I survived my first day of class. This is quite an accomplishment considering I haven't been in class for over a year. Not only that, we have one 3-credit course that has been compressed into 6 days of lectures - about 6 hours per day. To top it off, the course is "Marine Ecology of the Gulf of Aqaba." What?! I haven't taken a real science class (chemistry) since my Freshman year of college, and I haven't taken a biology class since my Freshman year of high school...ouch. (Let's just say there's a reason I decided not to go to med school.)
Am I really supposed to know what zooxanthellae is? For all you curious minds: zooxanthellae are unicellular algae living inside the tentacles of corals, and they provide the host (the coral) with energy obtained through photosynthesis. Whew. What have I gotten myself into?
I can't say that I imagined that I would every learn anything more about marine biology than knowing that, say, a dolphin is a mammal, but coral reefs are actually really interesting and their survival has important implications on our future. Don't get me wrong, being talked at for so long can leave one brain dead, but I think I might like what I'm learning.
Not only do we have the laboratory (the Gulf of Aqaba or the Gulf of Eilat) practically in our backyard, but coral reefs are the "sexy" thing to be studying right now as far as marine ecology goes. There is all sorts of new and ongoing research being done in the field. Apparently the journal "Nature" just published an article that some corals have the ability to change sexes - research suggests that a particular coral released sperm at one point and at a later date released eggs. Who would have thought?
One of my favorite parts of class, though, was probably when were told that our final exam would be an "American exam" aka a multiple choice test. It is times like this that make me proud to be an American.
Oh, and if you're interested in other great biology terms, I have a stack of note cards sitting on my desk just waiting to be memorized...
- M
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Kibbutz Life
A few words about Kibbutz Ketura:
First, it is unique in that it is neither an ultra-religious nor a secular Kibbutz. Rather, it is a "pluralistic community" (oy, do I know about pluralism). What does that mean practically?
- Shabbat: Traditional egal services are held at 6:30 pm Friday and 9:30 am Saturday. The time doesn't vary, not even according to sunset. They are lay-led services and different members lead each week. I was pleasantly surprised by Kabbalat Shabbat, which was a lot like Tikkun Leil Shabbat services in DC.
All public spaces are kept shomer shabbat, or "shabbat friendly" so no writing, playing music (singing is, of course, ok), etc. But you can do as you please in semi-private and personal spaces. It's a juggling act, right?
- Dining Hall: Kosher food is served. Breakfast and dinner are dairy meals and lunch is a meat meal. Shabbat (Friday) is the exception - we get meat for Shabbat dinner. We decided that it was turkey and not the dark-white meat or light-dark meat of a chicken. So much for Thanksgiving...
DO NOT take the dishes out of the dining hall. If you want to bring food out, come with your own dishes.
More about the dining hall: It is buffet style, and every morning there is a full salad bar (mmmm) along with lots of cheesy things that I can't eat but I hear are excellent - yogurt, cottage cheese, regular cheese, etc. There is also, of course, American cereal (the kibbutz was founded by a bunch of Americans, what do you expect? I heard a story last night that General Mills decided to stop sending cheerios to Israel because it is such a small market, and the ex-pat community organized a campaign to bring it back. General Mills eventually relented, and thankfully, we can eat all the cheerios we want).
At the end of the meal, we bring our dishes to the kitchen and there is a specific way that one must load them onto the conveyor belt. Trays in the back, plates in front of them, and cups and silverware in the very front of them. It's important, trust me.
While we're on food, let's turn to the coffee. Or should I say Nescafe? Because that seems to be the drink of choice here. My caffeine addiction is waning rapidly. Not to be too much of a coffee snob, but I am. And I just can't handle Nescafe. Even with a lot of sugar it's pretty bad. I hear there is a little coffee shop in the keren kolot (the guest house) that serves decent iced coffee. I'll report back soon.
The perimeter: Because we are about five minutes away from the Jordanian border, some security measures must be taken. There are four layers of barbed wire around the entire kibbutz. Well, not exactly the entire kibbutz, as the gates are not so well fortified. Not only do the gates lack any barbed wire, the back gate can be breached by either climbing over, sliding under, or wiggling through the middle when it is locked.
4 layers of wire The Gate
Laundry: It's complicated. Well not really, but there are a lot of options when separating your clothes. Laundry is done communally. So you're given a number, which must be written clearly in all of your clothes, and then you dump them into the appropriate pile. Not just lights and darks, but different colors of darks, etc. You also have two underwear/sock bags - colors and whites - that CAN NOT be filled too full, and no other items should be placed in them. And voila, in a couple of days you should get your clothes back...good as new. And when you don't, there is a lost and found. The moral: don't piss off the laundry workers, they have a lot of power. And, don't wait until you have no underwear left as you will be in a predicament for a few days.
