My visit to Hebron in the West Bank!!!!

 

Today was our last , but in my mind, most important, siyur (field trip) of the year. When I told my dad that our last trip was to Hebron, a city in the West Bank, he freaked out and said, “Are you crazy! You can’t go there!” That’s when I knew I had to go. Hebron is South of Jerusalem and is the known as “The City of the Patriarchs” because that’s where all of our ancestors were born, lived and are currently buried. 165,000 Palestinians live there and a concentrated 500 Jews do, also, but with much difficulty.

 When we first arrived, we went to the place where Abraham purchased his first plot of land for 400 Shekels. This is not only preached in the bible, but also archeologist’s excavations have proved this to be true and the evidence lies behind a backyard and playground of a Jewish household. As we learned about Abrahams covenant, little Jewish boys with kippot on their heads rode their bicycle around and played in the sand nearby. All Jewish neighborhoods have thick security fences and soldiers guarding them for protection. The interactions between Muslims and Jews are basically nonexistent in this city and their lives are completely divided, socially and politically. There’s even a law that restricts Palestinians from collaborating with Jews. If an Arab is caught selling a house to a Jew, he will be arrested! Right away, my mind was taken back to pre-holocaust times when the Nuremburg laws declared these same things against the Jews. The stress that these Jewish families have to go through is unbelievable and as proof, we saw dozens of bullet holes pierced into the Jews’ cheap houses (mostly trailer homes). My respect for these relentless Jews who are making a strong statement just by living there, are extremely high. The inherent connection that Jews have to this place is so strong and unyielding that no bullet holes or  rocks thrown at their windows will turn them away. In fact, one of Judaism’s main laws is to return something that is lost. For instance, in biblical times, if your neighbor’s cow was to run off, it was a law to return it to them. In this case, Arabs were throwing rocks at their houses and the Jews made sure to return every single rock that was thrown back to the Arab households in order to demonstrate their desire for peace.

Next, we went to a viewpoint to view the Cave of the Patriarchs. We weren’t allowed to go into it because it’s only open to Jews 10 days a year but from afar we saw where Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are all buried. Afterwards, we went to the Hebron Massacre museum. In 1929, 67 Jews were murdered by Arabs, 59 died during the riots, and 8 died after from brutal wounds. Synagogues and homes were ransacked and the survivors of the massacre were ordered by the British Authorities to leave Hebron. In 1931, many Jews illegally returned and started settling and rebuilding their lives. We met a tour guide named David Wilder who is the spokesperson for the Jewish community in Hebron and he spoke to us about the conflict between Arabs and Jews. His view, predictably, was awfully biased and it was hard listening to him because his extreme viewpoints detracted from the logic and knowledge that he presented. Being on a Zionist program has really taught me to look at the background and history of the source that I’m getting my information from instead of blindly accepting what a speaker or article is telling me because even if they are extremely educated on the matter, if someone has a narrow mindset towards the issue, they will only present you one side of the evidence which is a strong form of manipulation. My goal has been to understand all sides of the conflict and to realize that because it’s a complicated issue, there is no right side and wrong side but instead, many different truths and viewpoints. David Wilder’s solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is this: all Jews in the world must make Aliya to strengthen our numbers, to me, the most ridiculous statement I’ve yet to hear about the issue. He also claimed that there’s “no such thing as Palestinian people” which is not only completely false, but also offensive.

After his lecture, we walked down a street in the Jewish neighborhood that used to be a lively, vibrant Arab shuk(market) but got shut down by the Israeli military because of violence that took place there. That order resulted in a lot of loss of jobs, ownership, and property on the Arab’s side. The road was empty, deserted, and the only remnants left are Arabic writing over the uninhabited shops. At the start of the road, there are Israeli soldiers with guns that only allow Jews to come in. If you are Arab, you have to take steep stairs up and around the whole street, which is a route three times longer. A mother with a baby or an old woman may not be able to walk this arduous journey and the wrongness of the scene was awful to witness, especially seeing Israeli soldiers enforce it. And then, we walked down the street more and saw around 15 soldiers patrolling different parts of the area and powerlessly, I felt a little anger towards the soldiers. While seeing these uniformed men with hard faces and guns at their side direct Arab children up the long staircase, I realized why many Arabs grow up hating Jews. The only Jews they might ever see in their lives are these soldiers that yell and make their life difficult!

And then I walked a bit further and one of the soldiers smiled at me, flashing green braces. It hit me then that these soldiers are as young as 17, younger than me, with the weight of the Jewish people on their shoulders. Every day, they have to make difficult, gruesome decisions and follow orders that sometimes don’t seam morally correct to them. Just like me, their opinions differ and they may have to enforce laws that are completely disgusting to them. They sit there for hours and hours, patrolling the area, knowing that the surrounding neighbors hate their guts. They get cursed at and have rocks thrown at them daily. We have to remember that they are just young kids and the anger and cruelty that they sometimes portray to the Arabs do not reflect the Jewish people, but moreover imitate childish behavior.

