Is that noise coming out of the car?

We decided to take two cars to Jerusalem, because there were 5 of us (Adina, Kim, Stephan, Stephen, and me) plus 2 people from the institute who wanted a ride. We left around 8AM and stopped to get gas at a kibbutz. Apparently this was the kibbutz with the famous ice cream, which I did not know until we were back in the car. They also had really nice hair product that smelled really nice, among other things.

About an hour into our drive, there was a loud noise coming out of the car. I figured maybe the road had become rougher or something - but no! We got a flat tire... in the middle of the desert! Thankfully we had a donut, and one of my collaborator, Yuri, and Stephan changed it before any of us got heat stroke. It was actually the first time I had ever seen someone change a flat tire, so I'm kind of happy it happened. Now I know what to do if it happens when I'm alone.

Me watching Steve take a picture of Yuri changing the tire

Stephan modeling our surroundings at our unplanned stop

Why are all the ingrediants in Israel making my food so tart?

During our first week in Eilat, I was really motivated to cook each meal and start the research trip on a healthy note. At home, I usually make a large batch of food and munch on it for 2-3 days.

The first meal I made were gnocchi in tomato sauce with vegetables... for some reason it came out a little bit tart. I used tomato paste to make the sauce and I figured it was more tart than the kind in the U.S. 

The second meal I made was a large pot of quinoa, vegetables, and beans (which I bought dried, and ended up soaking for 2 days). First of all, the beans were not soft enough. I didn't realize this after I put everything in the pot, so the beans were slightly crunchy. Secondly, the dish turned out pretty tart. Not tart like "Oh, I think I used too much lemon", but tart like "This is kind of making my stomach hurt."

I'm not sure now how I realized this - but it turns out that I had been using citric acid instead of salt. Yes, the people that we were subletting the house from kept citric acid in their kitchen for food flavoring. I tried to salvage it, but I ended up throwing most of it away. 

The only bright side is that I have been very cautious to read all labels, in and out of the lab, after the mishap. 

First few days in Eilat

We arrived in Eilat yesterday. We are almost all settled, with groceries, work spaces and phones (almost all of us). My phone, which I thought was unlocked, is not. The woman at the store said they can unlock it for $70. I figure it's a good investment since I travel pretty often and will be able to use it anywhere from now on. 

It is very hot here. Let me try to describe. Imagine parking your car under the sun for several hours, and climbing into it with the doors and windows shut. You know how the heat is initially nice, but gets incredibly overwhelming within one minute? Well that is what it is like walking outside in Eilat. It is initially like a warm embrace, but quickly turns really intense, and your goal immediately changes to finding to nearest room with air-con. 

The Red Sea is a comfortable temperature, even on the chillier side. We snorkeled at a public beach yesterday, but will check out the marine reserve in front of the research station today. Judging from previous pictures, it should be sweet. Also, it is as flat as a pancake. No seasickness in the forecast!

Dust storms in Eilat

One of my collaborators in Israel emailed me about a dust storm in Eilat today. This is great news, because I can use the dust collected for my experiments this summer. If I'm lucky, the origin of the dust will be different from what we already have :)

Here is the link to the news article, which includes a video and some photos:

http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4964134,00.html

Experiments!

I'm in the process of 'finalizing' my plans for this summer (I say that with '__' marks, because things always change) and it looks like I'm going to be very busy.

I will have two experiments, one for ~5 days and one for ~2-3 days. Most of the work is going to be analyzing the many subsamples from those experiments, because we are being very ambitious with how many things we want to monitor. I'm really happy about it and feel excited to have access to the samples, facilities, and guidance of collaborators. I think some of the students there will be helping me as well, and I'm also feeling fortunate for that :)

Next step is going to be writing up SOPs and making sure all of the materials are ready, most of which should be done by the end of the month if not within the next week or so!

-Esra

Met some Israelis two weeks ago while traveling

I was in Brazil last month for climate change and ocean education workshops at the University of São Paulo with Adina, and we had the chance to add some days to travel to Amazonia afterwards. We stayed in the city of Manaus, and then took some trips into the jungle (some multi day trips and some day trips). While we were in the jungle, I met several Israeli travelers. They were all super nice and really excited to hear I would be in Eilat this summer. They said that Eilat is a holiday destination for Israelis due to the natural beauty and fun nightlife. They also highly recommended that I visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which Adina already has planned for our group (I think). It is always pleasant to meet locals from a place you plan on going to, especially if the experience is positive. It got me even more excited for the summer!

Stoked, Stressed, or both?

My first blog post!

Even though it’s only March, my projects are becoming better defined and I’m developing a relationship with my main collaborator, Eyal. It is somewhat challenging to clearly communicate through email, but I had a productive Skype call with Eyal. It turns out my proposal was a little too ambitious, so we honed in exactly what I will be doing whilst there. I just finished making my calendar and feel pretty good about it. 

I guess I should disclose that I have two main states: 1) stoked and 2) stressed. I feel I spend 95% of the time at state 1), state 2), or some combination of the two. 

I’m really stoked to have the opportunity to go to Israel since samples from a couple of my projects are from there. Also, I’m stoked because I will be able to work for two months straight without distractions and get a lot of data for my dissertation. I assume all graduate students potentially reading this are all familiar with the “Am I on track!?!” and “Do I have enough data??!??” anxiety hits – I think this trip is going to ease a lot of that for me. But…Who can say? Maybe nothing will work. After all, this is research J

I’m also really stoked about

-               snorkeling/diving in the Red Sea! The Paytan lab has plenty of divers, so I’ll have to ask them about what kind of camera is best for underwater photos.

-               going to Petra

-               learning more about Israeli culture

-               potentially surfing in Haifa – sadly peak season for waves is winter – but apparently there are some waves in the summer even

-               all of the food!

I’m stressed about

-               my projects not working

-               political climate

-               getting enough exercise during the trip – My productivity and mental health plummet if I don’t exercise. I even asked Eyal about this. He said there are gyms nearby. I’m not much of a runner, but I have a feeling that will be my activity of choice. Maybe I can kite/wind surf – I hear that’s big in Eilat… Or swim! We’ll see!

-               being homesick – I’ve become pretty attached to Santa Cruz. I’m sure I’ll be missing it.

In the next few days, I will be putting together my SOPs and list of supplies/instruments I will need for the trip. It’s hard to believe we leave in 4 months! So much to do until then!