Jerusalem Cats

Well, after about 5 weeks in Jerusalem I have so many observations that I felt I should start writing before I forget too many of them. So here goes...

We arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport on the afternoon of Thursday, August 20th. We were met by our sponsors and and whisked through checkpoints, baggage claim and customs and into a van and off to Jerusalem - the shining city on a hill.

Okay, so "Modern Jerusalem" is actually spread over many hills. Perhaps too many hills, I think after having to hike up and down them, sometimes multiple times in a day, over the past weeks. However, by hiking the hills of Jerusalem, I have seen into many aspects of neighborhood life in West Jerusalem that I would miss if I were speeding by in a car. I guess I should explain that as a member of the US consulate community I am forbidden to use public transportation due to security concerns. I don't know for sure which is more concerning to the security personnel here, the possible terrorists or the high speeds and centrifugal forces, as the buses literally careen around the street corners.

Now, back to my neighborhood observations. On our first exploratory walk through the streets of our new neighborhood, we noticed that there were feral cats everywhere AND there were dishes of food scraps left out for them. We passed one lucky cat dining on some raw chicken meat. Then we passed a lady who was walking her two little dogs, but she had a can of food that she left on the top of a wall for the feral cats. Then one morning as I was walking our dog through the little park near our apartment, we looked across the park to see a man sitting on a bench and surrounded by at least 50 to 75 cats. He was feeding them some breakfast! And all of them seemed to be getting along well.

Jerusalemites seem to love caring for their feral cats. There are literally little dishes of food tucked away everywhere along the streets - usually in the little trash dumpster nooks along the sidewalks or on the top of the walls around their gardens. Cats seem to be welcomed and encouraged. Perhaps it is a way of coping with the ever-potential vermin problem of a large, crowded urban population. I know I prefer cats in my living areas, rather than rats and mice. The cats seem very comfortable, too. I never see any that look like they are starving, even the crippled ones seem to be getting food from somewhere.

The cats are everywhere, so it will be interesting to see what happens during Sukkoth. This is the Jewish holiday that lasts a week where the people build booths, or tent structures, in front of their houses on the street, or in their gardens, and move into them. I wonder how the cats will react to this "invasion" of their spaces. Will they get more scraps?

You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some pictures of the various cats, but disregard the photo dates - I haven't figured out how to reset my camera dates.

Weathering Adventures in DC

After my first winter in DC, it is finally starting to feel like spring.  I didn't get my much anticipated white Christmas; in fact, it hardly snowed here at all.  We had a couple big snowstorms, but not big enough to cause the Federal Government to close down for a day.  I never got one of those coveted snow days, as a break from our Arabic studies.  We mostly had cold rain throughout the winter and the beginning of spring.  It takes a lot of rainfall to support all of these huge trees here! 

We did go skiing up in PA a couple of times.  Luckily, they have snow-making capabilities back here.  It was like going to some of the smaller ski areas out west.  The weekends that we went tended to be towards the warmer side, due to our availability.  The conditions were reminiscent of skiing in the spring out west, which for a couple of Zonies, is what we are used to.  I like my slushie and warm conditions!  

The very brief Cherry Blossom season was spectacular!  We did go down to the Basin one weekend to meet a friend from Arizona and see the blossoms.  It was breathtaking for a couple of reasons.  First, the crowds were GINORMOUS!!!!!  I started to have claustrophobic flashbacks to the Obama Inauguration (just kidding).  Second, the blossoms were amazing!!! While we were walking through the trees - tiptoeing around the picnickers - I felt like I had passed into some sort of suspended reality or a fantasy world.  The contrast between the deep-green grass and the over-arching tree branches covered in pink blossoms was like a Hollywood set, as if I had just walked onto some Lord of the Rings scene.  Where were the Hobbits!? 

But, the weather is changing!  Now, the heat is finally coming, but unfortunately it is bringing the humidity, too.  It is wonderful to see the blue skies over the huge green trees and the feel the sunshine.  Swimming pools are opening.  It is hinting at the heat and humidity that is coming for the summer, which always leads me to ask, "Why did our founding fathers feel the need to put their nation's capital in a swamp?

Learning Arabic

Dear Readers,

After 6 weeks of Arabic instruction for 6 hours a day, I can safely say this is a SUPER-HARD language to learn. Today, it was posted, to all of the new groups, that starting tomorrow our schedule is changing and we will now have 7 hours of Arabic per day. I can feel the pain already!

It has never been made more clear to me than now, how "physical" learning really is. By the end of the day, I am at the limit of my "cognitive load." It literally starts to hurt my brain to try to continue working with my vocabulary flash cards, listening comprehension or verb conjugations. I have to either go exercise, take a power nap, or BOTH!

At the same time, this is a thrilling endeavor. I am in a class of 5 students and one teacher. My teacher is a very patient gentleman from Sudan. He is generous with his knowledge and kind in his instruction. He charitably sits with the five of us as we butcher his native language in our attempts to express the most basic ideas. He shares information about the Arabic-speaking world with us, prods us along our learning paths, laughs with us at our silly sayings we come up with, and even goes out to lunch with us to Yemeni restaurants and converses with us in our pidgin-Arabic. It is a blessing to have such experiences.

I am learning an incredible amount about a culture that is very different from my own. At the same time, I am learning that I am just scratching the surface. At times, it seems to be radically different. For example, the music is very different. Here is my non-musically trained attempt to explain this: The instruments are all played in unison, BUT they are all slightly tuned differently - this produces a wave effect in the sound, which creates a slightly off-key sound to the western-trained ear. We are used to all of our instruments being in tune with each other and then playing harmony and melody. After our class on the folk music of the Arab world, I have a whole new appreciation for their music and dance. It just takes a little retraining of the ear to hear the beauty and passion in eastern music. It is important to note that the guitar, mandolin, bagpipes, clarinet, and oboe all have roots in the Middle and Near East regions.

Well, enough musings for now. Back to my "wajib al bayt" - homework.

The Beginning

Dear Readers,

Here is the beginning of the blog I promised to all of the students of PJXXIII community - okay, and to the grown-ups, too. It was hard to say goodbye, but I told everybody I would post pictures from my adventures onto a blog - hence the name of the post.

I will spend some time in DC getting language training before we head to Jerusalem. I have been to both DC and Jerusalem before, but now I will have the time to explore and give voice to my musings. I have to let you know that these two cities hold very special places in my heart and soul.

It is difficult for me to visit DC and not be in awe of the magnificent history and culture of my country. It is a wonderful experience to get back in touch with the principles of our founding fathers and the sacrifices that have been made throughout our history to preserve those principles.

Though it has been over 20 years since I have been to Jerusalem, I can still remember the awe of being in the Holyland - the birthplace of my monotheistic religion. Jerusalem is beautiful! Once one has seen this shimmering city spread over the hills, so much of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures comes to life.

So, welcome to my blog! I hope it is a fun and educational journey for all of us.