After 3 flights in 2 (calendar) days, there are some observations you just can’t miss; with help from a frequent flier, here is what I learned about airport security: Americans: Search your stuff.Israelis: Search your eyes. Americans: Use a logicless measure for discerning (born of disorganized fear).Israelis: Use psychology and profiling. Americans: Check if you’re…

I’m sitting in the Houston Hobby Airport bar and it occurs to me that currently, I am in a very different world. There’s college football on TV.Two guys are doing work on their PDAs.Everyone is drinking beer.The bartender is a he-she.The beer on tap is… Budweiser.

There are major differences between my Israel bar experience and my American bar experience. I don’t get carded.I get treated to olives or pretzels.The Heineken tastes better.A guy would’ve hit on me already.Alcohol isn’t revered; it’s an accessory. Suddenly, I pang for abroad.

Red writing. Bold font. No: Soap. Shampoo. Toothpaste. Mouthwash. Shoes Off!Bags flat on the table!No. Liquids. I’m looking around at all the people on line – colours, ages, fashions – barefoot. I’m sad.Not because terrorists hijack planes.Not because the government is ‘taking away my rights.’ Maybe because I am home and everyone around me isn’t…

A coworker explained at lunch today that although he is a super-Zionist, and believes all Jews should live in Israel, that doesn’t mean he has to accept the way modern Israel is layed out and executed today. Read: Just because we believe in a Jewish state for a Jewish nation, it doesn’t mean we have…

Our need to never forget is definitely an interesting one that should be studied more in relation to conflict resolution and even more so in peacebuilding and keeping. I say that on a personal level as well as international level. Which is where I think my next thesis is going; my first discussed what I…

Tuesday was going to be a ridiculously busy day (Brit Lit paper due, hadn’t done it yet), so I had set my alarm for early – 8 am (ok, college-early). When it went off I snoozed (after all, it was college-early). Finally I pushed myself out of bed and wandered off to my laptop, my…

היום יום הולדת היום יום הולדתהיום יום הולדת של אלישבע And El Al seems to agree… (maybe it’s because they are so desperate these days):

Is it ironic that the first time I’ve ever experienced customer service in Israel is at a shwarma stand at 11: 30 pm on a Saturday night?

Bus up to the North.2 English speakers sharing an iPod. -“Nahariya was pretty.”-“Isn’t it Arab?”-“Yeah, partly.”-“So why were you there?”-“I dunno. It was pretty.”-“What made it pretty?”-“The Arabs had nice homes. Really nice. They have money over there.”-“Arabs have money?”-“Some do.”-“They shouldn’t. They should all be poor.”-“Believe me, if it were up to me, I’d…

My new weakness: Arab music videos. (Ok, not a weakness. It’s just that most of my TV channels are Arabic and it was just ‘music video hour’. When it got to be ‘Arafat tribute hour’ I shut it off.) Still, amusing.