Hello Readers! I am finally in the third week of my fall semester abroad at Tel Aviv University. Due to the period of Jewish holidays that fell this year in October, the semester didn't start until the end of the month. But finally I feel like an official student at TAU. I wanted to tell you all a little bit about the courses I am taking this semester and what life is like at an Israeli university. As I have previously mentioned I am majoring in Global Studies with a focus in the Middle East region. Thus, I have chosen to take Middle East focused courses while I study at TAU. This has been working out pretty well as many of the courses in the overseas program are geared towards Middle Eastern studies and taught from a knowledgable perspective. Almost all of the courses I am taking are taught in English, but I am challenging myself and taking a regular introductory course on the Middle East in Hebrew (more on that later). I have classes five days a week starting on Sunday which is the first day of the week here in Israel. On Sundays I only have one class called Tribes and Tribalism in the Modern Middle East. This course is in the B.A. Liberal Arts program of the university which is a 3 year degree taught in English for international students. I had to beg the B.A. program to allow me to take this course because it is for third year students and it is meant to be an advanced seminar. They finally allowed me to take this course right before the semester started and I am so happy that I pushed to get into it. So far, this is turning out to be my most rewarding course. We meet twice a week and are a small class of 6 people. We are reading important foundational texts on history, anthropology, and Middle Eastern studies and the course is very discussion based. I am truly loving it and the readings are making me think about civilization and what I have learned previously about this region in a different light. I am also taking courses through the study abroad program. These include Radical Islamic Movements, The Israeli Economy, Israeli Collective Memory of the Israeli/Arab-Palestinian Conflict, and Judaism and Christianity in Conflict. All of these courses have very knowledgable, engaging professors. I am very happy with my choice of courses for this semester. I find it interesting that many of the topics overlap slightly and this was especially apparent in the first two weeks of school. In almost every class my professors asked us "What is history, and how can we be skeptical of the previous history we have read?" This question was specifically interesting because in my Tribes and Tribalism course we read Carr's foundational text, "what is history" in the very first week. I was able to relate this reading and its ideas to my other courses and even make comments in my classes about the Carr reading. Because I am studying in Israel, many of my courses discuss the history of Israel and the effects of the continuous conflicts it faces. I have taken courses that talk about this subject many times before and I was worried that I would be sick of these courses quickly. However, this semester I have been experiencing a refreshing change of perspectives on this topic. I have thought a lot about why I am feeling more engaged in my courses than I thought I would, and I have realized that because I am taking a course in economics and another course in anthropology, I am looking at Israel from sides I have never analyzed before. Looking at Israel from an economic view point is completely different than simply learning about the wars it has fought. Similarly, learning about the collective memory of Israelis of this conflict is different than simply recapping the pre-history and post-history of the creation of the state. I have enjoyed learning about the country from different angles, and I now know that I can find even more perspectives to learn about next semester. I can also apply other social science perspectives to learn about other countries in the Middle East. Overall I am feeling positive about my courses and what I am learning this semester. Now I just have to get underway with my internship and I will be content...
0 Comments
Hello dear readers! I am posting this blog entry about a month and a half late, but it was written for my study abroad course journal. I thought it would be interesting to share on this blog as well and for you to see my thoughts and reactions to Shimon Peres's death here in Israel. Despite the sadness that the state of Israel has experienced in the most recent wave of terror and with the passing of Peres, I am grateful that I have been here to experience this historic time. There is a widely accepted belief here in Israel and globally (that I believe may be true) that Shimon Peres may be the last Israeli politician and one of the last world leaders who had so much influence on humankind and could bring together so many world leaders to mourn his passing. The turnout at his funeral and the unexpected guests (Abu Mazen included) was truly astounding. Also the amount of articles written around the world commemorating Peres and his legacy illustrated the immense positive influence that he had all over the world. In my opinion, witnessing these events in Israel was not only sad and depressing as we watched the last of Israel's founding fathers leave us, but was an amazing time of unification amongst Israeli citizens and supporters of Peres around the world. Yes it is scary not to have Peres as a respected peacemaker in the Israeli government in the future, but I believe that his death has rekindled a desire for conversation and peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.
