2004 Rap up (I will try to write a christmas update soon...)

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? Find an apartment. Eat Calimari. Become friends with people from the UN. Drink with Diplomats.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t remember if I made any. I might try this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Someone I used to carpool with in middle school, and the wife of my best friend in 1st grade.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather and my 18 year old cousin, but I wasn’t terribly close to either one.
5. What countries did you visit? Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, England (stopover).
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? An idea of where I will be 1 year from now, a relationship
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 10 having to pass out 100 airline tickets to people attending a conference I helped organize. Praying no one showed up who didn’t have a ticket.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? The fact that I can now communicate with cab drivers in English AND Arabic.
9. What was your biggest failure disappointment? Freaking out and not going to Ramallah for Arafat's funeral.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I’ve had a cold for about 3 weeks.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Reef flip flops.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My awesome OBE boss.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? George Bush.
14. Where did most of your money go? Foreign plane tickets, fancy dinners, the Egged bus company.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Graduating.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004? Amer Diab – Laila Nahari. The “Mi Ohev Otach Yoter Mimenee” song.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Much Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? A little thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Right now poorer, but will soon become richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Make local friends, get over my accent issues locals, travel around Israel and the West Bank, work out.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Occasionally feeling sorry for myself, being ok with doing nothing.20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas in Bethlehem, baby! Some memories: rain, Abu Mazen, lots of guns, Bethlehem Port, Jesus, ambulance ride, hospital in Beit Jalla….a long story.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004? I wish.
23. How many one-night stands? 1. (but it's all kinda relative)
24. What was your favorite TV program? Right now – Hamasaeet. An Israeli soap opera about a truck.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate is strong. If anyone the conference coordinator, but I don’t know if it counts since I didn’t know him last year.
26. What was the best book you read? Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Damien Rice and Postal Service got me through finals.
28. What did you want and get? An MP3 player, but I haven’t used it.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? “Life is a Miracle” – a great Balkan
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 22 and went to a male strip club with Miriam and Anya.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Falling in love/having someone to share (at least parts of) this experience with.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? Only thinking about June-present: whatever fit in 2 suitcases.
34. What kept you sane? Being able to write in my journal, knowing that I have the option of leaving if stuff gets rough.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? John Cusack, as always.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Um, the election?
37. Who did you miss? Smithies, my sister, jess
38. Who was the best new person you met? Louisa, but I met lots of amazing people this year…
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004: This is your life, and you've gotta make it count.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others." Henry Drummond (not really a song, but you get the idea.

Back from Turkey!
I think I am on some kind of Israeli government watch list. This is the 3rd time I have entered the country, and the third time I have been pulled aside at the border for additional questioning. This time I took the stamp (the last 2 times I had them stamp on a separate piece of paper, so I could go back to Syria and maybe go to Lebanon), but it didn't make a difference. Luckily I was with my mom so the army lady was kinda sympathetic and didn't press me too hard asking me details of the ulpan I was studying at. I am not supposed to say that I am volunteering with an Israeli Palestinian organization that would just make things more complicated, so I said that I was here to study Hebrew at an ulpan in Jerusalem, which this time is true (although it is just 1 day a week). My current tourist visa runs out Feb 13, so if I want to do the Arava thing I need to leave and return 2 more times or get my visa extended. I think this is going to be a big pain in the ass...
When my mom and I returned from Turkey some old family friends invited us over for a chanukkah party, because all their kids would be there. They are basically my Israeli family, and I was best friends with their son (Ziv) when I lived here in first grade. He has been married for almost 2 years and has a kid. His wife didn't make it to the party, but I have started to get more used to the idea. So much for marrying a nice Sephardic boy...he's already taken. Ziv gave me a ride home, and I sat in the back seat with his son and gave him his bottle. Our lives are two completely different worlds. He is still in the army, working for a 'demolitions unit'. I don't completely understand what he does because he isn't really at liberty to talk about his work. I think his wife is in school studying interior design.
The cab we took over to their house was the best part of the night. In Hebrew I told the driver where to go, and mentioned the name of the Arab Village that it is near (I thought of this trick some time ago - as a way of opening up lines of communication with Arab drivers). He mentioned that he was from that village, and I said "really?!" in Arabic. We then proceeded to have a very animated conversation in Arabic and Hebrew. Every once in a while I would translate for my mom in the back seat. Although the guy lived right near where we needed to go and new the area VERY well, he took a very circuitous route. Luckily we had agreed upon a price in advance, because he got so distracted by our conversation that he forgot where he was going. It was a little overwhelming because I hadn't used Hebrew or Arabic in over a week, but it felt really good to be understood.

Tomorrow my mom and I are going to visited my 2nd family in Hebron. I haven't met with my Arabic tutor in over a week, so we'll see how it goes. I promised the father I would consider marrying their 21 year old son. Hopefully he won't push me too hard for an answer.

In other news - I am leaving fastmail after a few months of semi-unhappy service, I have decided to join the google world. So, you can hit me up: tovascherr@gmail.com

Conference stuff is almost out of the way, although the evil boss is still around.
Off to meet mother.

Ok. I am really going to get better about this, this time. I have played around and made some changes and added a "comment" feature. Does anyone actually read this? If so I will start updating and writing abotu what has been going on in my life. If I am the only one this is a waste because i have a real journal. So, if you are reading this please leave a comment in the section below. Or if it doesn't work email me: tovascherratfastmail.fm so that i know this is a worthwhile project.
My mom is coming to visit tomorrow. We are going to Turkey for a week on Sunday. Then back to work.....
What happens next? How long will i be in Jerusalem? Everything is still up the air. But i kind of like it this way. At least for now....