Israel: Haifa, kibbutz, hiking, marriage in a Druze village

Arriving in Israel was unlike any arrival in any other country of this trip. First of all, Ryan and I arrived separately, which was strange after doing everything together since July. I was able to change my flight to make it to Israel a day earlier in order to take part in an important family event. (Ryan couldn't change his ticket, so he had a layover in London.)

Also making for a different kind of arrival is the fact that I have a special relationship with this place. I was born here, spent the first five years of my life here, and have visited Israel almost every year since my family moved to the States in 1990. Along with my family members who remain in this country, a piece of my heart resides in Israel too.

So, when my dad picked me up from the airport and we drove north to Haifa, I didn't stare out the window in awe at a new passing landscape. The scenery was familiar to me, a part of me. This was so, so different from crossing borders to new lands for the past few months. (Ryan had also been to Israel once before.)

And then we came home. My parents live in Haifa most of the year. The view from the apartment:


Our family get-together was very special! It was the first time in ten years that we were all together. We talked, and ate good food, and told stories, and took a family portrait. My savta (grandmother) is seated in the center. Around her are the families of her three sons.


Ryan missed the family party, but my brother and sister still had a few more days in Israel. I was really happy that we were all able to spend time together before Shi and Shani returned to the States. The day after Ryan arrived, we all hopped in a van, went to Afula for the best falafel in the world, and then continued on to Kibbutz Ein Dor to visit Savta. Ein Dor is the kibbutz I made a documentary film on five years ago. It's a community that my grandparents helped build, the home where my dad grew up, and a place that has captured me in many ways. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are set in the kibbutz. Those memories involve daily visits to the tiny zoo, where we interacted with the animals. And I remember the joy of being around our brilliant dog Leelush (whom we gave to my grandparents when my family moved to the States). And of course the constant love delivered by my grandparents. My saba was the most incredible man in the world. Still today, visiting Ein Dor is like going to feel memories of him.

Savta still lives in Ein Dor, and she loves receiving visitors. We spent the day with her. It was nice and cozy inside. Being in winter weather was definitely a change for me and Ryan after the intense heat in Argentina and Brazil! Instead of sweating in shorts and sleeveless tops, now we were enjoying the warmth of space heaters. Another strange transition for us was going from Spanish to Hebrew. We both found ourselves still thinking in Spanish! I almost spoke to Savta in Spanish a few times.

Relaxing in the kibbutz at the house that I have known since my childhood:

Hot tea and stories:

Savta playing a serious game of rummikub with Shi, Abba, and Shani:

Another day, in Haifa, we all (Mom, Abba, Shi, Shani, Ryan, and I) went to the market.

The market is my favorite place in Haifa. It's so colorful and diverse and alive! I love watching the interactions among different people. They are the kinds of interactions that many people who have never been to Israel cannot imagine exist: Jews and Arabs living and working side by side, telling jokes, making exchanges. Politics are absent and what exists is daily living enhanced by diversity. It is a beautiful thing, and it's normal here.

We wandered around and picked out the best produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are such an important part of daily life here. This is something I embraced completely since the moment I arrived. Fresh, amazing salads every day! A day does not go by without an Israeli salad. And all the ingredients are fresh, local, cheap, delicious. I can't say I miss South American breakfasts of bread and butter.


Another day, we all went on a hike in the Golan! It was so beautiful, so peaceful. Abba and Shi leading the way:


Ryan, Shi, and Abba in front. Shani and Mom in back. I love this picture:

We stopped by a waterfall for lunch. Abba boiled water and made us coffee and tea.

We spread peanut butter and jelly on our fresh bread rolls. There's nothing like a PB&J in the middle of a hike, with the sound of water falling in the background, surrounded by trees.

Leaving our lunch spot. Shi taking the first step:

On our way back from the waterfall, we tried a different route for our return to the car, and hit this huge patch of cacti! Here are the men, assessing the potential damage ahead:

We wound our way between cactus plants and made it to the other side. Before leaving the Golan, we stopped by the Chateau Golan Winery for some wine tasting. Yum!

After four very short days, Shi and Shani had to head back to the States to return to real life. It was really nice to have some time with my brother and sister in the middle of this trip. I will never forget our sunflower seed-eating debates and contests.

