Jamming in the Kibbutz

Aryeh loves music and he plays the base. Every now and then, he gets together with his friends for a "jamming session" where they all get together and play their instruments. Aryeh invited me to join them to one of the sessions they were having in the Kibbutz.

The Kibbutz are communities that mix the ideals of socialism and Zionism. It's communal type living, where people have their own houses, but there are also common living spaces (like a kitchen and dining room). A bunch of Aryeh's friends came to the jamming session and they were all Israeli. Although some of them made an effort to speak to me in English, they were all speaking Hebrew amongst themselves. I couldn't really contribute to the conversation except for the occasional smile and nod.

The music they played was amazing and even though I didn't understand anything that was going on in terms of their conversation, I got to enjoy the music. They played some Israeli music and it was all in Hebrew. Sounded great.

I feel privileged to have been exposed to yet a little bit more Jewish culture.

My friends the taxi drivers

I see Aryeh almost everyday. I usually go to his house to hang out, and he lives far enough to take a cab. I tried to walk once, but I got lost and had to take a taxi. I'm learning my way around slowly, and I now started to use the bus system. In the meantime, I've been taking many taxis and meeting lots of interesting folks. Because I've taken so many taxis, I feel like there's only a few of them I haven't met!

One of the first days I met a taxi driver whose name was Refad. Refad took me to Aryeh's house once and he got lost, so we had a chance to talk a little. We talked a bit about one another in Arabic, and of course, he gave me his business card. 

The other day I was walking from the guest house toward Mamilla (the mall) to check out some stores before I took the bus to go to school, and there was Refad. He was in his car and when he saw me, he yelled "Mariaaaaaammm!!!!" and I went over to his car to say hi. He asked me where I was going, and I told him the school, it was my first day at work. He said he'd take me. I told him not to worry about it, but he insisted. A lot. So I got in and there was this other guy there that had been waiting while me and Refad talked. 

Refad spoke to me in Arabic, so the other guy wouldn't understand, but also because he was so excited. I asked him where we were going and he said we were dropping off the person that was already in the car and then he would take me. 

We dropped him off and then we really started talking. He was telling me about the hardships of being an Arab and living in Jerusalem. He also told me the complications of being Palestinian because no one really likes Palestinians. We usually hear that all the Arab countries sympathize with the Palestinian cause, but in reality, no one wants them. Jordanians especially, he said. I knew about that already, but it just felt more real hearing it from him. 

The first time I was in Refad's taxi, he treated me like an American. Very nicely, but talking only about the wonderful things in Jerusalem. This second time, it felt as though he let his guard down a bit and started being more honest. He is a good and hard working man. He told me to please call him if I ever needed him. 

I love having good and meaningful conversations with taxi drivers. I can't wait for my dialect to get better so I can ask and understand more and better :)

Shabbat Dinner

Aryeh invited me to join his dad and his family for Shabbat dinner. Friday night, when the Sabath or Shabbat begins, there is an important meal that takes place. It is a special dinner for many reasons, but it is mainly an occasion for the family to get together and share a meal. I felt really honored to have been invited to such an event, so I accepted the invitation.

Aryeh and I arrived at his dad's apartment and I met his dad's wife and Aryeh's brother, Eli, was also there. Before we had dinner, Aryeh's family introduced me to the prayers and songs they sang before the meal. Then they proceeded to all sing together and then the father said a prayer for both of his sons. The meal then began.

Before eating bread, there is a tradition to wash one's hands with a little cup- you pour water on one hand three times and three times on the other (although the number of times may vary depending on tradition). After washing your hands you're not supposed to speak until you have the first bite of bread.

The eating then began. We started out with hummus, or as they pronounce it khumus, a salad, and other appetizers, from which I knew kebbe, or in Hebrew, kubba. I thought that was it, but then the main course came along- it was stuffed cabbage. The cabbage was stuffed with rice and meat. Then, along came desert with fruit, sweets, and tea. It was a great meal and I got to learn a little bit more about the Jewish culture and tradition.

