Ha'Shukim

this was a small creative piece I wrote for class reflecting on the two shuks:
The grand bazaar. Enormous, ornate and modern as hell. I almost felt like I was in a mall in the States. I had built up so much excitement after hearing how huge it was that I was torrentially let down when I finally saw it. After experiencing the shuks of Marakesh, Jerusalem, and Amman, and frankly any other in the Arab world, I was shocked to see a bazaar that paled so enormously in comparison. This is not to say it was not fun, exciting or aesthetically stimulating, but seeing it after Marakesh was psh. Even relative to the shuk of Izmir I was let down. Now, to go beyond the shock for a moment and some actually reflection. I am hardly surprised. Istanbul, the simple of the straddling of east and west, modern and tradional, European and Middle East, would naturally have a shuk to reflect that struggle. Sure enough, there it was.

oh boy – Machane Yehuda. Quite literally my favorite place in Jerusalem. If you really twist my arm, you may just get me to say my favorite place, period. Everything about the shuk (except for the Aroma) is genuine. The smells, the people, the yelling, the pushing. Every Friday afternoon since October 24th and our arrival in Jerusalem, I have visited the shuk at its most bustling moment. And, boy, is it wonderful. From the moment you walk up Agripas and catch a whiff of Marzipan, to being screamed at to buy oranges you know you’re in Israel. In Jerusalem it is all to easy to live in the bubble, totally naïve to the fact that you're in Israel. You can speak English constantly and never meet and Israeli. Consider this my window even if all too brief.