Methink'st

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Spring Break: Trip to Israel and Palestine

During this year's spring break, I went on a student-organized trip to Israel and Palestine. The itinerary included a combination of field excursions with briefings on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Israel's relations with its neighbors and its internal politics. We met with government officials from both sides, including members of the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister's spokesperson, and the chief Palestinian negotiator.

We also met with Australian UN Peacekeepers at the Syrian border and Gabriel Bach, Holocaust survivor and deputy prosecutor in the Eichmann trial.

It was an eventful trip, made more so by exchange of rocket fire on the day we were scheduled to visit the Gaza border and an Iron Dome, Israel's air defense system. We weren't able to see the Iron Dome, as it was obviously busy, but the majority of us opted to tour Sderot as planned, a border town where the residents have 15 seconds between the time their air raid siren sounds and when the rocket hits. Fortunately, no alarms went off during the visit.

To see the cultural side of the country, we toured Old City Jerusalem and slept in Bedouin tents in the Negev desert. Heavy rain in the desert made watching the sunrise and going for camel rides impossible, but as a result, getting to watch a rare flood and waterfalls in the desert made it all worth it. The bus made an unscheduled stop at a canyon, which, normally completely dry, had turned into a raging river and waterfalls. This is a rare sight, especially in the desert, and only lasts several hours.

Our last day was a sunny one, and we spent it on the beach in Tel Aviv... before flying back to a snowy DC.

Church of Annunciation, Nazareth

Street signs in Tel Aviv

Sea of Galilee

Jericho, Palestine

Knesset, Jerusalem

Inside the Knesset

Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

The Dead Sea

Floods in the Negev desert
(You can kind of see the raging river at the bottom of the canyon.)

Rocket shells outside the police station in Sderot

Missile-protected playground

Opening to the caterpillar above
(The orange line marks safety.)

Art alley in Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv

Last sunny day in Tel Aviv

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Year in DC in Pictures

Washington, DC by Day

Newseum

View of the Capitol from Newseum

DC by Night

Metro (Dupont maybe?)

Nationals Game

Executive Office Building

White House

National Treasury

Washington Monument
(Under construction after the earthquake in 2011)

Drag Queen Race

Chinese New Year Parade

National Cherry Blossom Festival

White House Garden Tour

Monday, May 12, 2014

Catching Up: Summer 2013 (Pre-Graduate School)

Alaska: My First Trip to The Last Frontier

Hello, Alaska

Palmer, Alaska

Hatcher's Pass

Eagle River Nature Center

Fireweed

First time I had snow under my feet in 2+ years!

Byron Glacier

Route 1

Goodbye, Alaska

I SURVIVED GRAD SCHOOL: YEAR 1

Remember this post from four years ago?

Well, I did end up at Georgetown and just finished my first year here!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Last Stop: Berlin

Germany

Our flight home took us via Frankfurt so I gave myself three days in Germany. I spent most of it in Berlin, giving myself time just enough for the sightseeing highlights.

High speed train, Frankfurt

Took the high speed train (ICE) from Frankfurt to Berlin. It took a little over 4 hours where the bus would have taken 8.

Train timetable

These things still exist and people use them?! Everything seemed so organized after being in Thailand.

Reichstag (German Parliament), outside

Reichstag, inside

One floor below the dome is where parliament meets.

The guided audio tour walked us around the circumference of the dome. There were sensors under the walkway and the guide introduced the buildings and view of where we were standing.