The Big Garden, etc.

7.10.06

Took a tour of Haifa today. It was hard to understand most of what was going on, as I rode with the Hebrew-speaking group instead of the English speakers. The folks who already have some Hebrew, by and large, are more serious about getting down & dirty in the language… plus they don’t mind teaching me bits and pieces as we go along. Lesson of the day: Half of everything on sale in Haifa is women’s underwear. Also, clothes here cost so much less than in the States, it’s crazy. A decent button-down shirt will go for 29-50 shekels (~$8-12).

A hillside & the Mediterranean Sea behind me… just off the beaten path.

Here is my friend Caleb chillin’ with a manikin that clearly hails from the Israeli hood.

7.9.06

Lots of class preparation activities today… kind of dull overall. We all had to speak with a Hebrew instructor (or try to) for a while so that they could finish placing us. I was happy to hear that my instructor chose to place me in the second-level beginners’ class, which will be great since the lowest level has to focus on simple, simple things like the aleph-bet before really getting into language.

A mostly dull day, except for the World Cup. The Israeli students brought drums, etc. into the projector room to cheer for their fav team. Unfortunately, the game didn’t end as I had hoped, though if you didn’t catch Zidane’s sick head-butting of some Italian guy, I am sure it’s posted somewhere online and you must check it out.

7.8.06

Today we visited the Bahá’í Gardens today, which may be the most picturesque landscape I’ve seen. The garden slopes all the way down one side of its mountain (see pics) and ranks as the holiest site of the Bahá’í religion, which spawned from Islam only 200 years ago. The Bahá’í people, we were told, endured prejudice and brutality from the Ottomans well into the 20^th century… the religion now claims about 6 million followers.

Around 100 gardeners are responsible for maintaining every inch – literally – of the garden.

For all the garden’s visual splendor, my favorite parts were the “waterfalls” lining the stone staircases (left). While exploring the garden, visitors can hear the water gently lapping all around them – you almost forget that you’re surrounded on all sides by a bustling city.

After touring the garden, we stepped a few blocks over to shop in the Arab market, where the food is tasty… and cheap! Here I am holding some guy's broom...