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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Camping Catastrophies (Not Really)
Hi! Sorry I haven't written for a while, but I've been busy. Busy, as in "I just got back from camping yesterday!!!" busy. Like I have mentioned, I went camping! There were a total of five of us. Dad, Simon, Orit, Batiya (Bah-ti- yah, a friend of ours, I really like her), and of course, me, myself and I. :D
There was a two-hour drive to where we were going. The place where we were going was led to by a long dirt road that was a turnoff from the main road. It went through a herd of cattle (moo to you, too) and by a river. There were also horses and donkeys, too, Simon tripped over a donkey when he got up to pee in the middle of the night. The land there was coarse grass with trees and shrubs scattered through it, and cow poop everywhere. There was a smell of dead cow in the air-yuk!We came to a river called the Jordan River and found that the bridge had been washed away and that we couldn't get the car across it. Of course we couldn't leave the car there while we went across on foot because there were thieves.
After a lot of debating we decided that we would leave the car where it was by the side of the road and camp right on the other side of the river on a poo-free patch of grass within sight and 20 meters of the car. The only problem with our site was that there were people right on the other side of the river with torches (flashlights) and a spotlight, and everything. They made a lot of noise.
After we got set up, Dad, Simon, Batiya, and I went for a swim in the Jordan. It was nice and cool, and very refreshing. Orit stayed behind. Afterwards there was dinner.
We went to sleep around 9:30. All of us had a hard time getting to sleep. There were what sounded like crickets chirping, and the occasional moo of a cow or whinny of a horse. Simon was snoring. The moon was full, and it was like a spotlight, bathing us in it's silvery glow. It was so peaceful, but the mosquitoes were out, and I got bitten a couple times (scratch, scratch.) Right after I finally did doze off, 3 cars with spotlights drove through the campsite and woke us all up. Then the people got out and started shouting at each other. And some person in a different camp was playing this rock music-ugh! The night was still OK, though.
We got up around 5:00, and started driving.
We stopped for lunch in a place called Safat, which is one of the four holy places in Israel. Batiya used to live there, so we got around pretty well.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that had pretty good food. I got some pasta that had cooked tomatoes and herbs in it.
We walked around for a while, and came upon a place that had a show about the history of Safat, but it was all in Hebrew so we didn't watch it, but we did look at some old black-and-white pictures. And in one of them was this older lady that looked exactly like my 5th grade teacher(and I am not exaggerating here, they were even dressed the same; it was really freaky). :0
After that we went to a war memorial and looked at a sculpture that had the names and ages of 14 people that died; there were others but they weren't listed. The people were all so young,
ranging from 18 to 24, although there was one that was 36. It was so sad sitting there. On some buildings you could see the bullet holes, and we stopped by the spot where Batiyah's grandfather's house had been before it was bombed because the Arabs were standing on it. All that was left was a big hole in the ground.
In the picture on the right you can see all of us except Dad who was taking the picture. On the right in front wearing the purple shirt is Batiya. Behind Batiyah is Orit. Wearing the white shirt is Simon. And sitting on the bench is me.
That was a very successful day in my eyes!
There was a two-hour drive to where we were going. The place where we were going was led to by a long dirt road that was a turnoff from the main road. It went through a herd of cattle (moo to you, too) and by a river. There were also horses and donkeys, too, Simon tripped over a donkey when he got up to pee in the middle of the night. The land there was coarse grass with trees and shrubs scattered through it, and cow poop everywhere. There was a smell of dead cow in the air-yuk!We came to a river called the Jordan River and found that the bridge had been washed away and that we couldn't get the car across it. Of course we couldn't leave the car there while we went across on foot because there were thieves.
After a lot of debating we decided that we would leave the car where it was by the side of the road and camp right on the other side of the river on a poo-free patch of grass within sight and 20 meters of the car. The only problem with our site was that there were people right on the other side of the river with torches (flashlights) and a spotlight, and everything. They made a lot of noise.
After we got set up, Dad, Simon, Batiya, and I went for a swim in the Jordan. It was nice and cool, and very refreshing. Orit stayed behind. Afterwards there was dinner.
We went to sleep around 9:30. All of us had a hard time getting to sleep. There were what sounded like crickets chirping, and the occasional moo of a cow or whinny of a horse. Simon was snoring. The moon was full, and it was like a spotlight, bathing us in it's silvery glow. It was so peaceful, but the mosquitoes were out, and I got bitten a couple times (scratch, scratch.) Right after I finally did doze off, 3 cars with spotlights drove through the campsite and woke us all up. Then the people got out and started shouting at each other. And some person in a different camp was playing this rock music-ugh! The night was still OK, though.
