Husbands and trees
I’m not quite sure what it says about me that I slept until 2pm quite easily today. I feel great! I was, however, just slightly abashed when I got up – apparently Jonathan had been up hours and hours before, and had done all the dishes, taken apart and fixed Nicole and Joe’s door lock that had broken, gone to the hardware store with Nicole afterwards, and then stopped by the market for fresh challah. *Must* he be so productive while I’m out cold?! It’s a wonderful trait in a husband – he didn’t even say anything besides “I’m so glad you slept in” – but really, it does inspire a small sense of guilt on my part.
Anways. So I never did blog about Wednesday. It was “Environmentalism in Israel” day, and my group went to the Hebrew University to hear a speaker, and then went outside Jerusalem proper to hike in the surrounding hills and hear a talk by a conservationist group. The first speaker was incredible; he was funny, engaging, and used post-modern lingo to discuss different models of environmentalism over the years (nature preservation, environmental sciences, and place-based environmentalism, he called them). For the first time in a looong time, I really missed Whittier College and the post-modern paradigm. Then, to top it off, he started talking about Kant and the inherent rights of nature – "I TAUGHT THAT AT CSULB!!" I wanted to say. But I didn’t. :)
The nature hike was a bit unexpected, but really beautiful. Apparently the Jerusalem municipality wanted to build hundreds of new homes and thought there wasn’t any room in the city, so they were going to annex the surrounding hill country. One of the environmentalist groups got up in arms and hired architects and surveyors to canvass the city and publish detailed reports saying where exactly more room can be found in the city itself. The municipality caved, and the hills were saved. Yay hills. Oh so green and pretty, makes me want to start singing
"Edelweis."
The most interesting thing for me was on the macro level: for years this country has only had the wherewithal to worry about the Arabs/Palestinians. Now it’s grown up a bit and has the interest and resources to address issues like environmentalism, feminism, etc. Lobbyist groups and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are sprouting up all over, and the country is quickly developing infrastructure paralleling the US. In one way, it’s positive, of course. But in another way, I miss the old-world charisma of Israel. It feels so modern to me now, compared to what it was in my childhood. I guess it’s the difference between a country as a child, and a country in the midst of teenage growing pains. I wonder what Israel will be like in another 20 or 30 years as it comes into its adulthood.
Anways. So I never did blog about Wednesday. It was “Environmentalism in Israel” day, and my group went to the Hebrew University to hear a speaker, and then went outside Jerusalem proper to hike in the surrounding hills and hear a talk by a conservationist group. The first speaker was incredible; he was funny, engaging, and used post-modern lingo to discuss different models of environmentalism over the years (nature preservation, environmental sciences, and place-based environmentalism, he called them). For the first time in a looong time, I really missed Whittier College and the post-modern paradigm. Then, to top it off, he started talking about Kant and the inherent rights of nature – "I TAUGHT THAT AT CSULB!!" I wanted to say. But I didn’t. :)
The nature hike was a bit unexpected, but really beautiful. Apparently the Jerusalem municipality wanted to build hundreds of new homes and thought there wasn’t any room in the city, so they were going to annex the surrounding hill country. One of the environmentalist groups got up in arms and hired architects and surveyors to canvass the city and publish detailed reports saying where exactly more room can be found in the city itself. The municipality caved, and the hills were saved. Yay hills. Oh so green and pretty, makes me want to start singing
"Edelweis."
The most interesting thing for me was on the macro level: for years this country has only had the wherewithal to worry about the Arabs/Palestinians. Now it’s grown up a bit and has the interest and resources to address issues like environmentalism, feminism, etc. Lobbyist groups and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are sprouting up all over, and the country is quickly developing infrastructure paralleling the US. In one way, it’s positive, of course. But in another way, I miss the old-world charisma of Israel. It feels so modern to me now, compared to what it was in my childhood. I guess it’s the difference between a country as a child, and a country in the midst of teenage growing pains. I wonder what Israel will be like in another 20 or 30 years as it comes into its adulthood.
posted by Michal at 8:55 AM
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