Living in Israel

I have been living in Israel for over four months now and it has been, as the Israelis say in Hebrew, “balagan” (or craziness!). I am going to give a brief update on the major events.

Arrival to Israel: We arrived in Israel March 1^st and immediately moved into an apartment in Jerusalem. I was sad and overwhelmed leaving India (see last post), yet I was excited for the unpredictable experience that I knew I was going to have living in Israel. My parents were also here waiting for me upon our arrival. Even though I was emotional and exhausted, it was so great to be welcomed by them and be taken care of for a week. Together we did the typical tourist activities in Jerusalem (Western Wall, Old City, walking tours, museums, etc.) and even made trips to Mt. Masada and the Dead Sea in Ein Gedi and Haifa up north. We also visited our South African/Israeli relatives that live outside of Tel Aviv, who I met for the first time, which was really nice. I later went on to spend the Passover seder with them and attended my cousin Bev’s beautiful wedding. It is so cool to develop a new relationship with relatives I never knew!

Program transfer: I neglected to discuss this in previous posts; however, I am sad to report that the fellowship program I was originally in was (put as nicely as possible) not what it was promised to be. The program neglected to provide the logistical, health/safety, and programmatic support that it was supposed to. One incident after another and a very poor relationship with our former director led every participant to transfer to a similar program with the “support” of MASA, the Israeli governmental organization that sponsored us to be here. I am not going to go into detail on the events that occurred and the wrongdoings of the director (and the unfortunately stressful and awful process of transferring), but I will be happy to share the details in person when I return. However, in spite of the program failures, I had an incredible and rewarding experience in India, and now in Israel.

Turkey: We were given a week off for Passover break, so I jumped at the opportunity to escape to nearby Turkey and visit Istanbul, a city that I have wanted to go to for years. I had a wonderful time enjoying the vibrant and historical city, eating delicious Turkish food, meeting cool people from around the world, and yes, I even treated myself to a traditional Turkish bath. Quite the experience!

Move to Tel Aviv: When we switched programs, we moved from Jerusalem to TA, which was great (Jerusalem is really beautiful, but TA is a much younger, non-religious, progressive city with a lot more to do!). Unfortunately, though, because the cost of living is higher, we had to move from an apartment into a large dorm building which houses mostly other young Americans and foreigners. I am literally in a room with two beds, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. It is challenging to live like this again (reverting back to freshman year of college), mostly because of difficultly sleeping and having no privacy. However, since we are with so many other people, I have made many more friends, which is nice. The main advantage though is that our location is incredible. We are right in the center of the city, surrounded by bars, restaurants, and shops. It is also only a 10-minute walk to the beach, which I loveee! Although I will say, spending all weekend at the beach is a wonderful way to procrastinate and not get anything done. People here party like there's no tomorrow—literally. As an Israeli guy put it the other day, "Israelis party all night because we know we might not exist tomorrow." And he is right. Nothing closes and it is soo easy to stay out all night and not even realize the time. There is no stopping, and it is exhausting! But also great fun : )

Internships: Nevertheless, I have been very busy with work. I have two internships here and feel really lucky to have landed them. One job is working as a Research Assistant for Clalit, which is one of the largest Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) in Israel. I am working for doctors doing research on pregnancy and birth outcomes among Ethiopian immigrant women and trying to address the disparity and cultural differences that impact their healthcare and treatment. If you didn't know, Israel has a very large community of African immigrants and refugees. The immigrants are mostly Ethiopian and of Jewish decent. Through the Law of Return, they are granted citizenship here. The refugees are mostly from Eritrea, Sudan, and West African countries and have fled atrocities back home to seek refuge here. It is a huge topic of debate (as is any immigrant or refugee problem in any country...) and a big source of tension in Israel. That brings me to my other job, which is working at the African Refugee Health Clinic in the central bus station in South Tel Aviv. South TA has a very large refugee population, which makes it a really awesome cultural bubble in the city (with absolutely delicious food!!). Well…I think it is an awesome cultural bubble, but many Israelis think it is a scary, high-crime, dirty place. The clinic sees mostly Eritreans, Sudanese (Darfur refugees), Kenyans, and some Filipinos. My job there is to design and run health promotion lectures with the patients and cultural awareness lectures with the doctors, as well as to work at reception signing patients in. Three of my coworkers are refugees from Eritrea and their stories of getting smuggled into Israel across Egypt are unreal.... Through both jobs I am learning and narrowing in even more for grad school. I am also taking Ulpan, which is a Hebrew language course, three nights a week. Unfortunately I do not have (or make) as much time to practice as I should, but I am learning so that I can communicate on a basic level.

Travel: We have gone on several trips around Israel, exploring the country and learning about its history, land, and the different communities. Unfortunately, Israel is surrounded by enemies, so travel outside of the country to places in close proximity is limited. The pictures below are from travels to the Negev (desert) and the Dead Sea.

However, my friends and I did take a trip to Jordan, which was unbelievable. The Jordanian border is only five minutes outside of Eilat in the south, and crossing over is quite easy to do. We spent a few days exploring the ruins of the ancient city of Petra, as well as the unreal mountains and red sand dunes in the desert of Wadi Rum. It was fascinating to learn the history of the civilizations there, spend time with local Bedouins, ride donkeys, hike through the desert, and climb the boulders. I loved every second of it. 

Despite the fun and exciting aspects of life here, it is not always easy. I am being exposed to life in the Middle East on a whole new level and learning in depth and from so many different perspectives about the complexities and messes that exist within Israel and around it. The other night my friends and I met with a brilliant British Israeli man who is an educator on Arab-Israeli relations. We talked in detail about the rights of citizens in Israel and the legal differences between the Arab Palestinians who reside here and the Jewish Israelis. I have attended several lectures, debates, tours, and events around the issue. A few weeks ago we visited a town called Sderot, along the Gaza Strip. This town is constantly being hit by missiles (although it has had a nice break lately). We met with educators, human rights leaders, civilians, and students to hear their stories and realities of living in that area. We have met with Palestinians and Humans Rights’ groups to hear their perspectives, yet have also met with spokespeople from the Israeli Defense Force and Jewish settlers in the West Bank to hear their sides as well. Major takeaways: 1. Don’t pass judgment too quickly, 2. Don’t believe everything you read or hear, 3. Try to understand all perspectives before forming strong opinions, 4. This situation gives a new meaning to the word ‘complex.’

Well, that is it for now. I apologize for the major gap between posts, but I hope this gives a little insight into my life in Eretz Yisrael!