Monday, February 11, 2013
The small things
It is the small things that make everything great, so why is it that it is also the small things that can break everything?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Travelling by train in Poland - the other side of it
What i did not mention at all, or even hint at, in my last post, is the other side of travelling by train in Poland.
Once upon a time the train was the symbol of progress, a wonderful way to move out of the shtetl and into the future. It was the future. There are lots of Jewish books about Jews on trains. And in those books that were written before the Holocaust - the train occurred as a symbol of the fast-pacing, the train is the mode of transportation which can bring you out fast and which connects you to the rest of the world.
After the Holocaust the train took on quite a different meaning, as we know. It became a mode of transportation to the death camps. And as I travel by train in Poland, that is a haunting and terrible image. It is not easy to live in the aftermath and in the presence of the Holocaust. It never goes away.
When I am on a train and it passes by the farms, little villages, snow covered trees, small stations with their black, square writing of Polish place names, I think of all those who have travelled by train in Poland before me. Those that did not have the possibility to choose when to get off the train, but were taken there in a cattle car with little or no water and food - in rain, in snow, in the blistering heat.
I hear their voices calling out to me. And sometimes I let them come, and I sit there, taking it in, feeling myself slowly drowning in the sadness, despair and tragedy. But, most of the time, like most people living in Poland, I do not let that happen. I have to live with the past, not drown in it. So, I take a moment to remember to sanctify their memory. And then I let go. I build a future. I make plans. I write.
The Holocaust is always there - a never ending presence, looming over us. But it cannot be our only guiding force. Our future, our children's future and those that will come after them again - those are the voices we need to listen to, to build for, to care for.
Once upon a time the train was the symbol of progress, a wonderful way to move out of the shtetl and into the future. It was the future. There are lots of Jewish books about Jews on trains. And in those books that were written before the Holocaust - the train occurred as a symbol of the fast-pacing, the train is the mode of transportation which can bring you out fast and which connects you to the rest of the world.
After the Holocaust the train took on quite a different meaning, as we know. It became a mode of transportation to the death camps. And as I travel by train in Poland, that is a haunting and terrible image. It is not easy to live in the aftermath and in the presence of the Holocaust. It never goes away.
When I am on a train and it passes by the farms, little villages, snow covered trees, small stations with their black, square writing of Polish place names, I think of all those who have travelled by train in Poland before me. Those that did not have the possibility to choose when to get off the train, but were taken there in a cattle car with little or no water and food - in rain, in snow, in the blistering heat.
I hear their voices calling out to me. And sometimes I let them come, and I sit there, taking it in, feeling myself slowly drowning in the sadness, despair and tragedy. But, most of the time, like most people living in Poland, I do not let that happen. I have to live with the past, not drown in it. So, I take a moment to remember to sanctify their memory. And then I let go. I build a future. I make plans. I write.
The Holocaust is always there - a never ending presence, looming over us. But it cannot be our only guiding force. Our future, our children's future and those that will come after them again - those are the voices we need to listen to, to build for, to care for.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Travelling by train
There are many things in Poland which
are exactly like I thought they would be. Like the trains. They are
old. Not fancy. Run down. With old style compartments and interior decoration from the late 60s.
But what did suprise me is that they are generally well maintained and clean. I have to say it again: I am surprised by the cleanliness on the trains. Often I prefer the Polish trains to the ones I have travelled on through other places in Europe – even if those trains were fancier, with electric outlets and great air condition. Here in Poland the toilets are clean and there is no gum on your seat, even if the seats could use more filling and the window cannot stay closed and if it snows outside, it also snows inside where you are sitting.
But what did suprise me is that they are generally well maintained and clean. I have to say it again: I am surprised by the cleanliness on the trains. Often I prefer the Polish trains to the ones I have travelled on through other places in Europe – even if those trains were fancier, with electric outlets and great air condition. Here in Poland the toilets are clean and there is no gum on your seat, even if the seats could use more filling and the window cannot stay closed and if it snows outside, it also snows inside where you are sitting.
There are competing train companies
here in Poland, but all the tickets can be bought at the train
station – or you can get them on the train. I generally like to get
them ahead of time – to know that I have a reservation for a seat,
because sometimes without one – you have no seat. But you cannot
reserve seats on all trains, and that makes me nervous.
