July 28 - 05

Hello All,
I’m back. I want to say thank you to the folks who responded to my previous e-mail of clarification. There was an overwhelming majority of people who told me that I had no need to apologise, that I didn’t come across as arrogant, that I was clear in not trying to speak as an authority and that I shouldn’t change how I am writing or the mode or manner in which I do it. So, democracy rules, and sorry to all you sensitive folks. Again, I say, feel free to either read me, delete me, or reply to this message and tell me to get out of your inbox.
I am writing to you on my laptop in my new apartment. By the time you read this, I will have found an Internet café and transferred this from disk to e-mail.
I am really digging my pad; it’s the perfect size for just me. I’ve got a bedroom, a bathroom, and a main room, with kitchen. There are huge windows that open wide and tons of light. From what I can tell, I am on the sixth floor, with only the free-access roof above me. I am very grateful to Sri (MCC) and Talia (Zochrot) for finding me such a great place. I have come to know that they looked at a lot of places, and I’m glad they didn’t stop until they found this one. It’s bright and clean with white walls.
I have already broken my bed. I tried to shift it and it just snapped apart. I am actually really glad that I didn’t flop out on it, it would have collapsed even harder! Oh well; I piled the wooden frame in a stack and set up the mattress on the floor. It is a queen, which is great, I can stretch out. When I got in, I turned on the radio to look for a good station, since I forgot to bring computer speakers to play my tunes without earphones. Well, I can play them, but very quietly on these “stock” speakers. So, I found one station that played some Beatles and then went right into the Grateful Dead’s Uncle John’s Band. I was so happy!
Tel Aviv is Hot and Humid. I’ve been dripping sweat since I arrived five hours ago. I’ll get used to it; right now I am so happy about having my own place and space that I don’t mind at all. I do have air conditioning (luxury), but I am not using it, opting instead for fresh air and a blowing fan.
Speaking of FANS, I went out this afternoon to check out my neighbourhood and buy a fan, some clothes hangers, some drain-declogger (for the shower), and some groceries. I had made a list of stuff I needed and those were the top items. I am SO glad that I brought my map with me because I was definitely lost, and soon! You see, I can’t read Hebrew, I can’t say much other than the basic niceties, and, of course, there are no signs in English here (I’m really looking forward to beginning language study in SIX weeks; illiterate ‘til then). This city is such that I don’t recognise what stores are for what and I kind of started wandering through apartment blocks, feeling a little overwhelmed, but the whole time laughing at myself and praying funny prayers about me being a “dumb” immigrant (not that immigrants are dumb, at all, for you folks who can’t read my humour). Ryan Cienciala and I often talked about how we look forward to being dumb immigrants – I’ve beaten him to it and now I am both enjoying the feeling of total ignorance and I am having a whole lot more understanding for those folks back in Vancouver that looked constantly lost!
Just to interrupt, out of my window I can hear a band going at it. They sound great and I am very curious to know where they are playing. It’s definitely live, and I am digging the drummer’s rolls across his toms. Speaking of BANDS, Welkin is playing This Thursday, August 4th at the Railway Club in Vancouver (see www.welkinband.com for details). I wish I could be there, but the show is being filmed and I’m getting the DVD!!
Okay, back to my errand running. First thing was to locate a Laundromat. There is one not even three minutes walk from my place, which is really cool. Actually, I found out about it by asking the employee at a dry-cleaner and he spoke some English. Outside of my windows I can set up a rope and hang my laundry dry, should I choose to do so. Second thing was to find a fan because it is SO hot and humid here. See, Jerusalem is several thousand feet above sea level, so even though it is hot there, it is a dry heat, which, as we all know is very tolerable. And, of course, Tel Aviv, being right on the Med. Sea is sea-level. I did find that fan; but after about a half-hour of walking in a gigantic square (thanks to my English-version map). In fact, the fan shop, which had a lot of other electrical gadgets, was dark and dusty and the old dude spoke English and was rather nice. I love dark, dusty shops; they have so much cool stuff! It seems that what I read on the Internet about Israelis being pushy and rude was very incorrect. I have had a good dozen interactions so far today, talking with people or whatever, and they all smile just like normal humans. I am really encouraged about that.
