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.