Art, Music and the Man They Call Fritz

We woke up late as usual and caught a bus to Jerusalem. Ronen told me about a music & arts festival at a local liberal arts school called Musrarrah. It was quite an experience to say the least..

His friend Inon had an exhibit at the show so he got us in for free. As we walked through the entrance I could smell freshly baked pastries and hear the sizzling of falafel and burgers on a grill. People crowded the thin cobblestone corridors line with tall stone walls on either side of me. To the right, Arabic dessert stands and places to buy beer lined the wall all the way to the main stage.

The first band was very strange. It began with an American tattooed man named Fritz with thick plastic-framed glasses on, claiming to be quoting William Blake while he breathed heavily and made unsettling noises into the microphone. he then introduced his two-man band behind him and spent the next half hour creating the perfect soundtrack to a bad acid trip. I'm sure it went on longer, but I had to leave to keep my sanity intact.

Ronen and I decided to head to the arts exhibit to find Inon's piece. On the walk to the building that housed the tangible art, I soon realized that much less traditional art forms filled the street of the school. My first encounter was with a man in a quarantine body suit surrounded by what looked like a giant tube of saran wrap, throwing paper airplanes at passersby. About 100ft later, there was a man in a tree coloring its bark with chalk in military color schemes, breathing heavily into a microphone that was hooked up to a tiny amplifier sitting just beneath him. People crowded around him and watched-seemingly waiting for something even stranger to happen.

By the time we reached the art display I was prepared for the utterly absurd, but most of it was pretty standard. That is except for Inon's exhibit: three TVs sitting on the ground of an empty room showing picturesque scenes of Kibbutz Dafna (Where Inon also grew up), with a man, presumably Inon, walking through the scene every 3 minutes or so. It was all topped off by music playing in the background that resembled the musical styling of Fritz. After five minutes of watching this it was time for a change of scenery, and we headed back to see the last band perform.

The last band was an Israeli rock band called Izabo, and they put on an amazing show! They opened with a song called "Slow Disco" and I was wooed immediately. Just see for yourself!

Facing My Fears

I have returned to Tel Aviv, and it is just as chaotic as it was a year and half ago We took a bus from Ronen's kibbutz back to the city and the whole process really made me question whether or not I'd be able to get by with out him by my side to translate. Even something as simple as figuring out what the bus fare is makes me want to run for the hills when I don't speak the language. But that fearful quality I have is exactly why I wanted to come to Israel and Europe alone. It will teach me to be able to rely on myself in uncomfortable or scary situations. Still, I know it will take time to adjust.

For example, Ronen had to work on Sunday night so he left me his key and told me I could come to the bar if I wanted to. By the time I mustered the courage to leave the apartment, it was dark out, and my head was filled with worst-case scenarios. I kept peering out through his shades at the strangers on the streets of the Yemen village wondering what might happen to me if I took a wrong turn somewhere. Afterall, I had no map, and was in an unfamiliar area. Finally, with Ronen's directions in one hand and my pepper spray in the other I left for the Ozen bar.

According to Ronen, his neighborhood is one of the oldest in Tel Aviv, and it hasn't aged very well. At every turn there are boarded up buildings with graffiti, dark alleyways filled with unclaimed, worn clothing, and piles of garbage rummaged through by hundreds of stray cats that fill the moonlit streets. But ironically enough, it also happens to be one of the safest parts of Tel Aviv to be at night. And much to my surprise, nobody bothered me at all. In fact, everyone was quite friendly. Ronen's directions turned out to be wrong and I had to rely on the people on the street to direct me to the Ozen. After three wrong turns and a lot of walking I finally made it and was rewarded with free drinks all night and free entry to an experimental rock music show at the bar.

The concert was definitely out there..but in the best way. Strange melodies with Hebrew spoken word. Even though I didn't understand the words, the vibe of the crowd was not lost in translation, and I felt it. There was a women in a patent leather coat walking around with a bowl of marshmellows, feeding everybody in the audience. Shortly after she took a roll of string and attempted to tangle everyone in the audience together-all adding to the general oddity of the performance. It was an experience for sure.

I befriended a 31-yr-old woman and her boyfriend (who was in the band), and spent the rest of the night talking to her and drinking Goldstar. She told me I could take a bus from Tel Aviv to Cairo for something like 100NIS, not bad at all. I'd love to go to Egypt. I'm going to try to make that happen before I set off for Rome.

Peace and Serenity, Finally

It was a beautiful day today in Dafna, a kibbutz in northern Israel bordering Lebanon and Syria. Ronen (who I'm staying with for the next month) grew up here, and we are staying with his parents for the weekend. The air was hot, but not too hot to appreciate.

The morning started with a hearty Israeli breakfast at Ronen's father Eli's. There were five of us at the breakfast table: Ronen's mother Mickey, Eli, his girlfriend Liora, Ronen and myself. The food was wonderful, though not my usual choice for breakfast-pasta, salad, meatballs, liver & onions, and yams. Everyone spoke mostly in Hebrew, which I don't speak well, though I could make out a few learned words. Every once in awhile someone would take the time to explain the conversation. Still, even though I don't understand, I feel perfectly comfortable here. Family is family no matter where you are.

After breakfast, Ronen, our friend Ariel and I went to the river just outside Dafna's gates. I attempted to swim but the water was so cold it took the air right out of my lungs. So instead I laid out on a small stone bridge, listening to them laugh and speak Hebrew while I gazed at the sky. After a long walk home around the perimeter of the kibbutz, we went back to Ariel's to re cooperate for the rest of the day.
By nightfall we changed into warmer clothes and went to their friend Amichai's house to BBQ and watch an (apparently) important soccer game between Italy and Germany. The food was perfect for the occasion: Thick and juicy manga sausage that we ate with hummus and pita. The second the food hit the table, a large assortment of dogs that live in the kibbutz came to join the party-searching for food or a good ol' fashioned belly rub.

The rest of the night was spent eating, drinking Israeli Goldstar beer, and (for me anyway) pretending to watch the soccer game-which Italy won in a landslide. After the game ended, we headed back home for the night, and I spent a good hour laying in bed listening to some noisy pigeons who apparently are indigenous to the other side of my window. Typical! Peace and serenity has to deplete eventually. I'm now prepared for Tel Aviv!

Ready to Embark--> Tel Aviv Here I Come..

After one year of selling Nordstrom kid's shoes in the lone star state of Texas, I have finally arrived at what I believe will be the culmination of this twelve month search for self-discovery. It is time that I test my ability to rely solely on myself.

It's certainly been an interesting journey thus far. I've created a new home (via craigslist) with wonderful friends whom I feel like I've known forever. I've taught myself hard lessons and easy ones-with many more to come. I attempted (and failed) to teach myself three different languages, though I'm not giving up yet; they say immersion is always the best way to learn. I've done everything I could possibly do mentally and physically to prepare for this three month adventure that I am taking alone. Now, all I have to do is GO.

To say I'm not nervous would be a bold face lie. I have no idea what to expect when I get to Israel/Europe, considering I am going alone and tend to be a very nervous person. But what I do know is that my full heart and energy went into this trip and there is no one to thank but myself. For that reason I refuse to let nerves take over at any point in this endeavor. I am perfectly capable and I can handle whatever scenario I get thrown into;after all, I have pepper spray. Because this is my dream, and when I land at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv tomorrow, my dream will come true.

**Please note, I wrote in my journal for a few weeks before I began this blog. For the first few posts the initial date listed will read wrong.