happy new year!

just like Christmas, New Year's is just another regular day here in Israel. I imagine some of my local friends were celebrating, but I have been spending a great deal of time on my research, not to mention an intensive study of the Arabic language. Needless to say, no partying for me this year - I must be getting old! I did however spend some time reflecting back on this year (what a wonderful life-changing year it was) and what I did last year for New Year's Eve. There was a really big party in Balboa Park called Dragon Ball, which featured most of my friends either as musicians, dancers, or DJs. I dont remember if I didn't go because I knew I'd know everybody (that is not always a good thing), because it was a big hoopla which costed $$$, or because it was raining and the event was held outdoors. But I had a great quiet evening at home, and I played my bass guitar to Theivery Corporation (they have great bass lines) for a couple hours. I think the most amazing New Year's Eve I had was in 2002 when I was in Rio de Janeiro, on the beach of Copacabana. Muito BELEZA! That is a MUST within one's lifetime. Next year I hope to be in Times Square, as I have always seen it on TV and wished I could attend.

Speaking of New York, I have been giving considerable thought to what I want to do after I finish this my second Master's Degree, here in Israel. I applied to 3 different universities for my PhD, one of which is Rutgers, in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan. hopefully I should find out within the next few months. ASU lost my GRE scores, and USC seems to be experiencing difficulty receiving one of my supplemental applications electronically. Besides they want $85 for the application fee, which doesn't even guarantee my admission. Not that Im choosing Rutgers by process of elimination, mind you. But since I left San Diego, my home of 13 years, I am somewhat homeless. I mean my family is in AZ and I live in Israel right now, but the future is wide open. The world is my oyster. United Nations? That's in NY too :)

innocents abroad

if you have never read The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain, I'd recommend it. it is a descriptive travel narrative in which he travels to many European cities and into the Middle East, and documents everything, embellishing on many topics with an influx of humor and American bias. I had this travel account for a reading assignment in my Orientalism class (basically a literature class focusing on Middle Eastern travel literature and discourse) and became completely engaged in the book. I noticed so many similarities to my travel journals and blogs that I was completely inspired. Later that night I re-read my travel journal from this summer (available via my myspace and lisabirman.com) when I traveled through Germany during the World Cup and then on to Israel.

I've been thinking more and more about this Global paradigm I have immersed myself in. I have learned a great deal about world history recently, both in my classes and in other research. it helps that a few of my friends are history majors (like my good friend Alan from Canada) and what my recent travels have also revealed. While Im still waiting to hear which Graduate (PhD) program I get into, I am thoroughly enjoying Israel, and excited to learn as much as possible about other cultures and the wonderful world we live in.

christmas in ashqelon

Ashqelon is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean coast, just a few miles from the north border of Gaza. After deciding not to go to Jerusalem or Bethlehem for Christmas Eve (because of crowds and security issues), I figured Gaza was the next best place to the West Bank :) Actually, a friend invited me to spend Christmas Eve with her family and some friends. There were a total of 6 women, ranging in age from 23 to 82, none of whom were Israelis. Besides myself, two from Germany, one from England, and 3 of them were from Switzerland. German was the dominant language (shared) though all of our conversations were in English, with an occassional smattering of Hebrew. coincidentally, most of the women were English teachers, having taught here or abroad. The most important common bond we all had was our faith, we are all Believers.

Being in Israel is such an incredible experience, but is an especially powerful time when in Jerusalem, or anywhere where the topic of God is concerned. Though Israel is a Jewish State, you will find people of many faiths here. Muslims, Jews and Christians coexist, as well as people who have somehow been able to live here with NO focus on God (I'm not sure how, other than having some Jewish lineage, or are Arab Muslims on the Palestinian side). But to be in Israel, God's Holy land in and of itself is an opportunity to be among "family" those who feel the same attachment to the land and its promises. This concept is particularly important around the holidays, times that are usually spent with loved ones.

