Taking a little break from recapping everything that I learn in school (sorry, last week was a bit much), I wanted to share something that inspired me this week.
Yesterday I had my whole morning planned out productively before the start of my first class at 12:30pm. On my list was a quick stop at the bank where I needed to have them sign a brief form. Upon entering the bank you need to put in your information and get a printout of your number in line. I received number 33 when they were up to 26 - not too bad. So I take a seat and realize the line isn't moving as quickly as I would have hoped but there's not much to do about it other than wait patiently.
Then this woman comes over to the waiting section and says out loud that she is really in a hurry but needs to get whatever she came in for taken care of. My first thought - which wasn't just passive, rather I really said to myself internally - was that we're all in some kind of rush. I don't think that really anyone sitting there had NOTHING else to do after being at the bank, and immediately thought that if she asked me to go before me I would say that I, too, am in a rush. She then turned to one of the girls sitting on the periphery of the waiting area, just in front of me, and asked her what number she was - 31 - and if she would mind switching. Without hesitation (at least that is what it appeared like), the nice young girl agreed, and the 2 of them switched numbers.
I have to say that it struck me quite hard that mentally I had been so selfish and unsympathetic, and yet this other person was so quick to put the rushing woman before herself (and yes, the woman was really appreciative).
I wanted to rectify the situation and allow myself to be inspired and so I turned to the girl, asked her what number the woman had given her instead (35) and quickly insisted that she switch with me as she had been before me in line anyway. Despite her initial refusal to allow me to switch with her, I was persistent and assured her I wasn't in a rush. She smiled :)
It's crazy how that brief incident turned around my whole day! I was suddenly seeing opportunities to help people all over the place (like the woman bringing her baby's carriage down the steps one by one because the elevator was broken, or holding open a door for someone in the library because their arms were full, etc...) and I was really inspired to take an active role in those situations. I hope this push stays with me and that I can maybe inspire others the way that girl from the bank inspired me - and to continue to help pay it forward, spreading a little more light in this world.
Finally, my 8 years of (varying degrees of) Facebook usage
is coming into functional play. With a
modern –day Internet Studies type of degree such as the one Im working towards,
it was only a matter of time until we started analyzing Social Media sites like
Facebook. Barry Wellman, an American-Canadian
sociologist, has said that “The World is composed of Networks, not groups.” We discussed this quote in class bringing up
the hard to answer question of “what is the difference?” Despite the number of answers that we the
student body as well as the teacher proposed, it was difficult to really define
or pinpoint. Relating specifically to
Facebook, there are more simple differentiations. I can belong to a group of people that are
interested in the same thing, or invited to the same activity. My network is also something I specifically
choose, yet it is more vague because I can be connected to any other person who
has ever gone to Stern College or anyone else who has ever lived in Teaneck, NJ
(or at least stated so on Facebook) and that automatically makes us part of the
same network.
But why is that important?
And how does that play out in real life?
We saw the visualization of an interesting study done on the network of
smokers. Through a series of Nodes and
connective lines representing people (smokers and not smokers in different
colors) and their connections/relationships respectively, we were able to see
how over time people who smoked stuck together and stayed in clusters while the
decline in smoking also stayed in clusters.
We were visually able to see how people quit smoking together, or
continued to smoke together, and doing one or the other was often reliant on
the individuals “network.” That’s just
one example but it seems to be a good general representation of how we flock to
people who are the same or away from people who are different. You don’t always need to be in a defined
group but surrounding yourself with like-minded/actioned people tends to define
our networks.
One of my teachers mentioned that visibility of “network” is
important specifically when it comes to blogging. He said that blogs only continue to exist
when there is readership – otherwise they die out. I immediately wanted to protest and stick up
for the main reason I’m writing this very posting –that I’m doing it for
myself - but I then realized that it’s
true… why am I writing in a public forum and not just my bedside journal? I guess I want people to read this. And through Blogspot I can check how many
people read it (don’t worry – I can’t see who) and from where. It also shows me through what links people
tune in be it from Facebook or Gmail or other.
That gives me another look into my own network because I post a link on
my Facebook page but also on my Gmail status.
Only those that I’m friends with on Facebook would see the more ‘in-your-face’
Facebook link whereas anyone I’ve ever sent an email to that also has Gmail (I think
that’s the way it works) can find themselves clicking on the link through my
Gmail. Every once in a while a google
search will bring a random person my way through the direct content of what I
write.
Which brings me to 2 things I wanted to share that will
serve as the framework for further anayization of my new University
experiences.
In our studies of the Internet and Popular culture, we were
shown a new video that has gone viral in exactly the last week. It is the Google Search Reunion – please watch:
(make sure to turn on the captions from the
bottom right-hand side of the video window).
