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.