a piece of my soul

Today I gave away a small part of my soul when I made the dreadful decision to turn down the only real job offer I've had in Italy. The tentative plan was to go on a student visa and for both of us to work part time teaching English. The school would find us housing, pay for our first month of rent, and allow us to take Italian classes for free. Sounds good, right?

Well, I thought so at first. But several things made me start feeling a bit apprehensive about it all. To start things off, we discovered that the guy who wanted to hire us was actually planning on paying us under the table. Then he suggested that I could choose to either work on a student or a tourist visa. Now, I'm no expert on Italian law, but I was positive that it is illegal to work on a tourist visa. And he wanted me to work 30-35 hours a week, which seemed high for being on a student visa (international students here may only work 20 hours if it's an on campus- I think it's 20. Maybe it's 10). So then I proceeded to call several Italian Consultates in the US (several because you never know if the peeps really know what they're talking about- better to get several answers to the same question). They informed me that it was 100% ILLEGAL to work on a student visa, even to work part time. Bah!

Well, since T-rav has lots of morals and doesn't want to break the law, and I fear the punishment that may come from being caught (something about being banned from Italy for any extended period of time for the rest of my life...), we decided that maybe it would be best if we didn't accept this shady job offer.

So we're going to stay here in Provo for a while. At least one more semester. T-rav is going to keep working for the IRC, but start looking for jobs doing some kind of non-profit work or refugee stuff, etc, hopefully overseas. I'll keep teaching at UVU. Although I'm very disapppointed, I feel ok about things. At least I have a job here that I really love. And at least I don't have to wait to see how things turn out...at least now I know.

I heart Palestine part 2

We are now going to jump from the late 40s to the late 60s, skipping over the war known as the War of Independence by the Israelis and Al Nakba (or catastrophe) by the Palestinians, and go straight to the Six Day War. I'm sure it had many causes, after 9 years of relative "peace," what it came down to was disputes over land and water (like always), as well as the haughty boasts of Arab prowess by Egyptian President Abdel Nasser.

So one day Arab guerrilla fighters crossed the Lebanese border and blew up the water pipes by the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main source of water. Might I add that Israel had diverted much of the Jordan River away from the Arab States (because, you know, they needed it more).

• "Israeli jets had bombed Syrian waterworks in the Golan Heights, across from Galilee, so that Syria could not diver those same waters. When Israelis moved into the demilitarized zones of the Golan [Heights] to plow disputed land, they drew Syrian fire, which in turn brought swift Israeli response." (p.125, The Lemon Tree)

Israel also claimed they needed to go to war because of the 100,000 Egyptian troops massing in the Sinai (American and British intelligence suggested closer to 50,000). Israel repeatedly exaggerated the state of things in Palestine, perhaps to influence the US or gain more support from Western Nations (which worked quite well). The CIA was quite sure that Egypt had no intention of going to war and were not planning to invade Israel. Even Israel's Minister of Defense would later admit that he never believed that Egypt wanted war.

But on June 5, 1967, the Israeli army made a preemtive strike against the Arabs and proceeded to seriously defeat the Egyptians, Syrians, and Jordanians, which wasn't enough- they also went into Palestinian territories and began a 40 year occupation of Palestinian land (the West Bank and Gaza), contrary to the UN Resolution 242 which mandated a withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the occupied territories. Which they refused to do. And still do.

Eventually, the PLO was formed as the voice of Palestine, since they were not allowed to have any government of their own. Palestinian children are born and raised with the idea that they have been driven from their homes and deserve to get them back. Or at least should have their own state in the West Bank and Gaza.

And we all know all about suicide bombings and Israeli retaliation. Maybe you don't know that the Israelis imprisoned and tortured Palestinian prisoners who may or may not have been guilty of "terrorist" acts (meaning anything that went against Israeli laws- obviously if they were alive, they weren't suicide bombers). Or that, in the beginning, Israel was just as likely to bomb residential areas as the Palestinians. Or that, although the Palestinians are not very flexible on their demands for land and freedom, the Israelis are not very flexible on what they will offer the people whose land they stole (or stole back, if you prefer to live by Biblical Law).

