get sea serious

I am water - the ebb and flow of a Scorpio - shifting, changing roaring yet calm, tranquil and serene. Over the last 3 days, I have been to 4 different seas - that's serious! The warm and salty Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, between the Negev and Jordan. The majestic Sea of Galilee in the Northern Tiberias/Golan Heights region of Israel, views from the Mount of Beatitudes. The Mediterranean sea, amazing views from the rocky cliffs of Haifa, swimming in the sea at sunset off the shore of Tel Aviv. Now in Greece, the Aegean Sea's coastal beauty and small Brazil-like beaches. Yesterday we drove along the coastal road beyond the outskirts of Athens, past the wonderful beaches and on to Cape Sounion. There we visited the ruins of the Ancient Temple of Poseidon, with a breathtaking view of the Aegean Sea.

Today a full-day water tour of the Aegean Islands, aboard a small cruise ship. I have not been on a cruise in 2 years, although I often enjoy going out to sea with friends on a regular basis. This one-day tour with its three excursions was reminiscent of the Caribbean cruise. Our first stop was Poros, we were there for enough time to do a bit of shopping, climb to the top of the clock tower and see the beautiful view and foliage similar to Southern California or Mexico. The next stop was Hydra, a quaint shopping area with donkeys to ride, the island has no vehicles, only marble-carved cobblestone walkways. Yet the beauty of the clear blue-green sea and rocky shoreline made for a wonderful afternoon of sun and swimming. The last stop was Aegina, where we took a tour of the entire island via bus. The pistachio farms and Greek Orthodox churches, as well as the scrumptious seafood and local Greek wares made Aegina an enjoyable island stop.

When you put yourself in the middle of the sea, you experience a feeling of tranquility so vast that you become engulfed by the biggest force in all of nature -water- in any Ocean. Every time I am in the sea, I feel a calm yet commanding clarity creating confidence within my being. Its a reminder that its time to get serious, about my life and about the world as a whole. I cant keep feeling sorry for those who choose to live in a little bubble, try to rescue them or even change them. The opportunity is mine to embrace, and I've been inspired by nature's vast wonders and the fire within. Yesterday Tony Blair was named Middle East Envoy - a new role created per the needs of the World. I saw the same fire within him that I've seen in Nicolas Sarkozy, and I want to be a part of it. Its time to get sea serious, my inspiration, the world. I'm ready to join my boys, Tony and Nic, as we drive with vigor against the terror that envelops the Middle East.

driving in israel

for the past 8 months that I've been living in Israel, I have relied on public transportation. Yesterday however, I acquired a rental car in anticipation of my mom's arrival to Israel for her visit. Early this morning I drove to the airport on my own private highway in the fog, blaring Nelly Furtado on the CD player, it was dark and it was Shabbat. This scenario was somewhat reminiscent of driving in the fog in San Diego, as the weather in Tel Aviv can be likened to that of America's Finest City. The last time I had driven at all was back in early February in my super rental SUV in San Diego. Driving always provides me with the necessary personal time to think, reflect and project - on my life and the various nuances thereof.

As much as I love driving, riding trains and busses in Israel has really given me a different perspective of the country than if I had relied on people with cars or had my own vehicle. Early in the school year I had made friends with an Arab man with a car for the convenience factor, only to find that he had a different agenda in his relationship with me. Fortunately I've had a few other friends with cars who have given me rides as needed, but my bus pass has been just as important as my student ID as a resident of Beer Sheva.

One thing that makes the public transportation experience so unique is the presence of the Israeli Defense Force - your ride is not complete without members of the IDF. Often times when boarding a train or Egged bus (between cities) at least half the train will be filled with IDF soldiers! This used to really bother me, and sometimes freak me out as they walk around with their guns like it is nothing. First of all, service in the IDF is required for all Israeli citizens, male or female, directly after high school for about three years. So they are all really young, the age range which I consider to be impressionable yet naive - at least I was ;) I am accustomed to people of this age to be university students, so its strange for me that all the undergrad university students are actually somewhere in the neighborhood of 24-28 after their service, rather than 18-21 like in the US.

