As an Arab travels, as a bird flies....

A total of 20 hours travel over the course of two days, covering no more than 200km. To share some time with our dear friend, Sarah Chynoweth (we call her "B" to avoid confusion), there is little we wouldn't do. Equivalent time spent en route could deliver us to Beijing, Seattle, or Sydney. In exchange for such a block of time we decided to spend our weekend travelling as the Arabs do, an analogy for as the birds fly. I say this because while the map presents a clear path, it was infinitely longer than it appeared to be. The Arabs in this part of the world are burdened with bad roads, suspicious border guards, road blocks that were not there the day before, and borders opening and closing at random. Hurry up and wait, hurry up and waiting, hurry up and wait. A truly direct path from Be'er Sheba to Amman and back again clearly does not exist. Now we know....

We started our journey at 6 am on Friday, tired from a night of low flying helicopters and booms in the night. Such as it is sometimes here 18 miles east of Gaza City. During our bedtime ritual of NPR we learned that the Palestinian Authority disbanded its government in Gaza. Hmmmmm, we thought. Wonder what the West Bank will be like tomorrow? I have to be honest here and say that during the course of that night was the first and only time since moving here I have tasted fear in my mouth. Things quieted down by 4 am and Jed and I went back to sleep. Adam, of course, slept through the entire thing. Here he is, smiling, on the Jordanian side of the border. Clearly, he had a good night sleep behind him!


The day was much longer and way more expensive than we anticipated. Suffice it to say that on days when our company includes eight, nervous Japanese tourists, we feel like we could've planned our day a bit more adventurously (and probably mapped a cheaper route, as well). We arrived in Amman after too much time spent at the border watching the diplomats blow through the lines around 5 in the afternoon. Seriously, no more than 200km. Here is the view of Amman from our hotel, downtown.


After a luxurious bath on our swanky hotel room (thanks Mom and Sam!) we rang up B and headed out for dinner. Adam had been to Amman before and recommended a picturesque Lebanese restaurant: Fakrlel-Din. We dined on goat, chicken (yes, I am back on the meat again) and of course humus, olives, and red wine from Mount Nebo. Here is a picture of the three of us.



"B" is in Amman with The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children. She is conducting an assessment of the almost 1 million Iraqi refugees struggling to survive there. It is being characterized as one of the current most dangerous refugee settings due to the total absence of services there. As you can imagine, the majority of our time spent together was spent talking about her work in Jordan, COHI's work here, and Adam's brilliance at school. She is doing amazing things, and is a true leader in her field these days. Its marvelous to see her shinning while ensuring women are being addressed in Iraq, and elsewhere. I am honored to call her my friend. To learn more about what B is seeing, visit: www.womenscommission.org/fromthefield/jordan/061507.php.

Mid-day on Saturday (not even 24 hours after our arrival in Amman) we started our journey back to the border. This time we were taking our lives into our own hands, the bull by the horns, as they say, and planned to travel by buses and local taxis. Little did we know, we were about to miss the first border crossing by 20 minutes (it closed early) and the fun would really begin. Lots of time spent, and money as well, trying to find a way to get across the border and a taxi to take us there. And that was just the beginning of another 11 hour day!

Finally across the border (four hours later) we waited for Shabbat to end and the buses to start running again. After an over-priced taxi to Jerusalem, we decided to pass the reamaing three hours in a Georgian restaurant. Amazingly good food, and some cool bottles and flags, too. Adam studied, I read a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book about Tibet with 22 different endings, and we longingly watched the sky for the first three stars to appear and for Shabbat to end.

One more long bus ride home, and we arrived safe and sound to be showered with kissed by our canine companion. Upon arrival we found a few nervous messages from friends and family members about the breaking news in Gaza. We made some quick phone calls before we collapsed, to reassure everyone that we are well, and things are much calmer than the news is making it out to be. Quiet night, sweet dreams.

A long but pleasant journey to a city no further than the distance between Boston and Hartford. Twenty hours. Incredible. Whenever I forget that I live in a war zone, I will just hit the long road to Amman and travel like the Arabs do: slowly, as the recipient of a great deal of suspicion, yet smiling and enjoying the ride.

Palandrome birthday

Its true, Sera is now 33 years old. We passed the weekend of her birthday with friends on Lake Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. It was a wonderful weekend: good food, lots of loud Israeli techno-musich (why bring such nonesense into nature, I will never understand), and lots of water as a birthday honoring Sera shouuld feature.

Here are the pics: funny Israeli campsite, "water hike" through a stream bed, and us sitting around the lake enjoying.

May this year be one of health, calm, laughter, and grace for us all!

A Day in Her Shoes

Here is a Mother's Day fundraiser that we hosted at our house to raise some money and some support for the four first-year medical students heading to Tanzania this summer for COHI. The event was catered by the Ethiopian bar two blocks from our house. Delicious!

We played a "reality" game at the event where participants assume an identity of a woman in Tanzania, complete with an education, health history, and socio-economic status. As the evening progresses the players are dealt "chance" cards, after which they all have to make decisions in order to survive. It was fascinating to watch as humanitarian workers such as the night's guests would sell their kids to the local war lord in order to have food for the next round. Great time had by all!

