I don't even know where to begin. Right now I'm in an internet cafe in Petra, Jordan, but what lead up to this moment has seemed to take place over a week insteade of less then 24 hours. And the night isn't even over yet. I had one of those great traveling days which makes it worth it to travel.
Me and Annie started off on the midnight bus to Eliat. I thought this took 5-6 hours but it only took 4.
On the bus ride up there a 15 year old continuously puked ON the bus. Not because he was carsick, but because he was drunk.
I was just trying desperately to sleep since I haven't slept properly in forever since Ive been living at hostels.
I even told the boy behind be to "Sheket Bevakesha" but then i found out he spoke English.
ISraelis are soo inconsiderate! On normal buses in normal countries everybody shuts the fuck up. On this bus people were chatting in the middle of the night, puking and playing their cell phone rings.
Annie was talking a lot to the guys beside us, one short and one tall guy and then decided when we landed at 4 am to ask them if we could sleep in the their hotel room.
Not with them-but in their hotel.
But they hadn't booked a hotel so we trapaised around with them in a cab from hotel to hotel until finally I gave up and forced Annie to sleep on a beach.
In these hotels though everybody was up and they all looked about 10 years old.
Its Eilat I guess..? How are these people going to be defending the country in a few years??
So we went down to the beach, dragged 2 loose loungers down the beach, slightly away from the 24 hour blaring hip hop and passed out.
We awoke to a beautiful sunset over the mountains of Jordan, across the sea. OKay well actually I was kind of grumpy and didn't really appreciate it, but it was pretty!
Then we hopped on a bus and asked the driver 'border' and he said yes so we got on.
Then Annie reminded me that I didn't ask him WHICH border and this bus actually only went to the Egypt border.
Comforting that no buses go to Jordan border.
So we hopped into a cab and went through Jordianian customs. Annie got a tiny bit questioned but they barley look at me.
Or maybe they looked at me and was like "hmm nice Jewish Girl" then looked at my passport and thought "ah..nice jewish Canadian girl". and decided that was more then enough.
We thought Jordan was so cheap but it really isnt! Or at least with the xchange rate that we got it wasn't/
A taxi to Petra was about 75 USD.
But we didn't give up and got a taxi to Aquba (11 USD) and then found out their was an Arabic bus going to Petra that was only 7.50 USD.
Oh we are such good, ghetto, budget travelers.
So on this Arabic bus we sat beside two very nice Jordinain men (THEY ARE ALL SOOOOO NICE!!!!!!!!!-not even a litle bit of sarcasm) and they gave us a biscuit that basically was a large mundle broid.
Near the end of the ride the guy beside me started taking pics of us with his cell phone then slid a ring on my finger.
I kid you not.
I am currently engaged to this man who got off at the next spot.
I think.
It was very nice anyways. Who gives a ring to a strange girl with no mutual language in common?
Then we arrived in Petra and happened across this hostel and checked in a private room for only 12 USD a person (btw, im converting Jordinan Dinar to USD)
Let me just sum up what had happened before noon
1. boy pukes on bus
2. we unsucessfully mooch hotel room
3. sleep on beach
4. take wrong bus in direction of Egypt Border
5. cross Jordan Border
6. take Arabic bus to Petra
right so at noon we got a lift to petra. The man driving us form the hostel invited us to a wedding tonight, which we are going to in an hour.
at petra..they don't fucking accept visa and the exchange rate was shit.
So we decided to walk to an ATM machine, to which we got direction times varying between 6 min- 26 min.
Annie hadn't slept at all, and it was extremely hot and she was getting verrrry tired.;
So we stopped in a shop and the man offered to drive us to the ATM machine.
He was 33 and was getting married next week to a 23 year old women. He was very cleanly dressed and had just opened his new shop. He used to work as a Tourist guide. Annie bought water (one of our like bajillion water bottles bought) and I bouight this not-so-good packaged arabic cake thing.
So his partener came and drove us to the ATM and then drove us back to Petra. He was supposed to drive us back towards the shop but we really just wanted to go to Petra already.
So at Petra we pay our extremely expensive fee (30 USD).
Annie sees that horses are available to take us to the entrance to Petra, about 800 mt. away. I refuse because Im a cheap ass and I like walking and have never ridden a horse. but she wins out and so 5 USD each, we hop on a horse.
The only other horse I have ridden was when I was 4 and its attached to a string around a pole. Maybe that was a donkey though?
Okay so I have to go now..but we are only at 2pm! I will updte later!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Soldier Update
Breaking News
OH MY GOODNESS....
ScruffySoldier from Hebron actually just called me. Through a TRANSLATOR. I had no idea what to say and just kinda giggled.
I was forced to give him my number b/c the other 5 or so soldiers thought the situation was hilarious and put my number in his phone.
and he actually called? umm....
Nope....no matter how scruffy he is, the talking thing is still important.
OH MY GOODNESS....
ScruffySoldier from Hebron actually just called me. Through a TRANSLATOR. I had no idea what to say and just kinda giggled.
I was forced to give him my number b/c the other 5 or so soldiers thought the situation was hilarious and put my number in his phone.
and he actually called? umm....
Nope....no matter how scruffy he is, the talking thing is still important.
Hebron
I had my first foray inside the West Bank yesterday in the town of Hebron. With the only buses running in Jerusalem to the West Bank, I decided to take advantage of my boredom and go there with a BritishBlonde I met at my hostel.
She is a small, polite girl but extremely adventorous and has traveled to Africa alone and stayed there even when she was held up with a knife. I'm not quite at that point yet.
In Hebron the Patriarchs are buried, but the town has become a ghost town because of the Settlers. The settlers there are apparantly the crazy kind, the kind that whack 6 year old Palestinan girls with glass bottles and belive in the phrase 'an eye for an eye'.
We took the bus from East Jerusalem, got dropped off in Bethlehem, then took a shared taxi. The driver almost ran off the road as he tried to adjust his mini TV screen, showcasing dancing and singing Arabic girls.
BritishBlonde is a toughy and refused to pay an extra shekel (even though we may have actually owed it) and pushed me out of the taxi to the sounds of the drivers insistent honking.
We walked through the market to the tombs and everyone was friendly. No one seemed especially poor, but the town was dirty (the fact that littering is bad is a msg that needs to be taken across the world..remember those commercials w/the bunnies on skateboards? Must broadcast them here!)
There was a clean, shiny, bright shopping mall, everyone was nicely dressed and there was very immodest clothing stores; though goodness knows who could buy them since everyone was in a hijab.
The mosque is where that crazy Jew shot a bunch of ppl 2 decades ago so there is a huge IDF presence now.
The catch is, is that, if you are Christian you can go into the mosque and the Jewish side, if you are Jewish you can't go into the mosque and if you're Muslim you can't go into the Jewish side.
The tombs are in the middle of both the sides.
However, you can only go into the Jewish side on Shabbat if you are Jewish.
So what was I do to?
When the soldier asked me if I was Jewish I just stayed silent. It's not as if I can say I'm not Jewish, that seems so wrong to me since there have been much better reasons for lying about one's Judaism then this one.
But of course the officer knew I was Jewish (hellllo so obvious) but feigned innocence and said I could go into the mosque.
I tried to put up a whole 'personal questions..so discrimnatory' speech, but he wasn't buying it and said at religious places different rules apply.
The mosque was pretty boring, not too pretty and the tombs where inside like square fences.
We had to put on these Jedi like robes to walk in. I'll put pics up soon.
Then when we left, we stopped by the bathrooms and pissed in the ground. Big diff btwn Israel right there...Israel actually as toilets. Here just has....a ceramic hole in the ground with a jug of water that you must use to flush. Also, toilet paper was missing.
But..When in Rome.
Then I started talking to the soldiers, basically b/c I have an obsession with Israeli soldiers.
Me and British Blonde spent over an hour talking to them. In between conversations they would check the Muslims entering the mosque and do the whole metal detector test thingi.
I spotted a hot, tall, scruffy soldier 10 metres away by his post and whispered to BritishBlonde that he was hot. She then felt the need to tell the solider we were speaking to. He then told ScrufySoldier, which causes chaos.
It was like a Checkpoint Matchmaking service.
Of course ScruffySolider didn't speak English. "Not that it matters" said another solider.
But again, I'm kinda into the whole talking thing.
The soldier that we were speaking to for most of the time doesn't understand why I don't like America, plans to travel there for 2 months, has been married for 3 months and is a fake rasict. He was making fun of the Black girl soldier the entire time in a shockingly friendly way.
Example "She can wear all the lipstick colours on her huge lips"
But they were best buds based on language that would get you sacked in Canada.
We finally walked back to the taxi stand in Hebron, but it was a great morning.
Also, we got free candy and a free strange prickly fruit from some vendors.
I've never gotten free candy in Israel....
On the bus ride back to Jlem we went through a checkpoint. i don't know why everyone complain about checkpoints. It was a breeze, the soldier was friendly and chatted to the driver. He just looked at the cover of our foriegn passports and waved us away.
Then, (for which I still feel really guilty about) BritishBlonde and me hopped off the bus at Jaffa Gate without paying.
The driver was honking and honking and honking, but he had forgotten to make us pay in the beginning of the ride.
Ugh poor Arab bus driver. We shouldn't have done that.
Then at our hostel we ran into 2 guys staying there, NewZealandSoldier and EvangelicalSoldier, and made a plan to try and sneak into a Hotel Pool.