Secondly, the presence of the IDF on the trains means the absence of Arabs. Until the other day, I never made the connection as to why I would hardly ever see any Arabs on the bus. It used to make me mad, as I have generally been fond of Arabs - I study them and their culture with my MA in Middle East Studies, and their coexistence among Jews here in Israel has always interested me. However now that I know how shady Arabs can be, and that they all seem to know each other and cover for each other, it makes perfect sense. It's like a light bulb went on and it took me a whole 8 months of living here and riding around on busses and trains to figure it out. The nice thing about being Pro-Israel is that I am now very Pro-IDF. After all, these young ones are not only the future of Israel, they Protect and Serve with vigilance and dominance to make any Arab heed to their presence. I feel safe here, and its been handy to even have a few friends in the IDF.

tony and nic

if you've been following my blog over the last several months, you know how i feel about Nicolas Sarkozy. For quite some time before he was elected to the French Presidency, I became familiar with his profile, and watched eagerly as the events unfolded to put him where he is today. In other words, I knew who he was, and I knew he would take the cake. You could call me a fan - yes - aggressive is good. I am proud to say I was one of the first 30 friends in his official MySpace, which now has over 4000 friends (of course he is in my top 24, with the UN). I share his vision for a unified Europe and Mediterranean, and Global economic solidarity backed by the strength of the Euro. I also share his support for Tony Blair, if not for the leader of the World Bank, then for the President of the EU as they forge ahead together.

Tony will end his term as the UK's Prime Minister on 27 June. This week's meeting of the EU leaders should determine the next big move for the big T. I'm so deeply engrossed in all of the extreme political changes that are taking place in the world right now. Forget about Barack and Hillary, they still have another year. We are living in the here and now, the exciting month of June 2007, which has clearly been a pivotal time hinged upon the last several months of foreplay. International aid to the Palestinian Government - who'd have thought? Hamas revealing themselves for the EVIL DEMONS that they are, taking over an entire region (beach front property for the green and black). Lebanon might as well be declared a terrorist state if not a state of emergency. Russia on the move, North Korea testing missiles, and AJ the monkey conspiring crazier than ever before, to which supporting terrorist group should he give his uranium jewels?

All of this moving and shaking had better wake the general public up out of their tiny little bubbles. I have not yet seen it, not even around here. Gaza is just a few miles away, firing qassams into the Negev and it doesn't even phase anyone. Terrorist Muslims (who hide behind their religion) are even roaming around my university with Israeli IDs. People chime, "stuff like that goes on all the time". Yeah you know, masked terrorists take over entire regions and the International community gives aid to Palestinians, the usual. Aggressive European politicians forge ahead in an attempt to increase strength among an already solid union, and how. Keeping up with the boys, Tony and Nic... George and Condi keeping it real... everybody who's anybody knows its all about the New World Order, and Israel is the Center of the World. Let's get aggressive, EU style, and show these terrorists how the West is One.

haniya week

everybody's heard of Ismail Haniya, leader of Hamas, especially with the ongoing clashes between Hamas and Fatah all this week in our lovely nearby Gaza neighborhood. What anyone would give to meet the families of these famous terrorists, to find out what they are really like. I had just this sort of opportunity this past week as I am studying Islam and Middle East politics, here in the Holy Land. Coincidentally the Man of My Dreams has the same last name as the popular terrorist, Haniya. My initial concern was that they may be related, but i immediately dismissed it because of my deep longing for him, thinking it was probably a common Arab name. But it turns out his father is a famous Muslim Sheikh, Sheikh Kamal Haniya, whose brother is married to Ismail Haniya's sister. I found this out only through a wild series of exhilarating events which basically equated to jumping into a frying pan.

With my nose for research, and my passion for gorgeous 23-year-old Arab men, my dad instructed me "go and meet his family, and talk to his father" as the only legitimate way to know if I really wanted to marry this guy. I did a search last Sunday 10 June, and found this article on Kamal Haniya, Sheikh and natural healer, who is also known as a mediator or counselor, and his work with casting out Demons. Coincidentally, the article was written by someone with the last name Berman (my last name is Birman). I knew it was a sign from God and I started fasting, drinking water only for this entire week. I was dumbfounded by the article, thought him to be an amazing man, and set out to meet him at once. The next day I asked my professor if he knew him - he didn't but he connected me with someone who knew his oldest son. He set up an appointment for me to meet with his father the following evening, but told me I needed to bring a translator with me. A few minutes later one of my Arab friends appeared and volunteered to be the translator. It was on. I spent the following day in prayer and meditation as I continued my fast in anticipation of the meeting.

