Thames and a Market

Today was the last day of the International Student Orientation, afterwards we went on a boat ride down the Thames. When I got off the boat I went back to a small market that I had passed in my mad dash to make it to the boat on time. I browsed the stalls, craving the various types of cheesecake at one in particular. I promised myself I would come back for the Tiramisu cheesecake and instead I bought a sandwich on sourdough filled with montgomery cheddar, bermondsey hard pressed cheese, and a mixture of onions, leek and garlic and a glass of fresh apple juice.

London Town

Well I've arrived! I'm in London. It's pretty crazy to think about how fast the summer went by and that someday soon I will be starting my Master's program. It's sounds so grown up, I don't feel old enough to be doing it. London (from what I've seen of it so far) is a great city. There's so much to do and see that I don't know what to do first. I need to find good Indian food but it seems like there's two Indian restaurants on every block so I don't know which one to try. I'm planning on going to the Indian area soon though and that will be fun, I can eat yummy food there. And hopefully get my eyebrows threaded.

Tonight was the welcome dinner for International Students, it's part of our 3 day Orientation. There's events and tours and info sessions planned for tomorrow, I'm hoping they're not boring...On Friday we get to go on a boat ride down the Thames and that sounds fun. Registration is next week where I believe I will find out what my classes are and then classes start the following week.

I miss home but I know I will grow to love London, just as I grew to love New York. Cheers!

Nakba

May 15, 2011

Tomorrow is the Nakba, the day Palestinians mourn the creation of the Israeli state and the mass deportation of Palestinians and the destruction of their villages. The university will be closed which is unfortunate because it was closed all last week after a man was killed nearby setting off more local conflict. As my friends from work and I drove home today we could already see the beginning of activity. A dumpster on it's side flanked by burning tires blocked off one of the roads. As we passed Qalandia we noticed about 20 Israeli soldiers surrounding the refugee camp. Further down the street young men began to hurl rocks at the standing soldiers, the nearby shops were all closed, my friend drove faster. A mass of young men stood on the sidewalk waiting, casual yet ready for anything. "It's starting," my friend said.

Yesterday my friend's boyfriend got stuck for over three hours at Qalandia waiting to go to Jerusalem. Soldiers were throwing tear gas and traffic was at a stand still. Demonstrations have begun all over the West Bank. Men under 45 without a blue (Jerusalem) ID were not allowed into the Old City to go pray at the Mosque. Already there are reports of teenage boys being shot. This year, with all that is going on in the Arab world the Nakba has the potential to get out of hand. Hopefully the cost will not be too high.

Dome of the Rock

My mom and I went to Jerusalem and visited the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock over spring break. The Wailing Wall wasn't very big but there were a lot of people praying there, tiny notes were stuck in the cracks between the stones, letters to God. At the Dome of the Rock children were playing soccer in the open space, it's an absolutely gorgeous building. From far away it looks brand new but when you move closer you can see signs of age.