It was a hot day and we were all reallllly tired and wanted to chill. In a pool. Jlem has no beaches and has no buses to Tel Aviv on Shabbat.
Our first attempt was at the David Citatel, where the pool guy had a list w/room numbers.
We planned better for our next try at the famous King David hotel starting from 500$/night.
I should really work for Mossad.
We walked in and then I went on a scoping mission. NewZelandSoldier found out that if you went around the back entrance to the pool, one could just jump over a hedge to reach the pool.
I went around first and found that if one walked far enough, there wasn't even a hedge to jump over!
I casually walked in the pool area, set my stuff down and surreptiously changed into my bikini under a towel.
Subtle...I know.
Then I waited and NewZealend Soldier came and sat down beside me.
Then we hopped in.
ahhhh cool, cool, chlorination.
But mission obstacle when the other two didn't....
They pretended that they were married and ended up having to spend NIS 150 to swim for the day.
So half the mission was a sucess.
Then I ended up talking to this couple from Toronto who has a son who I apparanlty went to Tamarack with who also knows my cousins. oooobvvviously. damn JGeo.
Then we went to dinner at Mikes Place and when I went back to my hostel was I was tired I just ended up passing out on the couch instead of going out.
She is a small, polite girl but extremely adventorous and has traveled to Africa alone and stayed there even when she was held up with a knife. I'm not quite at that point yet.
In Hebron the Patriarchs are buried, but the town has become a ghost town because of the Settlers. The settlers there are apparantly the crazy kind, the kind that whack 6 year old Palestinan girls with glass bottles and belive in the phrase 'an eye for an eye'.
We took the bus from East Jerusalem, got dropped off in Bethlehem, then took a shared taxi. The driver almost ran off the road as he tried to adjust his mini TV screen, showcasing dancing and singing Arabic girls.
BritishBlonde is a toughy and refused to pay an extra shekel (even though we may have actually owed it) and pushed me out of the taxi to the sounds of the drivers insistent honking.
We walked through the market to the tombs and everyone was friendly. No one seemed especially poor, but the town was dirty (the fact that littering is bad is a msg that needs to be taken across the world..remember those commercials w/the bunnies on skateboards? Must broadcast them here!)
There was a clean, shiny, bright shopping mall, everyone was nicely dressed and there was very immodest clothing stores; though goodness knows who could buy them since everyone was in a hijab.
The mosque is where that crazy Jew shot a bunch of ppl 2 decades ago so there is a huge IDF presence now.
The catch is, is that, if you are Christian you can go into the mosque and the Jewish side, if you are Jewish you can't go into the mosque and if you're Muslim you can't go into the Jewish side.
The tombs are in the middle of both the sides.
However, you can only go into the Jewish side on Shabbat if you are Jewish.
So what was I do to?
When the soldier asked me if I was Jewish I just stayed silent. It's not as if I can say I'm not Jewish, that seems so wrong to me since there have been much better reasons for lying about one's Judaism then this one.
But of course the officer knew I was Jewish (hellllo so obvious) but feigned innocence and said I could go into the mosque.
I tried to put up a whole 'personal questions..so discrimnatory' speech, but he wasn't buying it and said at religious places different rules apply.
The mosque was pretty boring, not too pretty and the tombs where inside like square fences.
We had to put on these Jedi like robes to walk in. I'll put pics up soon.
Then when we left, we stopped by the bathrooms and pissed in the ground. Big diff btwn Israel right there...Israel actually as toilets. Here just has....a ceramic hole in the ground with a jug of water that you must use to flush. Also, toilet paper was missing.
But..When in Rome.
Then I started talking to the soldiers, basically b/c I have an obsession with Israeli soldiers.
Me and British Blonde spent over an hour talking to them. In between conversations they would check the Muslims entering the mosque and do the whole metal detector test thingi.
I spotted a hot, tall, scruffy soldier 10 metres away by his post and whispered to BritishBlonde that he was hot. She then felt the need to tell the solider we were speaking to. He then told ScrufySoldier, which causes chaos.
It was like a Checkpoint Matchmaking service.
Of course ScruffySolider didn't speak English. "Not that it matters" said another solider.
But again, I'm kinda into the whole talking thing.
The soldier that we were speaking to for most of the time doesn't understand why I don't like America, plans to travel there for 2 months, has been married for 3 months and is a fake rasict. He was making fun of the Black girl soldier the entire time in a shockingly friendly way.
Example "She can wear all the lipstick colours on her huge lips"
But they were best buds based on language that would get you sacked in Canada.
We finally walked back to the taxi stand in Hebron, but it was a great morning.
Also, we got free candy and a free strange prickly fruit from some vendors.
I've never gotten free candy in Israel....
On the bus ride back to Jlem we went through a checkpoint. i don't know why everyone complain about checkpoints. It was a breeze, the soldier was friendly and chatted to the driver. He just looked at the cover of our foriegn passports and waved us away.
Then, (for which I still feel really guilty about) BritishBlonde and me hopped off the bus at Jaffa Gate without paying.
The driver was honking and honking and honking, but he had forgotten to make us pay in the beginning of the ride.
Ugh poor Arab bus driver. We shouldn't have done that.
Then at our hostel we ran into 2 guys staying there, NewZealandSoldier and EvangelicalSoldier, and made a plan to try and sneak into a Hotel Pool.
It was a hot day and we were all reallllly tired and wanted to chill. In a pool. Jlem has no beaches and has no buses to Tel Aviv on Shabbat.
Our first attempt was at the David Citatel, where the pool guy had a list w/room numbers.
We planned better for our next try at the famous King David hotel starting from 500$/night.
I should really work for Mossad.
We walked in and then I went on a scoping mission. NewZelandSoldier found out that if you went around the back entrance to the pool, one could just jump over a hedge to reach the pool.
I went around first and found that if one walked far enough, there wasn't even a hedge to jump over!
I casually walked in the pool area, set my stuff down and surreptiously changed into my bikini under a towel.
Subtle...I know.
Then I waited and NewZealend Soldier came and sat down beside me.
Then we hopped in.
ahhhh cool, cool, chlorination.
But mission obstacle when the other two didn't....
They pretended that they were married and ended up having to spend NIS 150 to swim for the day.
So half the mission was a sucess.
Then I ended up talking to this couple from Toronto who has a son who I apparanlty went to Tamarack with who also knows my cousins. oooobvvviously. damn JGeo.
Then we went to dinner at Mikes Place and when I went back to my hostel was I was tired I just ended up passing out on the couch instead of going out.
Friday, July 4, 2008
The first sex
I seem to only be in contact with interesting men.
For instance,
Yesterday I was walking to the bus stop to catch a bus to the dead sea when a middle aged American kippa-ed man started asking me directions.
How nice! I thought. A religious-ish person is acknowloging my existence.
He was acting all fatherly, telling me to make sure I had enough sunscreen and admonishing me for not wearing a hat.
Then he asked me for cocktails.
Ummm...how do you say...you're an ugly 50 year old old enough to be my father wearing a kippa so ...NO.
But, being brought up a lady I said I had to run to catch my bus and told him to email me.
Then today,
I was innocently sitting on Ben Yehuda reading a book (NIS 8 Bergdorf Blondes found at a 2 storey used bookshop off of Jaffa st.) when a muscled man in a black tank stop approached me and started speaking Hebrew.
I explained to him in Hebrew that I only speak English.
That didn't seem to deter him speaking Hebrew.
He asked me if I would like to take a stoll.
Now, why would I turn down an afternoon date with a muscled man in a black tank top?
See, I have tried the whole language barrier thing and it's cute for about 2 min until you want more romance then Tarzan language.
Plus, he had ugly teeth.
But before he left he made me write down his number for a stroll tomorrow since I told him I don't do anything on Shabbat.
Oy.
But let me tell you about this way more normal but still hilarious Germanw/aGf. I met him in my hostel. He's German, which always makes for interesting conversation. He was lying on a couch reading a giant, hardback German book. I was bored as I so often am and so started to talk to him.
He is German German and secular and wanted to visit Israel because he met a lot of them traveling other places and thought the girls were really hot. I hear this A LOT strangely.
We talked for hours for the next 3 days. TALKED ppl, remember he is Germanw/aGf.
He said he realized the stereotypes he previously belived was just that is actually true and Jews actually do have funny noses.
As well, Jewish girls are short, with big lips, big noses and big boobs.
He is quite astute eh?
Thus, I do believe I am the stereotypical Jewish girl, but this is no revelation and strangers tell me this on a daily basis.
He also told me about a friend of his sex escapes which I feel compelled to share because they are so funny. His friend used to work at a resort in the canary islands, where he used to sleep with all the women there as the husbands took care of the children.
This friend, who is a major slut, had a step by step process to sleeping with these wives.
1. First he would invite them to play volleyball,
2.then hit on them.
3.Then he would invite them out to a club and
4.tell the husband that he would show them around the next night but that night he should take care of the children.
Apparently out of 60 women, only one, ONE, refused to sleep with him.
Strangely, I fully believe this story basically because my faith in monogomy is flawless.
He believed his friends story because he knew how good in bed he was due to the times they had had threesomes together.
hey...I know you guys love hearing about the sex lives on strangers!
But this guy was really funny and cool and German. Thus, extra cool.
Must go get ready for Kotel.
xx
For instance,
Yesterday I was walking to the bus stop to catch a bus to the dead sea when a middle aged American kippa-ed man started asking me directions.
How nice! I thought. A religious-ish person is acknowloging my existence.
