Lord how we need your power every day and every hour.
Dear Mezzy, . Now I was going to write something about my trip to the states, but instead I started to look at pictures, and since I took photos all the time over there I just post a whole bunch of them instead =D
So, so, so...I flew to Mississippi for the wedding between Krisite and Alfredo (I lived there when I was an exchangestudent about five years ago). Those two people seem perfect for each other, so I am very greatfull to see them togheter =P Actually I never saw them not togheter, but I can´t imagine that beeing too good.... In the church a lady was singing "...oh we´re too small to stop the rain, oh but when it rains I will stand by you...." while Mr. Richard led his daughter down the aisle and I belive almost everyone in the crowded sanctuary had teary eyes (= Then in Mississippi I also saw a lot of other things like red dirt roads, dogs, big trucks, the holy ghost, ice tea, Senatobia, Vacation Bible School, the Sardis Lake, Mississippi river, pizzaburgers, nice people saying "how´re you doing?" all the time, Walmart, drivethrought etc...and I most ceratinly felt the summer and its way to hot weather =P . Now I am in Sweden for a little while, before I hed to Uppsala. Then I will try to figure out what Cultural Antrophology is, becaus this is what I will spend my time with over the next three years. . GOD BLESS YA / Maja
" Come writers and critics who prophecis with your pen, and keep your eyes wide the chance won´t come again, and don´t speak to soon for the wheel still in spin, and there´s no telling who that it´s namin´. For the loser now will we later to win, For the Times they are a Changing...."
Im sure there are plenty of people out there wondering what Im up to. Truth is that I ask mayself the same question quit often and wonder "what in the name of the flying spaghetti monster am I doing?" Eventhought I have many teories of what the answere to this question might be, I am not entirly sure.
Instead I want to write about something I do know; THE SPRING HAS FINALY ARRIVED TO UPPSALA! Today I could even go for a run wearing only two longsleeved shirts and furthermore the snow is almost gone from the track! This makes me really happy, and if there is one thing I learned from living in Ireland it is that climibing a hill just to sit in the sun for a while will solve all of your problems.(atleast for a little while, and I've never been a long-term person anyways). . Alright enought wierd writing. Look at these flowers from the Dass on Torpet, left there since last summer
".....Var bäck har nog sin källa, Var äng sin blomma har. Vart hjärta har sin saga från flydda ungdomsdar. Men skogens källa sinar och ängens blomma dör, Men hjärtats tysta saga ej någon tid förstör...."
The words of the profets are written on the subway wall.
Dear Lord, now I have litarly spent days in my appartment doing nothing but reading your very long book! Sure its intressting, but Im starting to get just a little bit restless... Also now after diving in really deep in the testaments I am more confused then ever. How am I suppose to memorise all these scriptures? Can you help me pass my exam next week? To be honest, I dont really care about learning everything by word, and to take a part every single verse to, for example, see how Matt or Luk changes the text of Mark, and figure out what is specific for just e.g. Matt, or what Matt or Luk has taken from the hypotetical Q source. I mean, what is the name of someone is the Q source? Now I will go and bang the book in my head instead, maybe then I will understand. Thanks in advance, Maja
1. What am I suppose to wish for? Peace on earth? Money? Wisdome? Love?
2. How can I feel Im standing strong yet feel the air beneath my feet?
3. I saw on TV about this little kid who had a pig for a pet. His mom had once been attacked by a dog, so a pig was the closest thing he could get. That has ofcourse nothing to do with anything...
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Alright I admit, I have nothing exciting to write about =)
I havent written anything in such a long time! My last blog post is from a different life when I had just been in Jerusalem for the first time (yes I did return a second time as well) and now Im sitting in my new appartment in a snowy icecold Uppsala. However, this last post was only about one and a half month ago. Since then I have been throught so much, I have no idea where to start....
