O.K., let's talk about this. Some crazy f-ing shoppers on black Friday in upstate New York tore down the doors from a Wal-Mart just before 5 a.m., "tearing the hinges off the door", and stormed in trampling an employee to death. People indiscriminately ran over another person, and for what? To get the best deals on a flat screen TV or the latest Tickle-Me Elmo or other rando toy, saving you maybe $10 dollars total in the end? Consumerism has literally killed someone; I'm sure this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I realize that pretty much everyone goes nuts around the holidays trying to get the best deals, but please be a little more mindful of what you're doing.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Back to MN
Will update the blog soon. It's going to take on a new look as well as updated content. My buddy Mitch is going to contribute and I might add a few others.
Stay warm,
-Curme
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Eilat pt. One
So it's been a week. I am sorry. I have spent much of the past week recovering from a number of things, including but not limited to, the wonder and serenity of the city of Petra, Jordan, stomach issues (I need not provide more details), and problems with my visa to be in Israel. This will be the first of a few posts on my visit to Jordan.
On the almost scalding sand beaches of Eilat, Israel on the northern tip of the Red Sea, I sat and wondered if I could really see 4 different countries. In between long and relaxing snorkeling floats in the lush and densely populated coral reefs, I lay in the shade looking upon the wind surfers, sailors, snorkelers, and mountains surrounding the Sea. The sky was clear enough to see as far as the horizon would allow, and I was thinking about geography and just how close the Saudi Arabian and Egpytian borders came to Eilat. Simply looking across the water to the village and surrounding mountains of Akkaba, Jordan was simple. With an afternoon sun, the mountains shimmered with a red glow. I was getting hot and sweaty so I again paid a visit to the fishes.
Before traveling to Eilat for the weekend I tried to be economical and found the cheapest hostel I could in the city. 50 Shekels (about $13) a night was the best I could find. The website looked nice, complete with information and travel ideas, snorkel rental, showers, linens, refrigeration, security, and location. This site conveniently perhaps left out one minor detail, (which after returning and re-visiting the site I have yet to find info on this subject) the hostel is a Christian hostel! My friends and I (of which half were Jewish) were invited to a bible study the moment we got there. The rooms had New Testament quotes and pictures of Jesus on the wall. I was asked numerous times about my faith. Everyone was super-duper friendly. Always smiling. There was a midnight curfew and no alcohol allowed. We spent as little time there as possible. Leave it to me to find probably the only Christian hostel in ISRAEL, the only Jewish state in the world. But hey, it was cheap.
On the almost scalding sand beaches of Eilat, Israel on the northern tip of the Red Sea, I sat and wondered if I could really see 4 different countries. In between long and relaxing snorkeling floats in the lush and densely populated coral reefs, I lay in the shade looking upon the wind surfers, sailors, snorkelers, and mountains surrounding the Sea. The sky was clear enough to see as far as the horizon would allow, and I was thinking about geography and just how close the Saudi Arabian and Egpytian borders came to Eilat. Simply looking across the water to the village and surrounding mountains of Akkaba, Jordan was simple. With an afternoon sun, the mountains shimmered with a red glow. I was getting hot and sweaty so I again paid a visit to the fishes.
Before traveling to Eilat for the weekend I tried to be economical and found the cheapest hostel I could in the city. 50 Shekels (about $13) a night was the best I could find. The website looked nice, complete with information and travel ideas, snorkel rental, showers, linens, refrigeration, security, and location. This site conveniently perhaps left out one minor detail, (which after returning and re-visiting the site I have yet to find info on this subject) the hostel is a Christian hostel! My friends and I (of which half were Jewish) were invited to a bible study the moment we got there. The rooms had New Testament quotes and pictures of Jesus on the wall. I was asked numerous times about my faith. Everyone was super-duper friendly. Always smiling. There was a midnight curfew and no alcohol allowed. We spent as little time there as possible. Leave it to me to find probably the only Christian hostel in ISRAEL, the only Jewish state in the world. But hey, it was cheap.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Fog and Sand
Jerusalem is settled around 5 or 6 mountains. Surrounding the city and the mountains in every direction except West (towards the Med Sea) are the dry sands of the desert. From my apartment building on Har Hazofim (Mount Scopus) I can see the entire city including Al-Aqse, the Dome of the Rock, the entire old city, and many of the surround neighborhoods. I have an incredible view.
