Taking a break....

I just wanted to let anyone know who reads this blog that there may not be anything new for the next month and a half or so until the middle of April! I have been very honored to be invited to several interviews out of state to genetic counseling programs, which means lots of time in airports, being nervous and travelling around on top of working and volunteering.

I hope to post something in the meantime since I will be travelling and surely will have stories!

Wish me luck! 

Denver Jewish Film Festival and Yad Vashem

This past Friday I was invited to the Denver Jewish Film Festival at Cherry Creek. Film festivals and anything that gets too artsy and hipster are not my scene, but I wanted to hang out with the person who invited me (my friend's mom), so I decided that I would go. Going into the films, all I knew is where it was and that there were going to be two short films shown.

I was really blown away by the movies. The first movie was called Cohen on the Bridge and detailed Operation Entebbe in 1976 when an Air France flight bound from Tel Aviv to Athens to Paris was intercepted by two German and two Palestinian terrorists and flown to Uganda. Idi Amin was in power and the Jewish passengers were separated from the non-Jewish passengers. In the end they were saved by the elite Israeli Defense Force, the Mossad, and most of the hostages were saved. This was a story that I had never heard before, never even heard mentioned. Normally I would have been annoyed by the nature of the movie- a very hipster, very comic book-esque black and white film, but I was highly engrossed in this story. The thing that impacted me the most was the fact that there was a Holocaust survivor among the hostages and I can't imagine living through a situation like that again, in fact I can't imagine anything more horrifying than that.

The next film was Ammon's Journey, a french film that was partly in French, English and Hebrew, detailing a Ammon, who is a luthier (a person who makes violins) and painstakingly took it upon himself to refurbish violins from Holocaust victims in the second world war. He repaired the violins that were played as a distraction, abusively, for hours on end at Auschwitz. The journey took us from Paris to Austria to Norway and finally to Jerusalem, where these instruments were played at a special concert at the wailing wall. The movie highlighted the beauty and the pain of Ammon as he came to grasps of the horror and elegance of these musicians (including his own father) during one of the darkest times in Jewish history. It was again a documentary, something I normally do not enjoy, but found myself engaged in his story all the same.

During the brief time that I was at the festival, I was again reminded at the time I spent at Yad Vashem, somewhere that I have been trying to decide exactly how to incorporate into a blog post for quite a while. Yad Vashem houses the holocaust museum in Jerusalem. It is a free museum, that exists for many historical reasons and to help validate to anyone curious, why Israel exists as a Jewish state. I have honestly never felt such a dichotomy of horror and hopefulness as I stepped out of this museum in January 2011. I learned and saw things about the Holocaust, which in my mind was already so repugnant, that made me sick to my stomach. I will never forget seeing actual footage of Holocaust survivors and victims proceeding with their daily, atrocious life, side-by-side Nazi propaganda of what the ghettos looked like in actuality. This combined with endless photos, knowledge about death marches, the room of  names of millions of victims, understanding the prejudice and racism faced by survivors after the war, was so overwhelming I was unsure of how to cope. The hopefulness lied in what my friend, Josh, described as one of his favorite views in Israel at the end of the museum as you exited. There was an amazing view, at sunset no less, of Israel and Jerusalem, which left me feeling slightly hopeful, and definitely more understanding of the validity and purpose for Israel as a nation.

As a non-Jewish person I think sometimes it is easy to dismiss the atrocities committed on this religious group of people and only see Israel for the strife and conflict it creates in the Middle East. As I learn more, see more, I understand more why Israel exists, and why it should exist. I've never been that curious about history, but I feel a new wonder and found intrigue to learn more about the history of the Jewish people and the country that I have recently fallen in love with.

I said this in the last post, but I am excited about the cultural growth that I am able to achieve, not only abroad, but in my own country. Being stranded here the last three weeks (I have my passport back finally!!!), had really made me expand my openness to experiencing new cultures and doing things that I may not have been as excited or willing to do before. 

Chinese New Year... In the USA?

My new roommate is the son of a man in the Navy and thus spent a lot of his childhood out of the USA. His family lived in China, Singapore and Hong Kong. Instead of growing up with traditional US holidays like Thanksgiving, 4th of July, etc, he grew up in a place that celebrated such holidays as Chinese New Year. He threw a dinner party to share these traditions with everyone, including me the new roommate.

I came home Thursday, February 3rd, to Matt frantically cooking since 14:30 for a party that was to start at 19:30. Since I was at the time unemployed, I offered my help. I preceded chopping vegetables and rolling out dumpling dough for the next two hours! He didn't need any recipes or measuring cups and just kept mixing ingredients while I, the sous chef, just chopped away. At the end of the two hours we had all of the prep work done, but the cooking hadn't even started. Finally, around, 20:00, everything was made and the guests had arrived. 