Near an old grocery store stood a sign that in big red letters read,  “THIS LAND WAS STOLEN BY ARABS. WE WANT JUSTICE. GIVE US OUR LAND BACK!” And it occurred to me that maybe all the conflict in Hebron isn’t worth it. If it’s creating so much anger and strife in the area, it defeats the purpose of living as a Jew in the second holiest city in the world. It’s not what Abraham would have wanted. But at the same time, the Jews living in Hebron are making a strong assertion that we, as Jews, belong there and will remain there. The question still lingers in my mind, if we go too far preserving our “holy” land, therefore acting impious; we are degrading what the place initially represents to the Jewish people.

After the Siyur, we went back to our campus and had a seminar with a group called “Heartbeat”. This is an organization that brings Palestinian and Jewish youth from all over the country together to create music and connect through song. This group gives kids the opportunity to meet with people they would normally never know or talk to. One of the biggest threats to Israel’s future is the children on both sides of the conflict growing up hating each other because of their upbringing. Most fear comes from the unknown, and if an Arab only knows Jews by what they hear from others, they wont be able to formulate their own opinion. Layer by layer, these kids are getting to know each other, bonding, and becoming friends. They have an interfaith dialogue together to hear others’ opinions about the conflict and understand more what the “other side” feels and encounters on their day-to-day life. Of course, the conversations sometimes get very heated but with music, they learn to express their feelings in a healthy, productive way.

Last day in Greece

Today I woke up earlier than everyone else and read my book outside in the sun while drinking tea and talking to Frenchy. I made sandwiches for everyone and woke them up, rushing them to pack so we would get to the bus stop on time. I left before them and they just barely made it in time.. the bus was just beginning to leave as they rushed on. We finally got to our next stop: Heraklion, and left our bags at the bus station and then went to go explore. Our ferry was leaving seven hours later so we had the whole day to wander. We walked around town, sat on the beach for a while, and ate our last Greek meal. We went to a church nearby and saw a bunch of kids break dancing and singing. As the end of the trip is almost near, I ask myself, what did I gain or learn from this trip? Besides learning more tips on backpacking such as what type of people I want to go with in the future (or maybe go by myself) and what type of planning and supplies I need, what is worth remembering? I’d probably say that the biggest thing is meeting new people and learning from them. Every new person I meet opens up a whole new world and perspective to me. The people I met on the way have showed me so much character, kindness, and generosity. I find that I enjoy meeting the locals and being apart of small communities way more than taking the “touristy route”. Every new experience I have augments my understanding and knowledge of the world at large.

Another awesome day in Greece!

Today was wonderful! The small community in Greece (about thirty people) holds all of their community events at the lending library, a one room building with benches outside at the bottom of the mountain. We were invited to an Easter lunch/auction which was only about a three minute walk from our hostel because the town is so small. We walked down a dirt path and through some forest to get there. Everyone that lives there is either retired or over 50 years old so we were the youngest people there but they welcomed us graciously and the offered us food for free from the buffet and bar. There was a raffle to win all sorts of prizes that every family brought in, mostly wine and liquor (unfortunately I didn’t win anything). All of the money that the library makes goes to feeding the stray cats around the town. It’s such a sweet, genuine community who live in a simple, more primitive way of life without electricity or unnecessary desirables.  Afterall, why would you need television if you live by a river in the mountains ten minutes away from the beach? After the lunch, we started our hike to the waterfall. It was unbelievable beautiful and and I walked for a couple hours barefoot through the river and up huge, heavy boulders that led straight up to the top of the mountain. We got to many clear, fresh springs and swam in them although it was icy cold. After about three hours, we arrived at the top of the mountain and admired the awesome view of the entire city and ocean. We took a dirt trail back down to the hostel and I got back, completely worn out and starving. 

After planning our travel arrangements for the last couple of days, we walked to the beach arguing about where we wanted to go for dinner. I realized that the hungrier a person gets, the more stubborn they get as well so as we walked down the road quarrelling about our dinner plans for about forty five minutes, then everyone eventually gave into their bellies and we ended up at the same restaurant as the night before. I ordered the vegetarian plate and of course, our table got saganaki followed by free Raqi shots at the end of the meal. The drinks were nauseating but it’s rude to decline so I drank it anyway. When we got back to the hostel, all the people I met at the hostel sat around and we played cards and drank together long into the night. I had a great time and ended up meeting a girl from San Fransisco that’s going to the same music festival as me this summer called Outside Lands! One of the boys I met is 20 and from Boston and went to Ohio State for college, and another girl is 26 years old and just got back from Tanzania where she taught English for a year. I would love to do something like that after colloge and I talked to her for a long time about her experience and I also told her about my journey in Rwanda. 

I love meeting interesting , curious people that have a drive for knowledge and a passion for growing and learning more and more about the world. I’m excited to meet these types of people at Madison next year! Traveling makes me so open to new cultures and exposes me to so many different types of people. Frenchy moved homes every couple of months when he was young and now travels alone all over the world selling his jewelry. I was wondering to myself, is it a bad thing that he’s so used to meeting friends and people and then leaving and most likely never seeing any of them again? I know it’s life to move on and start anew, but there’s something very nice and comforting about having a specific community and home to call yours. His home changes every couple of months! One reason I love being Jewish is because the Jewish community surpasses any types of borders so that wherever I am in the world, I will find that community that makes me feel at home and closer to my family.