My "Christmas present" this morning was being able to wake up and walk to the beach. I had never been to the beach at Ashqelon, and is actually the closest beach (about 1 hour) to Beer Sheva. The weather was clear, and the Mediterranean is so beautiful. Greeting the brisk morning air, the only other people around were a few fishermen, and the occasional jogger. The beach was lined with shells, and seemed hardly trodden by humans. it is amazing to me how a place so tranquil can be so close to Gaza, an area of so much unrest and conflict. Overall, this was an incredible Christmas experience, the next best thing to being home with family.

shuk no.3

Today I went to the Friday shuk, in the downtown area of the Old City of Beer Sheva. I have blogged about the Thursday Bedoin shuk and the daily fruit and vegetable shuk in recent posts, so this is a newly discovered 3rd shuk here in town. A shuk (sometimes pronounced sook) is basically an outdoor cash-only market. There are shuks in nearly all Israeli cities. In addition to a shuk, i have mentioned that Jerusalem also has many local vendors in the Old City - more of a permanent kind of shuk, storefronts set up within the city walls.

I am undecided about going to Jerusalem for Christmas eve. One of my professors told me about a christmas eve service at the YMCA. However, I cannot afford the time as have another paper to work on. In terms of academics, I feel the need to buckle down even more than i have been, because I received an 85 on my last paper, somewhat disappointing as I busted my butt to finish it. Grrr... its a history class, which is not my forte, so I think i will have better luck with more of the current affairs type courses.

I will be posting new photo galleries soon, of the downtown shuk, jerusalem with suzanne, and my old/new apartments. You can always check the right column of this blog for the photo galleries.

on-campus lectures

These past few days, there have been a few guest lecturers to our campus, of important significance. As a Middle East Studies student, I had the opportunity to attend these lectures to expand my knowledge and become engaged in current topics in the region. Yesterday's guest was the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel. I hesitated going to the lecture because I though it was going to be some random speech on Egypt (which I am interested in dont get me wrong). As it turned out, his focus was on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (my major area of interest) and how this conflict/relationship affects neighboring countries, and ultimately the Global Community. [[personal tangent: that just reminded me of one of my past jobs, as a DJ for World Music Radio, our tagline "playing music for the global community"]] Anyway the lecture was VERY informative, inspirational, and expanded (or perhaps focused) my research interests immensely. Many of my classmates were required to be there and loathed the presentation (they are crazy i think), but for me attendance was optional, as I'd only heard of the lecture minutes before. It was an excellent last minute decision, and furthered my Global awareness.

Today, the Jerusalem Bureau Chief of the New York Times was here, and gave a lecture about coverage of the Israel-Lebanon 2006 war, the Israeli-Palestian conflict, as well as issues concerning Gaza and the West Bank. He also talked a bit about being a reporter in Gaza and what precautions he feels are necessary for his security and his safety. It was amazing to hear how he, as an American, has established himself here and is a major player in the media coverage of the Middle East, from a somewhat impartial outsider perspective. Immediately following the lecture I was impressed to introduce myself to him, and inform him of my dual MA in Mass Communication/Media and now Middle East Studies. While he did not have much time left to chat, he promptly gave me his business card (which appeared to be the last one, conveniently located in his suit pocket) and asked me to be in touch via email.

race and racism

one of the subtopics from my Modernity class today really got me thinking about a lot of things. The premise was that race is not an essential component of racism, and that liberalism in and of itself is a form of racism. Although I remained quiet during the discussion, I can relate to this topic in a big way. We discussed several examples, one being the imminent feeling of racism here in Israel, obvious after living here only a few months. I actually felt it my first day in Israel over the summer. This can apply to many sides and many issues, thus I will not expand at this time. Another example of this (liberalism being a form of racism) is the hijabs (head dresses) worn by Muslim women, and France's banning of them in the public sphere. If France is a liberal, progressive, European country as it claims to be, then tolerance of cultural norms (culture stemming from race and particularly religion in this case) and personal choices for apparel should be permitted. I don't know as much about France's governmental policies and laws as I should, but we'll leave that one for my boy Nicolas Sarkozy to unpack.

