Culture-Watching

As with any new culture, it is FASCINATING to be integrated to the point of noticing commonalities that wouldn't be so common in the United States. Or on the flip side, things i never would have expected to be the same here as there. No doubt this list will grow over the year, but here are a few to start:

-DST time ended on September 12: The sun is setting as I write this post (4:30pm). The conservative wing of the Israeli government wanted as many people as possible to observe Yom Kippur; so they thought that by making the sun set an hour earlier, more of the non-religious Jews would fast because it would mean they'd be able to eat earlier. I think it also has to do with the amount of light for the start of each work day. Regardless, I get out of class and it is dark...

-Banks: Customer service is not a staple of the Israeli culture. I signed an entire library of papers to open my new account, and when I made my meek attempt to ask what I was signing, the teller would stop her 2 inch bright-red nails from typing, turn her glittered-hair sprayed-boufant and blue-shadowed eyes my way, purse her lips and give me this look that said you ask me again and you're not getting an account. I now have an entire file of (worthless) papers and a shudder for every time I walk into the bank to try to ask a question.

-Timeliness also fans out from my bank experiences. Some things are amazingly prompt (ie. internet or delivery services), but experiences such as the bank or grocery store lines usually take about twice what they would in the US. The difference is certainly representive of the fast-paced, overly-efficient society America has become, and the gaping hole where relationships once existed. It is a surprise to me when I go shopping for any kind of item and have someone follow me around, asking me questions and trying to help me even after I've "sent them away" with the "I'm just looking" wave. For a while I felt like they were invading some imaginary personal shopping space frustrated by my inability to really communicate my purpose, but I soon realized - as in practically every other culture - business, shopping, and corner store centers are the watering holes of life here. Where community happens. Dave Strunk's voice echoes in my head when I think about this concept (he was my small group leader at CCPC this past year - and also just had a baby!) - he intentionally let these centers be a part of his community. I'm unsure how these will evolve over the year with limited communication skills on my part, but I've already found a soft-spot in my heart for the old man who runs our corner store. He greets me with "Erev Mezuyan!" and a passionate spirit each time I stop by, speaking in French and Spanish and Hebrew to try to carry out a conversation.

-Grocery Shopping: You have to check out a cart or have a special key and there are no baskets. Metric system also applies here, obviously, so I'm learning how to think in grams and Celsius. Butter is more expensive than margarine. Milk is in a single-sized plastic bag (no super-sizing gallons here) and dairy is also classified by "fat percentages". My options thus include either 3% or 1% milk, Diet/3%/20% yogurt, 15%/35% cheese, etc. Baking is "so American" as my Israeli drill instructor told me = No chocolate/any chips, cookie dough or brownie or cake mixes, etc. Lettuce is an accessory which makes it limited in availability and rarely used. Dried fruits and nuts have their own aisle. Corn flakes are the staple Israeli cereal. The peanut butter is either au-natural or sickeningly sweet, and that aisle features more versions of nutella/chocolate/dulce-de-leche spreads than I've ever seen in my life. Berries don't exist here.

-Food: Pastries are burekas - they are either filled with sweet cheeses/chocolate or savory items like mashed potatoes or meat. The staple cheese of Israel is "white, salty cheese". I'm personally not a fan as it looks like cottage cheese and tastes like the dead sea. Portions are much smaller and non-fat doesn't exist - aka no venti non-fat vanilla lattes for Israelis. The largest soft drink size, for instance, is equal to the medium at McDonald's or somewhere between the tall and grande at Starbucks. On the other hand, the Israeli salad ("house salad") which is diced tomatoes and cucumbers with mint, is plentiful. Pomegranates are in season now, mango season is over :(, and squash/cabbage/olive season is coming. Falafal, shwarama, fruit, and fresh bakery stands are present in the abundance of fast food chains in the states (they are the fast food).

-Bikes: Go everywhere, including in the hospital. This is largely because bike theft is the crime ravishing the streets of Beer Sheva, Just yesterday I walked by the student center and noticed that 8 of the 10 bikes were missing at least a seat and front tire if not the chain, handle bar, or pedals. And then of course there were a couple locks laying in pieces where a bike once stood...

-Taxis are standard prices, 20NIS to go anywhere around the city (~$5).

-My Molecular Biology prof looks like he walked through a time warp from Boulder in the 70s to our classroom. He also described the Endoplasmic Reticulum in terms of pitas and falafels.

-Showers are not separate from bathrooms, so unless you buy a stall, you are stuck squigeeing off the tile floor. And because of the desert conditions, carpet isn't found in homes or apartments - only sand colored tile. The furniture is also sand-colored, as are the walls and paint and plants (ok, they're green usually, but if a dust storm comes through they turn sandy-white)...

-Melach Limon. Melach means salt and this item comes in a salt shaker. But it is not salt, it is citric acid meant to be used to clean sinks and hot water pots from the scum/mineral build-up left by the hard Israeli water (desalienated from the Med ocean). It takes approximately one day for the throat to heal after being burned by Melach Limon used for seasoning.

-Moving: Difficult without hiring a mover (expensive for a loan-financed student): I've also noticed a lack of large vehicles. A basic pick-up truck (the only time I've seen a Toyota) and the rare mini-van are as large as they come.

-IKEA: the theme park of Israel. Probably comparable to Legoland.

-Rent is very cheap (yay! my litte two-bedroom apartment is only about $300/month w utilities); but everything else is expensive seeing as Israel doesn't have the greatest relationship with its neighbors so it is usually imported.

-Driving: Let's just say I've learned how to be aggresively assertive in order to survive driving in Beer Sheva for the time I rented a car.

-Before entering any public place, your bag must be inspected and tested with a hand-held metal detector by a security guard.

-The hospital grounds are a wonderful melting pot of people. The outdoor stairwells are stacked with chairs and mattresses, the place where families of patients are relegated to sleep. I can walk across the lawn at lunch, where everyone sits to eat or sleep and simultaneously see a Haredi Jewish man in a black suit, wide-brimmed hat, and long sidelocks; an Arab woman in a Burka; a young woman in tight jeans and heels; and a Bedouin man in a long white robe and desert head wear a la Lawrence of Arabia.


We are currently on our 12 day Succoth vacation and will be starting classes again on October 3rd, and then going straight through until finals! I've been to Jerusalem now, FINALLY, and have spent much of break truly settling into our apartment, reading, watching too many season television premieres online, and tackling my mountain of to-do lists.

The number is growing, so I also want to congratulate everyone who is engaged! Laura and Robert, Becky and Tyler, Caitlin and Jason. Kate and Mark (who will be married in 2 weeks!). All of my love and prayers and support go out to you. :)