It was so Israeli when I started grad school, as a real student with courses taught only in Hebrew. It is so American, however, that I don't have courses on Sunday this semester. I am preparing for my second week, and I couldn't be happier. It is a lot of fun being a full-time student and taking courses in Hebrew. Just sitting in a course and understanding it makes me feel really accomplished, and I have a light enough schedule that I don't feel overwhelmed. I am taking a statistics course, a course on animal behavior, and the final level of ulpan (Hebrew language learning). For the most part, my classes are interesting and engaging.
The statistics course is my least favorite, but there is a mutual dread from my fellow classmates, and many of them study in my department. I am sure we will have a number of study sessions together and friendships will form while commiserating. Animal Behavior is great; the professor is in our department and has been very considerate about the language challenge. Not only is the textbook for his class in English but also all of his PowerPoint slides are in English. He has also offered to go over any parts of the lectures that I don't understand. So far understanding hasn't been a problem, but it was nice to have such a warm reception on the first day of class. My last course is ulpan, and I think it will be my most demanding. For all three of my courses, the only grade that counts is the final exam. In the first two, there is only a final exam--no midterms or homework--and in ulpan there are assignments, quizzes, presentations, and projects, but because this is the last level, if I don't get at least a 75% on the final exam, I need to retake the course.
The semester has started out quickly but solidly, and I am excited to be back in school. I have also had a lot of time in the lab and have caught up from the summer. Hopefully I will keep progressing with my research and find a solid balance between lab-work and course-work.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
...she wouldn't let me leave without her...
It is important to stay hydrated wherever you are, and as most Americans (or at least those in my social circle) understand, the easiest way to do so is with reusable water bottles. Camelbaks, Nalgenes, Polar Bottles, the free ones from the bank, your sister-in-laws company, or the fourth of July parade. All of these options work, and like a true American, I carry my water bottle of choice, a Camelbak, with me wherever I go.
Today, I had just finished a delicious dinner (Cafe Calla!) and was about to set out for the grocery store when I realized I was running low on water. We had a jug on our table with a bit of water left, so I poured that water and the water from my cup into my bottle. Though my bottle was only about half full, I was satisfied with my efforts and ready to set out. The woman (not so old and pretty hip but very Israeli looking in style and posture) sitting at the table next to our was not so convinced. It was so Israeli when she wouldn't let me leave until I took the pitcher of water from her table to finish filling my bottle. I tried to argue with her telling her I had enough for the walk home, but she wasn't having any of it. She handed me the jug and I had no choice but to take it. So I filled up my bottle to the brim, thanked her, and started to head on my way. As I was leaving the restaurant, I could hear another table giggling about my water incident, but I must say that I was a happy, hydrated camper.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
...we ran a quick errand...up Masada...
Although my master's thesis focuses on white storks, we study a number of birds in our lab. Recently, I went out in the field with the vulture team. My lab-mate and I had a "quick" errand to run for our project, and it was in the direction of the Negev where most of the vulture research takes place, so we teamed up for a day in the field.
The day started at a relatively reasonable 8:30am. We packed up the jeep, jumped in, and drove down to Masada via Arad. We drove the long way because there was an entrance to some sort of pulley system, and we had a HUGE antenna that we had to retrieve from the top of the mountain. (This was the quick errand.) It was so Israeli when we pulled right up to the pulley system, parked our car, and took a quick hike up the mountain to one of Israel's key tourist attractions. In so many other scenarios, going to Masada would be a big deal or even an all day adventure. We simply climbed up the mountain, climbed some more onto the historical ruins, disassembled our antenna, sent it down the pulley system, hiked down, and left. Rather anticlimactic, but still breathtaking, if you ask me (pictures of the ordeal below).
Our next stop was Sde Boker, a kibbutz and research site in the Negev. We dropped off the antenna which had been strapped to the roof for our drive from Masada over an hour away, and then we continued on our way. Our way, though happened to be off-roading on a road that is only accessible by jeep. People pay hundreds of shekels to go off-roading in the Negev, and we did it as part of our research. I even got to drive a bit (though I did opt out of most of the off-road driving). At various points along the jeep "road", we stopped to listen/look for vultures. The technology on the vulture project is the same as that of the stork project: pingers, antennas, etc. We found a few, downloaded some data, and observed a bit with telescopes and binoculars, but the ultimate goal of the outing was to find a GPS tracker (half the size of my palm) and a harness (some black rope) that had fallen off of a vulture. We had it's general location from a text that the device sent (like in the stork project, the GPS trackers send texts a couple times a day), and using a GPS navigation system, a topography map, and some common sense we set off to look for it.
We had just pulled over (not that there was really much of a road to pull off of) to begin our hike into the desert to find the transmitter when a worker from the Nature Protection Society stopped us. Apparently there is a new law that you can't hike more than 25 meters (don't quote me on that distance) from the marked trail. Our lab has special permission to go beyond this limit, but the worker still needed to check. After a quick phone call we were in the clear with the warning that we had to vacate the park/nature preserve an hour before sunset.
