StandStill

This past week and a half has felt like a standstill. I am starting to realize how intense it is learning another language, several hours a day, almost every day! My brain needs a break. Thankfully, Passover break is coming up soon. Since my last blog entry, there was a giant Purim party at my Kibbutz. My Kibbutz is known as "the cemetery." So.. I was proud when we had the biggest party in the neighborhood! The music was almost all American, there was a smoke machine, and an open-bar. Only in Israel does a party take place in the dining hall. Every other person was chain-smoking cigarettes, in a place where they serve meals during the day. I couldn't imagine this flying in America! Anyways, it was a great party.

Me and my friend Al :)

A couple days later we took a field trip to a place called "Ein Hod." To Israelis, this city is known for its abundance of art. To many Arabs, it is known as a place where Israelis exiled their families during the 1948 war for Israel's independence. The narratives between the Israelis and the Israeli Arabs / Palestinians are completely different. I try my best to take a non-bias approach when learning both narratives. We enjoyed a meal at a fancy Arab-owned restaurant. We ate a disgusting amount of food, as usual.


Yesterday we visited the Green line, separating Israel from the West Bank (controlled by the Palestinian Authority). It was interesting to see the license plates in the W. Bank compared to in Israel. They are different colors. Despite to common belief, the Green line is not a physical barrier. In fact, you cannot even distinguish between the W. Bank and Israel. Below is a picture of my me and my classmates standing in both Israel and the W. Bank. 


Technically, citizens of the W. Bank are not allowed to enter Israel. There is almost no enforcement of this policy though in the area we were in. (We were in an area known as Bartaa). I was pretty surprised at the Graffiti I saw outside a local Arab school. 

The blue writing says "Hamas." Although Hamas is a publicly recognized terrorist organization, many Arab-Israelis/Palestinians support them.

I am starting to realize even more how difficult the situation is between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Israelis and the Palestinians / Israeli-Arabs have completely a completely different culture, language, and narrative of the 1948 war. Like many others, I am sadly losing hope that there will be a peaceful solution in the near future.

Zaatar!

Helllooo!! I am so glad to be back bloggin :). Unfortunately my computer stopped working a couple weeks ago, but I finally have a new one! (Shout out to Papa Black!) These past couple weeks have been incredible. I am planning on staying here at least through the summer. My Arabic has really improved. All of a sudden I woke up, and could speak! (Well kind of, I still have a lot to learn..) 

Thanks to my program, I have two host families. One Arab, one Jewish. My Jewish family lives on the Kibbutz about two minutes away from me. My Arab family lives in a large city called "Baqa-Al-Gharbiyya," which translates to "Bouquet of the West." I can't begin to explain how much I've already learned about their culture and values. The father, Mufeed, (which translates to "benefit") is a local bus driver. He says he sometimes drives through my Kibbutz! I was surprised to hear his occupation, because his house is HUGE. Seriously, it's a beautiful 3-story home. His wife, faatin, is such a doll! The moment I come into her home, there is always a meal waiting for me! They have 4 kids: Maalak (translates to Angel), Mai, Al-Maas (Diamonds), and Biddih. I absolutely adore all of them! Below are Mai and Malaak. 

When I asked Maalak (18) if I could take a picture of her for my blog, she told me of course, but she had to put her hijab (head-covering) on first. Maalak and her mother wear Hjiabs outside the home, but Mai (15) and her sister do not. Malak explained to me how it is a personal choice. Her parents never pressured her to wear one. Maalak and both her parents pray 5 times a day. The other siblings do not. 

I spend time with my host family 3 hours every Thursday. Lately, I have been going back for a couple hours on the weekend as well. The first hour (on Thursday) is supposed to be devoted to English, and the rest Arabic. Conveniently, Maalak speaks fluent English. She helps translate between me and Mai if we ever can't understand each other. All of us like the show "Pretty Little Liars" (Yes I just admitted that), so we sometimes watch an episode and translate in both languages. The last time I was at their home I made Zaatar bread from scratch! Sooo delicious. 

I swear all I do in this country is study Arabic and eat!!
Last weekend, many of their relatives from the neighborhood came to see me. None of them had met an American before. One of their cousins is an English teacher! I am supposed to go shopping with her tomorrow, which I am looking forward to. I think it's pretty incredible that in the same day I can spend lunch with an Arab, Muslim family, and then have Shabbat dinner with my Jewish family on the Kibbutz. Israel is a truly unique place.