We got up around 5:00, and started driving.
We stopped for lunch in a place called Safat, which is one of the four holy places in Israel. Batiya used to live there, so we got around pretty well.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that had pretty good food. I got some pasta that had cooked tomatoes and herbs in it.We walked around for a while, and came upon a place that had a show about the history of Safat, but it was all in Hebrew so we didn't watch it, but we did look at some old black-and-white pictures. And in one of them was this older lady that looked exactly like my 5th grade teacher(and I am not exaggerating here, they were even dressed the same; it was really freaky). :0
After that we went to a war memorial and looked at a sculpture that had the names and ages of 14 people that died; there were others but they weren't listed. The people were all so young,
ranging from 18 to 24, although there was one that was 36. It was so sad sitting there. On some buildings you could see the bullet holes, and we stopped by the spot where Batiyah's grandfather's house had been before it was bombed because the Arabs were standing on it. All that was left was a big hole in the ground.In the picture on the right you can see all of us except Dad who was taking the picture. On the right in front wearing the purple shirt is Batiya. Behind Batiyah is Orit. Wearing the white shirt is Simon. And sitting on the bench is me.
That was a very successful day in my eyes!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Beach
Hey, peeps! Today Dad and I finally made it to the beach!!! It
was really nice. The water was warm, and there were great "bodysurfing waves", as Dad put it. But Dad's back is still horrible, he says it is usually only out for a couple days, and its getting better, but he couldn't stay in for long. I really liked the beach, I've always loved water, but I still needed lots of breaks. If you got out far enough, it was fine, but there was a point when you just can't take it anymore, the waves break over your head and push you down with barely enough time to come up after one before you have to dive down again because another wave is coming.
A while after we got to the beach, Dad said that he had to get up and walk around and he just couldn't take it anymore. His back hurt when he went out, and after he had sat in the sand for a while, I bet he was bored. So we went and walked around until I saw a dinner place and announced that I was hungry. So we got dinner there, sitting and watching the waves. It was very peaceful.Then we had to go home because there was a guy coming to look at the washing machine because it doesn't drain or spin, so we have to squeeze the clothes out
before we can hang them up. It turned out we didn't make it home in time because Dad didn't bring his cell phone with us in case he called, we can't figure out how to listen to the messages and we don't have the guys phone number to call him back if we did figure it out, and he hasn't called us back, either. (There are some long sentences in this thing, guys. :)Well, I guess I be going now. Bye.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The House
Some of you have been telling me to get some pictures of my house on the blog, so here they are! They might be a little hectic, but remember I haven't really figured this out yet.
This is the living room, with our couch which I used to sleep on before I got my bed. To the left is Dad sitting at his desk working. He has a special chair he has to sit on because of his back.
This is our kitchen which you can see both to the left and below. The house came with all the furniture and plates and cups and stuff like that. If you look down to the other picture of the kitchen and to the far right corner, you will see a roughly rectangular piece of wood. It is a mask from Africa that Simon and Orit gave us along with some paintings that Simon did that you will see in various pictures. I think Simon is very talented.
One of Simon's pictures is to the left. It is of a dirt road, and there is a puddle in the middle that is reflecting some trees.
The two pictures on the left are of our bedrooms. Mine is the top one, as you can see. Might I add that these pictures were taken by moi?
To the right is the view of the ocean from Dad's bedroom window. We went to the ocean a couple days ago for just 10 minuets with Simon and Orit; it was so nice and warm, but I got salt in my eyes more that once. :P
Ta ta for now!
This is the living room, with our couch which I used to sleep on before I got my bed. To the left is Dad sitting at his desk working. He has a special chair he has to sit on because of his back.
This is our kitchen which you can see both to the left and below. The house came with all the furniture and plates and cups and stuff like that. If you look down to the other picture of the kitchen and to the far right corner, you will see a roughly rectangular piece of wood. It is a mask from Africa that Simon and Orit gave us along with some paintings that Simon did that you will see in various pictures. I think Simon is very talented.
One of Simon's pictures is to the left. It is of a dirt road, and there is a puddle in the middle that is reflecting some trees.The two pictures on the left are of our bedrooms. Mine is the top one, as you can see. Might I add that these pictures were taken by moi?
