a mild (but manageable) case of Samsonitis
Just when I thought it was safe to banish Samson the Suitcase to a cupboard far, far away, he laughed in my face and said "Girl! I'm not done with you yet!"
So, tonight I find myself packing again, this time bound for New York City. (Ok, I can't really complain!!) Tomorrow night I am going to NY to attend the conference on student journalism I mentioned in an earlier post.
Today, it was looking extremely dicey as to whether I was going to be able to go at all given the Histadrut (union) called a nationwide general strike, which was supposed to include the shut down of Ben Gurion International Airport. Yikes!!
Thankfully the union and the government reached an agreement late today and the strike was called off. The union claimed over 3,700 municipal workers hadn't received their salaries and naturally the government disputed the number of people affected and claimed that those who were genuinely affected had already been paid.
It was days like today that reminded me that Israel's backbone is still staunchly socialist - be that for good or bad (ok, the verdict is in - BAD!!). When I arrived in Israel for the first time in 2003, as an olah chadasha (new migrant), a national general strike had just begun. I wasn't so lucky back then, as the strike dragged on for close to three weeks.
I was unable to perform even the most basic task like getting an Israeli ID card, opening a bank account, getting my health insurance sorted out - everyone was on strike.
Thankfully today's action was short lived and everyone seems to be happy (for the moment - this is Israel we are talking about, don't forget).
So. New York, New York!
I have been watching obscene amounts of Sex and the City lately, to get into the NYC spirit. I have only to New York once before; a very fortuitously timed trip in June 2001 - a mere three months before 9/11. I was there for just over three weeks and loved every second of it.
I arrive the weekend before the conference, so I have a couple of days to be a total tourist and catch up with a couple of very good friends. One of them is a girl I went to primary and some high school with in Hong Kong. Lisa finished her schooling and university in the UK (where she is from originally) but we managed to stay in touch over the years and I would always visit her whenever I was in the UK. The last time I was there was 1998 - it's hard to believe that is almost 10 years ago!
Around the same time I moved back to Israel permanently last December, Lisa was offered a transfer with her company to Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we've been able to speak on skype and really catch up on a lot of lost years.
When I told her I was coming to the States, she said she could meet me in NY for the weekend. So as hard as it is to believe as I sit in my apartment in Jerusalem and my old childhood buddy sits in her apartment in Atlanta - two old school friends from the other side of the world will reunite in one of the world's greatest cities this weekend.
Olam katan. It truly is a small world.
So, tonight I find myself packing again, this time bound for New York City. (Ok, I can't really complain!!) Tomorrow night I am going to NY to attend the conference on student journalism I mentioned in an earlier post.
Today, it was looking extremely dicey as to whether I was going to be able to go at all given the Histadrut (union) called a nationwide general strike, which was supposed to include the shut down of Ben Gurion International Airport. Yikes!!
Thankfully the union and the government reached an agreement late today and the strike was called off. The union claimed over 3,700 municipal workers hadn't received their salaries and naturally the government disputed the number of people affected and claimed that those who were genuinely affected had already been paid.
It was days like today that reminded me that Israel's backbone is still staunchly socialist - be that for good or bad (ok, the verdict is in - BAD!!). When I arrived in Israel for the first time in 2003, as an olah chadasha (new migrant), a national general strike had just begun. I wasn't so lucky back then, as the strike dragged on for close to three weeks.
I was unable to perform even the most basic task like getting an Israeli ID card, opening a bank account, getting my health insurance sorted out - everyone was on strike.
Thankfully today's action was short lived and everyone seems to be happy (for the moment - this is Israel we are talking about, don't forget).
So. New York, New York!
I have been watching obscene amounts of Sex and the City lately, to get into the NYC spirit. I have only to New York once before; a very fortuitously timed trip in June 2001 - a mere three months before 9/11. I was there for just over three weeks and loved every second of it.
I arrive the weekend before the conference, so I have a couple of days to be a total tourist and catch up with a couple of very good friends. One of them is a girl I went to primary and some high school with in Hong Kong. Lisa finished her schooling and university in the UK (where she is from originally) but we managed to stay in touch over the years and I would always visit her whenever I was in the UK. The last time I was there was 1998 - it's hard to believe that is almost 10 years ago!
Around the same time I moved back to Israel permanently last December, Lisa was offered a transfer with her company to Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we've been able to speak on skype and really catch up on a lot of lost years.
When I told her I was coming to the States, she said she could meet me in NY for the weekend. So as hard as it is to believe as I sit in my apartment in Jerusalem and my old childhood buddy sits in her apartment in Atlanta - two old school friends from the other side of the world will reunite in one of the world's greatest cities this weekend.
Olam katan. It truly is a small world.