israel I know and love. The Israel that has a synagogue, next to a mosque, next to a church, next to an Armenian tavern, in a mere 5 mile radius. Before sunset, we found ourselves at the Western Wall and I told my mom the tradition of writing a note to put in the wall. Being a true Cohon my mom wrote about 20 notes and handed 10 to me to help her put into the wall. So, family, friends, and dear loved ones, if you are reading this you probably had a note written for you by my mom that is now residing in the Western Wall. You can thank her, not me, although I might have stuffed half of you into some tiny cracks. I wanted to make sure we got back to our Hotel before the fasting began, and I told my mom, because this was Erev Yom Kipper (the evening before Yom Kippur) everything was going to close down and the Jewish fast would begin that would last 25 hours until the next day.

I thought I knew where I was going (famous last words) but eventually got us lost. We had to take our first taxi in Israel, which brings me to our second adventure, Israeli cab drivers. I told my mom in Israel anything can happen and usually does. Our cab driver, after greeting us and learning that we were from the USA, gave me and my mom a necklace, and then took us on a joy ride to his brother’s store to meet his entire family. I am sure my mom was more scared than she alluded to, but I sat comfortably in my passenger seat thinking, “Yep, this makes perfect sense, we got in a cab to go to our hotel, and instead we’re going where our driver wants to go”. After getting to our destination and getting out of the cab we made our way to a small shop, filled with Jewish artwork and souvenirs. Our cab driver then introduced us to his brothers and offered my mom and I to stay and have coffee with them. We were luckily saved by my mom’s jet lag and after some more talking (both in English and Hebrew) we realized we could be possibly related; our cab driver finally dropped us off at our hotel and I now had two family members in Jerusalem.

I made sure to bring enough food with me for two days, for her and me, and even though our first meals were in the Hotel, I am so glad I was in Jerusalem to experience such an amazing holiday. On Yom Kippur, My mom and I spent the day relaxing and walking around the city. It was amazing to see no one driving on the roads and everyone walking in the middle of the street. Jerusalem was completely shut down and the city has never looked more beautiful. I knew the Arab Quarters in the Old City would be open, but I was surprised by the number of tourists and people buying things and walking around. My mom had her first bargaining experience in the Muslim Quarter, and we were able to get such nice gifts for my family and friends. By the time we realized how long we had been shopping for, we found ourselves at the Western Wall again, right before the end of Yom Kippur. Being at the Kotel on Erez Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur is something I will always remember. There were over a thousand religious people at the wall from all over the world praying and singing. At one point it felt as if everyone was chanting the same thing and I have never been so moved by religion in this way.

After the fast was broken we followed the crowd out of the old city and into the streets of Jerusalem. By this point we knew are way well enough around the city not to get lost and I was amazed with how alive everyone was in the streets. People had told me that Jerusalem would be really boring with nothing to do for the holidays but I found it to be incredible, and the night of breaking the fast my mom and I couldn’t fall asleep until five in the morning because there was so much noise and action in the streets. On Friday, we took a guided tour of Jerusalem and saw all of the major and important sights. We were also able to see Yad Vashem and got back to our hotel after eight hours of strenuous sightseeing. Saturday was also a full day of excitement as we took another tour, but this time to the Dead Sea and Masada. It was very relaxing taking a cable car all the way to the top of the mountain, instead of hiking it up at 5:30 in the morning, and I am so glad my mom got to see one of my favorite places in all of Israel. Then after Masada we made our way to the Ein Gedi Spa, and got to not only float in the Dead Sea but give ourselves a full mud treatment. We met a really cute little girl who was in Jerusalem with her mom and her mom’s friend. We had a great time with our time guide and even got to stop at the Ahava Center, for some serious shopping. We got back to our hotel around 6 and prepared to go out for our first and last meal in Jerusalem.

When I was picking the restaurant, I really had no idea where to go or what would be nice for my mom’s first meal in Israel. I had randomly found this small restaurant called “Little Jerusalem” which was located within minutes from our hotel and supposedly in an old house donated to the Israeli Museum. I saw they had Israeli folk music, so my mom and I decided to go and give it a chance. Little Jerusalem is now one of my favorite restaurants in Israel and was one of the best dinners my mother and I had in Israel together. First the ambience of the restaurant was breath taking and we ended up getting seated right by the four piece orchestra that was playing that night. If Christian, Felicia, Peter, or Ian are reading this you would have loved this restaurant, and if you come to Israel I promise to take you there! The food was also amazing and we learned that the house belonged to a painter Anna Ticho who donated the house to the Israeli Museum after she died. The exhibition at the time we came to the restaurant was entitled “Women with a Camera” and I feel that perfectly describes who I have been on this journey. My mom and I ended up having a three and a half hour dinner that night and I felt so happy to not only be in Israel but have my mom there to share in this experience. The trip truly could not have been any better, and I felt so blessed to be able to get to share this time with her.

On Sunday, we ended up going to the Israeli Museum to see more of Anna Ticho’s art work but due to construction a lot of the museum was closed. However, we did get to see the Shrine of the Book which holds the Dead Sea Scrolls. I really liked the Israel Museum and plan on going back there when I have more time. After our afternoon adventure, we checked out of our beloved Palatin Hotel said a sad farewell to Jerusalem and boarded a Sherut to Tel Aviv.

Getting to Tel Aviv was a lot easier said than done, and with our entire luggage, it took some hard bargaining to find a taxi that would not rip us off and take us to our hotel. Our first night in Tel Aviv we walked to the nearby Dizengoff Circle and ate at a great Indian restaurant called Tandori, Our hotel was called Adiv Hotel on Mendeli just off of Hayarkon and Ben Yehuda, It was right across the street from the Beach and my mom and I took full opportunity of that. On Monday, we went to Hod Hasharon to meet up with my friend Yamit at her home and have my mom meet her family. From there we all went to Yamit’s aunts home in a Moshav in Carmiel, near Haifa, and celebrate Succot with her whole family. It was great seeing the same faces from Rosh Hashana, and Yamit’s family have really taken me in like their own. My mom and I ended up sleeping over in Yamit’s cousin’s room after a long night of eating, singing, and drinking. The next day was more food and we even went to the beach and got to Kayak and swim in the water. I really love Yamit’s family and especially love her sister Noa, cousins Enon and Eleanor, who is a certified sky diving instructor, and the rest or her father’s eight brothers and five sisters. When we got back to Tel Aviv Tuesday night, my mom and I were exhausted but had a great Succot.

We decided to stay in Tel Aviv until Thursday and ended up going to the beach Wednesday and taking a tour bus around Jaffa, Rothschild Street, and other major Tel Aviv landmarks. I really fell in love with Tel Aviv after this trip and realized why people in Israel love it so much and want to live there. Tel Aviv is a city that is truly alive and full of energy that is contagious to be around. In Tel Aviv, you can find the cutest stores and littlest boutiques tucked behind tiny alleyways and street corners, My mom and I also got to walk around Shenkin Street, Nahalyat Binyamina, and Allenby. I really cannot say what I liked best and overall just had a great time with her. On Thursday, we went to Old Jaffa and I got to go to the Flea Market and walk around the city, There was a wishing bridge that we both made wishes on, and even a little street fair with crafts you could buy. We had decided to rent a car for the remainder of our trip and I cannot tell you how proud of my mom I am for being able to drive in Israel and managing to not get ourselves too lost or killed on the highway.

The road to Haifa was long and straight. We had plans Thursday night to have dinner with my Rotary Host Sponsor and his wife, Zvi and Pamela Fridman, and not only got to Haifa but managed to make our way to their house unscathed. Zvi and Pamela took us to one of my favorite places, Café Louis, who my friend Yasmin introduced me too, and we had a great time. After dinner, my mom and I made our way up the mountain to Haifa University, for my mom’s first look at my school and my new dorm. We had decided that she was going to stay with me in the dorms instead of at a hotel, and when I asked her is that would be okay, she said, “Of course! I’m not high maintenance, as long as we both have somewhere to sleep and there are no cockroaches, I have no problem staying in the dorms”. Of course she had to say cockroaches, because a fact of life here at Haifa University is that you share your living space sometimes with the cockroaches, Their kind of like your neighbors, you see them, you don’t really hang out with them, and if need be you’ll, kill them, and hide their bodies in the toilet (just kidding about that last part) but I just nodded my head and smiled.

When I got back to the University, I also found out I needed to move out of my previous dorm and into a new one in Brittania. My mom and I spent all Friday moving out of my dorm and having coffee with a few of my Israeli neighbors. On Saturday, we had breakfast with my friends the Furani’s and my mom got to meet them and have a typical Arab breakfast. Then we ended up going to Kibbutz Michael near Haifa with Zvi and visiting his sister Heidi for lunch. Zvi is such an amazing person and so much more than a Rotary Sponsor to me, He has been such a good friend and someone I care for and really admire. He and his sister came to Israel when they were 18 and lived on Kibbutz Michael together. Heidi never left, but Zvi left when he decided to go to Physiotherapy School. I am so glad my mom got to see a real Kibbutz and really liked Kibbutz life. After touring around the Kibbutz, Zvi and I shared a very bonding moment and ended up having to change his flat tire together outside of the Kibbutz. I am proud to report I have changed a tire in Israel, and although it wasn’t up to par with the Indianapolis 500 standards, I think I did pretty well.

Later that night my mom and I met up with Hava and Mordecai for her last dinner and we went to one of the most amazing restaurants in Haifa. It was called 24 Hanamal Street and was located in downtown Haifa next to the port. The restaurant was one of the best in Israel and we ordered wine, appetizers, entrees, and deserts that rivaled some of the best restaurants Hava and Mordecai said they tried in their most recent trip to Spain. Having my mom’s last day be filled with so much love, family, and the people that matter the most to me since I have been in Israel was absolutely wonderful. On our way to the airport together, I felt so lucky to have been able to spend this quality time with my mom and show her, what I hoped would be a great two weeks in Israel. Although I am sad she is gone, I am so excited to show the rest of my family around and hope my dad, brother, and grandmother will come and visit.

I just found out my cousin Georgia took my advice and signed herself up for Birthright. She will be here January 5 – 16th, which is also around the same time my friend Katie from San Diego booked her ticket to come out and visit me. I cannot wait to see Katie and Georgia and show them around Haifa and the Israel I love.

This week I am starting classes and doing a lot with the Rotary. I am giving two presentations this week and also attending a Rotary party in Tel Aviv with the Ambassador to Germany. It’s starting to get colder in Haifa and I hope the weather will continue to be as sunny and beautiful as it has been these past three months. I already started my internship at Isha L Isha and hope to continue doing work there and also with Best Buddies and the Triumph Project. I know this is an extremely long entry, so extra points go to those of you who actually sat down and read it all, to my most adoring blog fans, I LOVE YOU! I promise to write more about this week and give you another update soon.

I forgot to mention one last thing, for Simcha Torah I went to a reformed synagogue with a few friends and danced with the Torah! It was the first time I think I ever touched a Torah and it was so much fun. Israel is great, and hopefully it still continues to be a place of excitement and adventure for me. I love you and miss you
all so much!

Lots of love,

Annelise

L’Shana Tovah!

2008-10-04T14:50:00.004+03:00

Shalom and Shana Tovah! In case anyone missed it, Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year just passed at the end of September, and I had the privileged of getting to spend it with an Israeli friend of mine from the University of Haifa. Her name is Yamit Hadad (of the Hadad Mafia, just kidding but her family is big enough to constitute a pretty large mafia, her dad alone has 13 brothers). She was the ex-roommate of my good friend Kerstin in the dorms. She invited Kerstin and I to stay with her and to celebrate with her family, and of course we were honored for such an exciting opportunity. For the month of October, school is somewhat suspended due to the religious holidays. First, Rosh Hashanah brings in the New year at the end of September and beginning of October, and is two days of eating, drinking, purging one’s sins, and celebrating with family and friends. Then Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and a solemn day of remembrance, and then Succot is a week long celebration, where people build sukah’s (or homemade tent like homes) where they eat all of their meals in, and sometimes even sleep in the sukah! Yamit invited Kerstin, my mom, and I to come to their house to celebrate Succot and even sleep in their sukah! I doubt my mom and I will be sleeping outside, but Yamit’s family is so warm and amazing to be around that I am looking forward to seeing them again.

