Ahhh the big question...

So the million shekel question from everyone in the States has been:

"Erik, do you feel safe over there?"

First off, to those who have asked...thank you. It's very sweet.

Second, there are moments when I take offense at questions like that. "Do you think I would happily move to a place for two years if it was getting bombed every minute?" I wanna ask people. "Do you really believe everything you watch on TV? Give me some credit...I may be ballsy but I'm not stupid."

Then the other side of me understands why that question comes up. It's cause violence is, in fact, all you see on TV when it comes to Israel. This region fills a vacuum for news organizations: war. Violence = ratings = big bucks. The "script" that is the Israeli-Arab conflict is a highly profitable commodity for news organizations. Any deviation from the "script" is not seen as important, newsworthy, or profitable. I've seen this first-hand, having worked in newsrooms. But these aren't insider secrets. Unless you look for alternate sources of information, all you're ever gonna equate Israel with is: death, war, and terrorism. Statistically, Americans support Israel. But they aren't quite sure who or what Israel is.

And that sucks because life truly lives here. If it's one thing that I hope people come to understand about this place, it's that despite the circumstances, life really blooms here. Walking around, children seem so happy. They play with an uninhibited and intoxicating sense of joy and freedom. But I'm getting off point and "Israelis" is a whole other post for a whole other day.

So back to feeling safe. Yes I feel safe. Admittedly, I live in a bubble here at Hebrew University. The campus is guarded like Ft. Knox. And with good reason. In 2002, a suicide bomber blew himself up and murdered a bunch of kids at the Frank Sinatra cafeteria where I now eat lunch when I'm tired of the falafel at the take-out stand. It's an eerie feeling. I get depressed and furious every morning walking past the modest memorial. But I don't feel at risk.

Nor do I feel at risk when I go out in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. And I go out. A lot (FYI, nargilla and Goldstar...great combo). Maybe I've become a little Israeli in the short time I've been here, but I just don't think about security that much anymore. Life is too short to be spent worrying about "which possible site is gonna be a target today." Do you realize how insane you'd drive yourself if you really did that every morning??? I'm having a hard enough time learning how to say "where are the bathrooms" in Hebrew.

So, yea, I feel safe.