I`ll take the short version:
Me and Hanna had the time of our life in Israel, out last days at Bar´am and christmas was amazing with a visit to the pancake man in Zefat, christmas party and painball war for all the volunteers. After this we left Bar´am, almost in tears, and crossed the entire country to Eilat. There we dived in the Red Sea and I was stalked by a big, cute blue fish.
After that we wanted to go to Tel Aviv, but we couldnt find anywhere to live, since it was new years eve. We thought about sleeping on the beach but eventually decided to go back to Jerusalem. The holy city was just as nice as during our previous visit....probebly one of the coolest and most intressting cities on this planet.
The day after we jumped on a very crowded bus that took us towards Betlehem. So the very last day of 2010 we spent with some really hippe people in Palestine living in this place called Bustan Quranca. This organization was mainly trying to help farmers in the West bank. In the eving we went with them to a pub and eventually ended up in the streets of Betlehem. Hanna and I mostly just stood there, but the others was screaming "Free Palestine" and stopeing every single car passing by. After a while we heared from someone that the police was coming so we went away..... (yeah this was a bit extreme)
The first day of 2011 a little Palstinian girl of 11 was showing us her city Betlehem. She was really cute and guided us everywhere.
After this we finaly went to Tel Aviv. There we spent a lot of time at the beach by the Mediterran sea, we played guitar and smoked waterpipe. We had bought our own waterpipe, or hubbly bubbly as the south africans said, in Eilat. Then on our last day in Israel I, quit spontaneously, decided to get a tattoo! So now I have the word faith, in hebrew, written on my back forever. (something like this .אֱמונה ) And it turned out better than I had thought, so Im very happy.
On the 4th of January we went back to Sweden, where everything was ice cold and dark.
I went with my family to visit grandma in Värmland. I was so amazed by all the snow and kept throwing myself in it.
One night me and Hanna learned how to make our own hommus, this food that we had been eating basicly everyday in Israel. So we invited our families for dinner and foto slidshow.
Then I moved to Uppsala. Since i had nowhere to live, I got to move in with Hannas dads´ aunt and uncle. I was a little worried about moving to a new place without knowing anyone, but at the same time I felt that I had done it before, and this time I was only four hours from home!
I started school two weeks ago, and I am now a student at the University of Uppsala, studdying religion. Right now we are trying to define the word religion.
I think this curse will be very intressting and I feel pretty good about it. However I am a little worried that I don´t have so much previous experience of relgion. Everyone else seems to have been in church all thiere lifes!
Today I moved in to my very own appartment, and so far I like it a lot!
Well, that didn''t turn out so short after all. I really tried, but as you would know if you read the above, its been quit an intensive month (=
Now Im trying to make myself feel at home in my new place, and Im texting with Hanna. We lived so close to each other before, and now she has moved so far away, to Brighton to studdy english.....
Streets in the holy city, the church of all nations, the olive mountains and Hanna. Dear Mezzy, Every time me and Hanna decieds to do something it becomes an unforgettable aventure, this time we went to the holiest city of them all, Jerusalem!
We left Bar'am on friday and since we are quit unplannig people we looked up a hostel the same morning and just went there. At the Citadell youth hostel they had two room options left, either a double room inside for more money or we could sleep on the roof. Luckly we ended up sleeping inside becaus a little while later the Israeli winter came, which in Jerusalem meant storm.
On saturday (Sabbath) Hanna and I walked around in the old city. In every corner there was a church, mosque, synagogue or something else really old and holy. We went to the Western Wall and prayed with the jews, I learned that when you leave the wall you do this by walking backwards. Then we went to the church of all nations and listened to a mass is Italian. There they had a stone that was said to be the one Jesus sat and cried on when he had been betrayed. After this we climed up the olive moutnains, by the city of David. There we went to a resturant and ate falafels and hommus (pita and mached chick peas). This is really israeli food and I think I have been eating it almost everyday since I came here. Thank god I love chick peas!
In the old city the streets are more like tunnels, and when you walk around people are all the time grabing you trying to sell something. I learned that I am actually really good at bargaining so I did some christmas shopping and got everything for fair prices. However sometimes I thought it was to much fun to arguee for a low prices so I did it on things I didnt even want...