Yamit is the eldest of three. Her younger brother is right now living and working in Colorado and has spent the last 8 months traveling around South America. It is a very common tradition among Israeli’s after they finish the army to work for a year in order to save up money to travel to South America, India, or the Far East. Yamit herself traveled around South America for 8 months and worked in Kansas for four months selling Ahava products (an Israeli skincare line that’s amazing). Yamit’s younger sister is still in the army and was on a holiday with her boyfriend in Bulgaria. Kerstin and I filled the role of her missing brother and sister, and fell in love with Yamit’s parents and family. Yamit grew up in Ramat Gan, (which means Garden Level in Hebrew) a small town outside of Tel Aviv until her family moved to Hod Hasharon, where I ironically had already visited to speak at a Rotary Club there. Her parent’s apartment in Hod Hasharon is beautiful and they are on the top floor of a five story building. Their apartment is two floors and they have total control and access to the roof. There her dad grows his own grapes to make his own wine, her parent’s dry fruit, and grow pomegranates, lemons, berries, mint, beautiful flowers, and everything else you could possibly need or want in a garden. It was amazing to see how Yamit’s dad makes his own wine and ages it in their home. Usually Yamit’s parents always host Rosh Hashanah dinner at their house, but this year their family in Askelon wanted to have dinner at their home.

Looking at a map now, I had no idea how close Askelon was to the Gaza Strip, and it is unbelievable to me how small Israel is. I could never imagine dividing up a small state like New Jersey into areas where there is restricted mobility, when it is already so tiny. Askelon is a very beautiful and a residential city close to Beer Sheva. There were about 20-25 people at Yamit’s family’s Rosh Hashanah dinner, with only four of Yamit’s dad’s brothers coming and two of his sisters, and their kids and family. All of Yamit’s cousins were around our age and spoke English great. The brother who hosted the dinner had a wife and three children. His family had spent the last year living in Portland, Orgeon working for Intel. There the kids told me they learned English so fast and were able to attend a public high school. It is unbelievable how children pick up languages and what their brains are able to store.

Now, the food…

So, Yamit’s family is not very religious but still did all of the blessings and kept with the traditions of the Holiday. Her uncle and cousin went to the Bet Kinnesset during the day and prayed for 6 hours! At dinner, we had individual blessings for the challah (which was homemade and amazing), apples and honey, pumpkin, leeks, fish heads, dates, pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, and a sesame like quiche among other things. Then we had some different salads, a corn salad, carrot salad, beet salad, cucumber salad, and an array of dips like hummus and tahina. Now do not be fooled into thinking the meal ends there because that is just the tip of the iceberg and a mere appetizer to the main bulk of the meal. For the main courses Yamit’s parents and family made fish, eggplant, steak, kebob, rice, spinach, soups, and some of the most amazing food I have ever eaten. It was hard to say no to anything, and of course I wanted to try a little bit of everything. 30 pounds later, you think the meal is over, but then dessert is brought out and all sorts of baklava’s, sweets, and apples and honey are brought to the table. So, you allow yourself a small bite here and there, and start to thank God you wore the dress that gives generously in the waist area, and hides the food baby you have been concealing underneath. Then, after all of the dessert is gone, comes the silent and most deadly of killers, THE NUTS!

Israeli’s love their nuts and after every meal comes the ceremonial I can eat more nuts than you. We had watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, mixed nuts, and nuts I had never seen before, oh and of course dried fruit. I thought I was going to die after the meal was over, but still found myself hungry the next day for Round Two at lunch. At Dinner and lunch, there were so many toasts, laughs, and hilarious stories. At one point everyone started dancing around the table. Yamit’s family was unbelievably kind and let Kerstin and I spend the night at one of their family member’s home. Never did we feel like guests or separate from the family. Israeli’s have an amazing ability to make you feel like you are one of them, for better or worse.

After spending all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with Yamit, Kerstin and I went to Tel Aviv to stay with our friend Josh and hang out in Tel Aviv until Friday. There we relaxed, went out and enjoyed the Tel Aviv nightlife, and met people from Holland, France, and of course the US. We got to meet up with one of our Israeli friend’s from Haifa for lunch on Friday and then headed back to Haifa before Shabbot. The week was great and something I will never forget.

I forget to mention that last week, I had the honor of joining my friend Khaled and his family for Ramadan dinner. Ramadan just ended and is the Muslim holiday were they fast during the day for thirty days, but eat amazing meals at night. They are such a wonderful family and have the three most adorable children in the world. Also, I met with the women of the center where I will e working “Isha L Isha”, and fell in love with the center and all of the work the women are doing. They gave me a book to read, that the center just published called, “Security for Whom?” A Feminist Perspective of Security, and look at the way individuals define security in militaristic and male dominated forms. It really resonated with me and what I was initially interested in studying in Israel, on how women are affected by war, conflict, and living in a militarist dominated society. The women at Isha L Isha also do a lot of work with Palestinian women, women who are sex trafficked, rape crisis centers, domestic abuse shelters, and supporting the role of women in Arab and Israeli society. I am planning on working there three days a week and know the experience will be valuable and beneficial for me and my future studies.

I hope everyone is doing well in the US and know I am thinking of you all! This week I only have two days of classes on Monday and Tuesday, before Yom Kippur and vacation for the next two weeks. My mom is coming on Wednesday and we will be going to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa for a few days. If you want to come visit let me know and do it soon! Tickets are cheaper if you buy them in advance.

Much love and happiness in the New Year!

Annelise

My First Religious Experience in Israel

2008-09-29T07:12:00.005+03:00

This week belonged to Paul McCartney, as I still feel the effect of attending one of the most unbelievably moving concerts I have ever experienced. Sir Paul McCartney’s visit to Israel is historical in that he is the first and only Beatle to have played in Israel. The Beatles were supposed to come in the sixties to perform, but due to a decision made by the Israeli government who said their music would “corrupt the youth”, the Beatles were unable to perform, and thus Israelis in my parent’s generation were denied the experience to hear one of the greatest bands of all time. I cannot even imagine what it was like to have seen all four of the Beatles together, but the shock alone might have killed me. Seeing one Beatle had me feeling like I had transported back in time and was reliving a part of my parent’s history that although they tried to convey to me through stories, could not do justice to without having actually lived through it.

I think there were about 60,000 people in total who ended up paying 500 shekel for an incredible night of music. Even if you didn’t know the words to all of the songs, you found yourself singing and feeling the music. I now know why they have psalms, hymns, and music associated with all religion, it’s impossible to feel distant from God or whoever when you hear and listen to the beauty in a song. I had such a great time, and wish I could write more but as always I am on the go and headed to Tel Aviv for Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year)! So Shanah Tovah and I will speak with you all next year!

Travels to Places Unknown

2008-09-20T14:51:00.002+03:00

Shabbot Shalom! I am back from a great week in Jerusalem where I explored the area where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, got a full spa treatment in everyone’s favorite salty sea, climbed King Herod’s last great fortress, explored an old, new, and Armenian city, and even visited Jesus’ birthplace. I would say it was probably one of my most jam packed weeks, but after all of the traveling I feel full of energy and ready to start classes tomorrow.

By traveling, I am starting to realize how small Israel is, and really starting to appreciate the people that live here, the Israeli culture, and succumbing to the unknown of everyday life. As hard as I try to plan my next move, I know inevitably I will change my mind over 1,000,000 times in a day in this country. Trying to plan months and years in advance is a very American trait and something that the majority of people in the world do not have the luxury to predict or ability to do. The trick is to really live in the moment, and I am continually surprised with how things naturally work themselves out, when I stop worrying about them.

This trip I went traveling with two of my guy friends who are fellow Ambassadorial Scholars; Nick and Tucker. They are both doing the Peace Studies Program with me and will be here for the year. Tucker is from a small town near Athens, Georgia and spent the last year working in Washington, DC. He is a big teddy bear, and one of the nicest guys I have met since being in Israel. Nick is from Grand Rapids, Iowa and spent the last year getting his Masters in Dublin and will be going back after this year to Ireland to do his PhD. Both of the guys were great travel partners and we ended up having a lot of laughs throughout the week. It was also my first time, in a while, traveling and spending so much time with two guys. By the end of the week, I have to say, I am very appreciative not only to be a woman, but to not have been born a man. Ha! But in all honesty it was a great trip and I can’t wait to go back to Jerusalem and explore more of Israel with them.

First on our agenda was to go to Qumran. After I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition in San Diego, and my roommate Miruna had been unable to see them in her two months here in Israel, I really wanted to visit the site where they were originally discovered. Although it was really interesting to see the actual caves, I was a little disappointed to not see more of the actual scrolls, and probably saw a more extensive exhibition in San Diego than I did in Israel. Also, because of the bus schedule, we were on a time restraint and only ended up staying a short while before heading to the Dead Sea.

My second time at the Dead Sea I was able to stay in the water longer than five minutes, which was a plus, but still cannot fully describe the feeling of free floating in the lowest place on earth. I also found a free place to get mud without paying, and next time can enjoy my favorite spa treatment for even less money. After Ein Gedi, we made our way to the Masade Youth Hostel. The night we happened to be staying there was the same night an army platoon of about 150 soldiers were having a big party for their only vacation time of the year. Luckily, we were still able to get some sleep and woke up at 4:30 to hike Masada before sunrise.

Hiking Masada was one of the best things I have done in Israel thus far, and is a must for anyone who comes to Israel. Not only is Masada aesthetically and naturally beautiful, but the hike up to the top is an experience that is to not be missed. Masada is the last Bastian of Jewish freedom fighters against the Romans. Just by seeing Masada, you are humbled by the strength of human beings and ingenuity to create such an amazing civilization, on top of mountain, in the middle of the desert. The size of Masada is unbelievable, and then when you realize that over 900 people lived on top of the mountain, you cannot even imagine what it must have been like to be that secluded in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes on the University in Haifa, people complain that we are very isolated on top of the mountain from the rest of the city, but at least we have buses! The poor people that lived in Masada had at least a 45 minute walk up and down the mountain if they wanted anything, or needed to go anywhere.

It was an amazing sight to see sunrise on top of Masada, and it made you sit back and solely focus on the natural beauty in which you were experiencing and had no control of. Sunrises and Sunsets have quickly become my favorite things in Israel, and I find it continually ironic that they have nothing to do with any man made invention of force. Also, I find that experiencing an actual sunrise or sunset cannot be done with a camera or lens. The beauty you see in a sunrise or sunset cannot truly be replicated and can only be experienced in that moment in that time. Watching the sunrise rise over Masada with the moon in the background will be something I never forget, and I cannot wait to go back again.

After leaving Masada and eating a huge breakfast, my friends and I relaxed by our hostel’s pool for a few hours and took an afternoon bus to Jerusalem. There we checked into a Youth Hostel and I prepared myself for my first time sleeping in a dorm bed with one woman and six other guys. After going to bed sometime around midnight and falling peacefully asleep, everyone in our room was awoken to the sound of the other woman in the room saying there were bed bugs and that, “we are all going to get bitten”. Thinking I was somewhere in between a dream and hell, I asked Nick if what I heard was actually true and, Nick, Tucker, and I all found ourselves unable to go to sleep and psychosomatically feeling we had bugs all over us. I really doubt there were bed bugs on me, but regardless it was one of the most hilarious stories looking back, and I will never forget my first crazy experience in a dorm hostel.

Exploring Jerusalem for the rest of the week was great and I really love the city. It reminds me a lot of Rome, and truly is the heart of Israel. There are so many religious people from so many different religions that it’s hard to always know who is who. While we were in Jerusalem I also got to meet with the Executive Director of Best Buddies, who showed me the Best Buddies office and gave me lots of information for this upcoming year. During the school year I will be opening up a Best Buddies College Club at the University and recruiting people to become involved in being in a one to one friendship with people with disabilities. I have already met some really great Buddies through an Israeli friend at school and miss my Buddies in San Diego so much.

Also, my Rotary Sponsor Randy had given me a contact from a Rotary Club in Jerusalem, and Nick, Tucker, and I were able to attend their meeting while we were in Jerusalem. We were also able to book a speaking engagement to come back and talk, and had such a great time getting to know their Rotary Club. The Rotary has been so wonderful and helpful since I have been in Israel and I honestly do not know what I would have done without them. While I was at the Rotary Meeting, I had the opportunity to meet a prospective Rotary Member Ishmael who is Arab Muslm and from East Jerusalem. He wants to join the Rotary Club and will be the first Arab Muslim in their club. He was the nicest guy and even offered to take all three of us on a trip to Bethlehem the next day. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to be toured around by a local, and it was a great experience getting to know him and seeing Jesus’ birthplace.