The menu was as follows:

27-ingredient salad (or was it 24, Matt couldn't remember)- ingredients included raw fish, grapefruit, peanuts, rice noodles, cabbage, carrots, jicama and much more 

Veggie Dumplings (that also happened to be vegan)

Pork Dumplings (no photos)

Various kinds of stir fry, veggie and non-veggie

Noodle Stir Fry 

Rice Stir Fry

Lots of oranges (you are familiar)

Some items on the menu were traditional good luck symbols, namely the oranges and the salad. The salad even had a special way of being "tossed" to bring all of the guests good luck. Everyone sticks a fork into the salad and then shouts "Lo Hi", while flinging the salad high into the air, the higher it goes the better luck you will have in the year. It was a stressful tradition for someone with cleanliness OCD like myself, but definitely a fun way to commence a dinner party. 

The night went well. Everyone had a good time dressed in red (also traditional), eating delicious, food, and drinking. The best part came the next morning when Matt had cleaned up all of the mess from the night before by the time I woke up at 8:00! Awesome roommate.  It was a great ending to a fun night. 

I never expected to have a close encounter with Chinese traditions outside of China and without any Chinese people... I am interested to see what other traditions I will learn in the next few months! I'm glad I'm able to experience new cultures while not abroad, right from the comforts of my own home. 

Why I loved Israel and no I am not Jewish

A common question that I have encountered is what country and place was your favorite? And irritatingly, people are often not pleased with my answers. I didn't really feel a connection or like India nor Peru, and no I couldn't see myself living in Spain again. So.. where did I like the most? Israel, specifically Tel Aviv.

This is an odd answer to a lot of people, I often am asked, "are you Jewish?", which no I am not. I have also received, the reply, "oh well you just liked it because your ex-boyfriend is there and there is obviously still something there." Wrong again. It has nothing to do with faith nor that specific person being in Israel, I just really liked it there. Let me explain.

Sunset on the beach in Tel Aviv 

For starters, Tel Aviv has a very European feeling to it. There are a lot of outdoor cafes, some pedestrian only streets, tucked away bars, amazing food and public transportation where it is unnecessary to have a car. Tel Aviv is like Europe, only the climate is unequivocally better. I was there on NYE around the coldest time of the year and I was in a thin jacket. There was no need for snow boots, nor a down coat, and definitely not snow pants. If you know me well, you know this is big for me. Tel Aviv also has the carmel market or "shuk" which is a permanent farmer's market where fresh produce is sold everyday, except shabbat (Saturdays). Finally, probably the most amazing quality, is a beautiful, clean Mediterranean beach next to a thriving big city that is amazing for sunsets, running, swimming and sun-bathing.

The Dead Sea at sunrise

It's not just Tel Aviv that I liked. I also enjoyed traveling to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Eilat, the Dead Sea and the Golan Heights. All very different landscapes from each other, all a part of this beautiful and small country. I even found the West Bank, entirely confusing and a little scary, but nonetheless interesting.  In one day you can see the borders to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. From the Gulf of Eilat you can even see Saudi Arabia on a clear day.

Banyas in the Golan Heights

Gulf of Eilat looking toward Jordan and Saudi Arabia

Then there is the history of the place. You go to Jerusalem and you can see all of the places where the three biggest religions on the planet originated. The very places described in the Old and New Testament, the Torah and the Quran. Three religions all trying to survive in the same small area, literally stacked on top of one another. You can go to Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Masada, where jesus walked and countless other places that events supposedly took place.

Dome of the Rock

It is a combination of all of these things that made me really fall in love with the country, but it is also because of these things that it is not an easy place to move or work. For starters the whole Jewish thing is a prerequisite to getting citizenship, many jobs, universities and work visa programs. There is a lot of strife and potential for violence in the region because of the nature of the country.The fact is safety will never be guaranteed there. They speak an entirely different language and have a different alphabet from anything I am familiar with. Lastly, there are a lot of complex political issues and stances that are deeply rooted in history, hatred and misunderstandings, on all sides. Not to mention the political instability that has taken over this area in the light of recent events and protests, especially Egypt.

Getting artsy on the border of Egypt and Israel (less than 1 yard/meter away!); Also a photo to demonstrate how I feel Israel would be about accepting me

In spite of all of these problems, I still really enjoyed my time there. It is one of few places that I could see myself living (can't say that for anywhere in the USA) for at least a little while. Plus, they have a lot of genetic research and possibilities in the country! I don't know what will happen in the next 3, 5, 12, 24 months, but I do know that my time in Israel was not just in 2010/11 and I am determined to find a way back there in the near future whether it be for an internship before or during school or an option if grad school doesn't pan out.

Negev Desert: so much nothing where no one lives and everyone wants to claim

I often wish I was Jewish so that Israel would accept me!