He was acting all fatherly, telling me to make sure I had enough sunscreen and admonishing me for not wearing a hat.
Then he asked me for cocktails.
Ummm...how do you say...you're an ugly 50 year old old enough to be my father wearing a kippa so ...NO.
But, being brought up a lady I said I had to run to catch my bus and told him to email me.
Then today,
I was innocently sitting on Ben Yehuda reading a book (NIS 8 Bergdorf Blondes found at a 2 storey used bookshop off of Jaffa st.) when a muscled man in a black tank stop approached me and started speaking Hebrew.
I explained to him in Hebrew that I only speak English.
That didn't seem to deter him speaking Hebrew.
He asked me if I would like to take a stoll.
Now, why would I turn down an afternoon date with a muscled man in a black tank top?
See, I have tried the whole language barrier thing and it's cute for about 2 min until you want more romance then Tarzan language.
Plus, he had ugly teeth.
But before he left he made me write down his number for a stroll tomorrow since I told him I don't do anything on Shabbat.
Oy.
But let me tell you about this way more normal but still hilarious Germanw/aGf. I met him in my hostel. He's German, which always makes for interesting conversation. He was lying on a couch reading a giant, hardback German book. I was bored as I so often am and so started to talk to him.
He is German German and secular and wanted to visit Israel because he met a lot of them traveling other places and thought the girls were really hot. I hear this A LOT strangely.
We talked for hours for the next 3 days. TALKED ppl, remember he is Germanw/aGf.
He said he realized the stereotypes he previously belived was just that is actually true and Jews actually do have funny noses.
As well, Jewish girls are short, with big lips, big noses and big boobs.
He is quite astute eh?
Thus, I do believe I am the stereotypical Jewish girl, but this is no revelation and strangers tell me this on a daily basis.
He also told me about a friend of his sex escapes which I feel compelled to share because they are so funny. His friend used to work at a resort in the canary islands, where he used to sleep with all the women there as the husbands took care of the children.
This friend, who is a major slut, had a step by step process to sleeping with these wives.
1. First he would invite them to play volleyball,
2.then hit on them.
3.Then he would invite them out to a club and
4.tell the husband that he would show them around the next night but that night he should take care of the children.
Apparently out of 60 women, only one, ONE, refused to sleep with him.
Strangely, I fully believe this story basically because my faith in monogomy is flawless.
He believed his friends story because he knew how good in bed he was due to the times they had had threesomes together.
hey...I know you guys love hearing about the sex lives on strangers!
But this guy was really funny and cool and German. Thus, extra cool.
Must go get ready for Kotel.
xx
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Terror Attack
So Barauch Hashem I have survived the first terroist attack of my time in Jlem.
It happened a few blocks from my work.
An Arab tractor driver at a construction site literally bulldozed cars, flipped over a bus and was apparantly head towards the big market when a police office shot him dead.
Apparantly the police officer was in plain clothes and climbed on top of the tractor and shot the guy in the head.
2 dead, 30 wounded so far.
Im surprisingly okay. Totally okay. The streets are crazy blocked. Cell phone reception only intermediatlly works as I guess everyone is calling their loved ones.
Last time I was in Jlem one 19 year old girl got blown up on her way to work by a knapsack left outside a bus station.
That time I flipped out.
With no warning, a girl only 3 years older then me, on her everyday routine, probably still sleep at 6am, just.....died.
How do you plan around these things?
One could leave Israel. But one can also die anywhere.
So what to do?
Another intern was on the bus behind the bus that got flipped over. He came in pretty shaken.
But I'm so emotionally fine, even though I was taking a bus on that route 2 hours before.
Update
More people are injured. I have to monitor the talkbacks for the newspaper I
m interning at. The truly scary thing is how extreme people are. Incidents like this just reinforce peoples perceptions of Islam and Arabs. All the comment are all about sending the Arabs back to Jordan.
An 18 year old man (boy) shot the terroist. You should check out the video of it. Its insane. He is just in normal clothes, a blue t-shirt and jeans, and he climed on top of the tractor and shot the guy in the head with his tzit tzits flapping.
http://www.jpost.com/
Then look below at Jpost Video for how it all happened
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Shabbas in da city
So I just spent my first Shabbat this year in Jlem. Of course, being me, I spent it with Christians. There I was, at the holiest site in the world, the place towards which all Jews pray, sitting on the cool stones with an Singapore-Canadian, who is working for the UN. Relief agency for Palestinians, and a French-Britain, who had just finished writing a book on museums, and a Norwegian, a band member who told me that it broke her heart that Jews were going to hell. (very sweet girl though)
How did I manage to be in Jewish nation and spend Shabbat with non-Jews?
I really don’t know. One Jewish girl was there; she was also working for the UN. Relief agency for Palestinians.
After the Kotel we went to Damascus Gate in the old city which is, as far as I know, part of the Arab quarter. Here everything was still open for business and the others got some coffee while I just sat holding my Siddur pretending to be a good little Jewish girl by not spending money on Shabbat.
I learned a lot from French-Britain, who had just finished writing a book on museums, basically because he is obsessed with museums and told me that the Israel National Museum is the only museum in the world that is privately funded. Therefore, the state can’t use the museum for propaganda. The example that he used was that the Dead Sea Scrolls could be used as establishing that Jews were their first or whatever, but instead it is just used intellectually.
He was also wearing on of those striped headbands that you can turn into different things like a headband, a touque, a scarf. Basically an overpriced stretchy piece of fabric.
Then we went out drinking (but not the good little Jewish girl) and I learnt all about the bad Settlers in the West Bank from Singapore-Canadian, who is working for the UN. Relief agency for Palestinians. I was personally shocked.
I was and still am part of the whole “But all Israel wants is Peace camp” but I have realized its not all that simple. These settlers in the West Bank are extremely right wing and they apparently beat up the Palestinians. Now, a Jew should not beat up anybody. This guy told me he actually saw these settlers beat up a 6 year old Palestinian girl.
I know. Jews? Fighting? Being mean? Apparently so. If you don’t believe me just youtube search Btselem
Thus, I have decided to visit the West Bank. I think its important to see these things for oneself. How can I judge something that I’ve never seen? Most North American Jews see everything in black and white. And its tiresome, and I think we are going to have to face up to the fact that we’re not all so great and we have our crazies too.
Museum guy wants to see a museum not on the holocaust but on how Germany go to the point where they could do what they did. Very interesting… like how did an entire nation get to the point where they ignored or perpetuated Nazi-ism? The same thing today like in the Congo and Sudan, how do people do those things? I mean…we’re also people. People just like us do these terrible things. So yea, I would like to have a museum to understand how and why! Or a book. But this guy is Museum boy, so he wants a museum.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Internship
The reason I came to Jlem was to do this internship at JewTimes*
*Not the real name but you know those ppl you read about who get fired for blogging about their employers? Don't want that to be me!
So I really had no idea what to expect. None at all. I was supposed to go to Hebrew U but that didn't work out. So I walked in in the afternoon on this super super hot day.
I had a mini clothing crisis in the morning because...what do you wear in a religious city, when its 35 degrees, that is also appropriate for an internship?
I settled on Lulus with a white button up with checkered ballet flats and a pink Burberry headband to accessorize.
I didn't even get lost going there: shockers of shockers.
So I walk into this very quiet, but very large, and of course dusty (this is Jlem) office and kind of wander around for a bit until the editor says 'hi' and tells me to go to the intern room.
There are a bunch of other interns sitting around the table with their Macbooks (yay!).
I still had no idea what I was supposed to do, the hours, the dresscode, the beat..nada.
So I got some info of of..wait..wait for this..
Danielle
Who lives 2 blocks away from me
In Toronto
With medium length curly brown hair
who dated the same guy that I hooked up with (though I didn't mention that part to her---please do not read this blog ever, either of you)
who was drinking a diet coke
basically..ummm I asked..myself.
There is no dresscode thank gosh because I swear I hate most of my jobs because they don't let me wear flipflops.
I didn't have my computer on me so I just kind of sat around trying to think of story ideas until the editor gave me a story to write. But then the computer he gave me was ancient and kept fucking up so I told him I would go home and write it.
I raced home, but it still took me FOREVER and I had to listen to this stupid jackhammer for like half an hour waiting for the bus.
Yes I do take the bus here, please pray for me.
So I actually got back to the hostel , typed out the article in an hour (yay deadline I felt so real journalisticy) and then went to Shoppers drugmart.
Of course I have no real idea how to write articles....which I'm sure showed. So I'm going to have to re-do it tmrw. But I'm excited to learn how and I hope he doesn't just fire me because I turn out to be a total retard and incapable of writing a proper newstory.
I'm happy to have structure this summer, but I don't know what I"m going to do to in my spare time. Probably sit in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, eat falafel, write this blog, try to improve my newswriting skills, travel on weekends, take up jogging, shop, walk aimlessly around Jlem...
any ideas PLEASE let me know!
*Not the real name but you know those ppl you read about who get fired for blogging about their employers? Don't want that to be me!
So I really had no idea what to expect. None at all. I was supposed to go to Hebrew U but that didn't work out. So I walked in in the afternoon on this super super hot day.
I had a mini clothing crisis in the morning because...what do you wear in a religious city, when its 35 degrees, that is also appropriate for an internship?
I settled on Lulus with a white button up with checkered ballet flats and a pink Burberry headband to accessorize.
I didn't even get lost going there: shockers of shockers.
