I’ve Had It.

I’m through with this.

Or at least, I wish I was.

Stupid government, stupid world, no intifada, it’s all our fault.  Suicide bus drivers are our fault, too.

I don’t want to leave my city (which is really just a big neighborhood); I don’t want to go anywhere at all.

I’m mad and I’m scared.  And Yitzchak, who has been insisting, for the past who-knows-how-many months, that all the attacks in Jerusalem were in neighborhoods that were close to the “Green Line”, has been proven wrong.  Duh.  I kept telling him that maybe that’s so at the moment but in the blink of an eye it will be all of Jerusalem.

Sadly, I was right.  The blink of an eye came.

Yay, terrific.

It makes me want to leave Israel – because I know our stupid government won’t do anything without international backing, even if it means Israel committing suicide – until I remember that similar things are happening all over Europe and all over America.

And it’s not just happening to Jews, although Jews are always a favorite target.

In other words, there is no safe place to live.  Ever.  Anywhere.

So I might as well just stay where I am and pray for the best.

Maybe I should learn to use a gun and carry it with me all the time.

I am going to school to pick up some books and write a fancy-shmansy schedule of what I plan to teach for the entire year (or rather, what I plan to have the students learn the entire year).  When I get back, I will try to put in links.

In the meantime, I will attempt to calm my nerves.

If I had wanted to go to Jerusalem within the next few weeks, if I had thought that I really really don’t want to have to go to Be’er Sheva – well, I still don’t want to.  But my fear of leaving the area, especially for a city that is not exactly safe anymore, is stronger than my desire to be in Jerusalem.  I guess we will see what happens.

Mysterious Corner

I pass through the metal detector at the entrance of the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem, and stick my bag on the x-ray belt.  And I notice something new: The corner right at the entrance to the station, and a little behind the bag x-ray, had been curtained off.  While I steered the stroller out of the way and grabbed my bag, I asked the security guard what was behind the curtain.

Security Guard (SG): “What’s behind the curtain?(!?)”

Me: “Yeah, the curtain is new. What’s behind it?”

SG (amused): “You want to know what’s behind it?  Why?”

Me (wondering what’s so complicated about the question): “I’m just curious, because it’s new.”

SG (still amused, but apparently willing to answer a young mother with a kid’s curiosity): “You want to take a look?”

Me (surprised at the offer): “Sure, why not?”

SG (with a 100% straight face): “Okay, give me your identity card and come back here; I’ll search you.”

Me (laughing and turning the stroller towards the ramp): “Uh, no no, thanks so much!”

That is, thanks so much for the answer.  Sometimes I wonder whether I’ll ever regret my curiosity and question-asking.I walked away laughing, and I’m pretty sure he was laughing at me, too.  But that’s okay, because it was pretty funny.

(For those interested – this happened on this past Thursday.)