Water usage: Being in such a water-scarce region and coming here for an environmental studies program, I find it fascinating how much water is used here. Not only for the date fields. I get that. It's the economic foundation of the kibbutz (along with the algae farms, but that's for another day). I mean the amount of water that is used daily by residents, students, and guests. Granted, it is probably more efficient and economical to have communal laundry, but otherwise, I'm not sure there is much effort to cut back. Not only is there the beautiful swimming pool, but there is virtually no restriction on how much water one can use. It is in stark contrast to our neighbors across the road (Jordan) whose residents have very real water shortages throughout the year.
When I was living in Amman, we had strict instructions to take "navy showers" to conserve water. There were many days when we had to wait for a water truck to arrive to restore the water supply. It is also disturbing given the situation in the territories and the control that Israel has over how much water flows into them. Yet, I can take a nice long shower, jump in the pool, and flush the toilet as many times as I want without a second thought. Hmm.
There are so many other wonderful and quirky things about Kibbutz life, and I am sure to discover many more in coming months. This seems to be a good start, though.
- M
First, it is unique in that it is neither an ultra-religious nor a secular Kibbutz. Rather, it is a "pluralistic community" (oy, do I know about pluralism). What does that mean practically?
- Shabbat: Traditional egal services are held at 6:30 pm Friday and 9:30 am Saturday. The time doesn't vary, not even according to sunset. They are lay-led services and different members lead each week. I was pleasantly surprised by Kabbalat Shabbat, which was a lot like Tikkun Leil Shabbat services in DC.
All public spaces are kept shomer shabbat, or "shabbat friendly" so no writing, playing music (singing is, of course, ok), etc. But you can do as you please in semi-private and personal spaces. It's a juggling act, right?
- Dining Hall: Kosher food is served. Breakfast and dinner are dairy meals and lunch is a meat meal. Shabbat (Friday) is the exception - we get meat for Shabbat dinner. We decided that it was turkey and not the dark-white meat or light-dark meat of a chicken. So much for Thanksgiving...
DO NOT take the dishes out of the dining hall. If you want to bring food out, come with your own dishes.
More about the dining hall: It is buffet style, and every morning there is a full salad bar (mmmm) along with lots of cheesy things that I can't eat but I hear are excellent - yogurt, cottage cheese, regular cheese, etc. There is also, of course, American cereal (the kibbutz was founded by a bunch of Americans, what do you expect? I heard a story last night that General Mills decided to stop sending cheerios to Israel because it is such a small market, and the ex-pat community organized a campaign to bring it back. General Mills eventually relented, and thankfully, we can eat all the cheerios we want).
At the end of the meal, we bring our dishes to the kitchen and there is a specific way that one must load them onto the conveyor belt. Trays in the back, plates in front of them, and cups and silverware in the very front of them. It's important, trust me.
While we're on food, let's turn to the coffee. Or should I say Nescafe? Because that seems to be the drink of choice here. My caffeine addiction is waning rapidly. Not to be too much of a coffee snob, but I am. And I just can't handle Nescafe. Even with a lot of sugar it's pretty bad. I hear there is a little coffee shop in the keren kolot (the guest house) that serves decent iced coffee. I'll report back soon.
The perimeter: Because we are about five minutes away from the Jordanian border, some security measures must be taken. There are four layers of barbed wire around the entire kibbutz. Well, not exactly the entire kibbutz, as the gates are not so well fortified. Not only do the gates lack any barbed wire, the back gate can be breached by either climbing over, sliding under, or wiggling through the middle when it is locked.
4 layers of wire The Gate
Laundry: It's complicated. Well not really, but there are a lot of options when separating your clothes. Laundry is done communally. So you're given a number, which must be written clearly in all of your clothes, and then you dump them into the appropriate pile. Not just lights and darks, but different colors of darks, etc. You also have two underwear/sock bags - colors and whites - that CAN NOT be filled too full, and no other items should be placed in them. And voila, in a couple of days you should get your clothes back...good as new. And when you don't, there is a lost and found. The moral: don't piss off the laundry workers, they have a lot of power. And, don't wait until you have no underwear left as you will be in a predicament for a few days.
