Passport dilemmas
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So currently as I am writing I am an illegal immigrant. Not really ish…. I now have a visa extension till May 9th but that means that I can’t go anywhere Palestinian controlled without risking deportation. Fun! So no Ramalah or Bethlehem. Which upsets me even more because I want to go to Nazareth!!! I swear the crap I have gone through here is ridiculous. I have crossed fences and been scared of border patrol I’m connecting with my Mexican roots for realz!!!
Arabiye!
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First language class was today… Yay! I was concerned at first because Hebrew is kind of important to know and everyone speaks it. But I like what I am learning and will be having my first quiz on Wednesday so I am off to studying.
Mini Trip!
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We went on a Mini Trip before class today! We went to both the Dome of the Rock and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. (sp is most def wrong) The Dome of the Rock was beautiful up close and you get such an amazing view of the city. Sadly we could not go in because we were not Muslim but to think of how important that rock was! Some random facts from class about the Dome (See I pay attention) Its the site where Abraham was going to sacrifice Issac. Though there is some debate because some believe that Ishmael was sacrificed there making it historically significant to the Muslims I believe. The rock was also where Mohammed ascended into heaven. The Dome was also part of creation… and some other stuff I can’t remember.
On to Hezekiah Tunnel which is underground and really cool and it was what brought water to the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is a tunnel where you walk through knee deep water in the dark though you can buy flash lights and its even in the bible.
The Bible verses relating to Hezekiah's tunnel are these:
"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20
"And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?" 2 Chronicles 32:2-4
"This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." 2 Chronicles 32:30
(Thank you Wikipedia!)
On to Hezekiah Tunnel which is underground and really cool and it was what brought water to the ancient city of Jerusalem. It is a tunnel where you walk through knee deep water in the dark though you can buy flash lights and its even in the bible.
The Bible verses relating to Hezekiah's tunnel are these:
"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20
"And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?" 2 Chronicles 32:2-4
"This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." 2 Chronicles 32:30
(Thank you Wikipedia!)
A Sad Sunday
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On Sunday Marissa planned a trip to Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust memorial. We got on the 23 bus and took it for a long time until we reached a forest area. The museum itself was informative though incredibly politically charged and above all depressing. There were moments that made me want to cry because of the many personal stories that were playing on the monitors. The creepiest exhibit by far is the hall of fallen children. The room is pitch black lit by only candles representing all the children who died in the holocaust. I had to hold on to Zach to feel where I was going. Once inside the room a voice continuously calls the names and ages of the children. I am told that soon it will be Holocaust Remembrance Day along with Israeli Independence day.
Easter -Stations of the Cross
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So based on today I can say that I do not regret not going to Tel-Aviv. The Stations of the Cross was by far the most interesting experience by far. It was supposed to start early in the morning depending on what church you went with. As soon as we got there though the first thing we see is some guy beating up a woman because she apparently hit him. Needless to say I was finally glad that we for once were surrounded by Israeli military.
But I have digressed…we went along with one procession which seemed like the right thing to do especially since they spoke in English Spanish, Italian, and Arabic so all of these languages were used in explaining the story of the sacrifice of Jesus. Along the way we saw many people with crosses and a bunch of processions. We sadly were parted from that church somehow and couldn’t find them anymore so we ended up following a Christian Arabic Church. We did all the stations and were walking along until the procession was halted abruptly by the police because the church of the Holy Sepulcher was full though we had to figure that out later because no one was telling us anything. All in all a fun time and a great cultural experience.
But I have digressed…we went along with one procession which seemed like the right thing to do especially since they spoke in English Spanish, Italian, and Arabic so all of these languages were used in explaining the story of the sacrifice of Jesus. Along the way we saw many people with crosses and a bunch of processions. We sadly were parted from that church somehow and couldn’t find them anymore so we ended up following a Christian Arabic Church. We did all the stations and were walking along until the procession was halted abruptly by the police because the church of the Holy Sepulcher was full though we had to figure that out later because no one was telling us anything. All in all a fun time and a great cultural experience.
