River snaking through the bottom of a valley near the Golan Heights.
In effort to fight back against the boredom that was our day, a couple friends and I laid out a mission: go to the coffee guy in Nazareth and stock up. This man, named Ahmed, said he has been in the coffee business longer than we have been alive. His father and his father’s father, too, all coffee men.
We navigated up the narrow, windy cobblestone streets of the market and found our man. But just when we were set to leave, he invited us for some hot coffee in the back of his shop. And if there is one thing you don’t do in Arab culture, it is decline an invite for coffee. (Personally, I don’t decline anything free.) So we drank. And we talked. And we drank some more (three cups). And we talked. All in Hebrew, so the conversation was a bit limited. And after 20 minutes, when the awkwardness began to settle, much like the coffee grains to the bottom of the pot, we left. Shukran, Ahmed.
Weekend recap: I went up to Metulla, which hugs Israel’s border with Lebanon. You can see UN vehicles, Israeli tanks, and Lebanon tanks all patrol the same area. The North is beautiful (see picture). Green mountains, kibbutzim, turquoise rivers, and wide valleys all dot the landscape. It is a stark contrast with the city atmosphere (Tel Aviv) and desert scenery (South) in the rest of the country. I spent the weekend with a friend from summer camp. We went to a kibbutz party Friday night and hiked Saturday and then ate some hummus in a Druze village in the Golan Heights.
On Thursday, I head to Jerusalem for a 6-day journalism/media conference. Free hotel room, three meals a day, seminars, field trips. The works. Then, I have the distinct privilege to celebrate my birthday with a grand tour of Ofakim, the development town where I will live January-March. I return to Upper Nazareth Nov. 24, at which point I will only have a couple weeks until I say goodbye and move on to the next stop on my journey: two weeks volunteering at an army base.
That’s all for now. Thanks again for reading!
November 12, 2008 at 9:24 pm |
brian, i was particularly struck by the paragraph in which you describe your experience at the coffee shop. that entire section of this entry is like a short story in itself; with a beginning, middle and well crafted end. the use of repetition and the narrative voice are so lyrical. keep writing, you are going to be an incredible journalist. (and no, im not high, i’m just an english geek, and yes, i know you are going to make fun of me…but my appriciation had to be stated.)