Getting to Bethlehem, we had to take a bus to the separation wall, and it was my first time seeing the wall and passing into the West Bank. All along the wall there was graffiti protesting the walls presence and a call for peace. Having an American Passport made it really easy to pass security, but Ishmael had to have papers giving him special permission to go back and forth between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Also, he had to get his fingertips scanned and explain why he was traveling with us. I was so lucky to be with him because Ishmael was an amazing tour guide and able to get us the cheapest deals with taxi’s because he spoke Arabic. Trying to find a taxi cab driver that would not rip us off was a hilarious process, and we must have gotten into and gotten out of three different cabs before one of them would give us a good deal. Then we made our way into the main church and I was amazed at how many people were there from all over the world. People from India, China, Europe, America, and Australia were all crammed into this one church to have a look at where Jesus was born. The church itself was beautiful and I really enjoyed being able to look around wherever I wanted to and to not be on any guided tour. Ishmael then took us around to some of the neighborhoods and showed us some Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

After wards, we parted ways with Ishmael and went back to Jerusalem to relax and make ourselves lunch. Right now it is still Ramadan for many people in Israel, which means from the time the sun rises to the time the sun sets, Muslims fast and are not even allowed to even drink water. We did not want to be rude and eat or drink in front of Ishmael, but found ourselves starving by 3:00 in the afternoon. For the rest of our trip we stayed with my friend Reena, from Ulpan, and hung out with her friends. It was a great trip, but it also felt good to come back to Haifa. Last night I had a great Shabbot Dinner with Reena and some of her friends from the Technion. They are American but are here studying Medicine for five years. Again, I ate way too much food, but it was so good I am not complaining.

I am going to try and post more pictures so you can see everything, but its hard when I take over 500 photos every week. I finally bought myself a planner to keep track of vacation times and when people can come and visit so don’t forget to book your flights! I hope you are all safe, healthy, and happy and I miss everyone!

With Love,

Annelise

Still sun-kissed, and just a little sunburned

2008-09-14T21:40:00.000+03:00

Hello All,

I am still on vacation until the 21st of September and have been relaxing a traveling around Israel. This week I went to Kefir Yasif and stayed with my friend Mona and her family. Mona is Arab-Christian and was introduced to me through a mutual friend. We have been hanging out since July and she has been showing me around Haifa. She attends the University of Haifa with her older brother Nadeem who is a third year law student. Both he and Mona, split their time between their home in Kefir Yasif and Haifa throughout the year. Their cousin Wasim is a doctor in residency at the big hospital in Haifa, the RamBam, and has also been showing me around and has been a very good tour guide. In Mona’s village there are a lot of restaurants, stores, and shops as opposed to my friend Maaly’s village. Also, Mona’s village is compromised of Arab Christians, Muslims, and Druze, while Maaly’s village is a Druze Village. Mona’s home is gorgeous and reminded me of a California dream house. She had a huge palm tree in her front yard and a picturesque balcony that looked out to her beautiful backyard. Mona’s parents were in Rome while I was staying with her and she and her brothers threw a little party for their family and friends. In Mona’s village she has a lot of family and I was able to have lunch with her grandma and meet her small cousins. Everyone knows everyone in her village and her roommate, and second cousin, lives 2 houses down from one another.

I swear if I ever become an urban planner or President I am going to design or demand the building of villages as opposed to cities in the United States. I think one of the reasons why Americans are so disconnected from their neighbors, is because their communities are too big and don’t allow for the same type of intimacy and close relationships. Anyway, after getting a tour of her village, we hung out with her younger brother Nader and their two cousins who were staying the night as well. For dinner, we went out to this great restaurant where Mona knew everyone and watched one of the most popular television shows right now in Israel. It’s called “Babel Hara” or The Neighborhood in Arabic and it is only on once a month a year during Ramadan. Almost every Arab in Israel is glued to their television when this show was on, and at the restaurant people would literally stop all conversation until there was a commercial break. I can only liken this to the show “24” possibly, but even that does not do justice to the love everyone has for this show. I’m not going to lie I had no idea what was going on, but Mona explained it is about Palestine when it was under French control. The story follows a small village in Palestine and a few key people in the village. I don’t know if I’m hooked yet on “Babel Hara” but it was definitely an experience to see everyone so excited about it.

Mona also took me to one of the many beaches in Nahariya called Banana Beach. It was beautiful and we spent the better part of the day in the water and tanning. Yes, I am still tan and only a little red. I am using suntan lotion due to much skepticism and one thing Israeli’s take very seriously is their skin. They are much better than Americans about using sun block and making sure they do not get too much sun.

After a great day at the beach, we got ready for the party and everyone started showing up around 8:00. I swear we had more food on the table than I have during Thanksgiving at my Grandmother’s house, and I still have no idea how we ate almost all of it. Mona’s brothers tended to the barbeque and everything tasted amazing. I swear my diet is going to hell here and I am going to have to come up with a new plan for working out if I want to continue to keep eating as well as I have been. After a great meal, they started planning what I think was charades in Arabic and I took the funniest video of everyone getting so into the game. It was a great night and I really enjoyed meeting more of Mona’s friends and family.

Since being in Israel, I have had some time to reflect on how my life has changed drastically since coming to this country. First, even though I tried to go with no expectations or pre-conceived notions, I was sure that the present Arab-Israeli Conflict would be a bigger part of everyday life. However, I have felt safer in Israel than I have in most places in the US. Aside from the occasional soldier with the AK-47 on the bus, life in Israel has been really relaxing and I am learning how to stop worrying and go with the flow of things. When you’re living in a new country you are completely vulnerable and at times alone. It’s been really interesting for me to living in Israel after having studied abroad, because it is also a completely different experience from when I lived in Parma, Italy. This time, I have no Host family and Host sisters to always come home to. My small group of classmates in my small city has been replaced with a University of 16,000 students situated in the third largest city in Israel. However, Haifa feels like home and a home where I am really able to learn and grow.

Aside from meeting new people, I have also been able to start thinking a lot about who I am, what I love, and what makes me happy. I really miss working with Best Buddies and more specifically working with the Buddies themselves. I am excited to have this year to really figure out my purpose and focus. I am also excited to have met so many interesting and different people from everywhere in the world. As always I miss all my family and friends, but feel so lucky to have so many wonderful people to miss. This next week, I am going traveling with two friends from school who are both Rotary Scholars with me. We will be exploring Jerusalem, hiking Masada, and possible exploring Bethlehem. I will keep you all posted and hope everyone is doing wonderfully!

Much love,

Annelise

The Wedding

2008-09-07T15:17:00.003+03:00

It's 12:00 in the afternoon on Sunday, and I am still recovering from one of the most amazing weddings I have ever attended. Since Thursday, I have been staying with my friend Maaly and her family in her village of Kisri. Kisri is a Druze village located thirty minutes outside of Haifa. I spent the better part of the weekend meeting all of her family, and trust me there are A LOT. In Maaly’s village everyone knows everyone and everyone helps everyone out. The generosity, togetherness, and love I experienced this weekend is unprecedented to anything I have known before. Even with their being a language barrier between myself and her immediate family, I never once felt out of place or left out. Maaly’s family included me in all of their traditions and made me feel so at home.

All Druze weddings are the same and last once week, from Sunday to Saturday. The groom and brides family host every meal at their house for their family for the entire week. Now let me also explain to you that this is no simple undertaking. In Maaly’s family alone she has three sisters and three brothers, not counting her mother and father. Then her mother has six sisters, so add their husbands and children, and then her dad’s side of the family. Maaly has more cousins than I have friends on the Facebook, and I gave up somewhere halfway through the weekend of trying to keep track of them all. So try and imagine what it would be like to have to cook for that many people for the entire week! Everyone helps out and pitches in, even the littlest of kids.

Maaly’s cousin Hamza, who goes to the University of Haifa, drove us to their home Thursday afternoon. When we arrived I was greeted with open arms by Maaly’s family, neighbors, and family. Hamza and Maaly are also neighbors and literally live within a stone’s throw from one another. Her family offered me coffee, food, and I still cannot believe how much food I ate this weekend. Then Maaly took me to her grandparent’s home. Family is everything for the Druze, and Maaly did such an amazing job of making sure I had a great time and also spending time with her family. She was such an amazing hostess to me, and I tried my best to represent myself, my family, and my country as respectfully as possible. For most of Maaly’s family and her village they have never met an American or been outside of Israel. I felt like a celebrity the whole weekend, and even had small children following me around in the street. Most of the people from her village do not have such good opinions about Americans because of the present situation in Iraq. However, no one in her family ever criticized me for being American or tried to engage me in a political argument. Everyone was just unbelievably warm and showered me with hugs, kisses, and gifts.

Thursday night I ate an amazing meal with Maaly’s extended family and got to spend some time getting to know a few more of her cousins. Also in Druze culture there are religious and non-religious people. The religious men wear all black with white hats, and the religious women wear all black with white vales covering their hair and sometimes their face. In keeping with Druze tradition for the wedding, the men and women sat in separate tents from one another. They are allowed to socialize and talk but it is not honorable to really date, drink, dance, or smoke together. Women are especially looked down upon if they smoke or drink, so for this wedding I drank lots and lots of water. Also, Maaly’s family is somewhat religious. Her mother is not allowed to really dance in public, but if religious people are not there she can, and did the last night of the wedding.

On Friday, Maaly and I woke up early and rushed to the breakfast and Henna tradition for the village. There I got my hands fully dyed in Henna, and helped create Henna platters to present to the bride and the groom. I tried to help carry food and clean up as much as I could, but all of Maaly’s family was so attentive and eager to help just as much as I was. For lunch, I had this amazing Druze bread and food that you do not even need to use silverware with. Then afterwards, Maaly took me to the hairdressers and I got to beautify myself for the party Friday night at the bride’s house.

Everyone wore their best dresses and you would not believe how beautiful everyone looked. Even from Maaly’s little sisters to grown adults, everyone dressed to impress and I got to witness another important Druze ceremony. Friday night, before the wedding Saturday, the bride and groom see each other for the first time, after not seeing each other for a week, and the groom and his best man are carried in on someone’s shoulders. The bride waits under a beautiful canopy that matches her dress and looks like a porcelain doll. The whole village watches as the couple takes photos together and writes each other’s initials into the other’s palm using henna. The bride and groom are also presented with money from family, and they usually give American money, of all things, and safety pin it on the bride. Then just the bride and groom dances and everyone cheers and throws confetti on them. After the ceremony there was another special surprise because three people in the village were celebrating birthday parties so all of the village got them three cakes and had a special surprise celebration for them.

Later that night, Maaly, her sisters, her mom, and I all sleep on their balcony together. It was the most adorable thing in the whole entire world. Because of the heat in the summer, it is sometimes too hot to sleep inside when none of the homes have air conditioning. In Maaly’s house her family has a huge balcony that looks out to the bride and grooms house, and is a half inside/half outside balcony. Her mom laid giant mattresses on the floor and we all sleet next to one another the whole night. It was the best sleep I ever had, and in the morning we woke to the noise of wedding celebrations coming from the bride and groom’s home.

Saturday, the actual wedding day was the most jammed packed and amazing day ever. Maaly and I woke up at 7:00AM to get ready and rush over the ceremony to help prepare breakfast. This meal and lunch are especially important because the Bride and Groom invite everyone in the village to come and eat and prepare enough food for EVERYONE in the village. I have never seen so many plates, silverware, and food in my whole entire life. Then after the village eats, then the family does, and they literally do this not only for breakfast but for lunch as well.

In between breakfast and lunch there is a special ceremony for the groom, where he is paraded around the village and shaves his beard as his last ritual before the wedding. The women are not allowed to see him shave but they sing and dance around him. They also present the groom with money, and his family and cousins all pin American money on him, like they do to the bride the night before.

After lunch, Maaly and I helped to clean for three hours and I learned what it was like to actually cook and clean for an entire village! I was so impressed with how much everyone helped out and how the women have cooking and cleaning literally down to a science. Everything is done so efficiently and I felt so good to be able to do something in return to everything that was being given to me. Then afterwards, Maaly and I got dressed and prepared ourselves for the final ceremony and a long night of dancing. Starting at 7:00 in the evening and ending at 1:00 in the morning I can literally say I danced for six hours. Saturday night is the culmination of everything and the time when the bride and groom are officially married. Before the dancing they each go to their new home separately and plaster a beautiful heart to the side of the door as a sign of their new home. The home is then blessed and the groom breaks a glass. Then afterwards everyone follows them to the bride’s home where a DJ is there and everyone dances and celebrates. First the bride and groom dance together, then the bride’s family dances, then the groom’s family dances, and then the bride and groom’s family dance together. The bride invited me to dance with her, and every day I was there, both she and the groom invited me into their homes and to come to their wedding without even knowing me. They were both so sweet, and Maaly and I are going to make a photo album for them of the photo’s I took this weekend.