I'm so grateful I was made a part of it!

Linda and her family

I'm making new friends. There is this lady that works at the guest house, her name is Linda and she's a Christian Arab. Every morning, before going to breakfast, I see Linda and Juliette, the women that clean the rooms on my floor. They are super nice and sweet, and they absolutely love that I can speak Arabic!

A couple of days ago I saw them in the morning and Linda ask me when I was planning to leave the hostel. I told her "tomorrow, in shah Allah (God willing)". I told her about my living situation and that I was looking for a place. She said she'd help me look- I think, by now, all of Jerusalem knows I'm looking for a place to live! That morning, I really wasn't feeling like sightseeing because it was pouring, so I just hung out at the lobby and used my computer. I got really cold so I went upstairs to find another sweater and I ran into Linda who invited me over to her house for coffee.

I accepted her offer and she took me to her house with her family. Her family was super weirded out that I was there and so Linda introduced me as a Palestinian coming back to the land for the first time. Her parents immediately welcomed me into their home. It was a tiny house with three main rooms, a small kitchen and a bathroom. It was just Linda and her parents there when I first arrive, but soon, other members of the family would come home.

Linda's mom came into the room and started talking to me. By the way, all the conversations were in dialect, or an effort on my part to speak it/understand it. We talked for a little bit and then Linda brought the Arab coffee she had prepared. In case you're not familiar, Arab coffee is black and super strong, but they can make it really sweet. So we had a couple of cups of it, and while we were talking she mentioned that she also had Nescafe. I smiled and (I guess I nodded) because she was speaking all in Arabic and all of a sudden she said a brand that I recognized. She took that as a sign that I wanted to drink more coffee, so after the two cups of coffee, she brought out a big mug of Nescafe. I was feeling pretty jittery after all that coffee and almost no food in my stomach.

More visitors came. First, Linda's niece. She's this cute little 13 year-old girl with quite some character. When she came to the room she just stared at me in silence. Then Linda told her to come give me a kiss and she said: "but who is she?!" Linda responded I was her new friend. Ten minutes later me and the little girl were besties :) although we couldn't understand each other very well, I think my inner child connected with her.

Then Linda's brother, Hanna, came to the house. He was in shock and in the beginning a bit rude, I would say. He started asking tons of questions and I was a bit intimidated at first, but then when he found out I was half Palestinian and was making my utmost effort to try to communicate with them, his way of communicating and his demeanor completely changed.

It was nice because we were all hanging out and laughing, just spending some quality family time together. We even went on facebook and they asked me to help them upload some pictures. By the way, tremendous pictures! They are super Arab!! Hanna had like 17 different pictures of him looking tough and posing in front of his car- he works at a car repair shop. Then he had a picture with a guitar so I asked him if he played and he said, oh no, it was just for the picture! Hilarious!

At a certain point in the conversation Linda started making sandwiches for everyone and she made me two! I told her I wasn't even hungry (with all that coffee I drank, I was pretty full), but she insisted. They were salami, pickle and hummus sandwiches- not necessarily a combination I would have come up with myself, but they were good. I could only eat one because they were pretty big. The family insisted I kept on eating, but I didn't want to because I was going to dinner with Aryeh's family later on that night. They kept on insisting, but I just left the plate with food on the table and thanked them a million.

Then, Linda brought out the coffee, again. My stomach was such a mess!!

After hanging out with the family for about four hours I was exhausted because I had been speaking Arabic non stop! Linda asked me if I wanted anything else and I told her I was tired and would like to go back to the hostel. Her and her niece walked me until I found myself in the suq and I walked all the way back.

What a nice Arab family gathering experience I had :) 

SS/SK

Since I got to Jerusalem, I have been trying to find an apartment. Right before I left Monterey, I contacted this guy on craigslist about his one bedroom apartment, but I think it was a scam. That fell through, so I kept on looking.