We began walking over hills and into ridges, zigging and zagging our way towards a peak about 800m away. The transmitter was supposed to be somewhere 100m above us, and the peak seemed to fit the GPS coordinates and elevation data reasonably well. We came to a good vantage point and all sat down, one with a telescope, one with the pinger, an antenna, and a map and two with binoculars. We sat in the dessert heat for a while (34+ degrees) searching high and low, scanning for anything that looked to be out of place. The sun began to set behind the peak giving us a nice break from the heat. After about an hour of looking with no luck, we hiked back to the jeep and began our bumpy drive out. The vulture team plans to head back with climbing gear and other supplies to try again. The sun was quickly setting but we didn't think much of it until we got to the exit of the park.
There, waiting for us, was the park ranger who we spoke with before. He began to yell at us about how we didn't make it out of the park in time, and we explained that we tried our hardest but didn't realize how far we had hiked. He wasn't letting up, so someone in our group got out of the jeep and walked over to his pick-up. It was so Israeli when things were suddenly fine after just a few minutes of calm chatter and name dropping. Protectia is an amazing thing. The ranger was not happy, but we got by without a fine. We finished our field day with a sunset picnic and then headed back north to Jerusalem. I got in a fair share of driving, and I am also starting to know my way around Israel a bit more. Also no complaints about a bit of a tan and a day of fresh air!
The day started at a relatively reasonable 8:30am. We packed up the jeep, jumped in, and drove down to Masada via Arad. We drove the long way because there was an entrance to some sort of pulley system, and we had a HUGE antenna that we had to retrieve from the top of the mountain. (This was the quick errand.) It was so Israeli when we pulled right up to the pulley system, parked our car, and took a quick hike up the mountain to one of Israel's key tourist attractions. In so many other scenarios, going to Masada would be a big deal or even an all day adventure. We simply climbed up the mountain, climbed some more onto the historical ruins, disassembled our antenna, sent it down the pulley system, hiked down, and left. Rather anticlimactic, but still breathtaking, if you ask me (pictures of the ordeal below).
Our next stop was Sde Boker, a kibbutz and research site in the Negev. We dropped off the antenna which had been strapped to the roof for our drive from Masada over an hour away, and then we continued on our way. Our way, though happened to be off-roading on a road that is only accessible by jeep. People pay hundreds of shekels to go off-roading in the Negev, and we did it as part of our research. I even got to drive a bit (though I did opt out of most of the off-road driving). At various points along the jeep "road", we stopped to listen/look for vultures. The technology on the vulture project is the same as that of the stork project: pingers, antennas, etc. We found a few, downloaded some data, and observed a bit with telescopes and binoculars, but the ultimate goal of the outing was to find a GPS tracker (half the size of my palm) and a harness (some black rope) that had fallen off of a vulture. We had it's general location from a text that the device sent (like in the stork project, the GPS trackers send texts a couple times a day), and using a GPS navigation system, a topography map, and some common sense we set off to look for it.
We had just pulled over (not that there was really much of a road to pull off of) to begin our hike into the desert to find the transmitter when a worker from the Nature Protection Society stopped us. Apparently there is a new law that you can't hike more than 25 meters (don't quote me on that distance) from the marked trail. Our lab has special permission to go beyond this limit, but the worker still needed to check. After a quick phone call we were in the clear with the warning that we had to vacate the park/nature preserve an hour before sunset.
We began walking over hills and into ridges, zigging and zagging our way towards a peak about 800m away. The transmitter was supposed to be somewhere 100m above us, and the peak seemed to fit the GPS coordinates and elevation data reasonably well. We came to a good vantage point and all sat down, one with a telescope, one with the pinger, an antenna, and a map and two with binoculars. We sat in the dessert heat for a while (34+ degrees) searching high and low, scanning for anything that looked to be out of place. The sun began to set behind the peak giving us a nice break from the heat. After about an hour of looking with no luck, we hiked back to the jeep and began our bumpy drive out. The vulture team plans to head back with climbing gear and other supplies to try again. The sun was quickly setting but we didn't think much of it until we got to the exit of the park.
There, waiting for us, was the park ranger who we spoke with before. He began to yell at us about how we didn't make it out of the park in time, and we explained that we tried our hardest but didn't realize how far we had hiked. He wasn't letting up, so someone in our group got out of the jeep and walked over to his pick-up. It was so Israeli when things were suddenly fine after just a few minutes of calm chatter and name dropping. Protectia is an amazing thing. The ranger was not happy, but we got by without a fine. We finished our field day with a sunset picnic and then headed back north to Jerusalem. I got in a fair share of driving, and I am also starting to know my way around Israel a bit more. Also no complaints about a bit of a tan and a day of fresh air!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
...I came back to my office to find a cat sitting on my...