In discussing just what it is that characterizes a video that is set up
for virality, we talked about emotions.
As soon as it was done the other students very sarcastically started
saying “Oh very nice, how emotional…” yet I surreptitiously had to wipe away
the tears that had dripped down from my eyes (yes, I teared up again when
watching it again just now). It’s
amazing how there is such a discrepancy regarding the sensitivity of an Israeli
and American student (even taking into consideration that I may be graded on
the more emotional side of the spectrum).
I think that could have to do with the type of real life that students
in Israel and students in America have to deal with (Army, anyone?). But the wetness on my cheek was a nice little
reminder of another reason that I was a little different from my classmates. (Did it make you cry, too?)
Another video we watched from a different class was yet
another delineation of what kind of role Internet, and specifically Facebook,
plays in our lives. (Am I just the
biggest loser that my “cool, new” social media video and info come from
School!?!?) Granted this was shown after
we got a privately guided tour of our Professor’s personal Facebook page
including profile and photos and all! Have
a look:
It’s an awesome video and interesting portrayal (please pardon the language), but gets me
thinking the question that I already know the answer to: Do I/we spend too much
time on Facebook? It certainly has its
benefits, and I don’t think I’m daring enough to deactivate my account, but how
often do I find myself in the depths of Facebook, never having intended to get
there, about 2.5 hours after I had planned on going to sleep?
Just some random comments on things I’ve noticed at school:
Israeli students dress up.
I sometimes feel like I want to wear pajamas to school, just like I used
to see students do in the movies or on other campuses I had visited (at Stern,
people didn’t really wear Pjs to class – mainly because our dress code included
skirts) - but that’s not really an
option here. I often see girls wearing
heels just because… despite the fact that I normally try and at the very least
put myself together, I will never wear heels to school. I find myself slipping around on the stones
in my Sperrys! Imagine what a pair of heels would do!
Also, there has been a noticeable lack of Movember
mustaches, at least based on what I’ve seen.
Last year I saw quite a few more in the non-University setting and I
would have thought it would be exponentially more on a Campus setting. Maybe because last year I was around a more
Anglo community? Go figure…
Thanks for your attention – this blog post has been sponsored
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Now that I'm about a month into my graduate school education, my
creative writing juices have once again begun to flow (also out of necessity as
I have to get re-used to writing papers).
I'm back in a position where I am asked to think creatively - unlike in
my work - and my brain is being used in such a way that it has not been used to
working. I'm enrolled in Hebrew
University as an M.A Candidate for Communication with a focus in Internet and
New Media. While conceptually this a
really interesting and relevant field, my hardship in this situation is that
all my classes are in Hebrew. My past year and a half in Israel has given me
the general feeling that my Hebrew has gotten just past the point of
functional, and I even sometimes surprise myself with the level of fluency with
which I catch myself speaking. However,
being in an institution where I'm learning loads of new information (putting
aside the fact that haven't been a registered student for 5 year – although, I
do recognize student-like aspects in the "everyday") all in a language
that is not my mother-tongue is adding a whole new layer to the learning
experience. Obviously I'm having a lot
of new experiences and really for myself, I thought it would do me some good to
document what I'm going through.
I remember on my first day how much like a deer in the headlights I
felt. I'm walking around a new campus
with people that I don’t know and I'm surrounded by a language that I still
need to pay special attention to in order to understand. As I had previously publicized, I even found
myself on the wrong campus at the end of that first day which resulted in my
showing up an hour late to the first of that class which was literally on the
other side of town. In my "regular
life" I feel pretty competent in my day-to-day (not showing up to the
wrong office or apartment) as it would make sense for a regular 27 year
old. However, this new environment is
completely humbling and constantly reminding me of how much more I have to
learn and that not everything in life comes easily. (As much as it is super clear, I feel the
need to point out that I'm describing a set of relative "white girl
problems" and I understand that there exist problems that are obviously
more serious - but that’s not what this is about).
I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that my fellow classmates have
been specifically really nice. People
are going out of their way to welcome me and make me feel welcomed. Each time I get to know someone new from my
classes and I reintroduce myself, they all say "I remember your name and
who you are " – I don’t think that it is indicative of the fact that I’m
special, but rather that clearly I stick out a bit as a non-native Israeli.
Despite my general feeling of anonymity as I walk around, one day someone
stopped in in the hall. She recognized
me from my work and literally started quizzing me about why she wasn’t offered
the position for which she had applied after she had interviewed a few weeks
prior. I was a little thrown off with 1,
being put on the spot like that and 2, with the fact that she remembered me
enough to recognize me in a sea of people trying to find their way.
What does give me the sense of being a “real person” and, while I’m in
this bubble, remembering that I have a life outside, is when I randomly bump
into people that I know from beforehand.
