Galilee

So...I should probably write about Israel while I'm here... I just figure it'll be so much easier when I get back home and include lots of pictures.

We spent the last eleven days living on a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. I hope to express my various levels of existence while there.

Physically:
Fantastic, for a day. Upon arrival and immediately put on swimsuits. The water was warm except for occasional patches creeping along the bottom. I loved swimming. Real swimming, with strokes and everything. I found out how weak my shoulders, but I can still do a better good butterfly stroke.
That night I felt congested and figured it was just the sea water in my nose. But then I started getting a sore throat, which is what happens when I start getting a cold so I figured it was that. But then the sore throat was gone after a couple days and I stayed very congested. So I've been sick since we got to Galilee... My nose is still congested and I can feel the pressure in my teeth and jaw. Unpleasant but bearable. I still swam a lot though :)
The day before we left the sea we had a long field trip, exploring mountains and cities and churches and the like, and got back to our rooms right before dinner. So a few of us ran into the water with our clothes still on. Which was fun. When I got out, I found a sandy loogie on my leg. Rather gross. Later that night my leg felt sore, but I thought nothing of it. The next morning my leg had an inflamed red mark with a scab in the middle. I had been attacked by a jellyfish! I do not think jellyfish are supposed to be in the Sea of Galilee!

Mentally:
This place is beautiful. Sunsets are a delight. The waves are calming. I realized that kibbutzim started forming around the beginning of the 20th century. During this time many Jews were coming from Russia into Israel. This was close to the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. This could mean that socialist ideologies influenced the creation of some of Israel's most historic modern Jewish settlements. Pretty neat. We went on a hike with a man from the kibbutz we stayed at. He was paid fairly well for taking us out. He does it as a side job while he lives at the kibbutz. It was at the kibbutz (Ein Gev) that he met his wife and has raised his three sons. We went to some waterfalls and swam for a while. He told riddles along the way. He is older than my father but his youngest child is younger than my youngest brother. Just interesting. After majoring in Russian while at college in the United States, he decided to travel to Israel for a year and then just stayed out here since. As a faithful member of the kibbutz, all of the money he earns as a hiking guide (an incredibly fit hiking guide with a magnificent beard) he gives to the kibbutz to be used by everyone. Strong ideals.

Emotionally:
I am worried to return to real life (as much as life as a college student in Provo can be termed "real") in two weeks with its work, roommates, unstructured classes, money, and competition. I am excited to see close friends again, dance, attend wedding receptions, and walk around a city alone late at night. Mostly, I am exhausted. Overwhelmed into happiness would be another way to describe it.

Spiritually:
The comparisons between a summer in Israel and living in Sacramento for a couple years are astounding. The structure in both has been wonderful, but I am glad for the freedoms we've had in Israel. I like walking around late at night because I just want to breathe the city. The intensity and energy of both has been empowering and sustaining, but the brevity of Israel has been most needed for recovery. Though I am thankful for the endurance of Sacramento. Studying in both places has been extraordinary. The depth and opportunities to learn have been so vast in both areas.
I feel fulfilled here. And complimented. It is interesting to see the change in return missionaries as they have been here. I feel like Jerusalem has been a place to understand my time in Sacramento much more fully. I doubt it comes as a surprise but I was not a forceful person while serving in Sacramento. Because of the missionary environment I sometimes felt uncomfortable because I find no satisfaction or result in trying to argue religion or force ideals. Israel is one of the best modern examples of the failure of forced ideals and argued religion. And so I feel that my calmness might have been more helpful than I saw. At least I can hope. My time here has been resolving, replenishing, and everything I wanted out of the Holy Land.

So There is This Girl...

And you should know she is fantastic. Here is one of many reasons why.

Blogging is one of the most interesting mediums of communication. Many blogs are written like a journal or diary, personal insights/stories/journeys are shared in a day by day manner. "Successful" blogs do tend to have a theme, purpose, and regular schedule of posting, but that is not necessary. Writing of all sorts, like theater or movies, naturally has the "fourth wall" element that allows readers to put themselves in the story. But blogs naturally seek to break that fourth wall. Blogs are a giant, expansive, endless conversation. Bloggers want readers, so blogs are written to an audience instead of a story contained by four walls. This means a blogger can talk directly to people through their medium. This is unique.

So I'm going to relay a couple bits of information and stories to you and hopefully connect them by the end. The title is above and hopefully will keep you interested as you try to figure out how these words will come full circle.

I originally started this blog as an attempt to conveys thoughts and keep people up on my travels. I think I've done a fair job of the first and a terrible job of the second. The disconnect, I think, is that I'm not updating enough pictures. More images would encourage me to discuss sights and feelings more. Another reason is I already relate my stories two or three times before blogging them. That extra time seems excessive, except this is the place for most people to catch up on me. So I apologize to you. There will be a much better job done come August. I'll probably start by just uploading lots of photos. I've already taken almost two thousand shots.