After Shi and Shani left, Ryan and I took a short trip to Jerusalem (which will be in the next blog entry!) and returned to Haifa the day before Ryan began his Hebrew class at the University of Haifa.

Here is Ryan heading out for his first day of school!

Ryan's schedule is intense! He has five hours of Hebrew study a day, and lots of homework. While Ryan's at school, I bum around the apartment reading novels, reading about Egypt, trying to practice my Hebrew with Abba, and chopping up vegetables. Sometimes Abba and I go up to the Carmel to do my Hebrew lesson in a coffee shop. The Carmel is the city center, on top of the mountain. Walking from the apartment to the Carmel is lovely because we go up old staircases built into the side of the mountain.


This guy lives in one of the homes whose doors open onto the staircase. He just went out for a little stroll:

Guarding his abode:

Ryan completed his first week of Hebrew classes and he has learned so much! My parents and I are totally impressed. He's already singing songs, asking questions, and beginning conversations with the important opening lines. It is totally adorable. Every day he comes home with new words and we do some conversation practice.

As you've probably seen by now, our time here in Haifa has been very different from other places. We are staying still in my parents' home. We have a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, a washer and dryer, constant wifi, and we also have a regular schedule. Ryan's school schedule creates a kind of routine. He gets home around 2pm. We all eat lunch together and Ryan tells us stories from class that day. My parents and I feel like we know all his classmates!

The day after Ryan completed his first week of school, we all went on a hike in the Galilee.

This was a trail near Kibbutz Ein Dor--an area my dad is very familiar with. The hike was amazing because everything was so GREEN! I couldn't believe how the green jumped out from the earth. It was incredible. We met lots of nice guys roaming around:




The greatest discovery was when Abba found a mushroom. It completely changed the course of our day. Once this one was found, he was determined. All four of us became mushroom hunters.



Focused, concentrating: the search for more:

After about an hour, we'd filled an entire bag! Every time we found a spot where there were a few mushrooms together, Abba called out, "This is a treasure area!" and we all moved to hunt around there for more treasure.

After we'd pulled out a second bag to contain our treasure, we tried to convince my dad that we had enough. His response: "There's no such thing. You can never have too many." He was thrilled because it had been over 20 years since he last found so many wild mushrooms. Letting some slimy fungi stay in the ground instead of contributing to our dinner was just absurd to him.

After a couple hours, we took our lunch break for coffee, tea, PB&J, pomegranates, and clementines. We washed our hands in the cold stream nearby and then continued to the steep ascent--the final stretch of the hike. The views from the top were amazing:

View of Mt. Tabor:

And that night, we enjoyed the fruit of our labor. Wild mushrooms with scrambled eggs. Of course there were the obligatory jokes about whether or not we would wake up the next morning.

Another day, we went to Daliyat-al-Karmel, which is a Druze village not far from Haifa. We went to a local restaurant whose owners are friends with my dad, and we had a delicious lunch with all the typical salads. Then we were invited next door for coffee and baklava. We sipped the strong coffee and had a long talk with the owner of the place. He told us his thoughts on what's going on in Egypt right now, and he told us about his recent trip to Syria to visit the Druze community there. Listening to his stories and thoughts was fascinating.

After a while, he held out his hand to me. I stood up and he began dressing me in a Druze bride's traditional dress. Ryan was next! Once we were dressed, he demanded that we take photos and then he announced: "This is the official wedding. Everything after isn't as important."



So, those are pieces of our life here in northern Israel.
We are enjoying Mom's homemade oatmeal cookies and Abba's tomato soup.
We spend hours every day listening to news from Egypt and discussing the situation.
This seems like a very unique moment to be in the Middle East.

Ilha Grande, Sao Paulo and Houston

For New Years we escaped the crazy prices and parties of Rio for the island life of Ilha Grande. Ilha Grande is a beautiful island south of Rio that was once used to contain prisoners. Today the island is a peaceful vacation destination that offers surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and drinking caipirinhas on the beach. It rained for most of our stay there (as it had for most of our stay in Brazil) but we were able to enjoy the beach, hiking and kayaking.