To the right is the view of the ocean from Dad's bedroom window. We went to the ocean a couple days ago for just 10 minuets with Simon and Orit; it was so nice and warm, but I got salt in my eyes more that once. :P
Ta ta for now!
Yom Kippur
Have a miserable Yom Kippur, everybody! I say miserable because at Yom Kippur you aren't supposed to be happy, or else you will be punished. It says in the Israeli Bible, that on the tenth day of the first month there shall be a day of atonement where you shall ask forgiveness for your sins from the lord, and then you shall go and ask forgiveness from a fellow person. You have to fast on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is from the sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
On Friday night, Dad and I went to Simon and Orit's for dinner (which was excellent, by the way) and Orit explained to me what Yom Kippur was. We went home, and the next day Dad fasted, but I didn't because the age at which you can fast is twelve, and I'm eleven. I was actually surprised that Dad didn't get grumpy because he was hungry.
At around 5:00, Dad, Orit, and I went to the synagogue. I was wearing my red dress, which was, really, a slip with a cover-up dress that had netting in between this flower pattern of thicker maroon material. At the synagogue, we sat down at these wooden benches that were in rows, and in front of them was a cleared space of floor, and there was a little table at which the rabbi, who is like a priest, was talking in Hebrew. there was also a cabinet that had white cloth covering the inside of it, and there were objects wrapped in white cloth there (everything is white for Yom Kippur, it means purity.), too, but I couldn't really see them. Everyone stood and sang these long chants at intervals, and my legs got really tired. Then, this older man stood up and blew a goat's horn, or something like a goat's horn. Then he played an instrument sorta like a flute. Orit told me it was to open the heavens so that God would hear everyone's prayers.
Soon after that we went home to break the fast. Yom Kippur was over.
On Friday night, Dad and I went to Simon and Orit's for dinner (which was excellent, by the way) and Orit explained to me what Yom Kippur was. We went home, and the next day Dad fasted, but I didn't because the age at which you can fast is twelve, and I'm eleven. I was actually surprised that Dad didn't get grumpy because he was hungry.
At around 5:00, Dad, Orit, and I went to the synagogue. I was wearing my red dress, which was, really, a slip with a cover-up dress that had netting in between this flower pattern of thicker maroon material. At the synagogue, we sat down at these wooden benches that were in rows, and in front of them was a cleared space of floor, and there was a little table at which the rabbi, who is like a priest, was talking in Hebrew. there was also a cabinet that had white cloth covering the inside of it, and there were objects wrapped in white cloth there (everything is white for Yom Kippur, it means purity.), too, but I couldn't really see them. Everyone stood and sang these long chants at intervals, and my legs got really tired. Then, this older man stood up and blew a goat's horn, or something like a goat's horn. Then he played an instrument sorta like a flute. Orit told me it was to open the heavens so that God would hear everyone's prayers.
Soon after that we went home to break the fast. Yom Kippur was over.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Jerusalem
Hello! Dad and I finally got to Jerusalem yesterday. It was so amazing, I can't possibly explain it
! We had to take a long bus ride to Jerusalem :( . When we got to Jerusalem, we went straight to the Old City. The Old City is filled with corridors of shops and restaurants. It is divided into four parts: the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the
Armenian Quarter. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages; such as that only the Jewish Quarter is fully equipped for wheelchairs, and so on and so forth.
There are many points of interest in the Old City, but Dad and I only went to see 1 or 2, since all we wanted to do was look around, and we could come back later. We saw the Western Wall, the western retaining wall of the Second Temple, all that is left since the Revolts against Roman Rule in AD 66. We also saw the Cardo, the "main north-south street of the Roman Aelia Capitolina and, later, of Byzantine Jerusalem. Part of it has been restored to what may have been it's original appearance, while another part has been reconstructed as a shopping 
arcade." That quote was from my history book.
Guess what? I, Rachael, have walked on ground dating back to the time of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago! Dad and I have seen some really cool stuff, like a hole in the ground that had a glass pane over it, and through the glass you could see a rusted metal ladder that went down maybe, 10 or 15 feet, it was hard to tell. The ladder led down to another level, which led down to another level, and another... it was from when the Romans ruled, and they just built up level after level, after LEVEL! Everything is made of stone, there. Seriously, everything!