Speaking of all the photos I took this weekend, I think I broke my world record in most photos taken in a four day period. Starting Thursday and ending Sunday morning, Maaly and I took over 800 photos that I know would crash the whole facebook if I tried to even upload half of them. Also, because the Druze like to keep their traditions secret, I think I will refrain from posting these to the public, but am going to make a really nice photo album for everyone to see once I’m home.

Then, the last tradition which was in my opinion one of the coolest, and came after the ceremonial sword fighting, the bride is presented with two candles and has to light all of these candles around her. Then she dances inside of them, until her husband joins her. He then kisses her on the forehead and they dance under a beautifully decorated umbrella. Everyone at this point is jumping up and down and screaming, and I thought I had gone deaf from all of the noise. It was an unbelievable experience, and I still cannot believe I am so lucky to have been able to go to it. Maaly is so wonderful and her family invited me to come back anytime.

I know this entry is a long one but there is so much I left out and so many things I wanted to expound on. My Arabic vocabulary tripled these last three days and I can now say more than just hello and thank you, which is every exciting for me. Also, new in this past week, I went to Caesarea, and bought a ticket to see Paul McCartney live on the 25th of September in Tel Aviv. I am so excited to see him perform and found out that the concert sold out in 4 days! 25,000 people, me included, will have the opportunity to see the first Beatle to ever be allowed to play live in Israel.

Keep posted for more, I am on vacation until the 21st and know I am bound to get myself into another crazy adventure. Also, give me your home address so I can send you a postcard!

SO MUCH LOVE,

Annelise

Walking on Water?

2008-08-25T15:22:00.004+03:00

I knew my first time in the Dead Sea would be memorable. After reading about this oasis where nothing lives, I realized first hand you that really cannot swim in the Dead Sea; you simply can relax and float on it. The density of the water is about 10 times that of the ocean, which makes it impossible to sink. So, for any of you out there that never learned how to tread water, have no fear the Dead Sea should be your next destination. The Dead Sea is also one of the world’s primary health retreats for those suffering from psoriasis and rheumatic and arthritic ailments. I really enjoyed going there, but would not recommend staying in for too long to anyone. Also, if you have cuts or any types of open wounds, I would not recommend the Dead Sea. The intensity of the salt makes the water actually feel like oil and even when you rinse it off your skin; you still feel a slick residue left.

My friends and I enjoyed ourselves at the Dead Sea for the majority of Friday morning and afternoon, and even covered our bodies with mud and took some pretty amazing pictures. It was the best spa treatment I ever received for the small price of $27.00 (including transportation and mud). On our way to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea we passed a ton of Bedouin Villages, and I decided that before I leave Israel I have to spend some time getting to know the Bedouins. Supposedly, when you go to a Bedouin Village they give you food, water, and a place to sleep for three nights, without asking any questions. Then after the third night they ask you why you are there, and if they feel your response suffices their requirements they will invite you to stay longer. Pretty amazing…

After a great few days in Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, we returned home to Haifa and I spent the weekend relaxing, and going out with a few Israeli’s.

This is my last week of my two month intensive Ulpan and I have my final exam on Thursday! I cannot wait to have a month vacation from 5 hours of intensive Ulpan study everyday and get to spend more than a day or two visiting and seeing Israel.

My Druze roommate Maaly, invited me to a wedding in two weeks and to spend time with her at her home. Hopefully, I will be able to upload more photos with a faster connection as I have taken at least 1,000 pictures. I am also looking forward to my mom coming at the beginning of October for 12 days and hope to be able to show her around this amazing country.

With love,

Annelise

A trip to the Ghetto Fighter’s Museum

2008-08-20T17:46:00.002+03:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to one of the most beautiful museums I have ever seen. Situated in the Western Galilee on Kibbuts Beit Lohamei Hghetaot, is the first Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum ever, that documented Jewish life before, during, and after WW2. I felt extremely moved by what I saw in the museum, not only because of the immense suffering and pain that I witnessed, but also because of the amazing sense of empowerment of hope and human spirit that I left feeling with.

After entering, the museum has a room that hosts an array of personal property from Holocaust victims who died. Each piece of clothing, trinkets, and personal property tells a unique story of a completely different person. None of the pieces have a connection to one another or to anyone else except their owner. They were collected so that the memory of the person behind them would still stay alive, and that every person, and not just the number of 6 million Jews, would be remembered.

The Museum talked a lot about the fear of Israeli’s, and the world forgetting about the Holocaust. Most of the survivors are in their 60’s and above, and will not always be around to tell their story. The Museum wants to make sure their lives are not pushed under the rug, and that each person that was involved in the Holocaust is remembered. It is an amazing museum for many reasons, but mostly because even though you are seeing so much despair, cruelty, and immense suffering, you know that people who survived the Holocaust were able to turn their pain and anger into such a beautiful and open place, where hope and life seem almost tangible.

Going further in to the museum, we entered a room full of art, from two distinctly different artists; Max Bueno de Mesquita from Amsterdam, and Elsa Zivia Pollak from Czechosovakia. Both did not become artists until after the Holocaust, but both produced artwork that helped them to deal with their suffering, and allowed them the opportunity to live again. These two artists never met and had nothing in common except for the fact that they both survived the Holocaust. I was moved by their art because of the ways they were able to take their suffering and heal.

After returning to Amsterdam after the war ended, Max found he could not cope and adjust with life. He was a living person to everyone else on the outside, but inside could not eat, sleep, or think. He tried to commit suicide and after an unsuccessful attempt went to visit numerous psychologists to try and see what he could do to help himself. He finally found a psychologist in Paris who prescribed him LSD and introduced him to art. Through art and LSD, Max was able to paint what he say and try to get rid of all the demons and nightmares in his head. Max choose to paint in vivid colors that come out at you, as you view his canvases. For the most part his work reminded me of that of Picasso’s, with a lot of cubism, modernism, and meaning. What Max witnessed, that traumatized him permanently was the torture of pregnant women. All of his paintings contain women and children that are in some way distorted and fragmented. After understanding the meaning behind the art, It made me even more so understand and respect the human mind and all it is capable of understanding and going through.

Elsa also returned home after the war and found art as a way for her to cope with life. She turned to sculptor and paints the dehumanization she and so many others endured. One of the pieces that moved me the most was a self portrait she did. The self portrait was nothing more than a slab of cement with no care or placement. It somewhat resembled the shape of a face, and inside bore only four numbers, the number she was given in her concentration camp. Looking at this sculpture you would never know it was supposed to be a self portrait of the artist. The lack of shape, color, and any humanistic characteristics make it feel like you are just staring at space. However, when you realize the story behind it and understand how this artist was able to convey her feelings, and you cannot help but be blown away with so many emotions.

I did not have time to go see the Children’s part of the museum but know I will be back throughout the year. The Kibbutz and museum was founded by the people who were part of the Warsaw Ghetto Fighter’s Resistance. Their Art = Resistance and Remembrance:

“I never thought rationally that I was going to die, but I did have a tremendous need to draw and paint, to depict what was going on. I was in the same state as all the people around me. I saw that they were close to death. But I never thought of myself like that. I was up in the air, cut off from the existential experience. My role was simply to draw and portray what was happening. My role was to observe.”
Halina Olomucki, an artist in the Warsaw Ghetto

I hope that all of us who suffer, or experience suffering in our lives find a way to heal. It is so important to have museums like these not only because of their history, but because of what they can teach us about ourselves.

With much love and peace,

Annelise

August and Everything After

2008-08-20T17:41:00.002+03:00

This week was another memorable one in Israel and I had the chance to not only go to Tel Aviv but meet with my Host Rotarian Rafi Prielli, and have my first speaking engagement at my Host Club in Tel Aviv. It was an amazing opportunity to spend time with new friends and explore an amazing city that is full of life, spontaneity, and shopping. I went with my Romanian roommate Miruna, on Wednesday, after class and we met up with a few of our German classmates on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Miruna and I had a chance to explore Tel Aviv and even go to Jaffo. Jaffo is a predominantly Arab city and hosts a wonderful market, monastery, and clock tower. I saw the most beautiful hookahs I have ever seen, and want to go back to really be able to explore the city. Around lunch time, I met with my Rotary Club at their meeting spot in the David Intercontinental Hotel. The Hotel was amazing and I felt as if I was some really important person en route after having traveled the world with my Romanian colleague. The people at the Rotary club were very gracious and kind to me. I was able to speak with the President of the Club, a renowned French Horn Player for the Israeli Philharmonic Yaccov Mishori, and listened to a very interesting lecture about the current refugee situation in Israel. Considering the recent political instability of the Sudanese government, Israel has been taking in refugees from Darfur and other countries in Africa. They have been trying to help these refugees get the proper education and help they need, but are facing political problems in that Israel does not have any present legislation on how to treat immigrants and refugees that come to their country.

Later, I talked to some of the members in the Club about who I was and my personal goals while I am in Israel. The club invited me to come back again and, Yaacov even invited me to go to the Philharmonic with him. I have been trying to plan as many Rotary talks as possible, and hopefully will even be able to speak at the University of Haifa to the International students.

After meeting with the Rotary, Miruna and I met with one of her mates from school in Bukarest, Rafaela and her sister. Both Rafaela and her sister were born in Israel but only come for summer’s to stay with their father. They were wonderful tour guides and took us to an amazing clothing market where I was able to buy clothes for only 10 NIS (approximately $3) and earrings for 1 NIS (approximately $0.30). Being in Tel Aviv was unbelievable, and it really reminded me of being in New York, There were so many different people, sounds, smells, and vendors trying to sell you anything and everything on each street corner. Luckily, Miruna and I were able to find a cheap hostel near the beach and right around where all of the action was happening. There was even a protest of people from Georgia due to the current political tension with Russia. If you see me on the news, I’m the American looking tourist in the background taking pictures.

Around dinner time, I met with my Host Rotarian Rafi Prielli and had a great conversation with him about my life and why I wanted to come to Israel. Rafi lived in Paris for three years and also lived in the United States. He has two children and is helping to meet all of the 9 Ambassadorial scholars studying in Israel. So far, I have only met one guy, but there are four total studying in Haifa, 2 in Jerusalem, 2 in Tel Aviv, and 1 in Be’er Sheva. In November, I will have an opportunity to meet everyone together, which I am really looking forward to.

Thursday night, after my German friends met up with us, we picked a cute place to eat that my friend Daniel recommended and found a nice bar to enjoy the Tel Aviv nightlife. Daniel and Kerstin are my two new German friends that will be spending a year with me at the University of Haifa. They both won a scholarship from their University to study in Haifa for the year and are doing their Master’s in Jewish Studies and Culture. Daniel is from Berlin is Jewish and worked in Tel Aviv for seven months. Kerstin is from Berlin also, and lived with a Jewish family in Pittsburgh, of all places, where the mother was a Rabbi. She got interested in Judaism after living with the family and now is doing her dissertation on Jewish life in Germany. She is such a sweetheart and becoming a great friend.

After a wonderful night on Thursday, and after sleeping on the roof of our hostel for only $16 dollars, we enjoyed the day exploring the Art Market on Friday in Tel Aviv, and seeing some of the most beautiful and amazing pieces of artwork I have ever seen. It really made me reminiscent of San Diego, and felt good to be surrounded by so much creativity. Also, everyone in Israel speaks ATLEAST 3 languages and it’s not uncommon to find people on the street that speak up to seven. One of the men we met in the market place ended up speaking about nine languages, including Romanian, German, and of course English. We left Tel Aviv before sundown and spent the night on Friday together for a lovely Shabbot Dinner.

Unfortunately, we had our Mid-term exam on Sunday, so I spent Saturday studying for the majority of the day. However, I got a break around dinner time to meet Khaled’s wife Helene and his cousin Alaa for a little while. It was so wonderful to spend time with them and hopefully I will get to see them more over my month vacation.
I hope everyone is doing well and I love you miss you all!

With love,

Annelise

Hospitality, Hospitality, Hospitality

2008-08-10T13:51:00.003+03:00

Since coming to the Middle East, I have never felt hospitality like this ever in my life before. Even after living in Italy, where I thought no one could be nicer than the Italians, I have to say the people that I have met in Israel have brought forward a whole new meaning to the word hospitality. What I had considered friendly, kind, or even overwhelming generosity in the United States did not even come close to the welcoming I have received from people I have never ever met before.

When I first arrived in Israel, my goal was to learn Hebrew, make new friends, and make contacts with some family friends, and friends of friends who I was told would look after me. After staying with the Avriel’s for my first few days in Israel, I already felt like I had found my adopted grandparents and that I could not be any luckier. Then, I was introduced to Mona, my friend from University, and the rest of her family and I could not believe that even students no matter their age were so giving of their time, money, and friendship. Recently, I met Khaled Furani, a former student of Barbara Aswad, the wife of a Rotarian in my Host Rotary Club. From the first time I had met Barbara I knew she was an incredible person who was not afraid to go after what she loved, and was very passionate about helping others around her.