Biogas, China, and the Bedouin

One of the projects I am currently trying to get some funding for at BUSTAN is to help Bedouin women safely and abundantly power their homes focusing on Biogas technology. Long story short: put human, animal, and other organic waste into a fiberglass dome buried into the ground with some kind of fancy machinery on top and you get usable, clean energy!

Last week I took a delegation from the Chinese Embassy on a tour of BUSTAN's projects in the Negev. The Chinese are currently the global masters of Biogas technology and are sending two local graduate students to China to learn the technology to bring it back to the Negev and help Bedouin women become environmental leaders in their communities using this new technology. Here is the group complete with two dudes from a local community called Dimona who worked on Biogas technology in Liberia, as well as my collegue and friend, Julie Cwikel, who runs the Center for Women's Reserach where I am currently a Public Health Scholar-In-Residence.




A very strange day, the weather was blustery picking up dust and spreading it all around. You can just barely see the electric plant in the background, yet the unrecongized village where these people are standing has no power.



I find myself questioning the relationship between the Bedouin, development workers like me, the powers that Be, and modernization. Its a quandary I find myself in a great deal if I am really questioning (and I hope that I am) what I am doing trying to help the women I am working with. I haven't found a confortable answer yet, but would love to have you all down to show you what I see and hear what you have to say about it. Perhaps you can be the one to provide the insight I crave...hurry! I feel I might be going a bit mad! You can tell by the look on my face in this picture, don't you think?



A very late Seder

While we were busy enjoying our generations of privilege, having not recently been enslaved in Egypt, Jews around the world celebrated Passover. We were truly reaping the joys of tourism, all things old and dusty, and lots of men named Mahomound in this land of the Pharaohs. Passover is the time of year when Jews and their friends come together for a long, relaxing dinner (called a Seder) when the elders retell the story of the Jews and the Pharaoh, the parting of the Red Sea, and the eventual walk through the desert leading Moses and the Jewish people to the land of Israel.

We joined some of our other Jewish kindred and a few not of The Clan who had also journeyed to Egypt over Pesach (the Hebrew work for Passover) to celebrate with a Seder last Shabbat (friday night dinner that is a weekly tradition for Jews around the world to mark the Sabbath). The dinner was complete with Matzaball soup, bitter herbs, a leg of lamb,and way too much wine.

The way these Seders usually look is that folks settle in around the table and each person has a reader to follow along with. The kind of Seders we especially enjoy are those where the retelling of the challenges of the Jews in Egypt are equated with those of all of the enslaved, struggling people of the world. This one was no different.

We sang spirituals, clapped our hangs, shouting, "Pharaoh, let my people go!", read from a Buddhist article about the spiritual symbolism of the parting of the Red Sea and the personal transformation of the Jewish people that was required before Israel and its milk and honey were able to appear. There was lots of wine drinking, way too much eating, and lots of honoring of those who toiled before us to clear our path as Jews, and as members of humanity.



Adam and I like to take time during this holiday to reflect on those still struggling each and every day against current day Pharaohs like the Janjaweed in Sudan, those living the daily terror of the on-going war in Iraq, those living in poverty, and the current discontent in my region of the world. We try to spend some time talking about what we can do in the coming year to support the liberation of people everywhere, and this year was no different. We look forward to honoring this tradition throughout our lives together. Seeing how people, civilizations, and governments deal with rebellious folks like Moses demanding that injustice, slavery, and oppression cease and that the current day Pharaohs, "Let my people go!"...Viva la revolucion!!!

Bustan: an orchard overflowing with diverse abundance

I've finally landed a job with a local NGO (this is Sera speaking, Adam doesn't have time to get a job) called Bustan. I am serving as the Development Coordinator for this group focusing on environmental justice in the Negev. I have a great deal to learn as plants aren't really my thing, although my Dad cringes to hear me say it. I am expecting a full list of tips and secrets from all of the green-thumbs in my life as a shared result of this new professional endeavor of mine and your secret knowledge of all things green and growing.

Last week I journeyed with a group of about 30 to a small village called Tel Sheva. Tel Sheva is home to around 22,000 people and is the second poorest community in Israel. Its just about 10 minutes from Be'er Sheba. Bustan is involved with a traditional garden and teaching site there run by a local Bedouin woman. Here are some photos, and I am waiting for suggestions from you farmers, activists, and big thinkers for how to raise some money for projects like this one committed to women's empowerment, greening the Negev desert, and environmental sustainability.

The garden itself is a circle, merging ancient and modern gardening techniques to maximize irrigation and accessibility of the plants.
Here is a dramtic photo of the cracked earth. This is not an uncommon site here in the desert, yet all kinds of beings continue to survive, even thrive. Magic, to be sure.