Soon after we got there it was lunch time. We ate at a restaurant where the coolest thing happened. There was a kitten there, and when I crouched down and called it, it came running over and jumped in my lap! I had ordered a shwarma, which is a pita filled with turkey, sauce, and whatever else you choose from the array of vegetables. A felafel is like that, too, but it has mashed-up chick peas instead of turkey. I fed the kitten some turkey. (I know, I know, I'm rambling on about a cat instead of the history of one of the most holy cities in the world... but I like cats!)
After lunch, Dad and I walked around a bit more, and then we decided to go on the Ramparts Walk, which is a walk along the top of the wall surrounding the Old City. We didn't go all the way, though, because I was recently sick with strep throat, and was getting a killer headache. (actually, I'm still sick, I have a 101.8 fever today :P) Soon after the Ramparts Walk, we went home, and I went right to bed.
On the train ride home, I listened to a song called Jerusalem by Steve Earle on Dad's MP3 player. (You should go listen to it on YouTube or something, it's really nice.) One of the really moving parts went like this:
...And the lion and the lamb/will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem.
I believe that is true.
! We had to take a long bus ride to Jerusalem :( . When we got to Jerusalem, we went straight to the Old City. The Old City is filled with corridors of shops and restaurants. It is divided into four parts: the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and theArmenian Quarter. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages; such as that only the Jewish Quarter is fully equipped for wheelchairs, and so on and so forth.
There are many points of interest in the Old City, but Dad and I only went to see 1 or 2, since all we wanted to do was look around, and we could come back later. We saw the Western Wall, the western retaining wall of the Second Temple, all that is left since the Revolts against Roman Rule in AD 66. We also saw the Cardo, the "main north-south street of the Roman Aelia Capitolina and, later, of Byzantine Jerusalem. Part of it has been restored to what may have been it's original appearance, while another part has been reconstructed as a shopping 
arcade." That quote was from my history book.Guess what? I, Rachael, have walked on ground dating back to the time of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago! Dad and I have seen some really cool stuff, like a hole in the ground that had a glass pane over it, and through the glass you could see a rusted metal ladder that went down maybe, 10 or 15 feet, it was hard to tell. The ladder led down to another level, which led down to another level, and another... it was from when the Romans ruled, and they just built up level after level, after LEVEL! Everything is made of stone, there. Seriously, everything!
Soon after we got there it was lunch time. We ate at a restaurant where the coolest thing happened. There was a kitten there, and when I crouched down and called it, it came running over and jumped in my lap! I had ordered a shwarma, which is a pita filled with turkey, sauce, and whatever else you choose from the array of vegetables. A felafel is like that, too, but it has mashed-up chick peas instead of turkey. I fed the kitten some turkey. (I know, I know, I'm rambling on about a cat instead of the history of one of the most holy cities in the world... but I like cats!)
After lunch, Dad and I walked around a bit more, and then we decided to go on the Ramparts Walk, which is a walk along the top of the wall surrounding the Old City. We didn't go all the way, though, because I was recently sick with strep throat, and was getting a killer headache. (actually, I'm still sick, I have a 101.8 fever today :P) Soon after the Ramparts Walk, we went home, and I went right to bed.
On the train ride home, I listened to a song called Jerusalem by Steve Earle on Dad's MP3 player. (You should go listen to it on YouTube or something, it's really nice.) One of the really moving parts went like this:
...And the lion and the lamb/will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem.
I believe that is true.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Oh, Susana... Im going to downtown Haifa...with a backpack on my back!
Hello, y'all! Today, Dad and I went down to downtown Haifa! It was very cool, but we went slow because Dad threw out his back on Tuesday the 10th. We took the bus, and then, half-purposely got lost. Dad said, and this is a direct quote "when we were lost, I never really was lost, because I was found, at the same time. It was very exciting, because when you're lost, you don't have anywhere to be, and you can take part in the things around you...there's a difference between being lost, and not knowing where you are. Me, I'm not lost, I just don't know where I am. " Well, that's just about as much as I could get/remember with my brain and meager typing skills.
We walked around a lot when we were downtown. We got some kebab, which is really a sandwich that has Italian-style bread and some kind of meat, (mystery meat that's NOT spam...which reminds me of the broadway show called Spamalot by Monty Python that Dad and I saw while we were in New York. Anyway, back to business...) and whatever else you choose from the array of selections. Quite good, actually. Like the shish kebab without the shish... :D
We also found a really cool bookstore called Hamartef (which means basement). It is so awesome. The guy there is really nice. He has all these tatoos, but isn't the least bit scary. Maybe I should give him my blog site so he can see that I mentioned him...I expect he'll juct start laughing.Well, I should probably go now. Toodles, for now!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Weird things about Haifa
Here are some weird things about Haifa:
Yip! Yip! Yip-oooooo! Yip-yip-oooooo! Hear that? Guess what it is. Not wolves, but jackals (coyotes)! They live right by Orit's house. We had coyotes in Seattle in the countryside where I lived before Dad and I moved to New York.
