May 21, 2009

Jerusalem – I manage to avoid it as much as possible, but next week and the week after I’ve got to be there – in Parliament one day, for readings another day, and then for filming a student film. But even though I try to stay away from wandering in the city, I know – as everyone who has been there knows – it is already divided. The wall is part of it, and the separate populations are another. Walls are all over the city – there is almost no mingling of peoples. So Bibi’s little reassurance today that Jerusalem will always remain ‘united’ seems an empty statement.
But who am I to judge the holy city? I who just don’t like being intimidated by my environment… It’s not really an objective view, but i prefer a neighborhood that accomodates my needs.
I did a little circle around the campus to see what was going on with Student Day, but was sufficiently unimpressed to go home after my first purchase. My purchase looks promising though. it was a series on learning Arabic from Minerva press – book and disk. The last time I bought one it was Egyptian, and the accent and the focus was wrong. I don’t need to know about hotels and ordering in Cairo. I need more local vocabulary. Some people could carry on a conversation with the Arabic I have, but me i need more confidence and control – only if i’m really in trouble will the words come out. The same is true of French and German. And Italian too now that I think of it.
Maybe that’s my problem with Jerusalem too – i need to know more.