I'll start with the good stuff...since my last post, I received that sweet sheet of paper that says, "You officially have a Master's in Gerontology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev" (the diploma comes next June). I toiled for two years, went to many a lecture early on that I barely understood, got my Hebrew up to speed, studied many a late night, wrote about as many papers as I could possibly stomach (anyone who got an email pleading for help editing can attest to that), and rocked out a GPA to be very proud of and a new suffix! Eric Samuels, MA baby!
I went to a ton of weddings over the year of mourning for my amazing dad. Some observant Jews don't attend weddings at all over the year. I decided to accept and acknowledge both my immense family sadness and my overwhelming joy for the eight couples by asking them for a "job" on their big day--anything from translating one ceremony for the American guests and emceeing another to guarding the liquor. Doing those jobs well to enhance the happiness of the couples allowed me to feel that I was bringing my dad's giving nature and constant joy to the event. But I didn't dance at the weddings over the year (or anywhere else for that matter). The intense joy that exudes from the dance floor (all the more so to celebrate young couples building a home here in Israel) was just too much for me...
While passing the first anniversary of course does not leave me the same Eric that I was before we lost Dad, and while the pain will always be with me, I was thrilled to make my bouncing, sweaty return to the dance floor at three weddings of friends this summer (I've now been to 47 weddings to celebrate with 94 amazing friends and relatives! And yes, I count).
I returned to the Bloodmobile to donate blood for the 11th time since making aliyah, meaning I had to break in a new card recording my donation dates. If each one can save three lives, so I may have matched my age in lives saved during just over four years, and plan to keep the blood flowing!
A big goal of my October move to Beer Sheva was to slow down and take advantage of what the campus life offers. I've done that by spending many a dusk kicking back on the campus grass to read a book (the consistently delightful evenings are compensation for the hellacious desert days), and I've returned to my fall routine of roughly three weekly visits to the pool, and have now gotten back regularly to the volleyball court. Monday night was my first beach volleyball game since Dad's birthday in June 2011, and man it felt good to roll off some wicked serves, plus a great spike or two and authoritative block.
As for those desert days, our ride back from Eilat finished what summer in Beer Sheva had started--my bar of face soap has melted and turned into goo form. I haven't tried to match what the Texas sun once did to a CD case I left on the dashboard of my car--that case also melted and warped into a new form.
In a nice blast from the past, I saw Pulp Fiction in the theater (on campus) for the first time in about 15 years. How cool to see it with Hebrew subtitles, meaning the original text for Samuel L. Jackson's recurring Ezekiel quote.
On Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, I for the first time attended what will surely become a regular tradition: Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem's center runs annual day-long programs on this and other dates on the Hebrew calendar, including the Shavuot holiday. Tradition holds that the Jewish people was punished for its blind hatred of each other with the destruction of the Second Temple and exile from Israel, so this day focused on hatred in Israeli society. Most interesting were a cinematic look at unhealthy father-son relationships depicted in Israeli film (which left me thanking G-d for my amazing relationship with my dad!) and the screening of a film (then discussion with the director) about his stormy transition from ultra-Orthodox music star to secular Israeli. Soaking up the fascinating programming helped distract me from the fact that I hadn't been eating or drinking for 25 hours on that long, hot summer fast day. My university deserves a thank you--attending lectures in grad school prepared me to fully enjoy all that programming in Hebrew.
I'll wrap up reflecting on lots of amazing-ness by touching on an...amazing trip back to the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat a couple weeks back to see my favorite jazz bassist, Christian McBride.
His pianist's name is also Christian (Sands). Just awesome to host these unbelievable talents back in Israel! McBride called his 23ish-year-old bandmate "illustrious;" I couldn't find a better word to describe him. All you have to know is that he was the late, great Billy Taylor's protege. I told him after the show that his amazing chops and incredible soul to match made him the perfect pianist for the equally versatile McBride. The great drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. rounded out the trio impeccably (and I'm not just saying that because he's now my facebook friend).
Christian started the show by letting us know how the previous night's crowd had made him feel like Paul McCartney. I immediately thought of Dad's trip to the Dominican Republic with Brookhaven College, when the locals screamed their lungs out for the band and asked for autographs and pictures "like we were the Beatles!"
Playlist:
SKJ, Milt Jackson composition, for
his wife Sandra K.
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
East of the Sun, West of the Moon (which my brother from another mother Josh and I experienced on the way southbound from Beer Sheva, as the sun set to our right and the nearly full moon rose to our left while slowing down and enjoying the view, as Josh does best).
Halleluyah Time, by Oscar Peterson
I Have Dreamed
Footprints
Getting to It, title track from McBride's
first album
Encore--Dad, where were you when I needed you for the "Name that Song" game :)The band stayed backstage for quite awhile, relishing in the second consecutive night of electric crowds. I heard McBride shout, "Did you feel the energy?!?" I thanked all the guys profusely for coming to Israel (now McBride has made seven trips to perform in Israel). I told McBride that Dad was smiling down from heaven on the heavenly festival, and he told me that his grandpa was up there chilling with Dad.
Morning services, Red Sea style, with the sun rising over the desert mountains in Jordan.
The whole South is rocking in the summer--this was Balkan Beat Box at Beer Sheva's לילה לבן/Lila Levan "All Nighter." Danny Sanderson and the Parvarim (with the Beer Sheva Sinfonietta) were outstanding warm-up acts as I caught three shows across the Old City.
I have a ton more to say, but this post is already pretty long and it's late here.
The main source of sadness this week was the loss of the one and only Von "Vonski" Freeman, Chicago saxophone legend. I'll have to reflect on the great gift he gave to me and so many others on many a Tuesday night at a better hour, but for now here's a great one from winter 2011...
Take care and stay cool for now! With thoughts of snowy Chicago nights to keep me cool in the hot Negev,
אריק/Eric
