When I was going through security at El Al on my way to Israel/Palestine, the security person questioned why I wasn’t with a group tour. He said, “Nobody your age travels alone like this.” He wasn’t impressed with my independent spirit. Rather, he thought I was a spy.
Flattered that he thought I had what it takes to be a spy (Jason Bourne flashed through my mind for a quick second, my pecs flexed instinctively), but insulted by his agism comment, I told him that I don’t like to follow umbrellas around and ride in tour buses looking down out the window on real life happening below. I don’t like to feel like a fish in a mobile aquarium. That I like to meet new people.
Besides, on tours you only meet the people you are on tour with. People on group tours from Canada meet a lot of other Canadians. Tours from Australia meet more Australians. Koreans meet Koreans…you get the point.
A group of Chinese tourists in Jerusalem’s Old City clogging a main walkway as they stop to take pictures of an Arab woman working her fruit stand. They were on an “Eternity Tour.” Which I only know because that was the logo on the crown of the white golf hats everyone in the group was wearing. The tour guide chose a yellow flag rather than an umbrella, probably because of the narrow quarters. Good call.
Traveling alone you can go where you want, when you want, with whom you want, only seeing umbrellas on rainy days or in fancy drinks — and meet people like Miriam at a coffee shop in East Jerusalem and learn something new over lattes. Which is exactly what happened to me.
Miriam is a Postdoctorate Fellow at Hebrew University of Jerusalem doing research on — get this — how traveling in group tours stunts one’s growth in terms of developing a better understanding of new people and cultures. I kid you not! That’s her area of specialty! What are the odds of me running into someone like Miriam just days after the Q & A session I fell victim to at the airport? (See Blog 1, “Growth Spurt”)
Miriam is living in Jerusalem to study the relationship between Indonesia and the Middle East, between Muslims, Christians and Jews, between locals and tourists. I learned that Christian and Muslim Indonesians take sides in the conflict between Palestine and Israel. I didn’t know that. And that Palestinians and Israelis have LESS contact with each other today than at any other time in history (something I’d heard anecdotally from others, but Miriam confirmed).
Not only are Palestinians and Israelis separated by the wall, but they choose to self-segregate as people. In Jerusalem, Jewish Israelis tend to stay in West Jerusalem and Christian and Muslim Palestinians stay in East Jerusalem (which is something I might write about later).
Which certainly doesn’t help them find common ground.
I shared with Miriam a copy of my first blog and she responded with this: “A growth spurt in cultural awareness and understanding, creativity, imagination and character” is what I aim at through my teaching and research activities 🙂
Flattered as I was that she liked what I wrote, I was more excited that I got a smiley face from a PhD! I felt like a 5th grader getting a gold star on a project from his favorite teacher (only Miriam is younger than me, and much smarter and more accomplished than Mrs. Gassensmith ever was…sorry Mrs. G!)
Miriam told me about a Palestinian movement gaining steam here called the “Anti-Normalization” movement. It is peaceful, and basically argues that Palestinians and Israelis shouldn’t work together on, well, anything really — political, social, cultural initiatives — until certain (major) conditions are met in the Palestinian’s favor.
So, for example, the movement believes that Palestinian soccer players should not play on the Israeli national soccer team (Olympics, FIFA), a normal aspiration for a great soccer player, because it gives the world the impression that Palestinians are on equal turf with Israelis when, in fact, they are not. The same argument holds true for things like the symphony.
Needless to say, there are people that support this movement, and there are those that don’t. But that discussion is way beyond my pay grade.
Conditions and politics aside, it is the boycotting of people-to-people interactions that is challenging to Miriam and so many others, including me as I learn more about it.
Which brings me full-circle as to why I think traveling alone is so freaking awesome! You get to meet new people like Miriam at a random coffee shop that would not be on a tour bus route (and no one blows a whistle telling you it is time to stop talking and move on!)
Traveling alone you can go anywhere, meet anyone, stay as long as you’d like — and learn as much as you are willing to learn by asking questions, listening well and keeping an open mind.
Meet, talk, listen and learn. All over a cup of latte. Which is the true benefit of “people-to-people interaction,” I’d say.
Now, if only the latte had a little umbrella in it, we’d be golden!
Thank you, Miriam, for making me smarter today than I was yesterday!
PALRAEL
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Solo in the Holy Land 