So I walk into this very quiet, but very large, and of course dusty (this is Jlem) office and kind of wander around for a bit until the editor says 'hi' and tells me to go to the intern room.
There are a bunch of other interns sitting around the table with their Macbooks (yay!).
I still had no idea what I was supposed to do, the hours, the dresscode, the beat..nada.
So I got some info of of..wait..wait for this..
Danielle
Who lives 2 blocks away from me
In Toronto
With medium length curly brown hair
who dated the same guy that I hooked up with (though I didn't mention that part to her---please do not read this blog ever, either of you)
who was drinking a diet coke
basically..ummm I asked..myself.
There is no dresscode thank gosh because I swear I hate most of my jobs because they don't let me wear flipflops.
I didn't have my computer on me so I just kind of sat around trying to think of story ideas until the editor gave me a story to write. But then the computer he gave me was ancient and kept fucking up so I told him I would go home and write it.
I raced home, but it still took me FOREVER and I had to listen to this stupid jackhammer for like half an hour waiting for the bus.
Yes I do take the bus here, please pray for me.
So I actually got back to the hostel , typed out the article in an hour (yay deadline I felt so real journalisticy) and then went to Shoppers drugmart.
Of course I have no real idea how to write articles....which I'm sure showed. So I'm going to have to re-do it tmrw. But I'm excited to learn how and I hope he doesn't just fire me because I turn out to be a total retard and incapable of writing a proper newstory.
I'm happy to have structure this summer, but I don't know what I"m going to do to in my spare time. Probably sit in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, eat falafel, write this blog, try to improve my newswriting skills, travel on weekends, take up jogging, shop, walk aimlessly around Jlem...
any ideas PLEASE let me know!
Lets play a little game called Jgeo
Jewish Geography...heard of it?
I wandered around alone my first day in Jlem but then I sat beside a NonJewishBlueEyedAussie on my hostel's couch.
I actually cannot communicate how utterly SICK I am of telling people my whole life story. I am so sick of saying I'm from Canada and talking about Canada and the French and myself and my life and what I study and why I'm in Jerusalem blah blah blah kill me now.
But.....when you live my life its essential. But it makes me want to stop traveling, its really the worst part.
But I inflict this pain on other people so its clearly Karma.
So back to NonJewishBlueEyedAussie. Now...why would a NJ (non-Eew) come to Israel you are probably wondering? Well..I have met in my hostel alone like 5 NJs at least who came. I think its fascinating. This particular guy had met a lot of Israelis on his travels and
...Like Israeli's incredible talent for bargaining in third world countries like Bolivia. (*sarcasm in case of undetectableness over web)Had admired some things and had definte not admired other things.
We, and Canadian ex-birthright ppl who were also staying at the hostel, decided to go to this comedy show that their birthright leader was putting on.
I won't even go into the JGEO with them. Lets just say..Hi 3 close friends, 1 camp friend summer '99, and my distant cousin.
So this comedy show...was....not funny. It was funny because it was so bad. Seriously, I thought that that was funniest part. They were making like Arab and terrorist jokes which I personally don't find funny at all because I
a. don't support racism
b. don't support making fun of cultures that aren't your own
c. don't support making it seem like Jews are racist to NJs
d. especially when your a huge loser/nerd
and they were making facebook jokes. Hellooo I have had facebook since 2005...like...get with the program and 2008.
The only funny guy was the birthright leader who was making fun of Jdate and internet lingo. Actually funny.
One of the 'comedians' who looked about 15, we ran into on Ben Yehuda st. after the show. There he (in a Kippa) called me a stupid bitch because I told him he wasn't funny and maybe he should stop seeing the world in black in white as in
" I don't like people who hate me."
Politics are going to come up a lot in this blog me being in the freakin M.E and all. Deal.
I understand the argument that many Arabs are brought up in a culture of hate..which is pretty much true. But that doesn't give Jews the right to return the hate. Then we are just stooping to their level. (hello kindergarten problem solving). As well...its a sad situation and if you can't make fun of it in an actually funny way...then just shut the fuck up. Also I find a lot of Jews use that hatred as an excuse to justify everything.
"Well, they hate us so there is no use in trying to make peace until they stop hating us"
Which is a valid argument. Maybe. But...maybe it could be changed to
"It is so sad that some people hate us. Lets try to get together with them and make them see that we are all just humans and they shouldn't feel like they have a reason to hate us."
So instead of separating ourselves further from them, perhaps we should actually get closer to them.
Newaz...so after the stupid bitch phrase one of the birthright guys like flexed his muscles and the guy like ran away.
Then we went to Mikes Place (cafe) where I ran into someone I know from a CFJS (Canadian Federation of Jewish Students) conference named "Comedian".
That was pretty fun. I ended up having 3/4ths of a wine bottle so was a little bit tipsy for a little bit and got to watch a girl on an Aish program hit on NonJewishBlueEyedAussie in an extreme way.
As in put her legs over his and call him "her aussie".
But she was fun and outgoing and I like her. But NonJewishBlueEyedAussie didn't and as soon as she left he was very relived as apparantly he was sooo not into her. But I guess when you're 25 and travel a lot you probably hook up with girls left right and centre. Especially when you're Australian. Their kinda sluts. Like Jews, except blonde and more straighforward.
All the other birthrighters had gone home to wake up for their early bus ride so me and NonJewishBlueEyedAussie stopped for some shisha where we ran into 'Comedian" who spilt my beer on me, and who happened to be hanging out with a Hasbara group where this girl I had been on a conference with last year was.
That was a mouthful.
Then NonJewishBlueEyedAussie et moi had a religious discussion where I tried to explain to him that one could both be Jewish and an Aetheist. True, but he didn't buy it. I refuse to explain it again. Try watching "The Believer" with Ryan Gosling for an intro to this concept.
Then we walked back to the hostel and me him and 2 girls went to Yad Vashem the next day.
For some reason...not emotional for me. It was just very long. The only thing that was truly scary was the pictures of the people in the concentration camp. They are just so skinny it's like they aren't even alive anymore. You wonder how they can even lift their heads.
I printed out the names of the people who died in my family from the 'Hall of Names' which is full of BOOKS of names in this circular room. Just books and books of 3 million dead people.
But then you step outside and have a "Fuck them!" moment because dammit your Jewish and alive and its 2008 and you just stepped out into Israel which is the fucking Jewish State.
But then I lost all of the other ppl and didnt see NonJewishBlueEyedAussie until later.
That night we went out with his ex-gf's Israeli friends and went to a club where I was soooo exhasted I almost fell asleep. Jlem is pretty expensive and drinks are like kinda super expensive so I wasn't really in the mood. But the friends were super nice except some of them were in high school. Sketch! Super Sketch! I used to be the high school girl...dammit when did I get so old?
Dusty winding roads
So these past few days in Jerusalem have really been a blur.
I'm sitting now in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the amazing coffee chain from L.A which is extremely overpriced. But worth it on occasion. Plus they have free wifi and I kind of have this obsession with my Mac and Ice Coffees.
So lets talk about Jerusalem. It's dusty for one. And very white for a second. (is that a phrase? Let's make it into an acceptable phrase)
All the buildings are made of this whitish stone material and at times it seems as if the whole city is gleaming reflective sun.
That is, if you can see the buildings through the dust.
Or think through the noise.
The old city is really beautiful though. Its this laberynith of lanes with Arab shopkeepers selling the exact same t-shirts and trinkets shouting "excuse me" at everyone who walks by.
That always unnerves me. When people say 'Excuse me" in Canada its a polite gesture meant to inform the person of a stain or ask a question.
Here they just use it to get your attention which is kind of extremely annoying. Fuck off, if I want to buy something I'll walk in.
But the lanes are cobblestone obviously and they have these ramps on each step that I guess were used for wheels.
I always feel like I'm about to slip down them in my over-priced brown Havanias.
I could literally get lost for hours. And when you look at the old city from a distance its so nice. Its walled and stoned and ancient and beautiful and.... amazing that its been the source of so much bloodshed, just for all the whitish stone.
I'm staying in a hostel in the Christian quarter in this ancient building that is basically a cave with free wifi. They have a rooftop dorm where you can sleep and it has the most amazing view over the city which someone should remind me to post a picture of.
I met like 20 ex-birthright Canadians there and we played Jewish geography for a while. But that will be the next post!
The other part of Jerusalem is the new city. This is where the Mcdonalds and tourists shop are. Including the cafe I'm sitting in now. Its entirely filled with English speaking people. Mostly Americans, mostly modern orthodox.
On the famous (or popular) Ben Yehuda street is Shopper DrugMart (I kid you not), tired old souviner stands, falafel places which I am already getting sick of, and very bored security people in yellow vests. Subtle.
There is where everyone meets up at night. The Jerusalem Hostel is across from there; I might be moving there when I get sick of my hostel or fail to find an appt.
Outside the central part of the city, Jerusalem seems to be crowded and noisy and well...Middle Eastern.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Fly JetAirFly and possibly die
Yay, so in honour of the holy land I have decided to resume my blog that has to long been dormant.
Lets start with my last day in Belgium.
Actually I can't even recount this story again....bassssically i had SERIOUS SEIROUS luggage issues because of stupid airline regulations that need to go away. I had to leave like 1/3 of my clothes, my giant suitcase, and half my room in Belgium. I sent one small suitcase home with Simon, who i hope is actually allowed to bring it on his flight, and went to israel with my backpack and a large shopping back full of shoes basically.