One Rock Beach in Greece!

Rummage sale jacket

Today was one of the first extremely warm and sunny days out so we packed sandwiches with cream cheese and cucumbers and headed out to the beach. A family from Holland drove us to the public beach nearby but we wanted to find a more isolated spot so we walked around the mountain more and got to a beach called “One Rock Beach” that was completely secluded surrounded by caves. There were only about 20 people there, most of them naked, just drinking beers and chillen in the sun. I’ve never been to a nudist beach before and even though I still had my bathing suit on, the environment felt very free and relaxed. Walking by the water was so refreshing because nature sends me such eccentric vibes and energizes and boosts my soul. The three Americans from our hostel came as well and we all climbed up the mountain and jumped off the cliff!!!! It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life and the freezing water was an absolute shock that numbed my entire body and it was completely nuts .. but I Loved it. It made me feel completely whole and alive and the adrenaline that rushed through me pierced my veins and woke up every tired cell and neuron in my body! We layed on the beach for a while and fell asleep. The water was glistening and the wind was creating wild, white waves. After spending the day there, we walked back to the hostel and went to a rummage sale at the town’s lending library. I bought an old grandma’s jacket with crazy flowers and shoulder pads but ripped out the shoulder pads and fixed it up a little.(I get compliments on it all the time now!) Two ladies at the sale told me about how sad they are that tourism is blossoming there because buildings and roads have been rapidly sprouting, ruining the natural, old fashioned feel of Plakias. “Don’t tell any of your friends about this place or next thing you know, they’ll plop down a Hilton Hotel on the mountain!”

Easter in Greece!

We caught the bus this morning and drove through the beautiful, mountainous landscape and I could see the snowy mountains in the distance. We arrived at a new town on the beach side and with my heavy backpack weighing down my shoulders, and another backpack over my stomach, I painfully trudged through the town. We walked past all the hotels, restaurants and tourty places, and made a sharp turn and eventually walked into the mountains. We followed a dirt path to a pink hostel surrounded by a river and green everywhere! It was a dream! The owner was out still so we had a couple hours to kill. We walked down a path with Frenchy and towards the river. In sandals, I trekked across slippery rocks in the river, up huge boulders and through prickly, unyielding bushes. We saw an old, run down wind mill and climbed onto it and then to an ancient church carved into a rock. I walked through the river barefoot and took lots of pictures. 

hostel

old windmill

Church at night

We walked back to the hostel with hungry, gaping stomachs and moved into our bungalow style huts. I met some awesome old people in the hostel and then went to the town’s favorite, locally run restaurant called Mousa. It was a really cheap Greek restaurant with the biggest menu I’ve ever seen in my life! There was ongoing pages, one after the other, filled with the strangest types of food. I ordered white wine, saganaki, and vegetarian Mousakka (a greek vegetable dish that sort of tastes like a sponge!) A forty year old couple we met at the hostel recommended this restaurant to us and they ended up coming with us. They are originally from Canada but are traveling the world together and liked Crete so much that they ended up staying an extra month, living in old abandoned library with no electricity and broken windows. They are definitely two quite strange people. The dad left his two kids who are only 16 and 14 at home so he could travel with his new girlfriend and hasn’t been home in years. He complained to me that his kids “still haven’t forgiven him for leaving but there’s not enough time left in his life to stay put!” I feel terrible for his kids and think that eventually, he’ll regret leaving his kids and missing their childhood. He started talking about religion and said that it’s all “bullshit,” and I ended up arguing with him for the rest of dinner. After dinner, we all drank too much Raqi (which didn’t help the friendliness of our religion argument), and chased them with little cakes that they gave us for free. The dinner ended with me defending Israel about the Palestinian “occupation”.

On Easter, the little town that we were at has a tradition of walking up to the of the mountain at midnight to a church. Everyone brings candles and fireworks go off the whole night and after some time of praying, everyone comes down the mountain together to party and eat. The pitch blackness along with the Raqi shots made it hard for me to follow the narrow path up the mountain, and although I was exhausted and out of breath from the steepness of the hill, we finally made it to the top.  “Beware of the boys on the roof” was a warning we had originally gotten from our hostel owner. We didn’t know what he meant, but when I finally got up there and saw the boys throwing things at people from the roofs, I was well prepared and stayed away. Piercing fireworks went off for about fifteen minutes and then the priest came out, and everyone was silent. He said a prayer and rang the church bell, and then everyone started descending the hill. On the way down, a couple American kids I had met from the hostel and I layed down and stargazed because the sky view was ridiculous! It was pitch black and I could see the entire sky.