Many posts on craigslist and other websites looking for roommates include in the description of their desired roommate "ss/sk". I wasn't really sure what that stood for, so I looked it up. Turns out ss is shomer shabbat and sk is shomer kashrut.

SS means that the person follows the rules associated with the Sabbath. I learnt about the Sabbath from conversations with Aryeh. The Sabbath is the day of rest in Judaism. It is the period that goes from one hour before the sun sets on Friday until there are three stars in the sky on Saturday. Depending on the time of the year, it starts and ends earlier or later. Following the rules of the Sabbath includes not being able to work (it is the day of rest) or use electrical devices. There are special meals and prayers for this day as well.

Although Aryeh is not religious, his family is, so they prepare Sabbath dinner. I was invited to join him and his family for this special occasion. His father took the time to explain the rituals to me and they gave me a book so I could understand the prayers and songs they sang. Dinner had many different courses and lasted longer than it does usually (especially when compared to the US). It kind of reminded me of traditional family lunches in Spain on Sundays. I felt really special being a part of it, and was very grateful to have been welcomed to their house.

Going back to the descriptions on housing ads, let me elaborate a bit more on SK. Keeping kosher means following certain dietary guidelines. I knew the basics of eating only certain kinds of meat from animals that had been killed without suffering, but that was about it. From Aryeh and Alona (at different times) I learnt more about the subject. Turns out, the only animals that are kosher are those that can chew and have cloven hooves. That mainly excludes pork and camel. In terms of fish, only fish that have scales and fins are allowed. Not only are there restrictions in terms of the meat, but also how the animal is killed. There are certain ways that reduce animal suffering, so in order to be kosher-certified, the butcher has to study these methods.

In addition to the meat restrictions, eating kosher means that milk products and meat products cannot be consumed at the same time (so, no cheeseburgers). Because these two types of products should not be consumed together, they should not be cooked together- this means different utensils should be used when cooking one type of product or the other.

When I went out to dinner with Richard and Alona, we needed to make sure we went to a Kosher place as Alona keeps kosher. So there are two types of kosher places, meat places and dairy places. From what I hear, Jerusalem is a pretty easy place to keep kosher as there are many options in terms of eating out, whereas Tel Aviv isn't as much.

In terms of finding an apartment, I actually wouldn't mind keeping kosher for six months. I think it would be a good way to experience a different culture, but I'm not sure if potential roommates would be down with it.

Visiting friends making new ones

My first morning in Jerusalem I went to have breakfast and met Tom, a German volunteer here at the guest house. We started talking and he told me he's a cook. He works at the hostel's kitchen and is going to be in Jerusalem for a total of two weeks. He's 21 and speaks with a cute German accent.

When I was having breakfast I met Richard, a New Yorker traveling the Middle East. He had already visited Turkey and Syria and was planning on going to Egypt after being in Jerusalem, but changed his travel plans due to the instability. We talked a little bit, and shared basic information about one another- super nice guy.

The next morning I saw Tom again, and I had added Richard on Facebook, so we agreed to all get together later on in the day. After breakfast I decided to go thank my new friend Ramadan for helping me out with my mission. While I was at the store, I took the opportunity to ask him about learning Arabic. He made his son Khaled, who was helping him out at the store, walk me to AlQuds University. 

I walked in and asked about information to take Arabic classes. The man immediately directed me to a classroom in session. I thought he misunderstood me, so I tried to make it clear that I hadn't signed up for classes just yet, but wanted some information. He still interrupted the class and the professor and students looked at me and asked what I wanted. When I said I wanted more info, the professor asked me to sit in on the class and observe. She then made me a part of the class and asked for my input and all!

After class, the lady took me to the offices and spoke to me in Arabic along the way. It's funny because when I told her I didn't understand what she said, she yelled at me and said: "what do you mean you don't understand? You're Palestinian!" and then she repeated it slower.

