Tel Aviv and Trees

So this weekend I once again went to Tel Aviv (A.K.A. Secular Shabbat) and did more exploring than partying. I was supposed to go to this loft party in the south, but a group of us stopped at a friend of a friend's apartment for a bit and I didn't end up getting to the party until 3 (it was about a half hour walk). Once I got there, apparently it was in the process of being closed by the cops and then I walked back to the apartment and hung out and crashed. The party was in an area where they turn warehouse space into these makeshift clubs. I really didn't like this so much because if I wanted to drink in a box with graffiti on the walls, I could just hop on a friggin train car. Ambiance is key - take note.

Good news though, my hebrew's started to improve. When I ask for "chetzi liter goldstar" people have stopped responding with "just call it a pint, dude." Also, people have begun to both give me directions that I understand, as well as have begun to ask me for directions (apparently my Israel beard is coming in nicely). However, having a beard in Israel is very expensive. The bus system here, when you purchase a pass, is 15 dollars for 10 rides. If you're under 17 or over 70, they give you 20 rides for the same price. I've been getting the discounted fare, simply because in Israel, it's mainly a question of "are you out of the Army" because all the kids my age should be in the Army. So, since nobody here really likes working or writing tickets, the bus drivers will do all they can to pass you off as 17 or under and won't question your pass.

Last week, I was riding the bus and this guy in a uniform comes on and starts asking in Hebrew for tickets. I've never seen this, and began immediately to freak out b/c a ticket for skipping on the fare or using an illegal pass is pretty hefty. He gets to me and sees my ticket and full beard and asks me "Ben kama atah? (How old are you?)" I thought that if I could play myself off as a stupid American, I wouldn't get a ticket or he'd let it slide, so I mustered up my best Long Island accent saying "Ani lo medaber ivrit." He then asked me in English, and I said "17", and he looks up at me and pauses for a minute, and then just moves on. I lucked out.

Also, 1 bus driver refused to take my ticket because he said I was too old. Of course, I did what any Jew in Israel would do and just bitched and said I bought this ticket that another bus driver sold it to me, but he wouldn't have it. So, since I refuse to pay twice for the same thing, I stepped off the bus, turned around, and took a picture of him on my cameraphone. Last time I get on that cocksucker's bus! This little bit of danger adds excitement to riding the bus everyday. I like it.

Back to Tel Aviv. I walked all over the city today and walked along the Mediterranean all the way north to a big park (Gan Hayarkon) and then headed east to get to the bus station to come back to Jerusalem. So as I'm walking, I pass by signs that point to Kikar Rabin (Rabin Square). If you don't know Israeli History, Rabin was a Prime Minister who was assassinated by a religious right-wing Israeli who felt that, by him signing the Oslo Accords, Rabin betrayed Israel and the Jewish people. It just reminds you of how small a nation we really are and we cannot afford to be divided, because horrible things happen as a result. I like to credit this thought to Israelis, even though Lincoln probably thought it up first. A guy in Tel Aviv who made Aliyah from France has been living here for 6 months said he'd never been to Jerusalem because of the Dosim (Hebrew for penguins, a very very negative term describing observant Jews/also very very funny and accurate). I can't believe that the rift is that large - that he wouldn't visit a beautiful city because of his disgust for religious people.

Also, Sunday/Today is Tu'Bshvat - the New Year/holiday for the trees. It's a great enviro-friendly holiday, and I will most likely celebrate it by planting a tree in the Jerusalem forest. If you want a few ideas on how to celebrate it, here are a few possibilities:

1. Plant a tree
2. Go to a Seder and just eat
3. Reduce your carbon footprint
4. Celebrate with the lovely flowers of the Cannabis plant
5. Have sex with Danny Obeler

4 and 5 kind of go hand-in-hand, but enjoy nonetheless!

Shalom Achim.