Jewish Holidays A.K.A Diet days.
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Haksameah.) Everybody! Or happy holidays! For the non Hebrew speaking sort. (The word is transliterated so no that’s not how you spell it
I said I would write about Jewish holidays and I will the first being Pessah or Passover. What happens here is that for about a week (maybe two?) all Jewish people go on a no carb diet. That means no bread or grain whatsoever. Did you know that a lot of good food is made of grains??? Pasta, bread and if you are an Ashkanazi (sp) Jew then you have it a bit harder than a Sifardic (sp) Jew who can at least eat beans and rice. Only the Muslim quarter of the city has bread but otherwise I would die.
Another problem… er… I mean… holiday is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath which starts at sun down on Friday everything kinda shuts down and depending on how much of a religious Jew you are then you are not allowed to do any type of work at all. According to a kid in our program there are 32 classes of work that one could possibly do. Work therefore varies from writing something down to using the phone and shutting off the stove. The further implications of that are that the city shuts down, the busses stop running and stores are closed by 3 and don’t reopen until the next day.
On the good side: Passover is done in a week yay bread will abound!!
On the bad side: Shabbat happens every Friday till forever which means alot more scheduling around that time. BOOOO!
I said I would write about Jewish holidays and I will the first being Pessah or Passover. What happens here is that for about a week (maybe two?) all Jewish people go on a no carb diet. That means no bread or grain whatsoever. Did you know that a lot of good food is made of grains??? Pasta, bread and if you are an Ashkanazi (sp) Jew then you have it a bit harder than a Sifardic (sp) Jew who can at least eat beans and rice. Only the Muslim quarter of the city has bread but otherwise I would die.
Another problem… er… I mean… holiday is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath which starts at sun down on Friday everything kinda shuts down and depending on how much of a religious Jew you are then you are not allowed to do any type of work at all. According to a kid in our program there are 32 classes of work that one could possibly do. Work therefore varies from writing something down to using the phone and shutting off the stove. The further implications of that are that the city shuts down, the busses stop running and stores are closed by 3 and don’t reopen until the next day.
On the good side: Passover is done in a week yay bread will abound!!
On the bad side: Shabbat happens every Friday till forever which means alot more scheduling around that time. BOOOO!
Foodie Update 2
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Staying has been a good decision thus far if only for the fact that we went to a great Ethiopian food!! Ethiopian food is amazing! Spicy and best of all MEAT!! One of the other things I miss from back home but sadly this is my own doing since I don’t or can’t (TBE. To be explained later) cook for myself. It was by far not a cheap meal. 80 NIS for me but then again I think it was worth the splurge if only for the fact that they were the only place that was not keeping Kosher for Passover and thus had bread!!! ( I will be posting on what that last statement really means later. )
If only I could be in two places at once…
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So this weekend I had the option of either staying in Jerusalem for Easter (which is probably the best spot to be in for that time), or go to Tel-Aviv where we would dance the night away and explore the city and come back later. This of course posed a great dilemma since I of course wanted to do both. Also staying in Jerusalem is comparable to staying in Vatican City vs. staying in Tel-Aviv feels more like staying in Cali or Miami Beach. Two locations that are the others complete antithesis. Needless to say I made Mommy proud and decided to do the Religious thing which was the Stations of the Cross for that Friday.
Foodie update.
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Sorry I haven’t uploaded but I had to give a foodie update!!
Here in Jerusalem it’s all about the Falafel. It’s delish, quick, and most importantly CHEAP! Because we live on French Hill there is this great Arab run place that sells Pita and Laffa ( It is a Bread that looks like a tortilla but not. ) with yummy Falafel which is a fried ball of chickpeas. The Pita is 9 NIS and the Laffa is 14 NIS. It’s so yummy and it has all the fixin’s; Israeli salad, pickles, hummus, and chili sauce. (Also Chili or any spice is one of the things I miss terribly.)
I hope that in the coming weeks I never get tired of it because it’s the best thing to eat without breaking the bank.