Water usage: Being in such a water-scarce region and coming here for an environmental studies program, I find it fascinating how much water is used here. Not only for the date fields. I get that. It's the economic foundation of the kibbutz (along with the algae farms, but that's for another day). I mean the amount of water that is used daily by residents, students, and guests. Granted, it is probably more efficient and economical to have communal laundry, but otherwise, I'm not sure there is much effort to cut back. Not only is there the beautiful swimming pool, but there is virtually no restriction on how much water one can use. It is in stark contrast to our neighbors across the road (Jordan) whose residents have very real water shortages throughout the year.
When I was living in Amman, we had strict instructions to take "navy showers" to conserve water. There were many days when we had to wait for a water truck to arrive to restore the water supply. It is also disturbing given the situation in the territories and the control that Israel has over how much water flows into them. Yet, I can take a nice long shower, jump in the pool, and flush the toilet as many times as I want without a second thought. Hmm.
There are so many other wonderful and quirky things about Kibbutz life, and I am sure to discover many more in coming months. This seems to be a good start, though.
- M
Saturday, September 27, 2008
My First Shabbat
So, I've broken down and started a blog. I have attempted to keep journals over the years, especially when anticipated it would be a life-changing or defining experience in my life, and I have only ever been mildly successful. I don't know why this time should be different, but here goes...
I have been on the Kibbutz for three days now, but it has been surreal and it is finally starting to sink in that I am actually living in the desert, surrounded by beautiful mountains, lots of sand, and date trees that shouldn't really be here. Less than five minutes away lies the Jordanian border, although crossing at this point would lead to a visit my the Israeli military, and I would back in the States much sooner than planned. It is fairly simple to get into Jordan from Israel, it just must be done at an official border crossing, the closest being Eilat.
I have been particularly reflective these few days. Perhaps it is because of the surroundings, or that I am in Israel, or that I am living with people who are also passionate about the issues I care deeply about. After attending a beautiful Shabbat service with the Kibbutz members and eating a wonderful Shabbat meal, a few of us went star gazing. It was amazing to be able to see the sky and the starts, to really see it. Something I haven't been able to do since my last trip to Lake Tranquil in Canada. The mountains that aren't more than five minutes outside of the kibbutz almost glowed in the moonlight. The scene was breath-taking and awe-inspiring, and made this one of the most meaningful Shabbat experiences that I have had.
Rabbi Susan Silverman spoke to us briefly yesterday and compared the commandment of Shabbat to starting a revolution. Not only are we to rest on Shabbat, but our children are also commanded to rest. Not only our children, but our servants, our cattle, and the strangers in our midst. There is a level of respect and dignity given to all beings that does not often exist in society. It allows one to remember what is truly important, what is necessary to live a full and meaningful life, and what we cannot take for granted. I think this is a beautiful interpretation of the holiday and drives home the importance of celebrating it...
Don't worry, there have been many light-hearted moments thus far, and I'm sure that will continue. There is an amazing pool on the Kibbutz that seems to be the center of life during the summer. There is also the speedo phenomenon in this part of the world...something that may take a little time to get used to :)
- M
I have been on the Kibbutz for three days now, but it has been surreal and it is finally starting to sink in that I am actually living in the desert, surrounded by beautiful mountains, lots of sand, and date trees that shouldn't really be here. Less than five minutes away lies the Jordanian border, although crossing at this point would lead to a visit my the Israeli military, and I would back in the States much sooner than planned. It is fairly simple to get into Jordan from Israel, it just must be done at an official border crossing, the closest being Eilat.
I have been particularly reflective these few days. Perhaps it is because of the surroundings, or that I am in Israel, or that I am living with people who are also passionate about the issues I care deeply about. After attending a beautiful Shabbat service with the Kibbutz members and eating a wonderful Shabbat meal, a few of us went star gazing. It was amazing to be able to see the sky and the starts, to really see it. Something I haven't been able to do since my last trip to Lake Tranquil in Canada. The mountains that aren't more than five minutes outside of the kibbutz almost glowed in the moonlight. The scene was breath-taking and awe-inspiring, and made this one of the most meaningful Shabbat experiences that I have had.
Rabbi Susan Silverman spoke to us briefly yesterday and compared the commandment of Shabbat to starting a revolution. Not only are we to rest on Shabbat, but our children are also commanded to rest. Not only our children, but our servants, our cattle, and the strangers in our midst. There is a level of respect and dignity given to all beings that does not often exist in society. It allows one to remember what is truly important, what is necessary to live a full and meaningful life, and what we cannot take for granted. I think this is a beautiful interpretation of the holiday and drives home the importance of celebrating it...
Don't worry, there have been many light-hearted moments thus far, and I'm sure that will continue. There is an amazing pool on the Kibbutz that seems to be the center of life during the summer. There is also the speedo phenomenon in this part of the world...something that may take a little time to get used to :)
- M
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