Chill day in Greece

Today was beautiful day! Filled with sunshine and special vibes in the air. This morning, I made eggs with onions and tomatoes for breakfast for my roommates. Ben and I went to rent a car and we drove around aimlessly on the shoreline for hours and then went South down the highway. On the right was the Mediteranean sea, on the left was the vast mountains, and straight ahead in the distance were white capped snowy mountains! It was a breathtaking drive. We stopped at a deserted beach with a church on it, I got a vegetarian guiro (their most popular dish) and eventually drove back to our hostel. I sat on the porch with Frenchy, writing in my journal and drawing in my sketchbook. I even wrote this poem: 

My Guardian Angel, you direct me through a clear, pure path

My spiritual guide, when there’s a ripple in the tide, you’re there by my side,

Pushing me forward towards the light, even in the night,

My trust resides in you

because if I tune it, you’ll give me that clue.

The one that brings me back to my breath,

To build up my power until death

With you, I’m never alone.

Your energy circulates within me,

Connect me to the trees, the sky, the sea.

The rock in which I sit, I feel the vibrations, the soul

Together with this earth, I feel whole.

The force passes on its vibrant vibes,

I finally feel alive. It lifts me off my feet so I can get up and jive,

Like a red wine dance through my veins , everything around me becomes insane

And like a tree’s roots that secretly bind underground,

Humans, too, have invisible connectors that don’t make a sound,

but if you pat attention closer, they intertwine between souls and people

and angels and earth,

and lucky you, you’re bound within this beautiful force right at birth.

 

Then we drove far down South to another town for dinner at a family tavern and we feasted! I got stuffed tomatoes, saganaki (fried cheese) and of course, free shots of Raqi. We stayed there for a couple hours and then I instantly fell asleep when we got back.

People in Greece

This morning I got up by myself to go to the fruit market. It’s nice exploring by myself every once in a while. I saw a huge, antique clock tower and went to a small, family owned restaurant (there was only one menu at the place). I like going to those types of restaurants so much better because it’s less touristy, you’re directly supporting specific people, not huge industries, and it’s more homey and comfortable. Afterwards, I came back to the hostel and it started pouring but they have a screened in porch so I sat outside listening to the rain, reading my book, The Third Eye, and drinking tea. An adorable French dude was sitting out there twisting metal jewelry and telling me about his travels.

             That night I made soup in the hostel kitchen with all the ingredients I bought from the market. The old Swedish lady helped me and I made a big, wonderful pot with carrots, onions, cabbage, and zucchini and shared it with the other hostelers. I sat on the porch, sharing wine with people from New York, Spain, Austria, Sweden, and France. What a diverse group! It was the perfect night. Everyone was sharing food, drinks, and stories. I was given chocolate cookies, spinach pies, hard boiled eggs, and sangrias. My absolutely favorite part of traveling is this exactly- meeting new people from around the world and exchanging cultures and backgrounds. The Austrian man was playing a weird looking instrument that sort of resembles a violin. He tried to teach me for a while but I gave up quickly. 

French guy (originally from Morocco) name Midi

Not all who wander are Lost -GREECE!

I woke up and everyone was still asleep(as usually) so I decided to take a couple minute stroll. Of course this stroll turned into a couple hours because my lack of direction sense had me walking lost in circles. Eventually though, I wandered right to the shore line and sat on the beach for a while by myself. At first, I watched a man fish with his dogs and then once I got bored, I took out my handy dandy notebook and wrote a poem. Here it goes,

Apathetically Lost

At a mental exhaust

I wander with no purpose, no direction

Following the wind for a sign, a suggestion

And as the road intertwines,

Like wild, twisted, vines,

I don’t care about created, artificial time

I follow the map of deep creases engraved on the palm of my hand,

Tracing the lines to discover new land.

But the unknown will eventually grow familiar

And although I embark on this journey without an objection

My breath will focus and come to a stretched instant of perfection.

Swedish Couple

I walked back and found the others just arising from their slumber. We went to the food market which was nice because I bought a lot of nuts and Crete’s famous honey, but the place was also disgusting because there were dead animals hanging everywhere and it smelt like a slaughterhouse! Then we caught a bus and went to Rethymno youth hostel, a colorful, lively place in the middle of a busy town. There were tons of people there from all over the world and an old Swedish couple made me a very interesting soup with fish, vegetables, and yogurt. I met people in the lobby and we all watched Willie Wonka with French subtitles. Ben and I went to explore the surrounding area that looked super old-European with Vinetian style alleyways and antique, tiny shops and cafes. Then we heard Greek/Latin music and were drawn into a small hole-in-the-wall bar and the second we got there, the bartender offered us free shots with a plate of bread and olives! It’s very common in Greece to offer guests free stuff when they walk in to be hospitable and welcoming. Every hostel I’ve been to has also done this convival gesture. 

