Monday, June 29, 2009

Seeing every square inch of Israel

Okay, I managed to disable my netbook, so can't get on the internet, and can't send pictures. Maybe some one in my group can help me.

We have an Israeli guide, a secular Jew, like a lapsed Catholic or inactive Mormon. We also have an American guide, a sort of active Jew. She goes back to Utah tonight. Between them, I swear I will have seen every square inch of Israel and the pace is exhausting.

Yesterday, the 28th, our professor took us to the West Bank to visit his daughter. Oh, and our professor is an Orthodox Jew. He is also very liberal. His daughter and son-in-law and kids live in the West Bank, which is mostly Arab inhabited. They get along with all their Arab friends and neighbors. The place they live is called Gush Etzion, and and one point was ambushed and all the remaining settlers killed. This was several years ago. Decades ago. For Mormons, this is similar to Hauns' Mill Massacre, only the Mormons did not return after the massacre. The children of the settlers did return to Gush Etzion.
We also visited an outlet store. There is a kibbutz that makes shoes and has outlet stores all over Israel. Then we visited a center for Ethiopian Jews who need to acclimate to a new country. This takes several years, as they need to learn a new language and how to buy simple things. When one has lived in a hut, and now needs to know how to use electronics ....... It was very interesting.

Today, we went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Our Israeli guide was adament that only Jews studied them. When several of us explained that the scrolls had traveled to Utah, and that there was a team of BYU professors working with the Israelis, he was genuinely surprised. Our professor says the guide has a lot to learn about religion in general.
We also toured the Old City, which I said I would explain. I will have to put that off until I have time to do so.

The schedule for tomorrow is scary looking! Some of us want to see things, and they won't let us, or tell us it is not a good idea to do so. Finally a few teachers hired a van to go to the Garden of Gethsemane on their own. I am supposed to take a group to the Muslim sites of the Dome of the Rock, but when that will happen, I don't know.

With our American guide going home, maybe we can lighten up the schedule.
And people think I am on vacation! HA! I am going to bed now.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

A Wild Two Days







Yesterday, we left the Tiberias area and headed towards Jerusalem in a round about fashion. We went south to the site of Beit Sher'im. This is a large Roman city. The remains were fantastic. I got some great pictures and video.



Then we headed northwest to Har Megiddo (Megiddo Mountain). These ruins were not so spectacular, except for the fact that the name Har Megiddo has been corrupted to Armeggedon! So, I took some great pictures of the plain below where the great battle mentioned in the Book of Revelations will be.



We arrived from the mountainous west into Jerusalem. We checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and headed down to the Old City to the Wailing Wall for the beginning of Shabbat.



Shabbat is Hebrew for Sabbath. Jewish Sabbath lasts from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. One elevator in our hotel was turned off as it has to rest for Shabbat. No, I am not kidding. This place shuts down if there is any thing connected to Judism. The Christians and Muslims are all working. Friday is the Holy Day for Muslims, and Sunday is Sunday for Christians.



This morning a few of us went to Bethlehem. To do this we literally left Israel and went in to the West Bank, or Palestinian Authority. We went through checkpoints, had to show passports, etc. Bethlehem is all of five miles southwest of Jerusalem.



When we got back, the bus dropped me off at the Old City so I could do some shopping. I had a baby present made, and it was waiting for me. I also wanted to get some tiles from my favorite tile guys. One of my favorite shops is Jerusalem Pottery - http://www.jerusalempottery.biz/ I highly recommend you check out this website. Also google Vic Lepejian. He did the baby gift for me. He is also a famous ceramic artist. Sometimes a girl just has to be by herself in an old world market and shop till she drops!



I will describe the Old City in my next post.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Oh - And I went to Capernaum

See, I am so tired I can't remember things! It is really hot and humid here. I should not complain
We went to Capernaum, which is the town on the north end of the Sea of Galilee that was home to Peter and Andrew, Jesus' first converts. The town is just ruins now. After the Arab invasion in 700 A.D. it was never inhabited again. I will have pictures, and video soon.

About video: I may have to wait until I get back to load those up. Gotta go to class!

From Syria to Lebanon

Today, we went running around the Golan Heights area. From one point we could see Syria, from another point, Lebanon. Israel is a very tiny country. It is only 290 miles long, and 85 miles at its widest. It could easily fit inside Utah with room to spare.
Another place we went was Safed. This town is the home of Kabbala, and home to many Orthodox Jews, who do not work, but get state assistance so they can argue and learn about Kabbala all day. Our Israeli guide says it is an unfair burden to the rest of the country.
Madonna is into Kabbala, but as far as I know, has not converted to Judiasm. I asked if she had ever been to Safed, and the answer was yes! I then asked if the Orthodox wanted her to leave, and the reply was "Well, she spent many, many shekels, so she is tolerated." Shekels are the Israeli monetary unit.
I did take pictures today, but will have to wait to post them as I am not using my computer at the moment, and have a class tonight. Why we have to have classes after long, hot days is a mystery to me. Half of us fall asleep.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Pictures


Crusader Fort - Akko and mosaics at Tzippori National Park




Bahai'a Temple - Haifa

Arabic Test

Oh, I am so tired! The temperature is about 100, humidity high.

Today my group went to a small village belonging to the Druze.

