From the Mid-West to the Mid-East

Thinking about the Future

SHIRA IS ENGAGED
I am so incredibly excited. Somehow, though, it is so bizarre to have ones sister be so adult that she would get married, within the very near future, and then probably go on to have kids, and grandkids, and big family dinners and everything else that comes with it. It's a whole new chapter to our lives and I'm thinking about my cousins' and my own life in a different way now.

More immediately;
GRAD SCHOOL
I applied to grad schools before I left for Israel (literally the day before) and now that I've heard back from nearly all of them, I find myself with some choices to make. At this point I am so excited about the idea of decision making. As Patty Mason put it, there just isn't a bad decision to make, because I've gotten into good programs and they all approach either Peace Education or Conflict Resolution from unique perspectives. I need to hear from one more school (I think, I've forgotten how many I applied to) and then I'll have to get a bit more serious about it all.

The Programs I'm In:
* School forInternational Training (SIT)- small, in Vermont, very alternative looking. I would be getting an MA in Conflict Transformation. It would be like going to camp with a lot of Kumbaya-ing around the campfire
* American University's International Training and Education Program (ITEP)- in DC, the interviewer was very intense on "skill sets," and could still take classes in other departments and enjoy perks of big, international city. I would be getting an MA in International Education, with a focus on Peace and Conflict Resolution.
* George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD)- MA in International Education. They're a bit policy-oriented for me, but obviously it's a great university and all the DC perks again.
* Columbia University's Teachers College- I think my best bet as far as education programs go. I would be entering to get an MA, but would probably switch to Masters of Education, in Comparative and International Education focus on Peace Education. It's in NY, and that scares me no little bit.
* American University's School of International Service (SIS)- I applied to a pretty specific program which offers a Dual MA in Education and International Peace and Conflict Resolution, which very nicely brings together everything I want to do. It really comes down to SIS or Teachers College...

The Programs I'm Not In:
* Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies- Believe me, this was the longest of long shots. Excellent school, excellent program, really hard to get in. But this is ok because if I moved back to South Bend I think I would marry Jeff Sarnat, live on Mercury Drive, and bring peanut-butter and fluff sandwiches to university every day. Picture of Class for 2007, where would I fit in?
* George Washington's Elliot School of International Affairs- I was actually waitlisted, but no matter. Again, too policy oriented, and I wasn't a big fan of their salesmanship. If I really want to do DC, I think AU is a better fit.

The Programs I'm Not Sure Of:
* Brandeis' Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence- I'm not going to lie to you, I don't remember if I applied. I think i did, but that last week was high stress and this was a pretty far stretch since I'm not 30 and haven't had 8 years working experience. I'm going to assume I didn't apply.

ISRAEL
The other option is to defer grad school and stay in Israel for the year. I applied for a fellowship which would pay me to volunteer in a social change organization, which is pretty much what I've paid to do this year and what I've been doing every summer for free for the past 4 years. The real issue is, do I want to stay in Israel? A week doesn't go by that I don't find something that annoys me (see below for my story of the Post Office today), or that I don't compare the service in Israel (nonexistent) to America (superb). I don't want to be unhappy where I'm at. I wish I had the blind optimism of 5 years ago when I thought I could make Aliyah easily and would have been happy to be pushed around at bus stops. Now I think I appreciate the easiness of America too much (JAP that I am) and I'm not as in love with the Israeli culture as I once was. I'd also like to travel and work with other regions in conflict; Northern Ireland, South Africa, perhaps meet up with Asher in the ever-fun Balkans.

Post Office Extravaganza
My mom sent me a package with a few essential and not-so-essential items over 4 day priority mail. Complaining that it took over a week is unimportant, since this is Israel and what can I expect? Anyway, the package was sent to my friend Hanna's house (I was nervous about it getting lost somewhere in my apartment building) but it never made it there, it stopped at the post office and Hanna got a little note to stop by and pick it up. So I go down to Emek Refaim with Emily after work to claim my package. The woman who I assume was the clerk only because she was standing behind the counter told me there was no package for me. She was sure of it. After some pleading she said she would check the list of packages, but nope, my name wasn't there. After some arguing she began to check the name on every small envelope in the post office (After I've told her it's a large package, about a foot square) and other customers begin to try to interpret my English for her (She says it's big!) to which she got upset (I can understand her!). Emily tried to point to the large, square package, wrapped in American tape, on the top shelf and asked her to check it, but she refused. Then a neighborhood woman came in and asked the clerk if she had a package, the clerk rudely told her that yes, she had a package and it was in her pocket, now get the hell out! More yelling went back and forth (I was pretty thankful the heat was taken off me) in which the clerk reduced this woman practically to tears. The customer then went to the manager to complain, his response is "What, you want service? You think we have packages just sitting around waiting for you? Here let me look in my pocket!" so the woman finally left. Then, after more (quieter) arguing the clerk finally conceded to check the large package which was, miraculously, mine. After paying customs that my mom already paid in America, I got my box of shampoo and underwear, and went to Aroma to recuperate. Really, could I live with this?

THE JOB
Recently Seeds of Peace has made some cut backs, but since they don't pay me I get to stay! Now I have to come in earlier, answer phones, and work on all their past data-bases that they lost when the server crashed. But there are perks: today I signed for our Culligan's Water in Arabic (and the delivery guy laughed). But one of the other interns was impressed, so I wrote his name for him, so there. Dad, the lessons are worth it!

OTHER
I've been having a ton of nightmares recently. I haven't gone a full night of sleep in 4 nights.
Today it started hailing, one of my co-workers said there was a tornado up north and a sandstorm down south, so the end of the world might be nigh.

posted by A Mus-Ed Blogger @ 1:57 PM