After having our first 3 hour lunch where neither of us could start talking, she told me about one of her former students who lived in Haifa with his wife and three kids, and who would be more than happy to meet with me and show me around Haifa.

Now, usually in the United States when someone says; I have someone I want you to meet, it’s usually solely for a political or social connection. You do not expect that person to invite you into their home, introduce you to their family, parents, cousins, and treat you like you are an extension of their life. This is not to say that people in the United States are not generous or caring, but hospitality takes on a different form and meaning than in the Middle East. When I met Khaled he came to pick me up at the University around 11:00AM and we headed to his house to have brunch.

Now, let me remind you that this is a man that I have never met before or had any connection to what so ever, aside from my teacher. Khaled is Arab and lived and studied in the United States for 10 years. He met his wife Helene in Haifa, and she was a Wellesley graduate who wanted to work with the Peace Movement in Israel and learned Hebrew and Arabic. Her Arabic is so good in fact that Khaled’s family members are impressed and are able to have fluid conversations with her. They have now been living in Haifa for 3 years and have 3 children who are nine, six, and three. Khaled is a Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Tel Aviv University and one of the most sincere and kind people.

After inviting me into his beautiful apartment overlooking the sea, I met his wife, kids, and cousin Alla, who is around my age. Khaled has over thirty cousins and was trying to explain to me all about the dramas of having a big family. Khaled’s wife Helene, also got her PhD, but in Elementary Education Math, and now owns a cookie making factory in Haifa, called New York Cookies. You could imagine how excited I was to meet her, and told her if she ever needed a hand, or extra help I love cookies, and I would love to help. After a great brunch, Alla and I played with the kids, who speak both English and Arabic and Khaled brought about 5 of their cousins over. Then Khaled said his mother had wanted to meet me and invited everyone over to have an early dinner/late lunch at 4:30 PM.

We piled about 5 of the kids in the backseat and headed to the home Khaled had been raised in his whole life. His mother and father were so hospitable and live in a house with a front and backyard. Their balcony overlooks the whole city and the mother prepared a huge meal for everyone to eat. Then Khaled’s sister, brother in law, and nieces and nephews came over and I had the opportunity to meet all of them.
I could not believe how kind and generous they had been to me and was overwhelmed to the point of tears. Family is such a beautiful thing and word in the Middle East. To the majority of people Family is everything and they look forward to being around, seeing, and hanging out with their families. To be invited to be a part of something that wonderful is an honor and something I am eternally grateful for.

After an amazing brunch, lunch, and dinner I then went over to Hava and Mordecai’s to have a celebratory birthday dinner for the both of them. Hava and Mordecai are not only amazing people, but are amazing cooks as well. They belong to a cooking club of about 6 couples that have been friends for the past 35 years. Every other month they prepare dinner at another person’s house and once a year all travel to a different country for a week together. Basically, my hope of ever losing weight has slowly started to diminish in Israel, but its well worth it, and I have been enjoying some of the best food I have ever had.

This next week I am planning on going to Caesarea and Jerusalem. I have midterms coming up again and I cannot believe how fast time has started to fly. I hope everyone is doing well, and if you leave me your address I will send you a postcard! Also, if you don’t have skype, get it, and then we can talk together! My skype address is annelise.cohon (I know I am very original).

Much love,

Annelise

Paradise

2008-08-06T19:09:00.001+03:00

After my Hebrew final exam last Wednesday, and the end of the first Ulpan Session, it was my plan to take a much deserved trip to the South of Israel in order to enjoy some fun, sun, and relaxation. Eliat is a town in the most southern part of Israel and is literally between Jordan and Egypt. It plays host to some of the most beautiful beaches, coral reefs, and luxury hotels in all of the Middle East, and during the months of June, July, and August is at its hottest. Of course, I had to see the Rea Sea (for cultural purposes) and I was also interested in going to Petra (in Jordan) and the Sinai (in Egypt). I got together about five people from my Ulpan and one friend from outside the Ulpan to go on a voyage, leaving early Thursday morning and coming back to Haifa on Sunday Night. Our beginning itinerary was for us five girls to stay at the Aruva Hostel for three nights, check out the beaches of Eliat, and go to Petra for the full day on Monday. However, in the true nature of living in Israel everything of course did not work out the way we had planned, but we all left feeling great, relaxed, and of course tan.

We took the Express Bus from Haifa to Elait which takes about six hours in total. It really is so convenient to go anywhere in Israel and it’s hilarious to me that I’ve chosen to live in another country that really is the size of New Jersey. Regardless it was an easy ride down and when we got to Eliat around 12. There we met with an Israeli friend of one of the people I was staying with called Shiron. She was the girlfriend of the brother of the guy who owned the kosher coffee shop in the Columbia Hillel, a hilarious connection but nonetheless very fitting to the bulk of my relations to people here. Shiron works at the Red Sea Radio station in Eliat and gave us a V.I.P tour of where she works. We got to see all the DJ’S, radio jockey’s, and celebrities come and get interviewed. It was so sweet of Shiron to take us around and she even took us to a great place for lunch. Afterwards, the five of us girls went to seek out our Hostel and put down our bags.

Our Hostel was one of the nicest and coziest places I have ever stayed at. It truly was a family atmosphere and we ended up meeting and talking with people from all over the world. It was my first time staying at a Hostel and I was relieved to find it clean, safe, and really affordable. In Eliat one of the city highlights include scuba diving in the coral reefs, but due to my and the rest of my friend’s lack of training, we ended up buying snorkeling gear and went to coral beach on our own. The Sea is absolutely breathtaking and the Jordanian mountains in the background are unlike anything I have ever seen before. I truly felt like I was living in Paradise, and decided that this would not be my last trip to Eliat, but rather the first of MANY cultural excursions down south. Aside from Scuba diving and watching the fishes play all day, we lounged on the beach and enjoying Eilat’s infamous nightlife. Our first night in Eliat we went to this bar called Moscow New York! It was a lot of fun and the trip was really such a great escape from Intensive Hebrew 5 hours a day.
However, on Monday after waking up at 5:30 in the morning to be the first at the Jordanian border to go tour Petra, I was met with another, “you know you live in Israel when” moment. After paying our border fees, exchanging our shekels into dinars, and crossing the 100 yard stretch between the Israeli and Jordanian border, my Romanian roommate Ana was told she was not allowed to come into Jordan and needed a Visa.. We were all faced with the dilemma of what to do, and I decided to stay in Eliat with Ana while everyone else went to Petra. I knew this would not be my last opportunity to see Petra, and a friend of mine Greg Sheppard, who also has a blog and is a Rotary Scholar, will be doing his year in Amman, Jordan. Greg and I are already making plans to travel together and I am sure I can do Jordan and Petra when I have more time than just a day.

However, as we were leaving to go back into Israel, one of the guards starting giving both Ana and I a lot of trouble for no reason and tried to detain my friend Ana because she had a tourist visa and not a student visa. Luckily, we got out of their really quick and chose to pamper ourselves for the rest of the day by buying floatable lounge chairs and sipping cool drinks in the sea. I had a great day with Ana and in the end it turned out to be a great bonding moment for both of us. Then later that night we boarded the midnight train to Haifa and headed home.
Last week I forgot to mention that I went to my Host Rotary clubs meeting on Thursday and was blown away by their size, importance in Israel, and structure in which they operate their meetings. There must be at least 100 members in the 1 of the 7 clubs in Haifa I have seen. The speaker at the meeting I went to was a life coach, who explained his incredible life story. Growing up he was always told he was stupid because he never had teachers who believed in him or taught to his learning style. The boy ended up even dropping out of high school only to teach himself how to play piano (and is now considered one of the 3rd best piano players in the world), get an invitation to teach at MIT, get his GED, University degree, and become the President and CEIO of two of the largest cell phone companies in all of Israel. I was blown away by this man’s story and had to go up to him afterwards and shake his hand.

I was also excited to see Yael the district governor, Hani, the man who wants to get me involved with the Triumph project in Haifa ( a group that gets Arab and Jewish high school students to start dialogue about the Arab Israeli Conflict), and I had the privilege to meet my amazing host Rotarian Tzi Fridman. I could write a book on how amazing Tzi is and his full life story. However, because I have a year to write all about my life here, I will pace myself and save Tzi for the topic of another memorable blog entry!

On a serious note, I really want to say thank you to all my Buddies in San Diego who are reading my blog and all my friends who keep emailing me and making me feel very loved and missed. I want you to all come visit me! Well I will write more soon, today I am off to Tel Aviv and tomorrow my classes start again! However, I have a trip planned to the Golan this Friday and cannot wait for the Olympics!

With Love,
Annelise

Shabbot Shalom

2008-07-28T16:25:00.003+03:00

Getting to the Neighborhood was easy once I got on the Bus and was conveniently dropped off outside of the development. When walking in, this group of guys in a car offered me a ride to my destination, and in an Israeli fashion I got in the car and did not even flinch when I saw the fully loaded AK 47 between the driver’s legs. In Israel it is still relatively safe to hitchhike to get around. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I have not and will not hitchhike by myself in Israel. Also, it’s not uncommon to see random fully loaded semi automatic weapons, talk about the right to bear arms. When I finally made it to the Ravitz’s, I was greeted by Joshua, his son Avi (8), and his one and a half year old Hannah. Once inside I met Lisa, Josh’s wife and his two other daughters Orli (6) and Talya (4). Their children have to be the cutest things I have ever seen in my life, but it also made me miss the Maloney’s even more and especially my 3 year old boyfriend Ian.

The Ravitz’s are Orthodox Jewish and live in an Orthodox community. The men all wear Kipah’s and the women all wear clothing that covers their legs and elbows. Despite my non-religious upbringing the Ravitz’s really made me feel at home and like I was a part of their family. They included me in a beautiful Shabbot dinner where I was invited to read the prayers, sing songs, go through the traditions of washing my hands and of course drinking the grape juice. The food was absolutely amazing and Lisa proved to be a very amazing chef. It is amazing to me that the Ravit’z have only been living in Israel for a year. They made Elliah last year and moved with their whole family. Both Josh and Lisa speak Hebrew, but their children are absolutely fluent and even have native accents. I always knew children were better at picking up languages then adults, but I am seriously impressed at the rate the whole family has been able to adapt to Israeli life. Josh is a lawyer and commutes to Tel Aviv, and Lisa stays at home and watches the kids. In their community after sundown on Friday the gates are closed and no cars can come in or out of the community. Everyone respects the Sabbath, and it is a day where no one does work, or is allowed to operate any electrical appliances like lights, cars, cell phones, or computers. You also are not allowed to write or ride a bicycle, but you are allowed to sing and dance.

After Shabbat dinner I helped Lisa put the children to bed and talked to Josh and Lisa about their life in Israel. They met in Rhode Island and decided to move after Lisa’s brother had made Elliah nine years ago. Josh was offered a job before they left, but Lisa and him had decided to go before he was offered the position. His children did not speak any Hebrew before they left and now they are fluent. It was really amazing to see and by playing with the kids, I realized how much I was learning from them. After falling asleep, I woke up around 11:00 and had a great Shabbot lunch with the Ravitz’s and a new family that had just moved to Israel 3 days prior. The family was from Michigan and had three sons and a daughter. The eldest boy was 11 and the youngest was 2.

At lunch, we blessed the new family’s time in Israel and it was really exciting to be involved in so much of a different culture than I had been raised. After lunch, I went with Lisa to the park with the Children while Josh went to the Shule to pray. For Orthodox men they pray usually three times a day and for women they pray usually once a day. Children in Israel are so free to be kids, and it is nice to actually see a society that includes them in everything. After hanging out with the kids all day, it felt really nice to be with a family, considering I am so far away from mine, and the Ravitz’s welcomed me to come back whenever I wanted. One the car ride to the train stop I was able to talk with Josh for a little bit and he said something truly profound that I really appreciated hearing.

I tend to usually believe that although not everything happens for a reason, if something bad happens, I view it as a negative and I feel the worst, thinking maybe it was not meant to be in the first place. However, Joshua said that when something bad happens or when we are met with adversity it is to test our strength and our faith in ourselves. I really appreciated hearing that and thought how next time I am met with adversity, I am going to use it as an opportunity to show my strength and faith in who I am.