Obviously, there is no easy solution. If I were in charge of the world, I would give the angry Arabs their own state, consisting of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and part of the Golan Heights. And then I would tell them to get over the fact that they don't have all of Palestine. And I would tell the Israelis to give up some of their land and point out that they have treated the Arabs the way they wished to have never been treated (mems how no one liked that people were driving Jews out at gun point and then they turned around and did the same thing?).

Anyway. If you think this is interesting, you should read a lovely book called The Lemon Tree, a story that follows both a Jewish and Palestinian family through all the drama of the pats 75 years. Another good one is In Search of Fatima. If any of you have any suggestions of other good Israel-Palestine books, I would love suggestions!

Why I'm pro-Palestine

As long as I can remember, I have always been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. I'm not sure when it all started. Perhaps it's because I often find myself rooting for the underdog...or maybe it's because ever since I set foot on Moroccan soil, I've had a great love for all things Arab and Muslim. Obviously, I do not condone many of their barbaric methods that overstep the bounds of freedom fighting and merge into terrorism. However, if you get a bit more of the whole picture, you might have a little more empathy for their cause. So here's the start of a little history lesson about Israel and Palestine (I hope this doesn't bore you- I find it quite fascinating).

In my opinion, if the Palestinians had just gotten around to forming their own government hundreds of years ago, none of these Israeli problems would have happened. But they didn't and by the 1900s, they had been ruled by various Arab families and Caliphs, the Ottomans, the Egyptians, and then the Ottomans again. But the real trouble began when the Brits disbanded the Ottoman Empire after World War I. And then the dreaded Balfour Declaration (1917) was created, which named Palestine to be the eventual homeland of the Jewish people.

Why did the Zionist movement choose Palestine? In part because in the late 1800s, the founder of the Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl, felt it would be the best place. After considering Uganda and Cyprus as possible Jewish homelands, he determined that Palestine, being a "land without a people" (which I think he really should have said "government," since obviously there were people already there...silly Herzl) and also conveniently being the ancestral homeland of the Jews, would be the perfect place for all the Jews to live.

At the beginning, the Palestinians were fine with having Jewish people living in their country. After all, they had been living side by side with Jewish people (in peace, even) for hundreds of years. It was only after they started coming in droves (many of whom snuck in illegally) that the Arabs began to worry. In 1948, the UN determined that Britain should leave Palestine and that it would be divided into separate Arab and Jewish states, each with their own government: Palestine and Israel.

"The plan stipulated that 54.5% of Palestine and more than 80% of its cultivated citrus and grain plantations would go to a Jewish state. Jews represented about 1/3 of the population and owned 7% of the land." (p. 49 The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan- thanks to Marlo for telling me to read it!) For a nice map depicting this, go here.

You can see that this might cause a bit of conflict...and naturally it did. Fighting ensued, or rather continued, and many Arabs were left simply bewildered at the idea they were going to be forced off of their land that their families had owned for generations upon generations.

And this is where I will leave you in anticipation of what happened next...

*A side note: I am quite aware that what happened to the Palestinians has been happening to nations and ethnic groups all over for thousands of years. Their cause is not any more unusual or just than the Karen people of Burma, the Tutsi of Rwanda or the Nepali of Bhutan. However, the Palestinian situation is one that interests me and therefore I get a little more passionate about it than I do about other groups. I'm sure if I learned a bit more about these other groups, I would get just as up in arms as I do about the Arabs. I also want to point out that I do not have an dislike for Jewish people. I just don't think that just because they suffered an atrocitiy means they have the right to force another people, a people who had absolutely nothing to do with their woes, out of their homes.

And feel free to correct me on anything I might have gotten wrong. I'm no expert on this complex and confusing bit of history.

Oh, politics

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Why I love teaching ESL

Today one of my tutor-ees came to me with this sentence, wanting to know if it was correct:

"You have a very good taste to me."

He was quite puzzled when I burst out laughing. When I explained that unless he was busy biting a poor girl's lip off or sticking his tongue down a her throat, this probably wasn't an appropriate sentence, he was mortified. What he meant to say was "You smell good." Luckily, he hasn't yet had the chance to actually use this on anyone.