The popular routes can get really
crowded. People standing in the hallway. Sometimes they smoke. If all
the seats are filled the train already feels really cramped, even if
there is nobody in the hallway. Especially in second class it feels
like somebody took away your personal space. There is no third class.
And the only difference between second and first class is more space.
In second you sit 4 to either side of the compartment, whereas in
first there are only three. But that is only true some of the time.
Because sometimes, and there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason
to this, you get into a second class compartment and it has three
seats on either side – six in all.
That is what happened to me today. I
had been somewhere in north-western Poland and I had to go back to
Warsaw for a meeting. It is five hours + each way by train. But, I
could not miss my meeting and had to go. So there I was, back in
Warsaw – having arrived by train yesterday, going back to
north-western Poland today. And it was not a direct train, there was
a connection stop where I would have to wait half an hour, which
makes no sense, because the train I took yesterday was a direct one
and took about the same amount of time as the return one...
Anyway,
so there I am standing on the platform waiting for the train with a
second class ticket, but no reserved seat. The trains arrive only
about 3 or 4 minutes before the departure time, so you have to be
ready to jump onboard when it comes. The train arrived slowly, and a
whole bunch of people who had been standing with me where I was
standing waiting, moved towards the end of the platform to presumably
get better seats. Poles like to do that. Move with the train, bus or
tram to get better odds.
They are masters at getting into the good
line. And they are good at standing in line. I have never been in
lines with so many drunk people in the supermarket, in the liquor
store, in the flower shop, yet nowhere in Poland have I experienced
any trouble or mumbling or disgruntled people if the line is taking
its time getting anywhere.
But I digress, here I am on the platform,
all of a sudden, I am alone in my area and I get on the train –
and there – the coveted 3-seat to a side- 2nd class
compartment. I am alone, but not for long. There is a girl with blond
dreadlocks that peak into the compartment. “Is this 2nd
class?” she asks incredulously. “Yes,” I answer. “It's nice,
isn't it?” “Of course, for the two of us!” she answers while
settling in opposite me. She gets the window seat that faces the
travelling direction of the train, while I sit the opposite way. We
are happy. The train is not full. We are joined by two other women,
they close the compartment door behind them. We wouldn't want too
many other people in here.
As the train exits the station and
starts gathering speed, the door to our compartment slowly slides
open and the window glides down a little. I can feel the cold air
coming in trough the window and door, Outside it is freezing. But
that is ok – because we cannot adjust the temperature on the
radiator – and that is blowing out super hot air.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
You know you are getting older when...
..you get happy when the bus driver asks you if you are a
student (and qualify for the student discount) and you thank him for the compliment and you are happy all
day that somebody thought you were that young.
Sigh... :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Giving it another go
Maintaining a blog doesn't seem like something that should be hard. Thousands and thousands of people do it - so why not me?
The simple answer is: I don't know.
But of course - behind most simple answers there usually are more complicated ones.
When I started the blog many, many things were different. In the years that have passed since then my husband and I have loved and lost many dreams. And overall we have a wonderful, blessed life. It is when those dreams come crushing down that it becomes hard to write, hard to communicate outside of those few that are in the know of whatever might be happening at the time.
And the last three and half years have had more than a fair share of those difficult moments. In general, I have had a policy of trying to not reveal too much in this very open, unregulated and un-private sphere which constitutes the internet. And when all you can thing about are those things which might be too much too share with the rest of the world, it becomes hard to write.
I do believe however that did not have to stop me from writing. In fact, I believe that the writing that bring you out of the intertia, and by revealing something amazingly wonderful to the world, it might also in turn be truly realized within myself.
So, that is the new goal. What I will try for.
To reveal in order to realize even more the essence of the revealed.
The simple answer is: I don't know.
But of course - behind most simple answers there usually are more complicated ones.
When I started the blog many, many things were different. In the years that have passed since then my husband and I have loved and lost many dreams. And overall we have a wonderful, blessed life. It is when those dreams come crushing down that it becomes hard to write, hard to communicate outside of those few that are in the know of whatever might be happening at the time.
And the last three and half years have had more than a fair share of those difficult moments. In general, I have had a policy of trying to not reveal too much in this very open, unregulated and un-private sphere which constitutes the internet. And when all you can thing about are those things which might be too much too share with the rest of the world, it becomes hard to write.
I do believe however that did not have to stop me from writing. In fact, I believe that the writing that bring you out of the intertia, and by revealing something amazingly wonderful to the world, it might also in turn be truly realized within myself.