Arriving on the island:

Highest point of an all-day hike:

Kayaking:
An awesome beachside cafe:
We picked the table with the sleeping puppy:
We hiked to this isolated beach and saw a couple dancing while their kids played soccer:

We shared our midnight “Happy New Year” peacefully on the deck of our hostel that overlooked the sea and mainland.
Maracuya caipirinha:

We returned to Rio and spent a week there before heading to Sao Paulo (Rio was covered in the previous blog entry). Sao Paulo was enormous and somewhat intimidating but we ended up enjoying our time there. We spent a few days in a nice, quiet neighborhood and discovered some nice places. One of Sao Paulo's highlights is all the awesome street art.

Vila Madalena (cool bohemian area):

Outside the Mercado Municipal, this guy:
Downtown:
The famous Avenida Paulista:
Coolest park in the city, Ibirapuera:
On the wall outside of the really, really good Afro-Brazilian Museum:

Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. We went to Liberdade, the Japanese neighborhood, for sushi:

From the Sao Paulo airport, we left for our one night layover in Houston. Before arriving in Houston we had a four-hour layover in Panama City, like we did when flying to Guatemala five and a half months earlier. This really made us feel the time that had passed. We shared our feelings and perspectives of now and then, smiling all the while.

Hours later, at 6pm, we landed in Houston and made our way through immigration and customs (the immigration officer told me “Welcome home!") When we made it to the passenger pick-up area, we decided to go to the restrooms before looking for our ride but it was too late... We'd been spotted. We heard, “Arroz con pollo!! Arroz con pollo!!” I turned to see a handsome, young man running toward us. My brother gave us big hugs and immediately filled his hands with our luggage.

So we caught up in the car, talking about the flight and...nuclear energy, until we arrived at my brother’s home. When pulling up, I noticed Blaine’s car parked and idling on the street. We got out and I told Sheer, “You first.” She ran and jumped on Blaine; hugging, laughing and smiling. Then I gave him a firm handshake and said, “fine evening isn’t it?” Just kidding, I gave him a huge hug.

We walked in the house and took the tour (it was our first time to see my brother’s first home). I really like his place: great kitchen, big bathroom and an awesome patio. My dad was the next to show up. It was good to see the old man. We didn’t have much time to talk though because, soon after he arrived, the gang started pouring in. Pat the terremoto, iTrent and Monks. Then came Charlie, Terry, Cindy, D’Arcy, Nancy, Kira, and Austin. Finally and fashionably late, came Babaji. It was great! Christina and Keven cooked us up some fajitas and handed out beers while Sheer and I visited with everybody. We heard so many good things about new jobs, new dogs, new marriages, new directions, engagements, and a baby on the way. It was as good as parties get for me: intimate conversations and good company, food and drink.



After we ran out of beer, we popped open some champagne and D’Arcy made a nice toast. It was a school night so the employed said their reasonably-houred goodbyes one by one. My goodbye, however, came much later. I was raising a glass of pisco while talking with Pat and Monks when I saw my brother, Keven O'Connor, come out of his bedroom. He wasn’t coming out to use the bathroom in the middle of the night... nope... he was leaving for work. I put the glass down and said, “Well, I think that settles it for me. I’m going to bed.”

When I woke up (a couple hours later), Sheer and I borrowed Keven's car to have breakfast and pick up some supplies at Whole Earth Provisions. At Baby Barnaby's, we had been sitting at our table for less than a minute when the waiter brought a pitcher of ice water, full thermos of coffee, two glasses and two mugs. Our mouths dropped at this amazing service. We hadn’t ordered a thing yet. I said, “God bless America... God bless freedom.” After the best breakfast we’d had in six months, we got our bill and I noticed that there was a charge for the orange juice that I had ordered but that was not delivered. I gave the waiter my credit card and the bill and said, “I didn’t have an orange juice, would you please remove it from the bill?” “No problem,” he replied with a smile. Sheer left for the restroom while I signed the bill. I put my card back in my wallet and looked up to see the waiter place a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in front of me. “So you know how good it is for next time,” he said with a smile. “Thanks man!” I said. It was good! I told Sheer what happened and she said, “That’s what happens when you have to work for your tips.”

Just hours later we boarded our flights to Israel (me via London and Sheer via Frankfurt).