This week is the last week of Ulpan and I have a hug exam on Wednesday. Then Thursday I leave for Eilat with a few friends until Sunday. I am going to be seeing Petra on Sunday and then return to Haifa for the start of the second Ulpan on Monday. I will of course keep you all posted on everything

B’ahbh (with love)

Annelise

Jerusalem

2008-07-28T16:23:00.004+03:00

This past week was jam packed with classes, trips, and the usual organized chaos. Since being in Haifa, I have been overwhelmed with the number of Rotarians who have offered to help make my adjustment to their homeland as smooth as possible. Yael Lazarus, District Governor of the Rotary in Haifa, Hani Elfar, member of the Haifa Rotary, Shlomo Gal Oz, member of the Haifa Rotary, Rafi Priell, my Host Rotarian in Tel Aviv, Amos Gilboa, my Health Insurance Agent and member of the Haifa Rotary, and Zvi Fridman, my new host Rotarian in Haifa, just to name a few have been so supportive and helpful. I am truly indebted to them and my Sponsor Randy, for all of the work they are doing on my behalf to schedule speaking engagements and involve me in as much of their organizations and activities as possible.

One project in particular, that is of interest to me is the Triumph Project started by the Haifa Rotary Club and Hani Elfar. The Triumph project takes Arab and Israeli students, and brings them together in order to formulate new ways and ideas to bring about peace and dialogue. Students are even sent to UCLA for two weeks in the summer to speak about their experiences in English and workshop with other students from around the world. This project has been going on for nine years and I was thrilled when Mr. Elfar approached me to ask if I would like to be a part of the organization. This Wednesday, I will be going to a Rotary meeting to get formally introduced to one of my Host Rotary groups and hear more about the Triumph Project. I could not believe something like this was happening so close to me in Haifa and in California!

This week I was also able to travel to a beautiful port city called Acco or Acre. The trip was one of my favorite to date and I was in love with the natural beauty and European feel of the city. Acco is a mostly Arab city, and renowned for their hummus. Of course, I bought and concerned way too much, but as the Romans say, “When in Acco…”. Also, our fabulous tour guide took us through a Mosque and it was my first time ever inside one. It was beautiful and filled with beautiful rugs on the floor and about twenty or so men praying silently to themselves. In Muslim traditions, Arabs pray anywhere from 3 to 7 times a day. We probably came sometime around afternoon prayer, and were able to go inside and come out very quietly and quickly.

One of the things that I have to say that I really miss about Parma, besides all of the amazing people I met and studied abroad with, is the level in which our program held us to. Because of our small size, we were really able to fit in and acclimate to the culture without being labeled a tourist or foreigner. In Israel, regardless of how long you have been living here, if you are not born in Israel you are considered a tourist, which really frustrates me immensely for some reason. I try as much as I can to speak the broken Hebrew I know and be as respectful as possible in Israel. However, due to the size of the Ulpan group (220), it is not always possible to move as quickly and undetected. So Kev, Steve, M-Sol, Amelia, Amanda, Juan V, Nick, and Warren, I think we need to have a Parma reunion ASAP.
I definitely plan on going back to Acco at some point and jumping off one of its highest points into the Sea. I was watching a group of kids doing it, and had to remind myself I was holding valuable electronic equipment or I would have jumped after them.

This past week I was also able to continue my routine of getting to the beach at least once every week, and actually did my homework there this time (this means a lot considering I went to a college with a beautiful outdoor pool and no matter how hard I tried to bring my work there it never seemed to ever get done). Some of my Arab friends here are also obsessed with Batman, Superman, and DC Comics in general so when I heard about the rave reviews from Nikki and her family, we had to all go the day it came out in Israel.

Unlike watching movies in Italy, where everything is dubbed, I was spared the hilarious Italian accent and could listen to the sound of Christian Bale’s voice while conveniently reading the Hebrew beneath it. At the movie theater we went to in Haifa, it was a 23 theater, Cinemall and had even a special VIP section that was sold out. The movie theaters in Israel are really nice and clean, and they even give you a row, seat, and aisle number. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Dark Knight’ and recommend anyone who has not seen it to go to the movies and watch it today! Afterwards, my friend Nadeem, Wasim and I philosophized the movie over a few glasses of beer and concluded that everyone really has a Batman and Joker inside of them. I thought Nikki and Kelly, you both would be proud to hear that I am still representing our Super Girl “POW” even in Israel.

Then the next day, I left early Friday morning at 6:30 for Jerusalem. I was on a tour to see the Western Wall, Arab Quarter, Muslim Quarter, and Jewish Quarter. It was my first time being in Jerusalem and I was so excited. The city did not disappoint and I was amazed by all the different people I saw. Our first stop was a large Shook (market) where we were told everyone does their shopping. In Israel 75% of everything you see can be bargained for and it was amazing to see people screaming, shouting, cursing, laughing, selling, and buying all of their goods. I cannot really do justice the amazing feeling I had walking through the Shook, but it was another time were I really felt like I was in Israel, and was so happy to be here. After buying some pastries for breakfast with two friends, I was able to buy a few gift for the family friends I would be meeting and staying with for the first time that night. I was able to buy some parv chocolate (non dairy) and kosher wine, my first time buying anything like this in Israel. So, in true Israeli fashion I bargained with the guy and got a great deal on 3 bars of chocolate and one bottle of red wine. Go me!

After leaving the shook, our tour was headed to the site of an archeological park that had in the past been King Herod’s castle and had also been used for many other important purposes. I did not realize that right next to the Western Wall was a huge Mosque, and it was interesting to see so many different types of people coming to pray all at the same time. I have started a list of, “You know you’re in Israel when…” and one of them has to be when you have a Mosque, Temple, and Synagogue within 5 feet of another. After hearing about some history and walking around the castle, we had a great view of Jerusalem and then proceeded to the Western Wall.
I had been told by numerous religious and non religious people, that your first time at the Western Wall is something you never forget. The feeling surrounding the place is electric and it is truly something everyone should experience. When you first walk in to the area near the Western Wall, it is separated by Men and Women. As you go to your designated side you see women with babies, teenagers, elderly, and children with their hands and foreheads pressed up against the wall. People usually write notes to stick in the wall with a wish on it that hopefully will come true. Once a year someone comes to collect all the notes written for the year, without reading them, and buries them near the wall so they will always remain in Israel.

Just last week, Barack Obama was in Jerusalem and visited the Western Wall. He supposedly put a note in the wall and someone found it and took it, which is something that you are forbidden to do. After having visited and hearing this, I couldn’t believe anyone would want to do that. It is also customary that after visiting the wall, you wear a red string around your wrist until it falls off. I really cannot wait to go back to Jerusalem and see so much more of this historic and amazing place. Also, the red string is still on my wrist and going strong.
While I was in Jerusalem I was able to visit the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and ARMENIAN corner! Yeah for Armenia, and I took so many pictures for you Kev and your family. However, I’m really mad you have not taught me more Armenian because I was trying to impress everyone on my group and sadly when they asked me what words I knew all that came out was “jiged and hots”. I left the group later in the afternoon to leave for Yod Binyamin a small Orthodox community 45 minutes outside of Jerusalem, where I would meet the Ravitz’s.

With Love,

Annelise

A Lesson in Current Events

2008-07-20T19:35:00.003+03:00

Above is a picture of the beautiful Bahai Gardens in Haifa

Also, underneath is a picture of some of my new friends. This photo was taken at the birthday party I attended.

Hello Family and Friends! Sorry, for not being better about writing sooner. So much has happened this week, and to top it all off I have my first Midterm in Hebrew today, Oy Gavolt!

Just to keep you all posted, I can now say more than just my name and thank you in Hebrew, I can also say sentences with verbs (present tense only) and even name countries and months. This is very exciting for the beginner Hebrew student in me, and on top of that simultaneously my Arab friends are also teaching me a little bit of Arabic as well. I can now say sebaba (cool) and Jalla (come on, lets go). I have been meeting so many interesting people from everywhere in the world, and find Haifa to be a more beautiful city with each passing day. On top of that, the dreaded Meduza (jellyfish) that invaded the Haifa Beaches are now gone, and I have been able to go to the beach and actually swim in the water without fear. Haifa’s beaches are beautiful and they sort of reminds me of a European city with thong bikins and lots of hairy men.

This week in Haifa, I also had my first glimmer into the reality of living in the Middle East, for better and for worse. I not only attended my first Shabbot dinner with a family from an Orthodox Synagogue in Haifa, but also went to an orthodox service, attended a two day student festival, partied at an Arab Christian Birthday Party, visited the holy city of Nazareth, observed an Arabic student election at the University, and even managed to meet some amazing new friends. However, I also was exposed to the reality of living in Israel, and the current political, social, and military situation.

As you might have read in the news this past week, there was a prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah. Two Israeli soldiers were captured in 2006, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, and it was not known whether the two men were still alive or dead. In Israeli culture and tradition, it is very important when a person dies for their body to be buried and returned to their family. Therefore, Israel voted to trade one of its most notorious criminals along with four other Lebanese prisoners for the bodies of the two men to Hezbollah in exchanged for the two soldiers. When the swap happened this week, the two soldiers were returned with mortal wounds, and pronounced dead. It was a very tough time for most Israeli’s because not only did they set free a horrible murderer, but two of their own soldiers were killed. The day it happened, I was going to a big party at Technion, which is basically Israel’s version of MIT in Haifa. Before I left, there was a candlelight vigil at the University of Haifa, and a lot of talk about Israel’s political situation in the Middle East. A lot of the people around the campus felt angry at the government for letting free one of its worst criminals, and were also frustrated and sad at how atrocities, such as these, can still happen.

I ended up still going to the party, which was controversial because one of the soldiers attended the Technion. A lot of people found it in bad taste to still continue on with the event, but they made a speech at the beginning of the concert addressing the issue and calling a moment of silence for all the soldiers who have been killed and all the soldiers who are missing in action. It is insane to think that Haifa is only 40 miles from the Lebanese border, and that the government allows Hezbollah to be so close to the Israeli border. 2 years ago, Haifa was hit by missiles from Lebanon, and at least 8 people died. Students at the University were evacuated to Jerusalem, and this summer, on July 12th, marked the 2 year anniversary of the attacks. When talking politics in Israel, there is no one right, wrong, or easy answer. Everyone has their own distinct opinion, and I have found listening to be the best way to understand the different mindsets of Arabs and Jews living in Haifa.

The party at Technion was a lot of fun. I ended up seeing a ton of Israeli bands and eating some amazing food. I actually went two days in a row with friends from the Ulpan and the University. One the first day of the concert, I even got to the front row of the stage, which was pretty impressive because over 20,000 students from all over Israel attended the event. The second day, was also amazing and there was music from all different types of genres and so much good food. I have been really missing my running partner Katie in San Diego, and hope you know that I joined and Israeli gym this week for fear that I will not be able to fit into my clothes anymore.

In Israel, every college has its own ‘Student Day’ and UHaifa had there’s at the end of May before I was in Israel. Technion is supposedly the best and biggest, and they did not disappoint this year. I had such an amazing time and ended up dancing until 3:00 in the morning. At the University of Haifa, campus has also been very alive and active this week due to the Arab Student Elections. Usually students are not in session this late into the summer, but earlier in the year there was a nationwide faculty strike, for college professors who were trying to be paid more fairly. The strike lasted three months, and subsequently delayed the start of the school year. Therefore, it is great for us Ulpan students that most of the regular University students are still around.

The University of Haifa is a very diverse campus with the largest number of Arabs and Jews studying together. The Arabs at the University are broken up into different categories. There are many different types of Arabs, including; Christian Arabs, Druze, and Muslim Arabs. They constitute a fair number of the population and have student council or government elections every year. These elections are to determine what group or party of Arab students are in the majority of the student council, and can vote on what things can be done and enacted. In the past, the Arab student union was responsible for getting 15 minutes extra time for each hour of an exam where Hebrew is not one’s native tongue, getting more buses to run from Campus to nearby Arab villages, and also increase the budget of the Arabic Studies department. In this election there were four major parties; the red party, the orange party, the green party, and the black party. The Red party was for Jews and Arabs living together peacefully and sharing a one state resolution, the Orange party is for the Arab nationalistic party that believes in their own Arab state, the Green party stands for only a Palestinian state, and the Black party is for the Islamic Party The Red party ended up winning this week and thanks to my friend Mona I was able to understand what was going on.