On saturday night we went out with two german girls we met on the hostel. Along came also a Canidian guy and we met two Israeli jews. An interesting thing about it was that the german girls told everyone that they were from Schweiz, becuas otherwise the Israelis might not have accepted them. In Bar'am there is people from every other part of the world, but these girls where the first germans I met. I guess they are just not that welcome in this country. Maybe its time to stop punishing people for what there grandparents might have done?
On sunday we went to the holocaust museum. I have read sooooo much about WW2 and I even went to Auschwitz and therwfore I kinda tought it wouldn't be so much new information. Still it was increadably interesting! It ofcourse made me really sad and scared thinking about what people are capable of doing to each other. I read somewhere the quot "When books are burned in the end people will be burned too" (Heinrich Heine) In this case they were talking about the christal night. I thought about that crazy american pastor a little while ago who wanted to burn quarans. So incredably intolarant. I think he needs to go to an Islam country to learn that muslims are people just like everyone else. And read my blog so I can tell him that there are extremist of all kinds. I bet he doesn't support all deciciouns made "in the name of christianity" just like all islam leaders don't agree with everything that is claimed "in the name of Islam" . Ok, so now I started analysing our socity as usual ... BUT, my point is basicly, extremists are dangerous no matter if they claim to be christians, muslims or whatever. This I wish people can understand and therefore not judge a whole group of people for something done by a very few. PLEASE GOD, no more holocausts!
Anyways, at the museum they also had art galleries with jewish art. Since I am me, I stayed there for a couple of hours looking at every single painting. Hanna had already walked to the exit, but when I didn't show up after three hours she thought I had gone back to the hostel. Therefore when I finaly went to the exit I couldn't find her and waited an other hour and then I also took the bus back to Citadell. Meanwhile Hanna was really worried, since she hadn't seen me for six hours. But as always I got home.
The next day however we were going back to Bar'am. After eating hommus and discussing the conflict betweet different groups of christians in Jerusalem with the resutant owner, we went to the bus staion and missed our bus on the minuit. There after the adventures followed each other, with missedd busses, wrong stations, scary hich-hiking etc, etc...but eventually we got back safe to the kibbutz.
Though I know that evening’s empire has returned into sand, vanished from my hand, left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping. My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet. I have no one to meet and the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming... lalalala.
Lately Hanna and I have been acting just as brave as usual. Therfore we decided, in the last minute, to participate in The Baram Talant Show last wendsday. Since we are the new volonteers nobody expected anything from us and it was really interesting to see the surprised audiance afterwards. Before the show we invited the kibbutz memebers to a volonteer night, and served food from all our differnet countries. I had stayed in the kitchen tuesday night to make meatballs. I am seriously really good at making them by now! I think they were appriciated. in the show it was only our number and two others on the schedule, since none else dared to preform. Hanna and I borrowed a guitar and were playing falling slowly, from the irish movie Once. And well....we did great!
On friday we finaly had our day off and went to the city of Akko. The Chinese doctor who drove us there in the morning told us that it is one of the oldest cities in the world. There's a wall all around the old part, and I walked around on it for a while. As you can see on the pictues, its a very beautiful place (=
After the talent show me and Hanna got really inspired to play music so we bought a guitar. While we were sitting at the bus station we met an Israeli guy who first tuned it for us and then started to play, and he was truly amazing. I too want to learn how to play that well =P (as you might have figured since I have been writing so much about guitars now)
On Sabbath everything in Israel is completly closed. So if you want to leave the kibbuz its kinda hard to get anywhere at all. This saturday everyone were tired after 5 days of work and friday night pub, but after lunch we walked to old baram looking for the ancient cold springs. First we walked down a path and almost ended up in Libanon. Most of us turned around, and met James, who knew where the springs where and showed us there. Some people kept going and ended up way to close to the border where they met some soldiers who made them go back. There is a lot of soldiers everywhere. Maybe not so strange since everyone here has to do mandatory army sevice for atleast two years, and Israel is not exactly famous for beeing a peaceful country.