As some of you know, there are no squirrels in Israel. Instead, there are cats. Lots and lots of cats. And the cats of Israel are just like the squirrels of America...well at least the campus ones. The squirrels at U of I would fight another squirrel or another student for food. They were known for stealing snacks from those sitting on the quad, and they also broke in to quite a few apartments, usually during breaks.
The cats here are just as crazy. Today I was sitting in the grass with a few people from my lab. The four of us were having a quiet lunch. Because of the holiday, the campus is more or less on vacation and we were the only people sitting outside. Also due to the dearth of people on campus, trash cans are running low on "salvageable" food. As we were eating, a crowd of seven cats closed in on us, each one creeping closer than the next. As any good ecology students, we fed them our leftovers tossing a bit here and a bit there. Of course as the feeding began, more cats came to our little circle to see what the fuss was about. One cat, though, kept its distance. My lab mate noticed and tossed him some food. As soon as the cat made contact with the food, he took off in a dead bolt in the direction he came from. It was quite a sight to see. Especially because the caloric value of the nibble of food probably didn't sustain his sprint.
Sadly my cat encounters for today didn't end there. Today, as I do every day, I opened my office window when I got to work. We have bars on our window, maybe about four inches apart to keep people out, so I usually keep it open even when I am working in the lab. Today I was in the lab most of the day, but I was just about finished for the night. It was so Israeli when I came back to my office and not only was there a cat there, but she was curled up on MY chair, the farthest one from the window. I looked at her for a minute, I listened to her for a minute, and then I decided to bring in some reinforcement...a lab mate.
I went back to the lab to find someone to help out. I said that a cat came through the window and that I am not really a cat person, but it didn't sound too healthy. They knew immediately that it was Mitzy. The cat that adopted our lab (apparently she sleeps in the lab in the winter too). They new it was her because she is asthmatic, and when I described a sick cat, it had to be her. Even though they told me she was friendly, I asked one of them to come bring her away. She was really enjoying my chair though; it took a bit of effort to get her to leave. Finally I thought I was in the clear only to sit down in a still warm seat. That was too much for me, and I switched chairs with someone else. Maybe from now on, I will keep my window closed.
The final cat encounter of the day was even worse. One of the students in our lab has been raising a bird which she is hoping to imprint and train in a number of different homing techniques. Today she took the bird out for a bit of practice, and out of nowhere a cat came along and ate the bird. (Now you see why I hate cats?!) They were able to free the bird and make an emergency visit to the veterinarian, but it is still unclear if the bird will make a full recovery. Days like today make me miss squirrels. Or at least the suburban ones!
The cats here are just as crazy. Today I was sitting in the grass with a few people from my lab. The four of us were having a quiet lunch. Because of the holiday, the campus is more or less on vacation and we were the only people sitting outside. Also due to the dearth of people on campus, trash cans are running low on "salvageable" food. As we were eating, a crowd of seven cats closed in on us, each one creeping closer than the next. As any good ecology students, we fed them our leftovers tossing a bit here and a bit there. Of course as the feeding began, more cats came to our little circle to see what the fuss was about. One cat, though, kept its distance. My lab mate noticed and tossed him some food. As soon as the cat made contact with the food, he took off in a dead bolt in the direction he came from. It was quite a sight to see. Especially because the caloric value of the nibble of food probably didn't sustain his sprint.
Sadly my cat encounters for today didn't end there. Today, as I do every day, I opened my office window when I got to work. We have bars on our window, maybe about four inches apart to keep people out, so I usually keep it open even when I am working in the lab. Today I was in the lab most of the day, but I was just about finished for the night. It was so Israeli when I came back to my office and not only was there a cat there, but she was curled up on MY chair, the farthest one from the window. I looked at her for a minute, I listened to her for a minute, and then I decided to bring in some reinforcement...a lab mate.
I went back to the lab to find someone to help out. I said that a cat came through the window and that I am not really a cat person, but it didn't sound too healthy. They knew immediately that it was Mitzy. The cat that adopted our lab (apparently she sleeps in the lab in the winter too). They new it was her because she is asthmatic, and when I described a sick cat, it had to be her. Even though they told me she was friendly, I asked one of them to come bring her away. She was really enjoying my chair though; it took a bit of effort to get her to leave. Finally I thought I was in the clear only to sit down in a still warm seat. That was too much for me, and I switched chairs with someone else. Maybe from now on, I will keep my window closed.
The final cat encounter of the day was even worse. One of the students in our lab has been raising a bird which she is hoping to imprint and train in a number of different homing techniques. Today she took the bird out for a bit of practice, and out of nowhere a cat came along and ate the bird. (Now you see why I hate cats?!) They were able to free the bird and make an emergency visit to the veterinarian, but it is still unclear if the bird will make a full recovery. Days like today make me miss squirrels. Or at least the suburban ones!
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