Experimenting in Palestine

In June 2009, while visiting family in the Middle East, my parents, brother and I crossed the Allenby Bridge checkpoint separating Jordan from the West Bank. I remember the experience very vividly. The crowded bus filled with helpless, frightened and above all, frustrated Palestinians. The initial stop and individual frisk we received from Israeli soldiers at the first screening 100 yards outside the compound. The watchtower and heavily armed soldiers dressed in Kevlar and their authoritative instructions to us upon exiting the bus. It was an intense and disconcerting experience but somewhat expected considering this was a militarily occupied land.

However, what struck me the most about my first adulthood crossing into Palestine was the 18-25 year old Israeli boys and girls working the various stations inside the terminal. This was the first layer of  Israel's economy.

The sight made me wonder about the thousands of young (and old) stationed across the 700+ military checkpoints throughout the West Bank. What would happen to Israel's economy built on this security apparatus if peace were realized? Would there be new jobs for all these young people? It was clear to me that Israel's garrison state had become arguably it's greatest employer and economic driver.

Little did I understand how much this economy of "security" was intensifying. The short documentary, The Lab by Yotam Feldman, rekindled my memories at the bridge and questions further the incentive for a negotiated settlement in Palestine.

Israel has used the military occupation - and its innovation to maintain it - to become a world leader in weapon sales and "management" of conflict. Zionism aside, why should Israel forfeit the handsome and far-reaching rewards of this business?

Watch the Witness film on Al Jazeera to understand how Israel benefits economically from military occupation.

Dutch Reset

Travel can encourage many things including self-actualization, creative impulse and clarivoyance. My recent trip to visit family and friends in DC and Virginia reset these perspectives. Less than a week after returning I realize three things I appreciate more about the Netherlands. 

1) Diversity. Perhaps it relates more to living in the densely populated Randstad, but I am regularly impressed by the high level of Dutch multiculturalism. Each day, I encounter folks from China, Indonesia, Korea, India, Pakistan, Suriname, Morocco and Turkey. All of them speak perfect Dutch and live very Dutch lives. I certainly didn't expect this concentration of diversity and integration, especially coming from the US where we tout our rich multiculturalism (rightly so) as a global ideal. Of course, Europe has it's migrant woes but diversity seems very much alive in the Netherlands.

2) Openness. I'm not referencing Dutch tolerance towards drugs or sex. I'm talking about window curtains and sidewalk smiles. The Dutch are not bashful about showcasing their homes to the street. If you stroll any neighborhood at night, you will encounter many homes exposing decorative ceilings, soft-lit living rooms, bedroom art, beautiful lampshades and historic chandeliers. As for sidewalk smiles. I've had some lovely  exchanges, including one which led to a spirited bike race. The Dutch are light-hearted and amicable people to say the least. And in both cases, a sense of community is developed. 

3) Arts and Culture. In the Netherlands, no matter the season, climate or even the time, there is always an ethnic celebration or festival on the calendar. And whereas American's tend to remain indoors on cold or rainy days, no weather pattern can deter the Dutch from biking to a social function for a delicious beverage and a chance at cultural inspiration. 

Between Worlds, Again

I love living in Europe. The people, the languages, the foods, the proximity to so much history and diversity; it's all a travelers delight. However, I recently returned from another holiday in the Middle East -- this time in Dubai and Muscat, Oman with a one night layover in Amman, Jordan -- and I realized something which first pulled my conscious when I last visited the region in August 2013.

That last visit was arguably the best two weeks of my life. Reconnecting with uber creative and loving people couldn't have been more emotionally fulfilling.

This recent trip brought back those same people and included more from my life in the US. Each day for more than two weeks I felt the love of friends, family, a language, a cuisine and a heritage. Sure, some of my excitement and emotion was heightened by the experience of traveling in a new place, but when I walked into my warm and welcoming apartment in the city center of The Hague, my first feelings were emptiness. It was a completely unexpected emotion. Almost immediately I felt lonely misplaced.

So there I was standing in my apartment with my travel bag still on and sensing I was between worlds again. I left a place filled with people near to my heart for somewhere removed and curiously uninviting. It was a peculiar feeling.

I suppose the idiom, the grass is always greener on the otherside, holds true. However, at this point in my writing, I have to ask:  Is it good to be back in the Netherlands?

I would say, it's good to slot back into a comfortable and routinized life again, yes. And it's been good to reacquaint myself with structure and predictability. I appreciate those things and for now, those things just happen to be in the Netherlands. Carpe diem.

