Person, Place, or Thing

Now that my travel plans are officially settled I'd like to make an ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I WILL BE RETURNING TO AMERICA 2 WEEKS EARLIER THAN I PLANNED. Yes, you read that correctly. Now, pick your jaw up off the ground while I explain a bit.

It is no secret that I've faced challenges and struggles throughout this trip. First with the luggage, then navigating myself through a foreign land with a foreign language. I have friends here (very amazing and loving ones) but I am, for all intents and purposes, here on my own. A very wise teacher once told me "Wherever you go, there you will be", and I've continued to discover how true this statement is throughout my life. Uprooting yourself from all you really know and putting yourself in a completely new environment is one of the best ways to learn this lesson. I do not wish to share the personal details of the matter here on my blog, but you should know that it is not Israel which has brought me to this decision. It is me, and only me, and this is the same me that lived in Sacramento and Portland. It is the me that I can't escape, even across the world.

I still have 3 weeks and I am going to continue to explore and experience the country. There are some things left on my list that I wish you accomplish. And now that I've settled much of my uneasiness I believe I'll be able to more fully appreciate the remainder of my time. 

Adventure Through the Ancient

Yesterday Amos and I resurrected some of our road-tripping memories from last summer and took a mini road trip in to Caesarea (קיסריה). Yet another place in Israel where the ancient and modern collide, Caesarea is a coastal city along the Mediteranean which houses ruins of Caesarea Maritima. The port town was built up around 25-13 BCE by Herod the Great and was dedicated to Augustus Caesar. Today the modern city of Caesarea is known to be one of the most expenses areas to live in Israel and is home to many well known Israelis, like Bibi Netanyahu (maybe you've heard of him).

This was my first experience visiting an ancient archaeological site (other than Masada on Birthright) and I have to say it is really exciting. Like most things in Israel, I've learned about Caesarea in my Judaic Studies courses and seen many pictures of it. These places become somewhat mythological which makes stepping foot in them magical! It was truly magnificent. I can't believe that people were able to build this huge place without any of the modern technology we have. The most well known parts of these ruins are probably Herod's palace, the Hippodrome, and the amphitheater. It's amazing that they still have concerts at the theatre today.

We also visited the Ralli Museums. Past it's beautiful courtyard, one of the museums houses 6th-18th century paintings of biblical stories. The other holds a collection of mostly Latin American and Spanish art, including some beautiful Dali pieces. Sometimes I struggle with art museums, but I actually really enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of the biblical stories and I loved a lot of the abstract impressionist and surrealist styles of the Latin American/Spanish art.


These two museums are dedicated to the Spanish and Portugese Jews expelled during the Inquisition of 1492, as well as the Thessaloniki community which was almost completely exterminated during the Holocaust. In addition to ancient and holy sites, Israel also has many memorials (many of which are government sponsored). Some of them remember communities and people from long ago, and others remember people lost more recently in Israel's wars and the Intifada's. I think the concept of remembering, not just our traditions, but also each other, is a very important aspect of the Jewish culture. I really appreciate the effort and resources Israel puts into this task of remembering.

In the spirit of Caesarea and being on vacation we ended the day with some overpriced iced coffees and dinner. I can't wait until the next day-adventure!

Bahá'í in Haifa!

About a week ago I spent a few days exploring Haifa by myself. Haifa is a coastal city located towards the northern region of Israel. It is probably most known for it's port and for being the world center to the Baha'i faith. Of course I went there to see the beautiful Baha'i Gardens. I honestly had no idea what the Baha'i faith was or why their faith center was in Israel, but I learned all of this on the great tour I took!

The Baha'i faith is a monotheistic religion of Persian origin. In 1844 a man they refer to as The Bab announced that the coming of a new messenger of God was coming. This messenger was Baha'u'llah, who is recognized as the official founder of the Baha'i faith. The Baha'is believe that he is the next prophet in the line of ancient prophets of the people of the book (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad) and they recognize the previous prophets. They have a lot of interesting views on humanity, it's progress in  modernity, and global togetherness. Just google it and see for yourself! 

The Baha'i Gardens themselves are built around the tomb of The Bab. According to my tour guide, he was executed for heretic activity in Iran and was not permitted any formal burial. His followers kept his remains for many years and he was buried in Haifa because Baha'u'llah was eventually exiled to Acre (עכו) in 1868, thus the amazingly beautiful gardens. The tour I took began at the top, taking us down over 700 steps to just outside the sanctuary of Bab's tomb. You are not allowed to enter the temple unless you are of the Baha'i faith.

Rockaway

Life lately is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I'm working on my term-long project for Information Design, always studying for Hebrew to keep up, have events for JSU, and my Mondays and Wednesdays are now spent at work. There is also the occasional sleeping and eating.
Friday Erika, Sereane, Sam and I took a brief, spontaneous adventure to the Oregon coast. It was great to press paus e on life and get out of the crazy city for a little while.
The Oregon Coast is beautiful in an eery, sad, way. The entire lanscape is a mixture of grays and blues. There is something oddly refreshing about looking out into the endless water, hearing the waves crash, and feeling the stinging sea air blow against your face. It's as if you are in touch with the entire world at once.