And now for my personal example, from the United States, the progressively post-modern liberal and dare I say dominantly democratic nation that I call myself a citizen of (whew)! Last year I worked as an Adjunct Professor at a small Christian (Nazarene) University in San Diego, where the rules were very strict, and the Bible was supposed to serve as the model for conduct. Well... this framework applied in MOST cases, but in many other ways certain programs and administrators were very "liberal". One in particular (we will call her BH) was very high up on the totem pole (an administrative dean) and I clashed heads with her from day 1. Her big agenda was "tolerance", particularly of the homosexual community. Although BH is most likely familiar with the Bible and its teachings, somehow she felt (and incorporated into Faculty briefings) that it was OK to be homosexual, and/or we (as Christian Educators) should tolerate this. I was not ok with this, because I understand the Bible, and GOD's laws (not man's twisted perspective as per societal progress). What BH failed to realize is that her liberalism was actually cultural racism, by her push to "accept" these confused children, she was discriminating against (and disregarding) the Bible-Believing Christians. Needless to say I am no longer working there, partially due to BH's liberal stance on many issues, and her difficulty in understanding someone's written word (God's, and also my own about another item which came up during my employment).

As this was not intended as a forum for me to vent about past employers, I hope you can see my point, and now I will bring you back to the original topic, which was racism (particularly with Israel and the Middle East). However, I will not address any of these issues myself, but rather leave you to explore the news (please examine a variety of sources to gain a broader perspective), and topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Zionism, and Islamic Facism (is that really what its called?). Should we, as citizens of the world (living in "progressive" societies) be tolerant of cultural norms, such as race, religion, and apparel? What about controversial personal decisions that may offend, hurt, or kill people, such as homosexuality, abortion, and terrorism? Can we or should we apply our "western" values to the rest of the world, why or why not?

american in israel

My best friend from San Diego, Suzanne, came to Israel to visit me for 6 days. After chillin with the Bedoins in Beer Sheva, we took a little weekend trip to Jerusalem, the Holy Land. We stayed at the famous historical New Imperial Hotel inside Jaffa Gate. As I've mentioned before in this blog, Jerusalem is the "heart" of religious focus for many different faiths (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and offshoots of each). It is also a very culturally diverse region of the middle east, as many people have immigrated here. Not to mention the political aspects of the diversity, which are inextricably linked with both religion and culture. So much to study, so little time.

Though we spent significant time behaving as American tourists, this weekend was an incredible learning experience for both of us. Suzanne had not been exposed to much of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or history, and she received an extensive history, geography, religion and cultural lesson (both in my "tour guide" lectures as well as our first-hand exposure to various aspects of this). She said her favorite part was after being chased down by the cab driver (from a few weeks ago's blog, who somehow found me walking the streets of Jerusalem, and demanded 40 shekels -- yes the amount I "owe" him keeps changing)... we found ourselves "guided" by a wonderful Jewish woman, into this ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood. Everything was totally serene and quiet, the streets were filled with Jews walking towards the Kotel, for their Shabat/ Hanukkah celebrations. We were not permitted to use our phones or cameras, though I think Suz snapped a few shots, the camera could not do it justice what we experienced there or at our Kotel visit to follow. I know she was impacted by this experience, and God was there with us, guiding our every step.

Other highlights of the trip included our extravagant purchases in the Old City (Christian Quarter) and interactions with every one of the vendors, especially one named Wissam, who we bought souvenir mugs and tapestries from. Another one of the vendors who we spent quite a while talking to was born again, and he even gave me a new Bible, a small KJV which I really needed as I do not have a Bible with me. My personal favorite experience of the weekend was different people's reactions to my new hat, a beanie with the words "jerusalem for us" embroidered in Arabic across the front. Controversial discussion, anyone?

