Virus, Job, Home?

4:30pm Thursday July 21, 2011

I’ve been sick all day with some nasty stomach virus. I’ve been bedridden for most of the day–it’s not been fun. Of course, the remedy to any sickness in Peru is some Coca tea (tea made out of those coca leaves that I once mentioned).  Thank G-d I’m on the verge of feeling better.

The timing of this virus is interesting. I’ve been reading the Book of Job in Spanish over the last two days and we see Job patience and piety were tried by undeserved misfortunes, and who, in spite of his bitter lamentations, remained confident in the goodness and justice of God. May the distinction be made between Job and me. I’m not comparing my suffering to his at all, but nonetheless this sick day has given me plenty of time to think about life and watch most of the second season of Srugim, the Israeli TV show.  Those two things aren’t completely unrelated.

Over the last few weeks, and especially today, I’ve been thinking about what home means.  I’m at this awkward place in my life, where for the last 3 years I really haven’t established a home in a single place.

The breakdown of my last 3 years:

School Year 2009-10 months at home in Chelsea, NYC finishing high school

Summer 2009-2 months at Ramah Nyack

School Year 2010- 9 months in Jerusalem at Yeshiva

Summer 2010-2 months at Ramah Nyack

School Year 2011- 8 months at Penn

Summer 2011- 2 months in Europe (Spain, London, Istanbul, Amsterdam)

Summer 2011- 2 months in Peru

Conclusion: 10 months NYC, 9 months Jerusalem, 8 months Penn, 8 months Other

Every time I’m getting settled in a particular setting, I move on. I was just getting settled down at Penn and the summer vacation came out of nowhere. That’s my way of saying that from the depths of Peru that I really miss Penn.

Since I spent my year in Israel, I’ve been trying to figure out what place Israel will play in my life. While I was living in Israel, I had no doubt in my mind that Israel would be a place my family and I visit every few years as American Jewish tourists.  But absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Seeing these Jews from Huanuco wishing they could even just visit Israel for a day, makes me realize what a blessing it is that as an American Jew it’s so easy to make aliyah. But then again, aliyah would be nearly impossible for me as a family member of the epitome of American Ashkenazi Yiddish.  Nonetheless, every time I watch Srugim a part of me wishes I could be a part of that young Jerusalem crowd of olim.

Some of my friends know that when talking about what home means, my go-to idea that I mention is In the Heights, my favorite Broadway musical in which the main character, Usnavi, struggles to figure out whether home is the mostly-Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights where he grew up or the Dominican Republic.  Throughout the whole musical he wants to move out of the poverty of Washington Heights and make “aliyah” to the Domincan Republic. SPOILER ALERT: In the end, Usnavi decides to stay in the Heights, realizing that he both belongs there and can make a difference there. 

In other news, the Hebrew classes are going really well.