is a slogan I saw on a t-shirt at the beach today- my second favorite next to a slight twist on the epic rock tee, "Guns & Moses." Tel Aviv so far has been kind to me: a bleached city full of sun and sand and friends. As always, I am endlessly amused by the tiny details of a foreign land: babies naked on the beach, strange signs warning "danger of death!" whose Hebrew explanations I cannot understand, and impassioned elderly women arguing loudly on the sidewalk. On the promenade, I take a deep breathe and inhale the at-once familiar and exotic smell of sunscreen, sweat, and the blooms of the purple Sigalon trees. I'm a little in love with the novelty of it all. And tonight promises to be wonderful: meeting up with an old friend from China, hopefully to have some hummus and falafel (although I have been warned not to eat it, given that the American version will be forever ruined).
So, after two years of perpetual anxiety, so begins a month in which my only goal is to stop worrying...and be Jewish. I think am up for the challenge.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
a new and splendid life, take 5
And so begins my new and splendid life, parts 4 and 5. Moved down to North Carolina this past week and, in typical haphazard fashion, am now in the airport awaiting my flight to Israel. Although I'm really bummed to leave all my friends in New Haven, honestly, I couldn't be happier about being in North Carolina. The last two years have been too cold for me, in every sense of the word. I need a little light in my life...which I got yesterday in the form of fireflies. Fireflies! I was so happy to see them. Those tiny little bugs always signaled the beginning of summer when I was a kid, but I haven't seen them since leaving Ohio. I couldn't help myself; I just started giggling spontaneously. I guess that's the good part about living alone; no one knows when you're acting like a weird. (Except Victor. Always watching, always judging).
Now, after 12 hours in the Atlanta airport, I'm about to catch a standby flight to Tel Aviv. My wise and ever-resourceful friend Max helped hook me up with a sweet standby gig, but it means that I arrived in Atlanta at 7am this morning. So far I've taken 2 naps, visited McDonald's twice (gotta keep a nutritional epidemiologist in business, y'all), and talked to a couple of army guys who are deploying to Afghanistan today. I feel gross and homeless, but talking to a couple of men my age who are about to leave for a year puts things in perspective awfully quickly. A timely reminder, given it's Memorial Day.
Quick note to anyone stuck in an airport for long periods of time: search out the chairs without armrests. They make nearly perfect beds! In the ATL airport: Gate E12. Glorious. And on that note...
Bon Voyage!
Now, after 12 hours in the Atlanta airport, I'm about to catch a standby flight to Tel Aviv. My wise and ever-resourceful friend Max helped hook me up with a sweet standby gig, but it means that I arrived in Atlanta at 7am this morning. So far I've taken 2 naps, visited McDonald's twice (gotta keep a nutritional epidemiologist in business, y'all), and talked to a couple of army guys who are deploying to Afghanistan today. I feel gross and homeless, but talking to a couple of men my age who are about to leave for a year puts things in perspective awfully quickly. A timely reminder, given it's Memorial Day.
Quick note to anyone stuck in an airport for long periods of time: search out the chairs without armrests. They make nearly perfect beds! In the ATL airport: Gate E12. Glorious. And on that note...
Bon Voyage!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
happy easter
It's Easter weekend, and while I'm only sporadically spiritual-and even less religious- I find myself mulling over this simple line:
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
It strikes me that I spend far too much time thinking about myself. Too much time wallowing in self-pity and doubt. Far too many hours thinking about how I have failed or worse--how others have failed me. And not nearly enough time being grateful for all the incredible gifts, large and small, that appear in my life daily.
Today is also Earth Day. When I was little, my dad and I used to wade through the river behind our house on Earth Day and collect trash. I thought he was the coolest guy in the world, and I was gung-ho about environmental stuff for years after. Meanwhile, my friend's dad was one of the activists responsible for getting Earth Day started. How cool is that? I'm grateful for people whose passion makes the world a better place. And hoping someday I become one of them.
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
It strikes me that I spend far too much time thinking about myself. Too much time wallowing in self-pity and doubt. Far too many hours thinking about how I have failed or worse--how others have failed me. And not nearly enough time being grateful for all the incredible gifts, large and small, that appear in my life daily.
Today is also Earth Day. When I was little, my dad and I used to wade through the river behind our house on Earth Day and collect trash. I thought he was the coolest guy in the world, and I was gung-ho about environmental stuff for years after. Meanwhile, my friend's dad was one of the activists responsible for getting Earth Day started. How cool is that? I'm grateful for people whose passion makes the world a better place. And hoping someday I become one of them.
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