armpit of israel
I live in the middle of the Negev Desert. I call this city the Armpit of Israel because it is really run-down and trashy, the streets and dirt lots filled with garbage, sidewalks nonexistent or in poor condition, homeless, etc. I live in a crappy building, though much nicer than the one I moved out of. I like it, its very private and clean enough. fortnately, living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages. i am totally safe here. the qassams fired from Gaza cannot reach us, nor from the West Bank. that is the first thing people (who live abroad in the US, etc) ask me, and they fear for my life. it is true however that i often venture to Jerusalem and other West Bank cities for fun and to experience the culture.
today I decided to just enjoy my city for what it has to offer. the bus is always exciting, and the mall was bustling! this weekend is an Israeli holiday, Purim, in which people dress up similar to Halloween in the US. i thought I'd escaped the costumed holiday, but it is in full force here, and quite enjoyable to see all the costumes and festive activity. I hung out in the mall a while and decided to buy a few Israeli clothes (why not, I have no money anyway)! Later I went to my favorite place in town, the local marketplace called the suk. its a bunch of locals (mainly Arab bedoins) selling fresh produce and other foods and goods - great prices. they are always fun to practice my Arabic (and sometimes Hebrew) with. one of the guys was messing around with me and grabbed one of my headphones to hear what i was listening to. To his great surprise, it was spoken Palestinian Arabic learning audio in my iPod - and he yelled something I didn't understand in Arabic to the other guys nearby. I just laughed at them - I think they're all getting to know me anyway, they are so fun! when I arrived home, I almost didnt recognize my building, as the recent rains have brought "grass and flowers" - weeds that actually look pleasant - to the front yard which used to be a dirt lot. All of these wonderful events of the day proved that you can find pleasure and beauty wherever you are... and if you're feeling down, a trip to the mall is usually the cure!
today I decided to just enjoy my city for what it has to offer. the bus is always exciting, and the mall was bustling! this weekend is an Israeli holiday, Purim, in which people dress up similar to Halloween in the US. i thought I'd escaped the costumed holiday, but it is in full force here, and quite enjoyable to see all the costumes and festive activity. I hung out in the mall a while and decided to buy a few Israeli clothes (why not, I have no money anyway)! Later I went to my favorite place in town, the local marketplace called the suk. its a bunch of locals (mainly Arab bedoins) selling fresh produce and other foods and goods - great prices. they are always fun to practice my Arabic (and sometimes Hebrew) with. one of the guys was messing around with me and grabbed one of my headphones to hear what i was listening to. To his great surprise, it was spoken Palestinian Arabic learning audio in my iPod - and he yelled something I didn't understand in Arabic to the other guys nearby. I just laughed at them - I think they're all getting to know me anyway, they are so fun! when I arrived home, I almost didnt recognize my building, as the recent rains have brought "grass and flowers" - weeds that actually look pleasant - to the front yard which used to be a dirt lot. All of these wonderful events of the day proved that you can find pleasure and beauty wherever you are... and if you're feeling down, a trip to the mall is usually the cure!
posted by :: Lisa :: at 10:57 AM
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