Two nights ago it got very cloudy, but my view was not really obstructed. I could still see the city and the lights, and the street outside my apartment. I do not know enough about weather to attempt to explain what happened, but in the middle of the night, I looked outside my window and I could not see 30 yards in from of me. It was terrifying. It was like something out of a movie. I went outside and could not see the end of the sidewalk that I take everyday. The city had the weird glow also. It was not dark; it felt more like dusk. The next day I glanced at the cars parked around the University and every window was dirty, like someone had poured sand on the car and had let the wind blow it off. I imagine that it was so foggy because of the clouds, and because of the sand. From where my apartment rests, literally 50 yards to the East the desert starts as the mountain begins its sharp decline. It was a strange night.
Two nights ago it got very cloudy, but my view was not really obstructed. I could still see the city and the lights, and the street outside my apartment. I do not know enough about weather to attempt to explain what happened, but in the middle of the night, I looked outside my window and I could not see 30 yards in from of me. It was terrifying. It was like something out of a movie. I went outside and could not see the end of the sidewalk that I take everyday. The city had the weird glow also. It was not dark; it felt more like dusk. The next day I glanced at the cars parked around the University and every window was dirty, like someone had poured sand on the car and had let the wind blow it off. I imagine that it was so foggy because of the clouds, and because of the sand. From where my apartment rests, literally 50 yards to the East the desert starts as the mountain begins its sharp decline. It was a strange night.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Soccer with Russians
I play soccer with a bunch of Russian students from the University every Sunday night. Some of the are really good and some are kind of slow, but they all have solid soccer skills. They are really funny guys. After the game they smoke cigarettes and argue. During the game when they make a bad play they swear loudly in Russian. It is much more satisfying to hear words that I perceive as swear words in Russian. As the only native English speaker I am a little out numbered when runningmy mouth. Ok whatever, I am a very competitive person. I am learning some good Russian curse words which I will probably use on the Ultimate field.
Friday, September 5, 2008
ultimate finally/ from the mid-west to the mid-east
I was preparing an epic posts but have had requests, demands even, to post more so I'll try to do one-a-days. I touched a disc for the first time in a month and 5 days today at a Gan Sacher (Sacher Park) in Jerusalem, next to the Knesset. I finally got to play frisbee! I have Diane Arenson to thank for the tip. Thanks Diane! The game was all Americans: A few students studying in Israel, a few older gentlemen from hassidic communities, a few young Yeshivah students, a few guys on birthright, and some guys I didn't really learn why they were there. But it was frisbee and that was awesome. I got really sun-burned. I was a little hesitant at first because I saw a pink disc and bare feet but felt better after I heard a few of the guys arguing over the difference between yards and meters when trying to set up the field. It turned out that the game was great, I was running a lot, slipping on the wet grass and playing ultimate with nice guys. After half time I sat a few points and one of the older hassidic gentlemen said, upon my return to the game, "ok, Dan's back in, we can play again." Some of the guys played in college at random schools in the ultimate community: U of Miami, and U of Rochester, and even a guy who knew that ultimate existed when he went to graduate school at Stanford. I love these kinds of games because ultimate at Carleton can get a little over-whelming, intense, crazy even, and I have to remember sometimes why and how most ultimate players in the world play the game. For fun, to hang out with friends, to laugh, to enjoy the nice weather, to meet new people... I suppose in theory we do these things at Carleton but getting up at 6:00 in the morning and walking out into negative 20 degree weather, making the way to the rec center for a 2 hour practice is something few ultimate players comparatively have ever done (still I love it and wouldn't change or give it up for anything). It's just nice to play and laugh simultaneously sometimes. The game is once a week on Friday morning (which is like Saturday morning because of Shabbat) from 11 to one. YAY!!!