So, that is the new goal. What I will try for.
To reveal in order to realize even more the essence of the revealed.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
True Love
Wislawa Szymborska, Polish Nobel Prize winner just passed away.
Here is her wonderful poem True Love for your pleasure.
True love. Is it normal
is it serious, is it practical?
What does the world get from two people
who exist in a world of their own?
Placed on the same pedestal for no good reason,
drawn randomly from millions but convinced
it had to happen this way - in reward for what?
For nothing.
The light descends from nowhere.
Why on these two and not on others?
Doesn't this outrage justice? Yes it does.
Doesn't it disrupt our painstakingly erected principles,
and cast the moral from the peak? Yes on both accounts.
Look at the happy couple.
Couldn't they at least try to hide it,
fake a little depression for their friends' sake?
Listen to them laughing - its an insult.
The language they use - deceptively clear.
And their little celebrations, rituals,
the elaborate mutual routines -
it's obviously a plot behind the human race's back!
It's hard even to guess how far things might go
if people start to follow their example.
What could religion and poetry count on?
What would be remembered? What renounced?
Who'd want to stay within bounds?
True love. Is it really necessary?
Tact and common sense tell us to pass over it in silence,
like a scandal in Life's highest circles.
Perfectly good children are born without its help.
It couldn't populate the planet in a million years,
it comes along so rarely.
Let the people who never find true love
keep saying that there's no such thing.
Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.
Here is her wonderful poem True Love for your pleasure.
True love. Is it normal
is it serious, is it practical?
What does the world get from two people
who exist in a world of their own?
Placed on the same pedestal for no good reason,
drawn randomly from millions but convinced
it had to happen this way - in reward for what?
For nothing.
The light descends from nowhere.
Why on these two and not on others?
Doesn't this outrage justice? Yes it does.
Doesn't it disrupt our painstakingly erected principles,
and cast the moral from the peak? Yes on both accounts.
Look at the happy couple.
Couldn't they at least try to hide it,
fake a little depression for their friends' sake?
Listen to them laughing - its an insult.
The language they use - deceptively clear.
And their little celebrations, rituals,
the elaborate mutual routines -
it's obviously a plot behind the human race's back!
It's hard even to guess how far things might go
if people start to follow their example.
What could religion and poetry count on?
What would be remembered? What renounced?
Who'd want to stay within bounds?
True love. Is it really necessary?
Tact and common sense tell us to pass over it in silence,
like a scandal in Life's highest circles.
Perfectly good children are born without its help.
It couldn't populate the planet in a million years,
it comes along so rarely.
Let the people who never find true love
keep saying that there's no such thing.
Their faith will make it easier for them to live and die.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Warsaw next! Warszawa następny!
Oh the past year has been a tough one. We went from excitement to disappointment in regards to our upcoming move to South Africa. We are still dealing with some of it, but the long and the short of it is this: Our stuff went there 15 months ago, we never went. Our stuff is still there. (But hopefully not for much longer.)
But, when a door closes, a window is opened, and fast forward and we are moving to Warsaw! Tomorrow!
And now that our lives will have more security, it might be easier for me to write. I had no idea how to share the struggles we have been going through the past year in writing, especially in such an open space as the internet. I did not want to share things which would be inappropriate, but on the other hand I couldn't just chop that part of my life out - especially as for much of the past year it WAS my life - the struggles, frustration, anger, bitterness and loneliness took up most of my being and thought capacity. I am very happy to be able to put that behind me, and move on. Lessons have been learned and the wounds are healing. I am looking forward to learning new positive lessons and regain my belief in humankind and organizations. And learning Polish, really, really quickly so I can speak to people. For now I can say "I don't speak Polish," so wish me luck!
If you know Polish and are reading this - how was the title? (I love google translate, but I don't always trust their translations...)
But, when a door closes, a window is opened, and fast forward and we are moving to Warsaw! Tomorrow!
And now that our lives will have more security, it might be easier for me to write. I had no idea how to share the struggles we have been going through the past year in writing, especially in such an open space as the internet. I did not want to share things which would be inappropriate, but on the other hand I couldn't just chop that part of my life out - especially as for much of the past year it WAS my life - the struggles, frustration, anger, bitterness and loneliness took up most of my being and thought capacity. I am very happy to be able to put that behind me, and move on. Lessons have been learned and the wounds are healing. I am looking forward to learning new positive lessons and regain my belief in humankind and organizations. And learning Polish, really, really quickly so I can speak to people. For now I can say "I don't speak Polish," so wish me luck!
