Middle East – Page 5 – GW Blogs from Abroad

B’salaama

AdminMay 13, 2013December 14, 2018

I'm leaving Morocco, today. I'm in the airport now, and my friend Netta just left for her flight. We traveled together from Rabat to the airport in Casablanca by a Grand-Taxi that picked us up at five in the morning. I only slept for about two hours, if even. After one last couscous lunch with my host family, one last Uno game with my little host brother, and one last long afternoon at the beach with friends, we finished packing and got a slice of pizza in the medina before all gathering in one of our rooms to spend a last bit of time, together. At three in the morning we woke up to finish getting ready, and then I went downstairs to send off a large group of people heading for the Rabat airport. It was a sad goodbye. Those of us who remained waved farewell as the van, full of our friends' tired and sullen faces, pulled away. I decided to travel to Casablanca with Netta to get her flight early in the morning, despite the fact that my flight won't leave until around noon. When we got to the airport, we watched the Moroccan sun rise from the parking lot before heading inside checking her in for her flight and grabbing a café au lait. Now I am just people-watching and waiting to be able to check in for mine. ...continue reading "B’salaama"

Cheesecake Day, And Other Debates

AdminMay 12, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

Jews love holidays. I think that’s safe to say. Holidays for planting trees (Tu B’shvat), holidays for miraculous oil (Hanukah), holidays for dressing up in costumes (Purim), holidays for freedom (Passover), holidays for being lost in the desert for too long (Sukkot), holidays for ending a plague hundreds of years ago (Lag Ba’omer). You name it. Each comes with its own foods, its own ceremonies. Some are rooted in the Torah and others on history. And each community celebrates differently, often depending on the size and religiousness. For example, Yom Kippur is a day when those who are religious fast and pray for atonement. It’s one of the holiest days of the Jewish year, and anyone who considers themselves a “one a year Jew” will use Yom Kippur as their time to demonstrate their devoutness by showing up to synagogue. And apologize for the weeks they accidentally missed the other 51 times that year. For many ultra religious, Yom Kippur is a day of purification, atonement, fasting and seriousness. They pray from evening till morning till evening again. For secular kids, on the other hand, it’s a day when absolutely no cars are driving; when the streets are empty; when school is closed and when all of their friends are available. If there’s a better excuse to go bicycling and play soccer in the middle of a usually-busy street, I haven’t heard it. ...continue reading "Cheesecake Day, And Other Debates"

Tea With Chava

AdminMay 11, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

For the past couple of months I've been volunteering each week at a place called Beit Cham Lenotzlim HaShoah, or Community Center for Holocaust Survivors (rough translation). I go with a couple of my friends from school and help set up tables for dinner, or any other little tasks they have, and then sit and chat with residents there during dinner. It's really quite pleasant and entertaining, I'm not quite sure how it counts as volunteering. The first person I met was a man from Romania named Yakov, who is such a character. He enjoys singing Romanian songs and telling stories about famous people he’s seen on his travels with his grandchildren. He and his wife told me the story of how they met and other amusing heartwarming anecdotes. I quite enjoy going to this senior center.

For my Hebrew class final project, we need to get into pairs or groups of three, choose a topic and interview an Israeli, then present on it. My group is with two girls, Lena and Elana, and because all of us go to this center we asked to interview the woman who runs the place, Chava. ...continue reading "Tea With Chava"

Awareness of the Issue

AdminMay 6, 2013December 14, 2018

By mashod93

As part of our “Reflection Week”, my fellow students of Amideast and I have been writing pieces on our times here in the forms of blogs, videos accompanied with text and opinion editorials. At the beginning of the semester, I had no idea what I would write about as my final reflection piece. I thought I would focus on my language skills and gauging whether they had improved and if so, what I could attribute to this progress. ...continue reading "Awareness of the Issue"

Stop and smell the olive trees

AdminMay 4, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

One of the things that continues to stun me about Israel is its geographical diversity. Whereas a couple of months ago we were trekking through the Negev desert, this weekend the international school organized a hiking trip to the Golan Heights and Galilee. Both are valleys and hills, covered in forests and brooks. Yesterday's hike brought me back home to Northern California, with its woodsy feel and endless rolling hills. The trail started at an ancient mill, which was not in use anymore but we talked about how the economy of the 14th and 15th century operated under the Ottomans. We stopped in a stream and futzed around for a little bit, then continued up and up to the end of the trail. We camped somewhere near the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) though I'm not quite sure where, and just had the evening to enjoy the sunset, and cook dinner together. A few of us sang songs for Kabbalat Shabbat (friday evening services) at a picnic table that was perched on top of a stream, and we roasted marshmallows after dinner. The marshmallows here are awful, but I'll get to that later. We spread our sleeping bags out and joined more than a few mosquitoes and spiders for a night under the stars, laying on the grass. ...continue reading "Stop and smell the olive trees"