Also, with the help of my friend Kai in San Francisco, I have managed to meet some amazing new friends in Haifa. Mona and her brother Nadeem, are both students at the University of Haifa and Arab Christians. They lived in the United States for two years with their family and are around my same age. Mona is studying English and Art, while her brother is in his second year of Law School. They are from a small village called Kafir Yasif (I am sorry if I spelled that completely wrong). Both Mona and her brother have showed me an amazing amount of warmth and friendship by inviting me to their home and introducing me to all of their friends. Mona even invited me to her friend’s Birthday Party, and cousins wedding at the end of August. I cannot wait to go to the Wedding, because supposedly in Arab traditions weddings are huge events. They are usually 3 days of eating and dancing (my kind of life). I already feel like I have known them both forever, and it is nice to have friends that are locals and not just Americans.

As for the continued cultural experience, this week I also visited the City of Nazareth and saw the famous Church of the Annunciation as well as Mary’s Well, and some very old synagogues. It was fascinating to see the mixture of religions, where one moment we were in a church, the next moment we were in a church synagogue, and then we even found ourselves walking through a Mosque. It was the first time I had ever been inside a Mosque and it was so fascinating to see how the men prayed and what the inside looked like. When I was in the Mosque and at the Orthodox Synagogue for Shabbot, both places had separate places for women and men to sit. I thought this was very interesting, but not surprising. After the Shabbot service, my friend Dennis (from Madrid) and my roommate Miruna, went home with an extremely kind man to have dinner with him, his wife, his daughter, his son in law, his grandson, and his adorable dog, who only ate people food. At the Shabbot dinner, the family sang together, toasted, and prayed in an extremely beautiful and humbling way. They cooked a huge meal, and even gave us cognac at the end to toast again. I should mention that in Israel the weekend start Thursday night and ends Saturday night. Usually things are closed Friday and Saturday and then re-open on Sunday. This is just something I have had to get used to, but find absolutely fascinating. After the dinner, Dennis, Miruna, and I walked back to the University and ended up just hanging out with friends.

There is so much more to write and I promise to update sooner and with not as much. I miss you all so much and would love to hear from any of you.

With Love,

Annelise

Ulpan Time

2008-07-12T21:56:00.003+03:00

Above is a picture from my dorm room that looks out to the city of Haifa. It is gorgeous!

The Next Picture is of my first Haifa sunset on the beach, I literally have never seen sunsets like how they are in the Middle East.

As Hava dropped me off to the University of Haifa on Sunday, I felt as if I was a freshman in college again, moving into the dorm for the first time. I had not been this nervous to start school since freshman year and I could not even imagine what the whole campus was going to look like. Just to paint you a picture, the University of Haifa is on top of a huge mountain, Mount Carmel, and is right next to Carmel National Park, Israel’s largest forest. The University is one of the most pluralistic universities in Israel with Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Bedouin, and International students attending from all over the world. The campus has about 16,000 students and is near another University Technion, Israel’s version on MIT. As, I was escorted to my new dorm room by a International School staff member, I was so happy to be with Hava, and was in awe of the beautiful buildings and picturesque view of my city below.

The housing options for the University were very easy; either live in a 6 person suite with your own room and bathroom, or live with someone else in a double. I chose to opt for the Talia dorms and get my own bedroom, bathroom, and shared living and dining space. The Talia dorms are actually fairly new and nice for Israel’s standards. However, I am not going to lie for even a second and say that they are half as beautiful as Scripps, but after being spoiled for three years it’s hard to live anywhere else afterwards, even in Israel. As Have and I walked into my suite, I was told I was living in the room that also doubled as the suite’s bomb shelter, which made me feel oddly comforted inside. Because of this, my room is a little bit bigger in size than the other rooms and has a huge window that I never close, because of the heat, and that looks out to a beautiful view of the city as well.

Inside, I was given a bed, desk, chair, night stand, dresser, sheets, pillow, and all my bathroom fixings. I have pictures to show you all but it’s not very impressive at the moment and I like to refer to my room as the prison bomb shelter. In Israel twin extra large beds don’t exist and I am sleeping on a cozy twin bed, which really does remind me of prison. I actually almost thought it was a couch at first, but with second glance realized, nope, this was merely the bed that I used to sleep on when I was five or six years old. So I have now started to get accustomed to the twin version of life and trying to get more than three to five hours of sleep a night. All kidding aside, I cannot complain about anything in the apartment that I have experienced so far. However, Katie I would like you to know, I helped one of my roommates kill a giant cockroach in her bathroom the other night, and thought of you!

I also got lucky with my sheets and instead of getting Hogwart’s prints (like some of my friends got) I have a nice floral bed cover and thin blue bed sheet. Usually, it is too hot most nights to sleep with any covers so I end up lying on my bed willing the breeze to blow through my window. I should also mention that I am writing this entry after the first week of official classes. In Israel, class is from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as the weekend days. On Friday night, people are given time off to go to Shabbat and then Saturday everyone rests and relaxes.

Also, Just in case I didn’t tell you a little bit about Haifa, what I have learned so far is that Haifa is Israel’s third largest city (next to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv). It has a beautiful beach on the Mediterranean Sea and is the world center of the Bahai Faith. Haifa is literally a huge mountain and I will have calves of steel by the end of my year here with all the stairs I have to climb.

In my living room there is a couch, two chairs, and an old TV that I have yet to watch any Israeli shows on. I also have five other roommates, two that are doing the Ulpan with me, and three that are Israeli students at the University. One of the girls in my Ulpan living with me is Romanian and her name is Miruna. She speaks English, Romanian, and Hebrew very well and lives in the capital of Romania with her family. She is actually Christian but has her concentration in Art History and Jewish Studies. She is great and we have really hit it off. Out of the other three Israeli roommates, one is from Ellat, and two are Druze and from the northern Galilee. I have learned a lot about the Druze since moving to Haifa and find their culture absolutely fascinating. Their culture started before the time of the Ottoman Empire, and when Turkey had control of most of the Middle East. A prophet founded the Druze belief, which still people do not understand fully today, but basically states that every major religions prophet is actually only the figurehead for that religion, and that in fact the supposed prophet’s assistant is the actual prophet ( So for example with Moses, Rachel is the actual profit who spoke to God). Druze were proclaimed heretics by the Turks and forced to disperse into many remote areas. Every Druze that I have met in Haifa has been friendlier than the next, and my roommates have told me that they would take me to their villages so I can meet their family and see their home.

Security has been something that has been interesting, scary, and at times pretty pointless. Everywhere you go on campus or in Israel has a metal detector and armed guards that check your bags and your persons. Opening my bag to strange men is something I am only beginning to start to become used to, and of course seeing men holding AK47’s on the buses is always eye opening. Still all in all, the atmosphere in Haifa is really more peaceful and serene than anything. People smoke Hookah on the beach, stay out late at the night clubs till 5 in the morning, and even tell me they feel safe for now. Two or Three summers ago, when Hezbollah sent over 4,000 missiles into Israel, three hit Haifa, and all of the students in the Ulpan had to be evacuated to Hebrew University in Jerusalem, let’s hope that doesn’t happen again this year.

On Monday, I had my first Ulpan class, and am four classes in to learning Hebrew. I can say important things like, hello, my name is, nice to meet you, what is your name, where do you live, I live, where, and, mother, father, what, and that’s about it. Oh, I also now know the Hebrew Alphabet and can spell my own name (I am actually really proud of these things). I try and speak the little Hebrew I know as much as possible, and am really lucky to have friends here and roommates that are willing to teach me. The Hebrew Ulpan is broken into 2 sessions that are 4 weeks each. It is for anyone 18 and over, and this session we are 220 students from ages 18 to 65 and represent over thirty different countries. It has been so interesting seeing the different people that have come to learn Hebrew, and how many Jews there are everywhere in the world. There are people from Sudan, Holland, Amsterdam, France, Spain, England, Argentina, Poland, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Canada just to name a few.

My teacher’s name is Sara and she is so kind and understanding. Every day she tells our class how much she loves each of us. I am in a class with about 19 people that will next week be divided up into four different classes. I am in level Aleph, a, or beginner. II have also met a lot of really nice American students from all over the country. However, one of the girls that I have become close with is ironically from Nutley, NJ and her name is even Anna. She goes to Bard and is a Russian Jew, who speaks Hebrew amazingly and is hilarious to be around.

Since starting Ulpan, I have also gone to the beach and tanned, gone out with a new friend from the University that I was introduced to by Kai, and had a real Shabbat dinner. I also made a day trip to Tel Aviv with a new friend, visited the holy city of Serat, which was absolutely gorgeous, managed to figure out the bus system a little, and hiked up Mount Carmel. All in all I am transitioning to life here and know with time and lots of Hebrew speaking, I will be able to feel more like an Israeli and less like an America. Also, I just wanted to say thank you so much Kelly for your call today! I was so happy to hear from you and miss everyone back home and around the world immensely. Here is my vacation schedule before I forget with dates in which you can come to visit me!

Summer Vacation: August 28th to September 21st

Yom Kippur and Succot Vacation: October 7th to October 21st

Winter Vacation: January 1st to February 22nd

Passover Vacation: April 5th to April 17th

Summer Vacation: June 4th to June 28th

Just let me know in advance if any of these times work for any of you to come and visit me and Israel. There is so much to do here and so much natural beauty and history. Every day I cannot believe I now live in such an amazing place. Well that’s all for now, tomorrow I am going to the beach with a few friends again, and then visiting the Bahia Gardens on Sunday. On Tuesday, I even have a day trip planned to Nazareth, I will keep you all posted on my travels!

With Love,

Annelise

Life Pre- Dorms

2008-07-07T00:09:00.001+03:00

As I said, after arriving in Haifa on Thursday morning and being horribly jet lagged, I met close family friends Mordecai and Hava who would be my “host parents” until I moved into the dorms on Sunday, and would help me out throughout my stay in Haifa. Their kindness and generosity was overwhelming and I was able to meet all of their three children; Dorit, Ron, and Tal, and their many grandchildren.

After I slept on Thursday until dinner time, Have and Mordecai took me around Haifa and drove to the top of a peak that looked out to the whole city, and showed me a great aerial view of my new home. As I mentioned earlier, Haifa has been compared to cities like San Francisco because the whole city is really on top of Mount Carmel, and there is only two ways to go; up or down. Being the California girl that I am, this resonated with me and I hope to get to explore more of the city. While staying with Hava and Mordecai I was spoiled to breakfasts outside on the patio that looks out to their olive tree in the backyard and a beautiful view of the sea. There has been a cool breeze these past few days which is nice considering it is extremely hot. During the summer, especially in July and August Haifa is extremely hot and I am lucky to have my own air conditioning vent conveniently located in my room, which I can even operate via remote control. I know Katie, as you sit in your mud hut, I lead a very horrible life, but I promise to come visit you in Guinea and also promise you that my dorm room will definitely not be as nice. Have and Mordecai have lived in this house for the past twenty years and as I have learned have also lived in New York, New Jersey, Palo Alto, and even travelled cross country from California to Chicago. They probably have seen more of the United States than I have, which makes me feel very jealous and humbled on a few levels. Mordecai is a Emeritus professor at Technion, a University in Haifa specializing in engineering and math (aka come visit Eli) and also works for the Bank in Israel. Hava is an accountant, mother, and woman extraordinaire. I also just found out, both Hava and Mordecai even founded a Kibbutz! As if there were wasn’t enough things these two could boast on a resume.

After falling asleep around 11:00, Have woke me up around 9:30AM for breakfast and to my surprise I was still tired and not over my jet lag. After having another delightful breakfast on the outside patio, we went to the mall so I could buy a cell phone, and Hava and Mordecai even let me use one of their old phones so I would not have to pay extra. Getting the cell phone was easier than I thought but figuring out how to work it was another matter. I felt like a fish out of water holding a cell phone that only understood Hebrew, and did not know if this would be a mutually enriching relationship. However, Hava came to my rescue and now my cell phone understands both English and Hebrew! Afterwards, we went shopping for hot dogs and hamburgers to celebrate the 4th of july and went to Hava’s daughters house to spend time with their family and grandchildren.

One piece of advice to anyone coming to Israel: LEARN HEBREW!!!!
Dinner was wonderful and the family was great about translating everything to me.
The next day, Hava and Mordecai took me to visit their son Ron and his wife, who grew up on a Kibbutz. It was my first time to a Kibbutz and I was so stoked!!! Did you know among the most famous Kibbutz inhabitants have been JERRY SEINFELD!!! Yes for a year even he lived on a Kibbutz, makes you want to just move to one now, doesn’t it?