My translator and I rode in a taxi to the Bedouin village of Tel Sheva, where Sheikh Haniya and his family of 15 children live. I was prepared to tell my elaborate story of how I believed a certain evil Bedouin with a police record was possessed by demons and projecting them onto his son causing him to hate me for no reason (we hadn't really been talking for a few months because of this evil man's influence in his life). I had been devastated by this situation and could not figure out why the Man of My Dreams would stop talking to me, as I am quite a remarkable woman. Instead the meeting was more of Sheikh Haniya imparting his great wisdom (which was actually really great) and when I started to tell him the story he immediately recognized that the Bedouin guy was just a liar, and had lied to his son causing him to think falsely of me. I informed him at that time however that I wanted to marry his son and he began asking me all these personal questions, which I entertained. After the meeting my translator and I told his brother (who gave us a ride home) about the story and he offered to talk to him. The following day there was a lecture by his father in Arabic at the University, and I met a nice Bedouin girl who invited me to her village of Tel Sheva a few days later to translate the lecture (not knowing of me or my involvement with the Sheikh's son). The oldest son talked to his brother who told him to tell me that he was getting engaged to some random girl he met at a party so he didn't want to talk to me. I didn't believe this story as such acts are not standard within the Muslim community, and all of his friends had told me otherwise, so I continued on my course for adventure.

The following day I created a list of "life questions" I wanted to ask the Man of My Dreams before we were to get married, I would ask the same of any man. His friend was supposed to pick it up and deliver it to him but he did not, so I took advantage of my opportunity to go to the Bedouin girl's home coincidentally located in the same village of Tel Sheva. It was on the 6th day of my fasting that I entered their home and shared a meal with them to break my fast. During this meal I had a conversation with her sister, who was a good friend of Sheikh Haniya and his wife Nama. I instantly connected with her, and shared my story with her. She offered to help me as we believed God brought us together through all of these wonderful coincidences, and the ways in which my week of fasting led me to her. She convinced me to spend the night with them and we could go to the Haniyas home the next day. I was not prepared to spend the night but sleeping in my contact lenses was well worth it. She wrote a letter for me in Arabic to deliver to the Man of My Dreams' parents, explaining everything, which accompanied my list of questions for him. The letter told who I really was (not who the evil Bedouin had said I was) and basically that I was asking permission to marry their son.

Upon delivering the letter to their house I was met with some resistance by the mother. All the children gathered around me mesmerized. One of them snatched the letter and began reading it. I insisted (in my janky Arabic) that she read the letter, it was for HER. The kids seemed to understand what I was requesting and were eager to help. She refused to read it and was yelling at me in Arabic, something about hating Americans, which is when I instantly made the connection to the terrorist Haniya (who also hates Americans), and found out later in the day that they were directly related! Just then the Man of My Dreams appeared and intercepted the letters. He seemed irate so I asked him to read everything and then talk to me. He called me about 10 minutes later and said he would talk to me in a few hours. I think we had a total of 4 conversations today (in his fluent English with cracked-out accent), which is all I really wanted to do for the past 2 months. I reaffirmed my interest in marrying him over the SMS and that he should really think about his life and consider coming to America with me because of the opportunity and because there would be a war here soon. He told me I was crazy, that there would not be a war, and that he had a girlfriend (a Bedouin girl from the north, coincidentally the same village the aforementioned Evil Bedouin is from, who he met around the same time he stopped talking to me!). Sometimes it takes scenarios like these to remind me that most people get so locked up in their own little bubble and the influence of other people that they can no longer look at the world with an open mind, or the bigger picture of what life is really all about. (A) who in their right mind would NOT marry me (hello?), and (B) THERE IS GOING TO BE A WAR HERE SOON. Son of a Sheikh, you had your chance to get out of here, but the Haniya Way breeds TERROR which leads to DEATH.

wilderness experience

since I've been in Israel, not only have I grown closer to God, I have experienced more than ever before a deep connection with nature. I have written numerous blogs about my experiences in nature (Golan Heights, Sde Boker, the beach in Ashqelon and Tel Aviv, and here in the Negev), and how they have moved me spiritually. and there is something magical about living in the desert. Some people will tell you the desert is a place where you go to face your fears, and an opportunity to truly encounter your inner self. I thought it would simply be a familiar climate as I grew up in the desert of Arizona, and am familiar with the Sonoran desert region of Mexico. But you may have also heard of the desert as being a "wilderness experience" such as that in the Bible where people had to wander around here for 40 days so God could speak to them.