When I went to the office, everyone spoke to me in Arabic and I was given the info in Arabic...when the professor left the office, I asked in English, just to make sure I had understood everything correctly. I did- yay! small victory! While I was there, I asked around to see if anyone knew of an apartment I could rent and May (a girl that works at the office) said she did. 

After I got the info about the Arabic classes, I checked out the apartment. The location was amazing, right in the middle of the Old City in the Christian quarter. The only problem was that the lady who lives there has like three cats. I have nothing against animals, but three cats is a bit much (especially when they make the house smell a bit funny- ok, that's putting it very lightly- the place smelled like cat pee). The room for rent, was pretty amazing, though. Very spacious and with a queen bed. From the window you can see the whaling wall...picture that! The price wasn't bad, but the whole living room and cat situation...not sure I could handle it! I told her I'd think about it.

I went back to thank Ramadan after all of this, and he told me again that whatever I needed I could always come and ask him. He also said he wants to take me to his house so I can meet his family- so sweet. 

I was walking back to the hostel and Hashem, a shopkeeper, invited me to his store. We started to talk in Arabic and English and he told me he made the earrings and necklaces in the store. After talking for a while, he invited me to have some tea and we talked a bit more. Right as I was about to leave, he gave me a welcome gift- a pair of earrings. He told me to go visit him again soon and gave me his business card. * Side Note: Everyone here has business cards, it's so weird! Cab drivers, shopkeepers...everyone!

After my little adventure in the suq, I went to the guest house and hung out in the lobby, where I saw Richard from NY and I met his friend Alona. It was Richard's last night, so he had all these places to visit and things to do before he left. Alona and Richard met years back in college and it was their first reunion after ten plus years. They were super nice and invited me to join them sightseeing and for dinner. We went to the church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall (aka whaling wall). What two amazing places! I'll post pictures soon, promise. I cannot even describe the experience of being there and the feelings involved, but it's pretty special.

It was a day packed with activities and new friends. Jerusalem rocks :)

The mission of the day

After having breakfast, I went to the information center to try to find myself a map. I talked to Vyji, an Indian who married and Arab and now lived in Jerusalem. We started talking and she told me where all the places were. In addition to trying to sell me 17 tours, she gave me 500 brochures with discounts to all these different restaurants, but I had a mission. 

My mission: to buy a blow dryer. Because I had no idea of how the outlet situation was going to work here, and my blow dryer is really big and bulky, I decided not to bring it. Turns out it is SUPER cold in Jerusalem, so I absolutely needed one. I asked Vygi where I could find one, and she told me there was ONE store in the market that sold electronic products. I asked her how much I should pay for it, and she said anywhere from 100-150 NIS (about 25-30 USD). So I went for it.

I started navigating the suq (market) streets and asking people around. I didn't want to pull out my big ol' map, because I didn't want to look like a tourist, but I look like one no matter what. I just tried to remember my path, so I could get myself back to my hostel. I totally got lost in the suq in Rabat and did not want to repeat that experience (especially by myself)! 

I followed a couple of people's directions, but I still couldn't find it, so I asked a shopkeeper. His name was Ramadan, and he freaked out when he found out I could speak Arabic. We talked for about ten minutes and then I asked him about the electronics man. He told me to go up the stairs, turn right and pass four shawarma places- it should be on my right-hand side. Interesting directions, I thought. Just in case, he gave me the man's first AND last name, so I could ask in case I couldn't find it (I mean, the directions were just so clear...how could I not?). 

Well, I didn't find it. So I asked this guy who was trying to sell me shawarma if he knew the guy. After he almost had a heart attack when he heard me speak Arabic, he pointed right across the street to this tiny little green door, a.k.a. the electronics store. I talked to the sweet man in the store and told him that Ramadan sent me. He gave me this awesome blow dryer for 100NIS. I didn't bargain, and I feel like maybe I should have just because I was in the suq, but I'll give myself a break given that it was the first day and I really needed it!

Mission accomplished!!