We came back to the hostel to take a nap, falling asleep to James Taylor. I heard the door open meaning new arrivals, new people to meet! I see an old couple of 60 or 70 stumble in and drop their bags next to our bunk bed. They assumed I was sleeping but with my eyes slightly cracked open, I watched the old lady lip sync along to James Taylor, smiling widely. I fell asleep again and about an hour later when I woke up, I looked over to their bunk bed and I saw them together on the bottom bunk, cuddling and still singing along to gool ol’ James. True Love. Because I’ve never grown up with grandparents, I’ve never seen an old couples intimacy before and so my heart warmed and I couldn’t help but get really giddy and happy. After talking to them later, I learned that instead of having kids, they use their money to travel all around the world together. They made hard boiled eggs and went on a hike. “You guys act like a young couple!” I told them, and they just laughed, held hands, and skipped off like they were heading to a highschool prom.

 

Chilling with the Monks in Greece!

I woke up at 5.30 in attempt to head to a monastary far in the north, made everyone sandwiches and thn woke the others. It usually takes about three or four times of me yelling and hitting them to finally wake them up.  After about thirty minutes of that, they finally got out of bed and caught our bus from the bus station. Weirdly, we were the only three on the bus but it was a gorgeous ride through the countryside. The golden sun was just rising, the mountain range stretched along the distance, and my ipod was playing my favorite music, Yonder Mountain String Band. We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere, all around us was lush green grass and mountains back dropping the crop fields. We walked up to an enormous monostarie and silently creeped our way in. It was empty but so beautiful and nothing like I’ve ever seen in my life- it looked like an enormous princess palace, something you’d only see in Disney fairytale movies. We walked into the church and heard the chants and prayers or the monks, They ignored us but we sat and watched their routine for a while, admiring the old, majestic beauty of the church.

Then we walked out the courtyard door that had a sand path leading into the wilderness far in the distance. IT was breathtaking and the air was cold and clear and flower beds and trees crowded the perimeter of the path. I felt completely content and at peace because my favorite pastime ever is walking through nature, exploring unknown territories and feeling one with the earth. I couldn’t help but take a shit ton of pictures also. We got to a dead end and had to walk back to the monostarie. On the way back, a dog that was tied to a tree started barking insanely at us, so we went over to pet it and give it some water. As we were petting it, we heard whimpering sounds coming from behind the tree and five little puppies emerged out of a hole in the ground scrambling out to us, still blind and vulnerable from a recent birth. It was the cutest sight I’ve ever seen. We pet them for a bit, had a photoshoot, and walked back to the monostarie. 

Turns out, we were at the wrong monostarie that we wanted to be at. The one our tour guide told us about was 10 km away! It was completely deserted and freezing and we had seven hours to kill before our bus would pick us up, so we started walking to it.  After about an hour of walking in the freezing cold, an old woman drove by and kindly picked us up and brought us a bit closer. The rest of the hike was epic and the view was magnificent. We saw goats and many different types of birds. We stopped for sandwiches and apples at a tree stub, and then after another hour up a steep mountain, we finally made it. This monostarie was even more beautiful then the last. We explored around for a while but the monks were busy and no one came out to talk to us. We were hoping to meet and talk to a monk and even get a tour from one of them, but they would walk right past us like we were invisible.  Five more hours to kill. The wind picked up and my regret for wearing a skirt in that weather escalated. We all huddled together in a corner waiting for time to pass to finally get on a warm bus and head back to our hostel. I was a little disappointed in the monks. Why wont they greet their visitors? I assumed they weren’t very kind people for allowing three shivering travelers to sit and rot. After sitting and shivering for about 45 minutes, a fifteen year old boy comes out and hands us two mini cinnamon cakes. “This is a gift from the head monks,” he said, then turned and walked away. I smiled and thought to myself, “maybe they are hospitable after all..”. We demolished the cakes and continued to shiver.  A little bit later, the boy comes back and with the little English he knew, he invited us to go inside to warm up. We immediately accepted his invitation and followed him into a big, old fashion room full of couches. He brought us a tray of water, candies, and lit up a primitive fireplace for us and then left to go pray. I was so in amazement by this gesture and felt guilty for having bad thoughts about their community earlier. We hung out on the couches for a while and about an hour later, he came back and said, “Would you like to speak to English speaking Monk?” We greatly accepted and walked across the courtyard to a Monks room. The warmth and generosity they showed us already was unbelievable. We walked into the room and saw an old man with a black church robe and silly hat in a wheelchair. His voice was broken and raspy but he explained to us that he has an illness called ALS which paralyzes and eventually kills you. He had a hard time talking but said he was so happy to be able to speak English because he was originally from New York. He was raised by greek-orthodox parents but didn’t go to church ever because he was a hard core athlete. As he got older, he started seeking out god and explored Buddhism, transcendentalism, meditation, and eventually made his way back to the greek-orthodox community and moved there to be a monk. He spoke slowly but with so much passion and truth. He asked us tons of questions and said  were lucky because our age allows us to be open to new things and were not yet set in our ways. We asked him lots of questions and one thing that I asked was, “Do you feel that your illness was put upon you from god? And why would he do that to you?” and he replied that his illness was a blessing from god because it allowed him to look inward rather then focus on his physical body like he did growing up. He said the only thing that his illness doesn’t kill is his mind and spirit which is the most important thing for him. Right then I realized that he is a hero, a beautiful admiration to me and such a strong human being. He was happy when I told him I was Jewish and didn’t try persuade me to change my ideals to his like I assumed he would when we first walked in. He ordered tea and cookies for us after talking to him for a couple hours, his friend happened to be driving back to Chania where our hostel was so we got a free ride back! What an experience! I’ve been so fortunate to have been able to connect to so many different sorts of cultures this year and each community has let me in and hosted me wonderfully. I’ve only seen grace and compassion from all different types of people this year and each time, my heart swells with my pride in humanity. 