Burj Al-Arab

A good friend and I visited the Burj Al-Arab this evening. We sipped our drinks on the top floor of the hotel's Skyview Bar and looked out towards the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifah, in downtown Dubai. The third part of our holiday was just beginning. Part one celebrated Dida's wedding. Part two was spent in neighboring countries; Jerry in Saudi Arabia and myself in Muscat, Oman. With those experiences behind us and the world's tallest building in front of us, two thoughts entered my mind:

1) how insignificant and how fleeting our lives seem when measured against the scale and diversity of the world, particularly in a city like Dubai and in the shadow of such conquering structures like this city's skyline.

2) Embrace your seconds and minutes, and not just your days. Keep moments in the front of your mind and in the spirit of the old aphorism, Carpe diem!

City skylines have always triggered a reflective spirit in me. However, in Dubai my feelings were magnified and took a different angle. Thoughts of family, culture, language, imagination and initiative swirled in my head. How could I match the energy, commitment and drive of this city? Could my life have a greater purpose? In less than 20 years, Dubai transformed itself from a collection of short and stubby office buildings along a creek into a global tourist destination with "world's biggest" titles in over a dozen categories. Here I was approaching my 30th birthday and still pondering my contribution to this world.

I asked Jerry, "do you feel like you're still discovering yourself?"

"Of course." he responded. "I think life is a continuous learning process." Silence (the good kind). We stared longer at downtown Dubai. The city moved gracefully as buildings fitted with lights changed color and traffic flowed like blood through veins.

Then it dawned on me. No doubt each place, moment and shared or unshared experience contributes to the organic development of self. Recognizing this is one thing. But if I want to continue the process of self-discovery then I should continue recording the minutes and moments of inspiration. And in the spirit of Dubai, combine these moments with my goals to encourage a reality. 

A Minor Epiphany

Sitting on a stone wall at the beach in Qurm, Muscat, Oman. As I'm admiring the 6v6 beach soccer happening right in front of me, an older white tourist with the demeanor of a surfer dude appears next to me and breaks the silence, "you look like you want to play." 

"A part of me wants to", I respond. "Go for it, you should," he replies. I stay silent and ponder the thought. A couple mins pass by and when I turn to see if this guy is still standing, he's gone. Moments later I jump down from the stone wall and begin walking again. In front and behind me is nothing but beach. Yet this guy is no where to be seen. I start wondering about his remark to encourage me to join the beach football. 

Upon reflection it feels like one of those moments when you scale back to think of your action(s) and how they can reflect or even shape a personality. In recognizing this hours later, I realize that the guy and I had a verbal exchange of 25 words in the span of seconds and in that exchange we acknowledged two important things:  an interest in communicating with potentially like minded people, and a desire to to belong. 

Whether I fully understood at the time or not, I certainly realize now that the guy (directly or indirectly) challenged me to challenge myself; to stop pondering and start acting. Make a move or not. More importantly, there is no right or wrong answer but such choices define opportunities and how we chose to perceive them. 

Six Months in Europe

Today marks six months since I arrived in The Hague, the Netherlands. The career move and the opportunity to live on a new continent has been very rewarding. In short, work is going well. I've had the freedom and flexibility to create and share The Hague Institute's mission throughout the web. My work has had a positive impact on the Institute's goals and I couldn't ask for a more supportive boss.

Outside the office, I've focused on a touristic mindset that has encouraged me to experience many cities, new cuisine and multiple languages. I have travelled to Estonia, Belgium, France, throughout the Netherlands, and visited family in the Middle East. Dutch classes have improved my sense of belonging in South Holland, and biking on days of continuous rain barely dents my psyche now.

However, beyond my new life in Europe and beyond the routine of new challenges such as communicating in dutch and cooking home meals, two thoughts have persistently tickled my emotions over these past six months. The first deals with the contrast between the place of living and the place of home. I would like to reflect more on these thoughts but in a later post.

The second idea involves a desire I expected to (somewhat) subside, the travel bug. Even before arriving to Holland, I understood living in Europe would encourage more exploration. However, I did not anticipate the intensity of my cravings to "screw it," and trek the globe. Some of this relates to the range of diversity and my discussions with countless people from dozens of backgrounds. They have inspired me to think more seriously about the day when I trade my business casual for a backpack. I'm not sure when this trip will begin but I am convinced that my life in The Hague is only the first part of a larger goal to see more.

So with that in mind, I look forward to another six months of weekend trips, cultural events, new encounters and better communication. They will serve as ingredients to a journey facing the horizon. 

Re-motivated

Wow, almost five years since my last post! Perhaps my biggest hurdle has been designating time to simply write my thoughts. There have been plenty to share and thanks to my phone none have been lost or forgotten. 

I hope my new sense of discipline, along with advice from Mr. Brja, will inspire me to revive my writing, and I hope experiences from my past five years will meld together in these future writings. I will start slow and brief, and begin by sharing perhaps no more than 50-100 words. Let's see where we go.