The cold springs anyway, where basicly a hole in the ground where you could swim into a small little cave. I didnt jump in this time but I defenitly will sometime soon. Then we hich hiked back to the kibbutz and I fell asleep.
Unfortunally everyone else did not fall alseep. And when I finaly woke up again around midnight and went outside I met S. who said "Dont tell me you missed it all" That nights events is pretty much what we have been talking about since then. The only word to describe what happend is DRAMA! I think its really sad thought. Just becaus people cant get along now four volonteers have left the kibbutz forever. And to quote Hanna "Girls who stick knifs in other girls backs might be the worst threat aginst an equal sociaty"
Since Sunday I have been working in the kitchen. Looks like Im gonna stay there too, which is kinda nice. It is sure more variation than to work in the apple factory, but also I have to work much more. I think the chefs kinda like me, atleast a little bit. If they dont they should caus Im working as hard as I cna for 13 shekles a day!
Okey, now I have been sitting here for a long, long, time. This is the longest blogpost I have ever written (= And its in english for some reason. I think becaus its much more fun to write in english, and everyone I now can read it anyways (=
Tomorrow Im going to the desert and then to the dead sea!
Sen blev det haloween fest. Jag kladde ut mig till "laskig typ" och Hanna till docka. Det ar en kille har pa kibbutzen som byggt sin egen tauerings maskin och testade den pa Hanna har omdagen. Ganska fint tycker jag.
Im in the Middle east making kebab for the people of Baram
Hejsan Hoppsan Karlsson, . Jo nu har Hanna gatt och lagt sig och jag sitter i farfars arvda flistroja i datarummet som behandigt nog ligger mittemot varat rum. Klockan ar val typ 9 ellr natt, men det kanns som mitt i natten. Kanske ar det for att vi gar upp sa jaklans tidigt. Jag har jobbat i koket idag igen. Det ar ratt sa jobbigt, men kul. Det ar mer variation an i fabriken kan man lugnt saga, plus att man liksom kan prata med de andra personerna i koket. Pa natt satt sa har kocken plockat ut mig igar och idag och latit mig sta precis bredvid honom hela tiden. Sa jag borjade dagen med att mala kott. Och da sa jag "Oh I've done this before" liskom lite tyst for mig sjalv, och tankte pa den dar kvallen nar mamma tagit hem en halv ko och lagt pa koksbordet och tvingade oss barn att mala ner den till kottfarsas i den dar as gamla handrivna kottkvaren vi fatt arva av nagon... men kokcken horde mig och sa typ "Oh great, so then your not so picky" och menade att det var bra att jag inte var radd for att ta i allt kott. Suck, JO! Men bara att suck it up liksom, och efter ett tag var det ganska kul. Speciellt nar man la i vitlokar och det lat PANG PANG i hela maskinen da de maldes ner (ja, man maste ju tycka att natt ar roligt liksom annars blir det astrakigt) Nar jag sprang runt dar i koket och sag allt kaos och alla kockar som tsjong hogt pa hibreiska, transport personer som kom och lastade ur lador med mat och volontarer som hackade gronsaker sa kom jag liskom pa vilken knapp situation jag var i och tankte " Jag ar pa ett himla berg i mellanostern och lagar kebab at 500 israeler" Hur hamnade jag liskom dar helt plotsligt? . Okej det var egentligen inte riktigt allt jag ville beratta. Men nu kan jag inte halla ogonen oppna langre. Dessutom maste jag ju ha natt att skriva om i nasta inlagg (= . GODNATT/ Maja
Hanna skriver jatte langt och bra pa sin blogg typ varje dag. Det far mig att kanna mig som en dalig bloggare. Hon far dessutom med typ allt som hander har pa Baram, typ om jobb, mat, pub, manniskor och till och med en massa vardags observationer som att ett par sydafrikaner drack 3 liter mjolk och spydde i tradgarden. Och jag ar ju nastan alltid med Hanna , sa las hennes blogg om ni tycker att jag inte rapporterat tillrackligt bra.
