Celebrating Bastille Day with a trip to the Beach 15/07/2009

Beach

True Story–EverDry, the first modern antiperspirant, hit drugstores in 1903. The original formula was so acidic that it regularly ate through clothing. I’m glad for modern science, because with the heat here, there is a lot of perspiration. One of the summer school students had a family member visiting this past weekend, and she commented that the heat was not unlike “standing behind the exhaust pipe of a bus, but the bus never seems to leave”. Most days I don’t mind the heat- I’ve learned to embrace it, and that no one here in the desert really cares how sweaty and gross you are. In the evenings, the heat here is not oppressive at all. It’s warmth is actually very friendly feeling, and I wish I could somehow take it back to Boston in blanket form. I know the first rainy day I find in Boston is going to be exciting for a few minutes (or, confusing- water? from the sky?) and then I’ll be wishing I could wrap myself up in the heat of the Arava Valley. That being said, I’ve felt the effects of the sun the past two days. Even with sunblock (50 SPF in the morning, with an application of 70SPF in the afternoon!), about 6 liters of water, and a cowboy hat, my excursion into Eliat yesterday left me with a horrible, horrible headache and a stomach that felt not unlike the attack of the creature from the (stomach acid) lagoon. Thankfully, the modern inventions of advil, icecubes and the cell phone (thanks for listening to me whine, dad!) helped me pull through the night. I woke up this morning feeling a little worse for wear, but I pretty sure that I’m not dead yet.

So, what was I doing yesterday that brought on this horrible sun curse? Well, like any red-blooded American living in Israel, I celebrated Bastille Day by adventuring to the ocean. I went along with the Summer Course to Eilat; a city with the description of “Eilat- yofi shel ir”, which I interpreted as meaning, “Eilat- the city with the awesome”. (Unfortunately, actual Hebrew speakers informed me that the cities motto was actually “a beautiful city”, and that the grammar came from slang. I think my translation had a bit more poetry to it).

Our first stop was at the bird sanctuary, where we learned about the millions of birds that use Eilat as a stop over during migration. Because of the large amounts of desert surrounding the city, almost all breeds of birds that migrate between Africa and Europe and Asia, use Eilat as a stop over. The sanctuary does research and environmental education, demonstrating how the large influx of humans to the area has affected the bird population. Our teacher, Noam, explained that he felt that in order to catch birds, tag them and release them, one needed a fulfilling justification. In his case, he found that environmental education served that purpose. He brought for our group six birds that he had caught and tagged that morning. He let us look at the birds to learn what marks in their feathers meant, to hear their coos and to educate us about bird patterns and life styles. The true justification for showing us, and all visitors, the birds was the emotional attachment that was created. He let a few of us hold the

with my bird friend...

birds and then release them. Noam told us that he has found children really associating with the birds, and that the bonds created inspire them to learn more about nature and how to be more environmentally friendly. The bird I held decided it liked me, and even after opening my hands so that it could fly off, it decided to hang out with me for a while. It wasn’t until Noam came over and showed me how to encourage it to fly by tossing it up upwards gently that my buddy the bird took off. It was a cute guy, a breed of birds that actually has whiskers. I think we got along quite well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he flies up to visit me here on the kibbutz.

Noam also took us through the areas of the reserve not open to the public to demonstrate how the research on the birds was done. He also took us out into the “bird mazes”, netting constructs that momentarily hold the birds in place so that they can be captured for tagging.

Noam leading our expedition

Unlike other research sites that create traps out of netting, the birds that fly into the bird mazes can find their way out in about 5 minutes. However, we were

Bird Catcher Extrordinare!

able to encourage birds to fly into the maze by creating a line, and making noise while walking. He even taught us how to chase the birds with nets, and how to hold them so they wouldn’t feel stressed upon capture. I’m hoping to go back before I leave and to spend some more time with the birds, after all, I’d be in good company. King Solomon’s “Song of Songs” references the birds in the area of Eilat, thus giving him the title of first official bird researcher and observer in the area.

Following our time at the bird sanctuary we headed to the Eilat Field School for a lecture on the ecology and make up of Coral Reefs. No matter how many times I’m told about what coral is, I still find it hard to believe that those rock like substances that live underwater are actual living animals. I wonder if there are alien creatures who ever look at our planet and think the same thing;

Fish

“those humans. they think of themselves as living creatures? they’re so…. un-advanced and stationary! All they do is sit around all day at their desks without the capability to do [advanced alien life-form behavior]”.

After our lesson, we took that knowledge gained from the lecture over to the Eliat Aquarium and got a chance to see first hand examples of specific types of coral and fish that call the Gulf of Aquba home. I think the personal highlight was the giant sea turtles, who seemed to be having a super good time swimming around and looking wise. Eventually I had to leave the turtle exhibit, in order to fight the temptation to jump in the water and ride around on their giant shells.

Turtles

The last stop was a snorkeling tour, which I actually opted out of. Instead I enjoyed the beach, and some icecream. At that point I was already feeling the effects of the sun and the exhaustion.

