First Days in Beer-Sheva

At one in the morning, I was beset by spiky palm tree leaves on my way to the place that would be my residence in the Negev desert for the next 5 months. The sand dunes I saw in the pamphlet were miles away from me, invisible from my standpoint at the intersection on Rager Street. The 50 pound suitcase I was dragging behind me rolled past the silhouette of a dark campus, a hospital, a handful of research centers, and silent apartment buildings.

(My window, a bandana, and a map of Beer Sheva)

One of the program counselors greeted me at the gate of the Dalet Dorms, and led me to the apartment that I would share with 3 amazing Israeli-Arab girls. I would come to learn that the desert lifestyle appreciates air conditioning as much or more than we Los Angelenos do, because the first thing I was shown was the remote for the AC across from my bed that would be my most appreciated amenity. That being said, Southern California’s dry heat spells were a decent training ground for living in the northern Negev, which came as a surprise to me.

Beer-Sheva, a city with only five wells despite its name meaning seven, is far more of a college town than I could have imagined. The neighborhoods are safe, the dorms are a bit worn in a charming and clearly student-ridden way, and public transportation to the multitude of malls in the city is reliable. On the downside, I will mention that there are far too many cats for the level of my comfort around the feline family; it’s an issue that the city is still grappling with. In a way, it is comforting that a city in Israel, in the Middle East, in an ancient and disputed land, could have problems as mundane as an overabundance of cats.

(A photographer I photographed while he photographed in the artistic Old City)

It’s the perfect metaphor for what Beer-Sheva is–it’s not the modernity and secularity of Tel Aviv, and it’s not the orthodox devotion of Jerusalem. It is the fourth-largest city in Israel, with the largest mall in all the Levant, and with great diversity in its citizens and its student body. It is easily accessible to the sites Israel is famous for, while still remaining true to the ordinary Israeli lifestyle that can be lost amidst hordes of tourists every season. It’s a place where I can have genuine conversations with my Israeli-Arab roommates in broken English, Arabic, and Hebrew about how they feel about their identities and their geographic location, and where Israeli Jews or Indian exchange students can share dinners together over a small dining table, with the impressive landscape of the Negev desert only a bus ride away.

(Performance at the Festival of Lights in the Old City)

In that way, it is similar to Los Angeles for me, albeit smaller. The Israeli lifestyle is also incredibly laid back, and this is visible from the punctuality (or lack thereof) of the people, to the cool/casual way they dress. The adjustment is simplified in that you are not expected to try too hard here at anything other than learning Hebrew, and even then, Israelis tend to be multilingual and English is thankfully common. I’m looking forward to more days of exploring bars and concerts in the Portland-style “Old City” of Beer-Ssheva, learning more Hebrew, and of gaining a clearer understanding of the balance between relaxed Israeli cool and the complex existence of the state and its people in the Middle East.