Speaking of the dog family, why not the cat? There are a couple hundred cats on the street here. Living under cars, in dumpsters, everywhere! I have been feeding the cats around the building fish lately. Boy, will this neighborhood get to know me pretty quickly.
I was walking in the woods today when something fell on my head. Ow! I picked it up and saw that it was a pine cone. (I know you must be thinking that that thing where an apple or a pine cone falls on someones head only happens in cartoons and comic strips, but you're wrong. It just doesn't happen a lot.) I looked up and saw the tree where it had come from. Whoa! It looked like a deciduous tree, in shape and the kind of bark, but it had needles and cones! Isn't that weird?
Those are some of the weird things in Haifa.
Yip! Yip! Yip-oooooo! Yip-yip-oooooo! Hear that? Guess what it is. Not wolves, but jackals (coyotes)! They live right by Orit's house. We had coyotes in Seattle in the countryside where I lived before Dad and I moved to New York.
Speaking of the dog family, why not the cat? There are a couple hundred cats on the street here. Living under cars, in dumpsters, everywhere! I have been feeding the cats around the building fish lately. Boy, will this neighborhood get to know me pretty quickly.
I was walking in the woods today when something fell on my head. Ow! I picked it up and saw that it was a pine cone. (I know you must be thinking that that thing where an apple or a pine cone falls on someones head only happens in cartoons and comic strips, but you're wrong. It just doesn't happen a lot.) I looked up and saw the tree where it had come from. Whoa! It looked like a deciduous tree, in shape and the kind of bark, but it had needles and cones! Isn't that weird?
Those are some of the weird things in Haifa.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Happy New Year!
Happy Rosh Hashanah (Rush-a-shone-a, happy new year)! Today is the start of the year five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight. In Jewish mythology, year five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight means that it was five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight years since God created Adam and Eve.
Last night there was a party, which I went to. Dad didn't go, since he threw out his back Tuesday night. It was very fun. There was all kinds of weird foods to try, and new stuff to do...everything, like apple dipped in honey, was "sweet for the New Year". Hope y'all out there have a great year!
Last night there was a party, which I went to. Dad didn't go, since he threw out his back Tuesday night. It was very fun. There was all kinds of weird foods to try, and new stuff to do...everything, like apple dipped in honey, was "sweet for the New Year". Hope y'all out there have a great year!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bahai' Gardens
The other day Dad, Orit and Itzhak and I went somewhere really exciting. We went to the Bahai' Gardens, which is a garden, tomb and shrine for Siyyad Ali Muhammed – the Bab – a Muslim in Persia who proclaimed the coming of a "Promised One". It was so beautiful there, with the flowers, and the trees, and everything, as you can see above! We also got to go in his tomb. It was a room, and in the middle of the wall opposite the opening that you come through, was a doorway, but it had bars on it. In the room behind the bars were candles and a table, and I assume the dead body, but I'm not sure. You could see the Mediterranean Sea from in front of the shrine.One thing in Israel that I can never get used to are the palm trees. I mean, I never thought I would get to go to the tropics and see palm trees, and here I am! Wierd, huh? Well, I'd better go and ask Dad if he can make dinner. Bye!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
I am NOT Israeli
Hey everyone! Wow, I am finally in Israel! It is really...different, and exciting, getting to see what is different than in the US. As I said before, Dad and I have an 8th floor flat here, a 20 minuet walk from the Mediterranean Sea. It is so hot here, I am glad we have air conditioning in our house.
(above: me and Itzhak)
Yesterday I met some kids, grand-nieces and nephew of one of Dad's long-time friends Orit (Or-it) and her brother-in-law Itzhak. (Eet-sack) The youngest is a really cute five-year-old
girl named Enav (E-nuh-vuh).
Her brother is a little boy named Shier (Sh-ee-r).
(above: Dad and Orit)
He is fun to play with, but a little impatient sometimes. The oldest is a girl my age (11) named Sleel (Sl-ee-l). She taught me to play a game of checkers, which, naturally, I lost.
Gtg, now. Bye!
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