In the South, EVERYTHING is hot. The road there is monochrome sand stretching out as far as the eye can see, broken occasionally by a palm farm or a quick nod off into dreamland. Hazy mountains in the distance can be made out as you sweat and sway on the long ride. There is a lot of time to think. I think about the duality of the country, at least what I have seen. In many ways it is modern, but still ancient and in many parts decrepit..filthy and loud yet reposed and dignified. Hip, but staunchly traditional. Young bearded and cargo-shorted men carry machine guns casually slung across shoulders like messenger bags or laptop straps.Everywhere are the IDF with in drab olive uniforms, or in civillain clothes, but always with their guns.
As startling as it is at first, there is something secure in knowing that should anything actually happen, most of the people around me have military training and weapons to utilize in an emergency. Again, there is another side to this thought...where security is stronger, the loss of liberty is greater because it is compulsory service...making me wonder if the loss of liberty is outweighed by the security people have? Part of me thinks that if the US were surrounded by hostile countries, we would adopt a similar policy, and that if such a policy existed there would be far less of an incentive to put every young person at risk by going to war. Heavy thoughts for a bus trip across the desert.
When we arrive in Eilat, the breeze rushes to greet us, but it is as hot and dry as the blast from a preheated oven or a car standing out in the summer sun when you go to enter it. The next morning the temperature is expected to climb to 115 degrees...it does not disappoint. While the journey across the Israeli-Jordanian border and the drive to the city are for the most part uneventful (yet informative due to our incredible tour guide), we stop once at a Bedouin tent for some tea and a chance to taste fresh camel milk.
Once in Petra, the walk through the cool naturally formed gorge is beautiful. We emerge into direct sunlight, dazzled by the "Treasury," perhaps the most famous facade of the lost kingdom due to its appearance in an Indiana Jones movie.
The city is carved out of the surrounding rock that over millenia was geologically formed into different layers of stone, so every place you look the at any given time of day, the natural stone shines rosy pink or blazes with the blue and yellow minerals within. After a long day of walking in the heat, climbing hundreds of ancient stairs and marveling in the beauty of such enormous and intricate creations, we headed back to Eilat for a great dinner and much needed sleep.
The next morning we head back to Tel Aviv where we visit the Carmel Market. It is a foodie's dream and a haggler's paradise. After securing a few treasures for loved ones back home and the best meal we have had so far in country (La Cafe, on the main drag) we head to Jerusalem, where I will be staying for the rest of my time and where the camp is held. The Old City of Jerusalem proved to be as incredible as I had imagined, and the energy within the city is almost tangible. The history is inescapable, and nearly overwhelming. The city is built on layers of the past, constructed and reconstructed. At every turn there's a vendor trying to sell you wares, an ancient landmark surrounded by picture-snapping tourists, prices to haggle over, children offering "directions" (for a tip of course) tourists and locals milling, bright colors and fascinating artifacts (some forged and some real), hawkers shouting and competing smells of varying fresh fruit juices and cooked meats or heavy incense...It's a constant assault on all the senses. The narrow, steep streets are filled, and the city heaves with life and competition.
I have settled into the apartment here in Jerusalem, and quite like my new roommates. There are four of us total, in a two bedroom top floor apartment located in a very nice neighborhood called Talbiya in the Eastern part of the city. We are all very excited to begin work at the camp, which starts in just a couple of days! After being here for a week, I have heard mixed emotions about the work we will be doing... It is true that the conflict is very much alive and well in the hearts and minds of both "sides." Some people think it is a fruitless effort, that "thinkgs will never change" while others slowly smile and their eyes warm as they simply say "thank you."