I was wandering around the lovelye/hideous city of leige when it started to pour rain suddenly and unexpectedly. It was then that i cursed Belgium. I started to find a cab to take me to the airport but because I am apparantly the cheapest person alive I turned down the first cab driver and continuted to wander in the rain. Finally i gave up and hopped in the first cab i saw which happened to be a van in the middle of the street stopped at a traffic light.
26 euros later and at the tiny leige airport i was ready to go to the holy land!
except my baggage was 16 kilo overweight.
whoops/
So i proceeded to take out verything from my bags and repack on the airport floor. shoes, underwear, books and makeup was everywhere. I just ouldnt decide what to leave.
I loved my shoes! I had boughten them all for 5 euro (yes you read that right) in Paris and i was never going to find shoes like that in Canada.
Then she got fed up with me and started to yell at me that she needed to close her booth.
so i dumped all my extra shit into 2 plastic bags and she decided she was too busy to weigh my hand luggage (a good 10 kilo overweight) and i ran to catch my flight.
I was so upset i had to leave all my shoes and pajamas behind that i ahem...started crying infront of the non english speaking guy who started throwing out my hair cream (damn liquid rule) she was very confused about why i was crying..probably because i declined to explain it to him in french.
but also i was getting my normal delayed emotional reactions that i get from having to leave belgium and go to the middle east.
then i asked another guy not to stamp my passport because i for some retarded reason thought he was stamping it with an israeli stamp. he declined though. about 15 min later the same guy runs in with 2 plastic bags.
I stopped him and said very sheepishly "oh..um those are mine"
He gave me an incredulous stare.
"um..sorry about that. mam i in trouble?
He said" first you dont want me to stamp your passport, now this s your luggage?
"Um...yes? sorry about that..i meant to throw those out becuase of my overweight lugagge. but then...i forgot. so you can throw them out now"
He said: "So these are yours then? is there a time bomb in them? hahah"
"um no..hehe...just my..pajamas."
and then HE HANDED ME THE BAGS!
he totally did not speak english well enough to understand that that was my oveweight luggage! you were only allowed to bring 6 kg on the plan and i had about 15 kg with me.
and umm...how unsecure was that? everybody knows not to touch bags that are left unattended in the atrium! especially on a flight to israel.
but that is what you get with a random airport in leige and JetAirFly
Then i spent five hours in front of SCREAMING evil jewish children. Whose parents didnt even looked ashamed at every dirty dirty look i shot them.
I arrived eventually at my hostel at 2am and these Belgian guys in my shared taxi who spoke english well decided to walk me to my hostel. although is walking in the old city of jerusalem at 2 am really that dangerous? surely not.
Lets start with my last day in Belgium.
Actually I can't even recount this story again....bassssically i had SERIOUS SEIROUS luggage issues because of stupid airline regulations that need to go away. I had to leave like 1/3 of my clothes, my giant suitcase, and half my room in Belgium. I sent one small suitcase home with Simon, who i hope is actually allowed to bring it on his flight, and went to israel with my backpack and a large shopping back full of shoes basically.
I was wandering around the lovelye/hideous city of leige when it started to pour rain suddenly and unexpectedly. It was then that i cursed Belgium. I started to find a cab to take me to the airport but because I am apparantly the cheapest person alive I turned down the first cab driver and continuted to wander in the rain. Finally i gave up and hopped in the first cab i saw which happened to be a van in the middle of the street stopped at a traffic light.
26 euros later and at the tiny leige airport i was ready to go to the holy land!
except my baggage was 16 kilo overweight.
whoops/
So i proceeded to take out verything from my bags and repack on the airport floor. shoes, underwear, books and makeup was everywhere. I just ouldnt decide what to leave.
I loved my shoes! I had boughten them all for 5 euro (yes you read that right) in Paris and i was never going to find shoes like that in Canada.
Then she got fed up with me and started to yell at me that she needed to close her booth.
so i dumped all my extra shit into 2 plastic bags and she decided she was too busy to weigh my hand luggage (a good 10 kilo overweight) and i ran to catch my flight.
I was so upset i had to leave all my shoes and pajamas behind that i ahem...started crying infront of the non english speaking guy who started throwing out my hair cream (damn liquid rule) she was very confused about why i was crying..probably because i declined to explain it to him in french.
but also i was getting my normal delayed emotional reactions that i get from having to leave belgium and go to the middle east.
then i asked another guy not to stamp my passport because i for some retarded reason thought he was stamping it with an israeli stamp. he declined though. about 15 min later the same guy runs in with 2 plastic bags.
I stopped him and said very sheepishly "oh..um those are mine"
He gave me an incredulous stare.
"um..sorry about that. mam i in trouble?
He said" first you dont want me to stamp your passport, now this s your luggage?
"Um...yes? sorry about that..i meant to throw those out becuase of my overweight lugagge. but then...i forgot. so you can throw them out now"
He said: "So these are yours then? is there a time bomb in them? hahah"
"um no..hehe...just my..pajamas."
and then HE HANDED ME THE BAGS!
he totally did not speak english well enough to understand that that was my oveweight luggage! you were only allowed to bring 6 kg on the plan and i had about 15 kg with me.
and umm...how unsecure was that? everybody knows not to touch bags that are left unattended in the atrium! especially on a flight to israel.
but that is what you get with a random airport in leige and JetAirFly
Then i spent five hours in front of SCREAMING evil jewish children. Whose parents didnt even looked ashamed at every dirty dirty look i shot them.
I arrived eventually at my hostel at 2am and these Belgian guys in my shared taxi who spoke english well decided to walk me to my hostel. although is walking in the old city of jerusalem at 2 am really that dangerous? surely not.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
America depresses me
This must be a joke.
The only thing worse then making mistakes, is being a bloody dumbass and not admitting it, thus the problem just keeps getting worse.
Just admit it Bush..you faiiiiilllled.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7305023.stm
Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory'
BBC breaking news graphic
President George W Bush has marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq with a speech defending his decision to go to war.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said the war was one "we can and must win".
And he went on to say the US and the region were safer now that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was not in power.
The speech comes amid criticism in the US of the war and its costs. But a recent "surge" of US troops to Iraq has been credited with reducing violence.
America
The only thing worse then making mistakes, is being a bloody dumbass and not admitting it, thus the problem just keeps getting worse.
Just admit it Bush..you faiiiiilllled.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7305023.stm
Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory'
BBC breaking news graphic
President George W Bush has marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq with a speech defending his decision to go to war.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said the war was one "we can and must win".
And he went on to say the US and the region were safer now that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was not in power.
The speech comes amid criticism in the US of the war and its costs. But a recent "surge" of US troops to Iraq has been credited with reducing violence.
America
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I am unproductive
Thats it. I am so unbelivabley unproductive it's scary. I slept until 2pm today. 2 bloody pm. Do you understand there are people who wake up at 5 am to go work? I went to SLEEP at 5 30 am. This is not good.
Although I did clean my room the other day and have thus been able to actually do work..in my room. and not go to Pangaea, the international coffee house and pretend to do work but really spend 6 hours talking to people.
I have spent all day in my room trying to check off my to do list ( i am an organized unproductive person) but have failed miserably basically because i do not understand philosophy of g-d at ALLLLLL.
Yesterday was st. paddy's day AND the Persian New year. I know! It was very multi cultural. So my rez held a Persian New Year dinner, where the girls from Iran cooked. And I learnt all about this new years. So we all know that Persia is where Iran is now right? And that Iran used to be called a civilization called Babylon. And that they destroyed our temple in 586 bce and sent us into exile? Bastards. But then there was this nice king named Cyrus who let us go back and re-build the temple! And thus began an entirely new chapter of Judaism. Remember that verse from the Bible"
Psalms 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
But that was several thousands years ago, so I try to forgive and enjoy this nice dinner. The meat was Halal. Now I pretend to be a vegitarian, which I am. But occasionally, especially after a few beers and break down. But I still won't eat non-kosher meat. So I rationalize with Halal. Basically Muslim Kosher. Except not as strict and kind of bullshit. But I try. So the Iranian girl was SHOCKED and then she asked me if i was Muslim. And i was just like 'no'. and then she asked me about my meat-eating this morning. Where I was just like..umm yea..
Becuase I refuse to handle the intergettion i will get if she finds out if im Jewish.
So they celebrate New Years starting from when Mohammed made his pilgramage from Mecca to Medina, about 1400 years ago, but really, their native calendar starts from 3300 ago-roughly the same time of Solomon I think.
Oh ancient history...so wonderful.
But seriously I fully support a Babylon new year celebration..because...they were fucking cool, go wiki it.
With me being neither Muslim nor Catholic,i decided to continue with St. Paddys day by doing as the irish do and ruining my liver.
I had brought these Shamrock green shot glasses all the way from Canada including a button that said "Kiss me I'm Irish". No one took the bait though...dammit.
Me, Mystery boy , 2 other Belgians and Salsa Spanish Girl all went to the Irish bar where we met up with the Canadians. It was packed.
Mystery boy is this cute boy who lives across the street from me but I only see him like twice a semester. But when he gets drunk he takes off his sweater vest and becomes hilarious. He also has an iphone, which i totally respect in a country that does not even have an Apple store. He is also very perceptive. When one Canadian was hitting on Salsa Spanish Girl he not only noticed, but commented that it didn't seem to be working. Only time will tell though.
So that is pretty much it. I have been staring a computer screen all day and am thus so confused i haev no idea what i even wrote now. but i need to get back into this blogging biznach.