Might I add that I have 3 students who are constantly asking me for expressions of love (as well as making up their own...scary) so that they are prepared to woo the first single American girl they meet. Too bad I was never wooed to have heard them myself- got you there, didn't I, chavez ;)

The end of the saga

Since I'm sure you are all dying to know what happened with my rotten car this weekend, I'm going to finish detailing my camping trip. We left off with T-rav and me stranded in Cedar City at a KOA. Thankfully, our friends the Hills were kind enough to accommodate our car troubles and met us there instead of St. George, as previously planned, as well as driving us around the entire time (thanks guys- we had a great time!). After our disastrous Friday, we hoped that Saturday would be at least a marginal improvement...and it was. The four of us headed down to Zion National Park (where Americans were outnumbered by Germans 4 to 1...or some other large percentage) to hike Angel's Landing and a bit of the Narrows.

This is the way up to Angel's Landing (good thing I've mostly lost my overpowering fear of heights).


Looking down from the top of Angel's Landing
Hiking in the Narrows

On our way home. Many thanks to Zillah and K for driving down to rescue us.

Oh! Did I mention that our tent neighbors were from Liechtenstein? Where is that, you ask? It's a teeny, tiny little country between Austria and Switzerland. Eight of the total 35,000 Lichtensteiners were hanging out at the KOA in Cedar City. Crazy, eh?

In memoriam

Today we mourn the loss of one of our dearest family members: Giño. Named for a faulty headlight that didn't flip down with the other, he was a charming addition to our family and liked and respected by all. Recently, however, he began to show his true obstinate and ornery nature. T-rav did his best to tame this wild beast, to no avail. Today, in the graveyard of car parts know as Cedar City, Giño bit the dust. Let us all spare a moment of silence in his memory...

And then break out a bat to smash this piece of crap to smithereens!!!

Here's the story: this weekend we decided to go camping in southern Utah with our friends who recently moved to Arizona. The plan was to meet in St. George and then head to Zions for some hiking and adventuring. Our plan was thwarted. Greatly. And words (at least words that I feel would be appropriate to post on my blog) do not express my anger, frustration, disgust with our rotten little Honda.

We were driving up a hill somewhere between Nephi and Fillmore when we noticed the first signs that something was wrong: every time we tried to accelerate up the hill, the gear would slip out. If we downshifted, the car returned to normal. Or if we returned to flat ground. But anytime we tried to speed our way up a hill, Giño insisted on slipping out of gear...which usually means 1 thing- transmission trouble. And then there was that mysterious steam and stink that emanated from hood of the car when we stopped.

Luckily, we stopped at Cove Fort (= middle of nowhere Utah) where there happened to be a gas station/repair shop that could take a look. After affirming that yes, it was a transmission problem the repair guy eagerly offered to tow us the 80 miles to the closest transmission shop in Cedar City (for a "discounted rate of only $350) which we had no choice but to accept (it was that or leave the car there at the gas station...in retrospect, I think that would have been a better option).

After an interesting ride with a crazy, uneducated, prejudiced small town 20-something, burgers at Brads "Food Hut," a walk in the city park, and anxious minutes wondering what the fate of our car (or rather, our checkbooks) would be, the verdict was....

The transmission fluid has been bbqued, which means in a few more miles, the transmission itself will be dead.

Completely ruined.

Sure, we can put a "new" used tranny in for around $1500, but considering the fact that we didn't even pay that much for the car itself, it just doesn't seem worth it somehow.

Our friends are on their way to come pick us up so we can salvage the remainder of the weekend. Right now I'm sitting at a picnic table at a rather pleasant KOA across from the transmission shop waiting for all the kids to get out of the pool so I can go swim. But basically, this has been the worst day I've had in a long time (sorry to complain- but you all know how much I loathe spending money...especially in a situation like this).

Does anyone feel like driving down to Cedar City to pick us up on Sunday?

How do you choose who to vote for?

This year's election has me in a quandry: I have no idea who to vote for, dislike both candidates, and find myself wishing desperately that I could form a 3rd party all on my own...but then who would I nominate for president?? Lately, T-rav and I have been discussing the pros and cons of both Obama and McCain, leaving me feeling just as undecided as before. Anyway, here are some facts from a recent CBS/NY Times survey. I thought they were interesting, if nothing else.