Living here in Israel when Peres passed allowed me to read articles in English and in Hebrew commemorating this great man and I am happy that I recorded some of my thoughts in the week following his funeral. Please find below what I had written in September. "Last week on Wednesday September 28th, Israel's last founding father Shimon Peres passed away. He was 93 years old and had served the people of Israel since the founding of the state in 1948. Although this is a sad time for the Israeli people, I believe this is one of the most influential times to be living here, and an important time of reflection for everyone who's lives were touched by the work of Peres. Peres fell seriously ill in the past two weeks and since then his story, contributions to the state of Israel, and hopes for his recovery were the major focus of the media. Israel's Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu even wished Peres a swift recovery during his speech at the UN this month, and his health and potential death was on the minds of everyone in the country and many around the world. I have been focusing on reading the newspaper daily while I am in Israel and the news source I often use is called YNet or Yidiot Achronot. For the past two weeks I have been reading articles about Peres and the influence he has had on Israel since before it was founded. I learned that Peres immigrated with his family from Poland in 1932 shortly before World War Two, and as a young adult he entered the political arena where he worked and fought for Israel's independence with other founding fathers such as David Ben Gurion. He was instrumental in laying the foundation for Israel's air-force, served in Israel's parliament in many roles, and became the 9th president of the state. He also served as the interim prime minister of Israel after Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995. YNet shared many famous quotes from Peres's moving speeches and cited his never-ending efforts in the peace process in the Israeli-Arab conflict. Last week the newspaper shared the important accomplishments from Peres's life with a timeline, video clips, and pictures. I was moved by many of these speeches and videos of Peres's efforts for peace and support of humanity all over the world. He was such an important person to Israel's history and the citizens of this country, and with his passing brings the end of an era. After reading about Peres in the media and watching the live stream of his funeral in Jerusalem this past Friday, I have also been reflecting and trying to wrap my mind around just how influential he was on every aspect of Israel's history. Although Israel is only 68 years old it has had a turbulent history, and people like Peres are the reason why it exists today. This year my learning goal is to see what it takes to immerse myself fully in Israeli culture, language, and society. In order to do so it is important that I understand the history of Israel and how it's gotten to where it is today. Despite the loss that all Israelis are suffering with Peres's passing, I feel lucky that I have just experienced an important point in history. Due to all of the articles and videos of Peres in the media, I have also been able to mourn his passing and appreciate his amazing legacy." YNet article: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4227842,00.html Hello readers! Last night the Tel Aviv University social staff (Madrichim in Hebrew) hosted our last social event for the Hebrew language intensive (ulpan) summer session. This was our last group event before the academic semester starts in October. The itinerary was to drive to the old city of Jaffa which is just south of Tel Aviv, enjoy a walking tour along the old port and in the old city, and finish with a delicious meal at a surprise restaurant in Jaffa. I was very excited as I have visited Jaffa before and the food at the Arab-style restaurants is always amazing. However, the Madrichim's itinerary did not go exactly as planned... As I mentioned, Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew) is just south of Tel Aviv and the drive along the Mediterranean Sea should only take about 20 minutes from the university. But last night was different.... We had boarded hired tour buses with all of the students, and as we drove, we were caught in stand still traffic almost the entire way to Jaffa. Throughout the bus ride I was worried that maybe there had been an accident in south Tel Aviv or something had gone wrong which would explain the large amount of traffic. As we finally neared the old city our social staff decided that it would be quicker if we walked the rest of the way to our destination, and so over 50 students proceeded to walk the final blocks to the old port of Jaffa. That's when I realized that there hadn't been an accident on the street that was causing all of the traffic, but in fact last night was a Muslim holiday called Eid Al-Adha! The streets were packed with people and I have never seen Jaffa so crowded. At first I was confused as to why the social staff would plan an event in Jaffa on one of the busiest nights of the year, but