Although I did clean my room the other day and have thus been able to actually do work..in my room. and not go to Pangaea, the international coffee house and pretend to do work but really spend 6 hours talking to people.
I have spent all day in my room trying to check off my to do list ( i am an organized unproductive person) but have failed miserably basically because i do not understand philosophy of g-d at ALLLLLL.
Yesterday was st. paddy's day AND the Persian New year. I know! It was very multi cultural. So my rez held a Persian New Year dinner, where the girls from Iran cooked. And I learnt all about this new years. So we all know that Persia is where Iran is now right? And that Iran used to be called a civilization called Babylon. And that they destroyed our temple in 586 bce and sent us into exile? Bastards. But then there was this nice king named Cyrus who let us go back and re-build the temple! And thus began an entirely new chapter of Judaism. Remember that verse from the Bible"
Psalms 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
But that was several thousands years ago, so I try to forgive and enjoy this nice dinner. The meat was Halal. Now I pretend to be a vegitarian, which I am. But occasionally, especially after a few beers and break down. But I still won't eat non-kosher meat. So I rationalize with Halal. Basically Muslim Kosher. Except not as strict and kind of bullshit. But I try. So the Iranian girl was SHOCKED and then she asked me if i was Muslim. And i was just like 'no'. and then she asked me about my meat-eating this morning. Where I was just like..umm yea..
Becuase I refuse to handle the intergettion i will get if she finds out if im Jewish.
So they celebrate New Years starting from when Mohammed made his pilgramage from Mecca to Medina, about 1400 years ago, but really, their native calendar starts from 3300 ago-roughly the same time of Solomon I think.
Oh ancient history...so wonderful.
But seriously I fully support a Babylon new year celebration..because...they were fucking cool, go wiki it.
With me being neither Muslim nor Catholic,i decided to continue with St. Paddys day by doing as the irish do and ruining my liver.
I had brought these Shamrock green shot glasses all the way from Canada including a button that said "Kiss me I'm Irish". No one took the bait though...dammit.
Me, Mystery boy , 2 other Belgians and Salsa Spanish Girl all went to the Irish bar where we met up with the Canadians. It was packed.
Mystery boy is this cute boy who lives across the street from me but I only see him like twice a semester. But when he gets drunk he takes off his sweater vest and becomes hilarious. He also has an iphone, which i totally respect in a country that does not even have an Apple store. He is also very perceptive. When one Canadian was hitting on Salsa Spanish Girl he not only noticed, but commented that it didn't seem to be working. Only time will tell though.
So that is pretty much it. I have been staring a computer screen all day and am thus so confused i haev no idea what i even wrote now. but i need to get back into this blogging biznach.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
London Bridge is falling Down
ok so i have all these half finished draft posts about my times in Morocco and Ireland and Toronto but then i was like....i must write about my night in london first!
So I am obesseeeeeeed with London and England in general. I am part of the commonwealth and their aristorcrasy, tea, wars and writers have always fascinated me. I want to marry someone Britis. The accent makes me horny, baby. (Austin Powers reference thank you very much)
So I decided to book my flight into London from Toronto and the last train out to Brussels at 7 30 pm. So at least I would get to spend the afternoon in London and catch a glimpse of stuff.
After my bajillion hour flight, which wasn't too bad because they gave out inflatable travel pillows which made my journey 50% better (get one now, they make sleep possible)
I landed in Gatwick. And after an hour going through customs, baggage figuring out how the hell to get into London, I was on my way.
Except the Tube station is going through serious construction, so I had to change trains like 3 times before Kings cross where I planned to leave my luggage.
Brutal crowds! And not fun with my suitcase(which , as you will see later, I am MADLY in love with my father for buying a good quality suitcase)
London is huge and the tube system is vast and it made my head spin. Loved it.
So I arrived at Kings Cross, my muscles already aching at about 2 pm.
I was ready to go home and do London another time but they wouldn't move my ticket.
So I went to the LEft Baggage place and found out that each item left was 6.50 GPB. For those who are mathematically challenged (except in the areas of money conversion and tax, I am too) For my 2 bags that would have been 26$!
I refused to pay 26$. Dammit. That is like a dress or a return trip to Brussels from Leuven 6 times.
Yes. I know I am a cheap idioit. Did I really want to be dragging aroud my suitcase and backpack for the next 5 hours?
Ahem. Apparantly my jet-lagged mind though it worth it.
Soooo I hopped back on the Tube to Picadilly Cirus. I walked randomly, no idea where I was going. I went through China Town, the Theatre Distict and found myself on a huge shopping street.
I though New York was bad.
Londoners LOVE to shop. THey are all Shop-o-holics, I can see why the book was placed there. I blame it on having to wear uniforms in their formative years.
Gazillions of people just walked in and out of stores laden down with bags from Seldfridges, Primark, Topshop. It was my kind of place.
So I walked and browsed and people watchd didn't buy anything.
But then it hit me.
They had Primark!
If I had written a proper Irish post, you would understand that significance, but Primark is the ultra cheap store with tonnes of cute shit. And they had the holy grail of tights, 3 for 2 GPB. Tights are 15$ in Toronto and 7 euro in Belgium.
I had to get them. I hate doing laundry, and I wear tights almost every day. So I went on a hunt.
Primark was bustling. The lines where literally wrapped around the cash register. And they have this cook system in London for cash registers where a voice goes " Please come to number 5" sometimes it says "Please come to number 17".
So orderly those brits....
A Technologically advanced ticket system.
So I bought my tights, had to pay by credit card (which meant it probs cost the same anyways) cuz my Maestro Card wouldn't work (not a type its my euro debit card).
Then I realized it was 6:40 and I had to go catch my train!
So I hopped on a bus. Which was double decker. Which 5 years ago I would have been so excited But I have become quite blase about everything european. Then realized I was going the wrong way. But I met a Canadian girl from Toronto on it. Who was TOTALLLLy Jewish.
So I chased down the bus across the street. Which was moving so. slowly. 10 munites in the same spot.
But the driver wouldn't let me off! And then I started crying ebcause it was 7:15...and you are supposed to be there 30 min before... and it left at 7:30...
Can you say 'fucked"?
So he finally let me off the bus because I was crying and I ran WITH ALL MY BAGGAGE still to the nearest tube station.
Did I mention I had been dragging my luggage with me for FIVE hours???? How did the wheeels not break? I have no idea. I was tearing up in the station but then I saw a man begging whose entire body had been burned off. And then I stopped crying and whacked myself for being so bloody spoiled. So I ran through the tube station, switched lines, got to Kings Cross ran to the Eurostart ticket office...and MISSED THE TRAIN.
I was a little emotional at this point. The point of being jet-lagged, no sleep, been wheeling around a suitcase around a strange land for 5 hours and just missed the last train of the day can't afford a hotel kind of emotional.
So I bawled to the nice ticket man. He tried to calm me down and told me I had indeed missed the last train to Brussels and would have to spend the night in London. Then he told me it was 50 GPB for the train in the morning. COuld I afford it? um NO I mean, I had a credit card, but not enough money in the bank. He then told me that "he just had to ask but he wouldn't charge me for it".
BEST TICKET MAN EVER. I am in love with the ticket operator. in love.
Except I still had no where to stay. I couldn't sleep in the station becuase it closed and the hotels started at 25 GBP. (50$)
All I had left was my one day travel card.
What the fuck..who needed sleep anyways? I dragged my luggage on to the first bus I saw, first scoping out if there were any 24 McDonalds (there weren't)''
I hauled my shit on top of the double decker bus and rode around London.
Then the Bus driver kicked me off at the last stop.
So I hauled my ass on the next bus I saw.
Until the bus driver kicked me off.
I saw wonderful things, millions of people on the streets, buildings, Arab Town, Posh town.
I really needed to pee then ( I not taken out a dime the entire day but just kept going to Marks and Spencers for water and sandwhiches on my Maestro Card)
Then, as I was running away from the washroom attendant lest she make my pay 20P that I didn't have, this young male Aussie asked me if I needed help with my bags. I said I didn't but I had been carrying them for 5 hours, blah blah blah told him the whole story then he invited me for a drink with his mates.
Sure? What else did I have to do.
Which is how I found myself partying with 10 Aussies.
This would also be more significant if I had published my post about what I think about Aussies.
We (and my luggage) traversed to a bar, where they actually let me and my luggage in without a second glance. I could have been hiding a bomb in there...or alchol.
I had just taken out 10 quid form a Cash Point (Translated from 10GPB from an ATM) and so stuffed my shit in coat check for a pound.
Londenors sure know how to dress up. Their fashion is so ah..unique and they put efford in it. I got to talking with one Aussie who wouldn't tell me his age but had an actual job as an an accountant. I'm guessing 27. ( How come I never hang out with anyone my own age?)
Then we talked for so long all his friends had left, so we followed them to another Indie bar.
I stopped on the way for a beer and chugged down a polish brew which a Brit in the Off License had recommended.
The bouncer here also paid no attention.
They had anime projected onto the wall in a basement. It was very cool. So I danced in my super inapproite outfit (brown unisex am ap cardi over a black tank top with black thermal am ap leggings and black slouchy tough boots) but maybe they thought i was going for a 'im so cool I don't even have to try" look instead of the actual "I haven't slept and have traveled across the atlantic in airplane comfy clothes"
So I just chilled and drank (one aussie bought me a magners) and then got invited to spend the night at the Aussies student house. Then I woke up at 6am and walked to the tube station where i made my train.
fucking jelagged now.
