Posts: 3

1. Christmas in Jordan

   25.Dec.06, 19:16 EST
   
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   I spent Christmas in 1997 with my friend Darah's family in Jordan. My best friend from college, Alberto, and I traveled to Jordan from Israel and was in time to celebrate Christmas with the Sukhtian family in Jordan. Darah's mother, an American, moved to Jordan after meeting her husband in college in the States. It's amazing to see someone so well integrated into that world, fluent in both language and culture. Darah's mother had sent someone to drive to Israel to bring back a turkey, since there are no turkeys available in Jordan. She spent the day to cook a wonderful meal in the American tradition of Christmas. At the dinner table was a Palestinian family, with a Greek American mother celebrating Christmas with an Armenian from Jerusalem and a Chinese from Taiwan via New York. Is peace on earth so hard to imagine?

2. Lassie, go home!

   24.Dec.06, 16:16 EST
   
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   I was backpacking through the Czech Republic staying at the Clown and Bard Hostel when I first heard of Karlstejn Castle. Charles IV personally supervised the construction, and its placement on top of a tall mountain made it very difficult to capture. A fellow backpacker who was also trying to make his way to Austria joined me in making a little detour to Karlstejn before leaving the Czech Republic. Early one morning, we packed our things and carefully stepped over the drunken American students at the Clown and Bard. We walked to the Hlavní nádrazí metro stop and board a train to Karlstejn. The castle was clearly visible from the train station so we started walking towards it immediately. I thought about medieval soldiers, marching up to the castle using the same criss-cross road and how impossible it must have been to try to conquer it. Although it has been besieged several times, it has never been completely taken. The castle interiors were magnificient. Many of the most important antiquities of the Holy Roman Empire still remain at the castle, including a crocodile skull that was believed to be the head of a dragon. We started down the mountain when the castle closed for the business day, completely miscalculating how long it would take to get to the train station. By the time we got there, we had missed our train. The next one would not be along for another six hours. The entire area has been closed down during the off season, leaving us stranded, cold and hungry. Out from the field, a scrawny dog approached us and started barking. After a few minutes, we decided to carefully approach the dog. Whenever we get within ten feet of this dog, it would run down the road a little further, beckoning us to follow. After walking about half mile down the road, the dog has taken us to a beautiful, rustic inn. It seemed closed for the off season but we were desperately hungry. The owner of the inn, a middle aged woman, opened the door and welcomed us in. Most of the interior were covered with plastic tarp to keep the dust from settling on the furniture. She took us to a dining room, removed the tarp from a table and cooked one of the best meals I have ever tasted. When it was time for us to return to the station, we paid for the meal, thanked our host and stepped out into the darkness surrounding the inn. The owner then whistled for the dog, said a few czech words to it and we followed the barking all the way back to the station. Back at the station, our new four-legged friend kept us company until the midnight train arrived. As I stepped into the train, I looked back at dog and said "Lassie, go home!" To my surprise, the dog immediately got up and headed back towards the field. What a talent! The dog spoke both Czech AND English.

3. Three Card Monte

   23.Dec.06, 14:58 EST
   
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   Years ago I spent a day watching Three Card Monte on Rue St. Denis in Paris. Three Card Mone is a sucker's game, orchestrated by con men targeting one mark at a time. Being from New York, I've seen many Monte games on street corners. New Yorkers are shielded from this con because they are constantly running late. Only the tourist has the time to stop and try their hand. The poor sucker does not realize that in a game of Three Card Monte, he's the only person in the crowd that is not an inside man. I watched this cast of tricksters and after a while their roles fell into place. There was a heavy-set guy who draws attention to the game by shouting every win, or near-win. There was an interested couple, who looked like they were just out enjoying their day of shopping. There was a lookout on either side of the game who acted like ushers, and of course the dealer. The street was their stage and thousands of audience members steal a glance as they walk by. I don't feel bad for the suckers. They knew it was a sucker's game, but driven by greed, they still go for it. I would be willing to bet that if the dealer wore a t-shirt that said "I am a Con-Man", it would not deter anyone from challenging the game. French is a very confusing language to me. As much as I try, I can't seem to learn to speak French. But watching the Three Card Monte game was different. I don't understand the lines, but the script is the same. For a brief moment, I was fluent. "You were so close!", "Should have gone with your instincts!", the fat man shouted. When the game was done, and the sucker was parted from his money, the cast reassembled for the next show. Bravo, you scoundrels, Bravo.