Suzanne's visit served as a nice "break" from my studies, coming directly following midterms and a paper being completed. Now I'm back into the swing of things this week at school, gearing up for the next research paper for my Arab-Israeli conflict class. I also just found out the GREAT news that I was among the students selected to participate in the Study Tour to Jordan, February 11-18 2007. I am absolutely ecstatic! My travel plans to the US will inevitably change slightly, I may only go back for 2 weeks instead of 1 month (don't have my ticket yet). I'll be sure to make it for Manny's Super Bowl Party though, in which I may have the opportunity to watch the amazing Chargers!

bedoin fashion

Yesterday afternoon Suzanne and I went to the Bedoin market here in Beer Sheva. The Bedoins are nomads of the Negev Desert with a local community here in town. Every Thursday afternoon there is a shuk, or swap meet style market. It is mostly inexpensive clothing, and a particular style of fashion (middle east desert style). In addition, they have the fruit and vegetable market on a daily basis, for really cheap produce - and lots of interesting conversation! Definitely the place to practice my Hebrew and Arabic. One of the guys was trying to hit on Suzanne, but I with the broken Hebrew was the mediator, which didn't go over too well.

Speaking of Hebrew, I talked to my Hebrew teacher about the fact that I cant read the script characters, and she will allow me to sit in on the class when it starts up again in a few weeks. She basically told me that I cant read (stating the obvious) and deduced that this is what was causing me to experience difficulty in her class. The break from hard-core hebrew class has been nice, yet its all around me on a daily basis so there is never really a break.

Speaking of languages (one thing leads to another, gotta love it)... have you checked out the new French version of the International news in English, france24.com? I guess its their answer to my favorite news source, aljazeera.net, who has recently started broadcasting in English. It's interesting enough, the layout is pretty bad (maybe France lacks graphic designers, who knows), but the important thing here is that they've made it easier for me to keep my eye on Sarkozy.

running route

since i walk everywhere, i havent really gone running much. those who know me, know I go running quite regularly so it felt good to run again. of course nothing beats my San Diego harbor route, also mission beach and balboa park (except maybe this one time I went running in Brazil at Copacabana). So last night I decided to check out my neighborhood a little more, besides the university, main street, and nearby markets, which turned into a short run. There is a bridge about a block from my house with many stairs, and leads over to one of the "newer" areas of Beer Sheva, I believe it is called the Ramot neighborhood. I think there is a high school over there because there were a lot of high school kids, a few of whom attempted to have conversations with me in Hebrew. On my way back home a random Israeil guy (who worked as a security officer) stopped me because I was running in jeans. I tried to tell him that this run was spontaneous, not planned, but he only spoke Hebrew, and I dont know how to say that in Hebrew. Anyway I didnt give him my number though he wanted to make some kind of English/Hebrew teaching exchange. It seems like that's what they all say and then end up stalking me with endless phone calls, so now I just tell them I dont have a phone!

Suzanne (my best friend in San Diego) just arrived today (after crazy global travel journey and standby flight situation), she will be visiting me for the next 5 days. We are going to tour some of Israel, Jerusalem and maybe Eilat. I need to finish my paper tonight so I wont have any major obligations while we are touring around. Its supposed to be 4-6 pages and is turning into 10. what to do! Tomorrow morning I may also make a last attempt at my "beginner" Hebrew class which I have been ditching because it is way over my head. it starts again at the beginning on January 7. I am learning so much Hebrew in my every day life here and some of my Israeli friends (and people I meet randomly) have been helping me. Suzanne claims she can tell what people are saying... ha ha :)

capoeira meu amor

I have been training Capoeira, afro-brazilian martial art/dance for about 5 or 6 years now (on and off, with various groups). Here in Israel, I've connected with a group from Cordao De Ouro (from my original group's Mestre) and am really enjoying the experience. The classes are taught all in Hebrew, which is a great way for me to learn (I already know capoeira, but need to work on my Hebrew), and the instructor is awesome. I like hanging out with him outside of class too, and he uses me to practice his English, so its a good mutual exchange. This past weekend I spent a lot of time with him and another capoeira friend Ariel. Ariel had a hummus party - a regular event in which he makes this amazing home made hummus, and I bought these amazing pitas from the shook. In general, capoeira groups (worldwide) provide a great social outlet and community to promote comraderie, self-discipline, growth, and of course fitness.