UNDERWATER AQUARIUM

I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the day. For one, Noam’s discussion about why it’s important to let individuals have an actual connection with nature was thought provoking, and very relevant when at the aquarium watching the sharks, fish, turtles and whatnot swim in circles. I remember quite clearly that when we were in fourth grade we were taught about how debates worked, and one of our debate topics was on whether it was morally right or wrong to have zoos and hold animals in captivity. I came down on the side of it being right, but I’ve had this discussion with many since being in fourth grade. Yes, on one hand, it does make me sad to see animals constrained in captivity. On the other hand, I really do think that the emotional connection one can make from actually looking into the eyes of another creature is something that can’t be found in a book or looking at a picture on the internet. We don’t all have the capability to fly all around the world to look for animals in nature, nor am I sure that its a wise course of action. But, if we can teach individuals about the importance of taking care of our world, and if the only way to really create the EMOTIONAL connection is from having a chance to actually see animals in a replication of their environment, and to learn why and how they live… well, I think it’s something very important and priceless. This is not to say all animals should be rounded up and kept captive. However, animals that are well cared for in aquariums, or the act of catching a bird, studying it, tagging it, and releasing it in a way that causes no harm to the animal or the native environment seems to me a worthwhile justification.

I’d like to conclude with another fun fact–other than paragraph indentations, the Dead Sea Scrolls contained no punctuation. Therefore, I feel a bit better about the draft like nature of these posts.

blooming in the desert 09/07/2009

Next semester I’m taking a readings course with a Brandeis professor on the topic of “Environmental Economics”. The purpose of the course is two-fold: 1) to learn how to spell “environmental” without spell check and 2) to better understand the practical application of environmental theory, and to better design, analyze and advocate environmental policy. A friend of mine from my MIT days (hi MLF!) informed me that he’s currently working at a place that does environmentally sustainable economics, looking at social justice factors in large corporations. I was THRILLED to hear this news, and can’t wait to sit down and discuss everything he did this summer. I really never thought, not in a million years, that I would ever find the idea of “cost-benefit- analysis” exciting. But, more and more I’m convinced that the true way to making any environmental change is not by showing people what they are destroying or pointing to the beauty of nature, or even to the adverse effects that their behavior will have on their own health and the future of the planet. I think it comes down to the nuts and bolts of facts and figures: this is how being green is going to save you and your company money in the long run.

I suppose the next question is why do I care so much? I haven’t always been a great environmentalist. I’m still not- I’m learning, but I’m still far from perfect. No where near close to it. Where did this desire come from? Well, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: my parents did a top-notch job of raising me and my sister. In fact, I’m nervous to even think about children, as I’m sure there’s no way to follow in their footsteps. Through summer camps and family trips, my parents installed a deep love of the outdoors in us. Sure, I might be a bit of a couch potato some days, but I blame that more upon my physical need for rest than a desire to be inside. Find me a hammock, and I’d be perfectly happy being a hammock potato instead. After all, my mom and I spent the vast majority of my formative years outside with the horses, and nothing tops the memories of hiking in Shenandoah or celebrating the New Year by cross country skiing in our back yard and neighboring prairie. I spent each summer at Heller Nature Center Camps, learning the art of canoeing, camping and conserving. When I was older I spent summers up in Northern Minnesota at an all girls camp called Kamaji, in rustic cabins with no electricity, spending my days horseback riding, swimming and enjoying the outdoors… and I loved every single minute of it.

Me in the Experimental Orchard

I think as I got older and started to question my views of religion more, nature became an even bigger answer. I might not spend all of my days hiking, but I find something truly majestic in the outdoors. My love for animals is pretty common knowledge (as is my academic and personal view that most majors religions show signs of believing that animals too had souls). I collect spirit animals the way some people collect baseball cards. And, well, while I do sometimes joke that I can prove the existence of a higher being by the deliciousness of McDonalds Hash Browns… I actually think a quiet afternoon sitting in a field watching the breeze making flowers dance, or gazing through a mosaic of leaves at filtered sunlight, or heck, even watching a dog finding intense enjoyment from something not visible to humans is where one can really understand their place in the world.

There have been studies greatly detailing the fact that learning too much about all the horrific things we’ve done to our planet really leaves people with a sense of hopelessness and doom. I know this is true, because I can’t help but feel completely overwhelmed a large part of the time. Its nice to know that there are organizations out there doing what they can do, and people studying and fighting back– but the voice of “I am just one person– what can I do?” is often deafening.

This morning I took a walk out to the date Orchards with my new friend Annie and Click the three legged wonder dog. It was a beautiful morning, the very kind of morning that inspires such reflection.

Looking back through the Date Orchards.

The date orchards look, to the untrained eye, much like rows and rows of palm trees. Dates, at least here, are grown with greywater and salt water- so, while there is some debate about their sustainability or place in the desert, they are at least using water that would not be used for drinking. We also wandered a bit through the experimental orchards, where AIES is growing different types of crops that enjoy the desert soil and lack of water. We let Click set the pace, moving slowly and stopping often to smell things that we couldn’t see. It was a wonderful way to start the day before coming to work.

Annie and Click

This might be enough ramble for today– I think my telling you how to fix your lives would be the very definition of throwing bricks from my glass house. But, I think my walk with Annie this morning reminded me of a few things. One being that the first of many steps is to realize that we are not alone. We aren’t alone in this world, and we aren’t alone as people who care about it.