Here in Jerusalem it’s all about the Falafel. It’s delish, quick, and most importantly CHEAP! Because we live on French Hill there is this great Arab run place that sells Pita and Laffa ( It is a Bread that looks like a tortilla but not. ) with yummy Falafel which is a fried ball of chickpeas. The Pita is 9 NIS and the Laffa is 14 NIS. It’s so yummy and it has all the fixin’s; Israeli salad, pickles, hummus, and chili sauce. (Also Chili or any spice is one of the things I miss terribly.)
I hope that in the coming weeks I never get tired of it because it’s the best thing to eat without breaking the bank.
Will update better soon!
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Hello People
So a quick update. Classes have started and since Hebrew U is closed for passover (pessa?)we are going elsewhere for classes.
Passover sucks. Sorry If I offended any Jews out there. Please remember that American Tourists can be obnoxious. aka me
And tomorrow I am doing the stations of the Cross.
Sorry this is short posting consistently is harder than I thought. Love ya and miss you guys forever.
So a quick update. Classes have started and since Hebrew U is closed for passover (pessa?)we are going elsewhere for classes.
Passover sucks. Sorry If I offended any Jews out there. Please remember that American Tourists can be obnoxious. aka me
And tomorrow I am doing the stations of the Cross.
Sorry this is short posting consistently is harder than I thought. Love ya and miss you guys forever.
Do not bathe a calf in its mothers milk?
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So what the hell does that mean? Lucky you asked because I just found out that meat and milk can’t be mixed so no cheeseburgers anytime soon. The phrase to me sounds like a really bad extrapolation but whatevs.
So yesterday was a long day….
Fun/ Not Fun
Not Fun: Moving, though I will admit it was a hundred times easier with a car.
Not Fun: All the walking here is sure to get me skinny cuz its ridic! Everything is so hilly
Fun: My roommates! They seem like the chill type and exceedingly friendly they are from UC Berkley and a NY school that I cant remember right now.
Not Fun: Grocery shopping. I just spent 230 shekels (which amounts to roughly $57 dollars )!! I blame my overspending on a lack of ability to read signs.
Fun: After our Orientation we went to get some food at the city center. I had some very tasty Shwarma pita which is basically lamb + Israeli salad + spices + pickles + humus = Dinner!
Fun: Bonding with some of the people in the group. We met some really friendly Australians and quite randomly their Program leader was Gal’s cousin. I now believe that there truly is six degrees of separation between people; it is such a friggin small world.
Fun: Trying to copy our Australian friend’s accents. Hilarity ensues. We ended up having a British accent somehow...
So yesterday was a long day….
Fun/ Not Fun
Not Fun: Moving, though I will admit it was a hundred times easier with a car.
Not Fun: All the walking here is sure to get me skinny cuz its ridic! Everything is so hilly
Fun: My roommates! They seem like the chill type and exceedingly friendly they are from UC Berkley and a NY school that I cant remember right now.
Not Fun: Grocery shopping. I just spent 230 shekels (which amounts to roughly $57 dollars )!! I blame my overspending on a lack of ability to read signs.
Fun: After our Orientation we went to get some food at the city center. I had some very tasty Shwarma pita which is basically lamb + Israeli salad + spices + pickles + humus = Dinner!
Fun: Bonding with some of the people in the group. We met some really friendly Australians and quite randomly their Program leader was Gal’s cousin. I now believe that there truly is six degrees of separation between people; it is such a friggin small world.
Fun: Trying to copy our Australian friend’s accents. Hilarity ensues. We ended up having a British accent somehow...
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Today we took the train into Tel Aviv and shopped around in the Mall.
General impressions.
Price wise I am still waiting for prices to get cheap or at least cheaper I guess I am a Jew at heart?? (j/k)
Shoes should not be bought in Israel unless they are somehow severely cheap.
I am allergic to something here.... I don't know what maybe its all of Israel.... booooo!
Sometimes this place reminds me of Mexico just a bit more developed version. Israel also reminds me of Italy at times too. Sadly I have never been there but its the feel of the place and the views except with no water.