So I am obesseeeeeeed with London and England in general. I am part of the commonwealth and their aristorcrasy, tea, wars and writers have always fascinated me. I want to marry someone Britis. The accent makes me horny, baby. (Austin Powers reference thank you very much)
So I decided to book my flight into London from Toronto and the last train out to Brussels at 7 30 pm. So at least I would get to spend the afternoon in London and catch a glimpse of stuff.
After my bajillion hour flight, which wasn't too bad because they gave out inflatable travel pillows which made my journey 50% better (get one now, they make sleep possible)
I landed in Gatwick. And after an hour going through customs, baggage figuring out how the hell to get into London, I was on my way.
Except the Tube station is going through serious construction, so I had to change trains like 3 times before Kings cross where I planned to leave my luggage.
Brutal crowds! And not fun with my suitcase(which , as you will see later, I am MADLY in love with my father for buying a good quality suitcase)
London is huge and the tube system is vast and it made my head spin. Loved it.
So I arrived at Kings Cross, my muscles already aching at about 2 pm.
I was ready to go home and do London another time but they wouldn't move my ticket.
So I went to the LEft Baggage place and found out that each item left was 6.50 GPB. For those who are mathematically challenged (except in the areas of money conversion and tax, I am too) For my 2 bags that would have been 26$!
I refused to pay 26$. Dammit. That is like a dress or a return trip to Brussels from Leuven 6 times.
Yes. I know I am a cheap idioit. Did I really want to be dragging aroud my suitcase and backpack for the next 5 hours?
Ahem. Apparantly my jet-lagged mind though it worth it.
Soooo I hopped back on the Tube to Picadilly Cirus. I walked randomly, no idea where I was going. I went through China Town, the Theatre Distict and found myself on a huge shopping street.
I though New York was bad.
Londoners LOVE to shop. THey are all Shop-o-holics, I can see why the book was placed there. I blame it on having to wear uniforms in their formative years.
Gazillions of people just walked in and out of stores laden down with bags from Seldfridges, Primark, Topshop. It was my kind of place.
So I walked and browsed and people watchd didn't buy anything.
But then it hit me.
They had Primark!
If I had written a proper Irish post, you would understand that significance, but Primark is the ultra cheap store with tonnes of cute shit. And they had the holy grail of tights, 3 for 2 GPB. Tights are 15$ in Toronto and 7 euro in Belgium.
I had to get them. I hate doing laundry, and I wear tights almost every day. So I went on a hunt.
Primark was bustling. The lines where literally wrapped around the cash register. And they have this cook system in London for cash registers where a voice goes " Please come to number 5" sometimes it says "Please come to number 17".
So orderly those brits....
A Technologically advanced ticket system.
So I bought my tights, had to pay by credit card (which meant it probs cost the same anyways) cuz my Maestro Card wouldn't work (not a type its my euro debit card).
Then I realized it was 6:40 and I had to go catch my train!
So I hopped on a bus. Which was double decker. Which 5 years ago I would have been so excited But I have become quite blase about everything european. Then realized I was going the wrong way. But I met a Canadian girl from Toronto on it. Who was TOTALLLLy Jewish.
So I chased down the bus across the street. Which was moving so. slowly. 10 munites in the same spot.
But the driver wouldn't let me off! And then I started crying ebcause it was 7:15...and you are supposed to be there 30 min before... and it left at 7:30...
Can you say 'fucked"?
So he finally let me off the bus because I was crying and I ran WITH ALL MY BAGGAGE still to the nearest tube station.
Did I mention I had been dragging my luggage with me for FIVE hours???? How did the wheeels not break? I have no idea. I was tearing up in the station but then I saw a man begging whose entire body had been burned off. And then I stopped crying and whacked myself for being so bloody spoiled. So I ran through the tube station, switched lines, got to Kings Cross ran to the Eurostart ticket office...and MISSED THE TRAIN.
I was a little emotional at this point. The point of being jet-lagged, no sleep, been wheeling around a suitcase around a strange land for 5 hours and just missed the last train of the day can't afford a hotel kind of emotional.
So I bawled to the nice ticket man. He tried to calm me down and told me I had indeed missed the last train to Brussels and would have to spend the night in London. Then he told me it was 50 GPB for the train in the morning. COuld I afford it? um NO I mean, I had a credit card, but not enough money in the bank. He then told me that "he just had to ask but he wouldn't charge me for it".
BEST TICKET MAN EVER. I am in love with the ticket operator. in love.
Except I still had no where to stay. I couldn't sleep in the station becuase it closed and the hotels started at 25 GBP. (50$)
All I had left was my one day travel card.
What the fuck..who needed sleep anyways? I dragged my luggage on to the first bus I saw, first scoping out if there were any 24 McDonalds (there weren't)''
I hauled my shit on top of the double decker bus and rode around London.
Then the Bus driver kicked me off at the last stop.
So I hauled my ass on the next bus I saw.
Until the bus driver kicked me off.
I saw wonderful things, millions of people on the streets, buildings, Arab Town, Posh town.
I really needed to pee then ( I not taken out a dime the entire day but just kept going to Marks and Spencers for water and sandwhiches on my Maestro Card)
Then, as I was running away from the washroom attendant lest she make my pay 20P that I didn't have, this young male Aussie asked me if I needed help with my bags. I said I didn't but I had been carrying them for 5 hours, blah blah blah told him the whole story then he invited me for a drink with his mates.
Sure? What else did I have to do.
Which is how I found myself partying with 10 Aussies.
This would also be more significant if I had published my post about what I think about Aussies.
We (and my luggage) traversed to a bar, where they actually let me and my luggage in without a second glance. I could have been hiding a bomb in there...or alchol.
I had just taken out 10 quid form a Cash Point (Translated from 10GPB from an ATM) and so stuffed my shit in coat check for a pound.
Londenors sure know how to dress up. Their fashion is so ah..unique and they put efford in it. I got to talking with one Aussie who wouldn't tell me his age but had an actual job as an an accountant. I'm guessing 27. ( How come I never hang out with anyone my own age?)
Then we talked for so long all his friends had left, so we followed them to another Indie bar.
I stopped on the way for a beer and chugged down a polish brew which a Brit in the Off License had recommended.
The bouncer here also paid no attention.
They had anime projected onto the wall in a basement. It was very cool. So I danced in my super inapproite outfit (brown unisex am ap cardi over a black tank top with black thermal am ap leggings and black slouchy tough boots) but maybe they thought i was going for a 'im so cool I don't even have to try" look instead of the actual "I haven't slept and have traveled across the atlantic in airplane comfy clothes"
So I just chilled and drank (one aussie bought me a magners) and then got invited to spend the night at the Aussies student house. Then I woke up at 6am and walked to the tube station where i made my train.
fucking jelagged now.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
always
Brief interuption in the present: I am in a tiny fishing/surfing village and had just thought 10 min. ago how i broke my streak by not meeting any jews in this town yet.
Guess who i happen to sit beside in an internet cafe?
bingo.
im cursed. or blessed.
it all depends how you look at it.
Guess who i happen to sit beside in an internet cafe?
bingo.
im cursed. or blessed.
it all depends how you look at it.
Friday, January 4, 2008
isnt that ice cream cold?
After a VERY VERY long day (5 hour bus ride, 2.5 hour ferry ride, 12 hour train) I finally arrived in marakesh. i was in africa baby.
i already knew that morrooans were friendly since i had befriended a ferry worker with whom i manage to have a 2 hour convesation with in french. he told me all about his life and i wish him well in his goal to marry a european girl.
after spending 2 hours trying to find a hotel room (being a fee spirit has its downside) i set out to explore.
a square that had been empty at 8am became filled with ppl,donkeys, scooters, carsm orange juice stands , date stands by 11.
marrakesh fascinates me. its so diverse3, but not diver4se the way toronto is with chinse, indian, was[, jew, philipine an every other oulour under the sun.
morocco is interesting b/ they are all moroocon, yet different.
beggers with no teeth, young boys in jeans and g-star sweatshirts, women in various states of head coverings, from the entire face, to just the hair, men in djellabsm basically resse that button up in front wih pointy hoodsm morrocon slippers, high heels....it just goes on.
young, old, poor, dirt poor, rich, students, beggars, dnkey drivers m merchants all mix into this city.
i started off my day with an ice cream the best decision i have made so far.
this guy started talking to me in frenchm aking why i was eating ice cream so early and wasnt it cold?
we ended up spending 3 days togehter...and not in the way that you think.
he showed me around morocoo.
we walked around and he bought me organic oranges (moroco cant generally afford pesticides) and then took me to his uncles shop.
i refused to buy a carpet in his uncles shop but that was still ok.
we had mint tea in the carpet shop ad some mexians joined us who were his friend..
mint tea is a morocoon institution. thjere is this whole etiquette around it that i am hopeless with.
they also pour it from like 3 feet above the cup.
its delish tho.
then i decided to go to hamman.
definitely a CLOSE UP look at the culture.
incase u dont know, hammans are public bathhouses.
not every house has running water and muslims are required to keep clean (they were way cleaner then the chrisitans in the middle ages who took a bath like once a year)
i didnt really know what to expect.
i bought this black soap and a scrubbing glove. the black soap is this ancient goop they spoon into saran wrap for you.
the ancient women at the front didnt speak much french or english, and my arabic is not quite up to scratch, so we communicated with hand gestures.
get naked, she said.
um...fully naked? I asked
everything , she commanded
alrighty.