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Idag fyller jag i alla fall 21! Sa jag kanner mig ganska stor. Detta aret ar jag pa kibbutz Baram. Forra aret var jag i Lidkoping, och fick flygbilljetter till Mississippi. How interesting. Mormor skickade forresten grattis kort till mig har i Israel, det kom fram idag pa lunchen (=
Men vad har egentligen hant sedan vi kom hit i forra veckan?
Hm...
Runt middags tiden pa fredag sa stanger hela Israel ner for att fira Sabbath. Sa efter att ha stadat appel fabriken spenderade Hanna och jag fredag och lordag med att typ "hanga" pa kibbutzen. Eller forresten, pa fredagen var det ju pub night och pa lordagen var ute och forsokte lara oss att hitta i kibbutzen. Vi gick drygt ett varv langs staketet och sag apple odlingar, fabriker, en massa hus, zooet och museet. Israeliska veckan borjade igen pa sondagen, sa da jobbade vi i appel fabriken. Dock sa var dar inga applen sa vi fick packa paron istallet. Hanna och jag blev dessutom ansvariga for att sortera en massa paron och spara de allra storsta och finaste klass A paronen. Aven idag fick jag sortera paron, trotts att de andra volontarerna fick sortera applen. Sedan kom chefen for fabriken (som tidigare skallt ut oss for att vi bara nastan var i tid) och sa att Liora (Som ar ledare over volontarerna ville traffa mig i sitt office och att '' it's not necessarily bad news'' vilket inte kanndes jatte bra. Men det visade sig att hon bara ville att jag skulle jobba i koket imorgon. Sure thing, sa det ska jag gora imorgon bitti.
Och det ar nog typ det mesta jag hade att srkiva....kan ju tillagga att jag tror att det gar att trivas ratt bra har.
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Och jag vill ha en bild fran Israel, men har ju tyvarr inte tagot nagra annu. Forrutom denna da. Ut genom varat fonster, fint?
Nu ar jag ute pa aventyr igen. Hanna och jag landade i Israel igar morses och klev pa ett tag i Tel Aviv som gick norr ut. Vi hoppade av pa slutstationen, dar vi satt en stund och kollade pa manniskor som sprang runt. Sedan blev vi upplockade av fick skjuts till kibbutz Baram dar vi nu flyttat in i ett litet rum i ett av volontarernas hus. Baram ar i Galilien, och bakom bergen ligger Libanon.
Igar nar vi kom sa at vi mat och sedan somnade vi och sov mestadels av dagen. Pa kvallen bakade alla volontarer pizza och idag borjade vi jobba pa appel fabriken.
Att packa applen ar tydligen det "varsta" jobbet man kan ha (enligt vissa i alla fall) men nu efter en dags packande sa tycker jag att det verkar helt okej. Bara att plocka upp applen fran en rullande band, lagga dem i en lada och sedan putta vidare ladan pa ett annat rullande band. Kanske dock att det kan bli en aning langtrakigt i langden, tur att det finns ipods.
Denna helgen ar jag i Värmland med min familj. Vi var i Karlstad för att kolla på Mamma Mia (as bra) och sedan åkte vi vidare till Nyckelby och hälsade på mormor Maj.
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Vi har fått placering i Israel nu. På kibbutz Baram i Galileen vid gränsen mot Libanon. Så dit beger vi oss på tisdag Hanna och jag! Lite knöppt, men det blir nog kul och intressant tror jag. Jag packar och packar och packar, tror jag har gjort det nu i ungefär en månad. Först Irland, sedan hem och packa upp bara för att genast börja packa ner allt igen. Och har jag sagt att jag HATAR att packa? Det ska bli skönt att komma iväg snart. Äventyr! (=
Idag kröp jag ner genom ett hål i muren på castle road och satte mig på en klippa och försökte rita av slottet. Vet inte riktigt hur det gick. Landskap är väl inte min grej, och har inte färglagt något på hur länge som helst. Men det var mysigt i alla fall. Tror det är typiskt mig att rita ALLT på en och samma teckning (=
Okej sista inlägget med bilder från jobbet. För idag slutar jag! Okej, har massa bilder fortfarande, men efter idag blir det inga fler långa eftermiddagar i den mycket tysta svenska hörnan med ansiktet i mitt ritblock.