then it became clear that they wanted to teach us about this holiday and share more of the interesting religious and cultural practices that we have here in Israel. There are many students studying in the TAU international program and we are all very interested in the Middle East, thus, I really appreciated the social staff's intention of showing us another facet of Israel and the Middle East by taking us to Eid. The streets by the port were flooded with people and there was background noise of both party music from restaurants, and Imams chanting the call to prayer for the holiday over the loud speakers in the nearby Mosques. I loved the energy and the smells of crowded restaurants serving feasts to families. I am still unsure if all of the people who were out for the night in Jaffa were mainly locals, or if they had come from far away to enjoy the evening with their families. It was clear that there were many religious and cultural actives taking place in Jaffa during the four days of this holiday and because this was the second night, it was very vibrant. The Madrichim explained to us that this holiday is based off of a similar biblical story that I know from the Jewish Bible where Abraham sacrifices a lamb, however, in the Muslim version it is told in a slightly different way and the focus is on Ishmael instead of Isaac. Eid Al-Adha is a holiday based around sacrifice and lambs or sheep are usually sacrificed at a point during the four days of Eid. This is also a pilgrimage holiday meaning that an able-bodied, Muslim male is expected to make the pilgrimage (the Hajj) to Mecca during the holiday of Eid Al-Adha at least once in his life. This phenomenon made me very curious about Muslims who observe Eid here in Israel. This is because Israelis are unable to travel to Saudi Arabia, let alone Mecca, and thus, I wonder how observant Israeli Arabs make the Hajj to Mecca during their lifetime (are they able to make the Hajj on an Israeli passport? do they forgo making a pilgrimage to Mecca and travel to another location?). I want to do some more research on this topic and learn the answers to the many questions I have. Maybe I will write a follow up post with what I find out, but for now this is what I have learned about this interesting holiday. To conclude this event and walking tour through the old Zodiac neighborhood of ancient Jaffa, we had a group goodbye dinner at a famous Arab-style restaurant called Abulafia. We had rooftop seating and incredible food. The first course is a bunch of little salads and pita/lafa bread, followed by an assortment of meat kababs or fish, and finished with a shot of Arab coffee and baklava for dessert. I ate so much and enjoyed every bite. I think that I get most excited about eating this type of meal over any other. Although eating an Arab meal is a rare occasion, every time I enjoy it and enjoy the company of the people I am with. Below is a selfie that I took with the students at my table. We were all from around the world: Germany, Italy, Holland, and the US. We had some great conversations last night! This program was a great end to our summer ulpan session, and I know I will be going back to Jaffa and Abulafia throughout my time in Israel this year! Hello Readers! I hope you are all having a wonderful end to the summer. I have been enjoying mine quite a bit. I can't believe it is already August and that I have been in Israel for over 2 months now. For my second blog post I would like to talk a little bit about what I have been enjoying here in Tel Aviv. If you know me personally, or you read the title of this post, you will know that I absolutely LOVE coffee! Especially the coffee here in Israel. My journey with coffee began when I came to Israel on my gap year. Back then I didn't like the taste very much and was forcing myself to drink it to stay awake. I was in Shnat Sherut (a year of volunteering) at the time and sleeping only about 4.5 hours a night. Coffee was necessary for me to be able to go to my volunteering jobs every day. I began drinking about 4 or 5 cups of instant nescafe a day. I am aware that this is super unhealthy and I admit that I may have become addicted for a short time to instant coffee. I tried to ween myself off of this "addiction" by treating myself to one or two lattes or cappuccinos a day instead. That's when I discovered how much I liked lattes and cappuccinos.... oops! Since returning to the states last year and beginning school at University of Illinois, I found the coffee there was just not the same. I am not a fan of the American-style bitter, black brewed coffee or the sugary Starbucks drinks. I found myself missing the coffee back in Israel that is prepared just right with a perfect balance of coffee, milk, and foam. I was able to find one coffee shop on my campus that prepared coffee that would suffice for the year. This coffee shop is called Caffe Bene and is a Korean-style coffee shop. They make incredible lattes, cappuccinos, and Korean baked goods. This became one of my favorite places to study late at night on campus. You can see a picture of the cappuccino I frequently ordered at Caffe Bene