When possible I try and meet up with friends in between classes just so
I can be reminded briefly of the person I know myself to be.
One of the things I love - and my chosen track certainly lends itself
to this - is the juxtaposition of certain popular cultural aspects that I'm
familiar with from my layman lifestyle that are showing up in my classes. For example, in one class we watched a half
an hour clip of the movie "2001 A Space Odyssey." In another class we
watched a 10 minute compilation of the "I'm a mac and I'm a pc"
commercials. Today we watched and
studied the "leave Britney alone" clip - or Meme as I’ve now learned
it to be called - from Chris Crocker (http://youtu.be/kHmvkRoEowc in comparison to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiqkDm9UoKo&list=PL852844F97E22E2AA). Being able to analyze Facebook or SnapChat
in a classroom setting adds a sense of lightness to the fact that I'm working
towards a Master’s degree.
I'm looking forward to seeing how all of these will play out in the
end. Will I get to the point where I
feel fluent enough to express myself in Hebrew as I would have felt in English?
Will I actually feel like I’ve learned and understood enough to earn as opposed
to just receive my Masters? Will being in this immersed environment give me a
better understanding of Israeli culture and my fellow Israeli cohorts? I certainly
hope the answer will be ‘yes’ to at least most if not all of these questions...
But I'm definitely excited about the journey getting there.
These past months, I can’t count the number of times I’ve
either thought to myself or actually said out loud that I should get back to my
blog. I don’t know if it has been
laziness or lack of real inspiration that has stopped me….. but today I finally
felt it. I experienced something today
that has actually motivated me to sit down, organize my thoughts, and write
them down – wanting to share my inspiration.
Today is Israel’s Memorial Day. It is the day where all of Israel – and Jews
worldwide – take the time to commemorate the fallen soldiers of Israel whose
lost lives have facilitated the existence of our State.
I have to say that I have lived 25 Memorial Days in America,
and not once had I felt anything close to the connection that I felt today in
Israel. Granted that a portion of those
years I had been too young to comprehend what the meaning of Memorial Day was –
but that is far from the point. As
someone so shrewdly pointed out, Memorial Day in America means AMAZING sales
and a day off of work/school. (Here I
would like to interject – completely aside from the point as well, that I am actually coming back to the States for
6 days – falling over Memorial Day
weekend, arriving on May 22nd and flying out on the 29th ….
Prepare yourselves!) In truth, not once
had I ever thought about what was being memorialized. I don’t know if that is because I really had
very little (if anything) to ever do with the American Army or because the
nature of our culture that never made that an emphasis point. Memorial Day in America was always more of a
happy day, whereas here in Israel, it is truly a national mourning day.
At 8pm last night, and then again at 11am this morning, a 2
minute long siren sounded ACROSS THE COUNTRY where everyone stopped what they
were doing, stood in silence, and paid tribute to those who are no longer with
us. It is kind of an incredible concept
that something is taking place in every single area of an entire country. Granted we’re not talking about a place like
China that takes up a really sizable part of the world, but even for a small
country like Israel, it seems pretty amazing to me. People compare Israel’s size to New Jersey –
a comparison I can relate to since I’m from there – and yet I could never
imagine a siren going off in every single part of NJ and for all of its inhabitants
to understand the meaning and consequently act.
Whereas, today, in ALL of Israel, when that Siren went off, cars, buses,
bicycles, pedestrians, workers, students – EVERYONE – stopped what they were
doing, stood up in silence and communally paid tribute. No need for me to share a specific picture
since people post them all over Facebook, and a quick Google search can
properly come up with something good.
But it is incredibly inspirational and extremely moving.
Someone at work said to me yesterday that it is almost
expected that every male in the country of army-draft age or older knows
someone whose life was taken in service – and that you can be considered an
outcast if you don’t. It is such a
unifying factor in this country – unfortunately a really sad one – but it is
one of those few things that really bring people together. Political thoughts aside (which is hard to
say in Israel), Memorial Day is a day filled with meaning and gravity –
something that everyone can relate to.
What really adds to this special feeling is that as Memorial
Day comes to an end, Independence Day begins!
It’s a rare juxtaposition that enhances what each day represents. Being able to harness the sadness of the
lives lost, into the happiness of what they lost it for helps me, as a citizen
to be grateful and appreciative. What
hits me is how quickly I’ve been able to jump on board this emotional bandwagon
with my fellow Israelis. Today, I felt
Israeli. Tomorrow I will celebrate as an
Israeli. Despite the fact that I moved
to this country only just over a year ago, I’ve had a more meaningful
connection to my country than I ever did in America.
With that being said, I would like to publically wish Israel
a Happy 65th Birthday! May we
celebrate many more years together in happiness, health, safety, unity and good
memories!