Greece Day Five

 We finally awoke and went to a fish tavern for lunch right on the ocean. I ordered a vegetarian salad and Casey and Ben got calamari and octopus. The waiter gave us salmon for free to be hospitable  and although I don’t like fish, I tried it and loved it. We walked around the deserted beach and then into different neighborhoods with cute, colorful houses. 

An Arab boy walked out of his house to talk to us but he didn’t speak English and it was hard to communicate. He invited us into his home and we walked up a spiral staircase into his tiny living room. He made us Moroccan Chai tea and explained to us in French (my friend Ben spoke French) that him and his brother were from Morocco but moved to Greece to find work. Now, he works at a bakery in Crete and brought us a plate of his homemade baked goods and made us avocado smoothies! He showed us lots of Moroccan music on his computer and we showed him some of our favorite bands. We watched “Arabs got Talent” and videos of Elton John and Shakira. Although it was hard to communicate with him, he showed us such amazing hospitality and even invited us over for the next night. 

We left his house after a couple hours we stumbled our way into the center of town which had lots of old, European small alleyways and turquoise, intricately decorated buildings. We walked around the corner and was right on the waterfront. We walked along the beautiful shore past hundreds of fisherman boats and watched the sunset. It’s nice being able to figure out everything as we go and not having to stick to a stiff schedule. Although we definitely could have been more prepared, having a loosely planned trip was nice, too. We ate dinner at the waterfront and Casey and I split a calzone. Because my credit card situation was messed up, I had to borrow money from Casey for a couple of days. Never in my life have I been without money! It’s an extremely uncomfortable feeling having to mooch off of other people and I’ve been so fortunate to never have had to worry about money before.

Dinner was awesome- we talked about reincarnaton, camp and was laughing the whole time. The waiter gave us free ice cream and then we walked back and stopped at an internet café on the way. The owner of the café played guitar for us for a while and then we went back and went to sleep.

Greence Day 4

The ferrie boat to Crete was a lot bigger than I had imagined. It had over ten restaurants and cafes,  There was an obvious class system on the boat: rich people had their own rooms with a bed, and the poor people (including us) slept on the deck floor in the cold. It was a seven hour journey and the entire time, I was on the verge of sleep.. passing the line every couple of minutes and then being jerked back awake by a sudden jolt of the boat or a rush of chilly wind. We arrived at five in the morning and took a taxi to the front gate of the hostel and the owner told us to call him when we got there but we had no phone to call! We were freezing and exhausted, so we put our stuff on the side of the road and began to sleep on the sidewalk. A little bit later, a neighbor came out and asked if we needed any help. He let us use his phone and we eventually got a hold of him and were directed to our dorms. I fell on my bed and slept instantly.

Memorial Day/Independence Day in Jerusalem

            Memorial day isn’t celebrated lightly here in Israel. Unlike America, where memorial day means no school, sledding, and barbecues, everyone in Israel takes this day very seriously. Israeli flags are posted up everywhere and every car puts one on their roof. The night before, every city holds memorial services and I went to one with all of MASA (the head umbrella that overlooks all the gap year programs) and heard lots of tear jerking stories about fallen soldiers. Torches were lit and prayers were sung. The next morning, we all went to Har Herzl to pass out water to people and put flowers on graves. I was expecting a lot of people, but was shocked to see thousands and thousands of people squished together in the massive gravesite. I could hardly move. Every Israeli has someone they know that has died in the army, so the weight of the service is huge. The siren went off for about 1 minute, signaling the whole country to stand still wherever they are and have a minute of silence. All cars pull over and everyone gets out to stand. At the service, all the soldiers saluted and stood still, and everyone else just stood tall to remember all of those who have passed away. It was truly an amazing experience to witness this event in society because the army plays a significant aspect in Israeli culture as it unites the people together.

            The switch from memorial day to independence day is very sudden. The sadness that people feel for the lost lives turns into gratefulness that this country exists because without the sacrifices of many soliders, we wouldn’t have Israel today. In every city, there were dance parties and barbecues, song sessions and festivals. It was hard to decide which party to go to, but my roommate and a couple other people and I went all the way up north into the mountains for an Independence Day Nature Party Rave. A couple hundred people set up tents everywhere (even though nobody slept) and for twelve hours through the night, everyone was dancing and having a good time.  