Fun/ Not Fun:
Not Fun: Israeli coins are hard to figure out and for some reason I think I am going to have alot of them left over...
Not Fun: Getting on the wrong train back. It all worked out but we ended up in what seemed like a sketchtastic neighborhood.
Not Fun: Home dudes here carry their guns around everywhere!!
Not Fun: People tend to push past you in the Mall without even saying Sliha (excuse me or sorry) I swear to you that if I didnt have the chance of being deported I was gonna smack somebody!
Fun: Had the Baa- Burger with Tahini sauce at the this burger place which was made of Lamb ( haha get it Baa burger.)
Fun: Met up with Viva who is another girl in the program along with her friend who recommended an awesomely cheap cruise to Cypress and Greece. Sylvia we might come visit you!!
Fun: Walking around just looking at people.
That is all and tomorrow Move in Day!!!! Ahh so not excited!! Work booo! Though I still need to do my friggin Css Profile.
General impressions.
Price wise I am still waiting for prices to get cheap or at least cheaper I guess I am a Jew at heart?? (j/k)
Shoes should not be bought in Israel unless they are somehow severely cheap.
I am allergic to something here.... I don't know what maybe its all of Israel.... booooo!
Sometimes this place reminds me of Mexico just a bit more developed version. Israel also reminds me of Italy at times too. Sadly I have never been there but its the feel of the place and the views except with no water.
Fun/ Not Fun:
Not Fun: Israeli coins are hard to figure out and for some reason I think I am going to have alot of them left over...
Not Fun: Getting on the wrong train back. It all worked out but we ended up in what seemed like a sketchtastic neighborhood.
Not Fun: Home dudes here carry their guns around everywhere!!
Not Fun: People tend to push past you in the Mall without even saying Sliha (excuse me or sorry) I swear to you that if I didnt have the chance of being deported I was gonna smack somebody!
Fun: Had the Baa- Burger with Tahini sauce at the this burger place which was made of Lamb ( haha get it Baa burger.)
Fun: Met up with Viva who is another girl in the program along with her friend who recommended an awesomely cheap cruise to Cypress and Greece. Sylvia we might come visit you!!
Fun: Walking around just looking at people.
That is all and tomorrow Move in Day!!!! Ahh so not excited!! Work booo! Though I still need to do my friggin Css Profile.
The Flight Part III
Short Summary: Left Turkey and entered Jerusalem.
Fun/ Not Fun:
Fun: So as I entered into the pre-screening (yes there is a pre-screening in Turkey to get to Jerusalem) line I was behind Gal and Gal of course was asked 2 questions since he is an Israeli citizen. The screener without looking up asks me if I have Israeli passport looks up and and say's never mind. I then ask him why I couldn't look Israeli and he saids its because I look more like J-Lo.
Not Fun: So we get to Jerusalem and I am in the line to get my stamp to enter the country. The mean screener lady (maybe they are supposed to be mean?) takes my passport and then after two questions none of which are "when are you leaving?" then demands to know why I don't have a visa. I of course fearing the inability to enter the country tell her that I thought I didn't need one she then says that I have to get one. After getting the stamp my relief turns into horror as I see that instead of the typical 3 months stamp she manually has the three crossed out and put a 1. I of course freak out and given the run around from three people. Finally the last person I talk to saids I need one too. So folks I might get deported. I'm kidding but I am in deep trouble if I don't get that fixed soon.
The Flight Part II
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So we landed in Istanbul and with five ours to kill we thankfully decided to venture out into the city for at least a quick meal.
Fun/ Not Fun things that happened:
Fun: We were able to get a visa for just 20 bucks!!! Hell yeah I am paying to get a stamp on my passport. I want my passport to get some life into those pages.