While capoeira is my outlet right now, it is a nice balance to my task at hand, academic studies. Today was my Arabic midterm, and I have a project proposal due tomorrow, and a paper later this week. I am excited about the proposal in particular, because I decided to change my topic (which was originally satellite broadcast of Al Jazeera worldwide to Palestinians). The new topic is psychological, emotional and religious aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Take that one to the masses, young journalist!

americas week

this past week, my school had an "Americas Week", which was basically a time to showcase some of the American cultures. Thursday was "Brazil Day" which featured SAMBA... an awesome group from Tel Aviv. No sooner did my friend and I walk in to the Student House, then the lead dancer grabbed me and made me go up on the stage and dance with them! Surprisingly, I followed their routines (although they were in costume and I in street clothes), and danced my samba to keep up with their groove! They turned out to be Brasilian, and I will try to go check out their club in Tel Aviv next week... when Suzanne is coming to visit me from San Diego!

This weekend I am working on a paper on Early Islamic Architecture (Umayyad period) due this week, starting on a second one, and studying for my Arabic Midterm. No Jerusalem trip this weekend. However there are still many exciting things going on in the world. Check out Yoni the Blogger's post "Initiative: Middle East peace conference without Israel", and this article from Al Jazeera. btw, I live in Israel.

global paradigm

Since I've been in Israel (specifically since I've been living in my own place) I've really focusing on World News and global affairs. News sources like BBC and Al Jazeera disseminate news about a variety of countries, whereas when I was living in the US I mostly heard news (or opinions of news) from the US. I also look at a lot of maps, of the cities I visit, of Israel, and of the Middle East and Europe. I think I had maps on the brain, because a few weeks ago I had this dream that everything north of here, Britain, Europe, and Russia, had somehow merged together to form one country. I told my mom about this dream, last weekend when I also shared with her my thoughts about the upcoming 2007 French Presidential election. Somehow it all fits together into this unified global paradigm that I forsee, perhaps under the leadership of the United Nations.

It's easier to focus on what's important (what's going on in the world as a whole rather than your particular city or family) when you are removed from the life that's comfortable for you. Although I still very much relate to (and miss) San Diego and Phoenix, what has become my life and focus now is vastly different and on a much larger scale than what was once my life. The other day in my Orientalism class, someone said "when you travel, you are still stuck with yourself", meaning even if you are traveling to try to "escape" something, you never escape yourself, your thoughts, beliefs, tendencies and actions. Not only are you with yourself, but now you are taking that noticably imperfect self into the realm of the unknown, which forces you to break through the comfort zone and be confident within yourself.

It's easy to blame our challenges on circumstances, and focus on some external force (its not me, its you, or the boss, job, etc). Next time you are challenged with something in your life, get on BBC.com and check out what's happening in Thailand or Bahrain. Hopefully it will give you some idea about the complexity of this world, and you might begin to discover the insignificance of your life and your localized reality.

streets and alleys

In most Israeli cities that I've visited (or lived in), there is little differentiation between streets, sidewalks, and alleys. Of course the major roadways are easily distinguished the from sidewalks thereof, especially in the larger cities. When you are in a residential area or a smaller city however, cars and smaller motorized vehicles (for transportation or construction) seem to be permitted on sidewalks. I like to think of these more like alleys, although they are not anything like the alleys you know in the US, where trash is collected. Trash does not really seem to be "collected" in Beer Sheva (except for dumpsters on major streets), as there is trash scattered everywhere, similar to Mexico.

For example, a "sidewalk" on the way to my house from the University always has cars temporarily "parked" on it. It seems to be used for some kind of under-the-table car repair business, and this goes on primarily during the night hours. Another example is in the Old City of Jerusalem. Often times you will see cars driving through certain parts of the city, though the streets are very narrow. When I was here in the summer, we stood outside the Lion's gate for about 20 minutes and I videotaped, as many cars attempted to round a sharp corner and drive through the gate. Just about every car had a near miss with the wall, and came within about 3 inches of hitting it as they made the turn. My theory is that the city (its streets and labyrinth-like walls) was constructed BEFORE there were cars, but nowadays these modern machines are relied upon for transport from place to place.