Kopiert direkt från facebook -Like such I like like - underbart helt enkelt,
I dreamt I was a cat and now I dont kow if Im actually a human or a cat dreaming Im a human. Well Im probebly human, right? (säger filosofen)
Hejsan Hoppsan Karlsson,
Jag har varit ute i regnet alldeles för mycket. Det är sant som de säger att det regnar mycket på Irland.
Nä, jag orkar inte skriva mer. Vad ska jag säga liksom? Jag undrar vem som vinner valet också nu ska jag gå och kolla på film, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, verkar intressant.
Igår regnade det hela dagen, tills jag kom hem. Så vid min kvällspromenad var det fint. Och någon hade fest i slottet, men jag satt nedanför och kollade på flygplan och en stor lurvig hund. Det var i alla fall fint foto väder där under ca fem minuter. Sen blev det natt och de började regna igen och jag blev genomblöt.
Har ritat som en galning denna veckan. Och då manar jag verkligen som en galning! Har suttit i ett hörn med aniktet nedtryck i mitt ritblock och helt desperat dragit pennan fram och tillbaka....och när någon gått förbi har jag varit så inne i mitt ritade att jag inte märkt att de stått där och när de skrikit i mitt öra för att få kontakt har jag blivit rädd och gett dem värsta mördar blicken och så de ser så rädda ut och måste säga "oh sorry, sorry, sorry" Som om jag är nån galen konstnär som man inte får störa under pågående process,, haha....inte bra.
En dag skissade jag av en massa random folk jag såg på facebook och gjorde porträtt av dem. Hadde dock inga bilder att kolla på sedan när jag målade själva bilderna, så det blev inte så likt...men kanske det går att känna igen en del personer i alla fall? (= De är alla svenskar..tror jag.
Några av mina favoriter, har nån million till liggande här (= Så kanske det kommer en part 3 också, vem vet.
Som sagt, har sitter jag och vantar pa bussen....ja.
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Och btw,, om man glömmer att hoppa av bussen så hamnar man så småningom här:
I Knocknaheeny....
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Jag sitter (eller ligger i sängen med notebook på magen) och chattar med lillasyster. Livet har lugnat ner sig en aning nu och jag har inget att göra. Varför händer allt på samma gång, alltid?
Kanske för att man ska uppskatta när allt bara rullar på.
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Jag fick ett ganska intressant mail häromdagen. Från Augusti 2009 mig. (skickad via denna hemsida) När jag skrev var jag lite orolig för framtiden och undrade vad jag egentligen höll på med nu. Så jag gick in där igen och svarade till mig själv typ såhär;
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Tja Maja,
Dont worry. Jag har fortfarande ingen aning om vad jag gör. Men du vet, det verkar gå okej i alla fall. Jag flyttade i alla fall till Cork i Januari. Och just nu ser min plan ut såhär.
1. Jobba September ut
2. Flytta till Sverige i tva veckor
3. Joina en kibbutz i Israel
4. Börja plugga i Uppsala.
Sedan skickade jag iväg mailet till framtiden.
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De säger att man ska leva i nuet. Men jag vet inte. Tycker det är roligt att tänka både bakåt och framåt. På allt som hänt, saker som kan komma att hända och sånt som aldrig någonsin kommer hända. Man kan leva om ögonblick som hände för 10 år sedan lika bra som de som hände igår. Ganska knäppt.
Okej, Maja shut up.
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Paper tigers- The Caesars
"Like paper tigers roaming in the streets they stare right through me when we meet"