Not so Fun: The line took us forever!! Which by forever I mean around 30- 45 minutes. Milan was sadly on a later flight than us so we were also trying to figure out a way to get her onto the early flight. Alas this could not be done. :(
Fun: We were able to find a cab company that took us to the restaurant and back to the airport which was very cool. We were picked up secret agent style by a man in business casual where we were driven to the restaurant. He was such a crazy driver though expertly skilled. He was driving at what was probably 100 miles an hour with some what I thought were close calls that were avoided. One traffic element that should be picked up by the U.S. is that in Istanbul all the red lights count down to green which was so cool. We ended up eating at this place right by the sea with a great view. My general thoughts were that it was nice and they end up after you are done eating brushing off the table with a mini brush and scoop thing.
We ordered
Chicken Kabobs
Beyti Rolls
Pork Ribs
1 salad
3 turkish coffess
3 turkish tea's
1 banana honey cream thing
and last but not least 1 chocolate souffle. All delish!!
Sadly we had to return but Istanbul left such a great impression on me that I have to return!! I love it!!
A note from our sponsors: More original pictures soon but in case you didn't notice I am posting these all in one day since I have still not gotten use to writing stuff down.
The Flight
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Labels:
plane
So specs about the flight. Milan, Gal and I flew with Turkish Air. The total trip was 22 hours that broke down into one 9 hour flight that landed in Istanbul with a 6 or 5? hour layover which then landed at Ben Guiron Airport in Israel.
Things that I learned about long plane rides. THEY ARE BAD-ASS!! They had dozens of new movies to watch, they feed you, and FREE wine!!! (lol) I really enjoyed that last part sampling from both Turkish and Chilean white wines. Yummy! I felt like an adult at that moment too. :)
Fun/Not Fun stuff that happened:
I got hit on at the airport by some dude. Sadly he was not a looker. BUT he had the most gorgeous green eyes ever and a very cute Irish accent. He invited me to a U2 or Muse concert because I gave him his passport which he left on the bench I was sitting on like an idiot. Needless to say the guy was overly thankful. But it was nice.
The lady sitting next to me was Turkish and she didn't really speak English but we somehow managed to have a mini chit chat. She asked me if I was Turkish <3 ( I love being mistaken for other ethnicities :) ) Then she asked me where I was from and it turns out we were both from Texas!! She was from Corpus but yay!! I love Texas folk we are just the nicest most rootin tootin people out there.
Pre Trip impressions
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While we have had these meetings a long time ago here are some first impressions.
1. Overall the people in the program seem o.k. but I know half of them... (sadness I really like meeting new people but I guess my trade off is less awkward introductions)
2. The professors seem mildly interesting but I can't really say that generally because the second sequence professor seems to talk and look a little like Robin Williams but the monotone version so he struck me as a bit boring and I didn't go the day we were supposed to meet the last professor. (We shall soon see.)
3. Not my impression but this story is fun. So I go to a party and see one of the girls in our program. I didn't walk up to her but later when she saw me she gave me huge hug and thanked me because she didn't think anyone looked like the party type and so she was afraid to be alone.
4. The general look of the people are Uchicago types so whatever that means. ;)
1. Overall the people in the program seem o.k. but I know half of them... (sadness I really like meeting new people but I guess my trade off is less awkward introductions)
2. The professors seem mildly interesting but I can't really say that generally because the second sequence professor seems to talk and look a little like Robin Williams but the monotone version so he struck me as a bit boring and I didn't go the day we were supposed to meet the last professor. (We shall soon see.)
3. Not my impression but this story is fun. So I go to a party and see one of the girls in our program. I didn't walk up to her but later when she saw me she gave me huge hug and thanked me because she didn't think anyone looked like the party type and so she was afraid to be alone.
4. The general look of the people are Uchicago types so whatever that means. ;)
Warning With LUV!
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****** WARNING:I will begin this blog with a disclaimer******
The views expressed from here on forth are the work of the writer. That said while I will try to make the following errors minimally such as spelling, grammar,and political correctness among other things they will probably happen. (Kind of like they did two seconds ago after looking back and editing this post. :))
About me:
My name is Jessica and I am a third year Philosophy student at the University of Chicago. I love my friends and this blog, besides being an online scrapbook is so that they can know what I am up to over sea's.
With all my love.
XOXO - Jess
With that said Shalom to my blog.
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