Lets see, what else. I've made a solid group of friends and yesterday made dinner for everyone, like 10 people. They are a few German grad students, a girl from Eagan, MN who goes to Scripps College where my little sister Erin now goes, and a guy Kendal from Texas who almost went to Carleton but is at Oberlin but who also a lot of people at Carleton. After class on Thursday (which is like Friday in the US) my German graduate student friend Kati and I went to the Shouk, the large Jewish market, and bought vegetables, chicken, and cous-cous. I wanted to give people a tase of how I make food back home but mixed with Middle-Eastern spices. I made apple sauce and pan-cakes for desert. It was a big hit. We sat around, drank wine and later tea, talking, laughing, listening to music, enjoying each others company for like 5 hours. I am going to start doing this more at home. I like spending my time like that and life get can so fast-paced and busy in the US. It's nice to spend real, quality time with friends over good food, wine, music, candles, whatever. I'm learning how to cook good Middle-Eastern food and am going to bring this knowledge back with me to the Mid-West.
Lets see, what else. I've made a solid group of friends and yesterday made dinner for everyone, like 10 people. They are a few German grad students, a girl from Eagan, MN who goes to Scripps College where my little sister Erin now goes, and a guy Kendal from Texas who almost went to Carleton but is at Oberlin but who also a lot of people at Carleton. After class on Thursday (which is like Friday in the US) my German graduate student friend Kati and I went to the Shouk, the large Jewish market, and bought vegetables, chicken, and cous-cous. I wanted to give people a tase of how I make food back home but mixed with Middle-Eastern spices. I made apple sauce and pan-cakes for desert. It was a big hit. We sat around, drank wine and later tea, talking, laughing, listening to music, enjoying each others company for like 5 hours. I am going to start doing this more at home. I like spending my time like that and life get can so fast-paced and busy in the US. It's nice to spend real, quality time with friends over good food, wine, music, candles, whatever. I'm learning how to cook good Middle-Eastern food and am going to bring this knowledge back with me to the Mid-West.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Soccer and Ramallah
Every Sunday night from 8-10 pm I play soccer on a hard court with a few international students and some Israelis. Many of the Israelis are of Russian decent and during the match there's a lot of screaming in Russian. On the court adjacent to us at the same time a group of Arab students get together to play soccer. There's friendly chat between the groups but until last night we had not played together. Since both groups had about 7-8 players show up, we combined games and split up into three teams. It was really incredible to see the teamwork and laughing between the Israeli and Arab students in this way, something I had not seen since I've been here. All the teams had both players. It was neat to see how for a few hours everything social problem or difference was completely forgotten and that time was devoted to just playing soccer. Together. I've heard intellectuals jokingly claim that the only way for peace between these two groups of people is if both groups intermarry and create a new, mixed-race generation. Perhaps a more serious and achievable way is through the game of soccer.
The other remarkable experience I had last weekend was a trip to Ramallah with my new Palestinian friends from class. My Canadian friend Jean-Phillipe and I were invited on Saturday to visit the home of Palestinian Authority and crowded city in the West Bank. On Saturday at noon we met our friends at the Arab bus station and headed out on the 25 minute ride to Ramallah. Jean-Phillipe and I said that we wanted to do what our Palestinian friends do on a normal weekend day. "(Almost) pretend that we are not here." We approached to 6 meter wall separating the state of Israel and the Palestinian territory. The wall is littered, mostly on the Palestinian side, with graffiti, including the famous pieces by artist Banksy. I saw them right as I crossed the border. Ramallah's city center is not very large, it's one main street with various side streets. The main street, about a half-mile in length is very, very crowded. There are people everywhere. Shopping, eating, drinking coffee, loitering, relaxing, or hurrying to work.