Greece Day Three

We woke up at eleven and ate breakfast in the communal hostel kitchen. The staff at the hostel were eating too and we found out they are only fifteen and seventeen years old! They’re siblings from Canada and their parents let them come to Greece for a couple months to work at the hostel. What an awesome job it would be to work at a hostel at this age- they get to meet people from all over the world and live by themselves in an awesome city. After finishing breakfast, we went to go find the Athens marketplace and on the way, we walked through a farmers market and ended up buying bananas (the biggest bananas I’ve ever seen), sweet strawberries, olives, and huge jugs of local, homemade wine for only two euros each. I love the vibrancy and energetic atmosphere that marketplaces hold, people are more friendly and talkative here than they’d normally be in a regular grocery store. Then, we caught a bus to the Athens marketplace which was super crowded, expensive and touristy.   

Ben and I

After, we went to a travel agency to book a ferry for Crete Island and then had to rush back to our hostel to change for Shabbat. On the way back, we saw a protest for workers rights and learned that the government had just cut workers’ pay by ten to twenty percent. We caught a taxi from our hostel to the only synagogue in Athens and although Casey really didn’t want to go, I pulled her along and told her it was really important for me to go. The synagogue was a big, square white building and as a woman, I had to walk upstairs to the ladies section. Casey was a bit offended by this but I understand and completely respect the men/women segregation in synagogues. To put it simply, men and women have different roles in life and should also have different responsibilities in the synagogue and in Judaism. The windows were colorful, stained glass prints and the chairs were old and wooden. It was a beautiful, antique building but only five women were there and about ten men because there’s only two to three thousand Jews in Athens. It’s a bit sad to see an empty congregation like that especially after going to Poland where I saw dozens of empty synagogues that used to be lively and swarming with Jews. After services, we followed the whole congregation back to the Rabbi’s house for dinner. We walked up pitch black stairs(because on Shabbat, one cannot use electricity) and sat down at one of the five tables. Around forty people came- some from Australia, Brazil, France, Mexico, and the States. The Rabbi grew up in Israel and moved to Athens for one reason only: to strengthen the Jewish community there and serve as a Chabad house for travelers. He believes that as a Jew, he must care and look out for Jews all over the world. The biggest tragedy to him, he explained to me, is to lose a Jewish community, especially after the Shoa where we lost tons of them so he came to Athens to lead services, have everyone over for Shabbat every week, and try to inspire the Jews to move to Israel. His goal is to move back to Israel but he won’t leave until every Jew in Athens does, also. We ate a wonderful meal and I felt so proud as different people from all over the world sang Shalom Alechem together, all people who share the same history and traditions. 

After dinner, we left and walked towards the center of town we were drawn into an underground bar with Greek folk music. A banjo player and two guitarists played music for us as we sat and sipped disgusting Greek liquor called Raqui. Raqui is cheaper than water is Greece so wherever you go, whether it be a restaurant or a bar, the waiter will instantly give you free shots of the repulsive drink. 

We left and then walked to the city square where there was a huge congregation of hippies pounding on drums. There was also a large Arab population hanging out there and after talking to an Arab man who moved to Greece as a refugee from Turkey, we found out that we were at a fundraiser/demonstration for the Turkish refugees. They moved to Greece looking for a better life in a democratic state.  We hung out for a while, talking to lots of different people when all of a sudden, I heard two gunshots and everyone instantly dispersed and ran in all different directions. I felt the energy of the street turn from chill to instant chaos and anxiety. I grabbed Casey’s hand and we dashed away with the crowd until I saw an open restaurant that we quickly stepped into. My throat and nose started burning and my eyes started watering like crazy. I had no idea why until I realized everyone else that had just run in the room had the same problem. We had been tear gassed!  The waitress ran around, passing out free water and warm milk to sooth our throats. Some people ran to the bathroom with bloody noses. When we finally thought it was safe to leave, we caught a taxi back to our hostel and I drifted off to sleep thinking about my ridiculously crazy day.

Greece Day Two

 We woke up and left with the teacher boy to explore by eight.  We walked past a Jewish cemetery and then up thousands of stairs to a lookout point at the top of the mountain with a beautiful church on top. We saw the white, crowded Athens from a bird’s perspective and once we were satisfied, we walked back down the mountain. Next, we brought a picnic to the beautiful Botanical Gardens, a huge park area filled with 16 million trees, a pond with hundreds of turtles, and dirt paths that twists and turn through the nature. We sat in the grass and ate cheese and tomato sandwiches, kettle chips, strawberries, and peach juice. While we were eating, we saw a red haired girl with a traveling backpack on eating by herself, so we waved her over to sit with us. Turns out, she’s currently in the Peace Cores in Albania and just recently graduated from the University of Madison (where I’m soon attending!). Also, her roommate was from Hopkins, the same school I go to! What a small world! 

