This last two weeks have been an exhausting whirlwind of adventures. My family comes in 12 days!! And so I have spent the last few weeks trying to finish my final papers for my classes so when they arrive I will not have to worry about homework. I have two separate research projects, one I focused on international law relating to settlements in the West Bank. For my other class I compared the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations policies and reactions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both projects have been very interesting and I was surprised to learn a lot especially about settlements. I am very glad all my research is almost over so I can enjoy my time with my family.
Last week Marissa's friend (and my friend now too!) Lani finished his time in the army! Mazel Tov! We headed for Herzliya (a city on the beach near Tel Aviv) for the party to celebrate. We ended up meeting people and spending the rest of the weekend in Tel Aviv. It was a great weekend and we had plenty of much needed rest.
The rest of the week was crammed full with homework and my internship. Wednesday night was another Jewish holiday! The holiday is called Lag BaOmer which is celebrated on the 33rd day of Omer. Omer is the time between Passover and Shavout (The day the Torah was received). Omer is a time of minor mourning and so some people do not shave, swim or listen to live music. It is sort of a Jewish no shave November. The 33rd day of Omer is marked by the famous Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's death. He revealed some of the deepest secrets and interpretations of the Torah. Rabbi Shimon lived during the time of the revolt against the Romans and so he hid in caves across the Holy Lands. The idea is to turn the night into day which is why all over Israel bonfires are light.
Rabbi Shimon's burial site is located in a town in Northern Israel called Meron. And so on the night of the 33rd day of Omer, we headed to Meron to join the festivities. All across Israel bonfires were set and the entire country was on fire, literally! We arrived in Meron along with 800,000 Orthodox Jews. Of course the men and women had separate sides. Marissa and I grabbed hands in an effort to stay together as we started to climb the mountain. It was so crowded you could barely move. We finally made it into the tomb after lots of pushing and shoving. The mens side was a lot more fun than the women's side. All the men were singing and dancing not to mention it was almost twice as big as the women's side. It felt like when I was little and my family would go to an amusement park. My brothers would be able to ride the really big roller coasters while I was to short and had to watch from the entrance. I was that little girl again peering into the mens side frustrated that I could not fully participate. But as usual Marissa and I were determined to not let this ruin our evening and persevered on as we headed even further up the mountain. The entire area was like a carnival with tons if people all dancing and celebrating. We made it to the area full of tents where people live during the time of Omer. Marissa and I were immediately invited into a tent by a family. It is a running theme of our time in Israel that we meet random people and are invited into their homes. As usual we were given lots of food and learned a lot. It was finally time to head back to the bus and make our way back to Jerusalem. We arrived home at 7 am and I was absolutely exhausted.
3 hours later in class I had a stimulation of peace negotiations. Each student was a different country in the negotiations. I was Russia which meant I did not have to do anything except disagree on everyones ideas. It was actually really fun because everyone acted their countries part. Obviously we did not get to close to peace but way closer than Israel and Palestine right now. This week has been a crazy week in Israeli politics. Israel has a coalition government so it is very different than Americas system. Thank goodness for the people at work or I would have no idea what was going on with the system. Anyway two major coalitions combined and so elections will no longer be held in September. It is very complicated but has been fun and interesting to follow.
Speaking of politics… I was so ashamed this week to find out North Carolina voted to add Amendment 1 to our state constitution. Being from the South I am always trying to convince the rest of the world we are not backwards, uneducated, crazy people. But this week I was disproved. Not only were my American friends mocking my state but even my Israeli friends thought it was crazy. Israelis who live in a religious state thought banning gay marriage was crazy. I always put North Carolina on a pedestal as an accepting, loving and amazing place. But I was proven wrong. I hope this amendment is appealed soon because North Carolina will lose some amazing people.
Friday morning Marissa and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Tmol Shilshom for brunch. We spent all afternoon on the patio drinking iced coffee and laughing. As much as I am going to miss the big moments in Israel when I go home it is moments like Friday that I will miss the most. I can not believe time has gone by so quickly.
As usual Friday night Marissa and I headed for the Western Wall to find a meal for Shabbat. We met a family who took us to their home right outside of the Old City. The home was absolutely beautiful and was over 300 years old. The mother Yael was such a spunky lady. She is an Orthodox woman but does not cover her hair. She strategically placed Marissa and I between her two sons, both around our age. They were both paratroopers in the IDF and now go to Hebrew University. The entire meal was a blast hearing all of her stories. We discussed silver and china patterns along with how to make Kosher gravy. She invited us to their beach house for Shabbat next week and we are absolutely going! At the table we each had to say something about the week. This is a very normal part of a Shabbat dinner. Marissa said it the best as she described how Israel is so amazing because strangers just invite you into their homes or to join their party or a BBQ. It is so true! Israel is more than hospitable, everyone is family!
Every week I am amazed at how much I learn and experience. I can not believe some of the things I have been able to learn and do in Israel. I am absolutely exhausted!
Shabbat Shalom!
Katy Ann
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