The fullness of spring...


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April 28th 2009
Published: April 28th 2009
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PesachPesachPesach

At the band table ;)
The coming of spring in Canada is a dramatic transition from dark to light, from cold to warm, the natural embodiment of the cycle of death and re-birth. This transition in Israel especially in the north where I live is perhaps less dramatic in its scope, but is nonetheless present in the blooming of colorful wild flowers, the growth of fresh green grass, and the scent of nutrient-rich earth. This period of bloom and bustle is short lived though, for even as I write, the sloping shores of the Kinneret, lush and green only a few short weeks ago, are now yellowing under the intensity of the sun, and even this agrarian region of the country will feel like a desert before too long. And as the flora and her buzzing partners are hard at work, April has been a very full month for us mere mortals as well.

I feel as though this last month has marked a real settling in for me into my new environs. At first, this transition was appreciable through the boredom I began to feel, the freshness of the experience having worn off, and the steady rhythm of daily life setting in. For a moment there (a moment that will undoubtedly be replayed again in my time to come here) I experienced the sensation of realization that I am here to stay, that I am not a typical tourist, and the days and months will pass by much like they have at other times in my life... so I better start doing something already! This moment passed though, and as it always does (if I leave space for it to) life came through for me. As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, and this month has been a watershed of work, activity and travel!

First, there has been a plenitude of holidays over the course of April (some celebratory, some solemn) which have given me many opportunities to observe and engage with Israeli culture. Pesach (Passover) came first, and Yotam and his brother Uriya volunteered to provide music for the kibbutz Sedar, so we celebrated in the dining hall with a few hundred others from Ashdot Ya'akov. Ashdot being a decidedly secular kibbutz, the Sedar seemed to be oriented around the focal point of song and music (opposed to extensive readings from the Haggadah - sorry for any butcherous transliterations here - just a Goya doing her best. 😊 This was very engaging and enjoyable, and because we were with the band, Sara (Yotam's mother) and I got to sit at the very front, with an excellent view of what was going on on the stage. Since Pesach, Holocaust Day and Memorial Day have been observed, both with much more somber and sedate tones, and tomorrow the final release comes in all of its nationalistic zeal and fervor with Independence Day. There is currently not an inch of public property that is not completely decked out in Israeli flags. Fireworks, sticky children, and trance parties will abound, before returning to the regular pace of everyday life.

While I have felt mostly like an outside observer at most of these holiday functions (primarily due to my lack of fluency in Hebrew), I have begun to create a work niche for myself here that I am beginning to feel very present and comfortable in. The "work" (herein referred to as "volunteering") I do here in Israel, primarily teaching bellydance and movement classes, is amazing. The health club that Yotam's father Dani owns caters primarily to fitness (mostly spinning - stationary bike - work) but we have been able to introduce two bellydance classes a week, that are starting to be quite successful. I have more and more women coming every week (with a few die-hards who have been there since day one) and the word is spreading. I was interested to find out what the 'scene' for bellydancing is like here, and so far it has been quite challenging. First, the Jordan Valley is no metropolis - far from it. It is a rural environment, made up of small villages and kibbutziem. Second, bellydancing has a lot of baggage here. It is associated with sleazy nightclubs, where scantily clad dancers have shekels stuffed in their costumes by leering Mediterranean men. Not exactly an appealing image to respectable middle-aged women. But there have been a number of newspaper articles published recently, extolling the health and fitness benefits of bellydancing. This, I think, has been helpful in attracting women who might otherwise have been swayed by their culturally-entrenched conceptions. Also, the fact that I am Canadian helps, I think. Canadian, fair-skinned, blue-eyed and English-speaking. So, I am "volunteering" hard to make a better name for bellydance, if only in the tiny and remote Jordan Valley... One small step...

As for travel, I was recently treated to a weekend in the Dead Sea by Yotam for my birthday. It was spectacular. We woke up at 5:30am on Thursday morning, because we wanted to stop at Masada (a world heritage site situated 370m up a mountain) and do the climb up before it got too hot (it is in the southern desert). Some deep part of me is in its element when in close proximity to mountains, so I naturally had a blast. The ruins at Masada are pretty cool too, although the propaganda surrounding the martyrdom that is said to have taken place there doesn't do anything for me. We met a cool Israelite in the gift shop there named Sa'adia, who was very interesting to listen to, and had fascinating ideas about spirituality juxtaposed against religion. The rest of the weekend was composed of relaxing in the salty womb-like waters of the Dead Sea (it is seriously amazing to float in - I spewed bullshit for a month while selling her salts in Vancouver, but it really is amazing, amazing, amazing!) hiking in the Judean Desert (and getting a bit lost in the
Banners for PesachBanners for PesachBanners for Pesach

40 years old!
process) and eating a lot of good food cooked by other people. Oh, and a minor run-in with some mega-ego-tripping police (if you're interested in this little detour, you can read my rant in Israel, a Police-State: An Anecdotal Experience... I don't want to get myself all worked up in writing about it again.) Aside from this little aside, it was an amazing trip, and seeing the gradual recession of the agricultural abundance of the north into the water-etched desert of the south was spectacular. For such a small country, Israel holds a lot of beauty.

Now, I am looking forward; to meeting with a woman (who connected with me on Facebook) in Tel Aviv this weekend for a dance session; to performing with Shomer Haesh (one of the bands Yotam is playing with now) at the Jaccobs Ladder Folk Festival; to going to a party and dancing like a freak on the shores of the Kinneret; to applying for an extension of my tourist visa; to watching our vegetable garden grow; to experiencing the fullness of life in each passing day and witness the lines between living and traveling start to meld together.




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Bellydance!Bellydance!
Bellydance!

My "volunteering" at Spin-Dan
Shomer HaeshShomer Haesh
Shomer Haesh

Kabalat Shabbat at the Rob Roy
Towards the Dead SeaTowards the Dead Sea
Towards the Dead Sea

From the beginning of the Snake Path
The Snake PathThe Snake Path
The Snake Path

Da da daaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
MasadaMasada
Masada

On the right
Reminicent of LadakhReminicent of Ladakh
Reminicent of Ladakh

But the tops of the mountains have been cut off :)
Cable CarCable Car
Cable Car

We opted for the long way up... because we're tough like that.. and cheap :)


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