About 2 months ago, I really wanted to get out of this place. I had had enough of whatever it was that I was struggling with, and was ready to get back to the familiar zone, my home country of America. To run away from the problem without letting God solve it first, or waiting on Him to do so. I thought that just leaving here and returning there back to the country with all of its own inherent perils, that everything would be ok. When I LEFT America 7 months ago, I NEEDED to get out of there, I couldn't stomach the lifestyle there any more and KNEW there were more important things (of Global significance) going on in this part of the world. I set a course to study the Arab-Israeli conflict, learn Arabic and about Islam. I was in for more of a learning experience than I could have ever imagined. And I left America with all its comforts behind in order to do so. Now I know that I can return there any time, that it will still be there with all its perils, and with a Starbucks on every corner - oh how I long for it.

As my program is nearing its completion, I have lately found myself in a state of transcendence, partially in conjunction with this satisfaction. I have been doing a lot of yoga, capoeira, meditating, praying, and taking long walks in the Negev Desert of Beer Sheva in drawing closer to God. In a culture like America's, there are so many distractions to keep you from truly hearing His voice. In order to hear it you have to somehow transcend to be closer to Him (like by going on a vacation or retreat) or its easy for it to get mixed in (or neglected completely) with the daily clamor and tight schedules. This is the one thing I am grateful for here in Israel, the fact that I do not have all of those distractions - its just me and God. And he's brought me here to face my fears, transcend beyond my previous fast-paced lifestyle with all of its distractions (including my CAR and most of my "stuff") and truly press in to Him. Now I talk to God every day, and hear his voice so clearly that I feel such a spiritual awareness all around me, even in the eyes of cats. I can confidently say that this is the first time in my life that I have felt such a way, and believe that God is using this timeframe (without a job, without my car, without my good friends back home, without distractions) to teach me what is really important. I will hold fast to this and embrace trust God in faith, as I complete my degree and continue my spiritual journey here in the wilderness.

memories of brazil

for the past few days, I have been waking up feeling like I am in Brazil. This may be due in part to my involvement in Capoeira and recent numerous reflections on years past, or as per my current surroundings in this foreign land of the Middle East. One of my first impressions of Israel last summer was in its similarities to Mexico and Brazil. My first stop was the beach in Tel Aviv, with its boardwalk stone design almost exactly the same as that in Copacabana, Rio De Janeiro! In addition, the weather was quite similar to that of central coastal Brazil, and the small economy-sized cars here prove to be more like those in Latin America than in the United States. As I've had the opportunity to travel throughout Israel and Jordan, I have many times been reminded of Brazil and Mexico, as there are endless similarities in landscape and lifestyle. I can include the desert plants and untidy streets of the Negev as a parallel to the deserts of Mexico, coincidentally parallel on the Equator.

When I wake up, i hear birds chirping and people speaking in foreign languages in the distance, of which I can only understand a few words. This gives me a nostalgia of mornings waking up in the condo that my friends and I stayed in in Ubatuba, Sao Paulo in 2002. The wind rustles through the trees that surround my building, as I invoke the familiar spirit of Brazil. In addition, my first sight when waking up is my Brazilian flag sarong pinned to my wall, above my yoga mat and pilates balance ball. Always associated with my fitness, dance and musical interests, there are so many other aspects of Brazilian culture which I have carried with me for years. I don't know if or when I will return to Brazil, but the memories will last forever.

The other day, a friend asked me if my last boyfriend (2 years ago) was American, in our conversation about current dating potentials. I said, "no he was Mexican... or Brazilian". I couldn't remember who was my last specifically but most of the guys I've dated have been one or the other. This morning I remembered my FIRST Brazilian boyfriend in 2000, who got deported after 3 months of our dating, because like most Brazilians he was living in America illegally. He was one of my favorite boyfriends, and what made our relationship so unique was that at the time I didn't know much Portuguese (now I do after 7 years of studying the culture), and he didn't know ANY English. However it was an absolutely amazing relationship because of this rare type of connection. My cousin did a similar thing when he married a woman from Cuba, who didnt know any English and he didn't know much Spanish at the time, now they have been happily married for 2 1/2 years! I think I would fare well if I married into an Arab family. After all, I've got a knack for culture, a MA in Communication, and now a MA in Middle East Studies, studying Arabic, learning in Hebrew-speaking Israel. Who needs English? Viva Brazil!