A Fun Story and a Local Legend

Hi all!


I'm back from a group trip to the North. It was fun, although not as exciting as the last trip. This trip was less hiking and bike-riding and swimming, and more going to historical sites and wishing that I had read up on them first so that I would have more of a framework for discussion. That being said, the sites we visited were really interesting. In three days, we saw a castle ruin that had been part of the extended defenses of Damascus during the Crusades, an old wall that had protected Acre/Acco from Napoleon's advances, and the ruins of an old village that Israel confiscated from its Arab Maronite inhabitants about 50 years ago, and has yet to return (although the families of the villagers still go to their church every Sunday). So much history in such a tiny geographical area!


And now, for what I promised in the post title: a story!


Today in my Arabic class, we were talking about our trip, and my Arabic teacher shared that when he was growing up, the Pope visited the Holy Land (for those who want dates, this is 1964). The Pope visited Nazareth, and everyone knew that he was going to Cana next, so the people of Rayna--Christians and Muslims alike--waited outside in the hope that he would stop in their town on the way. Of course, he didn't stop, but just kept going, and that was that. Now, apparently, there is a local legend in Rayna that at one point, on his way to Nazareth, Jesus came through Rayna on a donkey. The local explanation for why the Pope didn't stop there too? Some people from Rayna stole Jesus' donkey's saddle.

Re: Last Post

Thank you to my grandma for emailing me the word "Intinction," and to my uncle for telling me why it is, in some areas, less common: people became more conscious of germs and such things.

Fairly unrelated, but: I personally tend to be of the "let's eat dirt to improve our imune systems" field of thought (exaggeration, but I do actively disdain chemical hand sanitizers. It's all about the soap) (sidebar: the people on this trip have crazy allergies!) (too many parenthesis? Could there ever really be too many?) (yes? Umm. Okay. I'm done).

Where I was going. It seems like there's a conflict between the value of herd immunity theory and the cost of autoimmune diseases, extreme allergies, and asthma.* We have this idea culturally that bleaching everything will keep us healthy, but I really do not think that's true... Our bodies are systems that are made to include foreign life. (Cool thing link (also, I fully admit that I only read the abstract. Apparently it is from researchers at Tel Aviv University though, so that's cool).) Also, here.

Sorry this is kind of really rant-y. Mostly I just don't like how hand sanitizers smell, so I like to talk about crazy super evil bacteria.

I'd love to hear thoughts, especially if you disagree. I tend (as do most people) to reinforce my own beliefs, so I appreciate it when people point out what I have ignored.

*I'm not saying the all, or even most, of the increases in these issues are due exclusively to an absence of germs. At all. Plus, because I'm writing this casually, I feel perfectly comfortable that this is an example of the worst statistics ever. Mostly I'm just linking to places with more information, and completely failing to back up my points.

Bicycles and Beaches

Hey hey!

I bought a bicycle two days ago, and can I just say that bicycles are the best thing ever. Seriously. It is so wonderful to be able to get around the city quickly without getting on a bus or paying for a taxi. And, I have a basket! It looks a little bit silly, though, since the bike is sporty. Also, I love the clickety sound it makes when I don't pedal.

Yes, it's a guy-style bike. But I don't think that you would ever see me on a bike in a dress anyway. Plus,  I'm all about the triangles. Also, is the basket not the cutest?

Things about biking in Tel Aviv: everybody is always on the sidewalks, which are wider than in the US. Bicycles don't do streets here. I really like it because I am intimidated by cars, but I also need to develop my steering skills. I am going to break my face while trying to avoid a head on collision with a Moped and a motorized scooter. But really, I feel like alertness is seriously important for cyclists here.

Speaking of cyclists, there aren't any serious cyclists. People mostly seem to use bikes as transportation, more than anything else. Actually, much of Israel is making an effort to become a more bike-as-transport-friendly place. See here.

Feel like commenting on the awesomeness that is my bike? I know I would. :)

Today, my bike and I went for an excellent adventure to Jaffa. The plan was to go to an Arabic-language mass at St Anthony's.

I copied out directions to myself, but then I forgot my map, so when I thoroughly missed the second turn of the trip it was an exciting adventure. More or less, anyway. I knew where the church was, and I knew where I was, it was just a question of finding a sidewalk to take me there. It ended up being the most circuitous route that anyone not driving with me or my mom has ever seen, but it was fun to be able to connect places I had visited from a bus to each other. Plus, I was only 10 minutes late to mass. The whole spire thing helps.

The church is beautiful, set back in a small green courtyard behind a high wall. Inside, marble pillars obstruct the view from the side pews in a way that is very homey. It gives the feeling of being a tiny cathedral, with arching ceilings and long stained glass windows. The grandeur is somewhat impaired by the oscillating fans attached to the walls and standing in the aisles.

As I said, the mass was in Arabic. I understood a word here and there, but I didn't catch a single complete sentence. I did find that even though the language is different, the rhythm, the cadence, of the words and phrases are almost identical. Apparently, the Nicene Creed sounds like the Nicene Creed in any language.

The music struck me. It was so much better (to my ear) than the music in most other masses I've heard. There wasn't a choir, only a nun, sitting on the left side of the church in the front pew, playing a little electronic organ type instrument. But everyone sang fantastically, even without the (sometimes distinctly off-key) choir help that I am accustomed to.

I was most surprised by communion. I had assumed that it would be the most instantly familiar part of the mass, but that honor was taken by a beautiful rendition of "Alleluia" (I was really excited because I totally knew the single word in that song. Be impressed). Instead of having a priest giving the wafer and a deacon or other qualified person giving the wine, the priest dipped the wafer in the wine before putting it in the person's mouth. I was very, very glad that I was looking at the person in front of me. I can just picture myself putting out my hands, and the priest holding this dripping wafer, wondering whether I actually want it in my hands... it would have been embarrassing, and something of a break from the reverence one ought to have. To those who might know: is this style of communion common? I've never seen it before.

Anyways, I was glad to make it to mass, and very excited to hear it in Arabic! There were a few minutes there on the bike ride over where I thought that I might possibly get there just as it was getting out. Here is St Anthony's from the outside, because I tend to feel a little bit weird about taking pictures of churches from the inside:

St Anthony's in Jaffa

Final thing: pictures from the beach. Here's a couple. I'm sure that I will take more over the course of the semester.

View of Jaffa Port and Tel Aviv skyline

One of the many beaches of Tel Aviv