Anyway the Kibbutz was amazing and I could not believe a place like that could actually exist! The Kibbutz was located within miles of the Lebanon border and looked out onto beautiful orchards, greenery, and dessert. At this particular Kibbutz there are over 500 families all working on the land and doing their part. In the olden times, the children were all raised together, and parents saw their kids from 4:00-8:00pm after they had worked. No one had anything private or owned, and everyone ate, lived, learned, and played in the same area! It was and is a children’s playground for they are completely free and able to roam around in the confines of the Kibbutz. It was an amazing place to be and all the food was amazing! I had fresh grapes right off the tree, and there were nectarine, peach, plum, apple, and orange trees everywhere. The Kibbutz also manufactures a very famous irrigation system that is used all over the world. Ron’s wife’s parents started the Kibbutz and they even told me I could come back and stay for as long as I wanted! I am hoping to come back and maybe live there between the end of August and September. I really need to learn Hebrew and do not want to leave the country until I feel I have a firm grasp of the language.

I move into the dorms on Sunday and will update you all with what my new digs look like!

With Love,

Annelise

Happy 4th of July from Israel!

2008-07-05T00:25:00.007+03:00

Above is a picture of Mordecai and Hava with her grandson on their in-laws Kibbutz. The Kibbutz was amazing and I have never seen anything like it ever. You literally can just go outside pick whatever fruit you want and run freely within the compound without fear of anything. Everyone should live on a Kibbutz atleast once in their life!
Just to update you all...I am still sleeping over 12 hours a day! My jetlag is really bad and I think on a few occassions Hava and Mordecai have mistaken me for dead! Other than that I am doing well and adjusting to my new home. I got a cell phone today with the help of Hava and Mordecai and now if you want to reach me all you have to do is dial:

+ 972 54 9085956

or send mail to:

Annelise Cohon

c/o International School

University of Haifa

Haifa 31905

Israel

To make me feel at home. Hava and Mordecai took me to meet their family near Tel Aviv. They have three children, two girls and one boy who are all grown up and have families of their own. They even bought hamburgers and hot dogs in honor of the 4th of July! I will post my vacation schedule soon, and move into the dorms this Sunday.

I am really looking forward to learning Hebrew fast and will update you with a lot more details later!

With Love,

Annelise

So Close and yet So Far!

2008-07-05T00:12:00.003+03:00

As I left Newark Airport, I felt an overwhelmingly urge of sadness and excitement to start my adventure. Wearing only a backpack and a handbag (a very big accomplishment for the heavy packer in me), I looked the part of a jet setter and even remembered to wear comfortable shoes and clothing on the plane. I liken my past airport experiences to running a 100k hurdle race, where I sometimes place in third or fourth among my competitors, grasping for air, flailing my arms, and occasionally falling on my face. However, this time I found myself in front of the pack and with more finesse than I had thought possible. Usually, when I am about to embark on a long voyage I run into the first hurdle of “timing”. Either I’m late, my flights late, or in this instance there is a labor strike in Germany which delays the boarding of my plane a mere four hours. Typical in my case, but nevertheless, a hurdle I surprisingly jump over with ease. Hurdle two usually comes in at the check in line, but disguises itself in many different shapes and forms. It could easily be the obese red-headed woman who refuses to go faster than a snail’s pace, it could be the drill sergeant airline worker who reprimands me that my bag is too heavy by shooting looks of disgust and disapproval, or it could be the ridiculously long check in line that makes one contemplate their desire to actually continue onward or save oneself and leave now, escaping all mental harm. Hurdle two was “in the bag” with the help of my mom, a veteran in the art of evading airport rules and regulations; I jumped the line, escaped the exorbitant fee, and proceeded onward on my journey. The race continued and it even looked as if I might be ahead.

Just for the record, in general, airports are never a place where I find an immense amount of relaxation and comfort. I get very anxious when I feel time is of the essence, and airports are black holes where time can be given or taken away with the wink of a video monitor. Also, I find airplane seats to be unbelievably uncomfortable in coach, where I normally sit, and can never find the perfect degree in which to turn my head without straining my neck to fall asleep.

So far this trip had been an exception to my previous ones, and although I have not been sitting business or first class, I was even able to enjoy a glass of red wine on my flight from Jersey to Frankfurt, and actually fall asleep despite all of the thoughts I had running around in my head.

Victory was insight as I touched down in Germany at around 11:00AM and I felt an immense sense of accomplishment for being able to not only fall asleep but wake up feeling refreshed. Now leg two of my race, Frankfurt to Israel. This one was a little bit more difficult due to my nine hour delay! So, to enlighten you about the Frankfurt airport there is no wireless internet, no places to sleep, no good stores to waste time or money in, and no use of trying to get into the Lufthansa lounge without being escorted out by an airline representative. Here I thought I would be enjoying the German countryside, strolling in the city and back in time before my flight when in reality I was trying to find a place to lay horizontal without telling me I couldn’t be there. Hopefully, my next time in Germany I will be able to explore more than the airport. Finally, after meeting a nice woman from Brazil and Zimbabwe, I boarded the airline at 9:25PM and counted down the minutes until my arrival into Ben Gurion Airport at 3:30AM.

As I descended into Tel Aviv, I could not even imagine what the country was going to look like. I was so excited to finally see Israel for the first time, that I could have been looking at any country and it still would have been the most beautiful place in the world. After leaving the plane I waited on the slowest immigration line ever for about an hour, and then promptly retrieved my bags (the last hurdle of my 100K). As I was leaving the airport, I saw a Middle Eastern looking man, with black hair and eyes, holding a sign that read ANNELSE COHON. I was so relieved he was still here, as Mordecai said (Mordecai and Hava are my family friends that I am staying with) that with my last bit of energy I rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. Whether this as socially appropriately or not, he really did not let on, he had been waiting over an hour and a half for me to arrive, and at 5:00AM, after he took a quick cigarette break, we finally left for Haifa.

As we drove up Route 2 going god knows how fast, he pointed out various buildings, towns, and places of significance. I felt like I was driving up the PCH with the beach to my left, and Mediterranean houses to my right. It only took us about one hour to go from Tel Aviv to Haifa and I was trying as hard as I could to pump the last bit of adrenaline left in my body. Haifa is a city on top of Mount Carmel and to get up you have to take a very long curvy road that makes your ears op once you pass a certain elevation. Haifa is different than most cities in they have a large number of Arabs and Israelis living together and also have a large population of Arabs at the University. When we finally arrived outside of my new home for a few days, I was delighted to meet Hava and she showed me inside her home and to my new room.

I slept from about 7:00AM to 8:00PM and was still tired when I woke up! Obviously, I was not prepared for this type of jet lag and will write more when I have regained more strength!

With Love,

Annelise

Home is on Einstein's lap

2008-06-26T09:09:00.004+03:00

The term “Home is where the heart is…”, has always been too clique for my liking. When describing my state of mind, I prefer the line “New York, New York”, but now find things to be a little more complicated than a Frank Sinatra song. Tonight I returned home to New Jersey after a wonderful trip in Washington D.C. It was a three-day father/daughter-bonding trip that was full of intangibles, college friends, beautiful architecture, and surprisingly feelings of homelessness all at the same time.

This trip to D.C. started as an, ‘it’s about time’, vacation for my dad and I, where I could see first-hand the work he was doing with his not-for-profit, Athena Alliance (http://www.athenaalliance.org/). Arriving on Sunday night, my dad and I met up with my friend Laurel for cocktails, Thai food in Georgetown, and then my dad and I prepared to wake up bright an early for a ten hour marathon at the National Academy of Science. The conference we were going to was regarding intangibles and Athena Alliances’ work with intellectual properties. So, to spare you all the exciting details regarding ideas and topics you could not even hold on to if you wanted to, I added the link to my father’s website in case you are interested, and don’t worry I won’t judge if you are!

The Intangible conference was ironically held near the statue of Albert Einstein. The bronze statue is huge and one of the hidden gems in Washington (Just to give you a better idea its 21 feet and over 7,000 pounds). After the conference, I made my father take a picture on Albert’s lap, which I know he thoroughly enjoyed (If you are ever in D.C. you have to go to this spot, if not just to sit on Einstein’s lap). Before we left, I noticed three quotes that were inscribed near the statue, but only ended up writing one of them down, "The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true."

After a long day, conferencem and open bar I met up with my friend Erika for drinks, who I had not seen since graudation. Erika looked beautiful and told me about her new job, men, and drunken adventures. It felt like no time had passed since we had last seen one another, and we talked about how much we had changed, how different things were, and how much we missed California.

I remember first moving out west and meeting Erika. It was right before our Sophmore year was about to start and it my first year in California. I was dragged to a party at Pitzer, a campus I knew nothing about, where I met this lush, and soon to be best friend in her dorm room (aka Erika). After being introduced to the girl who could barely keep herself standing upright, she managed to tell me she was from D.C., and I was so excited and desperate to meet a fellow East Coaster. After I practially forced her to give me her number and to take mine as well, I knew I needed some East Coast sanity.

However, for the past four years Calfironia has been more than a home to me. I have at times even called myself a West Coaster, and until talking to Erika, one of my best friends from college, did not really realize how not only we were both not living in California, but I was no longer in San Diego. Moving was hard enough, but I had atleast deluded myself enough with my California Driver’s Liscense that I was still a resident. Realizing that I was no longer a jog from my friend Katie’s house in Hillcrest, a 10 minute walk from Balboa Park, or that I wasn’t going to work off of Mission Gorge, made it even harder to be in D.C. Walking around the Capitol, Adams Morgan, Dupont Cirlce, and Eastern Market (http://www.easternmarketdc.com/), I constantly had to stop myself from comparing what I saw, or didn’t see, to California and just enjoy my surroundings.

On top of everything, it made it even more bittersweet to see my friend Laurel in her new home (D.C) for the next two years and feel jealous I did not have more time to enjoy Hillcrest. I began to think about the quote I had read from Einstein’s statue and realized its relevance to my present situation. The right to truth implies a duty. In my case, the truth is California will always be my home. Inside my heart, Hillcrest, San Diego, Claremont, and even California will always be with me. To deny that truth is a lie, just as it would be a lie to say I am not the person I am today because of all of my amazing friends who have become a family for me in California.

Although Isreal is not home yet, I can only hope to be half as lucky as I have been on the West Coast. If all else fails atleast Haifa is a beach city, and supposedly Einstein will not be too far away at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Supposedly, he bequethed all the rights to his name and image to them. Who would have thought a bronze statue could teach you so much?

With Love,

Annelise

This is not a Test!

2008-06-22T05:31:00.003+03:00

I repeat this is not a test! Finally what I have promised you all, my first attempt at “blogging”, as the hipster’s call it these days, to make sure all of you eager to stay in touch with me have all methods of communication available and ready at your disposal. This entry has taken awhile for me to write because it actually legitimizes the fact that I will be leaving in 10 days for the latest adventure I have landed myself in…

I write this entry after experiencing a roller coaster of emotions that started the day I put in my two weeks at Best Buddies, at the end of May, and will probably not end until I finally feel situated in my new surroundings. In less than a month, I have left a job that felt more like a family, left a family of friends in a place I have called home for the past four years, and prepared myself emotionally and mentally to leave for a country that is completely foreign to me.

Nothing about saying goodbye is fun, even if you have every intention of coming back. The goodbyes I have had to say, and still have to say, make me realize how fortunate I am to have such amazing people in my life. YOU give me the strength and courage needed to be independent and adventurous. So, to all of YOU reading this, who have continuously been a part of my life, Thank YOU for helping me feel loved, cared for, nurtured, confident, and strong. Now, emotional roller coaster aside…

Being home this last week and a half has been refreshing in that I have been able to see my family, friends, and city (NY/NJ, Kev) as much as possible. I am still in shock that I will actually be away for a full year, and can only imagine how different everything will seem when I come back. To give you the cliff’s notes version of the last 10 days I have been in Hackensack, I have seen the ‘Sex and the City’ movie, 2 concerts, 1 play, my Best friend leave to start her life in Italy, 40 Rock, survived another family reunion, taught my 4 year old boyfriend how to swim, gone to a gay piano bar, and survived being electrocuted outdoors in 5 of the last 7 thunderstorms that have hit the tri-state area. Like always, I’d rather try to fit the most into every minute, even if it doesn’t always end up working out like I would have planned. So, apologizes for the delay in blog-writing, but I am on board to the whole voyeurism of having my life be an online electronic book, and hope you enjoy what you read!

Before I forget, I feel blogging is almost like having one’s inner monologue written out for the world to see, and that vulnerability is probably what has kept me from starting one earlier. However, I think being able to use this website to show photos and share experiences will be really new and exciting for me. I have never been good about keeping a journal, and even though I am bringing one with me (Thanks to Poppa Bear!) I am going to stay committed at updating this as much as possible, starting now.

Any suggestions, tips, or even criticisms will be appreciated, says the avid student in me, but honestly if you don’t like it, I really don’t care, I already LOVE my blog and feel we are going to have a very happy life together.

With Love,

Annelise