We started out day by going into a unmarked door of the main street, ascending 5 flights of stairs, and entering a computer cafe. There we played the online-based, first person shooter video game Counter Strike. Medo, Jean-Phillipe and I were the "army," versus Ramzi and Hosam who were the "terrorists." we played for an hour. Neither Jean-Phillipe or I had ever played the game and lost horribly. But it was still quite fun. After we went to the "best shawarma place in Palestine" according to Hosam. It was pretty good but I personally think the shawarma in Egypt is better. Very full, for some reason Medo wanted the desert made of pistascios, a sweet orange substance, and cheese. I didn't finish mine but it was quite tasty. After that we walked around the city for a bit and proceeded to an "argile (are-GHEE-lah) which is more commonly referred to as Hookah or Shisha. There we drank Coke, played card games, chess, and back-gammon while watching a popular Arab music video channel on TV. These guys are regulars there and about 30 different people came up to our table to say hello. After about a solid 4 hours in that place, it was starting to get dusky outside and we decided to depart. On the way to the bus station we walked through the most crowded market I have ever been in. People were pushing and crowding around the stands to buy fruits, vegetables, cheese, sauces, spices, beverages, and a few other random things.
At the border back into Israel, we had to pass through the tightest security I have ever seen, anywhere in the world. I'll spare you the details here, but it took us an hour to move 20 meters. Many Palestinians arrive at the border at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and get to the other side at around 8 or 8:30. Many do this every day. We got through with no problems except for the delay and were on our way.
This month is the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. They fast during the sunlight hours and pray more. Jerusalem feels different even after one day of this. More calm.
The other remarkable experience I had last weekend was a trip to Ramallah with my new Palestinian friends from class. My Canadian friend Jean-Phillipe and I were invited on Saturday to visit the home of Palestinian Authority and crowded city in the West Bank. On Saturday at noon we met our friends at the Arab bus station and headed out on the 25 minute ride to Ramallah. Jean-Phillipe and I said that we wanted to do what our Palestinian friends do on a normal weekend day. "(Almost) pretend that we are not here." We approached to 6 meter wall separating the state of Israel and the Palestinian territory. The wall is littered, mostly on the Palestinian side, with graffiti, including the famous pieces by artist Banksy. I saw them right as I crossed the border. Ramallah's city center is not very large, it's one main street with various side streets. The main street, about a half-mile in length is very, very crowded. There are people everywhere. Shopping, eating, drinking coffee, loitering, relaxing, or hurrying to work.
We started out day by going into a unmarked door of the main street, ascending 5 flights of stairs, and entering a computer cafe. There we played the online-based, first person shooter video game Counter Strike. Medo, Jean-Phillipe and I were the "army," versus Ramzi and Hosam who were the "terrorists." we played for an hour. Neither Jean-Phillipe or I had ever played the game and lost horribly. But it was still quite fun. After we went to the "best shawarma place in Palestine" according to Hosam. It was pretty good but I personally think the shawarma in Egypt is better. Very full, for some reason Medo wanted the desert made of pistascios, a sweet orange substance, and cheese. I didn't finish mine but it was quite tasty. After that we walked around the city for a bit and proceeded to an "argile (are-GHEE-lah) which is more commonly referred to as Hookah or Shisha. There we drank Coke, played card games, chess, and back-gammon while watching a popular Arab music video channel on TV. These guys are regulars there and about 30 different people came up to our table to say hello. After about a solid 4 hours in that place, it was starting to get dusky outside and we decided to depart. On the way to the bus station we walked through the most crowded market I have ever been in. People were pushing and crowding around the stands to buy fruits, vegetables, cheese, sauces, spices, beverages, and a few other random things.
At the border back into Israel, we had to pass through the tightest security I have ever seen, anywhere in the world. I'll spare you the details here, but it took us an hour to move 20 meters. Many Palestinians arrive at the border at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and get to the other side at around 8 or 8:30. Many do this every day. We got through with no problems except for the delay and were on our way.
This month is the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. They fast during the sunlight hours and pray more. Jerusalem feels different even after one day of this. More calm.
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