Here's something I wrote while laying in the grass at the gardens:
  During your first few steps of life, the mysterious world is an uncovering story and every turn you make, you’re wide eyed with curiosity about the wonders of the universe. Firstly, your house is the most wonderful, amazing thing and your parents are hilarious and all knowing. You get older and then start exploring your neighborhood which is so big and for the first time, your experiencing things without your parents and the world is bigger then them. The world is so grand that you can’t wait to grow up and explore it. But then, before you grow up you become a spiteful teenager and the world “sucks” and everything is mundane and ordinary. Your parents are weird with funny accents, school is boring and the girls are mean, and the most important thing in the universe is you! Eventually, that stage thankfully passes and you become less ego-centric and start to realize that the world is a lot more complicated and important than you are. You throw away your hair brush and heels because that material stuff doesn’t matter to you anymore. Those people don’t matter- you want to surround yourself with positive, ardent energies and good spirited people like yourself. You come across new cultures, people, ideas and places and the curiosity that was once in the form of your former, child self, returns in a new form and the world once again starts to expand right before your eyes. You realize that you’re just an insignificant speck of matter in this huge, multifaceted world and at first, it’s a little damn depressing when you feel small and powerless. You wonder about the purpose of your existence and the meaning of your life. What can I do to make an impact in this world? is your tenacious question and you slowly abandon the idea of god because it’s too hard to wrap your head around and not believing is way easier. Then, your adulthood is approaching fast and the enormity and complexity of this world is exciting and wondrous and you’re just dying to be apart of it all! How can you connect more to the world, to people, to yourself? You try all sorts of things from sports to drugs to religion to music classes, to feel a connection to something bigger than you, something divine, something infinate. Maybe that “thing” is god. You’re desperate for something tangible to believe in, to desire! There’s so much to see and so many people to meet so you start off on your journey to find adventures and truths about the world and about yourself.

Greece Day One

  I’ve never celebrated my birthday in two countries before! Half the day was in Israel, some was spent flying in the sky, and I arrived in Greece for lunch! We walked down the road from our hostel to get a traditional, Greek lunch consisting of Saganaki (fried cheese, which would be come part of our regular diet in Greece), and pita with vegetables, fries and a white yogurty sauce. Afterwards, we went to the hostel hang out room and met some other travelers- a 24 year old Canadian, preppy teacher who currently lives in London , and one Wisconsin history major freak who talks a lot and is very knowledgeable about Greek history. The dude would eventually become our annoying but necessary tour guide. We walked around to the Olympic stadium which was brilliantly lit up, and then ventured to the Acropolis which is majestic and enchanted at night. Hanging out with a teacher was super weird because I’ve never been old enough to do so- before this, they’ve always seemed so old and “above” me, but for the first time, I was drinking wine and eating stuffed peppers with one. When did I get so freakishly old??? For my birthday dinner, they came out with us to an empty Greek restaurant with a guitarist and mandolinist performing in the moonlight. We feasted, danced a bit to the music, and slowly headed back to our hostel. We walked past colorful, grafitti-filled streets with a black dog that followed us home. It was sad shooing the dog away before walking into our warm, safe hostel. Poor pup.

Afternoon in Jerusalem

Today after classes, I went for a run with my friend Danielle and then, about seven people went to the Taelet (a lookout point that views over the entire Jerusalem). There are beautiful green fields and lots of people that go to read, picnic, play games, and just chill. I often go here to meditate and read when my mind is too hectic. We had lots of different fruit juices, fruit salad, cake, melons and we hung out and talked for a while, mostly about the complications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because what else would a bunch of Young Judaeans be talking about? Then a group of twelve Arab boys started playing soccer next to us.  A couple of us asked if we could join and we ended up playing soccer with them until the sun set and the call to prayer was echoing throughout the city. Although they didn’t speak much English, we bonded over the love of soccer. I realized that this was the first time I had hung out with Arab kids here and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to meet them because every bridge constructed between a Jew and an Arab in Israel is just one step closer to peace in this land.

Holocaut Remembrance Day

Today for holocaust remembrance day, we took a bus to Yad Va Shem, the official holocaust museum in Israel, for a memorial service. I’ve been here three times before, but every time, it never fails to amaze me. The museum is located on top of a big hill surrounded by green trees and if you look over the balcony, you can see the lights of the entire city. The museum is so gigantic that you learn an immeasurable amount every time you come.

            Thousands of people including dozens of holocaust survivors, the prime minister, members of the Knesset, the president, and packs of soldiers, filled the chairs outside in the courtyard. At the front of the pack stood a stage with three huge projector screens and a podium where various speakers preached. Six holocaust survivors went on stage and after showing a video of each of their life stories’, they lit a torch to represent the 6 million that died in the Shoa. Although I was already shivering from the cold under the grey Jerusalem sky, after seeing the survivors stand proudly in front of millions of viewers, the chills of sadness, but also empowerment, gushed through my body. People around me were crying, some were even holding their neighbor, although a stranger, next to them.

            After hearing the chief Rabbi talk and say the Mourners Kiddush, the entire audience, along with a group of violinists on stage, sang the Hatikvah. I felt the weight and vigor of the Jewish community all together, sharing a similar moment while reflecting on a significant event that isn’t just historically important, but also personally momentous to each and every Jew in the audience. Singing the Hatikvah alongside thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world, was an experience that I will never forget. My pride and love for this country continues to distend and swell as I understand more and more how miraculous and incredible it is that this country, as well as the Jewish people, exists in the first place.