I trawled through my daily website checklist, and on reaching the Haaretz website (www.haaretz.com), and was hit in the face by the following headline:
7 PALESTINGS KILLED WHEN IDF SHELL HITS GAZA BEACH
HAMAS MILITARY WING VOWS TO RENEW ATTACKS IN ISRAEL
It is one thing to hear such news from my couch in the UK with a shock-horror reaction on my face. It is another thing to read this on the Internet at work in Tel Aviv, in the midst of the drama. On this occasion, the news shook me up more than any other. Mini cyclones spun in my stomach, causing havoc to my nervous system. Since the last bombing in Tel-Aviv, which I heard clearly from my apartment, my nerves have been on edge and fears often come to the brink of my thoughts. Strangely enough, I often forget that I am planted in the middle of the Middle East. I carry on my daily life as if I am in a bubble, romanticizing about the weather, the trees … and then suddenly reality will slap me around the face, and I wake up to the realization of what is really going on … a political war.
The aftermath of the events mentioned in the headline was clearly noticeable in Israel. I spent the following day in Ein Gede with a group of friends. The time was playful and innocent; we enjoyed each others company, relaxing in the sun, talking, eating and swimming in the remote resort in the desert. That evening, we travelled home through the open mountain space evening. The journey was peaceful at first, as singing and laughter resounded in the car. However, this mood came to halt as we approached the Israeli army stop-points. We couldn't help but notice the difference in the IDF soldiers' presence, who are often in a relaxed posture and casually wave cars on. This evening they were now heavily armed and peered stringently into the car. Our bubble had been burst, we realised we aren't as safe as we wished.
7 PALESTINGS KILLED WHEN IDF SHELL HITS GAZA BEACH
HAMAS MILITARY WING VOWS TO RENEW ATTACKS IN ISRAEL
It is one thing to hear such news from my couch in the UK with a shock-horror reaction on my face. It is another thing to read this on the Internet at work in Tel Aviv, in the midst of the drama. On this occasion, the news shook me up more than any other. Mini cyclones spun in my stomach, causing havoc to my nervous system. Since the last bombing in Tel-Aviv, which I heard clearly from my apartment, my nerves have been on edge and fears often come to the brink of my thoughts. Strangely enough, I often forget that I am planted in the middle of the Middle East. I carry on my daily life as if I am in a bubble, romanticizing about the weather, the trees … and then suddenly reality will slap me around the face, and I wake up to the realization of what is really going on … a political war.
The aftermath of the events mentioned in the headline was clearly noticeable in Israel. I spent the following day in Ein Gede with a group of friends. The time was playful and innocent; we enjoyed each others company, relaxing in the sun, talking, eating and swimming in the remote resort in the desert. That evening, we travelled home through the open mountain space evening. The journey was peaceful at first, as singing and laughter resounded in the car. However, this mood came to halt as we approached the Israeli army stop-points. We couldn't help but notice the difference in the IDF soldiers' presence, who are often in a relaxed posture and casually wave cars on. This evening they were now heavily armed and peered stringently into the car. Our bubble had been burst, we realised we aren't as safe as we wished.
Keeping my eyes closed and trying hard to not notice any changes could be an option for survival. I decided it is easy to distance myself from discussions involving the positions of the chess pieces on the Middle Eastern board. This may seem a naive and irresponsible approach for an active citizen of a country involved in political war. Although, to simply experience the consequences of the moves taken by each side is a hefty amount to deal with in itself.
An alternate mindset for my mental response to the political situation has been to divert and disguise the seriousness of the reality I live in, with a splash of black humour. This avenue can successfully bring me back to the feeling of living in comfy bubble, whilst the news of national strife echoes on the radio and television. Please excuse my insight, but I never did intend this blog to be a means of self-help!
An Example of Diversion
Looking back on my childhood, I do not recall a time when I was young, thinking “when I grow up, I want to live in a country that experiences threats of terrorism and constant threats of attack.” Come to think of it, at a very young age I wanted to be an air stewardess. After having realized I actually quite dislike air travel, I decided I wanted to be Lois Lane, or more accurately, a top investigative journalist who doesn’t have to worry about London transport because they get flown around on the shoulders of a really fit guy who wears tight pants.
Aspects of Israel That Make Life Here Easier:
1. Chicken tikka masala from Namaste, Israel’s top curry house
2. Constant clear blue sky
3. Monit Sharuts (taxi buses)
4. Live jazz in coffee shops
An Example of Diversion
Looking back on my childhood, I do not recall a time when I was young, thinking “when I grow up, I want to live in a country that experiences threats of terrorism and constant threats of attack.” Come to think of it, at a very young age I wanted to be an air stewardess. After having realized I actually quite dislike air travel, I decided I wanted to be Lois Lane, or more accurately, a top investigative journalist who doesn’t have to worry about London transport because they get flown around on the shoulders of a really fit guy who wears tight pants.
Aspects of Israel That Make Life Here Easier:
1. Chicken tikka masala from Namaste, Israel’s top curry house
2. Constant clear blue sky
3. Monit Sharuts (taxi buses)
4. Live jazz in coffee shops
5. Matkot (Israeli beach style ping-pong)
6. Chutzpah (Yiddish for 'cheek') :a great opportunity to channel anger in the face of such behaviour)
Any other aspects?
6. Chutzpah (Yiddish for 'cheek') :a great opportunity to channel anger in the face of such behaviour)
Any other aspects?
1 comment:
It's hard to understand back here in Britland what's really going on out there - even harder to avoid the British media's tendency towards anti-Israeli coverage of the conflict. Well done for living your dream though despite the hardships :)
Post a Comment