It is two hours past midnight. My eyes feel like they are swelling in their sockets and a slight headache is starting to come on. I will tell myself many times throughout this night that I only need to stay very hydrated in order to avoid discomfort. I am only slightly wrong, but not enough to worry. I just got back home. We went to the Israel Museum (one of my favorite places in Jerusalem). Jerusalem puts on a lot of artistic and community-oriented events. I love it. Jewish religious celebrations are big deals here. Secular celebrations are too. The Israel Museum hosted a couple dozen artistic displays. Some (most) of them were temporal displays. Attending them and seeing the creative process of the event was what was interesting. The results were mediocre and stood no chance standing the tests of time (I think that is the shame of many modern arts, but it is only a personal opinion. I prefer the creation of those arts more than the final products. And a repetition of the final product, such as attending the same performance by a different cast, brings me no further insight or pleasure). But it was so much fun to watch. One exhibit was a man in a small shack writing. You could watch him. Or you could watch what he was writing as it was being displayed onto a large stone face a dozen meters away. The writing was in Hebrew so I can only guess at what he was writing. I think it was a short story. They had a kabuki demonstration. There was an original folk dance performed (I got to dance with them :). My favorite exhibit was some minimalist art. There was no order to the art, but one piece I really loved was a large, black X on a piece of paper with a clear, vertical rod over the point of intersection. As you walked past the piece the rod refracted a different image because the angle of your view changed. Simple. Creative. Made me think about physics. That is good art.

As I've been told that I assume everyone is as excited about everything as I am, I have started to realize it is a trait I really appreciate in other people. Several times I was in situations that were strange. The art was unusual. The demonstrations were graphic; they tried making a statement through strong expression and shocking display. I can think of many people, here in Jerusalem and at home, that I would feel uncomfortable attending with because I know their opinions on similar things are negative and I truly dislike causing people to be negative. But I felt alright being there because I could categorize certain things as art and separate myself from the situation or exhibit.

Then I thought about Natalie Harman. I have never felt uneasy with her around me. Now, I have felt quite nervous around her, but that is for reasons completely separate from what we were doing. I can be climbing trees, solving clues for Easter eggs, looking at art, admiring dance, or attending shows with her and never feel like I'll offend or scare her. I also feel like if something ever did bother her then she would let me know. Both are traits I admire greatly. I love feeling that when I am with her I have a whole world of adventures still available to explore; she wouldn't slow me down and actually improved the enjoyment and ultimate value of every experience I have had with her.

That is (one reason) why there is this pretty fantastic girl named Natalie.

Out of Body

Happy 4th of July! One of those holidays that has no literal meaning (as the Declaration of Independence was signed over several days) but is a great symbol and reason for celebration. We have a few people at the Jerusalem Center that are not Americans (two born in Colombia [one of them was raised in the States though], four Canucks, and one Englishwoman). The gal from England read the Declaration of Independence for our class. It was endearing.
We had fabulous burgers and ice cream for dinner. Then we played Minute to Win It games and then started a dance party. Honestly, any time we get together as a group to do anything at the center it ends up with a dance party. Not a bad thing, just not really my thing.
With that in mind, once the dancing started I found myself wanting to not be there. I didn't feel like thinking or trying to dance and move to the music. I just wanted to move. I started wandering around the outside of the center. The building was constructed very well and is terraced up the slope of the hill. So lots of outside space that connects. I wandered up to a high place and just looked over the city. As I walked there I could feel my body moving but really felt no control over it. I was wandering and my mind was elsewhere but no where. I took off my glasses to view the city. Fireworks were going off in the distance. I couldn't tell if they had any design, but they were lovely. Bright flashes. Honestly, I sometimes feel blessed for glasses because of the light orbs. I am very nearsighted, so when I see lights, especially at night, they are not defined. Lights are actually floating orbs, radiating stars hanging above the city. They are beautiful. Sometimes it is worth not seeing the leaves on trees to see the orbs floating over me.
And I just thought there. Or tried to think really. I was so full from the food today that I couldn't grasp anything. I tried rhyming but everything was sour. I tried singing a medley I came up with but lost the words. Eventually I snuck back into the building by way of an art exhibit (this place is seriously amazing. We have art exhibits upstairs and two professional concerts each week). I happened to come upon a couple before leaving the exhibit but they didn't see me. I retraced myself and left another way. I found a way atop the organ. Lovely little place. Quiet, dark, secluded. Little there for me though. I wandered, trying to find my head again.
Eventually I gave up, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and started some homework. Gradually some sense returned.
Days/daze like this confuse me. Why did I feel so strange? Was it just a bit of crusty cheese and old sausage with mustard (I think that is what Scrooge attributed it to)? Despite the confusion I felt refreshed after. I didn't need to dance tonight, I needed to wander. Tomorrow might bring dancing. Probably a blood drive and working out though. But who knows.