below. However, nothing can replace the Israeli-style cappuccino or cafe hafuch (upside-down coffee) for me. Israelis have cleverly nicknamed the cappuccino upside-down coffee because the milk rests on the top of the coffee. This phrase is used throughout Israel rather than the official name of the drink. I was fascinated to learn that on menus the term cappuccino is still used, but if you want to come off as a local, you order a "cafe hafuch קפה הפוך" instead. Apart from the superior taste of the coffee in Israel, I also enjoy the milk designs that baristas delicately create on the top of a cappuccino. I find that most of my Instagram pictures from my trip have been of the coffees I have ordered. I simply find them very artistic. I will add some of those pictures below. This type of coffee art is characteristic of coffee shops in Seattle and Europe and it is refreshing to see that baristas all over Israel are perfecting their coffee art as well. Here are a few of my favorite coffee shops in Tel Aviv and on the Tel Aviv University campus. If you are in Israel and looking for a great place to get some work done, read a book, or just enjoy a nice cup of coffee with friends, these places are great to visit. ON TAU CAMPUS Kakao or קקאו: located on the TAU campus under the law building is one of my favorite coffee shops in the university. They not only have great coffee, but also a tasty vegetarian lunch buffet, falafel and hummus station, and homemade pasta. Aroma or ארומה: the Aroma located in the Diaspora Museum on the TAU campus is a bright modern Aroma coffee shop and restaurant and is a great place to sit after visiting the museum. The Diaspora Museum is also one of my favorite museums to visit in Israel! IN TEL AVIV Bookworm or תולעת ספרים: this is a bookstore/coffee shop and a great place to sit and get work done. It is located right across from Rabin Square and has a great view of the monument. Best of all they have great coffee! Bucke or בוקה: this a vegetarian restaurant/coffee shop that has incredible food and a great ambiance to do work. It is always full of university students in the afternoons and has an outdoor garden workspace. Nechama Vahetzi or נחמה וחצי: this is another great coffee shop that has a great outdoor porch and indoor seating. It is situated right across form the performing arts center of Tel Aviv called The Bima. Nechama has a great view and good food/coffee. Hello readers and WELCOME! This is my first ever blog post and the first day of my year of study at Tel Aviv University (TAU). However, I should have begun this blog two months ago when I first arrived in Israel... Yes I am a little late to the party, but I wanted to backtrack and explain what I have been up to this summer.
I arrived in Israel at the end of May after my first year of study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). I have just finished my freshman/sophomore year of university and I am now taking a year to study abroad. I really enjoyed my first year at UIUC, but the truth is, I couldn't wait to get to Israel. I have been coming here for seven summers in a row with my family and before I began university, I decided to take a gap year here in Israel. That gap year was one of the best decisions I have ever made and helped me mature immensely before I went to university (but more about that later....). Since I began studying at UIUC, I wanted to find a way to come back to Israel for an extended period of time, in which I could live and study here. I am majoring in Global Studies and minoring in Jewish Studies and I realized that TAU had the perfect program for me. I could continue with my Hebrew language studies, begin learning Arabic, and take Middle Eastern studies courses throughout the year. And that is exactly what I am now setting out to do. In the past two months, I completed the beginners Arabic intensive at TAU. We learned Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) every other day of the week, and the days off were reserved for homework and traveling. I am now able to read and write in MSA and form simple sentences. The course was grueling with complicated homework and jam-packed full of information. But overall, I am happy I did it. I now have an understanding of Arabic that I didn't have before and I would like to keep going with it. I am hoping to find another class that I can take at TAU or when I return to UIUC. On my days off from Arabic class, my summer was full of exploring, visiting friends, and watching the sunsets at the beach. I loved going to the Tel Aviv port in the evening to eat dinner and watch the sunset. I have captured some beautiful pictures and time lapses that I will share below from those evenings. I hope to share more stories form my adventures over the past two months in the next few weeks along with what I am currently up to. I am so excited to continue my time and studies here in Israel. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey! Now let's begin.... Here is a link to one of my time lapse videos of a Tel Aviv sunset from this summer! www.facebook.com/meirav.malter/videos/10204851440925094/?l=3257019675045325924 |