The Dead Sea

Chillin' at the lowest point on earth...

Last week, we took our last trip before the Fall semester started and headed out to the Dead sea to experience just exactly what water 8X saltier than the ocean really feels like (hint: OK for grownups, completely disagreeable to children). More on that later.

Below is a view from Masada. You can see Jordanian mountains behind the water. It was beautiful seeing the sun burst over the crest at dawn. Elizabeth tells me that not waking two sleeping children before dawn is equally beautiful. & she is correct...

So why is it the called "Dead Sea"? It's 423M below sea level, so any water that drains down there has no way to escape except to evaporate. This leaves the salt, which just accumulates leaving the water so saline that nothing can live there.

Will decided right away that he did not like it.

The bottom is like the inside of a crusty, hardened salt-shaker that has never been cleaned out. Don't even think about going in without foot-protection. Getting cut in this water would really be like pouring salt on your wounds...(Ha).

Floating...

...and standing. Wildly buoyant--painfully salty.

Back at the mud-pit, Lydia exercises her singing voice & gets a surprise...

No, we don't have any idea why there is Superman statue in the background.

Getting ready to rinse off in the hot sulfur springs.

Sun, fun, & mud. This is one of those you -have-to-do-it-just-once kind of things that is totally unique to Israel & Jordan. And, thanks to that famous Dead-Sea mud, our skin looks months younger that it really is! Stand by for more on Kibbutz Ein Gedi & Masada...

Shalom Yall! E & Stew

We're going viral....

...old school.

Sorry for the blogging hiatus, but one of the joys of transversing continents and hemispheres is leaving your immune system behind. When we prepared for our move, there were no vaccinations to take, no special medical precautions, no hazards of a third world country. Even when we in-processed at the Embassy health unit, we were assured there were virtually no risks to our health - clean tap water, uncontaminated fruits and veggies, no epidemics, etc., etc.

What we weren't prepared for was this:

3 rounds of strep throat

4 bouts of the stomach virus

2 fever viruses

3 flu-like viruses

and a myriad of other bizarre symptoms, rashes, and weird medical stuff

Apparently, as other ex-pats have informed us, it takes a solid 4-6 months before your immune system catches up, and so you basically spend those first months catching virus after virus. Thankfully, the embassy health unit and the Herzilya medical center have provided excellent care. Truly excellent.

Oh, and you know what else we weren't prepared for?

This view from our balcony:

Or these as house pests:

So, when we aren't shielding our children's eyes, chasing geckos, or cleaning vomit and taking temperatures, we have time to blog. It's been a little busy lately.

Soon to come:

Don't Mess With the Zohan

The Dead Sea

My Big Fat Jerusalem Wedding

Ein Gedi & Massada

Stay Tuned...Shalom y'all!

Gilad Shalit

Yesterday (18 Oct 2011), an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shilit was released after over 5 years of being held prisoner in Gaza by Hamas. In exchange for his safe return, Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. For a synopsis, click here.

This was huge news here in Israel. I became familiar with this story last year, and when we arrived here in June I saw signs around Tel Aviv & Jerusalem calling for his release. When the day finally came, and it was impossible not to feel the emotion.

What was so interesting to me was the general public response--which is simply enormous. Israelis have an insatiable appetite for news, especially moving stories like this one. Every person I knew was glued to the TV, the computer, and the newspaper to follow the events as they unfolded.

It all started a week ago when they announced the agreement--my friend Izzy was reading the breaking details of the deal on his smart-phone during a jazz concert in Jerusalem. I looked around and noticed that our entire row were doing the same. "This is history," he told me. Yesterday the story was everywhere. People were talking about it at the embassy warehouse, at Lydia's dance lesson, standing in line at the butcher, at our neighbors, and even at the jam session Monday night. And of course his release was covered on the news around the clock.

People followed this story as if Gilad was their own brother coming home. And the truth is, that's exactly the situation--people from all sides of the political spectrum are elated to see one of their soldiers return home, even if many are apprehensive about the potential danger--or don't agree with the terms of the deal. This is one moment when Israel feels to me like a single, tight-knit culture who's common bond emanates from a shared experience in military service, which unlike in America, is mandatory here. While there are a myriad of cultural differences at play in this tiny, complex country, yesterday the sentiment was unanimous: "Baruk HaBa" Gilad [it's like saying Welcome Home]. I'm sure that the same sentiment is shared about 1,027 times over in Palestine & Gaza as well.

One thing is for sure: there's never a dull moment over here in the Middle East.

Shalom Y'all-Stew