If you know Polish and are reading this - how was the title? (I love google translate, but I don't always trust their translations...)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Germany beckons part 2: Köln and Düsseldorf
This is a bit of a late update of our trip to Germany No2 - but better late than never, right?
No sooner had we come home again, before we saw even cheaper tickets to Düsseldorf, and again from one day to the next our trip was decided and off we went the following day. Düsseldorf is very, very close to Köln, and seeing as there isn't that much to do in Düsseldorf, we went straight from the airport to Köln.
And Köln is a lovely city. Lovely Mr.T indulged us in clothing shopping, games shopping was courtesy of Holiday money from the in-laws (5 new games!! - including a new version of Carcassonne, one of our favourite games and Dominion, a new game we have heard good things about.)
While we were in Germany Channuka started, and that is a great holiday, one of my favourites - filled with candles, candies, fried foods and family time. We lit our candles in our hotel room every night and had a wonderful time enjoying the time, the company, the winter and the holiday.
We went to the many, many Christmas markets (they have seven in Köln, I think) and enjoyed the people watching, lots of handicrafts and lots of local food specialties. Most we didn't eat, but we did have lovely kartoffel puffer or rivekartoffeln otherwise known as latkes in our home. (Kjært barn har mange navn...) They were lovely, crispy, made fresh. The best part was that we could oversee the entire production ourselves, from the grating of the potatoes until they were taken up from the vat of oil, served to us steaming hot with apple sauce. At one place we had them with mustard, which was new to me, but oh, so, so good!
In Köln you also find the Lindt Chocolate Museum, so as a the chocoholic I am, with the most incredible and indulging husband, we went there and looked at the history, production and moulding of chocolates. It was quite fun, but unfortunately there were very few samples to be had...
The neatest building in Köln has to be their cathedral. It is so awesome, and had been built and built and built for centuries! So beautiful, and right next to the train station, so it was the very first thing we saw when we arrived in the city. We went back to it three times, I think. One of the times we walked up inside one of the towers about 100 meters straight up! It was quite an experience!
Dusseldurf - well not much to say really. They have a lot of bars and pubs and we went to a few of the old ones. Probably the coolest pub experience in Germany so far was when the bartender came over to our table and showed us how to eat pickled eggs. That totally redeemed some other not so great bartenders from Dusseldurf for me!
The long and the short of it is this: I really like travelling in Germany. I like shopping in Germany. I love travelling with Mr. T. I love being with Mr. T. And we had a wonderful time together.
No sooner had we come home again, before we saw even cheaper tickets to Düsseldorf, and again from one day to the next our trip was decided and off we went the following day. Düsseldorf is very, very close to Köln, and seeing as there isn't that much to do in Düsseldorf, we went straight from the airport to Köln.
And Köln is a lovely city. Lovely Mr.T indulged us in clothing shopping, games shopping was courtesy of Holiday money from the in-laws (5 new games!! - including a new version of Carcassonne, one of our favourite games and Dominion, a new game we have heard good things about.)
While we were in Germany Channuka started, and that is a great holiday, one of my favourites - filled with candles, candies, fried foods and family time. We lit our candles in our hotel room every night and had a wonderful time enjoying the time, the company, the winter and the holiday.
We went to the many, many Christmas markets (they have seven in Köln, I think) and enjoyed the people watching, lots of handicrafts and lots of local food specialties. Most we didn't eat, but we did have lovely kartoffel puffer or rivekartoffeln otherwise known as latkes in our home. (Kjært barn har mange navn...) They were lovely, crispy, made fresh. The best part was that we could oversee the entire production ourselves, from the grating of the potatoes until they were taken up from the vat of oil, served to us steaming hot with apple sauce. At one place we had them with mustard, which was new to me, but oh, so, so good!
In Köln you also find the Lindt Chocolate Museum, so as a the chocoholic I am, with the most incredible and indulging husband, we went there and looked at the history, production and moulding of chocolates. It was quite fun, but unfortunately there were very few samples to be had...
The neatest building in Köln has to be their cathedral. It is so awesome, and had been built and built and built for centuries! So beautiful, and right next to the train station, so it was the very first thing we saw when we arrived in the city. We went back to it three times, I think. One of the times we walked up inside one of the towers about 100 meters straight up! It was quite an experience!