Female Premarital Sexuality in Morocco: Social Stigmatization and Sexual Health

AdminMay 4, 2013December 14, 2018

By ahblackwell

For the past month, I have been conducting primary and secondary research on the effects of social attitudes towards female premarital sexuality on adolescent reproductive health in Morocco. In order to obtain my research, I interviewed several young Moroccan women about relationship practices and sexual norms among Moroccan youth, I met with representatives of two sexual health-centered NGOs, and I met with an Islamic scholar who specializes in sexuality in Islam. My project advisor, Dr. Abdessamad Dialmy, is also the premier scholar on Islam and Sexuality in Morocco. The project itself was eye-opening, but I think the part of the project that I learned from the most was collecting primary research in Morocco. This morning, I submitted my 37-page document to my program coordinator, and on Tuesday I will give a 20-minute presentation on my project to our academic directors, my project advisor, and about half of my classmates. I feel relieved that the project is over, but also incredibly proud of myself for accomplishing such an academic feat. Who knew, when I talked to college admissions counselors in my senior year of high school about my desire to study Arabic, go to the Middle East, and work with women on matters of women's health, that I would actually be able to accomplish such a task. I have truly accomplished a life goal, and I plan to do a lot more in my future regarding similar research and service. ...continue reading "Female Premarital Sexuality in Morocco: Social Stigmatization and Sexual Health"

Living Like a Moroccan

AdminApril 28, 2013December 14, 2018

By ahblackwell

Two weeks ago I packed up my bags and said goodbye to my host family and move out... and into an apartment only a few blocks away with five of my best friends in my program. All SIT programs end with a month of working on an independent study, and during the independent study time - deemed, “ISP time” - SIT recommends that students do not live in the comfort of their homestays, but that they spend their independent studies living on their own. Several of my friends and I decided to stay in Rabat to work on our research, and with the help of a Moroccan friend, we found a beautiful flat in the old medina that we decided to rent. Our flat is on the first floor of a medina house that has been renovated into a separate apartment with traditional Andalusian carvings and tiles on the ceiling and the walls. It is complete with a wide-open courtyard that stretches, roofless, to the sky. We have two bedrooms (ringed with traditional Moroccan wall-couches that act as beds), a bathroom with a real shower and hot water, and a kitchen that has a stove, a huge sink, a refrigerator, and beautiful stained-glass windows that let in the sun and the sounds of children playing “football” on our street. Our upstairs neighbors can be heard when they do laundry or watch late-night Moroccan television, but otherwise the space is incredibly private and cozy. ...continue reading "Living Like a Moroccan"

Independence Day

AdminApril 26, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

At 8pm the evening after Yom HaZikaron begins Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day. It's to commemorate May 14th, 1948, when Ben Gurion officially declared the independence of the State of Israel. And people go crazy. It's a celebration very similar to Fourth of July, with fireworks at night and barbecues during the day. In Haifa, there was a giant street party called Tzubachutz (a slang translation for, roughly, get out on the streets) in the center of town, with big name bands like Hadag Nahash (http://www.youtube.com/user/hadagnahashofficial) and street vendors. It was several hours long and over 60,000 people were there. I tried to find my adoptive student but the cell reception was so bad, and it was so crowded, that after looking for each other in a space of about ten meters for a solid fifteen minutes, both of us gave up and went back to our friend groups. It was a ridiculous night and everyone was dancing and having a good time. People wore silly hats with Israeli flags on them, and had blow-up plastic boppers to cause havoc. It was an all-ages event, though really I questioned parents who were pushing their kids' strollers through the loud, pushy crowd. You should probably wait a couple of years before bringing your kid here. ...continue reading "Independence Day"

Security First

AdminApril 26, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

Israel's memorial day has two sirens: one at 8pm on the evening before and one at 11am on the day of. Wherever you are, people stop their cars. They stand up, stay silent, and look straight ahead. An entire country completely pauses for a minute during the siren, to pay respect for those lost in combat and affected by the 14 wars Israel has been involved in since its start, 65 years ago. Unlike Memorial day in the United States, which is a great excuse for sales, picnics and parades, Yom Hazikaron in Israel is fairly somber. Israeli flags are everywhere, and many businesses are closed. There are ceremonies and services, and thousands of people visit Har Hertzl, a military and diplomat cemetery in Jerusalem. ...continue reading "Security First"

Twenty-Four Exposures in Jordan

AdminApril 23, 2013December 14, 2018

By Adar

Twenty-Four Exposures In Jordan

I’ve always been jealous of people who have the ability to just “pop down for a weekend” in a different country. And Israel is fairly limited in countries you can pop over to. Lebanon? Absolutely not. Syria? Forget it. Egypt? It’s extremely uncomfortable to go there and you’d have to go through the Sinai, which is incredibly dangerous. Saudi Arabia? Iraq? The only country we can really visit is Jordan, and last weekend we did. I took my film camera and had to choose my shots very carefully. Haven’t gotten them developed yet. ...continue reading "Twenty-Four Exposures in Jordan"