I asked the man at the store where I bought the fan if it needed a screwdriver to assemble it and he affirmed that - Phillips. Ha, my KINGDOM for world recognition of the virtues and superiority of ROBERTSON (the true story of global ignorance of Robertson is a sad tale). He directed me to a shop where I could purchase a screwdriver: just down the street (this street where both shops and incidentally the grocery store is just a block over from my street). At the screwdriver shop, I also bought some clothes hangers and some drain de-clogger. I became very encouraged when, on the way back to the fan shop, I noticed a CityMarket AM/ PM 24 HR grocery store. I was so happy because by that time I was beginning to wonder if I’d show up at the office on Monday (when I start) hungry and wan. WAN.
My stock speakers aren’t so bad, especially when I’m sitting right by the computer, and I must say, Pink Floyd’s Animals is my favourite Floyd album – Baart, thanks for opening my eyes to it. And Birch, Northern Ontario!
I toted my fan and my clothers hanger, et al, back to my place, sweating myself up the many flights of stairs. (It was nothing compared to me hauling up all my belongings in one trip when I first arrived. I thought I was going to faint, that time!) I can’t figure out the hallway lights and when I do push a button that looks like a hall light, I get paranoid when it doesn’t work that it is a doorbell, so I book it past the door before getting found out. Yeah, you’d think I’d learn the first time, but alas, I keep trying the red-lit switches. There’s just something about shiny things!
After dropping off my fan, etc., I went immediately back out and to the grocery store. I am not sure if I am going to always shop there, I’d like to find the equivalent of a Vancouver Chinese produce market, if there is something close to that. Anyway, the fine folks at Zochrot had brought me all my basic living stuff, plus some juice, coffee, some cream cheese and crackers, so before I left I did check the prices on those just to compare. The grocery store was the same prices, so I didn’t feel guilty about shopping there. When a grocery shop is done on-foot there is always the consideration of how much one can carry. And, as par for my course, I usually overshoot the prediction. So, by the time I got home, my arms (which were already hurting from volleyball last night with Internationals in Jerusalem) were so sore I could barely keep my hand steady enough to put the key in my door.
Oh, here’s something interesting: there’s absolutely no recycling program here. Not even deposit on glass bottles! I find that so incredulous, I am going to ask, again, just to have that confirmed. Maybe plastic can be sorted? I sure hope so! I know: I only want to recycle so I can feel good about driving my SUV around. Oh, wait, I don’t have an SUV.
Today, on the drive from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, my Canadian presuppositions pulled off another move. You see, as a Canadian, it is a presupposition of mine to smile at people and look them in the eye when I interact with them. Well, we were going through a military checkpoint and I smiled at the soldier and he smiled back, waved us through (which I am sure had nothing to do with the smile) and wished us a nice day. I immediately thought of how these soldiers (early twenties, late teens) are probably rather unaware of the finer points of their own government’s monstrous oppression of Palestine. It reminded me of the American soldiers in Iraq: for the most part, they believe that they are there for liberation; there to help people and be agents of good in a broken world. It seemed to me that it is probably the same for most Israeli soldiers. That seems to make sense when considering some of the stuff I’ve read about how there’s so much Post Traumatic Stress Disorder amongst former soldiers in Israel. Also the disillusionment I’ve seen in US soldiers back from Iraq in some of the documentaries I’ve viewed. What I am trying to say is that these kids (for most of these soldiers really are kids) are not monsters. They are not even intentional oppressors (I know, generalizations are dangerous, I’m sure there are some intentionally oppressive soldiers here). My point is, though, that I would have a really hard time of hating the soldiers themselves, just as I would have a hard time pointing blame at the kids giving their lives for their leader’s bullshit in Iraq. That’s the saddest part, it’s not the kids giving their lives who are evil and oppressive, it is the scheming governments who send them to do their dirty work. Is that a rant? I don’t care if it is; it’s how I communicate and how I see it.
Anyway, I have taken a break to eat dinner, and now it is getting on 8pm. I am going to head outside again and see if I can’t find myself an Internet cafe. So, here I am, twenty mintues later, at an Internet cafe. I decided to head toward the beach. There is a promenade that extends the entire waterfront, from north Tel Aviv, south into Jaffa. I found a cafe, and stopped. They're playing Coldplay videos and the employee must be used to foreigners; his english is great and he's very helpful.
I only want to add that I think I have moved to the hair salon capital of the planet!
Take care, Darren