Desertland

This past month has been packed with adventures. Most recently I accompanied my friend, Claire, on a road trip to Houston, Texas. Yes, the south west is extremely hot, humid, and barren but the trip was really fun! We made our way from Sacramento to Phoenix the first day, Phoenix to Fort Stockton, TX the second day, and then visited Austin, San Antonio, and finally made it to Houston in the next two days. I learned that Texas really does look like it does in old western movies (although they are probably filmed in the Mojave and Palm deserts because they look pretty identical). I loved Texas, despite the deadly heat and humidity (around 105 with humidity everyday!) and hope to return someday.

Games and Dealbreakers

Winter Break 2010 in photos:

Thee Demarcus Cousins





Colts Vs. Raiders in Oakland. Guess who won that one?

Hide yer kids, hide yer wife.

Paesanos.

GAMES!


New Years!

New hair and a tattoo.

Day 4: Where You Went Today

So, obviously this is not where I went TODAY. But it is where I went for the last 5 days. My family and I took our annual trip to the foggy northern coast of California. Some might think the place looks dreary and be deterred by its rural nature (patchy, awful cell service, and only in certain places and no internet in our house) but I love the place. I've grown up my whole life visiting the north coast and I prefer its chilly waters and windy coves to the burning hot sands and bikinis of Southern California beaches.

And this is my younger brother Tim, sleeping in the car. I know. I'm awful! I really should have taken more pictures on this trip. I'll take more on the next one. Friday Sarah and I are headed to San Francisco (my favorite place) for Outside Lands Music Festival.

Music: 12:51 - The Strokes

By the Sea

Tomorrow I'm leaving for family vacation in Mendicino. My family has a house there. I'll be back on Tuesday and then Sarah and I are leaving on Friday for San Francisco. We're going to Outside Lands Music Festival. Immediately after that, on the next Monday, I'm heading to Portland with my parents for my orientation. I'll try my best to blog about this string of adventures as they happen.

Music: The Harrowing Adventures of... - Tokyo Police Club

food coma

thanksgiving break is officially over, but it has been grand if i don't say so myself. minus a small episode on saturday night/the trip back to oakland via train, everything was very fun. i got to see a lot of people i haven't seen in awhile (but i didn't get to see everyone i wanted to. thank god for christmas break being so soon.) thanksgiving break is pretty much about good food, good people, and good times, all of which were had. (i can't upload any pictures because i just realized i packed up my camera cord and it is at home!)

i ended the break with a grand finale finish of getting to see Rooney live on sunday night. my friend from CCA, Christine, went with me. i have literally been waiting since the 7th grade to see this band! i don't have any photos because cameras were not allowed in the venue but they were very good. the sound was amazing, their guitarist is super talented, and they are all extremely rockstar sexy! i also got to meet-and-greet because i bought their new EP, Wild One (which is great). so now i have a check on my bucket list and a signed EP and poster.

only 2 weeks left here in Oakland at CCA. it is a little bittersweet because i've found a few really awesome friends but i will just come to the bay to visit them and have fun!

Music: Wild One - Rooney

find your center

i just got back from my 6 day vacation to my family's beach house in mendecino county. i hate saying my family has a vacation house near the beach because people automatically assume that it is some mansion, hampton's style, and that my family is ridiculously wealthy. that is all but the case. our house is really old, kind of cabin like, and smells kind of funny inside. the beach it is near is a northern california beach. that means it is usually pretty cold and windy. 4-5 months out of the year it is rainy and foggy and the power goes out a lot. the closest town is called Gualala which almost no one has heard of and the entirety of the "town" consists of one city block containing two grocery stores, one gas station, a bakery, a post office, and a small myriad of other assorted shops. the majority of the population averages at the age of 60, is retired, and their kids do not live with them meaning there are no teenagers or young people around, not that i'd be able to tell because the houses are so far apart that you can't see your neighbors while at your own house. on top of that, cellular signal is extremely spotty and we don't have internet.

i just made it sound like our vacation house sucks, but it really isn't that bad. i've grown up going there and it is a place where i find quiet (which i sometimes need whether i want to admit it or not) and concentration. the last six days pretty much consisted of me sleeping, reading, journaling, and eating with a few social campsite visits. i had minimal contact with that i like to refer to as civilization (which i later officially defined as any place where i can get a 3G signal on my phone). while being limited to these simple, mundane activities really helped me focus my thoughts. my journaling was so pure and i really loved it. but after 6 days i am glad to be back in civilization where i can interact with lots of people.

the countdown (t minus 11 days and counting) has begun until i move into my dorm for college. i am very excited, actually. i want to meet my room mate, get started with classes, and find my new place in this new world i will be joining. my creative juices are starting to flow again and i think the guidance of art school will really give it a boost.

Music: Vanilla Twilight - Owl City, the sound of crashing waves