The Druze are an off-shoot of Islam, thought they are not Muslims in any sense of the word. Google this religion if you want to know more. They are very interesting. Most Druze live in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. They speak Arabic as a first language, and Hebrew as the second. My professor translated the hard stuff in Hebrew to the Druze family that had the group as their guests. I translated easier Arabic when we went to the Druze market. I went into bargain mode, which I learned living in Egypt. I am a great bargainer! One lady told me  was cutting into her profit margin.  I explained that America was in a recession and I had a budget, and walked out the door.  She called me back and I got my bargains.  This conversation was in Arabic and English, because I don't know the Arabic word for recession. Another word I gotta learn.

Later, we went to see the mosaics at Tzippori National Park. Extremely hot and boring. Then we went to the seaside city of Akko, where we saw a crusader fort. I would have loved to stay longer, but I am not calling the shots.

THEN, we met with some American teachers at an Arab high school that has managed to pull off the highest test scores in the entire country! Good for them!

I have included a few pictures of mosaics, and the crusador fort, oh, and I think the temple and gardens of the Bahai'a Faith, headquartered in Haifa. Again, I would have loved to spend more time here. Haifa is beautiful and very peaceful.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Pictures of....







Andromeda's Rock-Jaffa






Movie Poster in Hebrew






Aquaduct in Caesarea

Tel Aviv continued

Don't know what happened. Computer glitch. Today we went to the Diaspora Museum, about Judaism. It was okay. Then we had a quick trip to Jaffa. Back to Tel Aviv to see the place where the country of Israel was founded. This was interesting. We also went to Tel Aviv University to lave a class with a professor who spends half his time teaching in Tel Aviv and half in Utah at the U of U. We discussed the political situation. He said that 63% of Israeli's want a two state solution, that it was the Palestinians that wanted all the Jews out. Our Professor that is with us, mildly disagreed with the statement about the Palestinians.
We then drove up to Haifa. Along the way we drove past the ruins of the city of Caesarea. I have film of the ruins that I took as we drove by. I also made a small video of the aquaduct, which we had 5 minutes to get out and see.
Last night I had problems getting on the internet. Today, problems with my pictures and video. I'll post that when I work it all out.

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is only 100 years old. This city was settled by Jewish families that had been living in the small port of Jaffa. Jaffa is a very old town most associated with the Greek myth of Andromeda being tied to rocks in the ocean as a sacrifice to a sea monster. The rocks are still there!

Monday, June 22, 2009

The Flight to Israel




Sunday, June 21st




We leave SLC at 8:30a.m. We get to Kennedy Airport at 3:00pm EST. Then we get to wait for our flight at 7:50pm. What to do? Kennedy is the most boring airport, and we don't have enough time to even go ten miles to Coney Island. We eat lunch, and then sit at our gate. Here is where it gets interesting.


Israel has only one international airport. Israelis, Palestinians, and various others need to get along for 11 hours aboard our Delta flight! The gate fills up with Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims, who all avoid each other. The range of languages is amazing, Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, English, etc, etc.


The flight crew, based in NYC is brisk and bossy. We go through metal detectors again! I realize the security team has been there for hours and wants to go home, but they yell at us if we put our shoes in the containers for the e-ray machine. We have been told previously to put our shoes in the containers. Nobody is going to argue with them. I think we are scared of them!


The flight, though long, went smoothly enough. Delta has a variety of movies and video games to play. The teenager next to me helped me play games. I also watched He's just not that into you which was lame.


We arrive in Tel Aviv. We get through customs okay except for the part where I thanked the Israeli customs agent in Arabic! He glared! We get to our hotel where we will spend the night before heading north on Tuesday. I went in search of a post office and the clerk was amazed that I needed 56 stamps. I tried to explain, but I knew I was not making sense. I could not find post cards! Go figure! I am in town for less than one hour, and I already know how to buy stamps in Hebrew, change money, find a few shops, including the lottery stand. But no postcards. I will get them for my students. They just may not be of Tel Aviv!


I took some pictures of Tel Aviv from my hotel room. Tomorrow we have and early start.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Learning to introduce ourselves in Arabic

Last week I taught my kids how to say "My name is..." in Arabic. Arabic does not use articles so it is an easy task for most children. Then I videotaped them saying "Ismi (fill in name). " One child had a hard time. He would practice and say "miss me" or "I am Mrs -----" Finally, he got it correct.
Videotaping them was another situation. This is a noisy group, but when it came to saying their line, they would all whisper. I had to record them twice. The video is now on my netbook and I will be showing it to the children in the Bedouin village I will be staying in. I would put it up here, but I do not feel comfortable putting these children on the world wide web. I have permission to record them for the other children to view.
While practicing the word "ismi", a few children slipped and said "Imshi" which is Arabic for "Go Away!" Sort of like "get lost" in English. I had to correct them and explain what Imshi meant. Then several of them spent the rest of the day saying "Imshi!" to each other!
To get them ready for my departure, I named their table groups by colors - but in Arabic. So they sit at the arjamahnee (purple), akhdar (green), akhmar (red), azraq (blue), and azfar (yellow) tables. This week we are learning about the ar sound in English, such as star, far, farm, etc. One child exclaimed "Oh, arr, like in azfar!" He got the sound right!
This is my last week in class. The kids will have a substitute, an off-track teacher, to finish out their last two weeks. While I am gone, the kids will be doing a geography unit on Israel and Jordan. I had a friend of mine, a Hebrew scholar, write their names in Hebrew script, and some students at the University of Utah wrote their names in Arabic. On www.Enchantedlearning.com I found fruit practice sheets in Hebrew and Arabic. The kids color them in and practice saying the fruits in the two languages. They will also practice writing true Arabic numerals, which I can't type here because I don't have the font needed. While our numbers are called Arabic Numerals, they are not what is used in the Middle East.
Lots to do in the next few days!