Generally most sidewalks are made of brick or stone (almost a cobblestone) which makes it difficult to walk in heels. Needless to say, I only brought 2 pairs and have worn (one pair or the other) a total of 3 times. If you know me, you know I ALWAYS wear heels, so you can imagine how uncomfortable I must be. Without my car I am walking everywhere, especially where the busses don't go (and because the bus service cannot be relied upon every day, or the hours/places that you might need them). I have seen a few Honda Civics around however, and miss my car - I often wonder how much it would cost to have my car shipped to me here :)

jerusalem schwarma

I have been going to Jerusalem nearly every weekend since I've lived in Israel. I am thinking about making it my second home, as I have made many contacts there, both personal and professional. One thing I really wanted to do is find an English-speaking Christian church. I've only been to a Jewish Synagogue here, which was in Hebrew and unfortunately very difficult to follow. But this time, I met some people who brought me to a Messianic Jewish church (Jews who believe in Jesus) in an area I'm familiar with, just off Ben Yehuda street. It was cool because the pastor is from New York, he speaks the message in English, and has a translator who echoes his words in Hebrew. The words to the songs are also projected on the screen in Hebrew characters, transliterations, and English translations. In addition to meeting my spiritual needs, this experience has been the best for my learning Hebrew thus far.

This time in the Holy City, I stayed in a hostel within the Old City. It was pretty deep into the labyrinth (if you've ever been inside the Old City you know what I mean), but was only 30 shekels a night (about 6 dollars). that was for a shared "dorm" room, but no other single women booked there that night, so i had the room to myself. The private rooms are about $20, which i think is about the going rate for a hostel in the area. Its nice to know my options... sometimes in Jerusalem I stay with friends too.

I did get a chance to see one of my friends I met over the summer, Ali. His English is not very good (though has improved drastically since I last saw him), but his first language is Arabic and he also speaks a lot of Hebrew. My Arabic and Hebrew have greatly improved since I last saw him (as they were nonexistent before), and he was impressed that i could read Arabic and make simple sentences in both languages. He took me to a "locals only" Hummus place... it was the best I've ever had, best pitas too!

At the conclusion of yet another wonderful Jerusalem adventure and on my way out of town, I had another craving for pita and hummus. Directed by the waft of chicken schwarma in the air, I spotted a convenient joint on the corner of Hillel and King George, 12 shekel schwarma. This was possibly the best schwarma I've had, and is my new favorite schwarma place in Jerusalem! I'll be back there soon....

research and russians

In the past week, I have been consumed by my research, and of course my study of the Arabic language. Currently, I am writing a paper for my Ottoman history class on the early influences of Islamic Architecture, namely the Umayyad period (one of the early ruling dynasties of the Ottoman era). In addition, I have been researching Al Jazeera as the new leading news source of global focus, with of course a slight Arab bias. Included in this research is integration of its 24/7 video stream of internet news broadcast. See issues of importance in my previous blog, in addition to key elections coming up, and political relations. My actual research is on the incorporation of media technology by this powerful organization, to reach the world, now in English. check it out at http://english.aljazeera.net.

On the local level, living in Beer Sheva suggests its own version of international relations. Once you leave the University (and even most of the time on campus), it is a crazy mix of culture. Here of course we have Israelis, Arabs, Muslims, a smattering of international students (like myself), and in the city of Beer Sheva a large Russian immigrant population in addition to the Bedoins (Arab nomads) I've mentioned in previous posts. The Russians are everywhere. They have stores on every corner, which fortunately are open on Shabbat when the Jewish stores are not, for those slightly higher-priced emergency needs. Many of the signs and local publications are also in Russian (in addition to Hebrew and Arabic). The problem I have with them is that they speak Hebrew with a Russian accent which makes it hard to reinforce ANYTHING I've learned about Hebrew.

I'm off to Jerusalem for the next few days, to take a break from Beer Sheva life, but certainly NOT a break from studying. I find it is the best place to study Arabic culture, particularly in light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jerusalem, the "Holy City"... soon to be known throughout the world as the "International Capital" as per the UN (a friendly reminder to keep your nose in the newspaper).