Category: 400 thoughts
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The view from my office.
“But ya know what, I can look out my window at work and think how lucky I am to live in Jerusalem and in Israel … and then, with two feet on the ground, get back to work.” Amechad‘s comment got me thinking. Not for too long, not too hard, but I what I was…
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Aliyah realism.
Just met with an old friend who is visiting/studying for the summer. She considers aliyah from time to time. It’s been a while since I’ve sat down for a conversation with a friend from ‘home’. Especially one who considers making aliyah. I listened to myself and realized how realistic I sounded. I don’t mean to…
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Deliberate this.
I’m not a particularly nice person. And certainly not always thoughtful, either. But I guess leaving New York and living in Jerusalem for two years has ingrained in me a greater sense of respect; at least, respect that transfers from words to actions. So that’s why I was stunned when an old guy got on…
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…But money can buy morale.
I’m in New York. I found a two-way ticket for $499. Actually, the ticket found me, and just in time. No shock that I’ve been feeling jaded and weary lately. I don’t know if it’s aliyah fatigue or general Israeli fatigue. It’s not easy living here, even if you do have food to eat and…
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Alive and, well…
I couldn’t stomach the Simple Life so instead I switched to a special about Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. That sentence could have a deeper meaning, couldn’t it? Since moving here, I try not to drown myself in Israeli or Palestinian sorrows too often. It’s hard, but I’ve become better at not reading beyond the…
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Mediator-love goes 'round.
Part 1 Wow, I got blown away this morning when I checked my email to find a message from Geoff Sharp, a commercial mediator in New Zealand. First of all, his name sounds so familiar and I’m fairly sure I’ve come across it in my mediation studies several times. Second of all, a big fancy…
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Game theory.
I left work early for the central bus station to get to school at a leisurely pace. Because of that, I was able to enjoy a stroll through the metal detectors and only a slight trot past the airport-security style bag scan. And to match my leisurely walking pace, my mind slowly wandered from class…
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No cold feet here.
It’s the days that start off gray and cloudy and dark and like all hell is about to break loose that I really feel like a permanent resident here. Maybe this is a bit terrible, but it’s kind of like that I feel when the weather is bad, there’s nothing I can do about it;…
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Gaining experience.
Sometimes it feels as though everyday is another humbling experience.
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Down-lowing drivers.
Here’s the DL on Israeli drivers. Not so DL, really. When you heard those pro-touring-Israel slogans, ‘you have more of a chance of getting killed in a car accident than a suicide bombing’ (rosy campaign, yes) – IT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. In fact, it’s, I daresay, TERRORFYING. On the way to university I had a lift…
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Derech eretz kadma l'?
I took the sheirut from Bar Ilan to Geula, where it ends, instead of getting off earlier at Binyani HaUma because I decided to experiment with the timing of that route and meanwhile get a little tour of Geula.As we (the driver, 6 charedis, and me) were driving through Geula, (which for your reference looks…