Sleepless Dreamer > Recent Status Updates

Well, after nearly 5 months in Seoul, it happened: I got on the wrong train. Do I wish that this hadn't have happened late at night, when I am at the other side of town, an hour away, and just want to get home?

Yes but we don't cry about wasted 45 minutes. Ugh.

"I used to be afraid of telling people they’d gotten my name wrong, but I’ve now made it a part of my praxis. It matters that we defy white supremacy, every day, bit by bit. It matters that we demand respect."

This is how you know someone has never set foot outside of the West- my Israeli name is constantly botched by Koreans and I've simply accepted it, where is the white supremacy?

I'm doing a presentation in class about Brazil's food industry tomorrow and I literally have nothing but I started reading this book so obviously, Brazil will have to wait.

Me, when I first came to Korea: Yes, doors are intimidating here and they feed my anxiety about getting trapped somewhere but I'm sure this will go away once i get more comfortable here

me, in my 5th month in Korea: fuck these doors. seriously, what a cursed concept.

How to recognize an Israeli in Korea:
- "I absolutely need a salad, I miss vegetables"
- "Well, Iranian food is very close to my country but it is different"
- shorts, sandals, curly hair, accent that sounds like French
- randomly mentions a word in Russian
- "Khummus"

Yes, I'm totally eavesdropping but this is my first time running into an Israeli here. Do I reveal my own Israeliness or continue listening?

I did not know that homesickness could physically hurt. What a week.

Me: "oh my god, an interview, I've got to get dressed up, I need to prepare, oh no"

the interview:
"well, obviously, you are accepted to this program. My question to you is, why not the excelling students' PhD program? Your application was great, it was definitely on par with the other applications for it"

Me: ahh, my imposter syndrome! catch me celebrating my academic potential by lying on the floor and crying

"I order an iced coffee, which in Israel is more like a Frappuccino."

Nope, Israel just has a distinction between "cold coffee" and "iced coffee", which is essentially a coffee slushie. Americans always get this wrong and then complain.

"“Holidays?”

“High Holidays, yes. Others?” She shrugs."

BS. No secular Israeli Jew would give up on Purim, Passover or Shavout- these are fun holidays. This is the kind of thing an American Jew says but an Israeli never would even think this way.

The schedule of their trip is really weird. Yes, Israel is a small country but why would you cram Jaffa and the north into one day? Why visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem only to go back between them the day after? Mount Hertzl and Yad Vashem are next to each other, it makes no sense not to see them on the same day. Ahhh.

This book is making it seem as though the only food in Israel is hummus and pitas. While I have been known to survive off of pitas for months, it must be known that there's way more to put on it than hummus. Like, excuse you, Israeli cream cheese exists.

"There are a few people singing along, super excited as the speakers boom about being a golden boy and showing people Tel Aviv."

Okay, this Eurovision reference is appreciated.

"So while many Jews see this land as a safe harbor, many Palestinians feel about Israel like Native Americans feel about the US."

...Because they are ignorant about Jewish history. There's a reason Jews came to Israel. I expect a book written by Jews to address this.

"“To confirm, you have never been to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt?”

Just Arabic countries? Well, that’s high-key racist."

Arab countries, not Arabic and Iran is not an Arab country. Yes, I intend to nitpick this entire book.

6am, there's a missile alert in the Seoul area. Everyone seems to be confused and panicking.

I'm just here like, "as I've said to the Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, I refuse to get out of bed before 9am and if this is how I die, so be it".

Really, as an Israeli, Korea is absolutely not prepared for a war.

Life abroad be like:

this is amazing, i'm having such a good time!

five minutes later...

me, sobbing because Korean health care is absurdly complicated and so deeply hostile towards foreigners and i am frustrated and miss israeli healthcare.

Israel: there's a seminar in this cafe now. Leave.

Korea: we are so so sorry but there's a seminar here. If you don't mind, it would be great if you could move a few seats. Here's a coupon for coffee next time, thank you so so much.

How will I move back home after experiencing this level of politeness and care?

Me, to myself: I'm not going to talk about the war in Israel and Palestine now. People never know how to respond to that.

Her: my favorite part of Korea's war museum was the tanks, so cool
Me:
Her:
Me: there's a war in Israel now. I'm worried about my grandparents. Innocent people have died. Tanks aren't cool.
Her:
Me:
Her:
Me:
Her: oh.

“We permit a farmer to divide the weak from the strong in his pack of cows, yet we're appalled when Hitler does the same to Jews”

.... is this implying that Jews are weak? And comparing Jews to cows? This book is ridiculous and I am getting annoyed.

me, this morning: what a lovely day here in Seoul, I'm going to explore this neighborhood and perhaps work on my opera

me, now that I have this book: stop everything, where's the nearest hipstery cafe, my day is cleared for this book. Very ready to hear Joe's voice again

Jewish conversations with Korean proselytizers like:

There's a mistake in your Old Testament translation.

Do I know Jesus? Oh, I used to live by Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended. I could have a conversation in Jesus' native language. I'm more culturally similar to Jesus than you.

2000 years of Christians trying to convert us and you think you'll succeed? I don't hate Christianity, don't make me start.

Israeli adventures:

an Italian guy from my degree told me "I'm so sorry about what's happening in Israel" and I'm here like, are you talking about the rockets from Gaza? The fights in Al Aqsa? The mass protests? The tensions in the north? The terror attack last week? The impending dictatorship? You gotta be more specific, we have enough crises to spare".

"On the same day Byun came out, the military discharged her, claiming that her sex-reassignment surgery had left her “disabled” without male genitalia and thus unfit to serve. She was South Korea’s first known transgender soldier—and the first transgender person to come out so publicly in nearly two decades."

The r a g e I felt reading Israeli news this morning, there has never been a more just protest and I am so proud of every Israeli back home for fighting.

This is the Israel that knows right from wrong. They will be teaching civics classes about tonight. We can't lose this home.

Korean adventures: Yesterday I managed to have a conversation in Korean with a cashier and today I ran into her in the street and we bowed at each other.

And my neighbor and I had a wholesome interaction.

I'll never be a local in Seoul but slowly feeling at home here is amazing, I am so grateful to this wonderful city for hosting me.

This coalition ran on a campaign of promoting peace with Saudi Arabia but at this rate, they're going to end our peace agreement with Jordan instead.

Seriously, the state of Israeli politics now would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad, scary and frustrating

A few months of a radical right wing government managed to do what decades of anti-Israel activists couldn't do: Israelis are advocating for refusing army service, for boycotting Israeli officials, for divesting from Israel.

And it hurts and it can't be taken back but this government has declared a war on us. I'm heartbroken but above all, I'm angry. How dare you threaten my rights? You should pay for it.

what I thought I'd take from an international festival:

a sense that the world is united and we're all people

what I actually took:

anxiety whenever meeting someone from a Muslim country like oh my, this could be "our governments are stupid, I wanna visit Israel, so great to meet you!!" or "You're an evil murderer with a fake identity and I won't speak to you" and there's no way to tell before

Me: you know, I've never met an Israeli Estonian Jew. There's a big Lithuanian community and I've met some Swedish and Finnish Jews but no Estonians
Him: oh yeah. Essentially no Estonian Jews survived the Holocaust, the Germans actually declared it a Jew free country.
Me:
Him:

Is this how international festivals are meant to go?

“Even when you stop being a soldier, you don’t have to stop being a soldier. Ever.”

What a terrifying prospect, I hope no piece of the army stays in me.