This is Mariam, a local Bedouin entrepreneur working closely with Bustan. It is Mariam's family farm on which all of this greening is taking place that you are seeing here. She has started a small business marketing organic soaps, teas, oils, and other beauty products. Quite a go-getter! Here she is leading a workshop on soap making to visiting volunteers and other curious seekers who just dropped in for the the day to learn something from this wise lady.

A true professional: sealing deals for her products while working in the garden. An inspiration to women everywhere!
This is how she makes the soap, here it is being poured into a mold. It will be cut, after it hardens, and wrapped, taken to market, and sold. Bringing a soothing sense of joy and aromatic pleasure to its new owner.
No experience is complete for me without tea, and thankfully the Bedouin are as into it as I am. Note the sugar, so so so sweet.

Here are the quarters that the volunteers enjoy while spending time on the farm with Mariam and her family. Volunteers come from around the world to spend time with Bustan working on any number of projects. This is one of them that seems to be very popular with the ladies.

Somehow, there is water. I have not learned the secret yet for how the local inhabitants know how to find it. But I've added that to my list of things to master before I leave this incredible part of the world.

So that was my first trip to the field with Bustan. Please check them out on-line: www.bustan.org. I am hoping that I will be able to help this small, energized organization secure the funding it needs to continue to support local communities, and the women living there. I am taking suggestions, if any of you have ideas, and please, pop over for a visit. You won't be sorry that you did!

As it is clear that I am getting back to my hippie roots, I leave you with this quick video. Take the time to watch this, its worth it. Sending each of you a multitude of hugs from us, until next time...

Springtime renewal in the north

Hello gentle readers,

We took an inspirational day trip to Haifa and up north near Nazareth yesterday to visit with my midwife friends and to see the greenery of spring outside of the Negev. We felt renewal happening all around us: wild flowers, oak tree forests, magnolia trees, jasmine plants, and a birth center. It all smelled and looked so sweet.

Here are some pics of this picturesque city by the sea, Haifa. The gorgeous garden shot is of the Baha'i gardens. Baha'i is the most recent religion to claim its holy sites on this plot of land, nice of them to find a place other than Jerusalem to do so, eh? That place already has too many bidders! The Baha'i have their primary temples and shrines in Haifa, as well as a very impressive Hall of Justice reminding me of saturday morning cartoons, bat caves, and the wonder twins. None of the later to be found on the Baha'i grounds in Haifa, sadly.This night shot is of Haifa and a sliver crescent moon. Don't know if the simple majesty of the evening is visible to you through this photo. All the more reason for you to pop over for a visit.
After a lunch of Chinese food, yes, strange I know, Chinese food, we traveled up to Mindy's place. When we leave Be'er Sheba we try very hard to eat food we can't find here. So yesterday, Chinese it was.

Mindy lives just a stone's throw away from Nazareth in a little village, Bet La hem. Yes, you've most likely heard of a more popular hamlet by that name boasting a famous, or infamous, native son. After a nature hike and history lesson led by Mindy's hubby, Avner, we learned that there are archaeologists in the region who assert that this hilltop is the authentic birth place of one Jesus Christ (can you imagine if there had been more than one?). Considering Ma and Pop Christ could've reached Nazareth from here by donkey in about a half hour it really is quite probable. But, oh my Lord (pun quite intended), that would change everything and we can't go and do something as reckless as that in this day and age. So, a quiet, charming little place this Bet La hem remains.

Here are some pics of my friend Mindy Levy (home birth midwife) and her new birth center. Both gorgeous, as you see here. Home birth midwives here in Israel are still a relatively new option for delivering moms and many work in hosptials, as well. Midwives are the primary folks in charge on brith in any setting in Israel and I am slowly making my rounds, meeting as many of them as I can. I am working closely with Mindy and her Palestinian counterparts to secure some funding to help both groups come together and share their insights gains through their success and struggles supporting women throughout their pregnancies.


Here is a painting given to Mindy for the birth center by one of the fathers whose wife's delivery she atteneded and a new birthing stool crafted for the women who labour with her made from some sweet smelling local variety of wood.

Here is the birthing pool. The room itself is equipped with soothing lighting and private garden outside. The cobalt blue tiles help to inspire a sense of calm clearly helpful for women in staying focused on the task at hand. I really wanted to fill up the tub and get in myself right there and then, but fought the urge. This is the main lobby where Mindy will host trainings, etc. She is getting offers from local pre-natal yoga teachers and such who'd like to use the space, as well. I hope to be able to use this space while I am in Israel over the next few years to host some workshops between the Israeli and Palestinian midwives. See how comfortable Adam seems here, maybe the dream team of an OB/GYN and midwife are not out of the question. Who knows!

Here is the kitchen where families using the facility for deliveries can cook while they are there.

Here is the back patio and garden. Imagine a laboring lady slowly walking through her contractions out here, inspired by the natural landscape to open and let go. The view in the other direction is of an expansive valley, green and lush this time of year.

Here are Mindy and I out front of the center. The center is just down the street from her house, as well. What a set up!

Another great day, to be sure. We have so many of those here. I hope that wherever you are today, perched, reading these words, that spring has sprung and that hope, birth, and warmth are renewing you. Take care!