• Barack Obama leads John McCain 45 percent to 39 percent in the latest CBS News/New York Times poll of registered voters nationwide.
• 43 percent of registered voters believe Obama says what he believes, not just what voters want to hear. Down from 53 percent in May. Forty-six percent believe McCain says what he believes, down from 51 percent in May.
• Slightly more than half of McCain voters - and 56 percent of Obama voters - say the candidates have changed their issue positions to get elected. About 4 in 10 of those who feel that way say the change has made them think worse of the candidates.
• 73 percent of voters describe McCain as "very patriotic," while 37 percent view Obama that way. Obama has improved on this measure. In April, just 29 percent considered him "very patriotic."
• When asked who would be an effective commander in chief 46 percent say McCain would "very likely" be effective, while just 24 percent say the same of Obama. Thirty-six percent say it is "not likely" Obama will be effective.
• Forty-eight percent of registered voters believe America's image in the world will get better if Obama is elected, while just 18 percent say America's image will improve if McCain is elected.
• Voters under 65 support Obama, particularly those between 18 and 29 years old, where there is a 12 percentage point difference between the candidates. Voters 65 and older favor McCain by a small margin.

So how do I choose?

My NOW list

For our book club this month, we just finished reading the book No Opportunity Wasted (NOW) by Phil Koeghan (the host of the Amazing Race). The book is based on the idea that you should seize every opportunity presented to you in order to live a more fulfilling life. Being the kind of person who enjoys motivational books (especially when they're adventure stories), I quite enjoyed this one.

So in order to help you achieve your wildest dreams, Phil goes through 8 different themes of life. As you read each chapter, you're supposed to make a goal of sorts based on the theme of the chapter. Here's my list:

1. (Face your fear) Since I'm terrified of performing in front of people (especially for an audition), I want to audition for and participate in some type of local dramatic/musical event (a musical, play, opera, etc).
   
2. (Get lost) Get lost in another culture...one that I'm not very familiar/comfortable with, learn a lot about it and then eventually go there to visit. I think I'll start with China. or maybe Korea.
3. (Test your limits) Participate in a triathalon sprint.
   
4. (Take a leap of faith) Move to Italy for at least a year.
5. (Rediscover your childhood) Take a pottery class and learn to make really fantastic pots (much better than the little snake ones I used to make as a kid)
6. (Shed your inhibitions/ express yourself) Take an Irish dance class and perform in a "recital." And yes, I want to wear a fancy little dress and put my hair all in curls.
7. (Break new ground) Sponsor a refugee family to come to the US and help them get established here.
8. (Aim for the heart). This one is a secret that I can't post in such a public place. But it has something to do with surprising someone with one of their dreams.
   

On another note: (1) I'm really sick of eating mushy food, but my face is finally decreasing in size. (2) I've gotten really wimpy when it comes to humidity. Today the humidity percentage was about 35-40% and I thought I was going to die. It's so blazing hot! (3) These pictures were brought to you by Still Light Photography, owned by our friends B-rad and Caroline. They're really fantastic photographers (I escpeically enjoy the enhancements they have given to T-rav. It suits him, don't you think? And don't worry- they only punish difficult-to-photograph peeps like ourselves with such additions).

Delirium and chubby cheeks

So yesterday was the fateful day...and I made it out alive. To no one's surprise, I remember about 10 seconds after the anesthesiologist stuck me with the needle. I vaguely remember waking up to zillah and the nurse staring down at me, but I have absolutely no recollection of how my wallet was removed from my back pocket, my bill was paid, and how I ended up in the car. We stopped for some jamba juice on the way home (I was absolutely starving) and then swung by Smith's to get my prescriptions filled. On my way into the store, I decided that I needed to take a rest on the back of Zillah's car (2 feet away from the door had I just come out of), after which I made it to a shopping cart...and promptly sat on the ground in the parking lot. Zillah and some random Mexican ladies dragged me back to the car, where I believe I passed out. When I came to, there was an enormous t-shirt that a nice trucker man had put on the windshield for me so I wouldn't bake in the sun. Meanwhile, Zillah was inside purchasing lortab under my name and using my visa card to pay for it. I love the lack of security on prescription drugs.

Since then, I've been doing pretty well. T-rav has been making me lots of smoothies and cuting up popcicles for me (I can't get my mouth open wide enough to suck on them). As you can see, my cheeks are very fat and I think I'm developing a faint bruise on each side. I hoping for bruises to make me look like I fought a battle instead of just getting my teeth pullled.