Dusseldurf - well not much to say really. They have a lot of bars and pubs and we went to a few of the old ones. Probably the coolest pub experience in Germany so far was when the bartender came over to our table and showed us how to eat pickled eggs. That totally redeemed some other not so great bartenders from Dusseldurf for me!
The long and the short of it is this: I really like travelling in Germany. I like shopping in Germany. I love travelling with Mr. T. I love being with Mr. T. And we had a wonderful time together.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Germany beckons part 1: Berlin
With this extra time in our pockets (South African work permits are still not in our hands, so we are still waiting, waiting...) cheap flight tickets out of Israel are more interesting than ever. That is how we ended up going to Berlin a few weeks ago. We saw last minute tickets for 4 nights, 5 days in Berlin and a day later, off we went to Germany.
Berlin is a wonderful city, and I can only say great things about our trip. We went to lots of the really great museums, had some great vegetarian Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and even German food, we went to the opera and saw The Barber of Seville, met up with friends and did a little shopping. (Like the yarn I mentioned last post.)
One of the coolest things we saw was this bust of Nefertiti. She was the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. They are known for starting a shift in the Egyptian religion, where they started worshiping only one God. She was amazingly beautiful, and this particular sculpture is really quite fantastic. There are countless busts and statues made of her, but, what makes the one they have in the Neues Museum in Berlin quite special, is that it was the sculpture they had in one of the work shops where they made the sculptures, so you can see what the process is. One eye is finished, the other shows what the surface underneath the glass inlay looks like. So cool to be able to see ancient craftsmanship and techniques in real life!
But, as always the best part of the whole trip was of course that I got to go there with Mr.T. I always take more away from any trip I get to go on with him, I see more and experience more and enjoy it more. I am so grateful to have him in my life.
Berlin is a wonderful city, and I can only say great things about our trip. We went to lots of the really great museums, had some great vegetarian Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and even German food, we went to the opera and saw The Barber of Seville, met up with friends and did a little shopping. (Like the yarn I mentioned last post.)
One of the coolest things we saw was this bust of Nefertiti. She was the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. They are known for starting a shift in the Egyptian religion, where they started worshiping only one God. She was amazingly beautiful, and this particular sculpture is really quite fantastic. There are countless busts and statues made of her, but, what makes the one they have in the Neues Museum in Berlin quite special, is that it was the sculpture they had in one of the work shops where they made the sculptures, so you can see what the process is. One eye is finished, the other shows what the surface underneath the glass inlay looks like. So cool to be able to see ancient craftsmanship and techniques in real life!
But, as always the best part of the whole trip was of course that I got to go there with Mr.T. I always take more away from any trip I get to go on with him, I see more and experience more and enjoy it more. I am so grateful to have him in my life.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Oh, knitting, how I miss thee
At the end of June we sent a container full of our stuff to South Africa, thinking that we were coming just behind. It was mid-summer in the mid 30s (Celcius), so my thought was: "I will survive a couple of hot summer months without knitting. It won't be too bad. Ok, I will send all my knitting needles and yarn in the shipment going in the container.I will see them again at the beginning of August. It will still be winter in South Africa. How practical!"
My knitting supplies - well, they arrived in South Africa on the 10th of August, but we did not. Five months later and we are still in Jerusalem. I am starting to miss them. And no, a little crocheting is not enough. One tiny, tiny needle hook (0.75 is really small) and 5 tiny balls of cotton string - that does not quench the knitting fingers' thirst for some action.
Cue our 'romantisk storbyferie' (romantic metropolitan vacation, which I hear all of my Norwegian friends talk about with such stars in their eyes) to Berlin. Berlin is filled with goodies of all kinds - more to tell in a later post - but also yarn. I had take some home. As a souvenir of course. So some beautiful teal coloured Regia 4-fadig yarn had to come home with us. (No picture unfortunately... My camera has no more battery power, and guess where my battery charger is - that is right - in our container in the port in South Africa. GRRRR!)
So now all that stands between me and knitting is needles. I love bamboo, hate metal and plastic needles, well to generalize at least. (I have never tried the fancier rosewood needles etc, so I cannot say whether or not I like them...) Last week I went looking for some needles. My usual supplier here has stopped carrying bamboo needles, so the hunt is on. We will see what this week brings.. Maybe, maybe I will be able to find it in one of the other three stores in town which carry such silly knitting notions. Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)