apparantly these uber modest muslims strip communally (single sex).
this women made me sit on a mat, in a steaming hot room while i rubbed black soap over me. i had no idea where to look.
this nice girl who spoke english spoke to me for a bit. akwaaarrrd.
then the women came over, took the scrubbing glove and a big bucket of water and started scrubbing me down.
and i mean scrubbing.
i thought she was ripping my skin off.
she contorted me into positions over her naked ancient body to scrub every part of me.
this is not for shy ppl.
skin fell off of me in balls of black goop.
then she gave me a 'massage' whie i was lying on the floor, on a plastic mat, infront of 15 other naked muslim womenm until a bucket of hot water got poured over me again and again.
sweet.
i hopped back into my clothes, dazed and drowsed.
later that aftertoon i went back to that guys uncles rug shop and smoked hookah and drank tequila and played in his cellar with the mexians, a british guy and a swedish couple.
i was so drowsy from the hammam tho i went back to my freezing hotel room early when the pervy night watch guy wished me goodnight.
i already knew that morrooans were friendly since i had befriended a ferry worker with whom i manage to have a 2 hour convesation with in french. he told me all about his life and i wish him well in his goal to marry a european girl.
after spending 2 hours trying to find a hotel room (being a fee spirit has its downside) i set out to explore.
a square that had been empty at 8am became filled with ppl,donkeys, scooters, carsm orange juice stands , date stands by 11.
marrakesh fascinates me. its so diverse3, but not diver4se the way toronto is with chinse, indian, was[, jew, philipine an every other oulour under the sun.
morocco is interesting b/ they are all moroocon, yet different.
beggers with no teeth, young boys in jeans and g-star sweatshirts, women in various states of head coverings, from the entire face, to just the hair, men in djellabsm basically resse that button up in front wih pointy hoodsm morrocon slippers, high heels....it just goes on.
young, old, poor, dirt poor, rich, students, beggars, dnkey drivers m merchants all mix into this city.
i started off my day with an ice cream the best decision i have made so far.
this guy started talking to me in frenchm aking why i was eating ice cream so early and wasnt it cold?
we ended up spending 3 days togehter...and not in the way that you think.
he showed me around morocoo.
we walked around and he bought me organic oranges (moroco cant generally afford pesticides) and then took me to his uncles shop.
i refused to buy a carpet in his uncles shop but that was still ok.
we had mint tea in the carpet shop ad some mexians joined us who were his friend..
mint tea is a morocoon institution. thjere is this whole etiquette around it that i am hopeless with.
they also pour it from like 3 feet above the cup.
its delish tho.
then i decided to go to hamman.
definitely a CLOSE UP look at the culture.
incase u dont know, hammans are public bathhouses.
not every house has running water and muslims are required to keep clean (they were way cleaner then the chrisitans in the middle ages who took a bath like once a year)
i didnt really know what to expect.
i bought this black soap and a scrubbing glove. the black soap is this ancient goop they spoon into saran wrap for you.
the ancient women at the front didnt speak much french or english, and my arabic is not quite up to scratch, so we communicated with hand gestures.
get naked, she said.
um...fully naked? I asked
everything , she commanded
alrighty.
apparantly these uber modest muslims strip communally (single sex).
this women made me sit on a mat, in a steaming hot room while i rubbed black soap over me. i had no idea where to look.
this nice girl who spoke english spoke to me for a bit. akwaaarrrd.
then the women came over, took the scrubbing glove and a big bucket of water and started scrubbing me down.
and i mean scrubbing.
i thought she was ripping my skin off.
she contorted me into positions over her naked ancient body to scrub every part of me.
this is not for shy ppl.
skin fell off of me in balls of black goop.
then she gave me a 'massage' whie i was lying on the floor, on a plastic mat, infront of 15 other naked muslim womenm until a bucket of hot water got poured over me again and again.
sweet.
i hopped back into my clothes, dazed and drowsed.
later that aftertoon i went back to that guys uncles rug shop and smoked hookah and drank tequila and played in his cellar with the mexians, a british guy and a swedish couple.
i was so drowsy from the hammam tho i went back to my freezing hotel room early when the pervy night watch guy wished me goodnight.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Smell like Sulphur
Oh my goodness.
i feel the need to blog so when Im old and wrinkly and confined to my bed i can read this and remember.
After missing 2 buses, getting asked out by a Man from the Nigerian Ibu tribe and almost having a breakdown in the Madrid bus station while my temporary traveling buddy, another american jewm annoyed me, i finally FINALLY arrived in Granada.
I went to Granada where i missed the most visited monument in spain, the Alahmbra because it was sold out 8900 ppl are allowed in a day. it was low season. it was sold out by 11 oclock. doesnt that scare anyone? tourists are taking over the world!!
but i met a lot of cooler people in Funky Backpackers hotel. I'll talk about the highlights so i can get to MORROCO where i am now.
Granada is a beautfil city. it reminds me of greece. winding alleyways, short, squat white buildings, small brown dirty children playing in the narrow streets in front of their houses. its easy and fun to get lost. the view is great (greece still has the best view of anywhere ive been though). The alahambra, a massive Moorish palace built in the 8th century or so, is floodlight at night.
so i wanted to do an excursion since i was there for 3 days, which is a lot in a small city. my hostel was offering thermal hotsprings for 10 euro. It sounded like a lot of money, but i just wanted to do something that night.
but...the more questions you asked the receptionsit./, the sketicher it got.
Where is it?
In the middle of nowhere.
How long have you been running this?
A month
Who runs it?
A friend of the daughter of a women who works at the hostel.
What should i bring?
Clothes that you dont mind getting totally ruined and stained
How many people are going?
just you three (me, a canadian girl and an american guy)
righhhtttt.......lets say it all together now! SKETCH.
so we got picked up in the mdidle of a square in 5 degree weather in a beat up mercedes by a young black/german/spanish guy.
he drove us literally through the wilderness into an olive grove. he told us people got nervous around the time when he starts to drive through a ditch.
when we got 'there', there was an rv, distant fires that were probably 'hippies' and a circular thing with a pipe going into it spilling water.
so there i was, in the middle of an olive grove, about to dip into a pool of water that was stinking like rotten eggs while several naked spainards smoked spliffs a few metres away.
so i dived right in.
the water was defintiliy thermal. it felt amazing after freezing my ass off in my stupidtiy of not bringing a jacket on this trip.
it turned into a really good nigth. we were just drinking in this thermal springs, with only locals, who apprantly have zero hangups about nudity. then the american guy asked the spainard for a spliff, (which was terrible since europe has shitty weed.)
and then these people come up to us and start talking to us. guess who they were?
no really..tkae a guess...
well i had yet to fulfil my Jew Quota for Granada, so naturally my last night there i spent it with ISRAELIS.
dammit
i raelly have to write my essay now but i will get back with tales from afria. because, there are oh so many.
i feel the need to blog so when Im old and wrinkly and confined to my bed i can read this and remember.
After missing 2 buses, getting asked out by a Man from the Nigerian Ibu tribe and almost having a breakdown in the Madrid bus station while my temporary traveling buddy, another american jewm annoyed me, i finally FINALLY arrived in Granada.
I went to Granada where i missed the most visited monument in spain, the Alahmbra because it was sold out 8900 ppl are allowed in a day. it was low season. it was sold out by 11 oclock. doesnt that scare anyone? tourists are taking over the world!!
but i met a lot of cooler people in Funky Backpackers hotel. I'll talk about the highlights so i can get to MORROCO where i am now.
Granada is a beautfil city. it reminds me of greece. winding alleyways, short, squat white buildings, small brown dirty children playing in the narrow streets in front of their houses. its easy and fun to get lost. the view is great (greece still has the best view of anywhere ive been though). The alahambra, a massive Moorish palace built in the 8th century or so, is floodlight at night.
so i wanted to do an excursion since i was there for 3 days, which is a lot in a small city. my hostel was offering thermal hotsprings for 10 euro. It sounded like a lot of money, but i just wanted to do something that night.
but...the more questions you asked the receptionsit./, the sketicher it got.
Where is it?
In the middle of nowhere.
How long have you been running this?
A month
Who runs it?
A friend of the daughter of a women who works at the hostel.
What should i bring?
Clothes that you dont mind getting totally ruined and stained
How many people are going?
just you three (me, a canadian girl and an american guy)
righhhtttt.......lets say it all together now! SKETCH.
so we got picked up in the mdidle of a square in 5 degree weather in a beat up mercedes by a young black/german/spanish guy.
he drove us literally through the wilderness into an olive grove. he told us people got nervous around the time when he starts to drive through a ditch.
when we got 'there', there was an rv, distant fires that were probably 'hippies' and a circular thing with a pipe going into it spilling water.
so there i was, in the middle of an olive grove, about to dip into a pool of water that was stinking like rotten eggs while several naked spainards smoked spliffs a few metres away.
so i dived right in.
the water was defintiliy thermal. it felt amazing after freezing my ass off in my stupidtiy of not bringing a jacket on this trip.
it turned into a really good nigth. we were just drinking in this thermal springs, with only locals, who apprantly have zero hangups about nudity. then the american guy asked the spainard for a spliff, (which was terrible since europe has shitty weed.)
and then these people come up to us and start talking to us. guess who they were?
no really..tkae a guess...
well i had yet to fulfil my Jew Quota for Granada, so naturally my last night there i spent it with ISRAELIS.
dammit
i raelly have to write my essay now but i will get back with tales from afria. because, there are oh so many.
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